Sam Switkowski – Deck of DT 2024

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Why should I pick him?

Why not? Who else are you going to pick in your forward line this year? 

Sam Switkowski may not be a player many salary-cappers are familiar with and that’s fine. He’s the kind of player who is a Keeper League podcast favourite. Not quite good enough to find that mainstream fame but more than handy enough to be starting in most draft or keeper league sides.

And while a guy who averaged 63 in 2023 may not be screaming “pick me”, there are a few very good reasons why you should this season.  

• His good finish to 2023

Switkowski really found his groove late last season, averaging 81 points in his last three games, which had him ranked as the 19th best current forward over that period. If you extend that out a bit further, in his final six games, he averaged 79 points, putting in a super consistent showing with a low score of 74 and a high of 84. 

His six game streak coincided with some decent form from the Dockers which included three wins and a narrow loss to the Lions, showing that when he plays good footy, the Dockers play well.

• Not reliant on goals or CBA’s for a ‘solid’ score

It’s not often you see a small forward who isn’t reliant on goals to score but 2023 was a career best year in front of the big sticks for Switkowski and he only kicked 16. He also only attended 11% CBA’s across the season which was bumped up to 18% across the last 6 games. Yes, your argument to this may be that an average of 63 is nothing special at all. And you’re right but what this shows is a floor and things can only improve for Switkowski this season and that’s down to one thing…

• Opportunity

Lachie Schultz leaving for Collingwood gives Switkowski a huge chance to play an even more prominent role in the Dockers forward line. Schultz kicked 33 goals last year and who picks up some of that slack? There’s no reason it can’t be Switkowski. In the right role, Schultz took his average from 64.7 to 78.5 last season which featured 5 tonnes. 

Switkowski has already flagged in the media that he’s in line for extra midfield time this season and if he can push his goal tally towards 30, it would not be a surprise at all for him to finish 2024 with an average of 75-80. This would have him entrenched as one of the Top 20 forwards this season and take him from Fantasy obscurity to relevancy.  

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

There’s obviously the huge risk that Switkowski just ends up being that 65-70 averaging forward for most of his life as the goals or role just doesn’t come his way. The link man or small forward role can be Fantasy death traps at times and as good as his end to the season was, it could have just been a flash in the pan. While I’m buoyant on what 2024 can hold for him, I can easily see why lots of draft coaches would have little interest in a guy with a career average PB of 63 but in a year where where diamonds in the rough could be the difference between a flag and missing the finals, Switkowski is worth a look.

There’s also the pre-season hammy injury which REALLY hurts. Word from the Dockers is it isn’t too bad but history would suggest, injury interrupted pre-seasons are often bad news. It’ll be a big watch to see if he can recover in time for the practice matches as his role would be great to see. On the flip side, this may mean he slides further in drafts and we’ll have ourselves a real bargain.

Deck of DT Rating.

JACK

There is no doubt Switkowski is far from a safe bet but I do like the genuine upside that he has in a reasonable Dockers outfit. To me he’s the perfect man to fill a Lachie Schultz sized hole in the Dockers line-up and with a couple extra goals to his name and a few more CBA’s he’s a bloke who won’t cost you the world but could end up being a fantastic F2-3 this season. 

Catch Kaes on X @TKLKaes as well as @keeperleaguepod … and don’t forget the excellent website with plenty of resources at keeperleaguepod.com.au.

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Kaes

Co-Founder of The Keeper League Pod. Love finding the next undervalued star and don't hate a hot take or two.