Matthew Kennedy – Deck of DT 2025

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What do Will Brodie (2022), George Hewett (2022), Jordan Dawson (2022), Will Setterfield (2023) and Zac Fisher (2024) all have in common? They were excellent, underpriced Fantasy picks to start after they moved clubs and obtained new, prolific on-field roles. I’m tipping Matthew Kennedy will share this accolade in 2025.

Why should I pick him?

New colours, new opportunity. Kennedy found himself on the outer at Carlton but seeking an inside mid role, the Bulldogs came knocking, albeit late the trade period. The lack of midfield depth at the Kennel showed last season especially their physical presence around the contest and Libba (33) and Treloar (32) are not getting any younger. The Dogs need Kennedy in the guts, the question is, at what capacity!?

Under Voss last season, Kennedy averaged a whopping 100 Fantasy points when receiving just 30% or more CBAs (excluding his 2 red vest games) not to mention, 106 from 50% or more CBAs. That’s an excellent baseline for a Fantasy player with Forward status. Even if Kennedy is Bevo’s 4^th or 5^th banana, it’s fair to assume that he’ll get a minimum of 30% CBAs each week. For context, Ed Richards and Riley Sanders were the Dogs 4^th and 5^th bananas last year and they averaged 44% and 28% CBAs respectively. Unfortunately for the young fella Sanders, he’ll need to continue his apprenticeship across half forward and Richards will likely split his time between midfield and half back. Furthermore, I cannot see the same workload this season for older statesmen in Treloar and Libba, the modern game is just too demanding.

As it stands, Kennedy is less than 5% owned and therefore a point of difference. The advantage of having Kennedy as a POD this season is that if a move is needed early then it’s easy to go sideways to say Liam Baker, Connor Macdonald (talk is more mid time), Shai Bolton or even Shaun Mannagh. It’s not too farfetched to go up from a Kennedy to a Horne-Francis if his CBAs heavily increase. We all need an insurance policy for our unique starting picks!

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

‘Being Bevo’d’ is a phrase synonymous to Fantasy coaches. We saw it last year with Jack Macrae and Caleb Daniel on the outer and it’s fair to say that no one is safe at the Bulldogs, especially new kid on the block Matt Kennedy. What scares me the most about picking Kennedy is that even if he starts out as a full time mid, Bevo could move the magnets at any point, with no warning making it impossible to predict or plan for.

Being versatile is a curse. We know when Kennedy plays midfield that he’s scoring output is super strong, but he can hold his own up forward with his overhead marking and goal sense. Being an asset in the front half and with Ugle-Hagan in doubt to start the season, Bevo may split Kennedy’s role between midfield and forward, which would definitely hinder his Fantasy upside. Kennedy must be a pure inside mid for him to be a worthy starting pick this season.

With five, mid-season bye rounds this year, I do not think it is wise to have too many on the first break in Round 12. Carlton, North, Port and the Bulldogs all have the first bye and I’d prioritize owning Bont, Sheezel, Butters and fellow forward JHF by then. Having Kennedy at the start of the bye rounds is likely to throw the balance out, which is unfortunate.

Deck of DT Rating.

KING

King Kennedy will feature prominently in his first season for the Blue, White and Red as a pure inside midfielder. No more utility and band aid role like he had at Carlton, meaning owners will see his Fantasy scores skyrocket.

With all the data presented and being a bit conservative, I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say Kennedy will average 97 this year which puts him at F1 while being priced at 77. No doubt he’s a high-risk selection with Bevo in charge, but I’m confident Kennedy could be that unique car/hat winning move and I urge you to consider.

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Jeppa

A legend of the AFL Fantasy game, Jeppa provides the best rookie content on the internet, bar none! Follow the man behind the most viewed Fantasy series on the web, the Juniors, on Twitter: @JeppaDT.