2015 projected fantasy AFL positional changes

Stefan Martin and Sam Mitchell to lose out, but Jack Ziebell heads up the gainers in Fanplanner fantasy position projections for 2015.

First, those who avoided changes in positional designations. The most important of these is arguably Luke Hodge, who could very easily lose his BAC eligibility like I project for Jarrad McVeigh. It’s a tossup for both of them, but given that the positions are decided by Champion Data which heavily references where on the field each player is involved in play, I suspect Hodge’s predilection for sweeping up at halfback will be enough to keep it for him, whereas McVeigh’s role wasn’t nearly as defensive this year with the return of Rhyce Shaw shoring up the small defender stocks at Sydney.

Perhaps just behind those in importance, given there are more quality options in this position, is the dilemma posed by the likes of Patrick Dangerfield and Robbie Gray as CTR/FWDs. The game is played a lot in forward lines these days as repeat inside 50s is a vital stat, especially in top four sides. If Champion relied only on heat maps, half the mids from flag contenders in the comp would challenge to gain FWD status. Does the fact that Dangerfield and Gray are genuine midfielders who only rest forward occasionally mean they should lose FWD eligibility? I’m erring on the side of caution on this one, as their heat maps would be seriously slanted towards the front half, more so than the average even though that average is shifting towards attack for star midfielders. Similarly, Ziebell adds FWD eligibility in my projections because he’s become the same sort of player to those two, structurally.

A note: I would say about a quarter of the following changes are from misclassified players, i.e. players who were wrongly classified as juniors by Champion when they entered the system. They may continue to be misclassified, due to some arcane reasons only known to those on the inside at Champion.

Adelaide
Cameron Ellis-Yolmen from CTR to BAC
Sam Kerridge from FWD/CTR to FWD
Jarryd Lyons from FWD/CTR to CTR
David Mackay from CTR to CTR/BAC
Andy Otten from BAC/FWD to BAC

Brisbane
Jordon Bourke from FWD to FWD/BAC
Stefan Martin from FWD/RUC to RUC
Sam Mayes from FWD/CTR to CTR
Lewis Taylor from FWD/CTR to FWD

Carlton
Dylan Buckley from CTR to BAC
David Ellard from CTR to FWD
Andrejs Everitt from BAC to CTR/FWD
Nicholas Graham from CTR to FWD
Lachie Henderson from BAC/FWD to FWD
Kristian Jaksch from FWD to BAC
Sam Rowe from FWD/RUC to BAC
Matthew Watson from BAC to BAC/FWD
Chris Yarran from FWD to BAC/FWD

Collingwood
Alex Fasolo from FWD to FWD/BAC
Corey Gault from BAC to FWD
Tyson Goldsack from BAC to BAC/FWD
Tom Langdon from BAC/CTR to BAC
Adam Oxley from CTR to BAC
Ben Reid from BAC/FWD to FWD
Josh Thomas from CTR to CTR/FWD

Essendon
Alex Browne from BAC to CTR
Jake Carlisle from BAC to BAC/FWD
Travis Colyer from CTR to FWD
Kyle Hardingham from BAC to BAC/FWD
Michael Hurley from FWD to BAC/FWD
Nick Kommer from FWD/CTR to FWD
Johnny Rayner from CTR to BAC
Dylan Van Unen from CTR to BAC

Fremantle
Zachary Clarke from RUC to RUC/FWD
Brady Grey from CTR to CTR/FWD
Jack Hannath from RUC to RUC/FWD

Gold Coast
Sean Lemmens from CTR to BAC
Jack Martin from CTR to CTR/FWD
Luke Russell from BAC to FWD
Henry Schade from BAC to BAC/FWD

Geelong
Jimmy Bartel from BAC/CTR to FWD
Mark Blicavs from RUC to RUC/BAC
Josh Caddy from FWD/CTR to CTR
Cameron Guthrie from BAC to CTR
James Kelly from CTR to BAC/CTR
Steven Motlop from FWD to FWD/CTR
Rhys Stanley from BAC to FWD

Hawthorn
Kaiden Brand from FWD to BAC
Will Langford from BAC to CTR
Sam Mitchell from BAC/CTR to CTR
Matthew Spangher from FWD to BAC/FWD

Melbourne
Sam Frost from FWD to BAC
Jeremy Howe from FWD to BAC/FWD
Neville Jetta from CTR to BAC
Cameron Pedersen from BAC to FWD/BAC
Christian Salem from CTR to CTR/FWD

North Melbourne
Ben Brown from FWD/RUC to FWD
Shaun Higgins from FWD to BAC
Ben Jacobs from CTR to BAC
Jamie MacMillan from CTR to BAC
Luke McDonald from BAC/CTR to BAC
Kayne Turner from CTR to FWD
Mitchell Wilkins from BAC to BAC/FWD
Sam Wright from BAC/FWD to BAC
Jack Ziebell from CTR to CTR/FWD

Port Adelaide
Mitch Harvey from FWD to FWD/RUC
Jarman Impey from FWD to BAC

Richmond
Shane Edwards from FWD/CTR to FWD
Nathan Gordon from CTR to FWD
Ben Griffiths from BAC to FWD

St Kilda
Jack Billings from FWD/CTR to FWD
Jack Newnes from CTR to CTR/BAC
Shane Savage from CTR to CTR/BAC
Cameron Shenton from FWD/CTR to BAC
Eli Templeton from CTR to CTR/FWD

Sydney
Harry Cunningham from CTR to CTR/FWD
Ben McGlynn from FWD to CTR
Jarrad McVeigh from BAC/CTR to CTR
Tom Mitchell from FWD/CTR to CTR
Luke Parker from FWD/CTR to CTR
Samuel Reid from FWD to FWD/BAC
Gary Rohan from FWD to BAC
Dean Towers from FWD/CTR to FWD

Western Bulldogs
Shane Biggs from CTR to CTR/BAC
Fletcher Roberts from FWD to BAC
Koby Stevens from CTR to CTR/FWD

West Coast
Jamie Bennell from CTR to BAC
Jeremy McGovern from FWD to FWD/BAC
Brad Sheppard from CTR to BAC

Western Sydney
Will Hoskin-Elliott from CTR to CTR/FWD
Cameron McCarthy from FWD to FWD/BAC
Adam Tomlinson from FWD to FWD/BAC
Zac Williams from CTR to BAC
Nathan Wilson from FWD to BAC

And now, the same information grouped by the type of change made. Some names appear in multiple lists.

Adding BAC

from CTR to BAC
Cameron Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide)
Dylan Buckley (Carlton)
Adam Oxley (Collingwood)
Johnny Rayner (Essendon)
Dylan Van Unen (Essendon)
Sean Lemmens (Gold Coast)
Neville Jetta (Melbourne)
Ben Jacobs (North Melbourne)
Jamie MacMillan (North Melbourne)
Jamie Bennell (West Coast)
Brad Sheppard (West Coast)
Zac Williams (Western Sydney)

from CTR to CTR/BAC
David Mackay (Adelaide)
Jack Newnes (St Kilda)
Shane Savage (St Kilda)
Shane Biggs (Western Bulldogs)
James Kelly (Geelong)

from FWD to FWD/BAC
Jordon Bourke (Brisbane)
Alex Fasolo (Collingwood)
Samuel Reid (Sydney)
Jeremy McGovern (West Coast)
Cameron McCarthy (Western Sydney)
Adam Tomlinson (Western Sydney)
Chris Yarran (Carlton)
Michael Hurley (Essendon)
Matthew Spangher (Hawthorn)
Jeremy Howe (Melbourne)

from FWD to BAC
Kristian Jaksch (Carlton)
Kaiden Brand (Hawthorn)
Sam Frost (Melbourne)
Shaun Higgins (North Melbourne)
Jarman Impey (Port Adelaide)
Gary Rohan (Sydney)
Fletcher Roberts (Western Bulldogs)
Nathan Wilson (Western Sydney)

from FWD/RUC to BAC
Sam Rowe (Carlton)

from RUC to RUC/BAC
Mark Blicavs (Geelong)

from FWD/CTR to BAC
Cameron Shenton (St Kilda)

Adding CTR

from FWD/CTR to FWD
Sam Kerridge (Adelaide)
Lewis Taylor (Brisbane)
Nick Kommer (Essendon)
Shane Edwards (Richmond)
Jack Billings (St Kilda)
Dean Towers (Sydney)

from FWD/CTR to CTR
Jarryd Lyons (Adelaide)
Sam Mayes (Brisbane)
Josh Caddy (Geelong)
Tom Mitchell (Sydney)
Luke Parker (Sydney)

from BAC to CTR/FWD
Andrejs Everitt (Carlton)

from BAC to CTR
Alex Browne (Essendon)
Cameron Guthrie (Geelong)
Will Langford (Hawthorn)

from FWD to FWD/CTR
Steven Motlop (Geelong)

from FWD to CTR
Ben McGlynn (Sydney)

Adding RUC

from FWD to FWD/RUC
Mitch Harvey (Port Adelaide)

Adding FWD

from CTR to FWD
David Ellard (Carlton)
Nicholas Graham (Carlton)
Travis Colyer (Essendon)
Kayne Turner (North Melbourne)
Nathan Gordon (Richmond)

from BAC to CTR/FWD
Andrejs Everitt (Carlton)

from BAC to BAC/FWD
Matthew Watson (Carlton)
Tyson Goldsack (Collingwood)
Jake Carlisle (Essendon)
Kyle Hardingham (Essendon)
Henry Schade (Gold Coast)
Mitchell Wilkins (North Melbourne)
Cameron Pedersen (Melbourne)

from BAC to FWD
Corey Gault (Collingwood)
Luke Russell (Gold Coast)
Rhys Stanley (Geelong)
Ben Griffiths (Richmond)

from CTR to CTR/FWD
Josh Thomas (Collingwood)
Brady Grey (Fremantle)
Jack Martin (Gold Coast)
Christian Salem (Melbourne)
Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne)
Eli Templeton (St Kilda)
Harry Cunningham (Sydney)
Koby Stevens (Western Bulldogs)
Will Hoskin-Elliott (Western Sydney)

from RUC to RUC/FWD
Zachary Clarke (Fremantle)
Jack Hannath (Fremantle)

from BAC/CTR to FWD
Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)

Removing BAC

from BAC/CTR to CTR
Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Jarrad McVeigh (Sydney)

from BAC/FWD to FWD
Lachie Henderson (Carlton)
Ben Reid (Collingwood)

from BAC to CTR/FWD
Andrejs Everitt (Carlton)

from BAC to FWD
Corey Gault (Collingwood)
Luke Russell (Gold Coast)
Rhys Stanley (Geelong)
Ben Griffiths (Richmond)

from BAC to CTR
Alex Browne (Essendon)
Cameron Guthrie (Geelong)
Will Langford (Hawthorn)

from BAC/CTR to FWD
Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)

Removing CTR

from CTR to BAC
Cameron Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide)
Dylan Buckley (Carlton)
Adam Oxley (Collingwood)
Johnny Rayner (Essendon)
Dylan Van Unen (Essendon)
Sean Lemmens (Gold Coast)
Neville Jetta (Melbourne)
Ben Jacobs (North Melbourne)
Jamie MacMillan (North Melbourne)
Jamie Bennell (West Coast)
Brad Sheppard (West Coast)
Zac Williams (Western Sydney)

from CTR to FWD
David Ellard (Carlton)
Nicholas Graham (Carlton)
Travis Colyer (Essendon)
Kayne Turner (North Melbourne)
Nathan Gordon (Richmond)

from BAC/CTR to BAC
Tom Langdon (Collingwood)
Luke McDonald (North Melbourne)

from BAC/CTR to FWD
Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)

from FWD/CTR to BAC
Cameron Shenton (St Kilda)

Removing RUC

from FWD/RUC to BAC
Sam Rowe (Carlton)

from FWD/RUC to FWD
Ben Brown (North Melbourne)

Removing FWD

from BAC/FWD to BAC
Andy Otten (Adelaide)
Sam Wright (North Melbourne)

from FWD to BAC
Kristian Jaksch (Carlton)
Kaiden Brand (Hawthorn)
Sam Frost (Melbourne)
Shaun Higgins (North Melbourne)
Jarman Impey (Port Adelaide)
Gary Rohan (Sydney)
Fletcher Roberts (Western Bulldogs)
Nathan Wilson (Western Sydney)

from FWD/RUC to BAC
Sam Rowe (Carlton)

from FWD/RUC to RUC
Stefan Martin (Brisbane)

from FWD/CTR to BAC
Cameron Shenton (St Kilda)

from FWD to CTR
Ben McGlynn (Sydney)