Who am I? I am a Collingwood midfielder. I am averaging 27 disposals in 2014. My body is covered with tattoos. My first name starts with D.
Put your hand up if you guessed Dane Swan. Put your hand up if initially you thought it was Scott Pendlebury.
The answer: Dayne Beams. Now why does that surprise you?
Collingwood have an elite midfield, with four players ranked inside the top 30 of the Official AFL Player Ratings.
Not impressed? Ok. There’s one bloke who has won a Brownlow, another a Norm Smith, and there’s one more who may just be considered the second best tagger in the AFL in 2014.
So it’s easy to forget that Dayne Beams, another Collingwood midfielder, is fast becoming one of the best ball-winning and goal-kicking midfielders in the competition.
Taken at pick 29 in the 2008 draft, Beams was an absolute steal. 108 games, a premiership, a Copeland trophy and All-Australian honours in 2012, this guy would be considered the number one midfielder at a number of other clubs in the AFL.
After a difficult 2013 campaign, in which Beams only managed eight senior games because of a niggling quad injury, he has played 17 out of the 18 games for the Magpies in 2014, averaging 27.5 disposals and kicking 22 goals. And at 24 years of age, he has his best football days ahead.
His 32 disposal, eight clearances, and one goal inspired Collingwood to their thrilling victory against Port Adelaide last week; a victory that put them back in eighth spot.
If Beams can continue this stunning run of form, he will be knocking on Pendlebury’s door as the best midfielder at Collingwood. And who knows, in a year or two, maybe Beams will be regarded as one of the best midfielders in the competition.
With four rounds to go, it would seem as if Collingwood need to win three out of their last four games to secure a spot in the finals, and Beams is pivotal to those hopes.
Next up: West Coast at Patersons Stadium. Not an easy task, especially after the Eagles shocked the Crows last week with a gutsy win over in Adelaide.
With Dane Swan and Luke Ball on the sidelines for at least another week, Dayne Beams’ moment is now.
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