With the A-League winding down for another season, I thought it might be interesting to conduct a fantasy draft, looking towards the 2013/14 season.
A fantasy draft is one wherein all players in the league are made available for all the clubs in the competition to draft into their team.
It’s a method to essentially rank the finest players in the league, taking into account (among other things) future production, expected future productivity and age.
For the purposes of the fantasy draft, all players are considered to be under contract with the team that drafts them for at least the 2013/14 season.
Round 1
1. Wellington Phoenix: Marco Rojas, midfielder – One of the most exciting players in the A-League right now, and a young (21 years old) player who could turn into the star who keeps his team relevant in the A-League for years.
He scored 15 goals in 2012/13 in a breakout season.
2. Melbourne Heart: Thomas Broich, midfielder – The German had another great season, one year after winning the Johnny Warren medal and helping the Roar win back-to-back championships.
He led the A-League in assists, and shows good leadership on and off the field.
3. Newcastle Jets: Alessandro del Piero, forward – The Italian international came into the A-League in 2012/13 and quickly became a favourite, scoring 14 goals and displaying great skill in every match.
ADP is the kind of player that fans, players and coaches alike will love. He received the Australian Football Media Association player of the year award for 2012/13.
4. Sydney FC: Dario Vidosic, midfielder – The first Australian taken in the fantasy draft, Vidosic is a young star who has been a consistent performer over his three seasons in the A-League.
Vidosic is the player who is involved in most of his team’s successful attacking plays.
5. Perth Glory: Jeremy Brockie, forward – Brockie finished second in the overall goal-scorers list in 2012/13, and has 32 A-League goals to his name at only age 25.
Brockie doesn’t stand out as a star right now, but he certainly has the striker’s eye for the goal.
6. Brisbane Roar: Besart Berisha, forward – In two A-League seasons, Berisha has 33 goals, a Golden Boot award, and a championship.
He constantly plays with a tenacity that endears him to his teammates and annoys all his opponents – the only knock against him is the choice of hairstyle.
7. Adelaide United: Michael McGlinchey, midfielder – McGlinchey has developed into a solid player in his four seasons in the A-League, and in 2012/13 showed he could be a dynamic player, earning the All-Whites captain’s armband.
8. Melbourne Victory: Archie Thompson, forward – When you think of Australian strikers, Thompson often comes first to mind, having played every year in the A-League and averaging over seven goals a season.
Thompson is getting older now at 34, but is still a force to be reckoned with.
9. Central Coast Mariners: Matthew Ryan, goalkeeper – Ryan, just 21 years of age, has won more A-League awards than any other player and could well be Australia’s future in the position.
He had 13 clean sheets in 2012/13 (from 26 games).
10. Western Sydney Wanderers: Shinji Ono, midfielder – One of the most experienced players in the A-League, Ono has been to three World Cups and has over 50 caps for Japan.
In 2012/13, he notched seven goals and helped the Wanderers to a minor premiership.
Round 2
11. Western Sydney Wanderers: Nikolai Topor-Stanley, defender
12. Central Coast Mariners: Daniel McBreen, forward
13. Melbourne Victory: Youssouf Hersi, midfielder
14. Adelaide United: Jade North, defender
15. Brisbane Roar: Nigel Boogaard, defender
16. Perth Glory: Eugene Galekovic, goalkeeper
17. Sydney FC: Emile Heskey, forward
18. Newcastle Jets: Patrick Zwaanswijk, defender
19. Melbourne Heart: Brett Emerton, midfielder
20. Wellington Phoenix: Adama Traore, defender
Just missed out:
Lucas Neill, defender
Ivan Franjic, defender
Ruben Zadkovich, midfielder
Paul Ifill, forward
Richard Garcia, midfielder
Mark Bridge, forward
Cameron
Roar Guru
That is FOR SURE! I like the current system in use.
Nick Richardson
Roar Guru
It will not work thats for sure.
Cameron
Roar Guru
If there was ever a draft system like that in the AFL or NBA, then I would walk away!
Jaiden Florimo
Roar Rookie
Your top 20 is very good. The only obvious drama I can see is the players who just missed out, there is Ruben Zachovic. He realistically isnt in the top 50 players. Let me think 11 x 10 teams is 110. So I'd have him about 106th.
Nigel Wakeley
Roar Guru
Not a bad idea, I think it would be pretty hard finding 10 guys who both are big enough names to warrant the money spent and also don't care about which particular team they play for. I like the idea of putting it on TV though, it would definitely add some spice to the A-League offseason.
Brisvegas
Guest
Rather than a draft involving current A-leaguers, how about a draft of marquee players? Let's say the FFA fund 10 marquee players not currently in the league for one season and each of them are available in a draft system. That is to say that the marquees are contracted to the FFA for promotion and advertising purposes as well, and they could be anybody from Aussies returning to world reknowned players. Would that work, do you think? And televise it live. Of course this draft marquee would be in addition to any marquee player that the individual A-league clubs can lure.