The most refreshing thing about footy is that it is unpredictable.
Teams, and players, can fall out of shape as well as sudden rises.
Surprise packages
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It is the how and the why, as well as the who, that make the difference.
For example, the fact that Patrick Cripps is in shape has returned to his best level this season is no surprise.
The fact that his Carlton teammate Matt Kennedy has gone from being almost a marginal player to driving the Blues resurgence and signing a new three-year contract is certainly true.
So who have we not predicted to significantly increase their level in 2022?
This list is far from an exhaustive list, but keep reading to see some of the real surprises of the first half of the season.
Will Brodie (Fremantle)
Brodie was selected as the ninth pick in the 2016 AFL draft, one of the top four picks for the Suns. Of these, only two remain: Ben Ainsworth and Jack Bowes.
Brodie was a promising midfielder, but it looked like he could never keep his place in the Suns lineup.
Will Brodie’s ability to get disputed balls and connect with Jordan Clark, David Mundy and others puts Freo’s opponents on his back. (Getty Images: Paul Kane)
He played only 25 games in five seasons at Carrara before being traded to the Dockers in a unilateral deal that favored Fremantle.
Coach Stuart Dew has said it is a Gold Coast case with a strong inside hand with skipper Touk Miller, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.
But the trade seems even more misguided now that Brodie has been given a chance at the Dockers and is literally accompanied. If anyone had begun to question its quality, it is certainly not doing so now.
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The new Freo number 17 is a beast of contested ball, with an average of 13.50 possessions disputed per game and 6.83 dispatches per game. Both figures are above the average for Nat Fyfe in his 15 games last year.
Brodie has achieved brilliant collaboration with midfield colleagues like David Mundy, Andrew Brayshaw, not to mention defenders like Jordan Clark.
So much so, that when Fyfe was asked where he would fit in when he returned to the senior team this weekend after a long injury layoff, he indicated that his role, at least initially, would be largely in the front line because Freo’s midfielder was freezing so well.
If Brodie can continue like this, he will release Fyfe to be a detrimental presence on the ground, and keep the Dockers well in the mix for the first two and beyond.
Paddy McCartin (Sydney)
Paddy McCartin’s calm, physical presence and interception skills have been crucial to the Swans’ rise this season. (Getty Images / AFL Photos: Matt King)
We knew Paddy McCartin could play in the AFL; we just didn’t know if he could play in the AFL again.
Formerly a number one St Kilda election, his career was derailed by repeated concussions and left the Saints to regain their lives and health.
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Football seemed a long way off. Now the striker award is back and thriving in the Sydney Swans. The other surprise is his new role as a key Swans defender alongside his brother Tom.
It’s been an inconsistent season for Sydney, but the key victories over Richmond and Melbourne have the Swans 8-4, largely due to Paddy’s presence behind them.
He ranks eighth in the AFL for interceptions in 2022, has shown composure in the last six of the Swans and has the third highest elimination efficiency of the team with a ticket of less than 82 percent.
He has maintained a strong physical presence despite his history of concussions and his recent scare against Hawthorn.
If he can stay in the park during the second half of the season, it will be a big advantage for the Swans defense.
Tyson Stengle (Geelong)
It’s not just Tyson Stengle’s goal-scoring throw that benefits Geelong this season, but his pace and evasion. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)
Tyson Stengle came to Geelong probably on his last chance at the AFL, after a checkered start.
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He had shown promise at the VFL level for Richmond, but never had a chance to progress, then a change to the Crows led to 13 games in two seasons before a series of minor offside offenses ended. to the club.
Now in the Cats, Stengle has blossomed in 2022. In a team with two very powerful key strikers, the 23-year-old has managed to cut himself the role of a harmful little striker that makes him fourteenth in the Coleman medal with 23 goals.
He is also out of the top 10 in the AFL for overall scoring stakes with 78, along with people like Sydney’s dangerous couple: Luke Parker and Chad Warner.
His speed, his evasion and his ability to get down to football plus his sense of goal make him a valuable addition to a Geelong team ready for another serious challenge for the flag in the world. later half of the year.
Jai Newcombe (hawthorn)
Jai Newcombe didn’t make a big impact in his first season at the Hawthorn, picking up limited time on the ground and playing seven games on a team at the foot of the ladder.
Jai Newcombe has only played 18 games in the AFL, but the big Hawk is already hard to stop. (Getty Images / AFL Photos: Dylan Burns)
Some improvement could have been expected for its first full season. What has happened since then, no.
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With half of the season in the books, Newcombe is the favorite for the rising star, and it’s a big reason the Hawks, who many proposed to get the wooden spoon, are proving tough opponents in 2022.
Newcombe’s physical and energetic performances have been impressive and fun to watch for both Hawk fans and neutrals.
The Hawks may be in rebuild mode with new coach Sam Mitchell, but a 20-year-old is not expected to be the leader or top three of his team in so many categories.
In fact, he is among the top 20 in the AFL in three areas: tackles, losses, and meters won.
Of the 14 players ahead in the meters won, the average number of games played is 136.9.
This weekend, Newcombe will be without the Hawks against the Dockers to play Game 19 in a run that takes off each week.
Patrick Lipinski (Collingwood)
Magpies recruit Patrick Lipinski has become a detrimental player, causing a loss of staff and accumulating points. (AAP: Rob Precious)
The rise and rise of a certain blond-haired striker may have made more headlines in Collingwood in 2022, but there is a calmer success that is becoming a key surprise player in the sixth season of his career .
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Patrick Lipinski spent five seasons with the Western Bulldogs with his role and games dwindling to the point that he called for a change to the Magpies in late 2021.
He had taken a look at the Dogs, but in a team with a star-studded midfield, his chances of being a player in every game were slim.
Lipinski had a fresh start on the Pies, and has proven to be a weapons recruit, perfectly suited to the more offensive and dynamic style of play of new coach Craig McRae.
Lipinski’s numbers are on the rise, but the keys to his game are as a forerunner of image loss, averaging five per game, and leading the Magpies’ attack with 5.98 stakes per game, only behind Jordan de Goey.
It was just what the doctor ordered for the Magpies, and Collingwood was just what Lipinski needed to start his career.
Matt Kennedy (Carlton)
Matt Kennedy has been one of the driving forces behind Carlton’s success in 2022. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
This has been an exciting year for the Blues, with a number of factors in improving the team since the arrival of coach Michael Voss.
Before the season began, the focus was on new midfielders Adam Cerra of Fremantle and George Hewett of the Swans.
But the surprise of the season has been someone who was already on the list: Matt Kennedy.
The former Giant had played 42 games with Carlton in four seasons, played on annual contracts and looked like he was out.
This year, however, has been a real highlight for the Blues’ number seven, starting with his dominant performance against Richmond in the first round: 33 discards, eight discards and 14 disputed possessions.
He has an average of 11 eliminations per game, more than seven last season. It also ranks 16th in the league for participation in the scoreboard, with seven per game.
The mark of Kennedy’s impact on the team this season can also be seen in the fact that he has only lost two games this season: the Blues lost both, to Fremantle in the sixth round and to Collingwood in the MCG a fortnight ago.
If he can keep fit, Carlton will definitely benefit from having Kennedy in the middle in the race home.