From cheap backline cash cows to premium midfield maestros, The Traders are ready to show you the quick path to NAB AFL Fantasy glory. Over the next 30 days, they'll hand pick 30 fit-for-purpose players for your starting AFL Fantasy squad.
Today, we take a look at a talented big man who could reap huge dividends for your Fantasy team - provided he kicks the injury curse.
HAMISH McIntosh is an athletic ruckman who has certainly had his share of bad luck. Over the last 3 years, McIntosh has managed to play just eight games of AFL and turns up in 2014 as a bargain, priced at a discounted average of 63.6 due to not playing a single game last year.
'H-Mac' was traded to Geelong in 2012 after a horror run of injuries. Before joining the Cats, he opted for a knee reconstruction via the LARS method but has had difficulty getting his injury-prone body right, playing in just 48 per cent of home-and-away games since 2008.
During 2009, McIntosh put together his best AFL Fantasy season to date. He played 22 games that year to average 90 points, finishing as one of the best ruckman in the league. He followed that up with an average of 81 (20 games) the year after and that's when several ongoing injuries took their strain on the career of the 203cm ruckman. He managed seven games in 2012 to average 91, proving that he can score well if he's fully fit.
So ... is he fit and ready to go? Sadly, H-Mac didn't play in Geelong’s opening NAB Challenge game against Collingwood, leaving the ruck duties to Dawson Simpson and Nathan Vardy. Despite missing the game, it has been said that he is fit, training and running well.
It has also been said that McIntosh is set to play against Melbourne in the Cats' next NAB Challenge game in Alice Springs on February 28. The fact he 'could' play is extremely exciting for Fantasy coaches. This will be the final tick in the column for McIntosh if he wears the navy hoops for the first time since arriving at the Cats two years ago.
Although he will be managed throughout the season, we have 44 trades under our belts and should be able to manage him in our Fantasy team as well.
LOCKABILITY: 2/5
Hamish McIntosh is definitely not a 'lock' in 2014 - not yet, anyway. We need to see some pre-season form before we cement him in as our No.2 ruckman next to Aaron Sandilands. He has been a good Fantasy scorer in the past and if he's fit and ready to go in round one, then you should be selecting him based on his price alone. But the million-dollar question about his fitness still needs to be answered and on February 28, hopefully we’ll see the big No.17 up and about for the first time.
Join us tomorrow as Warnie introduces our first bench option in our midfield. You don't want to miss this one!
To discuss #AFLFantasy on Twitter, follow @CalvinDT and the official account @AFLFantasy
The pre-season AFL Record is the complete guide to the new-look NAB AFL Fantasy football competition. AFL Fantasy experts Warnie, Roy and Calvin (aka The Traders) detail everything you need to know about Fantasy football. There are Fantasy prices and profiles of every player. The 124-page pre-season Record is on sale now at newsagents nationally for $9.95.
