Nick Dal Santo has named the top five players who caught his eye across the 2019 season.
These are players who had breakout years or arrived on the scene and grabbed the former St Kilda star’s attention.
See his top five below:
5. Luke Ryan (Fremantle)
“I think his football spoke for himself and I love the responsibility the coaching staff gave him to be able to roll off and pick and choose when to be a lockdown defender and when he runs and carries, but I was impressed by the way he accepted that role and executed it,” Dal Santo told SEN Afternoons.
4. James Worpel (Hawthorn)
“Hawthorn’s best and fairest winner in his second year and we know what style of player is, I’m not sure how much upside he’s got in regards to the flare and winning games off his own boot, but with the absence of Tom Mitchell, for Worpel to come in and play as consistently as he did, he really burst onto the scene.”
3. Josh Dunkley (Western Bulldogs)
“I think he has had a superb year and he’s burst onto the scene. I think he’s possibly leapfrogged a couple of other elite players in the Bulldogs midfield. He’s now part of a strong collective and is a massive ball winner and uses it relatively well.”
2. Tim Taranto (GWS)
“This is a Giants midfield that has lost multiple midfielders. You go back 12 months and Dylan Shiel leaves for Essendon and you wonder how this midfield would hold up. Thankfully they’ve got Tim Taranto. There was no void left by those other midfielders. Between Taranto and Jacob Hopper, they filled the position. Tim Taranto stood up and got the job done.”
1. Rowan Marshall (St Kilda)
“I’ve kept very close tabs on him. I’d heard huge things going back 18 months. He’s a player the Saints believe could be the best forward-ruck in the competition, but then had to take up the responsibility as the number one ruck. I think they were pleasantly surprised by the standard he maintained across the year. Now they brought in Paddy Ryder to support him, but he is going to be a star if he isn’t already.”
Editors note: Dal Santo admits he should have included Sam Walsh in this top five, but forgot about him.