Oliver Wines: Quadzilla

 

Oliver Wines ($156,700)

Next up in our “17 players in 17 days” series is the #16 from Port Adelaide, Oliver Wines. Port Adelaide got a steal when they selected Wines at pick #7 in last year’s draft, as he is arguably the most AFL ready player of all the rookies who will play this year. Unlike Dayne Beams, Wines has no tattoos (as far as I know) to hide his true talent and should be one of the most selected players in AFL Fantasy this year. 

Upsides:

He has a strong body and isn’t afraid to take some hits from seasoned warriors such as Scott Thompson from Adelaide, who he will face twice this season (barring injury or suspension) as Port Adelaide and Adelaide renew their rivalry. He is very much an in-and-under midfielder who uses his elite handling  skills and evasiveness to win the contested footy. Wines has a knack for knowing where to be and doesn’t go to where the ball is, he runs to where it will be, allowing him to lose his opponent and shake tags, something he may have to do throughout the season given Port’s lack of midfield firepower.

In his first ‘normal’ (4 quarters) NAB Cup game against Melbourne, Wines his dominance in winning the ball in the middle and in contested situations. He finished the game with 21 disposals (76 DT points) after spending 77% of the game on the field and dominated at stoppages and in the centre of the ground, amassing a game-high 10 clearances.

Wines will slot right into Port’s line-up and should get plenty of games this season, especially if he keeps impressing in the NAB Cup.

Another thing to like about Wines is his proven track record as a ball magnet, averaging 119. 28 DT points in the TAC Cup last year as well as averaging 98.5 DT points in the four matches he played in the NAB AFL under 18 championships.

Downsides:

Wines comes at a slightly higher price than other potential midfield rookie guns, and you don’t want to have to sacrifice a premium player just to get him in your side. With cheaper options who will probably score similarly such as Viney ($102,700), O’Meara ($108,500), Crouch ($108,500) as well as potential superstar Kane Mitchell ($119,300) the only concern regarding Wines is that finding a spot for him in your midfield might be hard. In my opinion there are better options that will free up more cash to spend on improving players in your forward line, a position that does not have a plethora of premium options.

I have also read that Wines may well be given a handful of games playing on the half forward flank before being thrown into the midfield. While this wouldn’t impact his scoring too much, it’s enough to make me look at other, cheaper options such as the aforementioned players. .

Verdict:

Many people would lock Wines in and not think twice. However, I’m going to go against the grain here and say that there are better/equally good players available for less dough. However, there is no doubt that he will get games with Port, always put in 100% effort and is a safe bet to score fairly well for your team most weeks.

Predicted DT average:

A very decent 81 for the man from Echuca.