After back to back seasons of averaging 100+ SuperCoach points,
McEvoy’s average dropped to 93.3, however he was subbed off twice in the year,
firstly with concussion in round 13 but then simply poor form in round 21
against the Swans.
The worrying sign for McEvoy was the way he finished the season. After
a blistering start to 2013, which saw him average 116.4 SC points over the first
seven rounds, he looked to of cemented himself as one of the premium ruckman in
the competition. But then in an abrupt change of form he averaged 84.6
(discarding round 13) for the remainder of the year. Of particular concern were
his final six rounds which returned a measly 72.5 SC points a game.
Further adding to this point, while possibly providing a common theme
to McEvoy’s inconsistent form, is that he is clearly a solo ruckman. Some
ruckman play better with a back-up accomplice as they rest forward and share the
workload, this is not the case for McEvoy. The culprit in all of this is up and
coming ruckman Tom Hickey, when McEvoy was joined in the side by Hickey; he
averaged just 86.2 whereas without him that number rose to 107.3 – clear
evidence McEvoy thrives as a one man show.
What does this all mean you say? Well the move to Hawthorn will
undoubtedly bring about plenty of ruck time with Jarryd Roughead certain to move
forward following the loss of Buddy, while David Hale will look to play
predominately forward and simply pinch hit in the ruck. A scenario that will be
music to Big Ben’s ears.
McEvoy isn’t going to rack up 25 touches like a Dean Cox and he won’t
bag you a handful of goals like a Jarryd Roughead, but he is a pure ruckman that
at his best dominates the hit outs, tackles hard and is an outstanding contested
mark. He will be the Hawks number one ruckman in 2014 and I expect him to relish
the opportunity to play in such a star-studded side. We know his potential and
at nearly 25 years of age come round one, the former number nine draft selection
will be heading into the peak of his career.
McEvoy won’t be a popular selection but I believe he will be a reliable
one and a point of difference for those who do select him. With plenty of
attention heading to Minson, Goldstein, Naitanui, Kreuzer and co in the ruck
department, McEvoy will no doubt slip under the radar and I expect his three
figure average to return making him a more than handy selection.