Colin Sylvia over the duration of his career has become somewhat of a
SuperCoach enigma, having been drafted by the Dees with their third selection in
the 2003 National Draft. A mixture of injuries, immaturity and inconsistency has
led to him never fulfilling what many perceived his potential to
be.
Sylvia has been a modest scorer in recent years, returning averages of
86, 81, 96, 88 and 91 over the past five seasons, but he has also never played a
full season, playing 87 of a possible 110 matches in this time.
His inconsistency and durability is something that has made him
somewhat of an irrelevant commodity of SuperCoach in recent years. Coupled with
Melbourne’s horror past two years, as a result of this Sylvia’s numbers have
fallen accordingly.
However, one intriguing statistic is his record over the past four
years when the Demons win. Since 2010, Sylvia has played in just 19 wins for
Melbourne, yet in those victories he has recorded 12 centuries at an average of
106 and a lowest score of 73. Why is this interesting? It makes his move to the
successful Dockers a big part in the Sylvia algorithm. The evidence is clear,
while it would be harsh to call Sylvia a down-hill skier; he undoubtedly
flourishes when his side is on top.
As Sylvia dons the Docker guernsey, he certainly is a player to think
about for your forward line. I expect him to play a vital role for Fremantle,
with the ability to impact the scoreboard while also fitting the Fremantle bill
of big bodied midfielders.
There are still the same risks surrounding Sylvia that we have
witnessed throughout his career, but under the tutelage of disciplined coach
Ross Lyon, a change of scenery and a strong pre-season, could prove the recipe
for a career best season for the 28 year-old.
As Fremantle look toward another assault on the premiership, Sylvia
will certainly feature in last year’s Grand Finalist’s plans for 2014 but will
he earn a place in your forward?