Footy Tragic

NAB Grand Final:

Essendon vs Collingwood

Essendon:

• Michael Hurley was impressive, again lining up at CHF. Kicking three goals on seasoned defender, Tarrant was certainly a good sign that he is in for a big 2011.
• Michael Hibberd was another youngster to impress – he played in defence and provided some good dash when needed. What impressed me most was his courage and confidence in his ability – new what to do in each situation and I think he will be rewarded in round one.
• Heath Hocking had a run through the middle, often alongside Swan. Despite only winning 12 disposals, I was impressed in what he did do when he used it and I reckon he could be a great DT/SC prospect if released from tagging duties in 2011.
• Kyle Hardingham again played in defence and looked good – laid some good spoils and marks, and seemed another young Bomber with confidence.
• Ben Howlett was somewhat disappointing, only clocking up 6 disposals. His spot for round one was there as it wasn’t for a lack of effort – he just couldn’t get anywhere near it.
• Mark Williams finished with one touch for the night and it was a ripper… Has clearly been watching tapes of Daniel Motlop all week and it has paid off – easily his worst game of the pre-season. Subbed off at half time though, which was disappointing.

Collingwood:

• Scott Pendlebury was impressive again – a guy who was once just a SC player has become an incredibly viable DT option too. Could be a worth a punt for the Brownlow too I reckon.
• Heath Shaw was great off half-back, winning 25 disposals on his way to the medal. Every year, the Tuck medal winner always sucks thousands of dream-teamers in (Barry Hall 2010? Anyone? Jason Gram 2008?), and I reckon Shaw will be another – he is a great player, but horribly inconsistent in DT. I don’t think he is worth the punt personally.
• Andrew Krakouer got better again – he is still showing a few signs he is not 100% adjusted to the pace, but regardless, 12 disposals, 6 tackles and 3 goals a game is all we need from him this year. He is still playing on a HFF, but have resigned myself to the fact that this isn’t too bad.
• Leon Davis again took up his post in the backline and looked good again. Despite Malthouse banging on about how his role is “still not decided on for 2011,” this is where he will be playing – full stop. He has trained here all pre-season and played here all NAB cup. Plus he is looking solid in the role and appears to have his confidence back. You wouldn’t be stupid putting him in your team.
• Simon Buckley is such a tricky one – I have been impressed with each of his games this NAB cup, and reckon he will make the side in round one. However, my worry is that after one bad game he will be out of the team, such is the Pies depth. He would be such a good DT option, so it’s frustrating to feel like this. Is it stupid to be considering him, or is it stupid not to be considering him? That is the question…
• Darren Jolly was pretty poor again and was soundly beaten by Bellchambers. He scored just the one SC point, which is a worry if you are that way inclined. Even in DT he was average. He will obviously play from round one, but I would be getting concerned if he were in my team. He’s lucky that Cameron Wood is rubbish.

NAB Challenge Matches:

Richmond vs Adelaide:

Richmond:

• David Astbury had a shocker in the first half on Walker. Got taken to school. He got lots of cheap stuff though and wasn’t too bad on the rebound. Went to CHF in the second half and didn’t have much of an impact.
• Jake Bachelor will play round 1 based on his pre-season. Always makes the right decisions and reads the play quite well.
• Reece Conca looked to do his knee in the first quarter, but was fortunately OK. Must’ve just been winded or copped a knock as he was back soon after. Didn’t get a whole lot of it but he is an awesome kick. His role was permanently off half-back.
• Daniel Connors started the game on the wing and didn’t really get near it. Went off injured late in the first quarter but it didn’t look too serious. He was walking ok after the game though.
• Brett Deledio didn’t play all that much in the first half but then he played quite well in the second half. Mainly off half-back but pushing up into the wing when we were rebounding. Would’ve been good for 50-70 points in about 60% game time.
• Nathan Foley was Richmond’s best by far. Absolutely no sign of injury, and he still has pace. Had a few of his trademark break-away runs from packs and tackled well resulting in about 3 holding the ball frees. There was no tagging role for him at all, in fact Reilly went to go tag him in the second half such was his influence. Super Coach lock.
• Shaun Grigg racked up plenty of touches – most on the ground in fact! Lots of link work through the middle as well as going back and also kicked a goal. Playing mainly inside, blocking etc for Foley & Martin but got outside when it was his turn too. He’ll get some big numbers through the year.
• Brad Helbig was very impressive. I would’ve thought there’d be a few guys like Contin who’d be ahead of him but he could be a real smoky for a round one debut based on today. He’s a really nice size, agile and has a neat kick on him. Knows how to break a tackle too and got a decent amount of game time in the guts.
• Bachar Houli had a great first quarter but then quietened down after that, mainly getting his disposals in contested situations. Played through the wing mainly.
• Dustin Martin interestingly didn’t come off the ground all that much. He was rested at half-back and even half-forward. Not sure if this was because Cotchin and Tuck were absent but he saw a whole lot of game time and was probably their second best player on the day.
• Mitch Morton played mainly half-forward in the first half and kicked a goal as well. Then when Connors went down he moved to the wing and got a fair bit of the ball in the second half.
• Chris Newman was a little rusty in his first hit-out. Will be better for the run.
• Alex Rance probably cemented a key position back role for round one today. Was easily their best defender and he knows how to find the footy as well.
• Jack Riewoldt played exclusively at CHF pushing up even up to half back at stages. Kicked two goals and almost took mark of the year twice, again a little rusty on his first hit-out.
• Tyrone Vickery did quite well again. He’s really improved out of sight. 20% ruck, 80% full forward.

Adelaide:

• Patrick Dangerfield did not move out of the forward pocket all game. I don’t think he started at one centre bounce. He’s an absolute tackling machine though. Disgusting role for DT, which is a pity.
• Phil Davis stood Riewoldt and did very well. Quite a bit of rebounding work and snuck forward for a set shot as well.
• Matthew Jaench was subbed on at 3 quarter time.
• Chris Knights played very well. Looked really quick too, no sign of any niggles. Kicked 3 goals and had about 20 touches. He played mainly half-forward but snuck on the wing a few times.
• Shaun McKernan wasn’t too bad at all. He’s a shocking set shot for goal but he played well apart from that. I think he’ll start round one.
• Brad Moran was subbed on at 3 quarter time and did pretty well in the last quarter. He’s way better than Maric.
• Andy Otten played a very good game. Lots of link work by hand, getting the one-two, and seems to have adapted to the midfield quite nicely.
• Rory Sloane played off half-forward and he’s just an animal at the contest. Would’ve racked up a lot of tackles.
• Richard Tambling was stuck in the back pocket all game. Not much cheap stuff or line breaking rebounding at all. Having said that, he played ok.
• Scott Thompson was everywhere. Got subbed off at 3/4 time.
• Bernie Vince was very good and looked back to his old self. Played almost the whole game on the wing on Connors/Morton and won those battles convincingly.
• Taylor Walker was awesome today – just way too strong for his opponents and kicked beautifully.

Hawthorn vs Melbourne:

Hawthorn:

• Jordan Roughead only played the first half and was serviceable. Lance Franklin did not play at all.
• Jordan Lisle played his first game of the year and displayed some good aggression, playing with time in the ruck (not very well though) and up forward.
• Josh Gibson was one of the Hawks’ best, which really surprised me. He was solid down back, playing a mixture of defensive roles and as loose man. Also played some time in the midfield as a tagger – didn’t see enough of the ball though to warrant consideration, at least in DT.
• Brad Sewell was another to play his first game of the year and it took his a while to get into the game. He played some time up forward before moving into the midfield – was a big part of their third quarter revival, which was a good sign.
• Grant Birchall played most of his game on the wing.
• Isaac Smith played most of the game off a HBF – looked promising again, but needs to work a bit on his disposal and decision making.
• Cameron Bruce had another good game – played some time up forward, but the majority of his disposals came through the middle of the ground.
• Paul Puopolo was disappointing. Played in the back pocked and was very rarely sighted, playing a very defensive game.
• Liam Shiels was another standout, playing his game on the wing. Melbourne left him relatively unmanned, meaning he ran around where he wanted and won a lot of ball. Also kicked three pretty handy goals.
• Max Bailey played his first game of the year and looked decent, although incredibly underdone. He blew up pretty quickly and was moved to full-forward for most of the second half.

Melbourne:

• Jack Grimes was decent again, picking up plenty of disposals and using them well. With each game he plays, he gets more and more tempting – currently trying to force myself to forget about his injury history.
• Addam Maric was again a highlight through the middle – certainly appears to be stepping up his game this year.
• Jack Watts was pretty well beaten by Xavier Ellis… hardly a positive sign.
• Mark Jamar was the dominant ruckman on the ground, although he didn’t win a stack of the ball around the ground – as usual.
• Tom Scully was again given a pretty hard tag – second week in a row now he has been tagged, which is a worrying sign for the upcoming year – unless if you are a Colin Sylvia owner!

Fremantle vs West Coast:

Fremantle:

• The big news to come from this game is the injury to Tendai Mzungu – he has strained his medial ligament and has bruising to the bone. Will likely be out for 8-10 weeks.
• Nat Fyfe was fantastic again, playing through the midfield. He is so lively and has no issues with winning plenty of ball!
• Aaron Sandilands was quiet in the first half, but got a lot better after half time when Cox was subbed off. Was looking really good by the end of the game.
• Nick Lower had another good game, winning plenty of the tough stuff through the middle. With Mzungu’s injury, there should be little doubt on his spot in the team come round one.
• Jack Anthony was very quiet – his issue has always been inconsistency!
• Michael Walters impressed up forward with four goals – I am still not 100% sold on him for DT/SC though.

West Coast:

• Luke Shuey was great again, playing through the midfield. Won his share of ball and did some really exciting things, including a 60 metre passage up the wing which resulted in a goal – total class.
• Dean Cox was solid in the first half, but was subbed off at half time.
• Jack Darling was good, except for his poor kicking at goal. He certainly looks capable at AFL level, so should be capable of playing a number of games this year. Loves to tackle and looks a real asset to the Eagles’ forward line.
• Andrew Gaff was good again, without being great. I am not sure he is quite ready for round one, and also whether his scoring potential in his first year will be all that great – I can see it being a similar year to Bryce Gibbs’ first year at the Blues.
• Adam Selwood was a casualty for the Eagles, suffering a hamstring injury.

Carlton vs Geelong

Carlton:

• Chris Yarran impressed again – the role of HBF is certainly working for him. He reminds me a lot of Jarrod Harbrow last year – very level-headed inside all the congestion of the back half, then able to pin-point his teammate coming out of defence – in saying that, his disposal was a bit down today.
• Matthew Watson was very strong in the back half. He is a massive unit and uses the ball very well (although doesn’t get stacks of it).
• Jeff Garlett was very impressive – will be competing with Betts to be the #1 goalkicker for the Blues in 2011.
• Jeremy Laider looked good against his old mob – has some good skills and a bit of mongrel, which is nice to see from a defender. Would be a pretty likely starter for round one.
• Bryce Gibbs was disappointing again – from talking to a number of Blues fans, all reckon he has never shown any respect to pre-season games. In saying that, he was his side’s leading disposal-getter with 26.
• Nick Duigan was solid again – he has had a very consistent pre-season campaign and surely will be in the round one team.

Geelong:

• Mitch Brown continues to impress, despite his wirely frame. He has a good lead and good set of hands – will be what the Cats need over the next few years.
• Travis Varcoe played through the midfield in his first game of the year and impressed. Was one of Geelong’s better players.
• Joel Selwood was Joel Selwood – tough, hard and uncompromising. One of their best, if not their best, racking up 34 disposals for the game.
• Steve Johnson simply dominated, playing through the middle before moving forward later in the game.
• Mitch Duncan was good again, playing mainly on a wing. Uses the ball well.
• Jimmy Bartel was strong in the clinches as usual before suffering concussion in the second quarter and being subbed off.

North Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs

North Melbourne:

• Lindsay Thomas was the star of the show – not unlike his game against the Blues last year. Here he kicked seven goals, chased opponents hard and won stacks of the ball. The only issue is we know how inconsistent he can be.
• Drew Petrie finally looked very promising, booting four goals and hitting packs like he was back at his best. They played his purely as a forward, which certainly isn’t a bad thing.
• Cam Richardson played one of his best games this pre-season, again winning a lot of ball off a HBF. He doesn’t use the ball particularly well, but certainly knows how to get it.
• Matt Campbell had a pretty bad hamstring injury which could put him out for a fair period of time.
• Shaun Atley looked a lot better than last week – he appears to be slowly adjusting to the pace of the game and may be ready come round one. Certainly keep an eye on him.
• Aaron Edwards appeared to injure his quad and was icing it on the bench at ¾ time.
• Liam Anthony was quite disappointing – doesn’t appear to be putting a huge effort into his game and whilst he won plenty of ball, his use and decision making was often poor.
• Robbie Tarrant made it through another game and once again looked solid down back.
• Sam Wright (Concussion) and Brady Rawlings (Hamstring) were also casualties for the Roos.

Western Bulldogs:

• Adam Cooney looked good in his first run for the season, booting four goals playing a bit more time up forward (as they eased him into the game). He played 55% game time, which makes the above even better!
• Shaun Higgins had another ripper – his form this pre-season has been fantastic. Played a similar game to the rest of the pre-season, predominantly through the midfield with time on the HFF.
• Nathan Djerrkura was good again – he certainly shows a bit of spirit, even though his skills are sometimes left to be wanting. Should be confident of a round one birth, although there are a lot of other dogs pushing their case for selection too.
• Lindsay Gilbee had a shocker – several mistakes in the backline which cost his team on the scoreboard, as well as a few bad decisions with the ball – just one of those nights hopefully!
• Tom Liberatore looked solid again – he appears ahead of Mitch Wallis from what I have seen (Wallis didn’t play this game). Could be a chance for round one.
• Ryan Griffin was fine, without being amazing. Looked to injure his shoulder in a contest, but fortunately he managed to play out the game.

Port Adelaide vs GWS

Port Adelaide:

• Jay Schultz would have been licking his lips when Izzy Folau lined up on him at the start of the match. He managed to lose him on the lead all day and finished with six pretty easy goals. Won’t be so easy for him in round one when Tarrant lines up on him.
• Daniel Motlop kicked three goals… Still don’t want him in my team.
• Robbie Gray again played on a HFF and managed three goals amongst a number of possessions. Was clearly one of Port’s best and one of a few whose disposal efficiency stood out.
• Matty Thomas injured his footy – the same one that gave him all the trouble a couple of years ago. Primus reckons he should be OK for round one though.
• Travis Boak was another Port mid who had the ball on a string – did as he pleased against the kids and also kicked two goals.
• In other news, Chad Cornes also kicked six goals, playing in the SANFL. Good to see there is still fight in the old man, although I reckon he will be used as the sub a lot in 2011.

Sydney vs St.Kilda

Sydney:

• Adam Goodes was the star of the show, kicking four goals, again playing as a stay at home forward. I wonder if he will move to the midfield when Bradshaw returns…
• Lewis Jetta was the Swans best midfield, carving up the Saints with his pace (what’s new?). Got a stack of ball and inside-50s, whilst also kicking three pretty handy goals.
• Andrejs Everitt was the Swans highest disposal winner with 27 disposals as he was used as their running half-back. With Malceski gone for half the year, this is some damn exciting news!
• Kieren Jack was again solid through the middle with 23 disposals. Love this kid.
• Gary Rohan played off half-back and was promising. He uses the ball very well and lacks nothing in the tenacity department. Should be a starter in round one.

St.Kilda:

• Sam Gilbert was back in the backline, which was certainly the big surprise. I think we will see him all over the place this year. Lyon has always said he wants two Goddards, and whilst Gilbert is no Goddard, he certainly has the versatility to play all positions of the field.
• Brendon Goddard continued his quiet pre-season. This man relies on getting himself up for games, so don’t expect anything in the pre-season from him. We saw in the first Grand Final last year the heights he can get himself too, so don’t be at all concerned about his selection in your team.
• Nick Riewoldt was kept pretty quiet, but as I have said, he always takes a few games to get into the season. This was his third.
• James Gwilt played a defensive role on Goodes (as Gilbert was playing the attacking role of HB), and was beaten. He is typically good one-on-one, but regardless, I still think he is a good SC pick.
• Clint Jones suffered concussion AGAIN – this time thanks to one of the biggest falcons you will see, courtesy of Jamie Cripps. He did play out the game though.
• Leigh Montagna was one of the best through the middle and won a lot of touches.
• Lenny Hayes was the other midfield general and also won plenty of ball and tackles.
• Ben McEvoy continues to impress (and tempt me in DT). He will be the lone ruckman for at least the first month of the season, so could pay off it you want to take the punt!

Brisbane vs Gold Coast

Brisbane:

• Rohan Bewick was very good again, playing on the wing. Won plenty of disposals and looks ready for round one. The Lions have plenty of spots to fill, so you would thinks one of them could be his!
• Mathew Leuenberger looked to go down with a knee injury in the third quarter, punching the turf in anger. He fortunately returned to the bench in the last quarter and did some runs on the sidelines to show he was OK.
• Mitch Clark played most of the game forward until moving the ruck when Leuey went down. He rucked really well, showing clearly that this is his best position.
• Tom Rockliff was solid again – I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the leading DT scorer for the Lions in 2011 – he is very consistent and knows how to win the pill. Certainly not a bad option.
• Daniel Rich is another looking like he will step up another gear this year after having second year blues last year. His disposal is fantastic and he was involved in a couple of very nice passages.
• Brent Staker played forward and was good, kicking four goals for the game. I still don’t think he is incredibly DT relevant though.
• Jed Adcock provided good run off half-back – great too see that this may be his position for 2011.

Gold Coast:

• Charlie Dixon was great up front – he kicked two goals and is a really imposing presence. Will be the Suns main target in 2011 I would think.
• Danny Stanley again gave plenty on a HFF and was one of the Sun’s few good players.
• Karmichael Hunt was solid in defence and rode a pretty solid bump late in the game. Doesn’t win stacks of the ball, but will play from round 2.
• Brandon Matera was good, and again proved he can cope at senior level. Booted one goal and won a fair amount of ball as he ventured outside the forward 50.
• David Swallow was solid in the middle, without being prolific – had Raines running with him, who probably had the better game unfortunately.
• Dion Prestia and Zac Smith didn’t play.

NAB Cup Semi Finals:

St.Kilda vs Essendon:

St.Kilda:

• Lenny Hayes showed why he is a great dream teamer – no, he didn’t win stacks of ball (11 touches), although he racked up an incredible 15 tackles! That’s just ridiculous!
• Daniel Archer was admirable as the Saints’ main ruck – got smashed by Ryder and Bellchambers, but he works so hard to cover ground. Should get rewarded this year as Lyon likes to reward effort. Michael Gardiner has been moved to the LTI list, meaning there is a spot available on the senior list.
• David Armitage impressed me – I will be so disappointed if he isn’t part of the best-22 this year. His workrate has improved and he even looks to have improved his pace. Tackles hard and can win the ball – one to watch.
• Brendon Goddard had a day to forget – he gave away stacks of frees and looked like he had gone into the game having chugged a whole box of angry pills. Don’t write him off on this performance – it is pre-season and this isn’t a performance you will see often from ‘BJ.’
• Raph Clarke was impressive again, despite the fact he fractured Sam Fisher’s jaw… Runs hard off half-back and often (not always…) uses it well – his issue is more decision making.
• James Gwilt already looks in great form. He dominated Paddy Ryder when he swung forward and his run off half-back was the best of any Saint. His disposal is also brilliant, causing most Saints to use him as much as possible when coming off half-back. He is one of my smokey picks to improve this year, especially with Gilbert moving forward.
• Andrew McQualter was the biggest disappointment of the game – after the best game of his career last week, he was nowhere near it in this one. He finished with five disposals – three of which came in the last quarter.

Essendon:

• Leroy Jetta had to be the standout… if only he had been more accurate! The Saints had no clue how to control him – he is such a livewire, darting all over the place and loves selling a dummy. His role on the HFF is perhaps not one to lead itself to DT though, which is a bit of a worry.
• Jake Melksham was very good through the midfield – he uses the ball very well and is good at finding space on the wing. Looks confident and should improve on his 2010 numbers.
• David Myers was good coming off half-back – he managed to get away from Gamble on quite a few occasions and should take some confidence away from this game.
• Michael Hibberd played his best game of the pre-season off the HBF. He didn’t provide much run, but won stacks of hard ball on the last line of defense and used it professionally. Hird would have showered him with praise after this game. Deserves a round one guernsey.
• I promised myself I wouldn’t bag out Mark Williams again this week… I feel like it’s getting a bit repetitive… But he kicked 2 behinds from 5 disposals…. Yeah… don’t go near him.

Collingwood vs West Coast:

Collingwood:

• Scott Pendlebury was clearly the best on ground, racking up 34 disposals and 6 tackles. He started forward and also moved onto halfback for periods, although was predominantly used in the midfield. He looks capable of racking up some huge numbers this year.
• Sharrod Wellingham impressed me with his attack on the ball – was ferocious all night and won plenty of the hard stuff. Should be able to improve on his breakout 2010.
• Leon Davis again played off halfback and was impressive. He looks comfortable there and I think he should be in the team come round one. He just needs to find more ball to become DT relevant though.
• Jarryd Blair was used as a tagger on Priddis – whilst Priddis still won stacks of ball, Blair managed to hurt the other way too. I imagine this role won’t happen too much going forward, but it wasn’t a bad experiment.
• Simon Buckley looked good again on a HBF – his decision making can sometimes let him down, but he is otherwise very good. If he gets named for round one, he will be a very tempting option at his price.
• Andrew Krakouer again played on a HFF and looked good. He doesn’t win a lot of ball, but is always around it for a crumb. Don’t be turned off by his average scoring, although don’t heap huge expectations on him either.
• Dane Swan coasted to what looked like an easy 21 disposals. He has an incredible tank and got a fair percentage of his disposals in the last quarter when everyone else was slowing down.

West Coast:

• Matt Priddis was their best player, continually getting his hands on the ball from under packs – it’s great watching him go for it. He finished with 30 touches, despite a tag, and I reckon he could actually be a pretty decent option for 2011.
• Beau Waters played only the first half in the same role as 2010, floating around a HBF. We know how good he was last year, so he does seem slightly tempting despite his large price-tag. Probably not worth it though.
• Adam Selwood again spent most of the game in the backline, hurting his DT/SC output.
• Dean Cox was great – it was especially good to see him go head-to-head with a decent opponent in Jolly. He racked up 22 disposals from all over the ground – the second most of any Eagle.
• Scott Selwood was used as a tagger, running with Dane Swan. He wasn’t quite as prolific as last week, although he still won his fair share of ball.
• Andrew Embley was poor – his terrible usage of the ball continually cost the Eagles. It was often his poor kicking that lead to Collingwood winning the momentum back.
• Mark LeCras was great – he doesn’t win a stack of the ball, but when he does get it, he always manages to do something amazing. Could be a good SC option, but he is not for DT.
• Luke Shuey was impressive again through the middle. Wins the hard ball and uses it really well. Should continue to improve throughout the year.

NAB Challenge Matches:

Adelaide vs Carlton:

Adelaide:

• Brodie Martin was a big casualty, looking to have injured the same knee he had a reconstruction on a year ago. This will put him out for the year if scans come back as expected.
• Kurt Tippett went off injured just minutes into the game with an ankle injury. He will likely be sidelined for 2 weeks.
• Ian Callinan was another casualty, ripping his bicep from the bone – this will sideline him for 2-3 months!
• Chris Knights looked much better than the week before, but played exclusively in the forward line. Kicked two goals, and by the looks of things, this is where he will play his footy in 2011.
• Shaun McKernan again impressed with his hands, but drifted in and out of the game as would be expected from a player with his lack of experience.
• Andy Otten again played through the midfield and won plenty of ball. His ball use was only OK, but the Crows are certainly sticking with the experiment.
• Rory Sloane was one of the best again – he is so tenacious at the footy and is using it really well. Seems certain for a breakout year.
• Richard Tambling was back playing out of defense and his disposal was woeful. He was again average – it hasn’t been a very strong pre-season for him unfortunately.
• Scott Thompson was in everything and was clearly Adelaide’s best player. Looks a bargain in DT this year for what he is capable of producing!
• Ivan Maric was rubbish – dropped marks, bad disposal… Surely Moran and McKernan will be ahead of him now.

Carlton:

• Bryce Gibbs started really well, but has a habit of losing interest in pre-season matches. This is what happened as the game went on, although he still got plenty of ball and looked super clean with his disposal playing through the middle.
• Chris Judd dominated, even though he is apparently ‘easing’ into pre-season training. He won plenty of the hard ball and even looks to have improved on his disposal. Would be a lock in most SC teams.
• Chris Yarran was another star of the day – everything I hear about his pre-season has been amazing and he appears to be getting better and better with each game. He is dancing around opponents, winning stacks of ball and using it brilliantly.
• Jeremy Laidler was impressive in the Blues backline, even playing loose-man at times. Could be a good unique player to look at – he should be getting games as the Blues traded for his in the off-season.
• Andy Collins played on a forward flank and was impressive, without being a star. He won’t be the type of player to dominate games, but looks a likely type to play most games this year and play them consistently.
• Nick Duigan was great in defense – always seems happy to take the game on and has foot skills which can be trusted. He is also very good at zoning off his player and playing as loose man. He is a big body too and looks like a certain starter in round one.
• Ed Curnow only played a half, but played it well. He wins plenty of ball, although his disposal can sometimes be a bit poor. Should get some games this year, although the Blues do have a lot of midfield depth to choose from.

Geelong vs Port Adelaide:

Geelong:

• Tom Hawkins again played out of the goalsquare and is really struggling as the number one tall target in the forward line. Will benefit when Mooney and Pods return. I do think he will make a gradual improvement this year – so don’t expect him to dominate from round one.
• Mitch Duncan was again impressive through the middle and off half-back. Has pretty much locked himself into the round one team after a great pre-season.
• James Kelly played through the middle and racked up 29 disposals – was one of a few recognizable faces running through there though.
• Matty Stokes spent the game through the middle – the same spot he dominated from in 2008. He notched up over 30 disposals and was one of the Cats’ best.

Port Adelaide:

• Steven Salopek was played through the middle (as Primus promised!) and looked really good. He looks to have found some pace over summer and is using the ball really well. I love Sal… could he finally deliver on what he had promised before injuries hit?
• Hamish Hartlett played (and made it through uninjured, which is a miracle in itself!), and is certainly a courageous bugger, throwing himself at the hard ball and backing into packs. He is a potential star, but you simply can’t pick him because of his terrible injury history.
• Travis Boak was brilliant – easily best on ground. Won stacks of ball (28 disposals and 2 goals) and uses it well and smartly. He showed us last year how damn good he can get, and hopefully this year he can reiterate the point.
• David Rodan returned from his LARS surgery and was great – won a stack of clearances and looked as though he hadn’t been out at all.
• Daniel Stewart was great again, kicking three goals whilst moving between the forward line and ruck. Looks to be one of those players who is going benefit from the new sub-rule – he is equally capable in either role and Port look to have a great player on their hands.
• Jarrad Irons was solid again and would have to have a pretty solid case for an upgrade from the rookie list.

Hawthorn vs Richmond:

Hawthorn:

• Sam Mitchell is back in the midfield (after playing time in the backline last year) and won stacks of the ball. Bit of a unique pick if you are tempted.
• Cameron Bruce was great, again cruising through the middle as if he has been there for years. He IS getting old, but history shows he is a bloody good dream teamer.
• Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin took it in turns as the full-forward, never being on the field at the same time (strange…). They both looked really solid, although Buddy clearly has the better DT game.
• Cyril Rioli was dominant through the middle and really has his pace back. Surely we will see some significant improvement in him this year!
• Paul Puopolo was solid again – has the skills and the body to make it at the top level. Surely he will be given opportunities this season.
• David Hale rucked and played up forward. He is solid, but it will be rare that he stands out. Personally I can’t see his worth as a third ruck in your DT/SC… you are ripping yourself off by doing this if you ask me.

Richmond:

• Trent Cotchin was the star for Richmond – won stacks of ball and uses it brilliantly. His kick to handball ratio is also great for DT purposes – much like Didak does, he kicks 5-10 metres rather than handballing! Love how he thinks of us DTers like that – what a champ!
• Reece Conca finds plenty of the ball and knows how to use it. Very good at linking up and providing an option whilst running through the midfield. Richmond will likely want to give him plenty of games this year.
• Tyrone Vickery again played up forward and kicked a couple of goals. He is a good mark and will continue to improve this year. However, this won’t be his breakout year – still needs a couple of years to fill out before he can really dominate.
• Nathan Foley got through another game worry free and is moving well. Great bargain pick for SC – not much of a DTer though.
• Brett Deledio played off half-back and took most of the kick-ins. Obvious it was his first game back, but should be good to go by round one.

Fremantle vs Western Bulldogs:

Fremantle:

• Nick Lower was again really good, winning plenty of ball through the middle and seemingly using it quite well – now all we need is for him to be elevated from the rookie list and he will be a DT/SC steal!
• Tendai Mzungu again one of the best (if not BOG), playing through the middle. His disposal was better than last week too, which was good to see.
• Nat Fyfe played parts of the game through the midfield, whilst also dropping forward. He had a good influence as his usual lively self. He has been training in the midfield this pre-season, so it won’t be a surprise if he lines up there in round one.
• Rhys Palmer was another Freo youngster starring in the midfield – he also dropped forward for a couple of goals. Good to see him rewarded for his strong pre-season to date.
• Greg Broughton played his typical role in the backline and played it well. By the looks of his NAB series to date, I can’t see this midfield role materializing as promised.

Western Bulldogs:

• Zephaniah Skinner was really lively up front, kicking four goals.
• Daniel Cross was really impressive for the Dogs, doing his usual grunt-work in the packs. I don’t think he’s played a bad game yet this pre-season.
• Mitch Hahn was also impressive in his typical HFF role. Can’t imagine him being a good DT/SC option though.

Melbourne vs Brisbane:

Melbourne:

• Colin Sylvia was one of a few good players for the Dees – won the hard ball early, but unfortunately didn’t have enough support. Great to see him stepping up like a leader.
• Luke Tapscott was good early before tiring – he won a fair amount of ball playing off half-back. Will be another played to keep a close eye on over the next fortnight.
• Neville Jetta was the Dees best, playing through the middle. He has a lot of zip and a good physical presence. Should play all games this year.
• Ricky Petterd played his first game for the year and was solid. Took some great marks and presented well.
• Matthew Bate was poor again.
• Brent Moloney saw very little of the ball.
• Tom Scully was another to play his first game for the year and was solid, without being spectacular. The Lions players really got stuck into him physically, so he copped it a bit. Will be better for the run.

Brisbane:

• Daniel Rich was the standout for the Lions, playing purely through the middle. He won quite a few touches and impressed with his kicking.
• Jed Adcock again played out of defense – despite popular opinion, this is his best DT position, so it is certainly not a bad thing. Although, with the Lions midfield woes, surely he will spend time through there this year.
• Luke Power played as a forward and booted three goals – he plays this role well, but it really isn’t a feasible position for DT… especially if you want him as a premium.
• Mitch Clark had his first good game this pre-season, and interestingly he played mainly as a ruck, with time up forward. He is at his best when playing this role, although we must remember that Vossy has marked him as a permanent forward for 2011.
• Andrew Raines and Amon Buchanan were both really poor. Both make bad decisions, but can’t even kick in the direction of their bad decision correctly… Does that make sense?
• Broc McCauley was good again – he is a very good tap ruckman. If he can get elevated (for Charman perhaps), he does present some value as a fourth ruck – especially at rookie price!

Gold Coast vs Sydney:

Gold Coast:

• Josh Fraser was really good in the ruck and was the dominant big man on the ground.
• Dion Prestia really good again – tough as nails through the midfield and won plenty of ball.
• Josh Toy was solid in defense and provided some good run.
• Liam Patrick provided plenty of spark up forward, although he is very selfish going inside-50 – tends to blaze away rather than looking for a teammate.
• Sam Iles was also impressive through the middle – tried hard and wins plenty of his own ball.
• Michael Coad was toweled up by Goodes – not a great sign leading towards round one, especially since his spot already seems to be under pressure.
• Nathan Bock was really disappointing – really lacked much leadership on the field, despite being one of only a couple senior players on the field.

Sydney:

• Adam Goodes dominated proceedings, kicking six goals for the game, despite getting subbed off late in the third quarter.
• Gary Rohan pulled out of the game early after twinging his achilles in the warm-up.
• Jude Bolton was one of their best through the midfield – he thrived in the wet conditions.
• Shane Mumford had his first hitout for the year and looked pretty solid – certainly hasn’t lost his want to win the hard ball!
• Ben McGlynn was lively across the HFF – like in many games last year, he showed off his uncanny ability to find space from his opponent and capitalized on it on several occasions.

North Melbourne vs Greater Western Sydney:

North Melbourne:

• Ayden Kennedy‘s year seems over after appearing to rupture his ACL. Still awaiting confirmation from the club, but it didn’t look good.
• Ben McKinley was again average, despite the low quality of opposition. His chances for a round one birth are looking far from certain…
• Gavin Urquhart may finally be showing signs with an impressive game played mainly on the wing. He won a lot of ball and hopefully this could be a performance that carries him into the season.
• Sam Wright showed some impressive signs, kicking four goals. He looked good in the games he played last year, so hopefully he can continue that on into this year.
• Brent Harvey was another to shine, not surprisingly picking up stacks of ball in the midfield. He must have loved being bigger than some of the other kids out there!
• Lachie Hansen jarred his shoulder – we are yet to know just how serious this is.

As I’m sure you are aware, NAB cup matches kicked off this week with the first triple-header match on Friday evening. In this week’s wrap – and all those from now on – I will be reviewing just the NAB games themselves (as I do throughout the year with my weekly wrap), rather than training info. If you are chasing training reports, my most recent one can be found here and is still up-to-date. Any other major news we will endeavor to still cover on the site so you won’t miss out on anything! In these wraps, I will just be providing dot-points on key things from the games, such as who shone, who looked poor and who may be in a new role – there won’t be any ‘Looking Good’ and ‘Looking Bad’ sections as such.

Adelaide vs Melbourne

Adelaide:

• Shaun McKernan was a highlight for me – played the game in the forward line and clunked some super impressive marks. He has a lot of competition for spots in the squad, but if he can play a few more games like this one he could be a good chance for round one.
• Richard Douglas played solely in the midfield and looked really good. Should continue from where he left off in 2010.
• Brodie Martin spent time floating off half back, but spent most of the game through the midfield and is looking great. He is capable of winning plenty of ball and uses it well, suggesting Neil Craig will have him in the team from round one.
• Richard Tambling played his first game for Adelaide, and whilst he started well with a couple of good tackles, he really lacked any sort of defensive nous whilst playing in the backline, making a few crucial errors. It is only one game, but at this stage I definitely wouldn’t be considering him!
• Phil Davis looks to have filled Nathan Bock’s role really well, moving up the ground for plenty of marks at Bock did at his best in 2008/2009.
• Jared Petrenko spent a bit of time with a tagging role in the backline in this game – not a very good DT position (he changed roles for the second game).
• James Sellar played in the backline on Watts, who managed to get away from him quite easily. The fact Sellar has been made to find a new position suggests that he is further down the pecking order of talls at Adelaide.
• Jack Gunston was one of the most impressive players of the game, playing a purely midfield role and looking well at home with the pressure and pace. Definitely worth keeping an eye on him over the coming weeks!
• Patrick Dangerfield looks to have improved on his core strength and his work rate was fantastic, playing mainly through the middle, but effectively dropping forward to kick a couple of goals. Should really step up in 2011.
• Liam Jurrah is an excitement machine! So good to watch! But is not a Dream Teamer – please remember this when picking your team! Sometimes it is very easy to get sucked in to players like this.

Melbourne:

• Jack Grimes was played as a defender, so don’t get your hopes up for a midfield role. However, in saying this, he was really effective and just the sort of player they needed coming off half back. He is composed, smart and has a good boot, so they go to him a lot – he is also very capable of winning his own ball from the opposition.
• Grimes’ fitness and ability in the backline has been particularly beneficial for another player – Aaron Davey. He played really well through the middle and really took the game on. He will likely be the first Dee tagged in 2011, but this role is perfect from a DT/SC perspective.
• Brad Green’s game really reminded me of Matthew Pavlich’s role over these past two games – he was a significantly bigger body playing through the middle, sharing his time up forward. Could be another good pick-up, and likely to be a bit less common across other teams.
• Rohan Bail played through the middle and looked good.
• Colin Sylvia was my favorite – he is a star when up and running and he won plenty of ball playing exclusively as a midfielder. If he can keep his body right, 2011 could be the year we have been waiting for with him!
• Jack Watts was impressive up forward – he looks like he has been watching tapes of Nick Riewoldt all off-season – he covers stacks of ground and is leading really well. Needs to work on his goal-kicking, but the signs are there. Perhaps not this year for DT/SC, but watch for a steady improvement in 2011.
• Matthew Bate was rubbish – I don’t think he touched the ball all game. He kept falling over and missing tackles – not really much good for your Dream Teams!

Melbourne vs Port Adelaide:

Melbourne:

• Colin Sylvia was once again a standout, racking up plenty of ball through the midfield. A few too many frees-against, but otherwise he is flying!
• Lynden Dunn played up forward and is a really important link-up player for the Dees. I’m a fan, but still a bit skeptical about whether he can maintain a high level of consistency this year. Showed some good signs in the back-end of 2010 though.
• James Strauss played in his new much talked about loose defender role and he was horrible! He hardly got the ball and when he did he looked to freak out and make a critical error. Not what you or the Dees want in 2011.
• Sam Blease spent some time in the backline and looks to have bulked up a fair amount. He barely touched the ball, but I certainly want another look at him!
• Aaron Davey again played through the midfield – could be a good option if Bailey doesn’t decide to send him back to the backline again!

Port Adelaide:

• Chad Cornes played up forward in a somewhat bullocking defensive role. It seemed to suit him, but Chadly’s DT position is down back, do don’t consider him.
• Matt Thomas seemed to be playing a much more attacking role through the midfield, breaking away from his tagging duties of the past couple of years. He probably still doesn’t win enough of the ball to consider, but I will still be keeping an eye on him.
• Marlon Motlop has been training as a half-back, but from what I could see his role was more along the wing (which aint a bad thing!). Unfortunately, he saw very little of the ball so was hard to judge – hopefully they give him a few more chances before the start of the year.
• Jack Redden played through the ruck and seemed a good size. May be tempting as a back-up considering Brogan’s now 32 years of age and is on his last legs. Won’t set the world on fire, but might just get a game or two!
• Mitch Banner appears to have stepped up a bit from last year and was a highlight in Port’s midfield. He probably won’t come cheap enough, but will likely improve on his output and games tally from last year.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide:

Adelaide:

• Brad Moran played through the ruck and was quite impressive. He is another one competing for that ruck/forward role at Adelaide, so it is hard to gauge whether he will play many games. Showed some good signs though.
• Jason Porplyzia was played as a forward – unfortunately – despite spending some time training with the midfield group. He is looking really fit and should definitely improve on his average 2010, but I doubt it will be enough with his current price-tag.
• Brodie Smith, Adelaide’s first draft pick this year, showed some good signs, mainly playing through the middle. He seemed confident playing at the level and should manage a few games this year.
• Ian Callinan showed some good signs up forward after failing to impress in the earlier game. Don’t be expecting him to be a world beater, or even score enough to be a starter in your side, but he certainly showed enough to be able to consistently get games and average between 50 and 60.
• Sam Jacobs was ok… but everyone is talking him up like he is a superstar – he really looked slow across the ground and I worry that he won’t improve as much as everyone thinks he will. Maybe he just played a couple of poor games, but I wouldn’t be locking him in as your second ruck just yet.
• Jared Petrenko played in Graham Johncock’s role in this game as the latter didn’t play. He looked really good and showed dash, but this just makes the point as to why you can’t rely 100% on NAB cup scores and positions, when there are plenty more senior players yet to return.
• Brad Symes appears to be getting more midfield time and racked up plenty of ball accordingly. He has a really average kick, but can certainly win plenty of ball – the question is what Neil Craig will think of this!
• Brodie Martin was again very good through the midfield.
• Rory Sloane is awesome across half-forward with his chasing and harassing. He isn’t really a DT-style player though unfortunately.

Port Adelaide:

• Marlon Motlop was a bit more disappointing in this game – running in to trouble a few times and made a couple of bad decisions. However, it must be remembered that this is his first taste of AFL at senior level, so hopefully he can improve in the coming weeks.
• Michael Pettigrew played across half forward, which was an interesting move, and he did some good things. Comes very cheap and could be given the chance to turn around a stalled career.
• Justin Westhoff was again strong in this game, mainly playing forward, however he did drift up the ground a fair bit and even got a couple of disposals in the backline.

Richmond vs Carlton:

Richmond:

• Mitch Morton playing back in the forward line – did have quite a presence, although you wouldn’t consider him for your team.
• Reece Conca played through the middle – did a couple of nice things, but overall had minimal impact on the game.
• Daniel Connors had a ripper off half back. He played a bit of time through the midfield too and had a great game. You wonder what role he will play when Deledio returns to the squad, but I was very impressed with him regardless.
• Alex Rance played in the backline and provided a little run where necessary. Not DT relevant.
• Tom Derickx was the big surprise for me – he played as the main ruckman and was fantastic across the ground and laid some awesome tackles. Was way better than Brown and I can see him getting a number of games if Richmond want to run with two rucks.
• Tyrone Vickery up forward as expected. Still too slight to have a huge impact on games.
• David Astbury was great in the backline and has put on a stack of weight. He got plenty of the ball, but don’t be expecting this too often – it was back there a lot and a lot of them were bail-out kicks. Should have a solid season though – just not for your DT/SC.

Carlton:

• Chris Yarran played as a running defender, as expected and I thought he did a really good job. He made a few errors, but really took the game on and should be able to significantly improve on his 2010 average.
• Nick Duigan looked good in defense – he is a good size and has confidence in himself, and wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line. He spent a bit of time as loose man, which was good to see.
• Jarrad Waite played permanently up forward.
• Andrew Walker played as a third forward and presented well. Probably not what your team wants, but he did look pretty good.
• David Ellard was a real surprise packet, cleaning up everything across the half-back line. He picked up plenty of ball and used it well. They seem to really want the ball in his hands, so I can certainly see him playing from round one.
• Marc Murphy was surprisingly aggressive, which certainly wasn’t a bad thing! Set the tone with some huge tackles and was one of the Blues’ best. Certainly keep an eye on him over the remaining NAB rounds.

Collingwood vs Richmond:

Collingwood:

• Chris Tarrant played full-back
• Dale Thomas played through the midfield and was great – he is a tackle machine and looks like he should easily improve on last year!
• Heath Shaw played his usual role off half-back, despite the hopes he may get some midfield time.
• Jarryd Blair played solely as a midfielder and was very exciting – he looks like he has put a lot of work in over the break. He is probably too expensive this year though.
• Alex Fasolo made some impressive plays – he has been one of their best trainers, so may manage to get a few games this year. Remember it will be a hard team to break in to!
• Andrew Krakouer unfortunately played exclusively as a forward here and it didn’t do anything for his DT game! Hopefully he can move into the midfield in time for round one!

Richmond:

• Matt White was one who really impressed, running off half-back and often taking the kick-ins. He has clearly been told to take the game on at every chance and he certainly does this! Could be an exciting role change for him!
• Brad Miller was unfortunately quite poor. He does command a presence, but sees very little of the ball – obviously not what you want!
• Once again Tom Derickx was great – his speed and agility for a big man was great!
• Mitch Morton this time spent more time through the midfield, however the team looked better structurally when he was in the forward line, unfortunately.

Collingwood vs Carlton:

Collingwood:

• Andrew Krakouer was again played mainly in the forward line, with a couple of stints up the ground a bit. He looked OK, however seemed a little shaky with his decision making at times. This may have something to do with the fact he has not played at AFL level for a number of years and he is now readjusting to the speed – should be fine within a few more weeks.
• Chris Dawes was good for the second game in a row, however he is really not the type of player you want in your DT/SC.
• Harry O’Brien spent most of this game up forward, which was interesting, after he spent some time here in an intra-club a week or so ago. He was OK, but didn’t look like he was going to blow apart his 2010 average.
• Steele Sidebottom was great – he obviously has a huge tank as he covers so much ground, playing mainly through the midfield, but also drifting forward. Could be a big improver this year.
• Simon Buckley did some good things off half-back, although I still doubt he is good enough to win a permanent spot in the best-22.

Carlton:

• Once again, Chris Yarran played off half-back and was impressive. This position really suits him.
• Kane Lucas featured through the midfield, although he didn’t win stacks of ball. His spot will be a worry when the likes of Murphy (who didn’t play this game), Judd and McLean return.
• Andrew Walker played forward again and looked much more dangerous this time around.
• Matthew Watson was one to really impress me in the backline. He is a good size and very confident in his ability. Surely the Blues will want him in the squad from round one.
• Bryce Gibbs played this game and was stationed through the midfield. He didn’t see lots of the ball, but also didn’t have a huge TOG.
• David Ellard impressed again with his work off half-back.

West Coast vs Hawthorn:

West Coast:

• Nick Naitanui started as a midfielder, with Cox in the ruck – could be how they play the two of them this year, with each spending time resting in the forward line too.
• Dean Cox was really impressive, picking up stacks of the ball and looking like his old self again. He was playing against kids, but it was still a positive to see him moving well around the ground again.
• Andrew Gaff played through the middle and was OK – he made some good decisions and has very good disposal, but he didn’t get enough of it. Will improve though.
• Scott Selwood played through the midfield in a much more attacking role, just as he did in the second half of last year. He is an awkward price, but has a lot of improvement in him!
• Brad Sheppard spent a lot of time mopping up across half-back.

Hawthorn:

• Cyril Rioli played permanently through the midfield and was all class – he has so much pace and has clearly worked on his strength through summer. He is obviously fit and ready to go, so could be in for a big year.
• Jordan Lisle played as the key forward and showed some really good signs, although you have to wonder where he will fit in when Buddy and Roughy return!
• Isaac Smith played on a HFF but did very little.
• Ryan Schoenmakers played permanently as a forward.
• Shaun Burgoyne looks super fit and had some great passages. Could be a great SC pickup!

Hawthorn vs Fremantle:

Hawthorn:

• Cyril Rioli was midfield again, proving he should be capable of running out a game through this position. He shouldn’t always attract the tag either with Burgoyne and Hodge also key players.
• Paul Puopolo showed some great dash off half-back and laid a few good tackles. Hawthorn have been talking up his pre-season and he is mature-aged – could be worth watching him closely these coming weeks.
• Isaac Smith was much better this time, again playing across a HFF. He kicked a super goal, as well as linking up in some good plays. Will continue to get better.
• Ben Stratton was so strong in defense and often floated around as the loose man. He is exactly the sort of player the Hawks have been crying for and he will play 24 games, barring injury.

Fremantle:

• Tendai Mzungu will clearly be the talking point here, starting strongly with three disposals in the first minute of the game. He played purely as a midfielder in this game and looked really comfortable at this level. Looks to be the standout rookie to this stage.
• Jack Anthony played at full-forward and presented really well. He is not really what you want in dream team of SC, but it looks like he will fit in nicely at Freo.
• Paul Duffield is still playing his half-back role – not the much hoped for midfield role which we had heard mutterings of. He was still good though!
• Greg Broughton also played in defense, but racked up the ball as only he knows how. Ventured up the ground a bit and laid plenty of tackles. I really reckon he will have a huge year in 2011.
• Kepler Bradley played entirely as a forward and looked reasonable.
• Zac Clarke was really good in the ruck and looked to be better than Jon Griffin. He is really lively as should provide a good foil to Sandilands.
• Peter Faulks has slotten in nicely at full-back and did some nice things – hardly touched the ball though which is a bit of a worry.

Fremantle vs West Coast:

Fremantle:

• Matthew Pavlich played the game in the midfield and looks to have slimmed down again. The addition of Anthony to the forward line should see Pav spend much more time up the ground in 2011.
• Tendai Mzungu changed roles from the first game and was in Roger Hayden’s role across half-back. Again he won plenty of ball and did some nice things, although getting run down twice wasn’t amazing…
• Kepler Bradley permanent forward again.
• Luke McPharlin took plenty of marks in the backline, but it must be remembered that dour defenders such as himself are not the types we want in our DT/SC.

West Coast:

• Jack Darling looked pretty confident and did a couple of nice things. Didn’t get too much of the ball, but did enough to suggest he will be more than capable at the top level.
• Shannon Hurn found his usual spot at half-back. Again, no time in the midfield as hoped.
• Quinten Lynch played permanently as a forward. No need for him in the ruck with Cox and Naitanui up and running. Still needs to learn not to just kick the shit out of the ball.

Just to note: I have kept any current info in this report, however any old news I have put in italics to make things easier! Cheers

Don’t forget to check out the Footy Tragic pre-season video HERE!

Adelaide Crows

Looking Good:

• Ian Callinan received plenty of praise for his near best-on-ground effort in the Crows intra-club this week. He kicked two goals and got a fair amount of ball. Looks odds-on to debut round one.
• Chris Knights has returned well from his calf strain and is training well with the main group. He is expected to play round one of the NAB cup and presents as a great, cheap option for all forward lines.
• Richard Tambling played well in the practice match, playing as a running defender – the position in which he played in 2009 to average nearly 90 DT points.
• Brodie Smith impressed in the practice game, playing mainly off half-back and on a wing. He is 19 years old and didn’t appear to be worried about playing against the younger bodies. Could be worth watching through the NAB cup.
• Richard Douglas and Brodie Martin have been stars on the track this pre-season and their efforts so far in 2011 have been the standouts. I’m particularly excited about Martin’s DT potential this year.
• Jason Porplyzia, Patrick Dangerfield and Andy Otten have been training with the midfield group. Andy Otten has been training well in his comeback from a knee injury, and looks likely for round one.
• Sam Jacobs is training the strongest out of Adelaide’s big men and looks capable of leading their ruck division. The question is where will McKernan, Moran, Sellar and Maric all fit into the scheme of things?
• Daniel Talia, who has bulked up quite a bit, is doing the bulk of his training at centre half forward (although has still done some sessions in the backline, just to confuse things… Maybe a prime candidate for the sub-rule???).

Who’s Not?

• Bernie Vince (knee), David Mackay (groin), Sam Shaw (back), James Craig (hamstring), Will Young (shoulder), Chris Schmidt (knee) and Tim Milera all sat out the intra-club and won’t be available for selection next week.
• Bernie Vince is taking longer than expected to recover from his off-season knee surgery, but the club hopes that he is back with the main group next week. Likely to miss some NAB games though.
• David Mackay, who is recovering from groin surgery, should resume with the rest of the group in a fortnight. He also is likely to miss at least the first half of the NAB cup.

Brisbane Lions

Looking Good:

• Jonathan Brown has shed several kilograms from his burly frame this summer, with the aim of improving his resilience and eliminating the injuries that derailed his 2010 season. He has been moving quite well at training from all reports.
• Mitch Clark is training at full-forward (as the club prepares for life without Fevola) and has lost some weight to assist in his agility. His pre-season has been uninterrupted, and from all reports he is looking great on the track.
• Matthew Leuenberger will be the biggest benefactor of Clarke’s move forward, with the coach stating he wants Leuenberger to have a much bigger rucking role in 2011. Great news for Dream Team!
• Jack Redden and Tom Rockliff are two young stars who are impressing on the track. Redden especially has a lot of improvement in him and could be an exciting player in 2011.
• Brent Staker claims to be training and feeling better than ever before. Unfortunately, this will likely have very little DT impact.

Who’s Not?

• Callum Bartlett is still returning from a knee injury and is still a few weeks away from returning to the rehab group.
• Jamie Charman is still struggling a little bit with his Achilles, but is on a modified program and it is progressing well.
• Pearce Hanley suffered a bad ankle injury at training this week. Looked pretty significant, although the club hasn’t given a timeframe on the injury yet.
• Albert Proud has been suspended indefinitely by the club following an assault on his girlfriend. He was on the outer to start with, so I’d really be surprised if he played many games this year.
• Xavier Clarke ruptured his ACL last week at training and opted for LARS surgery, meaning he will likely be back in 4-5 months. Don’t even contemplate putting him in your team though!
• Brendon Fevola is still in rehab and Voss has said this is likely to remain the case for a large portion of the season. Seeing photos of Fev this week, he has put on a lot of weight and will likely be getting quite unfit. Could have been a bargain, but now is one of the big no-no players for 2011.

Carlton Blues

Looking Good:

• Robbie Warnock rucked really strongly in the Blues intra-club, practically securing his spot as the club’s number one ruckman come round one. This may be further fuel to the ‘Kruezer to Full-forward’ concept.
• Chris Yarran spent the game running out of defence, whilst Andrew Walker was again used as a forward. These are the roles the two have been training in all pre-season.
• Ed Curnow was impressing in the hitout, winning plenty of ball through the midfield. Ratten commented that he was “pretty happy with the way Ed Curnow went. With his work rate and his ability to find the ball, he’s going to have some impact this year.”
• Bryce Gibbs has been told he will be playing through the midfield in 2011, which is fantastic news if true! His time in the backline last year didn’t help his dream team, although it has come with the subsequent bonus that you can draft him as a defender in 2011!
• Kane Lucas and Mitch Robinson are showing the benefits of another pre-season and will both play through the midfield as well.
• Nick Duigan has been really impressing at training, seemingly slotting straight into the Blues’ backline, which is great news for Dream Teamers. He also performed really well in last week’s beep test!
• Levi Casboult, a second year rookie, has dropped 16 kilos and is now pure muscle and is looking ready for a big year.
• Jarrad Waite is training at CHF. Shaun Hampson and Setanta O’Hailpin are both training as forwards (with Hampson getting time in the ruck too). Chris Yarran has been training as a HBF/BP – could be interesting to watch, although he has been getting towelled up in one-on-one drills. Andrew Walker has been training as a leading forward.
• The Blues had their intra-club match after I wrote my above article on Saturday arvo, and it is worth noting that Yarran did play off half back and Walker as a forward. Waite was at CHF. Nick Duigan was one of the standouts as a rebounding defender, picking up plenty of disposals and looks more than likely for a round one debut!
• Brock McLean managed to compete in the intraclub match and looked quite good. He is still rusty, but could present some value if he makes it to round one uninjured.

Who’s Not?

• Lachie Henderson is still recovery from his hip surgery. He is no chance to play NAB cup, and may even miss a round or two of the main season.
• Chris Judd is in danger of missing the NAB Cup as he battles a bruised heel and quadricep complaint.
• Matthew Kruezer was absent from training this week – presumably still on his own program whilst returning from an ACL reconstruction.

Collingwood Magpies

Looking Good:

• Collingwood’s 2^nd intra-club: Andrew Krakouer was again one of the dominant players on the ground, playing predominantly through the midfield. Tom Young and Lachlan Keeffe, who both were elevated onto the senior list from the rookie list for the 2011 season, were impressive in defensive roles. Heath Shaw played off half-back, squashing the thoughts of him playing through the midfield in 2011. Chris Tarrant lined up at full-back as expected. Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury were both big ball-winners through the midfield.
• Collingwood’s first intra-club match was last week; this is the report; Leon Davis played as a HBF on Luke Ball (HFF). Alex Fasolo played in the midfield for the whole game. Simon Buckley took plenty of kick-ins. Harry O’Brien played in the forward line for the first half, but moved back for the second. Andrew Krakouer played mainly as a forward with stints in the forward line. Heath Shaw playing off a wing (maybe this is why Leon has moved back!) and found stacks of the ball. Best on ground were Alex Fasolo, Dane Swan and Andrew Krakouer.
• Leon Davis has been training as a defender, and played the entire intra-club here! Looks like he will most likely be used as a HBF this year in a bit of a rebounding role.
• Whilst no surprise, Darren Jolly has easily been the dominant ruckman at training, smashing Cameron Wood at every hitout and around the ground.
• Andrew Krakouer has been pared up with Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury in the training drills, and as a group they have been running rings around all others.
• Alex Fasolo (Pick 45) has been a real trier at training and looks a certainty to get some time in the NAB cup. Has really impressed with his determination and booming kick.

Who’s Not?

• Only Alan Didak and Nathan Brown, both recovering from shoulder surgery, are expected to miss the first NAB Cup games against Carlton and Richmond next Saturday.
• Although training strongly, Chris Tarrant has been training as a defender, suggesting he won’t make the much-hoped-for move forward this year.
• Cameron Wood has been an average trainer so far this year, and from all reports has been ‘asleep’ at training. Also came last in this week’s time trial.

Essendon Bombers

Looking Good:

• Unfortunately, Essendon’s intra-club game was a closed session, however some of the news to come out of it was; Jay Neagle is playing as a key defender, Michael Hurley playing as a full forward, with Scott Gumbleton moving well, also in the forward line. Dyson Heppell moved well between the backline and midfield.
• Dyson Heppell, Essendon’s first draft pick, is impressing all with his workrate at training and looks likely for a round one debut. And just to put some sugar on top, Hird has said he wants Heppell to play through the midfield in 2011, rather than off halfback as he was recruited for. Very nice!
• Paddy Ryder has worked really hard on his fitness base this pre-season with the knowledge of more time to be spent in the ruck in 2011. He has been moving well, and with David Hille injured, he could spend even more time in the ruck towards the start of the year.
• Mark Williams continues to be talked up by the coaches after he lost an impressive 7kg over the off-season. He is training well and injury free and certainly should improve in 2011 after a shocking 2010 campaign.
• Brent Stanton continues to set the pace at training, setting PBs in both the beep test and yo-yo test. The coaches are also talking up big things from the proven ball-winner in 2011.
• Leroy Jetta is training well and looks capable of stepping up this year.
• A lean, musclier looking David Myers has been impressing coaches since returning from the rehab group at the start of this month.

Who’s Not?

• Tayte Pears and David Hille were the only two players to miss the intra-club match. Pears is likely to miss at least round one.

Fremantle Dockers

Looking Good:

• Aaron Sandilands has trimmed down a little with the goal of keeping his body 100% through the season. This should help his fitness, agility and ability to stay on the park for longer – all good news! He also smashed Clarke in the ruck through the practice match.
• Tendai Mzungu was the standout in the practice match this week – he covered stacks of ground, whilst also winning stacks of ball through the midfield – was best on ground from all reports.
• Greg Broughton, who has worked stacks on his endurance this summer, played a midfield role in the practice match and was great – picked up plenty of ball and moved really well – he really knew what to do with himself. Could be an awesome pick this year!
• Nic Suban was another standout, and looks to have a midfield role in 2011. Played with a lot of belief in himself and has a fantastic kick, so could be a great SC choice!
• Rhys Palmer continues to be talked up as the standout at Freo so far this year. After his 2010 was cruelled thanks to a knee reconstruction, 2011 could see him continue on from where he left off in 2009.
• Zac Clarke looks likely to play a role in 2011 according to Aaron Sandilands. Clarke has been training really well and impressing the coaches – his fitness and agility has been a highlight. He will have to compete with new recruit Jon Griffin though.
• Nat Fyfe is also training in the midfield and has been one of the main go-to men off half-back. Bollenhagen is another to impress in the midfield group, with plenty at the club talking up his chances for 2011.
• Jack Anthony is training up forward, despite thoughts he could be the logical replacement for Tarrant. This probably bodes well for the chances of Faulks to slot into fullback.

Who’s Not?

• David Mundy has been a bit restricted in his training over the past few weeks, but should be right to go come round one.
• Peter Faulks was a little disappointing in the practice game, getting schooled by Pavlich on several occasions.
• Joel Houghton has broken his arm this week at training, putting him out of action for 8 – 12 weeks and will therefore play no part in the early rounds of the season.
• Michael Barlow is progressing well from his leg injury, but it still remains unlikely that he will make it back in time for round one. Even if he does, I can’t see him being fit enough to justify his price tag. Pavlich warned Dockers fans this week not to expect too much from Barlow on return – perhaps he should have also warned Dream Teamers too!
• Roger Hayden and Anthony Morabito are both injured and will miss most of the season.
• Hayden Ballantyne (foot) is also on a restricted program.

Geelong Cats

Looking Good:

• Steve Johnson is very fit and currently partaking in all training. Unfortunately, there has been nothing to suggest he will move upfield this year.
• Tom Hawkins is in great shape and continues to train strongly.
• Travis Varcoe is back training with the main group and did everything at their most recent session. Likely to be played between the forward line and midfield this year.
• Joel Corey is training with no strapping on and has been with the main group for several weeks.
• New Coach Chris Scott has been really pushing the younger players to step up in 2011, with the anticipation of a few of them solidifying spots in the best 22. Those being talked up with strong chances are Mitch Duncan (spent Christmas in the rehab group, but now training strongly), Taylor Hunt, and Daniel Menzel.
• James Kelly has been training with the midfielders, suggesting a move back there after a couple of years in defense.
• Tom Hawkins is looking ‘ominous’ according to his coaches. It sounds like the Cats are really relying on Hawkins taking his game to a new level in 2011 – he should be given every opportunity.

Who’s Not?

• Shannon Byrnes took no part in training this week with strapping on his calf. No news as to how significant this is, but it appeared to be on the low-end.
• Cameron Ling did his hamstring this week at training and is likely to miss a couple of weeks of the NAB cup.
• Marcus Drum was checked in for ankle surgery this week, likely ruling him out for the entire NAB cup.

Gold Coast Suns

Looking Good:

• David Swallow is ready and raring to go in the NAB cup and has been one of the stronger performers on the track since returning from his ankle injury post-Christmas.
• Daniel Harris is being talked up something chronic. He was actually the highest ranked DTer in Gold Coast’s VFL season in 2010 and looks likely to play a reasonable role for the team this year. He was always a hard worker at the Roos where he averaged nearly 80 DT points in his last few years!
• Campbell Brown, Nathan Bock, Michael Rischitelli, Jared Brennan and Josh Fraser are all in full training and are available for the first round of the NAB cup.

Who’s Not?

• Gary Ablett will be used as a sub through Gold Coast’s NAB cup campaign due to a nagging hip injury. He will be fine for round one, but we are unlikely to see much of the ex-Cat prior to then.
• Nathan Krakouer is recovering from groin surgery and ex-Bulldog Jarrod Harbrow is not yet ready after a shoulder operation. Both should be fine for round one of the NAB cup.
• Josh Caddy was the only Gold Coast draftee who was checked in for surgery. He had minor groin surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup.

Hawthorn Hawks

Looking Good:

• Cameron Bruce looks to be deployed in the Hawks midfield this year, playing the entire intra-club game there this week. He used to be a great dream teamer, and comes pretty cheap – could definitely be worth considering!
• Buddy Franklin can’t help but talk himself up for 2011, but fortunately he is not the only one doing the spruiking! Played great in the intra-club, playing as a high half-forward he snagged three goals, whilst also getting a few touches in the midfield. Also looks to have worked on his forward pressure. Could be a big year for the big man!
• Max Bailey has returned well from his third knee reconstruction and managed to get through the intra-club game uninjured. Should be a great fourth ruck choice.
• Isaac Smith, put in some eye-catching runs and kicked a good goal, but the most impressive new draftee was small defender Paul Puopolo. The 23-year-old was tough in close, mopped up well across half-back and displayed a desire to chase hard, putting him in contention to fill the role vacated by Campbell Brown.
• Cyril Rioli is back training with the main group and Buddy is talking up a move to the midfield for Cyril. However, Cyril himself has said he is more likely to remain in the forward line this year after being unable to do much work on his endurance this pre-season.
• Jordan Lisle was another to impress, stationed at full forward for the majority of the game.
• Brad Sewell is training really well and could be a great bargain pick this year after his average 2010 season.
• Luke Hodge is training with the midfielders this year.
• Ryan Schoenmakers has been training with the forwards this year, despite playing his 24-game career so far as a backman. He was however drafted as a forward, so he won’t be totally out of his depth.
• Shane Savage and Liam Shiels have put on considerable bulk and are being talked up as some younger players capable of stepping up in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Shane Savage departed the ground on crutches, but was reported to have suffered only a slightly rolled ankle.
• David Hale missed the intra-club, with the coach revealing he is nursing an Achilles problem.

Melbourne Demons

Looking Good:

• The Demons had their intraclub match this week – Colin Sylvia was the unanimous choice for best on ground – he has been in top nick all pre-season and busted his gut through the midfield in this game. Should be in for another great year – hopefully it is a consistent one!
• James Strauss looked good in his new loose-man role. His kicking was a little shaky to start, but he is becoming more confident in his ability. His defensive side has improved too. He also took the majority of the kick-ins and finished with a fair bit of ball.
• To the surprise of no one, Tom Scully was a ripper in the midfield – got plenty of ball and never went any slower than 100%. He did spend some time on the wings, which was a shame as he is more damaging in close, but this could be the Dees trying to exploit his speed.
• Cale Morton played as a half-back with some runs through the middle and on the wing. Has definitely bulked up from last year and looked quite good.
• Jack Grimes played off half-back the entire game, but don’t fear if you want him in your dream team – he moved really well and he is so smart he will always manage to get plenty of ball.
• One VERY bit of interesting DT/SC news is that James Strauss is training as the loose man in defence, utilising his great boot. This is an awesome DT position, so he is certainly worth keeping an eye on! The other benefit of this is that is will move Jack Grimes into the middle (who HAS been training with the midfield group!).
• Sam Blease is doing a lot of training as a running HBF, often being encouraged to take the game on. He is still very small though, so this may hold him back from playing a full season this year.
• After breaking his leg in round 20 last year, Aaron Davey has returned to full training since Christmas and says he feels as good about his body as his did before his breakout year in 2009.
• Jamie Bennell has been really impressive at training this summer! He is much fitter and is really tackling the pre-season head on. Word out of Melbourne is that he is set for a big year!
• Tom Scully – it is the name that keeps coming up in every training report at Melbourne. The kid is gunning it – he is super fit, super dedicated and apparently his kicking has also improved out of site. Could be set for a huge year.

Who’s Not?

• Ricky Petterd strained a hamstring in this week’s intraclub, and is only expected to miss a few weeks at worst. Should be back in the latter parts of the NAB cup.
• James Frawley will miss around 12 weeks with a pectoral muscle injury he sustained at training. This will likely see him miss the first few rounds of the season.
• Robert Campbell has had an injury setback, although it is fortunately not his troublesome knee, but instead an Achilles issue – this will still force him to miss the NAB cup though.
• This week’s rehab group included Robert Campbell, James Frawley, Luke Tapscott, Matthew Warnock, Max Gawn and Wonaemirri.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Looking Good:

• Cam Richardson has been giving his all at training and has been really building a solid endurance. Fingers crossed he may get some midfield time this year.
• Shaun Atley continues to train well and suggest he will be in the team from round one. He is training with the midfielders, and seems to be running rings around some of his more experienced teammates.
• Daniel Wells has had his best pre-season ever and according to Brent Harvey, we should see Wells playing his best football in 2011 now that he is finally over his injuries. Can you trust it?
• Drew Petrie has returned to full training and is training as a forward.
• Gavin Urqhuart has been training with Australian long distance runner, Craig Mottram to improve his endurance – something that has been an issue for him over his career. He is now training with the midfield group and is looking very good. Could be set for a real breakout season in 2011.
• Liam Anthony is currently having ‘the biggest pre-season [he] has ever had,’ which is certainly good news for the proven ball-magnet. He has knocked a minute off his personal best time around Princes Park and has full use of his injured shoulder.

Who’s Not?

• Ryan Bastinac copped an injury to his knee at training and will be on the sidelines for 3-4 months. This does open doors for other players such as Atley and Speight though.
• Hamish McIntosh had surgery on his Achilles last week and will be sidelined for around two months.
• The current rehab group consists of Hamish McIntosh, Scott Thompson, Ed Lower, Ben Cunnington, Ben Ross, Jamie Macmillan, Sam Wright, Michael Firrito, and Nathan Grima.

Port Adelaide Power

Looking Good:

• Marlon Motlop is training well in a half-back role. With Krakouer gone to the subs, Motlop will be given every opportunity to push for this spot.
• Captain Dom Cassisi has said the highly talented but injury-cursed Robbie Gray has enjoyed an outstanding pre-season and is finally ready to deliver on his enormous promise. He also reiterated that Marlon Motlop was primed for a breakout season and rookie Cameron O’Shea was also pushing for an early debut.

Who’s Not?

• First year player Ben Jacobs has been diagnosed with Glandular fever, which will put him out of action for an unknown period of time. A real blow!
• Chad Cornes has been told he is far from guaranteed a game this year due to the club’s youth policy. He faded last year due to injuries, so I would be staying clear this year.
• Hamish Hartlett injured his hamstring and will miss the next three weeks of training. This is a huge blow, as he seemed to be finally getting some consistency in his traing.
• Travis Boak is looking restricted at training and looks be limited due to his back and groin. Not great news.
• Ben Newton is still a few weeks away from rejoining the main group. He came to the club with an already existing ankle injury that is still not 100%
• The club has said that Jacob Surjan (knee) and mature-age recruit Simon Phillips (shoulder) will both miss the NAB cup.
• Brett Ebert, who has been recovering from a knee reconstruction has rejoined the main group and should be right to go from round one. Will likely be a bit underdone though.
• David Rodan is still on the comeback from his second lot of knee surgery in November. As it stands he will currently miss the NAB cup, but the club is optimistic that he will be OK to play round one.

Richmond Tigers

Looking Good:

• Trent Cotchin has been back training with the main group for a little while now and has been really impressive. His pre-season has been uninterrupted to date and he looks set for a big role in the Tigers midfield this year. Good chance for a real breakout season if he keeps his body right.
• Nathan Foley is training well after recovering from his injuries. He is moving well at training and doesn’t seem to have lost any of his zip. Has also put on a bit of weight in his upper body. Could be a great SC bargain!
• Bachar Houli has been a standout at training, often in the midfield group with odd tasks in the backline. Shame you can only pick him as a midfielder, but he could be a bargain regardless!
• Dustin Martin shone in the Tigers’ scratch match last week, moving well through the midfield. He has been an overall standout on the track after coming back from the off-season break out of shape.
• Brett Deledio has been a star at training and has been acting as the quarterback in all drills. Could be in for another great year.
• David Astbury is impressing all with his professionalism at training, and after putting on plenty of muscle over the break he looks likely to be given the CHB role from round one this year.

Who’s Not?

• Tom Derickx is training with the rucks, but seemed to struggle to compete with Browne – this won’t do his round one chances too much good.

St.Kilda Saints

Looking Good:

• Ben McEvoy came in top four in the club’s latest time trial and has been great at training all summer. Looks likely for a big year, especially with injuries to Kosi and Gardiner. Ross Lyon himself has predicted a breakout year from McEvoy.
• Tommy Walsh, St.Kilda’s Irish import, has been a real improver on the track this summer. He has spent most of his time training as a running defender and looks to be getting better and better with each session. Could be a great replacement for Gilbert when he moves forward. Walsh almost seems a great candidate for the sub-rule as he is also capable of swinging forward.
• If Walsh isn’t the man to fill the gap in the defence this year, Tom Simpkin is another likely of stepping up in 2011. He had a great year in 2010 for Sandringham and a tough defender and could come in and provide both good defence and rebound for the Saints.
• Things appear to have been sorted between Nick Riewoldt and Sam Gilbert, with Nick actually requesting that they dorm together in New Zealand as a way of re-bonding.
• The move of Sam Gilbert to the forward line is seeming more and more likely as he has spent most of his sessions training here – mainly practicing his leading from the goalsquare.
• Ryan Gamble continues to train strongly and those at the club are expecting big things from him this year. Could come cheap and has the potential to really improve.
• Brendon Goddard has set himself the task of getting even better in 2011 and has been performing accordingly. Surely he is a lock in everyone’s team come round one!

Who’s Not?

• As has been much publicised this week, Zac Dawson, Jack Steven, Rhys Stanley and Paul Cahill have all been banished from the club for six weeks. They will miss all the NAB cup, and Zac would be the only one with any chance of playing round one.
• Michael Gardiner has been over in Sweden having knee surgery. He is on a slow comeback trial and will likely miss several weeks of the season. Don’t even contemplate him in DT or SC.
• Justin Koschitzke is recovering from ankle surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup. The club is focussing on improving his fitness base with the goal of giving him more time in the ruck in 2011.

Sydney Swans

Looking Good:

• Daniel Hannebery has been really working on his fitness and endurance and seems set for a big year. Has been one of the best trainers this pre-season. He showed us last year what he can do and it would be great if he could take it up another notch in 2011!
• Rookie Eugene Kruger beat Daniel Hannebury in this week’s 3km time trial. Josh Kennedy also ran a personal best, shaving off 8 seconds. Not bad for someone who is now up to 96kg!
• Lewis Jetta is another young Swan having a great pre-season. The coach is talking him up as playing predominantly as a midfielder this year – music to the ears! His fitness and stoppage work have greatly improved.
• Trent Dennis-Lane has had a great pre-season so far – one which has been totally injury free, unlike last year where he was hampered by several issues. He has improved his strength too and the coaches are hoping to see him on the field from round one.
• Nick Malceski has been flying on the track and looks capable of bettering his great 2010 season. He smashed his 3km record prior to Christmas.

Who’s Not?

• Shane Mumford and Daniel Bradshaw are likely to be ready for the third week of the NAB cup, Whilst Lewis Roberts-Thompson and Tadhg Kennelly are likely to be ready just in time for round one.
• Campbell Heath ruptured his ACL at training and will require a reconstruction. He has opted for LARS surgery, meaning he should be back in a few months.
• Daniel Bradshaw is still on a restricted program, but hoping to join the main group in 2-3 weeks.
• Craig Bolton is still recovering from his Achilles injury and is unlikely to resume training before the season has started. He has vowed to return this year, but I can’t imagine his absence upsetting too many Dream Team coaches.

West Coast Eagles

Looking Good:

• Dean Cox reckons he has had his best pre-season in about three years and is ready to resume his mantle as number on ruck in the competition. If you believe him, he is a bargain and a must-have. If you think he will break down again, then certainly stay clear. Will be one of the closest watched players in the NAB cup.
• Andrew Gaff has been impressing all at the club with his dedication to training. The word from the club is that he has already been pencilled in for a round one debut.
• Koby Stevens is looking fit and likely to build on the few games he played in 2010. He is a good ball winner and could be worth watching through pre-season.
• Apparently Jarrad Oakley-Nichols has been looking really good on the track and is setting himself up for a good year… But seriously, don’t consider him.
• Scott Selwood is training with the midfielders and looks to be playing a much more attacking role in 2011. Seems a very likely improver this year.
• Shannon Hurn has slimmed down quite noticeably – could this mean a different role in 2011?

Who’s Not?

• Luke Shuey is currently training with a broken finger, although the club says he will still be ready in time for round one.
• Daniel Kerr is hoping to be 100% fit in time for round one, although will miss the entire NAB cup. He is still about three weeks away from full training.
• A lot have been disappointed with the pre-season effort of Adam Selwood… apparently just turns up and acts extremely uninterested in doing much work.

Western Bulldogs

Looking Good:

• Shaun Higgins appears over his many injuries from 2010 and has had a great pre-season to date. Eade himself has stated Higgins has been training “as good as anyone” and that he wants to give him more time in the midfield this year.
• Callan Ward is another to get the coach excited – Eade has also commented that Ward is flying on the track and will be ready for the first week of the NAB cup. Should be playing in the midfield too.
• Christian Howard is training well as a half-back flanker and should be given some opportunities this year, especially with Hargrave’s injury.
• Easton Wood is another standout at training.
• Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross are the stars on the training track… although I’m not telling you anything new here!
• Mitch Wallis is really impressing at training and is really tough for a young player. Really deserves a round one debut, but the issue will be whether there is room for him in the best 22.

Who’s Not?

• Brian Lake is looking likely to miss at least the first round of the season after having three lots of surgery over the off-season. He will surely come back underdone from this, so don’t start him in your team.
• Barry Hall and Ben Hudson will also miss the start of the NAB cup.
• Justin Sherman is recovering from a minor calf strain, but should be right to go for the NAB cup.
• Ryan Hargrave’s year seems to be off to a bad start when he attempted to push to hard whilst coming back from injury. The club has confirmed he is likely to miss the first couple of months of the season. Not good news at all.
• Adam Cooney (knee soreness) will miss the opening week of the NAB Cup.

This week I have decided to keep in a lot of my older info so that all CURRENT info is on the same page – I figured this would be easier.

Don’t forget to check out the wraps from previous weeks for more information!

Adelaide Crows

Looking Good:

• Ian Callinan, the 26 year old small forward recruited in the rookie draft, has been very impressive at training – especially with his tackling – and looks very likely to fill a spot from round one. The Crows will have an option to elevate one rookie before the season, and lucky for Callinan, none of the other rookies are nearly as ready to go as he is. This makes his round one chances even better!
• Richard Douglas and Brodie Martin have been stars on the track this pre-season and their efforts so far in 2011 have been the standouts. I’m particularly excited about Martin’s DT potential this year.
• Jason Porplyzia, Patrick Dangerfield and Andy Otten have been training with the midfield group. Andy Otten has been training well in his comeback from a knee injury, and looks likely for round one.
• Richard Tambling has joined the main group and is performing well at training, coming runner up in plenty of the sprints. With McLeod gone, Tambling may be able to make a spot for himself off half-back – a position which has proven to be very lucrative for him (from a DT point of view) in the past. He is one of the players doing a lot of training at kicking in too. And to add to all this, the Crows have hired help from Andrew McLeod to watch over Tambling and ensure the club gets as much out of him as possible.
• Sam Jacobs is training the strongest out of Adelaide’s big men and looks capable of leading their ruck division. The question is where will McKernan, Moran, Sellar and Maric all fit into the scheme of things?
• Daniel Talia, who has bulked up quite a bit, is doing the bulk of his training at centre half forward (although has still done some sessions in the backline, just to confuse things… Maybe a prime candidate for the sub-rule???).

Who’s Not?

• Bernie Vince is taking longer than expected to recover from his off-season knee surgery, but the club hopes that he is back with the main group next week. Likely to miss some NAB games though.
• David Mackay, who is recovering from groin surgery, should resume with the rest of the group in a fortnight. He also is likely to miss at least the first half of the NAB cup.
• Second-year player Sam Shaw (back) and rookie Chris Schmidt (knee) remain on modified programs.
• Chris Knights, who had a quad setback a fortnight ago is now back up and running.

Brisbane Lions

Looking Good:

• Jonathan Brown has shed several kilograms from his burly frame this summer, with the aim of improving his resilience and eliminating the injuries that derailed his 2010 season. He is still a little behind the 8-ball due to surgery, and may miss some of the NAB cup, but it nearly certainly going to be ready from round one.
• Mitch Clarke has been training strongly with a likely move to full forward slated. Clarke was originally drafted as a forward, and with the absence of Fevola (likely for most of the season), Voss has stated that this is where Clarke will play his year.
• Matthew Leuenberger will be the biggest benefactor of Clarke’s move forward, with the coach stating he wants Leuenberger to have a much bigger rucking role in 2011. Great news for Dream Team!
• Jack Redden and Tom Rockliff are two young stars who are impressing on the track. Redden especially has a lot of improvement in him and could be an exciting player in 2011.
• Brent Staker claims to be training and feeling better than ever before. Unfortunately, this will likely have very little DT impact.

Who’s Not?

• Albert Proud has been suspended indefinitely by the club following an assault on his girlfriend. He was on the outer to start with, so I’d really be surprised if he played many games this year.
• Xavier Clarke ruptured his ACL last week at training and opted for LARS surgery, meaning he will likely be back in 4-5 months. Don’t even contemplate putting him in your team though!
• Brendon Fevola is still in rehab and Voss has said this is likely to remain the case for a large portion of the season. Seeing photos of Fev this week, he has put on a lot of weight and will likely be getting quite unfit. Could have been a bargain, but now is one of the big no-no players for 2011.

Carlton Blues

Looking Good:

• Bryce Gibbs has been told he will be playing through the midfield in 2011, which is fantastic news if true! His time in the backline last year didn’t help his dream team, although it has come with the subsequent bonus that you can draft him as a defender in 2011!
• Kane Lucas and Mitch Robinson are showing the benefits of another pre-season and will both play through the midfield as well.
• Nick Duigan has been really impressing at training, seemingly slotting straight into the Blues’ backline, which is great news for Dream Teamers. He also performed really well in last week’s beep test!
• Levi Casboult, a second year rookie, has dropped 16 kilos and is now pure muscle and is looking ready for a big year.
• Jarrad Waite is training at CHF. Shaun Hampson and Setanta O’Hailpin are both training as forwards (with Hampson getting time in the ruck too). Chris Yarran has been training as a HBF/BP – could be interesting to watch, although he has been getting towelled up in one-on-one drills. Andrew Walker has been training as a leading forward.
• The Blues had their intra-club match after I wrote my above article on Saturday arvo, and it is worth noting that Yarran did play off half back and Walker as a forward. Waite was at CHF. Nick Duigan was one of the standouts as a rebounding defender, picking up plenty of disposals and looks more than likely for a round one debut!
• Brock McLean managed to compete in the intraclub match and looked quite good. He is still rusty, but could present some value if he makes it to round one uninjured.

Who’s Not?

• Lachie Henderson is still recovery from his hip surgery. He is no chance to play NAB cup, and may even miss a round or two of the main season.
• Chris Judd is in danger of missing the NAB Cup as he battles a bruised heel and quadricep complaint.
• Matthew Kruezer was absent from training this week – presumably still on his own program whilst returning from an ACL reconstruction.

Collingwood Magpies

Looking Good:

• Collingwood had their intra-club match this week and there were some interesting points; Leon Davis played as a HBF on Luke Ball (HFF). Alex Fasolo played in the midfield for the whole game. Simon Buckley took plenty of kick-ins. Harry O’Brien played in the forward line for the first half, but moved back for the second. Andrew Krakouer played mainly as a forward with stints in the forward line. Heath Shaw playing off a wing (maybe this is why Leon has moved back!) and found stacks of the ball. Best on ground were Alex Fasolo, Dane Swan and Andrew Krakouer.
• Leon Davis has been training as a defender, and played the entire intra-club here! Looks like he will most likely be used as a HBF this year in a bit of a rebounding role.
• Whilst no surprise, Darren Jolly has easily been the dominant ruckman at training, smashing Cameron Wood at every hitout and around the ground.
• Andrew Krakouer has been pared up with Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury in the training drills, and as a group they have been running rings around all others.
• Alex Fasolo (Pick 45) has been a real trier at training and looks a certainty to get some time in the NAB cup. Has really impressed with his determination and booming kick.

Who’s Not?

• Brent Macaffer participated in the intra-club, but is still quite rusty after spending most of the pre-season to date in the rehab group.
• Although training strongly, Chris Tarrant has been training as a defender, suggesting he won’t make the much-hoped-for move forward this year.
• Cameron Wood has been an average trainer so far this year, and from all reports has been ‘asleep’ at training. Also came last in this week’s time trial.
• Alan Didak is still looking quite a while off joining the main group. May be a sceptical pick for round one.

Essendon Bombers

Looking Good:

• Dyson Heppell, Essendon’s first draft pick, is impressing all with his workrate at training and looks likely for a round one debut. And just to put some sugar on top, Hird has said he wants Heppell to play through the midfield in 2011, rather than off halfback as he was recruited for. Very nice!
• Paddy Ryder has worked really hard on his fitness base this pre-season with the knowledge of more time to be spent in the ruck in 2011. He has been moving well, and with David Hille injured, he could spend even more time in the ruck towards the start of the year.
• Mark Williams continues to be talked up by the coaches after he lost an impressive 7kg over the off-season. He is training well and injury free and certainly should improve in 2011 after a shocking 2010 campaign.
• Brent Stanton continues to set the pace at training, setting PBs in both the beep test and yo-yo test. The coaches are also talking up big things from the proven ball-winner in 2011.
• Leroy Jetta is training well and looks capable of stepping up this year.
• A lean, musclier looking David Myers has been impressing coaches since returning from the rehab group at the start of this month.

Who’s Not?

• Tayte Pears is the only Bomber likely to miss round one.
• David Hille (knee), Scott Gumbleton (knee) and Tayte Pears (foot) all had surgery in early December and are all still in the rehab group.
• Jay Neagle did enough to get another chance on the Essendon list, although he is still coming towards the end of all time trials. Don’t be expecting too much of a turnaround from the big man in 2011.

Fremantle Dockers

Looking Good:

• Greg Broughton is training strongly (working a stack on his fitness and endurance) and is in the midfield group, with David Mundy as his training partner. GREAT news for DT/SC!
• Rhys Palmer continues to be talked up as the standout at Freo so far this year. After his 2010 was cruelled thanks to a knee reconstruction, 2011 could see him continue on from where he left off in 2009.
• Zac Clarke looks likely to play a role in 2011 according to Aaron Sandilands. Clarke has been training really well and impressing the coaches – his fitness and agility has been a highlight. He will have to compete with new recruit Jon Griffin though.
• Nat Fyfe is also training in the midfield and has been one of the main go-to men off half-back. Bollenhagen is another to impress in the midfield group, with plenty at the club talking up his chances for 2011.
• Jack Anthony is training up forward, despite thoughts he could be the logical replacement for Tarrant. This probably bodes well for the chances of Faulks to slot into fullback.

Who’s Not?

• Joel Houghton has broken his arm this week at training, putting him out of action for 8 – 12 weeks and will therefore play no part in the early rounds of the season.
• Michael Barlow is progressing well from his leg injury, but it still remains unlikely that he will make it back in time for round one. Even if he does, I can’t see him being fit enough to justify his price tag. Pavlich warned Dockers fans this week not to expect too much from Barlow on return – perhaps he should have also warned Dream Teamers too!
• Roger Hayden and Anthony Morabito are both injured and will miss most of the season.
• Hayden Ballantyne (foot) is also on a restricted program.

Geelong Cats

Looking Good:

• New Coach Chris Scott has been really pushing the younger players to step up in 2011, with the anticipation of a few of them solidifying spots in the best 22. Those being talked up with strong chances are Mitch Duncan (spent Christmas in the rehab group, but now training strongly), Taylor Hunt, and Daniel Menzel.
• James Kelly has been training with the midfielders, suggesting a move back there after a couple of years in defense.
• Tom Hawkins is looking ‘ominous’ according to his coaches. It sounds like the Cats are really relying on Hawkins taking his game to a new level in 2011 – he should be given every opportunity.

Who’s Not?

• Cameron Ling did his hamstring this week at training and is likely to miss a couple of weeks of the NAB cup.
• Marcus Drum was checked in for ankle surgery this week, likely ruling him out for the entire NAB cup.
• Travis Varcoe is still recovering from his shoulder injury sustained in the international rules series, and may be on a modified program all the way up to round one.
• James Podsiadly will be available for Geelong’s NAB Cup campaign after recovering from his off-season hip surgery. The J-Pod and Mitch Duncan have both returned to main training after minor clean-outs on the joint.

Gold Coast Suns

Looking Good:

• David Swallow is ready and raring to go in the NAB cup and has been one of the stronger performers on the track since returning from his ankle injury post-Christmas.
• Daniel Harris is being talked up something chronic. He was actually the highest ranked DTer in Gold Coast’s VFL season in 2010 and looks likely to play a reasonable role for the team this year. He was always a hard worker at the Roos where he averaged nearly 80 DT points in his last few years!
• Campbell Brown, Nathan Bock, Michael Rischitelli, Jared Brennan and Josh Fraser are all in full training and are available for the first round of the NAB cup.

Who’s Not?

• Gary Ablett will not play in any NAB cup games after experiencing some groin soreness which has caused him to pull back his training. He is now SUCH a speculative pick moving into round one (or two…) – we won’t see him in any games beforehand, and with two byes in the first nine rounds, he may be a better upgrade target later on down the track once we have seen him in action.
• Nathan Krakouer is recovering from groin surgery and ex-Bulldog Jarrod Harbrow is not yet ready after a shoulder operation.
• Josh Caddy was the only Gold Coast draftee who was checked in for surgery. He had minor groin surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup.

Hawthorn Hawks

Looking Good:

• Brad Sewell is training really well and could be a great bargain pick this year after his average 2010 season.
• Luke Hodge is training with the midfielders this year.
• Lance Franklin has had an uninterrupted pre-season so far and is looking in great shape. Hawthorn in general has been pretty good on the injury-front this year, suggesting they should be able to bounce back into the top eight.
• Ryan Schoenmakers has been training with the forwards this year, despite playing his 24-game career so far as a backman. He was however drafted as a forward, so he won’t be totally out of his depth.
• Shane Savage and Liam Shiels have put on considerable bulk and are being talked up as some younger players capable of stepping up in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Jordan Lewis did his hamstring a fortnight ago at training, and is back running this week. He will be fine for the NAB cup.
• Rick Ladson and Xavier Ellis have both returned to the main group after off-season surgery.

Melbourne Demons

Looking Good:

• One VERY bit of interesting DT/SC news is that James Strauss is training as the loose man in defence, utilising his great boot. This is an awesome DT position, so he is certainly worth keeping an eye on! The other benefit of this is that is will move Jack Grimes into the middle (who HAS been training with the midfield group!).
• Sam Blease is doing a lot of training as a running HBF, often being encouraged to take the game on. He is still very small though, so this may hold him back from playing a full season this year.
• After breaking his leg in round 20 last year, Aaron Davey has returned to full training since Christmas and says he feels as good about his body as his did before his breakout year in 2009.
• Jamie Bennell was impressive at training AGAIN this week! He is much fitter and is really tackling the pre-season head on. Word out of Melbourne is that he is set for a big year!
• Tom Scully – it is the name that keeps coming up in every training report at Melbourne. The kid is gunning it – he is super fit, super dedicated and apparently his kicking has also improved out of site. Could be set for a huge year.

Who’s Not?

• James Frawley will miss around 12 weeks with a pectoral muscle injury he sustained at training. This will likely see him miss the first few rounds of the season.
• Robert Campbell has had an injury setback, although it is fortunately not his troublesome knee, but instead an Achilles issue – this will still force him to miss the NAB cup though.
• This week’s rehab group included Robert Campbell, James Frawley, Luke Tapscott, Matthew Warnock, Max Gawn and Wonaemirri.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Looking Good:

• Gavin Urqhuart has been training with Australian long distance runner, Craig Mottram to improve his endurance – something that has been an issue for him over his career. He is now training with the midfield group and is looking very good. Could be set for a real breakout season in 2011.
• Liam Anthony is currently having ‘the biggest pre-season [he] has ever had,’ which is certainly good news for the proven ball-magnet. He has knocked a minute off his personal best time around Princes Park and has full use of his injured shoulder.
• Shaun Atley has impressed on the track and is conducting a full pre-season. He seems likely to step straight into the lineup from round one.
• Cameron Richardson has impressed many with his ability to fit straight into the team. Looks capable of securing a spot round one. Could be a good pick-up as a mature aged defender.

Who’s Not?

• Ryan Bastinac copped an injury to his knee at training and will be on the sidelines for 3-4 months. This does open doors for other players such as Atley and Speight though.
• Hamish McIntosh had surgery on his Achilles last week and will be sidelined for around two months.
• The current rehab group consists of Hamish McIntosh, Scott Thompson, Ed Lower, Ben Cunnington, Ben Ross, Jamie Macmillan, Sam Wright, Michael Firrito, and Nathan Grima.

Port Adelaide Power

Looking Good:

• Ben Jacobs is being talked up as a ready-made player for the Power, and with his amazing junior ball-winning ability, he could be a great addition to any Dream Team. He has mainly been training as a half-back and has been doing the majority of kick-ins at training along with Nick Salter.
• Robbie Gray is still not injured. Nor is Hamish Hartlett!!

Who’s Not?

• Ahem… Unfortunately, Hamish Hartlett injured his hamstring and will miss the next three weeks of training. This is a huge blow, as he seemed to be finally getting some consistency in his traing.
• Travis Boak is looking restricted at training and looks be limited due to his back and groin. Not great news.
• Ben Newton is still a few weeks away from rejoining the main group. He came to the club with an already existing ankle injury that is still not 100%
• The club has said that Jacob Surjan (knee) and mature-age recruit Simon Phillips (shoulder) will both miss the NAB cup.
• Brett Ebert, who has been recovering from a knee reconstruction has rejoined the main group and should be right to go from round one. Will likely be a bit underdone though.
• David Rodan is still on the comeback from his second lot of knee surgery in November. As it stands he will currently miss the NAB cup, but the club is optimistic that he will be OK to play round one.

Richmond Tigers

Looking Good:

• Dustin Martin shone in the Tigers’ scratch match last week, moving well through the midfield. He has been an overall standout on the track after coming back from the off-season break out of shape.
• Brett Deledio has been a star at training and has been acting as the quarterback in all drills. Could be in for another great year.
• David Astbury is impressing all with his professionalism at training, and after putting on plenty of muscle over the break he looks likely to be given the CHB role from round one this year.
• The coach is really excited about the return of Nathan Foley, who has missed nearly two years of football with injury. He is back training with the main group and is likely to be ready for round one. Could come dirt cheap!

Who’s Not?

• Tom Derickx is training with the rucks, but seemed to struggle to compete with Browne – this won’t do his round one chances too much good.

St.Kilda Saints

Looking Good:

• Things appear to have been sorted between Nick Riewoldt and Sam Gilbert, with Nick actually requesting that they dorm together in New Zealand as a way of re-bonding.
• The move of Sam Gilbert to the forward line is seeming more and more likely as he has spent most of his sessions training here – mainly practicing his leading from the goalsquare.
• Ryan Gamble continues to train strongly and those at the club are expecting big things from him this year. Could come cheap and has the potential to really improve.
• Brendon Goddard has set himself the task of getting even better in 2011 and has been performing accordingly. Surely he is a lock in everyone’s team come round one!

Who’s Not?

• Michael Gardiner is still coming back very slowly from his knee surgery – the club is currently talking like he may not be back until a few rounds of the year. They won’t rush him as they at least have reasonable backup in Stanley and McEvoy.
• Justin Koschitzke is recovering from ankle surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup. The club is focussing on improving his fitness base with the goal of giving him more time in the ruck in 2011.

Sydney Swans

Looking Good:

• Daniel Hannebery has been really working on his fitness and endurance and seems set for a big year. Has been one of the best trainers this pre-season. He showed us last year what he can do and it would be great if he could take it up another notch in 2011!
• Rookie Eugene Kruger beat Daniel Hannebury in this week’s 3km time trial. Josh Kennedy also ran a personal best, shaving off 8 seconds. Not bad for someone who is now up to 96kg!
• Lewis Jetta is another young Swan having a great pre-season. The coach is talking him up as playing predominantly as a midfielder this year – music to the ears! His fitness and stoppage work have greatly improved.
• Trent Dennis-Lane has had a great pre-season so far – one which has been totally injury free, unlike last year where he was hampered by several issues. He has improved his strength too and the coaches are hoping to see him on the field from round one.
• Nick Malceski has been flying on the track and looks capable of bettering his great 2010 season. He smashed his 3km record prior to Christmas.

Who’s Not?

• Campbell Heath ruptured his ACL at training and will require a reconstruction. He has opted for LARS surgery, meaning he should be back in a few months.
• Daniel Bradshaw is still on a restricted program, but hoping to join the main group in 2-3 weeks.
• Craig Bolton is still recovering from his Achilles injury and is unlikely to resume training before the season has started. He has vowed to return this year, but I can’t imagine his absence upsetting too many Dream Team coaches.
• Shane Mumford (knee) is due to resume running on the track in the coming weeks, while Mark Seaby (ankle) is gradually returning to full training. Tadhg Kennelly remains in a knee brace after surgery to repair a medial ligament and Lewis Roberts-Thomson (hamstring/gluteal) faces a month-long layoff after minor surgery.

West Coast Eagles

Looking Good:

• Koby Stevens is looking fit and likely to build on the few games he played in 2010. He is a good ball winner and could be worth watching through pre-season.
• Apparently Jarrad Oakley-Nichols has been looking really good on the track and is setting himself up for a good year… But seriously, don’t consider him.
• Scott Selwood is training with the midfielders and looks to be playing a much more attacking role in 2011. Seems a very likely improver this year.
• Luke Shuey was a really good trainer this week, along with Chris Masten. Both could be set for big years, with Shuey providing the most interest to dream teamers.
• Dean Cox is also training strongly, which is great to hear after his injury affected 2010. Plenty reckon he will be back to his best in 2011.
• Shannon Hurn has slimmed down quite noticeably – could this mean a different role in 2011?
• Andrew Gaff has been impressing all at the club with his dedication to training. The word from the club is that he has already been pencilled in for a round one debut.

Who’s Not?

• Daniel Kerr is hoping to be 100% fit in time for round one, although will miss the entire NAB cup. He is still about three weeks away from full training.
• A lot have been disappointed with the pre-season effort of Adam Selwood… apparently just turns up and acts extremely uninterested in doing much work.

Western Bulldogs

Looking Good:

• Christian Howard is training well as a half-back flanker and should be given some opportunities this year, especially with Hargrave’s injury.
• Easton Wood is another standout at training.
• Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross are the stars on the training track… although I’m not telling you anything new here!
• Mitch Wallis is really impressing at training and is really tough for a young player. Really deserves a round one debut, but the issue will be whether there is room for him in the best 22.

Who’s Not?

• Justin Sherman is recovering from a minor calf strain, but should be right to go for the NAB cup.
• Ryan Hargrave’s year seems to be off to a bad start when he attempted to push to hard whilst coming back from injury. The club has confirmed he is likely to miss the first couple of months of the season. Not good news at all.
• Adam Cooney (knee soreness) and defender Brian Lake, who had post-season surgery on his hip, knee and shoulder, will miss the opening week of the NAB Cup. But both are expected to be primed for the Dogs’ Round 1 clash against North Melbourne on March 27.

* Don’t forget to check out the wraps from previous weeks for more information:

Also, be sure to check out the all new Footy Tragic AFL Dream Team Show if you haven’t already!

Week 1

Week 2

Adelaide Crows

Looking Good:

• Richard Tambling has joined the main group and is performing well at training, coming runner up in plenty of the sprints. With McLeod gone, Tambling may be able to make a spot for himself off half-back – a position which has proven to be very lucrative for him (from a DT point of view) in the past. He is one of the players doing a lot of training at kicking in too. And to add to all this, the Crows have hired help from Andrew McLeod to watch over Tambling and ensure the club gets as much out of him as possible.
• Ian Callinan, the 26 year old small forward recruited in the rookie draft, has been very impressive at training – especially with his tackling – and looks very likely to fill a spot from round one (with Jaensch the other player training for this role).
• Daniel Talia, who has bulked up quite a bit, is doing the bulk of his training at centre half forward (although has still done some sessions in the backline, just to confuse things… Maybe a prime candidate for the sub-rule???).
• Andy Otten has been training well in his comeback from a knee injury, and excitedly has been training with the midfielders!

Who’s Not?

• Bernie Vince is taking longer than expected to recover from his off-season knee surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup. Currently he is still in the rehab group and not even doing running drills yet.
• David Mackay, who is recovering from groin surgery, should resume with the rest of the group in a fortnight. He also is likely to miss at least the first half of the NAB cup.
• Second-year player Sam Shaw (back) and rookie Chris Schmidt (knee) remain on modified programs.
• Chris Knights unfortunately had a slight setback a week a go with a calf strain. This will set him back a bit, but they are expecting him back up and running for the NAB cup.

Brisbane Lions

Looking Good:

• Mitch Clarke has been training strongly with a likely move to full forward slated. Clarke was originally drafted as a forward, and with the absence of Fevola (likely for most of the season), Voss has stated that this is where Clarke will play his year.
• Matthew Leuenberger will be the biggest benefactor of Clarke’s move forward, with the coach stating he wants Leuenberger to have a much bigger rucking role in 2011. Great news for Dream Team!

Who’s Not?

• Xavier Clarke ruptured his ACL in his GOOD knee this week at training and will be out for the remainder of the season with a knee reconstruction. Can’t help but feel devastated for the guy.
• Brendon Fevola is still in rehab and Voss has said this is likely to remain the case for a large portion of the season. Voss went as far as to say there is strong chance we may not see Fev on the football field this year.

Carlton Blues

Looking Good:

• Bryce Gibbs has been told he will be playing through the midfield in 2011, which is fantastic news if true! His time in the backline last year didn’t help his dream team, although it has come with the subsequent bonus that you can draft him as a defender in 2011!
• Kane Lucas and Mitch Robinson are showing the benefits of another pre-season and will both play through the midfield as well.
• Levi Casboult, a second year rookie, has dropped 16 kilos and is now pure muscle and is looking ready for a big year.

Who’s Not?

• Lachie Henderson is still recovery from his hip surgery. He is no chance to play NAB cup, and may even miss a round or two of the main season.
• Chris Judd is in danger of missing the NAB Cup as he battles a bruised heel and quadricep complaint. The Brownlow medallist was restricted to straight-line running and stationary kicking yesterday.
• Midfield pair Bryce Gibbs and Brock McLean have both been hit with a gastro bug. They ran laps along with Ryan Houlihan, who is sidelined with a cork.

Collingwood Magpies

Looking Good:

• Leon Davis spent this training session training as a defender AGAIN! Looking like it will be where he plays this year! Very interesting!
• Whilst no surprise, Darren Jolly is easily the dominant ruckman at training, smashing Cameron Wood at every hitout and around the ground.
• Andrew Krakouer has been pared up with Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury in the training drills, and as a group they have been running rings around all others.
• Alex Fasolo (Pick 45) has been a real trier at training and looks a certainty to get some time in the NAB cup. Has really impressed with his determination and booming kick.

Who’s Not?

• Dale Thomas left early from Monday’s session, then just did straight line drills on Wednesday. Hopefully there is no issue there, but he is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
• Brent Macaffer is still struggling a bit with his groin injuries and has been training with the rehab group for most of each session.
• Although training strongly, Chris Tarrant has been training as a defender, suggesting he won’t make the much-hoped-for move forward this year.
• Harry O’Brien copped a knock on Monday and left early – he didn’t show up on Wednesday, so is another player to keep a keen eye on.

Essendon Bombers

Looking Good:

• Dyson Heppell, Essendon’s first draft pick, is impressing all with his workrate at training and looks likely for a round one debut. And just to put some sugar on top, Hird has said he wants Heppell to play through the midfield in 2011, rather than off halfback as he was recruited for. Very nice!
• Paddy Ryder has worked really hard on his fitness base this pre-season with the knowledge of more time to be spent in the ruck in 2011. He has been moving well, and with David Hille injured, he could spend even more time in the ruck towards the start of the year.
• Mark Williams continues to be talked up by the coaches after he lost an impressive 7kg over the off-season. He is training well and injury free and certainly should improve in 2011 after a shocking 2010 campaign.

Who’s Not?

• David Hille (knee), Scott Gumbleton (knee) and Tayte Pears (foot) all had surgery in early December and are all still in the rehab group.
• Jay Neagle did enough to get another chance on the Essendon list, although he is still coming towards the end of all time trials. Don’t be expecting too much of a turnaround from the big man in 2011.

Fremantle Dockers

Looking Good:

• Rhys Palmer continues to be talked up as the standout at Freo so far this year. After his 2010 was cruelled thanks to a knee reconstruction, 2011 could see him continue on from where he left off in 2009.
• Chrichton, Bollenhagen, Lower, Roberton & Fyfe have all spent time training with the midfield group. Roberton and Fyfe were the standouts of the group.

Who’s Not?

• Joel Houghton has broken his arm this week at training, putting him out of action for 8 – 12 weeks and will therefore play no part in the early rounds of the season.
• Michael Barlow is progressing well from his leg injury, but it still remains unlikely that he will make it back in time for round one. Even if he does, I can’t see him being fit enough to justify his price tag.
• Roger Hayden and Anthony Morabito are both injured and will miss most of the season.

Geelong Cats

Looking Good:

• Taylor Hunt is training strongly and many see him holding a spot in the backline for most of the year.
• James Kelly has been training with the midfielders, suggesting a move back there after a couple of years in defense.
• Tom Hawkins is looking ‘ominous’ according to his coaches. It sounds like the Cats are really relying on Hawkins taking his game to a new level in 2011 – he should be given every opportunity.

Who’s Not?

• Travis Varcoe is still recovering from his shoulder injury sustained in the international rules series, and may be on a modified program all the way up to round one.
• James Podsiadly will be available for Geelong’s NAB Cup campaign after recovering from his off-season hip surgery. The J-Pod and Mitch Duncan have both returned to main training after minor clean-outs on the joint.

Gold Coast Suns

Looking Good:

• Daniel Harris is being talked up something chronic. He was actually the highest ranked DTer in Gold Coast’s VFL season in 2010 and looks likely to play a reasonable role for the team this year. He was always a hard worker at the Roos where heaveraged nearly 80 DT points in his last few years!
• Maverick Weller is the only player with no AFL experience to be put in the Gold Coast leadership group after he captained them in their 2010 VFL season. The kid is also training well, so these are a few good signs that he should debut in round two.

Who’s Not?

• Gary Ablett has had some recent groin soreness, which will delay him from fully training for a few weeks. They won’t risk their star on the track, although he should really be ready for round two (they have a bye round one). This isn’t his first bout of groin soreness, so it is just a management thing I think.
• Josh Caddy was the only Gold Coast draftee who was checked in for surgery. He had minor groin surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup.

Hawthorn Hawks

Looking Good:

• Brad Sewell is training really well and could be a great bargain pick this year after his average 2010 season.
• Luke Hodge is training with the midfielders this year.
• Lance Franklin has had an uninterrupted pre-season so far and is looking in great shape. Hawthorn in general has been pretty good on the injury-front this year, suggesting they should be able to bounce back into the top eight.
• Ryan Schoenmakers has been training with the forwards this year, despite playing his 24-game career so far as a backman. He was however drafted as a forward, so he won’t be totally out of his depth.
• Shane Savage and Liam Shiels have put on considerable bulk and are being talked up as some younger players capable of stepping up in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Jordan Lewis did his hamstring a fortnight ago at training, but should be back running this week. He should be fine for the NAB cup.
• Rick Ladson and Xavier Ellis have both returned to the main group after off-season surgery.

Melbourne Demons

Looking Good:

• After breaking his leg in round 20 last year, Aaron Davey has returned to full training since Christmas and says he feels as good about his body as his did before his breakout year in 2009.
• Jamie Bennell was impressive at training AGAIN this week! He is much fitter and is really tackling the pre-season head on. Word out of Melbourne is that he is set for a big year!
• Nathan Jones and Tom Scully were others to impress this week.

Who’s Not?

• Jordan Gysberts appeared to injure his hamstring this week at training and limped off without returning. No official reports yet.
• James Frawley will miss around 12 weeks with a pectoral muscle injury he sustained at training. This will likely see him miss the first few rounds of the season.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Looking Good:

• Liam Anthony is currently having ‘the biggest pre-season [he] has ever had,’ which is certainly good news for the proven ball-magnet. He has knocked a minute off his personal best time around Princes Park and has full use of his injured shoulder.
• Shaun Atley has impressed on the track and is conducting a full pre-season. He seems likely to step straight into the lineup from round one.
• Cameron Richardson has impressed many with his ability to fit straight into the team. Looks capable of securing a spot round one. Could be a good pick-up as a mature aged defender.

Who’s Not?

• As reported last week, but now confirmed by the club, Ryan Bastinac copped an injury to his knee at training and will be on the sidelines for 3-4 months. This does open doors for other players such as Atley and Speight though.
• Hamish McIntosh had surgery on his Achilles last week and will be sidelined for around two months.

Port Adelaide Power

Looking Good:

• Ben Jacobs is being talked up as a ready-made player for the Power, and with his amazing junior ball-winning ability, he could be a great addition to any Dream Team.
• Robbie Gray is still not injured. Nor is Hamish Hartlett!!

Who’s Not?

• Ben Newton is still a few weeks away from rejoining the main group. He came to the club with an already existing ankle injury that is still not 100%
• Brett Ebert is still recovering from his knee reconstruction, but expects to be back in time for round one. He’s not worth the risk regardless.

Richmond Tigers

Looking Good:

• Dustin Martin shone in the Tigers’ scratch match this week, moving well through the midfield.
• Trent Cotchin played, which was great to see, considering he has spend plenty of the pre-season so far in the rehab group.
• Chris Newman, Brett Deledio and Tyrone Vickery were others to impress.
• David Astbury is impressing all with his professionalism at training, and after putting on plenty of muscle over the break he looks likely to be given the CHB role from round one this year.
• The coach is really excited about the return of Nathan Foley, who has missed nearly two years of football with injury. He is back training with the main group and is likely to be ready for round one. Could come dirt cheap!

Who’s Not?

• Tom Derickx is training with the rucks, but seemed to struggle to compete with Browne – this won’t do his round one chances too much good.

St.Kilda Saints

Looking Good:

• The move of Sam Gilbert to the forward line is seeming more and more likely as he has spent most of his sessions training here – mainly practicing his leading from the goalsquare.

Who’s Not?

• Michael Gardiner is still coming back very slowly from his knee surgery – the club is currently talking like he may not be back until a few rounds of the year. They won’t rush him as they at least have reasonable backup in Stanley and McEvoy.
• Justin Koschitzke is recovering from ankle surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup. The club is focussing on improving his fitness base with the goal of giving him more time in the ruck in 2011.

Sydney Swans

Looking Good:

• Daniel Hannebery has been really working on his fitness and endurance and seems set for a big year. Has been one of the best trainers this pre-season. He showed us last year what he can do and it would be great if he could take it up another notch in 2011!
• Lewis Jetta is another young Swan having a great pre-season. The coach is talking him up as playing predominantly as a midfielder this year – music to the ears! His fitness and stoppage work have greatly improved.
• Trent Dennis-Lane has had a great pre-season so far – one which has been totally injury free, unlike last year where he was hampered by several issues. He has improved his strength too and the coaches are hoping to see him on the field from round one.

Who’s Not?

• Craig Bolton is still recovering from his Achilles injury and is unlikely to resume training before the season has started. He has vowed to return this year, but I can’t imagine his absence upsetting too many Dream Team coaches.
• Shane Mumford (knee) is due to resume running on the track in the coming weeks, while Mark Seaby (ankle) is gradually returning to full training. Tadhg Kennelly remains in a knee brace after surgery to repair a medial ligament and Lewis Roberts-Thomson (hamstring/gluteal) faces a month-long layoff after minor surgery.

West Coast Eagles

Looking Good:

• Koby Stevens is looking fit and likely to build on the few games he played in 2010. He is a good ball winner and could be worth watching through pre-season.
• Luke Shuey was a really good trainer this week, along with Chris Masten. Both could be set for big years, with Shuey providing the most interest to dream teamers.
• Dean Cox is also training strongly, which is great to hear after his injury affected 2010. Plenty reckon he will be back to his best in 2011.
• Shannon Hurn has slimmed down quite noticeably – could this mean a different role in 2011?
• Andrew Gaff has been impressing all at the club with his dedication to training. The word from the club is that he has already been pencilled in for a round one debut.

Who’s Not?

• Daniel Kerr will put his career on the line in a few weeks when he attempts to return from the hamstring tear that ruined his 2010. The current word is that he will likely miss the first several rounds of 2011.

Western Bulldogs

Looking Good:

• Mitch Wallis is really impressing at training and is really tough for a young player. Really deserves a round one debut, but the issue will be whether there is room for him in the best 22.
• Matthew Boyd was named captain this week, and whilst this has nothing to do with his fitness, does anyone else see him stepping up another notch in 2011 now that he has the leadership?

Who’s Not?

• Ryan Hargrave’s year seems to be off to a bad start when he attempted to push to hard whilst coming back from injury. The club has confirmed he is likely to miss the first couple of months of the season. Not good news at all.
• Adam Cooney (knee soreness) and defender Brian Lake, who had post-season surgery on his hip, knee and shoulder, will miss the opening week of the NAB Cup. But both are expected to be primed for the Dogs’ Round 1 clash against North Melbourne on March 27.

Hey everyone, this is the second of my pre-season wraps so far this year. From here-on, this wrap will just be a summary of the week just concluded, so be sure to look back at previous write ups for more information on other players. When it comes to the NAB cup, my wraps will more specifically focus on those matches.

Also worth noting is that I have managed to find much more info on some clubs than others, hence the lack of detail with some teams. Gold Coast and Brisbane have been heavily effected by the floods, so it has been hard to find any info on their sessions as most have been indoor.

Adelaide Crows

Looking Good:

• Richard Douglas and Brodie Martin have been stars on the track this pre-season and their efforts so far in 2011 have been the standouts. I’m particularly excited about Martin’s DT potential this year.

Who’s Not?

• David Mackay is still recovering from his November groin surgery and is unlikely to join the main group until Mid-February. At this stage he is aiming to play round one, with no NAB cup in the lead up.

Brisbane Lions

Looking Good:

Who’s Not?

• The Lions have really struggled to get any training done this week due to the flooding in Queensland. Due to this I have really struggled to find any information on their sessions.
• Brendon Fevola is still in rehab and currently not back training with the group.

Carlton Blues

Looking Good:

• Nick Duigan has been really impressing at training, seemingly slotting straight into the Blues’ backline, which is great news for Dream Teamers. He also performed really well in last week’s beep test!
• Bryce Gibbs is training well and has apparently not missed a target yet all pre-season. Should be back-eligible in 2011 too, so it is great to see him completing a full pre-season.
• Chris Yarran finished in the top five of the beep test! A great result for a player who was originally criticized for his lack of work-rate. This result may see him capable of pushing into the midfield in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Lachie Henderson is making a slow recovery from his hip surgery. He is no chance to play NAB cup, and may even miss a round or two of the main season.

Collingwood Magpies

Looking Good:

• Leon Davis has interestingly been training as a defender most of this off-season. Reports are that he isn’t going amazingly in the one-on-one contests though. Definitely worth watching through NAB cup though.
• Dayne Beams has really filled out and looks capable of taking his game up another level in 2011. Should be given every opportunity to do so this year.
• Harry O’Brien won this week’s time trial, with Steele Sidebottom, Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury the runners up.

Who’s Not?

• Alan Didak is still looking quite a while off joining the main group. May be a sceptical pick for round one.
• Nick Maxwell seemed to hurt his shoulder at training on Friday and left the track. The lack of news about this in the media may suggest he is OK.
• Although training strongly, Chris Tarrant has been training as a defender, suggesting he won’t make the much-hoped-for move forward this year.
• Cameron Wood has been an average trainer so far this year, and from all reports has been ‘asleep’ at training. Also came last in this week’s time trial.

Essendon Bombers

Looking Good:

• Brent Stanton continues to set the pace at training, setting PBs in both the beep test and yo-yo test. The coaches are also talking up big things from the proven ball-winner in 2011.
• Leroy Jetta is training well and looks capable of stepping up this year.
• A lean, musclier looking David Myers has been impressing coaches since returning from the rehab group at the start of this month.

Who’s Not?

• David Hille (knee), Scott Gumbleton (knee) and Tayte Pears (foot) all had surgery in early December and are all still in the rehab group.

Fremantle Dockers

Looking Good:

• Zac Clarke looks likely to play a role in 2011 according to Aaron Sandilands. Clarke has been training really well and impressing the coaches – his fitness and agility has been a highlight. He will have to compete with new recruit Jon Griffin though.
• Rhys Palmer continues to be talked up as the standout at Freo so far this year. After his 2010 was cruelled thanks to a knee reconstruction, 2011 could see him continue on from where he left off in 2009.
• Chrichton, Bollenhagen, Lower, Roberton & Fyfe have all spent time training with the midfield group. Roberton and Fyfe were the standouts of the group.

Who’s Not?

• Byron Schammer has been training as a defender, but I don’t think this will help his DT scoring too much… Might still be worth keeping an eye on though, especially with Hayden out for half the season!
• Barlow, Hayden and Morabito are all still injured.

Geelong Cats

Looking Good:

• Tom Hawkins is looking ‘ominous’ according to his coaches. It sounds like the Cats are really relying on Hawkins taking his game to a new level in 2011 – he should be given every opportunity.

Who’s Not?

• Travis Varcoe is still recovering from his shoulder injury sustained in the international rules series, and may be on a modified program all the way up to round one. This is a real shame as Varcoe himself has been talking up his midfield wishes for this year – however, I unfortunately can’t see this happening if he is not 100% fit leading into the season.

Gold Coast Suns

Looking Good:

• Daniel Harris is being talked up something chronic. He was actually the highest ranked DTer in Gold Coast’s VFL season in 2010 and looks likely to play a reasonable role for the team this year. He was always a hard worker at the Roos, it’s now just a question of whether he can convert this into DT scoring!

Who’s Not?

• Josh Caddy is still the only Gold Coast draftee who was checked in for surgery. He had minor groin surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup.

Hawthorn Hawks

Looking Good:

• Lance Franklin has had an uninterrupted pre-season so far and is looking in great shape. Hawthorn in general has been pretty good on the injury-front this year, suggesting they should be able to bounce back into the top eight. For this reason alone, I really like the idea of having a super-fit Buddy in my team this year.
• Ryan Schoenmakers has been training with the forwards this year, despite playing his 24-game career so far as a backman. He was however drafted as a forward, so he won’t be totally out of his depth.
• Shane Savage and Liam Shiels have put on considerable bulk and are being talked up as some younger players capable of stepping up in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Jordan Lewis did his hamstring last week at training, but should be back running next week. He should be fine for the NAB cup.
• Rick Ladson and Xavier Ellis have both returned to the main group after off-season surgery.

Melbourne Demons

Looking Good:

• Tom Scully – it is the name that keeps coming up in every training report at Melbourne. The kid is gunning it – he is super fit, super dedicated and apparently his kicking has also improved out of site. Could be set for a huge year.
• Jamie Bennell has also been impressive after an average 2010. He is much fitter and is really tackling the pre-season head on. Word out of Melbourne is that he is set for a big year!

Who’s Not?

• Heard reports that Robert Campbell limped off from training this week and has had a slight setback with his knee. Watch this space!

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Looking Good:

• Robbie Tarrant is training really well and has been bookmarked to play at CHB this year… assuming he doesn’t injure himself again!
• Lachie Hansen reckons he will play as a permanent forward this year, despite the return of Petrie and the injury to Grima. He showed potential last year, but I doubt he is really what dream teamers are looking for.
• Cameron Richardson has impressed many with his ability to fit straight into the team. Looks capable of securing a spot round one. Could be a good pick-up as a mature aged defender.

Who’s Not?

• Ryan Bastinac copped an injury to his knee at training today and could be out for up to three months. Does open doors for other players such as Atley and Speight though.
• Hamish McIntosh had surgery on his Achilles this week and will be sidelined for around two months.

Port Adelaide Power

Looking Good:

• Ben Jacobs is being talked up as a ready made player for the Power, and with his amazing junior ball-winning ability, he could be a great addition to any Dream Team.
• Robbie Gray is still not injured. Nor is Hamish Hartlett!!

Who’s Not?

• Ben Newton is still a few weeks away from rejoining the main group. He came to the club with an already existing ankle injury that is still not 100%
• Brett Ebert is still recovering from his knee reconstruction, but expects to be back in time for round one. He’s not worth the risk regardless.

Richmond Tigers

Looking Good:

• Brett Deledio was a star at training this week and was acting as the quarterback in all drills. Could be in for another great year.
• Bachar Houli is continuing to impress.

Who’s Not?

• Derickx is training with the rucks, but seemed to struggle to compete with Browne – this won’t do his round one chances too much good.

St.Kilda Saints

Looking Good:

• Ryan Gamble has been training well and Lyon has been pretty clear about the fact he would like him to play 22 games this year in a new-look forward line.
• Nicholas Winmar has bulked up a lot in the off-season and has been training well. Lyon has hinted that he wants him playing some games this year – could be great off half back if his body doesn’t break down.

Who’s Not?

• Michael Gardiner, Justin Koschitzke and Clinton Jones are the only Saints in rehab groups.

Sydney Swans

Looking Good:

• Daniel Hannebery has been really working on his fitness and endurance and seems set for a big year. He showed us last year what he can do and it would be great if he could take it up another notch in 2011!
• Lewis Jetta is another young Swan having a great pre-season. The coach is talking him up as playing predominantly as a midfielder this year – music to the ears!

Who’s Not?

• Shane Mumford (knee) is due to resume running on the track in the coming weeks, while Mark Seaby (ankle) is gradually returning to full training. Tadhg Kennelly remains in a knee brace after surgery to repair a medial ligament and Lewis Roberts-Thomson (hamstring/gluteal) faces a month-long layoff after minor surgery.

West Coast Eagles

Looking Good:

• Shuey was a really good trainer this week, along with Masten. Both could be set for big years, with Shuey providing the most interest to dream teamers.
• Dean Cox is also training strongly, which is great to hear after his injury affected 2010. Perhaps he could present good value to dream teamers come round one!?

Who’s Not?

• Daniel Kerr will put his career on the line in a few weeks when he attempts to return from the hamstring tear that ruined his 2010. The current word is that he will likely miss the first several rounds of 2011.

Western Bulldogs

Looking Good:

• Ed Barlow is smashing it on the track and keeping up with Crossy and Boyd in every endurance test. He has been training as a tagger though, so it could adversely effect his DT output.
• Daniel Cross (as always) is training the house down, and those at the club reckon he is set for another huge year. Cross is Mr. Consistency at Dream Team and also a great point of difference. Certainly worth considering from round one!

Who’s Not?

• Ryan Hargrave’s year seems to be off to a bad start when he attempted to push to hard whilst coming back from injury. Reports say that he has totally stuffed himself and is unlikely to play any games in the first half of 2011!

Hey all, and welcome back to Footy Tragic for season 2011. We told you last year that we would come back bigger and better, and damn have we delivered! You will see over the next week we will be delivering a brilliant set of new pre-season articles, as well as introducing a new contributor to you – Kristian, who finished 165^th last year in dream team! We have also, with much excitement, brought back the weekly video – stay tuned for more details on this one!

So without much further ado, here is the first article of the season – in this weekly article, appearing every Monday until the season starts, I will basically act as your moderator for the hundreds of pre-season articles the AFL puts out.  Essentially I will be cutting the crap from all these articles and delivering you what you want to hear – who’s hot, who’s not. This first one will be a little longer as I will attempt to summarise what has happened through the WHOLE pre-season to date. Enjoy!

Adelaide Crows

Looking Good:

• Shaun McKernan – Has been imposing in pre-season training – Neil Craig says he could be a big beneficiary of the new interchange rule.
• Jason Porplyzia, Patrick Dangerfield and Andy Otten have been training with the midfield group. They are still being cautious with Otten, but Porplyzia in the midfield is certainly an exciting prospect!
• Daniel Talia has added several kilos of muscle and could step into a key position this year.
• Chris Knights looks to have put his 2010 injury curse behind him and is training strongly, confirming he could be one of the bargains of 2011.
• Nathan Van Berlo, as usual, has been burning up in the time trials. Has the potential to step up as the new skipper in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Richard Tambling is still recovering from his knee issues which plagued him through 2010 – he won’t be fully training until the middle of January.
• Bernie Vince had minor knee surgery so has been in the recovery group for all December and will stay there through early January.
• David Mackay had groin surgery in the off-season and won’t be fully training until later this month.
• Sam Shaw has had bad stress fractures in his back and is unlikely to be ready for round one.

Brisbane Lions

Looking Good:

• Xavier Clarke has had his first full pre-season in a very long time and is apparently very fit… He is still bound to break down though, such is his bad luck
• Andrew Raines has been a star on the track, looking to have put his injuries behind him. Still risky though…
• Jack Redden and Tom Rockliff are two young stars who are impressing on the track. Redden especially has a lot of improvement in him and could be an exciting player in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Brendon Fevola – not only is he recovering from groin surgery that won’t see him into full training until later this month, he has the ramifications of his big new-years to deal with. He is too much of an unknown to trust in your dream team.
• Jonathon Brown is also recovering from groin surgery, meaning he won’t be training with the main group until February. He is traditionally a slow starter without a full pre-season, so may be one to hold off on at the start of the year.
• Josh Drummond is still recovering from his ACL reconstruction, and knowing his history with injuries, he will be eased back into it. Unlikely to play round one.
• Callum Bartlett has a knee injury which will likely see him miss half of 2011.

Carlton Blues

Looking Good:

• Andrew Walker is winning all the time trials (as usual), but if you like him, watch his pre-season VERY closely – he so often breaks down just before round one.
• Mitch Robinson, Robbie Warnock, Chris Yarran, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs have all caught the coach’s eye with some personal best efforts on the track.

Who’s Not?

• Matthew Kruezer is still recovering from his ACL reconstruction. He is aiming for round one, but they won’t rush him. Even if he does return then he will be underdone, so you probably want to avoid him.
• Brock McLean has been forced onto a modified program due to his pre-season injury history. This may in fact be a good thing, but he will unlikely be running at 100% if he is only training on a modified program.
• Jordan Russell is another on the modified program after post-season shoulder surgery. Will re-join the main group later this month.
• Lachie Henderson has undergone post-Christmas hip surgery which will put him out for eight weeks – this certainly means a round one start may be unlikely.
• Andy Collins and Jeff Garlett also underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season and will join the main group post-Christmas.

Collingwood Magpies

Looking Good:

• Chris Tarrant has had the best pre-season so far, training like he really has something to prove. The big question will surround his position on the field – will he slot into full-back as he did at Freo, or could he line up in his old forward role? If thrown forward, it could be a tantalising prospect for DT coaches.
• Andrew Krakouer missed out on the Arizona trip thanks to Visa difficulties, however it hasn’t stopped him flying on the track. Looks to be so much fitter than when he ever was in Richmond colours and could be set for a huge year if his WAFL numbers are anything to go by!

Who’s Not?

• Alan Didak had his pectoral muscle reattached to the bone, meaning he has had quite a restricted pre-season so far. He will be right for round one, but will certainly be underdone.
• Ben Reid is over the ankle injury he suffered in the grand final, whilst Nathan Brown has had shoulder surgery and will resume contact drills soon.
• John Ceglar – whilst the young ruckman is an exciting prospect, this year will be seen as a developmental one for the big guy as they try and get his body to the right size.

Essendon Bombers

Looking Good:

• Mark Williams looks like a new man, having dropped eight kilos with the ambition of becoming a much more mobile player. He is training very well and looks to be over the injuries that restricted him to just four games in 2010.
• The usual suspects, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton, Mark McVeigh, Brent Prismall and Angus Monfries have been excellent trainers and they’ve done the majority of the work.

Who’s Not?

• David Hille (knee), Scott Gumbleton (knee) and Tayte Pears (foot) all had surgery in early December and are all expected to return to the main group in the middle of January.
• David Myers, David Zaharakis and Tom Bellchambers were on restricted workloads through December, but should start the new year with the main group.

Fremantle Dockers

Looking Good:

• Rhys Palmer has been carving up the track, winning the 3km time trial and looks to be well and truly over the knee injury which clearly inhibited his 2010 campaign.
• Tendai Mzungu came second in the same time trial and is looking very fit and ready for AFL. He comes straight from the WAFL and should be a lock for every dream team in 2011!
• Nat Fyfe has added several kilos to his frame, but it has not limited his fitness. He too is flying on the track and looks set to improve on his strong breakout year.

Who’s Not?

• Roger Hayden had a major setback in December with surgery on his foot, which will put him out of action for at least half the season.
• Anthony Morabito ruptured his ACL, meaning he will likely miss the entire 2011 season.
• Michael Barlow is still recovering from his leg injury and it will be touch-and-go whether he plays early on in the season. Either way, he will be too expensive to take the risk.
• Hayden Ballantyne is still recovering from a broken foot and will likely miss the NAB cup, and will be going into the season underdone.

Geelong Cats

Looking Good:

• Tom Hawkins seems to be a much more determined participant this pre-season, according to assistant coach, Blake Caracella. He has lost a couple of kilos and is showing no signs of the foot injury that slowed him down in 2010. The Cats coaches reckon he looks better now than he ever has.
• The coaches have also stated that Taylor Hunt and Daniel Menzel have had outstanding pre-seasons to date, and both are expected to play plenty of senior footy in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Travis Varcoe is still recovering from his shoulder injury sustained in the international rules series, and may be on a modified program all the way up to round one. This is a real shame as Varcoe himself has been talking up his midfield wishes for this year – however, I unfortunately can’t see this happening if he is not 100% fit leading into the season.

Gold Coast Suns

Looking Good:

• The club is insisting that Nathan Ablett has hit his strides since older brother, Gary joined the club in October. He could be a cheap option, but was never a good DTer, even when playing for the premiership-winning Geelong.
• Jarred Brennan has been a standout on the track and the coaches reckon he is fitter than ever.
• Karmichael Hunt has shed some weight and is often the first to arrive at training and last to leave. The signs are good for him, but the belief is still that he will average little more than 40 DT points a game in 2011.
• Zac Smith has hit the weights something fierce over the off-season and has a great fitness base for a guy his size. From all reports he is super keen to work hard and that will hopefully reflect in his output this year.

Who’s Not?

• Josh Caddy is the only Gold Coast draftee who was checked in for surgery. He had minor groin surgery and is likely to miss the NAB cup.

Hawthorn Hawks

Looking Good:

• Shaun Burgoyne has completed twice the amount of pre-season work he did last year and is expecting to have a much bigger impact in 2011 than he did last year.
• Brad Sewell has been burning up the track and looks likely to redeem himself from his mediocre 2010 season. He could be a DT bargain if he does!

Who’s Not?

• Jordan Lewis did his hamstring this week at training, so is likely to be watching from the sidelines for a couple of week. It shouldn’t effect him too much though – he actually had been flying on the track until this setback.
• Rick Ladson and Xavier Ellis both had hip clean-ups at the end of the year, but are progressing well. Both were on a modified program early, but have been running and will be ready to go soon.
• Max Bailey is returning from his third knee reconstruction and is progressing well, albeit still in the recovery group.

Melbourne Demons

Looking Good:

• Cale Morton has put on some much needed weight and is burning up the track, working especially hard on his work-rate – the main flaw of his game to date.
• Ricky Petterd has worked hard to move on from his 2010 shoulder injury and has put on some good weight through his core and legs. He is very enthusiastic at training and does everything he can to succeed. Could be set for a big year if injuries stay at bay.
• Tom Scully is a name being talked up strongly by all the Melbourne coaches – they love this kid. His work rate is amazing and he continually pushes himself to get better. We saw in 2010 he could be a great dream teamer, so don’t be surprised when he increases his average in 2011.

Who’s Not?

• Austin Wonaeamirri has been back home for the majority of the off-season due to the death of his father. He is back training now, but is understandably not where the club wants him to be fitness-wise. May not feature early in the season.
• Neville Jetta, Joel Macdonald and Stefan Martin have all battled with hip problems but are all back in full training.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Looking Good:

• Ben McKinley has been working hard on his fitness and hopes to be a much more mobile player in 2011. He will be fighting hard with Aaron Edwards for a spot in the team (who is also working hard on his fitness and has lost three kilos) – they are both suited as undersized full-forwards, so perhaps one may have to find another role.
• Gavin Urqhuart has been training with Australian long distance runner, Craig Mottram to improve his endurance – something that has been an issue for him over his career. It seems to be paying off as he is running personal best times and wants to cement his spot in 2010, possibly off half-back.
• Drew Petrie has returned to the main group after spending December on a modified program due to two broken feet in 2010. He is being touted at the club’s full forward in 2011, but under the new interchange rule may spend some time in the ruck. With a likely-to-be-large discount on him for this season, he could be a mega bargain!

Who’s Not?

• Nathan Grima will spend three months on the sidelines with a back injury that has gotten progressively worse over the off-season. He won’t be ready in time for round one.
• Hamish McIntosh will have surgery on his Achilles – a slow healing injury that has been giving him grief for a while. It will likely see him miss the start of the season.
• Cruize Garlett (finger), Ed Lower (knee) and Aaron Black (groin) have all been on modified programs but should rejoin their teammates for full training in the coming weeks.

Port Adelaide Power

Looking Good:

• Jarran Reddan seems to have overtaken Matthew Lobbe as the club’s choice of second ruck and is being talked up already as a chance for round one. Could be a good bench option.
• Robbie Gray is reportedly looking fit again and training with the main group for the second year in a row. There will however be plenty of fears after he let so many down last year.

Who’s Not?

• Brett Ebert (knee) will progress to full-contact drills by mid-January, as will Cameron Hitchcock (shoulder) and Daniel Stewart (shoulder). Andrew Moore (adductor) and Simon Phillips (shoulder) are also recovering from minor surgery.
• Midfielder Travis Boak will be eased back into full training this month after having his appendix removed, while Jacob Surjan (knee) will also remain on a modified program.
• David Rodan is progressing well in his recovery from knee surgery and is on track to return to full training in mid-February.

Richmond Tigers

Looking Good:

• The Tigers ran the Tan this week, with seven scoring personal best times. Matthew White was the quickest over the 3.8km course, with Ben Jakobi and Bachar Houli filling the minor placings.
• Bachar Houli is training really well at his new club and is often being used as a designated kicker and often playing on a wing in training. He could potentially play 22 games this year and midfield time is not unlikely.
• David Astbury has put on seven kilos and looks like he is being groomed to play 22 games at CHB this year.
• Jack Riewoldt has lost four kilos with the ambition of being a much more mobile forward this year. Hardwick has said he wants Riewoldt much higher, so there could be plenty more marks added to his stats line! The word is that Brad Miller will slot in closer to goal, whilst Tyrone Vickery will be groomed more as a forward than a ruckman.
• Jayden Post is probably the best trainer so far – ‘absolutely flying’ as they say.

Who’s Not?

• Reece Conca started his pre-season in Richmond’s rehab group, after ankle surgery late last season, but expects to start full training next week, when the players return from their Christmas break.
• Nathan Foley and Trent Cotchin are both also in the rehab group, but expect to join the rest of the team within the next few weeks.

St.Kilda Saints

Looking Good:

• The Saints haven’t done much training yet, but so far one stand out has been Brendon Goddard – he always comes back in impeccable condition and is already talking about ways he can get better in 2011.
• Nick Riewoldt is currently undertaking a full pre-season – a positive sign after his hamstring injury in 2010. Should come pretty cheap for a guy of his calibre.
• Jamie Cripps has been really impressing the coaches and already looks to have put on sizeable bulk. He is a fast, running half back and could grab the position vacated by Sam Gilbert (as he is likely moving forward this year). The Saints have rarely played many kids under Lyon, but all the recent talk has been about how they need to start trying something different to re-invigorate the side.
• Ryan Gamble has been training well and Lyon has been pretty clear about the fact he would like him to play 22 games this year in a new-look forward line.

Who’s Not?

• Michael Gardiner had a bit of a knee scrape in the off-season and has been pretty restricted in the lead-up to Christmas. I don’t expect he will be playing 22 games this year.
• Justin Koschitzke has been restricted after ankle surgery, but he should be back with the main group soon. The word is he will spend more time in the ruck this year thanks to the new interchange rule.
• Steven Gaertner has quit the club due to a lack of passion for AFL… Sounds stupid giving the warning, but honestly, some will still pick him!

Sydney Swans

Looking Good:

• Nick Malceski has been flying on the track and looks capable of bettering his great 2010 season. He smashed his 3km record prior to Christmas.
• Andrejs Everitt is slotting in well and looks likely to play a role across the half-back line – the position he has shown most DT potential over his short career.
• Brett Meredith looks to have shaken the injury curse that has plagued his three years at the club with an outstanding pre-season to date. His fitness has improved markedly and his classy decision-making in skills drills has excited the Swans coaches.

Who’s Not?

• Shane Mumford (knee) is due to resume running on the track in the coming weeks, while Mark Seaby (ankle) is gradually returning to full training. Tadhg Kennelly remains in a knee brace after surgery to repair a medial ligament and Lewis Roberts-Thomson (hamstring/gluteal) faces a month-long layoff after minor surgery.
• Craig Bolton’s recovery from an Achilles problem is going slowly, not helped by a recent foot injury that slowed his progress.

West Coast Eagles

Looking Good:

• After an end-of-season review, the Eagles concluded that Bradd Dalziell was their most underrated player. They realised that when given a game, he averaged 21 possessions and just 2.1 critical errors a game at AFL level this year. He has also been one of the standouts on the track so far this pre-season.
• Scott Selwood looks like he could be a big DT improver this year – the talk is he will now be given a more attacking midfield role after finishing his apprenticeship as a tagger. He showed in a couple of games last season that he has the tools to be a DT king.
• Chris Masten is another standout, but I wouldn’t get too excited – he handballs way to much for dream team.
• Andrew Gaff, the club’s first draft pick this year, has already impressed the coaches with his incredible work rate and maturity. If he can keep this up (coupled with the Eagles want to blood more kids), he could be set for plenty of game time this season.

Who’s Not?

• Daniel Kerr has been on a modified program, however the word is that he is looking very fit and injury free and could be set for a big year… But how many times have we said this?
• Josh Kennedy, Mark Nicoski and Nick Naitanui will re-join the main group this month after spending the end of last year on modified programs.

Western Bulldogs

Looking Good:

• Christian Howard is training strongly after an injury-interrupted 2010. He is a first-round pick (15) who hasn’t managed any games yet, but after a solid pre-season, there is every chance he could secure a spot in the team come round one.
• Both father-son picks, Mitchell Wallis and Tom Liberatore have impressed this pre-season and each have bodies capable of stepping straight into AFL football. They may struggle to win a spot ahead of other inside-mids Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd, but they are both certainly worth watching!

Who’s Not?

• Brian Lake should start running in the middle of January while Adam Cooney started before Christmas. Callan Ward is progressing well but Ryan Hargrave is returning a little slower from foot surgery. Lake and Hargrave will likely miss the NAB cup.
• Those who had shoulder operations – Ayce Cordy, Jordan Roughead, Sam Reid, Lukas Markovic and Lindsay Gilbee – are on track for competitive work soon.