Footy Tragic

NEW TO FOOTY TRAGIC

• PART 1 – The “Submit Your Team” section as per normal;
• PART 2 -The NEW section where I unearth a hidden gem who I expect to make an impact in 2010. These players are under priced because they have been in the AFL system for 3 years or less and are still trying to establish themselves as AFL footballers. I’m looking for the next Andy Otten, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitchell Brown or Taylor Walker.

PART 1:

View In Watts We Trust’s Team
Round 21 Score: 2,145
Current Overall Ranking: 620
Trades Left: 0
Remaining Salary Cap: $7,300

      Thank you for submitting your team.

Congratulations, you have made the Grand Final of your private league and you appear certain to finish inside the top 1,000 teams overall in 2009. 

Unfortunately, I can’t help you this week because you have run out of trades, but I will take the opportunity to give you some assistance for 2010. 

As I’ve mentioned previously, my aim each year is to win the car. We all know that there is no prize for coming 2^nd. At the mid point of the season, I conducted a full analysis of my dreamteam and faced the reality that I had no chance of winning the car in 2009. Rather than fade meekly towards Round 22, I’ve used the past 10 rounds to experiment and try a few different strategies in my preparations for 2010. Here is the verdict: 

• Experiment 1 -Burn my trades early - In previous seasons, I’ve always stuck by the theory of keeping 1 trade up my sleeve for every week remaining in the competition. This theory has merit, but consider this alternative: The dreaded 0 has the same effect whether you cop it in Round 10 or Round 22. Why save a trade in Round 10 and cop a 0, just in case a player gets injured later in the season when you might need that trade? Why wouldn’t you cover the 0 in Round 10 and back your trading strategy in to have sufficient depth by Round 22 to cover for a couple of injuries?

I used my final trade prior to Round 19, but it’s fair to say the last 3 weeks of my season have been easily my best of the season. What’s more, I had 25 players to choose from in Round 19 (when Ross Lyon rested half his team) and I’ve had 28 players to choose from the last 2 weeks. Had I saved up my trades for Round 22 it would have been a waste because I’ve already got a full squad of players. 

Another very important factor to consider is that our team values rise significantly over the course of the season. While we all understand that this translates into higher scores this time of year, it also means it’s easier to select 22 quality players because you should have already made $100,000 plus on each of your early season cash cows. This cash can be spent boosting players 15 – 22. 

One of the reasons this strategy has worked for me in the later part of 2009 is that I stay well away from injury prone players e.g. Paul Chapman. I don’t understand why Paul Chapman is in 45,452 teams. Sure, he averages 112 points per game when he plays, but he has only played 17 games this year. What’s even more significant are the weeks he has missed, Rounds 8, 10, 19, 20 and most likely 22. Note that the Rounds in bold are our finals! As my fellow Footy Tragic panelist Dan would say, “I’d never consider Paul Chapman, the man has hamstrings made of crepe paper”. 

While I have changed my tune from previous seasons about saving up your trades, I’m seriously considering adopting the burning trades early strategy again in 2010.  

• Experiment 2 – The unique selections – I don’t want Gary Ablett, Chris Judd, Tarkyn Lockyer or Nick Riewoldt, I want Scott Thompson, Marc Murphy, Paul Duffield and Colin Sylvia. If your aim is to win the car, you don’t pick the same players that the leaders of the competition have. You need a point of difference. How can you make up a gap of 1,000 points from Rounds 10 – 22 when you make trades that make your team almost identical to the competition leader? The answer is, you can’t!

Don’t be afraid to be an individual and pick someone a little bit different. It may not work, but you’ll never know if you don’t have a crack. There is nothing I hate more in dreamteam than the sheep. Just remember, sheep get slaughtered, literally. Don’t be a sheep. 

Now back to In Watts We Trust, best of luck for your Grand Final this week. The return of Stevie Johnson this week is timely with the unfortunate (and utterly ridiculous) suspension of Buddy Franklin. 

      PROPOSED ACTION THIS WEEK (WEEK 4 OF FINALS):

      None – no trades left.

PART 2 (NEW):

Hidden gem Week 6: James Strauss – Melbourne – Midfield – 2009 price $86,600.

In my final article in this six-week series, I’ve chosen a player who has been cruelled by injuries in 2009. He has played only 7 games of footy this year (3 VFL senior games and 4 VFL reserves games) due to a combination of ankle / leg injuries which restricted him early in the season and a left shoulder injury which required a reconstruction in July this year.

James Strauss was selected by Melbourne with pick 19 in the 2008 National Draft. Strauss was recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers and is listed as 185cms, 82kgs. Strauss represented Vic Metro in the 2008 Under 18 National Championships, where he averaged 14 possessions over his 5 games in the carnival.

Strauss is a very athletic, fast (4^th overall in the 2008 Draft Camp for the 30 metre repeat sprints) and hard running midfielder, with elite endurance. Strauss also reads the play very well and is an excellent kick of the football on both sides of his body.

While Strauss has been unable to get out of 2^nd gear in 2009 due injury, the good news is, he will be up and running for the start of Melbourne’s 2010 pre season campaign in October. I also like the fact that Strauss has a fairly strong body for a 19 year old, which gives him a greater chance of playing senior footy for Melbourne in 2010. In addition, Melbourne has proven that they are not afraid to throw their young kids into the deep end, because basically they have no choice.

There is no doubt Strauss has the potential to play a number of games for Melbourne next year. With the benefit of a 2^nd pre season and the hope of remaining injury free during the season proper, Strauss is definitely one to keep a close eye on over the pre season.

Good luck James!

PS - It was great to see my Week 3 hidden gem Max Bailey get through the game against Richmond last Saturday night and perform solidly, collecting 66 dreamteam points along the way. Keep up the great work Max!

      Please feel free to post a comment, we welcome all feedback.

Please also advise if you’ll be considering James Strauss for your dreamteam in 2010.

NEW TO FOOTY TRAGIC

• PART 1 – The “Submit Your Team” section as per normal;
• PART 2 -The NEW section where I unearth a hidden gem who I expect to make an impact in 2010. These players are under priced because they have been in the AFL system for 3 years or less and are still trying to establish themselves as AFL footballers. I’m looking for the next Andy Otten, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitchell Brown or Taylor Walker.

PART 1:

View Nolls XXII’s Team
Round 19 Score: 1923
Current Overall Ranking: 62,626
Trades Left: 0
Remaining Salary Cap: $37,100

Dear Nolls XXII,

      Thank you for submitting your team.

As you have run out of trades and are currently sitting 62,626 overall, I’m going to focus more on giving you some pointers to help you in 2010. I’ve also decided to use this opportunity to highlight some common dreamteam errors I have seen in 2009. 

• How to conserve my valuable trades? – I’ll try to keep this brief, because I could easily turn this into a 5,000 word thesis. The key here is to nail your starting squad of 30 players. As we all know, injuries play a major role in dreamteam and they affect us all in varying degrees. I’ve heard all the excuses, but I’ve got no time for them. We only get 20 trades for the year, so use them wisely.

If you picked Matthew Richardson, Paul Chapman (injured again during dreamteam finals), Josh Fraser or Chad Cornes in your 2009 dreamteam, don’t ask for sympathy or bleat about injuries. Yes, all four of these players have the potential to score very highly, but all are injury prone! If you want to take the risk on one of these players in 2010, let me remind you of a favourite saying of mine: “A fool is a man who does the same thing twice but expects a different result the second time”.To sum up this point, pick durable players, below age 30.

• Be wary of the key forward in dreamteam – Jarrad Grant may turn out to be a very fine Centre Half Forward for the Western Bulldogs in the coming years, but don’t expect big dreamteam scores from him. Grant is a big man who stands at 192cms, and his greatest strength is his marking. You are much better going after a crumbing forward / midfielder, rather than a key forward such as Grant.
   
• Shutting the gate after the horse has bolted - Leigh Harding was inserted into many dreamteams prior to Round 3, after scoring 150 (against Melbourne) and 108 in the first 2 weeks of the season. Unfortunately for Leigh and 45,733 dreamteamers, he averaged just 75 points per game for the next 16 weeks. To compound this problem, Harding suffered a season ending hamstring injury in Round 18, just before our finals. The lesson here is to pick next weeks winner not last weeks. As the world’s richest man Warren Buffett says, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been”.

PROPOSED ACTION THIS WEEK (WEEK 3 OF FINALS):

None – no trades left

Good luck in 2010!

PART 2 (NEW):

Hidden gem Week 5: Matthew Broadbent – Port Adelaide – Midfield /Defence – 2009 price $86,600;

2010 price $??? (It’s at the discretion of dreamteam headquarters but I’m hoping $150,000).

So far in my hidden gem series, I’ve looked at two ruckman, one forward and one midfielder. The final piece of the puzzle and the most difficult is the defence. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching the lower priced defenders before writing this article and I’ve settled on Broadbent.

This week I’ve been ably assisted by fellow Footy Tragic expert Dan, our resident guru on all the young talent coming through the AFL system. It’s worth noting here that our man Dan has been all over Broadbent, since watching him live in action for South Australia in the 2008 AFL Under 18 National Championships.

I am aware that Broadbent has already played 2 matches in 2009 (Round 16 against West Coast for 55 points and Round 17 against Adelaide for 39 points), but let me explain why I think Broadbent is still worth consideration at a price of approximately $150,000 – $160,000 in 2010.

Let’s not forget that Jack Grimes was a defender priced at $186,400 prior to Round 1 2009 after just one game in 2008 for 42 points. I’m not saying Broadbent will be the 2010 version of Grimes, but I believe it is worth forking out some extra cash to get a quality player such as Broadbent into your defensive structure.

Matthew Broadbent is a local product and he was drafted from SANFL club Woodville – West Torrens with pick number 38 in the 2008 National draft. Broadbent is listed as 189cms, 84kgs and he is an old school half back flanker. Broadbent played 11 senior SANFL games for Woodville – West Torrens in 2008, mostly as a 17 year old (he turned 18 last August). Broadbent has also spent the majority of this season playing for Woodville – West Torrens and he has been very impressive. So much so that he is an outside chance to play against Brisbane this Saturday night.

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says the following about Broadbent, “He reminds me of a young Dom Cassisi”. Williams was referring to Broadbent’s strong work ethic, good character and determination, high praise indeed from the senior coach!

As for our man Dan, this is what he had to say, “Broadbent is a ball magnet who is made for dreamteam. He reads the play extremely well, is good overhead for his size and he has neat disposal. Broadbent is not outstanding in any one area of his game, but he has no glaring weaknesses either. The best way to describe Broadbent would be hard, fearless, honest and reliable”.

The downside for Broadbent appears to be job security. While Mark Williams clearly rates the young man, it’s well known that Williams has a preference for dynamic and explosive running players that suit the Power’s run and carry / keeping’s off style game plan. Players such as Danyle Pearce, Shaun Burgoyne, Travis Boak, David Rodan and the super impressive Hamish Hartlett all fit this mould.

Having said that, with a second pre season under his belt, there is no reason why Broadbent can’t force his way into the senior side for Round 1, 2010. It will take him a great deal of hard work and dedication, but Broadbent has the required work ethic and strength of character to become a successful AFL player.

Good luck Matthew!

Please feel free to post a comment, we welcome all feedback.

Please also advise if you’ll be considering Matthew Broadbent for your dreamteam in 2010.

NEW TO FOOTY TRAGIC

• PART 1 – The “Submit Your Team” section as per normal;
• PART 2 -The NEW section where I unearth a hidden gem who I expect to make an impact in 2010. These players are under priced because they have been in the AFL system for 3 years or less (this week I have extended it to 5 years) and are still trying to establish themselves as AFL footballers. I’m looking for the next Andy Otten, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitchell Brown or Taylor Walker.  
  Dear Achy’s Army,

PART 1:

View Achy’s Army’s Team
Round 19 Score: 1,971
Current Overall Ranking: 3,756
Trades Left: 2
Remaining Salary Cap: $117,000

Thank you for submitting your team.

I must say that your team is looking in very good shape at this late stage of the season, with 28 of your 30 players strong chances of playing this week. The only players in your squad who appear certain to miss are Sam Jacobs and Sam Wright. Any team with 22 solid players and 3 emergencies this week is giving themselves every possible chance of progressing to Week 3 of the finals.

Depth in your squad is an often overlooked dreamteam fundamental. Your squad of 30 has depth in spades and I congratulate you for it. As I like to say, “Don’t give me excuses about injuries; give me depth in your squad”.

While I could recommend one upgrade in either your midfield (Ryan Griffen), or your forward line (Ryan Houlihan) using the surplus cash you have available, I don’t think it would be in your best interests. The upside of doing this would be most likely an additional 20 - 30 points this week. However, my advice would be to hold onto your trades, in case one of your premiums gets injured this week or in Round 21.

Having said that, I strongly recommend you do a full analysis of your opponent’s team prior to lockout. If you think you have him covered, definitely save your trades because you will be cooking with gas in Round 21 with $117,000 in the bank and two trades still up your sleeve.

As for the players who scored 0 last week, please note the following:

• Brendon Goddard is expected to return this week from his knee injury. Please note however that I suspect Goddard has got a legitimate knee injury, so he is not 100% certain to return.
• Peter Burgoyne is highly likely to return to AFL action after 28 possessions and 7 tackles in a dominant display for Port Adelaide in the SANFL last week.
• Beau Muston should also return to the Hawthorn line up after a best on ground performance for Box Hill in the VFL last week.
• Nick Riewoldt is certain to return this week from concussion.

PROPOSED ACTION THIS WEEK (WEEK 2 OF FINALS):

No change – save your trades for possible injuries to your premiums.

In conclusion, I love the choice of Mitch Clark as captain. Clark has come of age this year in the absence of Jamie Charman and Matthew Leuenberger in fine style. He’s been so impressive that he’s my smokey for All Australian back up ruckman (behind Aaron Sandilands). I was all over Clark and got him into my side for Dean Cox prior to Round 16. I discussed the possible replacements for Cox in my Round 16 “Submit Your Team” article (scroll below to check it out). For those who followed my advice and went with Clark over Hamish McIntosh, Darren Jolly, Drew Petrie and Kurt Tippett, you have been rewarded handsomely.

Good luck!

PART 2 (NEW):

Hidden gem Week 4: Robert Warnock – Carlton – Ruck – 2009 price $203,600;

2010 price $??? (It’s at the discretion of dreamteam headquarters but I’m hoping $150,000).

This week, I’ve gone searching for another ruckman. While this is the 2^nd week in a row I’ve gone for a 3^rd or 4^th ruck option, I make no apology for doing so. I’ve decided to again steer clear of midfielders, because they are too easy to find.

Traditionally, the rucks have been the most boring part of dreamteam. We all lock in Dean Cox, toss in a Aaron Sandilands, Hamish McIntosh or David Hille and forget about our 3^rd and 4^th rucks. While this strategy worked brilliantly in years gone by, many teams have come unstuck this year with it, including me.

Robert Warnock must surely be the most talked about 21 game player in AFL history. We all know that Carlton tried to move heaven and earth to ensure Warnock wore a navy blue jumper in 2009. The problem is, it’s Round 20 and Warnock still hasn’t played a game for the Blues. In this article, I’m going to tell you a little more about Warnock and try to explain exactly why Carlton were so keen to get him and why you should too.

Robert Warnock was drafted from the Sandringham Dragons by Fremantle with pick 42 in the 2005 National Draft. Warnock spent the entire 2006 season learning his craft at WAFL club West Perth. After 12 AFL matches for Fremantle in 2007 and 9 in 2008, Warnock wanted to return home. Warnock was particularly impressive in 2008 as he showed the footy world what he is capable of.

Carlton came knocking, got the trade done and allegedly signed Warnock on a 4 year, $1.6million contract. Now, let’s face it, nobody knows the capabilities of an AFL footballer better than an AFL club. No club, not even Carlton would offer an unproven player $400,000 per year, unless they were VERY confident that the boy could seriously play. It’s worth noting here that Fremantle also threw the chequebook at Warnock last year, but he rejected their offer.

We’re now approaching Round 20 and Warnock is yet to make his debut for Carlton. Warnock has played the last 3 games for the Northern Bullants in the VFL, but it appears unlikely Brett Ratten will bring him into the Carlton side on the even of the finals, after missing nearly 10 months with a foot / ankle injury. This is ideal from a dreamteam perspective, because it appears likely that we’ll be able to pick up Warnock next year for an absolute steal!

Warnock made the most of his time on the sidelines, adding 10kgs to his developing body. He is now listed as a 22 year old, 206cm, 106kg ruckman. I’m sure all the Carlton fans out there would love to see Matthew Kreuzer and Robert Warnock teaming up in the ruck for Round 1, 2010. With Warnock preparing to enter his 5^th AFL season in 2010, his star is about to shine.

Good luck Robert!

Please feel free to post a comment, we welcome all feedback.

Please also advise if you’ll be considering Robert Warnock for your dreamteam in 2010.

NEW TO FOOTY TRAGIC

The “Submit Your Team” section is now broken up into two parts:

• PART 1 – The “Submit Your Team” section as per normal;
• PART 2 -The NEW section where I unearth a hidden gem who I expect to make an impact in 2010. These players are under priced because they have been in the AFL system for 3 years or less (this week I have extended it to 5 years) and are still trying to establish themselves as AFL footballers. I’m looking for the next Andy Otten, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitchell Brown or Taylor Walker.

PART 1:

Let’s get ready to rumble!!! The finals are upon us and it’s time to sort the men from the boys. Hours upon hours of research, studying the pre season form, monitoring club injury lists and identifying talented young rookies has hopefully got you into the top 8 of your private leagues. It’s now time to use those trades you have been saving up, to crush your mates in Week 1 of the finals.

View AH YEP’s Team
Round 18 Score: 2,142
Current Overall Ranking: 489
Trades Left: 4
Remaining Salary Cap: $12,200

Dear Ah Yep,

Thank you for submitting your team.

I have identified three problem areas that need attention:

PROBLEM 1 – Your 7^th defender – Nick Suban has done a great job averaging 52 points per game this year, but you can’t carry any passengers during the finals. On the other hand, Peter Burgoyne has been pathetic this season and has not played since Port Adelaide’s Round 15 loss to Melbourne. I don’t see Burgoyne returning this week either after the Power’s impressive win against Hawthorn last week.

PROBLEM 2 – Your 6^th midfielder – Paul Hasleby has been solid in 2009 with an average of 85 points per game, but he seems to be running on fumes at the moment, with an average of just 73 points over the last 4 weeks.

PROBLEM 3 – Your 8^th forward – Hayden Ballantyne is a great 8^th forward, but why didn’t he just cop the 1 week penalty from the match review panel? He challenged the ruling, was found guilty at the tribunal and is now out for 2 weeks, so frustrating!

I can’t rectify all three of these problems this week, so I’ve focused on the area where I think you can pick up the most points this week, problem 2, the midfield. I’m hoping to get you an additional 50 – 60 points this week, as well as freeing up some more cash for your last two trades.

Dane Swan has been in magnificent form this season and is my tip for the 2009 Brownlow Medal. Swan has played all 18 games this season and has averaged an amazing 123 points per game. Every time I watch Collingwood play, I ask myself the same question: Who is on Dane Swan? The answer is usually nobody. The reason why is because Swan is the hardest running midfielder in the AFL. Swan will gut run for 7 minutes flat out, running from the back pocket to the forward pocket and back again, before sprinting to the bench for a 2 minute spell. When the 2 minutes is up, Swan sprints back onto the field and does the same thing again.

Another important aspect to Swan’s game is his pace. Swan has an ungainly running style, to go with an awkward kick. However, do not be fooled as Swan is one of the five quickest players over 20 metres at Collingwood. One last point on Swan, he’s been clearly the number 1 Dreamteam player at the moment and you need to get him into your side immediately.

Keep Liam Anthony as your midfield emergency.

      PROPOSED ACTION THIS WEEK (WEEK 1 OF FINALS):

      OUT: Peter Burgoyne ($283,000) and Paul Hasleby ($325,800);

      IN: Callum Wilson ($75,300) and Dane Swan ($499,400).

I’ve chosen Callum Wilson simply because he is cheap and likely to play the remaining 4 games for West Coast in 2009. With a score of 55 points in his first game, he is more than adequate as a 9^th defender.

PROPOSED ACTION NEXT WEEK (WEEK 2 OF FINALS): 

I’m assuming you are gunning for private league glory (you are too far behind the leaders to win the car). If you win your final this week and earn one weeks break (if you finished between 1^st and 4^th), do not trade next week. 

PROPOSED ACTION THE FOLLOWING WEEK (WEEK 3 OF FINALS): 

Upgrade Nick Suban to the best defender you can afford, using surplus cash freed up from my recommendation above, this will rectify problem 1. 

Hayden Ballantyne will have served his 2 week suspension by now and should return, thus rectifying problem 3. 

Finally, hold your final trade for Round 22, in case of injury. 

Good luck! 
 
 

PART 2 (NEW):

Hidden gem Week 3: Max Bailey – Hawthorn – Ruck – $86,600

This week I set myself a challenge to select a potential 3^rd or 4^th ruck option. My first two hidden gems have been a forward (Tom Lynch) and a midfielder (Luke Shuey). I could have easily written about yet another $86,000 midfielder who could step up in 2010, but as we all know, midfielders are a dime a dozen in Dreamteam.

Max Bailey was drafted by the Hawks with pick 18 in the 2005 National Draft. Bailey was recruited from West Perth and is now listed as a 206cm, 107kg ruckman. While 2010 will be Bailey’s 5^th season at AFL level, given the amount of time he has spent out injured and the fact that ruckman take longer to develop, I still see Bailey as a young talent on the rise.

Bailey made his AFL debut in his first season, playing 4 games towards the end of 2006. Hawthorn were delighted with Bailey’s progress in his first 12 months at the club and started grooming him for the number 1 ruck position. Unfortunately, Bailey has not played an AFL match since, due to rupturing his right ACL twice. The first happened in the 2007 pre season, the second during a match for Box Hill reserves in June 2008.

It gives me great pleasure to say that Bailey has played 4 of the last 5 games for Box Hill seniors. The fact that Bailey is back out on the park again playing footy is great news for both the man himself and the Hawthorn Football club.

While I’ll openly admit that Bailey is the most speculative of my three hidden gems thus far, consider the following in relation to Hawthorn’s current ruck options:

• Robert Campbell is an honest toiler, but at 199cms he is undersized against the likes of Aaron Sandilands and Dean Cox. He also struggles to keep up with the new breed of ruckman like Matt Kruezer, Mitch Clark and Patrick Ryder;
• Simon Taylor is a clumsy, bungling dinosaur. I’d like to see a ruck combination of Brent Renouf and Max Bailey for Hawthorn in 2010. Renouf has impressed me in his short AFL career and he is well worth persisting with. Just look at how much Clark and Ryder have improved this year, after being given opportunities due to injuries to more noted ruckmen in their respective sides.

With many dreamteams burnt in 2009 with injuries to dreamteam favourites in Dean Cox, David Hille and Josh Fraser, the need to have solid 3^rd and 4^th ruck options in 2010 is crucial.

While Bailey is an obvious risk given his knee injuries, make no mistake of the fact that he has all the attributes needed to become a successful AFL player. If he can put together a full pre season and show some good form in the practice matches, he could be a very nice fit for your dreamteam in 2010. Good luck Max!

Please feel free to post a comment, we welcome all feedback.

Please also advise if you’ll be considering Max Bailey for your dreamteam in 2010.

PART 1:

View Fiora’s Hardnuts’ Team
Round 17 Score: 2,324
Current Overall Ranking: 117
Trades Left: 1
Remaining Salary Cap: $12,400

Dear Fiora’s Hardnuts,

Thank you for submitting your team.

This week, I’m analysing our Dreamteam expert Toby’s team. Toby is absolutely flying at the moment and he is currently sitting in 117^th place overall, 993 points behind the leader.

It’s fair to say that behind the scenes here at footytragic.com, there is a healthy competition going on between Toby, Dan and myself. While I had the boys covered in 2008, finishing 19^th overall, Toby has given Dan and I, a massive touch up this season (check our “Live Scores” tab for all our current rankings).

My article this week will take an in depth analysis at what Toby has done in 2009, which has taken him to 117^th overall.

HITS:

• Sam Gilbert – came in for Andrew Raines prior to Round 2 – I must give Toby full credit here, because he was talking up Sam Gilbert in the lead up to Round 1. While Gilbert was impressive in the pre – season, I was far from sold on him. Gilbert had shown some natural talent in his 39 games prior to this season, but at a price of $221,900 and an average of 50 points per game in 2008, he didn’t appeal to me. As a 194cm, 84 kg defender, I couldn’t see Gilbert averaging more than 70 points per game. What’s more, I wasn’t 100% convinced about his job security in a strong St. Kilda team.

Sam Gilbert has now played 16 of a possible 17 games in 2009, with an average of 92 points per game. It’s time to concede that Toby was right and I was wrong. Having said that, I’m now wondering why Toby waited until Round 2 to get Gilbert in!

• Greg Broughton – came in for Nick Suban prior to Round 10 – While Broughton is not exactly unique (he is in 51,807 teams), getting him into your team prior to Round 10 was timing at its best. Round 10 was Broughton’s 3^rd game and he scored 105 points. Broughton has not missed a game since and he is averaging 89 points from his 10 matches this year.

• Dane Swan – came in for Mark Coughlan prior to Round 10 – Once again, not unique but perfect timing. Swan averaged 114 points per game in the first 9 rounds, and has averaged 134 points per game since you bought him in prior to Round 10.

• Lenny Hayes – came in for Luke Ball prior to Round 16 – This was a gutsy move given your trade situation. To make this move with your 2^nd last trade took courage and it looks like it will pay handsome dividends. Hayes has scored 134 and 99 in the 2 weeks since you bought him in, while Luke Ball looks no closer to a return to AFL action.

MISSES:

• Andrew Raines – picked up prior to Round 1 – Plenty of teams fell for this trap this year. Raines has managed just 3 games in 2009, at an average of 50 points per game. Due to a combination of injuries and poor form, Raines has been a massive let down in 2009.

• Sam Butler – picked up prior to Round 1 – Once again, plenty of teams fell for this trap. Butler has averaged just 54 points per game in his 11 matches this year. While you did cut your losses early by dumping Butler for Daniel Rich prior to Round 2, this trade could have been avoided had you picked up Rich from the start.

As for your final trade, best to hold until one of your premiums picks up a season ending injury.

In conclusion, while Toby’s team has been excellent this year (and much better than mine), I’m sure he would love an extra 2 trades in his kitty (refer to the misses above). While hindsight is a wonderful thing, these 2 trades could be the difference between a top 100 finish, as opposed to a top 10 finish.

Good luck!

PART 2 (NEW):

Hidden gem Week 2: Luke Shuey – West Coast – Midfield – $86,600

Luke Shuey was drafted by the Eagles with pick 18 in the 2008 National Draft. Shuey was recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers as a 184cm, 86kg inside midfielder.

Shuey is noted for his bash and crash style of play, much like a Nathan Jones or Luke Ball. In addition, Shuey is also highly regarded for his ball winning ability. In the 2008 Under 18 National Championships, Shuey averaged 18 disposals, 3 marks and 3 tackles in his 4 games. To cap off his carnival, Shuey was named Vic Metro’s Best and Fairest player.

Another thing I like about Shuey is his endurance. Shuey ran a 14.4 beep test (4^th overall), at the 2008 Draft Camp. What’s more, Shuey ran the 20 metre sprint in 2.92 seconds (9^th overall).

To sum up, Shuey has: good pace, endurance, courage, skills, size and ball winning ability. All the attributes needed to be a successful AFL player.

While Shuey’s 2009 season has been decimated by injury (groin and leg), he will be fit and ready for the start of the Eagles 2010 pre – season campaign. At a bargain price and with two pre – seasons under his belt, Shuey could be a great buy for 2010!

Please feel free to post a comment, we welcome all feedback.

Please also advise if you’ll be considering Luke Shuey in your dreamteam in 2010.

Thanks and good luck!

View Alligator Pav’s Team
Round 16 Score: 2,007
Current Overall Ranking: 12,900
Trades Left: 3
Remaining Salary Cap: $160,600

NEW TO FOOTY TRAGIC

Dear Footy Tragics,

From now until season’s end, the “Submit Your Team” section will be broken up into two parts:

• PART 1 – The “Submit Your Team” section as per normal;

• PART 2 -The NEW section where I unearth a hidden gem who I expect to make an impact in 2010. These players are under priced because they have been in the AFL system for 3 years or less & are still trying to establish themselves as AFL footballers. I’m looking for the next Andy Otten, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitchell Brown or Taylor Walker.

PART 1:

Dear Alligator Pav,

Thank you for submitting your team.

I’m reluctant to recommend any trades this week, because it is in your best interest to retain these for the finals. Additionally, with the possible return of Josh Fraser this week, you should have a solid team of 22 players this week. Having said that, I’m going to focus more on your team structure & advise you where to use your remaining 3 trades:

• TRADES 1 & 2 – Assuming no injuries, I would hold off on any more trades until Round 19 (Week 1 of finals) & then do a 2 for 1 trade. Your 7^th defender Nathan Grima has done well to average 66 points per game, but you need to upgrade him to a premium defender (e.g. Brendon Goddard or Paul Duffield) to bolster your defence. You could consider offloading Stephen Hill or Ryan Houlihan instead of Grima, depending on what is the most appropriate option at the time.

To free up sufficient cash to make this trade, I would recommend offloading either Liam Anthony or Daniel Rich (you’ll need to make that call prior to Round 19). I’d keep one of these two as your 6^th midfielder & sell the other for a cheap playing midfielder who could be used as an emergency in the finals. It’s worth noting here that Beau Muston was named in the best players for Box Hill last weekend, so he could still return to AFL action in 2009. 

• TRADE 3 -Hold this trade until either Round 21 or Round 22 to cover for an injury. By following my recommendation above, you should have approximately $150,000 – $200,000 in the bank to make your final trade. This means that you’ll be able to select an absolute gun with your final trade, to replace an injured premium.

If you do not pick up any injuries to your premiums between now & Round 22, insert either Dane Swan or Nick Riewoldt to finish off your team in style.

Good luck! 

PART 2 (NEW):

Hidden gem Week 1: Tom Lynch -  St. Kilda - Forward – $102,600

Tom Lynch was drafted by the Saints with pick 13 in the 2008 National Draft. Lynch was recruited from the Sandringham Dragons as a 192cm, 85kg forward, in the mould of Ryan O’Keefe from Sydney.

While Lynch has played the majority of his under age footy as a fast & hard leading forward, he has the endurance to play midfield (he was 9^th overall in the beep test at the 2008 draft camp) & the versatility to play defence.

Lynch was co - captain of the Vic Metro Under 18 team in the 2008 Under 18 National Championships, where he averaged 13.5 disposals, 5 marks & 1.5 goals per game.

Lynch has been super impressive for Sandringham in the VFL this season, having been named in their best players numerous times, as well as being a regular goal kicker. In Lynch’s most recent game 2 weeks ago, he kicked 4 goals in a losing side against Collingwood (Sandringham had the bye last weekend).

One thing I like about Lynch is that he can be selected in your dreamteam as a “forward”. As we all know, there is always an abundance of cheap midfield options to select, but it can be tricky selecting a quality under priced forward.

In summing up, despite Lynch’s very impressive form at VFL level this season, he is unlikely to make his AFL debut in 2009 because St. Kilda is flying. While this is not great news for Lynch, it is great news for dreamteamers, because we will be able to pick him up for a bargain price in 2010. What’s more, by then he’ll have two pre – seasons under his belt.

Please feel free to post a comment to let me know your thoughts on the new section. Please also advise if you’ll be considering Tom Lynch in your dreamteam in 2010.

Thanks & good luck!

View Macca’s Maurauders’ Team
Round 15 Score: 2,049
Current Overall Ranking: 269
Trades Left: 0
Remaining Salary Cap: $13,000

Dear Maccas Maurauders,

Thank you for submitting your team.

At first glance, your team looks great with 22 players scoring for you in Round 15 & 3 non - scoring players in reserve. What’s more, you have both Gary Ablett & Matthew Pavlich to return in Round 16. However, you have gone out too hard, too early & you have already run out of trades with 7 rounds remaining.

Ideally, we should all be aiming to keep 1 trade up our sleeve for each round remaining. While this sounds great in theory, it is very easy to get caught up in the early season hype & waste valuable trades.

The temptation to trade early can be uncontrollable when we see other teams scoring 2000 plus in Rounds 1 - 10, while we battle on manfully with our scores around the 1800 mark. The key here is to stick to your long – term strategy & ignore your overall ranking. We must focus on making our own dreamteam the best it can be, rather than worrying about falling “too far back to catch the leaders”.

I’ve seen hundreds of dreamteams submitted for analysis this season & I can tell you that early season bolters don’t finish in the top 10 overall. The most successful teams stick to a long term strategy, hold their nerve by conserving valuable trades & then come home like a steam train.

In 2008, my dreamteam was ranked 26,546 after 5 rounds. I decided very early in the season that I would save my trades & focus on the eliminator (which started in Round 6). History shows that my team finished 19^th overall last year, a massive turnaround from Round 5. What I found was that the longer the season went, the more I jumped up the rankings. My team kept improving, while the early bolters dropped away at a rate of knots. Teams that were scoring 2100 early in the season were scoring 1700 in Rounds 20 – 21, while I was scoring between 2100 – 2200 & gaining 400 – 500 points per week. The message here is to be patient.

Back to Maccas Maurauders. With no trades left & Dean Cox in your side, I’m afraid you have no choice but to live in hope that he returns sooner rather than later. For all the other teams with Dean Cox in your side & trades available, here are my thoughts on the most likely replacements:

• Aaron Sandilands – Fremantle – $415,200 – I’m a massive fan of Sandilands (he’s been my 2^nd ruck all year), but I’m concerned about his hamstring injury. If he is 100% fit then he is your man, but Fremantle will take a no risk policy with Sandi because they are no chance of playing finals.

• Hamish McIntosh -  North Melbourne $360,300 - McIntosh is averaging 95 points per game, but I’d be very wary. McIntosh damaged his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) last season & played only 14 games. The PCL is also known as the “ruckman’s curse” because it is very common amongst ruckman. With North Melbourne no chance of playing finals, any little niggling injury would see McIntosh put out to pasture in preparation for 2010.

• Josh Fraser - Collingwood – $341,400 - Stay away. He has an ongoing PCL injury concern which may see him miss 1 or 2 of the remaining home & away matches.

• Darren Jolly - Sydney – $348,800 - Jolly has averaged 92 over the past 5 weeks & he is a viable option. He carries a massive workload at the Swans which often translates into high dreamteam scores.

• Drew Petrie - North Melbourne – $343,600 - Petrie has averaged 87 points per game over the season, but I prefer others. Personally, I think he is highly over rated as an AFL player.

• Mitch Clark - Brisbane – $358,500 - The young man from East Fremantle has carried the Brisbane ruck stocks admirably in the absence of Jamie Charman & Matt Leuenberger due to injuries. Clark has always been very highly rated by the Lions, since they took him at pick 9 in the 2005 National Draft. The extra responsibility given to Clark this season resulted in a new star being born. With Clark playing a major role in Brisbane’s push for a top 4 spot & an average of 99 points per game over the last 8 weeks, Clark for me is an automatic selection.

• Kurt Tippett - Adelaide – $327,200 - Tippett has had a breakout year in 2009 & has averaged 100 points per game over the past 5 weeks. The young man from Southport in Queensland is very much on the Gold Coast radar & I suspect he’ll also be on the radar of thousands of dreamteams this week! A word of caution though, he can be inconsistent.

Good luck!

View Burgerboys’ Team
Round 14 Score: 1,796
Current Overall Ranking: 6,707
Trades Left: 6
Remaining Salary Cap: $119,600

Dear Burgersboys,

Thank you for submitting your team.

Overall, you have selected a solid squad of 30 players; however, it appears you have been decimated by injuries over the last 2 – 3 weeks like many others. For this reason I’ll be focusing on injuries & how to deal with them during this article because it doesn’t matter how good your team is, injuries can stop a train.

One of my dreamteam golden rules is to never select a player over the age of 30. While any player can potentially get injured regardless of age, statistics prove that players in the twilight of their career miss more games through injury than players in their early 20′s. The proof has been in the pudding in 2009 with plus 30 year olds such as Brent Harvey (31), Matthew Richardson (34), Nathan Brown (31), Troy Simmonds (30), Anthony Rocca (31) & Max Hudghton (32) all missing a large chunk of the season due to injury.

I’m seriously considering amending my policy to not select any player over the age of 27 in 2010, given injuries this year to Matthew Pavlich (27), Dean Cox (27), Chad Cornes (29), Brad Ottens (29) & David Hille (28). The common thread with these five players is that all five are very popular dreamteam players.

Many of us spend hundreds of hours pouring over pre - season form; reading articles about which players are burning on the track in February & determining which players we think are under priced. Unfortunately, our best laid plans can often by way laid due to injuries to key players.

However, rather than blame injuries for our poor performances, we must develop strategies to reduce their impact on our teams. In addition to my rule in relation to plus 30 year old players being out, I believe that picking your 30^th player is just as important as picking your 1^st player. It’s so important to have depth in your squad, particularly when one of your premiums picks up a 1 – 3 week injury.

I’m forever hearing excuses about injuries to key players “killing my team”, but what do you expect when you pick up an injury prone player such as Josh Drummond, Paul Chapman or Matthew Richardson? Don’t tell me how good your team is when Chapman scores 151 & then blame injures for your poor form when he misses the next 2 weeks with a hamstring strain. Now when I hear dreamteamers out there bleating about injuries, I ask them:

Where the depth is in your squad?

Why didn’t you pick up Hayden Ballantyne, Brad Dick, Beau Dowler or Liam Jurrah to cover your injuries to premium forwards?

Why didn’t you pick up Greg Broughton, Jack Grimes or Nathan Grima to cover your injuries to premium backs?

Why didn’t you pick up Daniel Rich or Liam Anthony to cover your injuries to premium midfielders?

Why didn’t you pick up Shane Mumford, Tyrone Vickery or Nick Naitanui to cover Dean Cox?

My point is injuries are a part of the game which AFL clubs must deal with. They are also a massive part of dreamteam, so we should be prepared when they hit our big guns.

PROPOSED ACTION THIS WEEK – No trades, save them for the finals.

Good luck!

View Tamuharaplapor’s Team
Round 13 Score: 1,962
Current Overall Ranking: 3,493
Trades Left: 4
Remaining Salary Cap: $108,600

Dear Tamuharaplapor,

Thank you for submitting your team.

With 9 rounds remaining and still 5 more weeks until the all important finals, now is a very good time to hold fire with your valuable trades. Ask yourself if you are aiming for a private league win or overall ranking glory. If you are not within the top 2,000 teams overall at this point in time, it’s fair to say that you should definitely be aiming to win your private league. This article is directed towards those aiming for private league glory.

To give yourself a realistic chance of winning your private league, you really need to finish in the top 4. If you finish between 5 – 8, there is simply no margin for error as every final is knock out for the loser. If you are comfortably sitting within the top 4 right now, with a gap to 5^th, you definitely should be saving your trades for later in the season.

Finishing 4^th is exactly the same as finishing 1^st, because there is no home ground advantage in dreamteam. The 4^th placed team doesn’t have to travel to Perth, Adelaide or Brisbane in Week 1 of the finals. All you need to do is win in Week 1 and you move straight into Week 3. The added bonus here is that you get a week’s break in Week 2; therefore you won’t need to trade in that week. Therefore, my recommendation is to have your team cherry ripe for Week 1 of the finals (Round 19).

Team Tamuharaplapor, as you have only 4 trades remaining, I highly recommend you think very carefully before making any more trades. You’ll most likely need these remaining trades to cover for injuries. You’ll need to use 1 of your 4 trades to take out Jack Ziebell because he won’t play again this year due to his broken leg. Consider either Liam Jurrah from Melbourne ($126,600) or Hayden Ballantyne from Fremantle ($86,600) to replace Ziebell. Jurrah looks a real find for the Demons. I love the way he is so clean with his hands, regardless of the pressure he is under. Jurrah is definitely a “one – touch player”. He also brings a real excitement factor to Melbourne games, which was certainly not the case before Jurrah and Watts came into the team. I’ve spoken a lot about Ballantyne this season and it was great to see him finally debut in Round 13 against Collingwood!

On another matter, I don’t understand why Jurrah is priced at $126,600, given he was taken a pick 1 in the 2009 pre – season draft. I can understand first round draftees from the National Draft being priced at a premium, but not the pre – season draft. I get extremely frustrated with such anomalies in the dreamteam pricing system, because it undermines the entire competition. I encourage readers to write into dreamteam about this, because it is a clear flaw in the system. I also think that the prizes are mediocre at best given that we have over 280,000 competitors, but that’s a story for another day.

NOTE 1: Keep an eye out for Matthew Broadbent of Port Adelaide who is an outside chance to debut this week. Broadbent is 189cms and 84kgs, and has been playing SANFL seniors for the last 2 years. Broadbent is a very likely dreamteam prospect and can be picked up as a defender for only $86,600.

NOTE 2: If you are not doing anything today, I strongly encourage you to get down to the Docklands stadium to witness the conclusion of the Under 18 National Championships. There are 4 games on, starting from 9:30am and entry is FREE! These games will also be telecast on Fox Sports 1. What better way to get a head start on your dreamteam competitors, by conducting some research for 2010! The vast majority of draftees compete at the Under 18 National Championships and all teams will be in action tomorrow.

Good luck!

View Cash Cows’ Team
Round 12 Score: 2,025
Current Overall Ranking: 15,493
Trades Left: 5
Remaining Salary Cap: $56,100

Dear Cash Cows,

Thank you for submitting your team.

This week is difficult because you only have 5 trades up your sleeve, with 10 rounds remaining. As a result, each trade you have remaining is absolutely crucial. I’ve got no doubt that many other teams are in exactly the same boat, so you should also read below very carefully.

We can rule out any more 2 for 1 trades, because this will leave you with no room to move. My recommendation is to free up some much needed cash, by offloading a premium for a cash cow. This will allow you to trade sideways or up slightly if (or should I say when), you pick up an injury.

The man to make way is Chad Cornes. According to the latest injury list, Chadwick is likely to miss another 4 weeks with his knee injury. You simply cannot afford to carry Cornes for this long, particularly at a price of $347,400. What’s more, given the long term importance of Cornes to Port Adelaide, I can’t see any risks being taken with him, especially with Port Adelaide unlikely to make the finals in 2009 (sorry Port Adelaide fans).

My recommendation to replace Cornes is Clancee Pearce of Fremantle. Pearce has already played 2 games for the Dockers, with respectable scores of 68 (Round 11) & 43 (Round 12). What I like about Pearce is that he has a very solid body for an 18 year old (184cms, 93kgs). While Pearce was originally on Fremantle’s rookie list at the beginning of 2009, he did perform very well at the 2008 AFL under 18 championships, winning All Australian honours.

PROPSED ACTION

OUT: Chad Cornes – $347,400;

IN: Clancee Pearce – $75,300.

This trade will free up $272,100, which will leave you with $328,200 to complete your remaining 4 trades. With this much cash in your bank, you won’t need to do any more 2 for 1 trades.

Also, you’ll be delighted to hear that Liam Anthony looks set to debut against the Western Bulldogs this Sunday. Owners of Anthony (myself included), have been waiting very patiently for this moment to arrive. Let’s hope the young man from East Fremantle can repay our extreme faith!

Good luck!