NEW TO FOOTY TRAGIC

Dear Footy Tragics,
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.  
    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:

    AFLPICTS

  • 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 2nd week in a row I’ve gone for a 3rd or 4th 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.

Warnock 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 3rd and 4th 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 5th 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.