Footy Tragic

Collingwood vs Essendon:

Looking Good:

• Travis Cloke: Cloke was dominant up forward, accurately slotting through five of his first six attempts at goal – unfortunately he then missed with his next four attempts. Regardless, he totally dominated Hooker and looked in some really good form, especially with the quality delivery coming to him.
• Jarryd Blair: Blair was a real livewire for the Pies, and I thought his form was one of the biggest positives from a night that really just looked like a routine pumping. He worked really confidently around packs and tackles hard – he will be very hard to nudge out of the team come September if he keeps this form up.
• Scott Pendlebury: Pendlebury notched up another classy game, finishing with 32 disposals and 10 marks. He is thriving without so much attention from taggers now that Didak and Swan are becoming bigger targets. His year has gone somewhat unheralded, but those who have owned him from the start have been well rewarded in 2010.

Disappointing:

• Ricky Dyson: Continually ran in to trouble and turned over plenty of ball. The Pies pressure made him look terrible.
• Paul Medhurst: Malthouse said it himself, Medhurst looked too much like a VFL player than an AFL one, meaning his spot in the team looks gone. He didn’t play with enough intensity and unfortunately for him there are better players knocking on the door to get into the side.
• Kyle Hardingham: Hardingham was allowed no room to leap by Presti, quelling him to just five disposals with no score. He could be a good 2011 option though.

Blip on the Radar:

• None: For only the second time this year, I found it virtually impossible to debate the scores of anyone from this game.

Carlton vs Richmond:

Looking Good:

• Chris Judd: Juddy is proving that his form from earlier in the year is definitely back with another BOG display. He is clearly being helped by the Blues new ‘tough-football’ mantra, which means that he won’t be the only player putting his head over the ball. He now can be fed the ball on the run and there are few footy followers who aren’t familiar with how unstoppable Judd is on the burst!
• Daniel Connors: Connors is one of the biggest improvers in the AFL this season, again leading Richmond is disposals coming off the backline. He plays with much more determination and drive than he has shown in his cameo appearances the last few years and now looks a player who will continue to deliver.
• Lachie Henderson: Deserves a mention for his best game of the year – Lachie booted three goals and set up plenty more, playing a true CHF role. The Blues certainly have a talent on their hands and he looks capable of developing over the next few years.

Disappointing:

• Bryce Gibbs: Once again Gibbs was stuck in the backline for some bizarre reason – clearly he has a good kick on him, but surely he would be better utilised playing through the middle! Especially considering his role in the backline takes away from other players such as Russell and Bower. Hopefully we can see him in the midfield next week against the Cats.
• Jack Riewoldt: Riewoldt was very well played by Jamison and only managed the two goals for the game. He looks to be slowing down after a long season, but will hopefully be back up and firing at round one next year.
• Chris Newman: Newman was held pretty tight by Robinson who gave him very little room to move all night. Fortunately though for Newman’s owners, Richmond will play St.Kilda next week, a team who love allowing a spare man in defence as it allows Goddard to be free. So don’t write him off just yet.

Blip on the Radar:

• Andrew Carrazzo: Carrazzo once again played a tagging role (on Deledio) and again proved that his DT scoring is totally shot thanks to this role. Some late junk stats helped belie his score, so don’t be holding hope for a resurgance.

Sydney vs Fremantle:

Looking Good:

• Daniel Hannebery: The 2010 Rising Star winner (Surely!) had another fantastic game, raking in a career-high 38 touches. He is becoming a master of the handball-receive and has the work-rate of a star. This kid will be great and it won’t take him too long to get there! Thank goodness Sydney finally decided to start playing their kids this season!
• Shane Mumford: Despite stating post-match that he was disappointed when Sandilands withdrew for the game, Mummy still looked like he enjoyed himself, beating up on Bradley and Clarke, Freo’s two fill-ins for big 211. He finished with 22 possessions and 30 hitouts.
• Greg Broughton: Was again one of Freo’s best, roaming between the midfield and the backline. There is no doubting this kid’s ball-winning abilities as he finished with a team high 24 disposals – he also chimed in for a goal.

Disappointing:

• Adam Goodes: It was not hugely surprising that Goodes struggled against Freo with so many bigger-boddied players whom they could play on him (Pavlich, McPhee and McPharlin – all very good opponents who would match well on Goodes). He ended the game with just 15 disposals – his lowest output in over a month!
• Stephen Hill: In a funny set of circumstances, not only was Hill tagged right out of the game by Shaw, but he ended up tagging Shaw by the end of the game as he was having the much greater effect on the game of the two. He needs a big pre-season to build his tank, and if he does he is certainly worth considering for 2011.

Blip on the Radar:

• Dylan Roberton: I like this kid, but he is being used predominantly as a dour defender – his point scoring is often coming from switching of play and hence plenty of uncontested ball. He should become a 2011 regular, but I wouldn’t pencil him in as a DT improver.

Western Bulldogs vs Geelong:

Looking Good:

• Gary Ablett Jnr: Ablett finally looked like he was playing free of burden – whilst is seems like a big and somewhat bizarre call, his return to being a straight midfielder certainly seems to be causing him to hit form. On many occasions this year it has become apparent he is not happy with some of the alternate roles given to him, but in this game he looked back to his best, streaming out of clearances, running to fifty and bombing goals. He looks to once again be captain material.
• Joel Selwood: As the Cats built momentum, so does Selwood, dominating possession through the middle with Ablett and regularly delivering the ball inside fifty with precision. 35 touches, 8 marks and 2 goals was a great night for him.
• Daniel Giansiracusa: Gia continued his midfield role and it is really where he should stay as he was once again one of the Doggies few good players. He works very hard to present around the wings and puts his head over the ball when needed. He is finally repaying all the coaches who had to hang tough over a dry month or so in the latter half of the year.

Disappointing:

• Brian Lake: Lake looked totally off the boil, losing contests to Pods and rarely looking confident enough to run off. He tried going forward late but still couldn’t muster much effect onto the contest.
• Shaun Higgins: Higgins was hardly sighted for much of the night and was rarely seen winning his own ball. He is too frequently waiting outside packs to receive the ball and against a side like Geelong, the ball is out and in their forward line before you have a chance of touching it.
• Tom Hawkins: The Cats are clearly trying to play Hawkins into form in the ruck and look settled with Mooney and Pods as their two main forwards. My guess is that they will give him another week or two and if the form doesn’t arrive, he will be out and Blake will be in. Unfortunately, this game did nothing for his chances of being in the side come finals.

Blip on the Radar:

• Dale Morris: Morris would be one of only a few Dogs who could have walked off Etihad Stadium with their head held high – he played on first gamer Menzel and it allowed him to regularly zone off, in effect playing Lake’s normal role. Unfortunately, Morris isn’t the second coming of Lake, he was simply in the right place to cover him through one very poor night at the office.

Port Adelaide vs West Coast:

Looking Good:

• Domenic Cassisi: The tackle machine racked up a stunning 14 tackles this game – 56 DT points worth! To add to that, Cassisi managed 29 disposals in a fantastic display. He is so good to watch and epitomises tough footy.
• Travis Boak: This kid is a gun – not only does he know how to win the footy (he got it 29 times), but he is very smart, knowing where to run and where to pass off. He also loves the one-two, which we certainly love in DT!
• Dean Cox: Cox didn’t star but did have a solid game in his 200^th. With Naitanui slowing down as the season concludes, Cox is able to resume more of the role he has played for most of his career. I feel this could be Cox’s last season of DT relevance though unfortunately.

Disappointing:

• Danny Meyer: I’m really not a fan of Meyer – he rarely does anything exciting, has no skills that particularly stand out, nor is he a great tackler or very good at getting the hard ball…
• Brad Sheppard: Hurt his shoulder early and hardly got into the game from there. He never particularly came along as expected in 2010 so could be a good option for 2011 if he is fairly priced.
• Quinten Lynch: The big Q-stick was held quiet by Trengove. He has been horribly out of sorts this year and if the rumours are true we will only see him in the WCE Guernsey two more times…

Blip on the Radar:

• Matt Thomas: I was really happy to see Matty given more freedom in this game – without the restraints of an opponent he was able to rampage through the middle, winning plenty of ball and tackling anyone in his way. It could be a real sign of things to come from a player typically given tagging roles in his few seasons at the club. I wouldn’t be jumping on now in fear it is a one-off, but certainly keep one eye on his pre-season next year.

Brisbane vs Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Richard Douglas After hitting a bit of a dry spell over the last month or so, Douglas bounced back with great timing for his owners with a 31 disposal, two goal game. The early injury to Vince certainly helped him as he moved back into the middle after starting in the forward line. Hopefully he can complete the season in similar fashion.
• Kurt Tippett: Finally, Tippett kicked a winning score with five goals for the game. Giving further credit to him, he was competing against Daniel Merrett – a player certainly capable of holding his own one-one-one. Don’t be getting excited for the last two games (he has Collingwood and St.Kilda left), but maybe 2011 could be the year 2010 was meant to be.
• Mitch Clark: Clark filled the big hole up forward vacated by the injured Brown and Fevola and he performed very well, booting five goals. With Charman returning (I’ve heard that before) next year, perhaps we will see more of Clark up forward in the future – the position he was initially drafted to play.

Disappointing:

• Chris Knights: After talking him up as a risk, but one with a huge upside, that risk clearly proved too heavy to burden when he pulled his hamstring only minutes into the first quarter. For those looking for positives, this will leave Knights’ 2010 average sitting on 66.8, meaning he will be dirt-cheap come DT 2011.
• Bernie Vince: Another Crow to fall with injury early on, Vince hurt his knee in the second quarter. Scans during the week will determine whether or not we will see him again this year.
• Jed Adcock: Adcock is one of the hardest players to read – he is good at DT, then gets injured, returns and is bad at DT. He plays midfield and is OK, but is better in defence – sometimes. I don’t get it and I’m not even going to attempt to explain it…

Blip on the Radar:

• Jason Porplyzia: This was one of the porpoise’s better games for the year, but I still wouldn’t say he’s is in good touch. He has had such a poor year after a breakout 2009 and his spot in the team is far from locked away. Look at him next year if you like, but he isn’t worth the risk at this stage of proceedings.

Melbourne vs Hawthorn:

Looking Good:

• Shaun Burgoyne: Burgoyne was the driving force for the Hawthorn midfield, but as can unfortunately be the case with Burgoyne, he only required 23 touches to have this dominance – proof that he more a Supercoach player than a Dream Teamer.
• Cameron Bruce: Bruce was scintillating in the last quarter for Melbourne, but it wasn’t enough to get them across the line. He finished with 26 touches and 9 tackles for the game.
• Colin Sylvia: Another great midfield performance from Sylvia – despite copping a tag he was still Melbourne’s most consistent performer across all four quarters, finishing with 25 disposals and 8 tackles.

Disappointing:

• Aaron Davey: Unfortunately injured his leg early – the early signs aren’t good with it being a suspected broken leg, putting him out for the remaining rounds.
• Jarryd Roughead: Roughy kicked two goals but did little else in the Hawks win. Despite many questioning last year whether he would be better than Buddy, I think the answer is pretty clear – the guy is a great full forward, but shouldn’t be expected to do too much more than that.
• Liam Jurrah: After his huge game last week he just couldn’t back it up, kicking just two goals and having only 8 possessions – proof that despite being a prodigious talent, he ain’t no dream teamer.

Blip on the Radar:

• Xavier Ellis: We know how talented he is, but at the same time he is hugely inconsistent. There have been games this year where he has scored nearly 50 points in one quarter, only to finish with 10 more points for the game – he is capable of winning plenty of ball, but we need to see it more consistently before considering him for out dream teams.

North Melbourne vs St.Kilda:

Looking Good:

• Nick Riewoldt: Roo seems to be getting better and better with each week – in this game he was jumping and leaping at full speed for the first time since returning from his injury, suggesting he is now mentally over his injury. He kicked a whopping seven goals and was the difference for plenty of dream teamers between a win and a loss this week.
• Brendon Goddard: Continued his role deep in defence as a quarterback, sweeping up any stray balls that entered the St.Kilda defence. He is so versatile – as soon as the Roos started paying him attention in defence he moved to the wing or on a forward flank. Ended with 37 touches and 8 marks.
• Adam Schneider: Continued his midfield/half-forward role of the past fortnight and again played very well, racking up 20 disposals, 10 marks and 7 tackles. It is not too late to jump on this late season smokey – he is showing no signs of slowing down yet.

Disappointing:

• Ben Warren: He has a poor work-rate and it is no wonder Brad Scott keeps sending him back to the VFL. He is great in the air and when the ball comes to him, but as soon as it leaves his vicinity he goes back to sleep.
• Lindsay Thomas: I feel like he has been in this column every week since his 7-goal performance a couple of months ago… maybe that was just an aberration… maybe he is just rubbish…
• Leigh Montagna: The past couple of weeks have seen Joey given plenty of physical attention from the opposition – they rough him up and double-team him, knowing that will likely slow him down, and unfortunately it does. He looks in need of a rest, so lets just hope that Lyon doesn’t decide this is the week to do it with finals now at win-or-die levels.

Blip on the Radar:

• Sam Wright: I liked this kid’s game – he seems to have really matured this season and we are beginning to see the results of his hard work. Don’t jump the gun this year, but next year could be a really good time to have another look at him.

Expert: Dan
Team: Hank Scorpio EDT
Current Ranking: 2,136
Round 20 Score: 2,248
Trades Remaining: 1
Team Changes This Week:
In: Darren Jolly
Out: Aaron Sandilands

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Current Ranking: 1,516
Round 20 Score: 2,301
Trades Remaining: 1
Team Changes This Week:
In: Darren Jolly
Out: Aaron Sandilands

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Current Ranking: 1,185
Round 20 Score: 2,115
Trades Remaining: 1
Team Changes This Week:
In: Brian Lake, Stewart Crameri
Out: Nick Malceski, Ashton Hams

ESSENDON v COLLINGWOOD

Essendon

B: Henry Slattery, Michael Hurley, Heath Hocking

HB: Kyle Reimers, Cale Hooker, Mark McVeigh

C: Stewart Crameri, Jobe Watson, David Zaharakis

HF: Angus Monfries, Jake Carlisle, Travis Colyer

F: Kyle Hardingham, Jay Neagle, Patrick Ryder

Foll: David Hille, Jake Melksham, Ben Howlett

I/C: Brent Stanton, Ricky Dyson, Sam Lonergan, Courtenay Dempsey

Emg: Leroy Jetta, Brent Prismall, David Myers

In: Dyson, Slattery, Melksham, Carlisle, Crameri

Out: Alwyn Davey (arm), Jason Winderlich (hand), Brent Prismall, Bachar Houli, Dustin Fletcher (hamstring)

New: Jake Carlisle (Calder Canons), Stewart Crameri (Bendigo Bombers)

• As usual, the Bombers have gone to town on their list with usual scapegoats Houli and Prismall dropped.
• Winderlich, Davey and Fletcher are all out with injuries and it is unlikely we will see any of them again this season.
• Melksham returns to boost benches and Carlisle and Crameri will both debut, unfortunately at the wrong end of the season to have any DT relevance. Carlisle is a tall defender and Crameri and medium sized defender.

Collingwood

B: Nick Maxwell, Simon Prestigiacomo, Ben Johnson

HB: Harry O’Brien, Nathan Brown, Heath Shaw

C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Alan Toovey

HF: Alan Didak, Travis Cloke, Tarkyn Lockyer

F: Dayne Beams, Leigh Brown, Steele Sidebottom

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas

I/C: Paul Medhurst, Brent Macaffer, Chris Dawes, Jarryd Blair

Emg: Josh Fraser, Luke Rounds, Simon Buckley

In: Medhurst, Brown, Blair, Lockyer

Out: Leon Davis (quad), Luke Ball (hip), Ben Reid (quad), Tyson Goldsack (ankle)

• Some big outs for Collingwood with Ball and Davis being large DT casualties.
• Medhurst will return, but surely that’s irrelevant now. Blair will be a good inclusion for some teams though.

CARLTON v RICHMOND

Carlton

B: Aaron Joseph, Michael Jamison, Marcus Davies

HB: Jordan Russell, Paul Bower, Dennis Armfield

C: Heath Scotland, Chris Judd, Kade Simpson

HF: Jeff Garlett, Lachie Henderson, Bryce Gibbs

F: Shaun Hampson, Jarrad Waite, Eddie Betts

Foll: Robert Warnock, Andrew Carrazzo, Marc Murphy

I/C: David Ellard, Shaun Grigg, Richard Hadley, Mitch Robinson

Emg: Joe Anderson, Setanta O’hAilpin, Andrew Walker

No change

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, David Gourdis, David Astbury

HB: Brett Deledio, Kelvin Moore, Daniel Connors

C: Mitch Morton, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards

HF: Ben Nason, Jayden Post, Jake King

F: Matt White, Jack Riewoldt, Ben Cousins

Foll: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson

I/C: James O’Reilly, Andrew Browne, Robbie Hicks, Andrew Collins

Emg: Robin Nahas, Alex Rance, Dean Polo

In: Collins, Gourdis, Post, O’Reilly

Out: Luke McGuane (virus), Will Thursfield , Mitch Farmer (knee), Jeromey Webberley

New: Jamie O’Reilly (County Down, Ireland)

• Two big outs for plenty of defence benches with Farmer and Webberley to miss.
• O’Reilly – a Irish import will get his AFL debut. He has been groomed as a defender and is more a project player than anything else, so don’t expect much DT scoring from him in his first outing.

FREMANTLE v SYDNEY SWANS

Fremantle

B: Dylan Roberton, Antoni Grover, Greg Broughton

HB: Stephen Hill, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden

C: Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy, Nat Fyfe

HF: Byron Schammer, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Walters

F: Adam McPhee, Michael Johnson, Matthew de Boer

Foll: Kepler Bradley, Nick Suban, Paul Duffield

I/C: Paul Hasleby, Anthony Morabito, Jessie Crichton, Zac Clarke

Emg: Justin Bollenhagen, Clancee Pearce, Jay van Berlo

In: Clarke, Walters, Schammer

Out: Jay van Berlo, Rhys Palmer, Justin Bollenhagen

• The HUGE news here is that lack of Sandilands! The big 211 has not been named for the second week in a row, burning plenty of coaches! My advice is to trade if you are in an elimination final!
• Palmer and Bollenhagen are victims of the side’s thrashing last week.

Sydney Swans

B: Paul Bevan, Ted Richards, Rhyce Shaw

HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Tadhg Kennelly

C: Lewis Jetta, Brett Kirk, Jarrad McVeigh

HF: Ben McGlynn, Ryan O’Keefe, Josh Kennedy

F: Mike Pyke, Adam Goodes, Jarred Moore

Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack

I/C: Trent Dennis-Lane, Daniel Hannebery, Martin Mattner, Jesse White

Emg: Brett Meredith, Sam Reid, Gary Rohan

No change

WESTERN BULLDOGS v GEELONG CATS

Western Bulldogs

B: Ryan Hargrave, Brian Lake, Dale Morris

HB: Robert Murphy, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee

C: Callan Ward, Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken

HF: Andrejs Everitt, Liam Jones, Brad Johnson

F: Shaun Higgins, Barry Hall, Daniel Giansiracusa

Foll: Will Minson, Ryan Griffen, Daniel Cross

I/C: Nathan Eagleton, Brodie Moles, Jordan Roughead, Easton Wood

Emg: Mitch Hahn, Josh Hill, Dylan Addison

In: Murphy, Minson, Higgins, Ward

Out: Adam Cooney (virus), Ben Hudson (virus), Josh Hill, Jarrad Grant (soreness)

• We all know about the virus spreading around Whitten Oval, and at this stage only Cooney and Hudson will miss thanks to the cold. There are also still doubts surrounding Moles, Gilbee, Morris, Hargrave and the returning Higgins and Murphy.

Geelong Cats

B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt

HB: Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright

C: Paul Chapman, James Kelly, David Wojcinski

HF: Mathew Stokes, Cameron Mooney, Travis Varcoe

F: Steve Johnson, James Podsiadly, Jimmy Bartel

Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett

I/C: Joel Corey, Shannon Byrnes, Tom Hawkins, Taylor Hunt

Emg: Simon Hogan, Ryan Gamble, Daniel Menzel

In: Hunt, Wojcinski

Out: Cameron Ling (hamstring), Harry Taylor (shoulder)

• Geelong haven’t made the plethora of changes perhaps expected of them, but both Ling and Taylor should each miss a week with injuries. Fortunately, neither of these are particularly DT relevant! It could be much worse!

PORT ADELAIDE v WEST COAST

Port Adelaide

B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Tom Logan

HB: Nick Salter, Troy Chaplin, Danny Meyer

C: Kane Cornes, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak

HF: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, David Rodan

F: Justin Westhoff, Daniel Stewart, Brett Ebert

Foll: Dean Brogan, Danyle Pearce, Robbie Gray

I/C: Matt Broadbent, Andrew Moore, Matt Thomas, Jackson Trengove

Emg: Mitch Banner, Scott Harding, Jasper Pittard

In: Salter, P. Stewart

Out: Mitch Banner, Nathan Krakouer

• Krakouer has deservedly been dropped after his abysmal showing against the Saints (could that have been the last time we see him in Port colours?) and has been joined on the sidelines by Banner.

West Coast

B: Will Schofield, Eric MacKenzie, Ashley Smith

HB: Beau Waters, Matthew Spangher, Brad Sheppard

C: Andrew Embley, Adam Selwood, Matt Rosa

HF: Brad Ebert, Josh Kennedy, Andrew Strijk

F: Nic Naitanui, Callum Wilson, Mark LeCras

Foll: Dean Cox, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey

I/C: Koby Stevens, Quinten Lynch, Patrick McGinnity, Tom Swift

Emg: Tim Houlihan, Ben McKinley, Lewis Stevenson

In: Adam Selwood, Waters, MacKenzie, Wilson, Shuey

Out: Matt Priddis (ankle), Ben McKinley , Brett Jones (fractured cheekbone), Mitchell Brown (groin), Lewis Stevenson

• Plenty of positive inclusions here with Selwood and Waters both named. Shuey is the exciting news for all the players who have angrily held onto him all season! It seems he is returning at the right time of year and hopefully he can provide adequate cover if needed.
• On the other hand, the absence of Priddis will certainly hurt a few teams.

BRISBANE LIONS v ADELAIDE

Brisbane Lions

B: Brent Staker, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath

HB: Jed Adcock, Matt Maguire, Pearce Hanley

C: Jared Brennan, Daniel Rich, Michael Rischitelli

HF: Luke Power, Mitchell Clark, Albert Proud

F: Todd Banfield, Jonathan Brown, Tom Rockliff

Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Joel Patfull, Jack Redden

I/C (from): Simon Black, Cheynee Stiller, Travis Johnstone, Ryan Harwood, James Polkinghorne, Tom Collier, Aaron Cornelius

In: Collier, Polkinghorne, Johnstone

Out: Nil

Adelaide

B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Phil Davis

HB: Michael Doughty, Nathan Bock, Brad Symes

C: Nathan van Berlo, Richard Douglas, David Mackay

HF: Rory Sloane, Ricky Henderson, Bernie Vince

F: Chris Knights, Kurt Tippett, Jason Porplyzia

Foll: Ivan Maric, Scott Thompson, Brent Reilly

I/C (from): Taylor Walker, Scott Stevens, James Sellar, Patrick Dangerfield, Shaun McKernan, Will Young, Chris Schmidt

In: Sellar, Dangerfield, McKernan, Davis, Young

Out: Jonathon Griffin (ankle), Brodie Martin

• Some exciting young inclusions for Adelaide with McKernan, Davis and Dangerfield all returning, although this will unlikely help too many teams.

HAWTHORN v MELBOURNE

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy

HB: Ben Stratton, Josh Gibson, Grant Birchall

C: Chance Bateman, Sam Mitchell, Rhan Hooper

HF: Jordan Lewis, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne

F: Michael Osborne, Jarryd Roughead, Wayde Skipper

Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell

I/C (from): Campbell Brown, Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson, Jarryd Morton, Garry Moss, Carl Peterson, Brendan Whitecross

In: Skipper, Brown, Hooper, Morton, Whitecross, Peterson

Out: Clinton Young (soreness), Simon Taylor, Matt Suckling

• Fortunately the ‘Hodge Out’ rumours were false and the only real big out for Hawthorn is Young.
• Skipper returns just in time to cover for Sandilands and Peterson also looks a likely inclusion.

Melbourne

B: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram

HB: Joel Macdonald, James Frawley, Rohan Bail

C: Tom Scully, James McDonald, Cameron Bruce

HF: Jamie Bennell, Jack Watts, Austin Wonaeamirri

F: Liam Jurrah, Brad Green, Colin Sylvia

Foll: Mark Jamar, Lynden Dunn, Aaron Davey

I/C (from): Jordie McKenzie, Nathan Jones, Jack Trengove, Brad Miller, Matthew Warnock, Paul Johnson, Cale Morton

In: Miller, Warnock, Morton

Out: Nil

NORTH MELBOURNE V ST KILDA

North Melbourne

B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings

HB: Daniel Pratt, Nathan Grima, Scott McMahon

C: Leigh Adams, Brent Harvey, Sam Wright

HF: Ryan Bastinac, Aaron Edwards, Daniel Wells

F: Ben Cunnington, Lachlan Hansen, Lindsay Thomas

Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Levi Greenwood

I/C (from): Todd Goldstein, Leigh Harding, Matt Campbell, Cruize Garlett, Ben Warren, Marcus White, David Hale

In: Hale, Campbell, Warren, White

Out: Jamie MacMillan (calf)

• Nothing too exciting coming in (in fact, that bench looks like the list of ‘players to watch’ at North prior to round one this year… oh how things have changed!).
• MacMillan is the only player out at this stage, although this shouldn’t hurt too many coaches.

St Kilda

B: Jason Gram, Jason Blake, Sam Gilbert

HB: Clinton Jones, Sam Fisher, James Gwilt

C: Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Farren Ray

HF: Andrew McQualter, Justin Koschitzke, Leigh Montagna

F: Brett Peake, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne

Foll: Ben McEvoy, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider

I/C (from): Jarryn Geary, Adam Pattison, Jack Steven, Luke Miles, Sean Dempster, Robert Eddy, Rhys Stanley

In: Pattison, Miles, Steven, Stanley

Out: Michael Gardiner (hamstring)

New: Luke Miles (Swan Districts)

• All we know at this stage is that Gardiner is out – Lyon was very unconvincing during the week as to whether he would bring in a runner or another ruckman. Ideally, Steven would be the best inclusion (or Stanley as a smokey), but expect Pattison to get the nod, despite not playing VFL on the weekend.

Dear Footy Tragics,

We all love a quality bargain small forward in our DT, but the problem is they are very hard to find. In recent years we have selected the likes of Hayden Ballantyne, Mitch Duncan, Tom Rockliff and Relton Roberts as small forwards, with varying degrees of success. While Ballantyne, Duncan and Rockliff have been great selections, Roberts was a massive disappointment!

In 2011, I expect Brandon Matera to be one of the first players I select in my DT as a forward. Matera is originally from South Fremantle and his bloodlines are very impressive. Brandon Matera is the son of Wally, formerly of Fitzroy and West Coast, and the nephew of Peter and Phil who both played for West Coast. The difference with young Brandon is that he is a left footer, whereas his father and uncles were all right footers.

Brandon Matera is 176cms and 69kgs and he will be 19 years of age by Round 1, 2011. Matera plays a similar brand of footy to his uncle Phil Matera who was a very classy Forward Pocket for West Coast, playing 179 AFL games and kicking 389 goals from 1996 – 2005. The bonus with Brandon Matera is that he also has the ability to play midfield, which is music to the ears of all DT coaches!

Here is a quick snapshot of Matera’s last three years of footy:

• 2008 – Represented WA at the NAB AFL Under 16 National Championships;
• 2009 – Represented WA at the NAB AFL Under 18 National Championships, being the leading goal kicker in the championships with 16 goals and being named in the Forward Pocket of the All Australian team. Matera also played senior, reserves and colts footy for South Fremantle;
• 2010 – Matera has played 15 games for the Gold Coast in the VFL; he has kicked 15 goals and has been named in the best an impressive eight times!

According to many astute judges, Brandon Matera would be playing AFL football now if he was on another AFL list. Assuming Brandon Matera remains injury free and completes at least 80% of the 2011 pre season, I expect him to be a DT lock in your 2011 forward line.

PS: For those who questioned why I stressed the importance of holding trades until later in the season, I hope you have sufficient trades to cover the potential losses of Aaron Sandilands, Jonathan Brown, James Podsiadly and Adam Cooney, all in doubt this week. I would hate to be entering a cut throat final this week with injuries to my key players, no cover and no trades left in the kitty!

Good luck in your finals this week, no second chances now!

Dane Swan

2010 avg: 124.0

Avg last five games: 130.6

Last five vs. Ess: 105.4

Never doubt the Great Dane. A ripping 127 last week against the Cats shows, once again, that he is a big game player too. His rich vein of form continues and it’d be impossible to go against him at this stage. His form line is too good to ignore. The only downer you could put on it is that Essendon (he was tagged by Hocking) kept him to his lowest score of the season on ANZAC Day with an 83. It must be said that Essendon is one of the teams that restricts his DT scoring a bit, but I think that’s getting a bit too technical. He’ll chop.

Gary Ablett

2010 avg: 118.6

Avg last five games: 110.2

Last five vs. WB: 113.2

GAJ is still going along just fine, and if you’ve got him you’d have to be considering him every week (unless you have Swan locked). Picken tagged him a couple of times last year, but it didn’t stop him from scoring big. You’d still be expecting a 110 from him this week and there’s always the scope for him to go on with that. The Bulldogs don’t seem to mind Ablett getting his customary handball receives behind centre. There’s actually not a whole heap that screams Ablett to me this week, however he’d be at least a safe option.

Paul Chapman

2010 avg: 114.7

Avg last five games: 104.4

Last five vs. WB: 83.4

I’m mainly writing about Chappy to clear up his recent record against the Dogs. In two of the games last year (a 75 and a 47) he got an in game injury and was mothballed early. It makes it look like the Dogs have his number, but he’s actually always quite dangerous against the red, white and blue. His recent form hasn’t exactly been scintillating either, but he’s only scored below 100 twice this year. I’d be considering him roughly a top five pick for captains this week, but I’m starting to wonder if his body is getting a bit tired. Did you know that last week was the first time he’s played a Round 19 game since 2006? He also hasn’t played a Round 20 game since 2007.

Brendon Goddard

2010 avg: 112.1

Avg last five games: 110.8

Last five vs. NM: 96.8

Last year I made Goddard captain against the Kangaroos and he burnt me with an appalling 46. There was no injury either, he just played like a mongrel. One mark and only eight kicks. I’m still haunted by that game. It ruined an excellent captain picking season last year too. That one does seem to be an anomaly though, because since that day he’s scored 112 and 137 against the Roos. His recent form is great and he broke through for a good score against Port who, as I mentioned last week, generally keep him quiet. I also only just noticed his first name is spelled Brendon. I’ve been spelling it Brendan all along. “I’ve been calling her Krandle! Why didn’t somebody tell me?!”

Nick Riewoldt

2010 avg: 89.6

Avg last five games: 88.4

Last five vs. NM: 118.8

Is he officially back? Can we go there? Do we dare go there? I was one who actually named Riewoldt captain the night he did his hammy on 20 points. It was actually on the back of his amazing first two games of the season, including a 147 against the Roos in Round 2. Five games back from this injury and he’s starting to look like the Riewoldt we know and love (from a DT perspective anyway). He got his first ton post injury against Port on the weekend and with his killer form against the Roos you’d have to have a sneaky look at him. Because he can’t 100% be declared back in town yet, I’m calling him my smokey for the week.

Other notes

• Pendlebury’s highest career score is a 150 against Essendon on ANZAC Day 2008, but apart from that he’s never really dominated the Bombers.
• Nothing wrong with Montagna or Goodes this week. They’re both great options, but I’m just a little bit over writing about the same guys every week. Goodes has three straight tons against the Dockers and it’s late in the year, so you’d expect him to dominate. Montagna also has three straight tons against the Roos and four in his last five against them.
• Lenny doesn’t really do it for me this week, but I haven’t given him recognition in one of these articles yet, so just a general shout out to one of my favourites.
• Bartel’s recent form and his scoring history against the Dogs is very yo-yo like. Too hard to trust him with such an inconsistent form line. Still reckon that elbow is bothering him too. Why is he always wearing long sleeves now? Not that I’m complaining. The hoops on the Geelong L/S Guernsey make it look very retro. He should go all out and customise it to lace up and maybe get some mo growing tips from Pendles.
• Boyd generally struggles against Geelong – only one ton against them.
• Hodge has only scored 57 and 60 over the past fortnight. His form line against Melbourne is impossible to read. He scored 142 against them in Round 1 this year, but before that he hadn’t played them since 2007, when he only scored a 65. Safer options you’d say, even if he is every chance of coming out and blitzing.

Well, as promised in last week’s article, this week I am going to focus my energy on a couple of players who are probably not on too many coaches radars. I believe that at this time of year you need to be a bit creative to give you the edge over other players – for example, the guy I played this week had 17 players the same as mine, meaning that we really had only five players going head to head! It was ridiculous, and when Bartel and Rockliff dropped in dud games for me, my finals assault took a slip. So what if we had a few more differences between each team? What if I had replaced Gibbs, whom we both had (and who has been underperforming lately) with a player such as Rischitelli, Vince or Rawlings? Each player is a plausible inclusion on their recent form and each would have given me enough points gain to win me the match! Whilst this isn’t necessarily going to be the case in every circumstance, look at common players like Higgins, Bartel, Waters, Malceski and Podsiadly – all of whom are in a current form dip – and look at your options around their price range. Giving myself as another example, five of the remaining six teams in my league have Gibbs, five have Bartel and six have Waters. So what good are these players really doing for me? Essentially Waters is wasted space as he will simply cancel himself out every time I play any one of my opponents. Whereas if I had Newman, Broughton or Symes, I would not compete against an opponent with the same player. Whilst I could be totally screwed if Waters came out with a score of 120 vs 60 from any of the others, I believe it is a risk worthy of being taken, considering the form of any of the three listed above compared to that of Waters. Once again in this article I have taken the brief approach, choosing quantity over quality, and will list a number of players worth considering for your finals X-factor. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you only have one trade left, or if you have the week off after winning round one (a trade in week two could still be on the cards if you have no injuries), it could be a great last grab for any teams clutching at their final chance of finals glory. Good Luck!

Greg Broughton – $353,200:

Broughton is best known as the DT rising star of 2009 with his highly impressive scoring in the back half of the year whilst playing a rebounding role in Fremantle’s developing team. This year he started the season OK, averaging 92 points until round 8 when he injured himself. He was then out of action until round 16 when he returned with 71 points -  he followed this up with an ordinary 60 points in round 17. As it turns out though, both these games simply saw him rebuilding his fitness base. The two games since (rounds 18 and 19) have seen Broughton played through the middle, with positions in Freo’s backline already taken up. In round 18 he was best afield versus West Coast (and racked up a handy 120 points), and this week he made his way to 99 points as the second highest scoring Docker. He is in only 8,227 teams and Freo have a reasonable run home with two games at Subiaco versus Sydney and Carlton and an away game to Hawthorn in round 21. If he can stay in the midfield (and there is no reason he shouldn’t), I believe he could continue to average his 100 points for the remaining rounds.

Chris Newman – $359,600:

Whilst Newman may play for a side sitting towards the bottom of the ladder, it is certainly worth considering him. He started the year slowly playing a more dour role, but since the Tigers season hit it’s strides with a win over Port Adelaide in round 10 he has been very consistent. He now plays a rebounding role from defense, much in the mould of Brian Lake or Sam Fisher in that he still takes a strong opposition forward, but also works hard to break free, creating plenty of rebound from defense, as well as cutting off opposition marks. In the past 10 games he has averaged 93 points and has only dropped below 75 points on three occasions. He has also scored himself four tons in that period. In just 8,513 teams, Newman could provide a great defensive option in the run home.

Andrew Swallow – $428,200:

Swallow has had a consistent year this year after a breakout season in 2010, however he has really hit his straps over the past month. After averaging a respectable 91.5 points until round 15, Swallow has gone BANG over the last four matches, averaging a huge 121 points, which includes 160 points in round 17. Swallow is a tough in-and-under player and will regularly win his own ball. He is also a tackle fiend, averaging over eight per game this year - his huge round 17 game consisted of 15 tackles! He is also rarely the focus of taggers, with captain Brent Harvey the much more popular target. The Roos have a very important week ahead of them with their hope of finals on the line, so watch for Swallow to give his all at the contests, winning plenty of his own contested ball and tackling hard.

Scott Thompson – $422,000:

Thompson’s Crows have had a season to forget, but at least he has been relatively consistent for his 6,172 owners, especially over the last month. With the Crows pushing for finals, Thompson has really lifted with his team since beating Essendon in round 14. In that game he scored 146 points and since then he has averaged 116 points. Although the Crows are no chance of making the finals, expect them still to work hard at shaping the top eight – they may be out of the eight, but do still have respect for themselves. With games against Brisbane, Collingwood and St.Kilda remaining, the Crows will really set themselves tasks over the next few weeks – especially against the Saints as it will be played at AAMI stadium. Also, the Crows deficiencies are not coming from their midfield, but from their forward line, so at least Thompson should be capable of winning plenty of ball. Also, Vince now seems to be the first tagging choice for opponents, meaning Thompson will at least get some games where he can be off the leash.

Michael Rischitelli – $403,500:

Rischitelli has had an ultra consistent season and it is a surprise that he is not in more than just 17,051 teams. Across the 19 round season he has picked up 100 or more on eight occasions (including the past three) and has dropped below 85 points only once. Since being moments from being traded to Carlton in the off-season, Rischitelli has really had a breakout season, easily becoming the Lions best midfielder for the year. He is averaging nearly 98 DT points for the year and 105 across the last nine. Whilst he hasn’t been a prolific scorer (only one score over 120), he has been one of the most consistent week-to-week performers of the year. It’d be nice if he could step up another 10 points on his average, but I wouldn’t be counting on it. He could be the perfect pick for someone scared of an ultra inconsistent midfielder in their lineup.

Chris Knights – $356,100:

I mentioned above that you may have to take a risk for a big reward, and Knights certainly is that big risk. He has played only four games this year, the fourth one against the Doggies on the weekend, the first time he has played since round five. Early in the season he was hardly setting the world on fire, but when a player has only played four games for the year his history can count for something. Knights was a revelation for Adelaide last year, going from a ball-winning midfielder to a goal-kicking forward flanker, capable of drifting through the midfield. He is a player easily capable of averaging around 90-95 points and then pulling out a 140-point blinder. Unfortunately though, we have seen very little exposed form from him, causing him to be a bit of a risk. Albeit, he did look decent on the weekend, gaining 91 points for his 17 disposal, 7 mark and 6 tackle game. He should get better as he builds fitness, but perhaps not in time for the Grand Final. If you are not looking to trade this week I’d keep an eye on him, but there may be some less risky picks with just as much upside. He is in only 2,563 teams though!

Adam Schneider – $373,900:

I did an article on Schneider in the pre-season, praising his ability to find space and kick stacks of goals and run through the middle, etc etc… But the sub-text on that article (for those who remember) was that it seems to only happen in the latter half of the year – and that is exactly what we are seeing from Schneids at the moment. Whilst he has had quite a good season, his recent form is what stands out the most for DT purposes. His role is much more of like a midfielder than a forward at the moment – he will start forward, but drifts through the middle for five minute bursts to lose his opponent, then has a very good knack of finding space up forward and then kicking goals. The weekend’s game was the best example as he continually presented in the forward line and was the Saints target in the forward line the same number of times as Riewoldt. But at the same time, he racked up 30 disposals and five tackles in his 154 point game. He has averaged 102 over the past eight games and is in good form with some presumably easy games coming up over the next fortnight against North, Richmond and Adelaide. He is in only 12,028 teams.

Others to consider:

Brad Symes – $340,400:

Came back from injury in round 12 and has averaged 91 points since, including 100 over the last three. Looks in very good nick and is part of an extremely functional and well-drilled backline. Unfortunately, it is the Crows forward line that is stuffed.

Dale Thomas – $376,100:

Has dropped off a little lately but re-found form on the weekend against the Cats with 115 points. He is in 38,180 teams, but still there are plenty of DT coaches not to have caught onto his great 2010 form. As I have said above, look at your opponents’ teams and go from there. Thomas is a great pick if only one or none of your opponents have him.

Colin Sylvia – $430,500:

It only took him all bloody year, but he finally got there, averaging 115 points over the last five games. He has mistreated his owners terribly this year, but it is great to see him bounce back into some form with a role in the Melbourne engine room.

Shane Tuck – $396,600:

He is a guy that has worked bloody hard to stay in this team and he is not about to let anyone take his spot from him. Despite a couple of off games in the last month (a 64 and a 76), he has averaged nearly 100 points for the full season - in fact, despite these two down games, he has scored below 85 twice. He is never going to get tagged and has some big games to round out the season, which he typically loves. Also, he is in just 1,982 teams!