Footy Tragic

St.Kilda vs Collingwood:

Looking Good:

• Sam Gilbert: Was allowed to run free in the Saints backline, with Collingwood paying him no respect. Whilst many of his possessions came from games of kick-to-kick, he still worked hard for plenty of his others and is looking like continuing his fantastic 2009 form into this year.
• James Gwilt: Played his best game for the club as a swingman running through the forward line and defence. Is looking much more composed with the ball than in previous years and finally looks to have found the confidence that has eluded his game in his career so far.
• Dane Swan: Was the best of the Pies, yet never really looked like blowing the game apart. His possessions were again down on his 2009 average (he got 26 disposals), but fortunately his 7 tackles helped make up the points.

Disappointing:

• Nick Riewoldt: Tragically, Nick badly injured his hamstring late in the second term, now putting him out of the team for a likely 4 – 8 weeks… Many coaches will now ponder as to whether to keep or trade him, with his low 20 points he had scored meaning his price will drop this week.
• Paul Medhurst: He looks more like the Medhurst of 2009 than 2008 unfortunately and failed to kick a goal all game. He would want to find his form fast before he finds himself running around in the VFL…
• Leon Davis: Was really well held by Baker and struggled to score well, also not kicking any goals. He played mainly as a forward, but still had stints in the midfield – unfortunately, dragging Baker upfield didn’t seem to deter him.

Blip on the Radar:

• Steven Baker: Playing on Leon Davis, Baker was dragged upfield and therefore found himself playing stints in the midfield. The amount of uncontested possessions running through the Saints backline also really helped him, but don’t be expecting this too often!

North Melbourne vs West Coast:

Looking Good:

• Brent Harvey: Hit back after a horrible game last week (and his lowest disposals ever) with a massive game where he tallied a personal best number of disposals with 44! However, this game and last week’s just shows the inconsistencies that are Harvey…

• Daniel Wells: Was played predominantly off the half back and the role suits him – he doesn’t need to win as much of his own ball (which helps his DT) and his great disposal will always hurt the opposition! May it continue!
• Matt Rosa: I’ve always liked Rosa whenever given a chance – he is a hard working midfielder (and still young) and has an ability to win him own ball. The fact that 20 of his 29 disposals were kicks was just icing on the cake!
• Ryan Bastinac: His best game yet for the Roos as he effectively tagged Daniel Kerr out of the game. This kid looks a very good chance to play 22 games this year so will be the perfect cash-cow!

Disappointing:

• Bradd Dalziell: 2008′s Dream Team legend has unfortunately fallen by the DT-wayside. West Coast refuse to let him play as a ball-winner and rather give him jobs that in turn cruel his DT ability. Don’t trade him in based on prior form.
• Tom Swift: In his second year, Swift is still showing little signs of the player who was an incredible ball-winner in juniors. Perhaps with time he will come on, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath about it being this year.
• Sam Wright: Really hasn’t delivered on his pre-season’s promises with another mediocre-scoring game. The kid doesn’t only seem to look like Dale Thomas, but also looks to be clocking up a similarly frustrating DT record!

Blip on the Radar:

• Michael Firrito: The epitome of a blip on the radar – almost every week Firrito will be used as a dour defender, but occasionally, like this week, he will be trusted a bit more to run the ball out of defence – don’t be counting on it every week though!

Port Adelaide vs Brisbane:

Looking Good:

• Tom Rockliff: For those who held onto the kid through two donuts in the first two rounds were paid dividends in his first game of the year. He played the midfield/HFF role well and finished with the third most disposals of any Lion! Was good enough to keep his spot from the likes of Hawksley and Raines.
• Matt Maguire: His game wasn’t amazing, but the Lions really seem to like his booming kick, often trusting him with the ball off the half-back line. Don’t expect too many tons from the big guy, but its great form for a player work a little over $100k!
• Steven Salopek: Back to his 2009 role running off the half-back line, but he is looking much better now than then. He seems injury free and enjoying his footy more (winning team helps!) – very talented player and is capable of big scores!

Disappointing:

• Chad Cornes: Was about the only Port player big enough to stand Brown and did a reasonable job, but it was never going to allow him to play attacking football. Cornes’ shift back to defence this year looks likely to ruin a lot of his DT potential… unfortunately!
• Brendan Fevola: Jono Brown’s interview after the game confirmed everyone’s thoughts; Brown said he was getting much more space now with Fev in the team and is thriving on it – essentially, Fev is the decoy, Brown is the MAN!
• Mitch Clark: Gave the finger to all the coaches who held onto him by getting himself reported… Played an ok game otherwise, but it was nothing spectacular – Leuenberger was much better!

Blip on the Radar:

• Warren Tredrea: Whilst he wouldn’t be the worst selection, at his age his form line is always going to be on a downwards curve! He had a reasonable game, but he is just as likely to have a stinker next week – too inconsistent to consider.

Essendon vs Carlton:

Looking Good:

• Kade Simpson: Would be winning the Blue’s best and fairest after round three after a few really impressive performances, including this one. Always goes unnoticed by the opposition, but shouldn’t go unnoticed by DT coaches any longer!
• Kyle Reimers: He really has so much potential to be a great player once he cements his spot – was great in a HFF flank position, but now he just has to find some consistency!
• Brent Stanton: Really stepped up in the last quarter and proved for the third week in a row that he has become a much more consistent player, meaning the difference between his highest and lowest DT scores will be much less – a real positive!

Disappointing:

• Bryce Gibbs: Had another quiet game, and personally I am starting to ask questions as to why he has been used as a tagger for the first three rounds. So far he looks to have gone backwards from last year’s form – hopefully he pulls out his finger soon!
• Brock McLean: Brought an injury into the game, but that is beside the point – once you cross the paint you are there to play. Had an absolute shocker and looked out of sorts all game.
• Mark Williams: The fact that he scored 53 points yet kicked 4 goals proves that even if he does contribute, he is not a dream teamer. Avoid, even when his price does dip!

Blip on the Radar:

• Dustin Fletcher: Fletch was once a super DT player, yet in his twilight years we only ever get glimpses of his past stardom – don’t get too excited by this old horse.

Sydney vs Richmond:

Looking Good:

• Ben McGlynn: Well I said that his game last week may have been one out of the bag, but he was equally impressive (albeit, against a weak side again). For some reason he never seems to have an opponent and always finds himself on his own in the forward line! Could be a good smoky pick-up, but has just as much chance of burning you!
• Heath Grundy: Has had a really consistent start to the season after a great NAB cup. Has good skills and a great ability to know when he can peel off his man. Another fast improver and dirt cheap for the average he is currently obtaining.
• Nick Malceski: Has been Sydney’s prime rebounder for the first three weeks and it is great to see him finally back to his best after a shocking past two years. If you missed the boat, he is still under $300k and an absolute bargain!

Disappointing:

• Mark Seaby: After nearly every man and his dog traded him in after round two, Seaby suddenly forgot how to play kick-to-kick. Unfortunately, after showing his potential highs two weeks in a row, Seaby showed what it seems he may deliver on occasion as Mumford became number one ruck for the night.
• Trent Cotchin: Was tagged by Kirk and didn’t look like he knew how to deal with it. This will be hard for the younger Tiger stars as there are few senior players the opposition taggers will sit on. Cotchin can just hope Martin’s progress to an elite player happens sooner rather than later!
• Alex Rance: Is now playing dour defensive roles after a good debut season in 2009 where he played as a rebounder from defence. Don’t expect improvement of the DT variety from Rance in 2010.

Blip on the Radar:

• Lewis Roberts-Thomson: Has always had odd games like this where he accumulated plenty of kicks and marks from the switching of play (and occasionally will have a couple in a row), but he is NOT a DT player – don’t get sucked in like so many coaches seem to do with LRT – he is not worth it!

Melbourne vs Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Brad Green: Is having a great start to the season and was one of the key components in the Dees first win of the year. He constantly sets a real standard through the middle for the younger players, and also has the ability to drop forward and kick a goal or two.
• Bernie Vince: Whilst his game wasn’t particularly impressive, it was good to see his fitness base is getting better (after a poor pre-season) with 36 possessions, all around the ground. Looks to be finally coming good.
• Jamie Bennell: Was brilliant as a high-pressure small forward – a role that suits him much more than in defence. Do note though that this sort of position is typically very inconsistent for DT purposes.

Disappointing:

• Ricky Petterd: After two great games in a row he was sure to draw some attention from the opposition and he scored himself Doughty, who kept him goalless.
• Kurt Tippett: Struggled through the game with an ankle injury before succumbing late in the game. The fact he is also playing with knee tendonitis is very worrying for his immediate playing future – to make matters worse, he is leaking money so you would want to trade him out asap!
• Jordie McKenzie: As Dan predicted in his article this week, McKenzie probably won’t be able to keep his tackle count up – and that is exactly what happened, with him only taking four tackles (10 less than last week) for the game.

Blip on the Radar:

• Brett Burton: Is a great player, but he is way past his prime. Yes, he can score the odd ton as he has proven here, but he has also shown he finds it hard to stay on the park – he is not the type of player you want, so don’t get sucked in to his high score and low price!

Hawthorn vs Western Bulldogs:

Looking Good:

• Matthew Boyd: Boyd is just such an impressive Dream Teamer; he wins plenty of his own ball, but is never going to get tagged. He has a massive engine to run all day and will always tackle hard. A brilliantly consistent performer!
• Cyril Rioli: Well… It looks like the OP which he had through pre-season has gone! Was fantastic all day, kicking four goals and 24 possessions for himself. He played between the forward pocket and on the wing – could be a very good player to consider for trade!
• Luke Hodge: Played off the half-back line and his run was brilliant. Was allowed to run free by the dogs which really helped him rack up the stats. Clarkson seems to have finally learned that he needs Hodge involved in the games, meaning he will always play him in ball-winning positions, rather than getting him to work in defence.

Disappointing:

• Ryan Hargrave: Left the field in the first quarter and didn’t return. His awfully low average over the first three games will drag his price way down – he will be one to keep an eye on when he bottoms out in a few weeks!
• Daniel Giansiracusa: After a brilliant NAB cup, his start to the season has been pretty poor – he is just not getting near enough to the ball – hopefully he can bounce back within the next couple of weeks.
• Lance Franklin: Not a bad game, but he was forced to play much higher up the ground due to being totally dominated by Lake in the goalsquare. So far, out of two outings this year he hasn’t impressed – lets just hope it doesn’t take too long to get back to his 2008 form!

Blip on the Radar:

• Brian Lake: Can get some massive scores, but they always rely on a big game of kick-to-kick. Unfortunately, you cannot rely on him to be part of this type of football week-in week-out, meaning he is a no-go zone.

Fremantle vs Geelong:

Looking Good:

• Paul Chapman: Plays his game so well – tackles hard, kicks goals and has stacks of kicks of marks – he is about as close an example we have of a perfect dream team player… except he has rubbish hamstrings and always gets injured (but that’s another story…).
• Matthew Pavlich: Easily best on ground and really helped will his young side over the line. Played mainly at CHF, but also had a number of stints through the midfield. Looks to be really enjoying his footy now with Freo up and running.
• Gary Ablett: He just keeps racking up the numbers – not always does it look like he does much with the ball, but in DT we don’t really care, as long as he gets the thing! Finally too, Ablett broke the Crowley curse that seems to have followed him for years!

Disappointing:

• Michael Barlow: Played like he was carrying the weight of 200,000 dream team coaches on his shoulders… but also seemed a bit spooked after an ankle injury he sustained early in the game – it looked like it was making him stop from putting his body into any dangerous spots – unfortunately, this is the only way to win a disposal against the Cats. He will bounce back!
• Steve Johnson: Was easily the Cats focal point in the forward line and was often left one-out with his much smaller opponent, Broughton, yet he could just not convert his chances. Only two goals (which is a fair effort), but we should be expecting more from players priced as he is!
• Ryan Gamble: Was played mainly in defence, and it certainly didn’t suit him from a DT perspective – not that you would have him anyway…

Blip on the Radar:

• Anthony Morabito: I know it’s probably unfair to pick on the new kid, but this was a great game by the third gamer to notch 98 points. However, he is not known for his ball-winning skills, and the fact he lay 9 tackles really helped (he won’t get that many every week). He’s not necessarily a bad choice at his price, but you could certainly do better!

Hi all.

We have decided to launch a new feature on the site called ‘The Rookie Team’. The experts at Footy Tragic have put together a new DT squad on the eve of Round 3 (before player price fluctuations) consisting primarily of cash cows. The intention is to develop a team that will have a genuine chance of winning a weekly prize in the final few rounds of the season. Cash cows will be traded out for premiums when we believe they have hit their peak price. We will be asking for your opinion regarding these trades through a weekly poll.

Check out the squad here!!!!

Note: Remaining salary cap for the team is $1,535,200

Stay tuned for more details…

Expert: Dan
Team: Hank Scorpio EDT
Current Ranking: 10,646
Round 3 Score: 1,839
Trades Remaining: 20
Team Changes This Week: None as yet

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Current Ranking: 7,733
Round 3 Score: 1,902
Trades Remaining: 19
Team Changes This Week: None as yet

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Current Ranking: 214
Round 3 Score: 1,872
Trades Remaining: 20
Team Changes This Week: None as yet

Stay tuned: Footy Tragic  will be publishing it’s first ever ‘rookie’ team following lock-out this evening. This exciting new feature on the site will require YOUR input throughout the season!!!

ST KILDA v COLLINGWOOD

St Kilda

B: Jason Gram, Zac Dawson, Sam Gilbert

HB: Steven Baker, Jason Blake, Brendon Goddard

C: Leigh Montagna, Clint Jones, Nick Dal Santo

HF: Andrew McQualter, Sam Fisher, Adam Schneider

F: Farren Ray, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne

Foll: Michael Gardiner, David Armitage, Lenny Hayes

I/C: Steven King, Brett Peake, James Gwilt, Jarryn Geary

Emg: Adam Pattison, Robert Eddy, Raphael Clarke

In: King, Fisher

Out: Adam Pattison, Ben McEvoy

• It was initially suggested that Fisher would be out for 5 weeks, however the recovery was much quicker than usual. The Saints must be confident he will play due to the amount of a fuss they made to keep this news quiet until teams were announced today.
• McEvoy is out for the more experienced King – look to trade him if you have him as I expect the Saints to play a rotation system with all three ruckmen as a way of maintaining fitness for the end of the year.

Collingwood

B: Alan Toovey, Simon Prestigiacomo, Tarkyn Lockyer

HB: Harry O’Brien, Nick Maxwell, Sharrod Wellingham

C: Luke Ball, Dane Swan, John McCarthy

HF: Josh Fraser, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak

F: Paul Medhurst, Brent Macaffer, Leon Davis

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas

I/C: Leigh Brown, Shane O’Bree, Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams

Emg: Simon Buckley, Chris Dawes, Ben Reid

In: Macaffer, McCarthy, O’Bree, Prestigiacomo

Out: Ben Johnson (knee), Heath Shaw (back), Ben Reid, John Anthony

• Heath Shaw is the big loss for the Pies and for Dream Team. He should only be gone a week so don’t trade him. Anthony is the other big name to miss.

NORTH MELBOURNE v WEST COAST

North Melbourne

B: Scott McMahon, Scott Thompson, Sam Wright

HB: Michael Firrito, Lachie Hansen, Nathan Grima

C: Daniel Wells, Brent Harvey, Leigh Harding

HF: Liam Anthony, Brady Rawlings, Aaron Edwards

F: Ben Warren, David Hale, Lindsay Thomas

Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Jack Ziebell, Andrew Swallow

I/C: Leigh Adams, Gavin Urquhart, Todd Goldstein, Ryan Bastinac

Emg: Ben Ross, Robbie Tarrant, Ben Speight

In: McMahon, Harding, Edwards

Out: Corey Jones, Ben Ross, Matt Campbell

• Pre-season smokey, Campbell has been omitted for his average display against the Saints. Should come back in so probably not worth trading if you have the cover.

West Coast

B: Matt Spangher, Darren Glass, Brett Jones

HB: Andrew Embley, Will Schofield, Beau Waters

C: Matt Rosa, Matt Priddis, Bradd Dalziell

HF: Chris Masten, Josh Kennedy, Luke Shuey

F: Mitch Brown, Ashley Hansen, Mark LeCras

Foll: Nic Naitanui, Daniel Kerr, Adam Selwood

I/C: Dean Cox, Brad Ebert, Scott Selwood, Tom Swift

Emg: Ben McKinley, Eric Mackenzie, Ashley Smith

In: Schofield, Rosa, Dalziell, Hansen, LeCras

Out: Sam Butler (facial fracture), Mark Nicoski (shoulder), Pat McGinnity (quad), Shannon Hurn (suspended) Eric Mackenzie

New: Bradd Dalziell (Brisbane Lions)

• Dalziell makes his debut for the Eagles, however pre-season form suggested he won’t be used in the same ball-winning role that made him such a DT star at Brisbane.
• LeCras returns from injury and Hurn is out with a one week suspension.

PORT ADELAIDE v BRISBANE LIONS

Port Adelaide

B: Jacob Surjan, Alipate Carlile, Troy Chaplin

HB: Nathan Krakouer, Chad Cornes, Steven Salopek

C: Danyle Pearce, Domenic Cassisi, Jason Davenport

HF: Matt Thomas, Warren Tredrea, Brett Ebert

F: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, Justin Westhoff

Foll: Dean Brogan, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes

I/C: Jackson Trengove, Paul Stewart, Mitch Banner, Tom Logan

Emg: Nick Salter, Matthew Lobbe, Cameron Cloke

No change

• The Power are unchanged, which means they are entering the game still without Robbie Gray – very frustrating for coaches who have held onto him for three weeks now!

Brisbane Lions

B: Ashley McGrath, Daniel Merrett, Andrew Raines

HB: Daniel Rich, Matt Maguire, Josh Drummond

C: Tom Rockliff, Simon Black, Brent Staker

HF: Mitch Clark, Luke Power, Michael Rischitelli

F: Justin Sherman, Jonathan Brown, Jack Redden

Foll: James Polkinghorne, Brendan Fevola, Todd Banfield

I/C: Matthew Leuenberger, James Hawksley, Travis Johnstone

Emg: Joel Patfull, Albert Proud, Troy Selwood, Matt Austin

In: Hawksley, Polkinghorne, Rockliff

Out: Jared Brennan (suspended), Jed Adcock (quad), Cheynee Stiller

New: Tom Rockliff (Murray Bushrangers)

• Rockliff’s debut is fantastic news, and what is even better is the fact he has been named on a wing! Hopefully he can replicate is 40 possession, five goal QAFL form from the weekend!
• Polkinghorne made the cut for his first game of the season – his form has been too hard to ignore!
• Brennan is out suspended for one week and Adcock looks like missing five weeks with a Quad strain – this spells trade to me!

SYDNEY SWANS v RICHMOND

Sydney Swans

B: Craig Bolton, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Rhyce Shaw

HB: Martin Mattner, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski

C: Jarrad McVeigh, Brett Kirk, Kieren Jack

HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Adam Goodes, Josh Kennedy

F: Jesse White, Daniel Bradshaw, Jarred Moore

Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Ben McGlynn

I/C: Lewis Jetta, Tadhg Kennelly, Dan Hannebery, Mark Seaby

Emg: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Paul Bevan

No change

Richmond

B: Shane Edwards, Kelvin Moore, Chris Newman

HB: Alex Rance, Luke McGuane, Dean Polo

C: Dustin Martin, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin

HF: Ben Cousins, Jack Riewoldt, Mitch Morton

F: Ben Nason, Jayden Post, Richard Tambling

Foll: Troy Simmonds, Daniel Jackson, Shane Tuck

I/C: Ty Vickery, Daniel Connors, Matthew White, Relton Roberts

Emg: Adam Thomson, Robin Nahas, Tom Hislop

In: Cousins, Roberts, Tuck, Polo, Rance, White

Out: Will Thursfield (leg), Mitch Farmer (leg), Tom Hislop, Jake King, Adam Thomson, Robin Nahas

• Of all the Tigers inclusions, livewire forward Relton Roberts is about the only DT-worthy name. Good to see him back after a one week club suspension.

CARLTON v ESSENDON

Carlton

B: Michael Jamison, Bret Thornton, Aaron Joseph

HB: Jordan Russell, Jarrad Waite, Dennis Armfield

C: Heath Scotland, Marc Murphy, Andrew Walker

HF: Chris Yarran, Setanta O’hAilpin, Ryan Houlihan

F: Eddie Betts, Lachie Henderson, Mitch Robinson

Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Brock McLean, Bryce Gibbs

I/C: Andrew Carrazzo, Kane Lucas, Kade Simpson, Robert Warnock

Emg: Joe Anderson, Jeff Garlett, Richard Hadley

In: Lucas

Out: Joe Anderson

New: Kane Lucas (East Fremantle)

• Kane Lucas to debut for the Blues – he averaged 17 disposals in the WAFL last year, playing on a HFF. Will be a good player, but he did take a long time to adjust to senior football last year, suggesting it may be the same case for his elevation to AFL level.

Essendon

B: Henry Slattery, Tayte Pears, Dustin Fletcher

HB: Courtenay Dempsey, Cale Hooker, Nathan Lovett-Murray

C: Heath Hocking, Jobe Watson, Jake Melksham

HF: Brent Stanton, Scott Gumbleton, Bachar Houli

F: Jason Winderlich, David Hille, Mark Williams

Foll: Patrick Ryder, Andrew Welsh, Sam Lonergan

I/C: David Zaharakis, Kyle Reimers, Ricky Dyson, Travis Colyer

Emg: TBC

In: Colyer, Melksham, Reimers, Lovett-Murray, Houli, Lonergan

Out: Mark McVeigh (infection), Angus Monfries (quad), Ben Howlett, Brent Prismall, Alwyn Davey, David Myers

New: Travis Colyer (Claremont), Jake Melksham (Calder)

• Plenty of changes at the Dons, and a few surprises – the big outs are Prismall and Howlett (one asks what either did wrong!?), as well as Myers and Davey. As expected, McVeigh did not recover from his blood infection – he should return next week though.
• The Dons have countered some big outs by bringing in some kids – last year’s big improver Houli returns for his first game of the year, and Colyer and Melksham debut.
• Travis Colyer is small outside midfielder, drafted with pick 26 last year. He averaged 20 disposals through last year’s championships, but his kicking efficiency was very poor (56%), suggesting that he would have to impress a lot in other areas to keep his spot.
• Jake Melksham was Essendon’s first pick (#10) last year and is a very outside midfielder – his kicking is in the elite bracket, however he seems very unwilling to win his own ball, getting most of his possessions from outside of a contest. He is a big game player as he showed by a dominant display in the TAC Grand Final, suggesting he may have a big debut against arch-rivals Carlton.

MELBOURNE v ADELAIDE

Melbourne

B: Matthew Warnock, James Frawley, Jamie Bennell

HB: James McDonald, Joel Macdonald, Lynden Dunn

C: Rohan Bail, Jackson Trengove, Aaron Davey

HF: Brad Green, Colin Sylvia, Cameron Bruce

F: Tom Scully, Ricky Petterd, Clint Bartram

Foll: Mark Jamar, Jack Grimes, Brent Moloney

I/C (from): Colin Garland, Jordie McKenzie, Nathan Jones, Matthew Bate, Kyle Cheney, Jake Spencer

In: Garland, Sylvia, Spencer, Cheney

Out: James Strauss



• Strauss is the only out for the Dees and I guess he is now only partially relevant after a poor start to the season in defense.
• Sylvia is big in after spending the first two rounds on the sidelines with a broken jaw.

Adelaide

B: Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten, Jared Petrenko

HB: Simon Goodwin, Nathan Bock, Richard Douglas

C: Tyson Edwards, Bernie Vince, David Mackay

HF: Jason Porplyzia, Taylor Walker, Patrick Dangerfield

F: Andrew McLeod, Kurt Tippett, Trent Hentschel

Foll: Ivan Maric, Scott Thompson, Brent Reilly

I/C (from): Myke Cook, Chris Knights, Brett Burton, Scott Stevens, Shaun McKernan, Tony Armstrong, Chris Schmidt

In: Knights, McKernan, Armstrong, Stevens, Schmidt

Out: James Sellar (hamstring), Will Young

New: Chris Schmidt (Brisbane Lions)

• The real positive of Adelaide’s inclusions is not so much who they are, but the structure they bring. They have really missed Knights, and even Stevens will be strongly welcomed back! This will especially help the likes of Tippett who is copping way too much attention at full forward – Knights is a cool customer and will always take a good defender (as will a fit Porplyzia and Burton), meaning Tippett should really be getting better over the next few weeks.
• McKernan is a really interesting one – I really liked his one game last year (although it wasn’t especially DT-friendly) and he DID have a very low scoring pre-season… But he is destined to be a very good player and already has a body capable of stepping up. Definitely worth a good look at least!
• Schmidt is debuting for the club, but is not worth considering for dream team as he is purely a defender – his elevation off the rookie list may suggest he’ll get a few games though!

WESTERN BULLDOGS v HAWTHORN

Western Bulldogs

B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris

HB: Ryan Hargrave, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee

C: Brodie Moles, Matthew Boyd, Ryan Griffen

HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Shaun Higgins

F: Daniel Giansiracusa, Barry Hall, Jason Akermnanis

Foll: Ben Hudson, Adam Cooney, Daniel Cross

I/C (from): Dylan Addison, Andrejs Everitt, Josh Hill, Will Minson, Liam Picken, Jordan Roughead, Easton Wood

In: Addison, Roughead, Wood

Out: -

New: Jordan Roughead (North Ballarat)

• I’ve highlighted Moles on the sheet due to the fact he is named on the field for a Sunday game – this is just confirming he is a definite in for his second game of the season!
• Roughead MIGHT make his debut (he is named on an extended bench) and can be picked as a ruckman in DT. He showed some very good form through the pre-season, though as a KPP (he would play forward if at all), his scoring won’t be anything worth trading for.

Hawthorn

B: Josh Gibson, Stephen Gilham, Tom Murphy

HB: Rick Ladson, Ryan Schoenmakers, Brent Guerra

C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Grant Birchall

HF: Jarryd Morton, Lance Franklin, Chance Bateman

F: Campbell Brown, Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli

Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Xavier Ellis

I/C (from): Taylor Duryea, Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, Garry Moss, Carl Peterson, Ben Stratton, Brendan Whitecross, Matthew Suckling

In: Duryea, Kayler-Thomson, Moss, Stratton, Whitecross, Suckling

Out: Liam Shiels (suspended), Michael Osborne (suspended), Rhan Hooper (hamstring)

New: Taylor Duryea (Murray Bushrangers), Ben Stratton (East Perth)

• Two debuts for the Hawks; firstly, Duryea, who is a small outside midfielder is named on the extended bench. He average 19 disposals through his TAC days (however was a heavy handballer) – most of which came uncontested. He is only small – 179cm and 74kg, suggesting it may take him time to adjust to the rigors of AFL.
• Stratton is also named on the extended bench, but he could be a more likely inclusion than Duryea. Stratton is a mature-aged player, specifically targeted by the Hawks in the draft to fill their need for a medium defender (they need plenty of these against the Dogs). He only averaged 12 disposals through his TAC career, but the fact he is mature age (and plays in a position the Hawks lack cover for) means he could certainly be worth looking at.

FREMANTLE v GEELONG CATS

Fremantle

B: Jay van Berlo, Chris Tarrant, Ryan Crowley

HB: Greg Broughton, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden

C: Anthony Morabito, David Mundy, Paul Hasleby

HF: Michael Johnson, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill

F: Des Headland, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne

Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Michael Barlow, Paul Duffield

I/C (from): Matthew de Boer, Nick Suban, Steven Dodd, Nathan Fyfe, Kepler Bradley, Adam McPhee, Alex Silvagni

In: de Boer, Fyfe, Bradley, Dodd

Out: Garrick Ibbotson (shoulder)

New: Nathan Fyfe (Claremont)

• Fyfe is a ball winning medium forward, drafted to the Dockers with pick 20 in last year’s draft. He only averaged 42 points in the pre-season, but Mark Harvey’s love of picking the kids may see him earn plenty of opportunities this year.

Geelong Cats

B: Josh Hunt, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright

HB: James Kelly, Harry Taylor, Andrew Mackie

C: Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Ling, Joel Selwood

HF: Mitch Duncan, Tom Hawkins, Gary Ablett

F: Steve Johnson, James Podsiadly, Shannon Byrnes

Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Corey, Paul Chapman

I/C (from): Mark Blake, Ryan Gamble, Simon Hogan, Nathan Djerrkura, David Wojcinski, Taylor Hunt, Max Rooke

In: Podsiadly, Gamble, Hogan, Djerrkura, Rooke, Hunt

Out: Cameron Mooney (suspended), Matthew Scarlett (suspended), Steven Motlop (shoulder)

New: James Podsiadly (Geelong VFL), Taylor Hunt (Sandringham)

• With Mooney out suspended, Podsiadly will finally make his AFL debut after being selected at CHF four times in the VFL All-Australian squad. He is a big bodied recruit and there is little doubt he will be able to step straight into senior level in his first year at the Cats. He is 28 years old, so is full of experience – he kicked 68 goals in the VFL last year, suggesting he has the capabilities of kicking a bag in the AFL too.
• Taylor Hunt is named on the extended bench as a possible debut – Hunt is a running half-back, but has never been much of an accumulator, as he showed in the NAB cup with an average of 26 points.

Note: Check out Toby’s Team Selection Wrap for Round 3, published @ 6:30pm today!!!

We’re in the middle of restructuring a bit on Footy Tragic for 2010. With the launch of Toby’s new “Who’d You Rather?” article, I’ll also be doing something a bit different and a bit more statistically themed this year, based on the feedback from the poll last week. Failing being able to think of a different sort of spin this week, I’m just going to do another POTW article, but really smash the stats in.

But in a perverse way, I’ve gone and made it difficult for myself by writing about a kid who’s only played five games. I guess I don’t like giving myself much to work with. Anyway, an option in the midfield that has presented himself in the first two weeks is Jordie McKenzie from Melbourne.

He’s been a mini Dream Team revelation in Melbourne’s midfield with two scores over 100 this year. He’s only in 1883 teams and I dare say at least half of them will be dud auto select teams, so he is unique as all hell. I wanted to bring awareness to him, but not necessarily sell him.

I do quite like McKenzie, but it’s important not to just look at his DT scores and lock him in. At a shade over $200K only Barlow presents better value with the scores McKenzie has pulled so far. However, $200K is an awkward price for a trade in target. Do you want him to be a potential keeper, or will you use another trade to on trade him, using his anticipated price rise?

If you’re looking at McKenzie’s numbers and expecting him to keep it up, don’t be too surprised if he suddenly stops pulling tons. He should remain an efficient enough scorer, I don’t really doubt that, but if you look at the source of his scores he’s racking up an insane amount of tackles. 12 and 11 tackles in his first two games this year! I wouldn’t really be banking on him keeping up numbers like that for the whole year – he’s currently on track to pretty much double the tackle numbers Libba would rack up at the peak of his career.

As I said above, he should still remain an efficient enough scorer, but let’s just say he gets back to a considerably less insane four tackles per game, then you’re already down about 30 points per game. I know I’m speaking hypothetically, but it’s not unreasonable to expect his tackle numbers to drop – in fact, it’s completely unreasonable to think that he’ll keep them up.

The big question you’ll need to ask yourself as a DT coach, is can he make up the disposals? He hasn’t had over 20 touches in a game yet, so there’s the possibility that he can improve his other numbers to supplement any future drop in tackles. Personally I don’t like that there’s more of a higher likelihood that his tackle numbers will drop and no particular evidence to suggest his disposals will go up. They definitely can, but it’s a big risk to use a trade on an awkwardly priced player.

He was never a huge ball winner in TAC Cup, with his best games possession wise hovering around the low 20′s. His kicking isn’t a particularly big strength, so Melbourne have no reason to work the ball into his hands, so I see that as him needing to win a lot of his own ball.

He’ll be a very interesting point of difference for those that do pull the trigger on him. His numbers read potential keeper, but it’s very unlikely that he’ll maintain a 100 average, so if you do trade him in before his significant price rise this week you’d want him to keep generating enough cash over the next 10 or so weeks to bring a falling premium into your reach. The reservation I have with this is that I feel I already have those guys in Trengove and Martin (Barlow potential keeper, dare I say?) and the value of a trade is easily underestimated at this time of year. Maybe if you’ve decided to give up on your mid priced midfield smokey, McKenzie becomes a bit more relevant…

Note: Be sure to check out Toby’s extensive Weekend Wrap-Up from Round Two.

Welcome to the first of Footy Tragic’s two brand new articles for 2010, “Who’d you rather?” This article will replace the weekly poll, and will pitch two players of equal value (from the same position) up against each other – I will discuss the pros and cons of each player and give my executive decision of which I think is the better choice for your dream team. I will try to make these articles as relevant as possible. And it must be re-iterated, I am not discussing which is the better player of the game, but who is the better dream teamer! And just to make things more fun, a poll will be included for you to vote on which pick you would most prefer in your own dream team! Enjoy!

This week I will be looking two of the mid-priced rucks; this pre-season, many coaches spent hours deciding who would be their second ruck, and many looked at those players in the $200k – $250k price range. Unfortunately, as it is at round two, not all of these options have worked out (in fact, some of the premium options have been even worse!), so I am pitching two of the more impressive mid-priced ruckmen against each other, Mark Seaby and Todd Goldstein.

Mark Seaby:

I must admit, my feelings for Seaby through the pre-season were awfully sub-par. He didn’t look good at training and I thought he looked to lack any sort of intensity through the NAB cup. But oh how things have changed in the past two weeks – most notably in the game on the weekend (against Adelaide), Seaby really stepped up his physical presence in the contests and used his body size to his advantage, easily winning contested marks and fighting strong for the hard ball – he even laid six tackles! He reminded me a lot of Mitch Clark from 2009 where he racked up the hitouts and possessions around the ground, but was then able to drop back in the hole and win plenty of marks, or go forward and kick himself some goals. I honestly was really impressed with Seaby’s form on the weekend and believe that it was not just a flash in the pan. His other main advantage as a ruckman is the fact he plays for Sydney – the number one stoppage team in the league. Sydney’s incredible amount of stoppages leads to an increased number of rucking contests, meaning Seaby will contest more ruck contests than any other ruckman in the AFL – the stoppages won’t just help him win plenty of hitouts, but will also give him plenty of opportunities to be a key part of the play. One last gushing positive about the big man is his kick to handball ratio; rarely do ruckman use their boots to dispose of the ball, but so far this season Seaby has nearly used his boot once for every time he has handballed it – an incredibly good ratio for a ruckman!

Key Stats:

Kick : handball ratio: 1 : 1.2

Average Hitouts per game: 27 (5^th highest in AFL)

Average tackles per game: 3

Average Disposals per game: 16.5

Average Dream Team Points: 104.5

Price: $226,700

Todd Goldstein:

Probably not as much has been written about the big man from North as there has been on Mark Seaby, but it doesn’t mean that his start to the season has been any less impressive. He is still young, so does not yet have the experience, nor the history to base any real DT expectations on. However, on several occasions we have seen Goldstein step up and either play a big part in a game, or ever take it by the scruff of the neck as he did when he kicked five goals against Melbourne in 2009, earning him a NAB rising star nomination. Also this year his form has been very good, especially for a player in a losing team. His ability to not only play well in the ruck, but also at both ends of the ground is what has held him in good stead – although he hasn’t kicked any goals yet in 2010, he does have a good presence up forward (as in he’s not one of those ruckmen who have no idea where to lead etc). He is also capable of sitting in the hole down back and plucking marks as he showed against the Saints. As much as I have talked Goldstein up with his ability to play in key positions, rucking is still his specialty – he is very strong in the air and also when the ball hits the ground, which is not incredibly common for young ruckmen of his age. This year alone he has already won 36 hitouts (and so far he has played on strong ruckmen, Brogan and Gardiner), and the stat that has impressed me the most, his nine tackles! Of the more traditional ruckmen in the competition (i.e. not Naitanui), I believe that Goldstein is probably the best of the younger generation and the most likely to have some good DT improvement this year. He is capable in the air at winning hitouts, but also his work around the ground is rapidly improving, suggesting he has the ability to be a high-disposal ruckman and not just another gorilla only used at centre bounces.

Stats:

Kick : handball ratio – 1 : 1.5

Average Hitouts per game: 18 (12^th highest in AFL)

Average tackles per game: 4.5

Average Disposals per game: 14.5

Average Dream Team Points: 86.5

Price: $221,100

The Decision:

I believe that at the end of the day, Mark Seaby is the better pick between these two for a few reasons; the fact he is number one ruckman in the number one stoppage team in the league is a very persuasive fact all on its own – and not to say that Goldstein won’t get his opportunities in a youth focused North Melbourne, but McIntosh is always going to be in front of him. Seaby has already presented some pretty big scores to us in the first two rounds, and he was always going to be a decent dream teamer if given the chance. Seaby only turned me off in the pre-season due to his lack of intensity, but now that he has turned that around I believe he could be a great pickup! But don’t think for a moment that he will average 105 points all year, but even if he averages 90, that would be similar to what we got from Sandilands in 2009. Right now he is a bargain for what he can offer you, so now is the time to pounce if you are ever going to! And please don’t be dissuaded from picking up Goldstein if you are keen, as I believe that he too is set for some big improvements in 2010!