Footy Tragic

Western Bulldogs vs St.Kilda:

Looking Good:

• Daniel Giansiracusa: Played again through the midfield in Boyd’s absence and was one of the Dog’s better midfielders throughout. He spent a lot of time behind the ball which created his massive score – there were 30-something backwards kicks by the Dogs in this game (the AFL average is eight!), meaning he was treated to plenty of kicks and marks.
• Lenny Hayes: Was the strongest contributor for the Saints in all four quarters and looks back to the Hayes we know from seasons past – his game time was up, and his workrate continues to be second to none.
• Lindsay Gilbee: Played a huge game off half-back on second gamer Jack Steven. Like Gia, he spent plenty of time behind the ball, talking plenty of kicks and marks – don’t expect this sort of score to be the norm though!
• Jarrod Harbrow: Best player on the field – his dashing runs from defence were amazing. He is really taking his game to another level, and looks to be improving with every game.

Disappointing:

• Barry Hall: If history was something to go by, Barry Hall should have kicked a bag on Zac Dawson, but his solitary goal for the game came whilst being manned by Sam Fisher. Looked ready to punch-on again and it seems like it is only going to be weeks until he really snaps…
• David Armitage: This should have been the type of game where he dominated – in-and-under and dirty! But instead he managed only 10 disposals (two goals helped buffer his score). Shouldn’t lose his spot in the team, and still competes well, but I think his DT scoring may be too inconsistent, at least for now.
• Brad Johnson: Never particularly stepped up and had an impact through the game, even when it was in the balance in the last quarter. Will lose some respect after taking a dive which deserves to be looked at by the tribunal. I will give him some leeway though for the fact he is probably still very underdone – don’t expect him to get back to his form of a few years ago though at his age.

Blip on the Radar:

• Andrew McQualter: Was always a great ball-winner as a junior, but the role he plays for the Saints is a moderate disposal getter at best – he plays as a high-pressure forward, not so much for his goal-kicking, but for his ability to pressure and create turnovers. In this game he ventured more upfield that usual (due to the fact most of the game was played in the Bulldog’s half of the ground), meaning for a higher disposal count. Don’t be expecting it regularly though!

North Melbourne vs Melbourne:

Looking Good:

• Jack Grimes: Used as an attacking tagger, centring his attention on Daniel Wells. He begun to show the DT promise he showed us last year with 33 disposals. Hopefully Bailey continues to play him in attacking positions, allowing him to become the DT star we all know he can be!
• Daniel Wells: This is now Wells’ third very good game in a row – he finally seems to be turning his form and consistency around under the tutelage of Brad Scott. He again played as an outside midfielder, resting in the forward line (and kicked two goals) – is looking really exciting!
• Andrew Swallow: Only won the 21 disposals, but a huge nine tackles went a long way to giving him his great score. Swallow is a real meat-and-potatoes midfielder, but he can do the tough stuff really well.

Disappointing:

• Ben Warren: Kicked only the one goal, playing exclusively in the forward line, with absolutely no time through the midfield – a real disappointment after the great pre-season form he showed!
• Colin Sylvia: I’m sure he had plenty of coaches cursing as they traded him in this week for the big bucks. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones noticing Sylvia’s strong form and Brad Scott sat Rawlings on him. He should bounce back, but it is a concern that he struggled to break the tag, albeit from a very good tagger.
• Matthew Bate: After his brilliant game last week against the Lions, Bate had very little effect on the game, being well held by Hansen. Bate is a very important cog in the Melbourne team, so it is important he doesn’t have too many more shockers like this.

Blip on the Radar:

• Lynden Dunn: Had a very good game playing purely as an attacking midfielder, however this is not Dunn’s typical role. Dunn is generally used as a tagger for Melbourne, regularly being used to shut-down the opposition’s bigger bodied midfielders (e.g. Goddard), however with Wells and Harvey the main Roos playmakers, Dunn was let off the tagging leash, however he should be straight back into it next week against the Doggies.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Robbie Gray: If there was a player’s game that made me angry this weekend, it was this one – after two average games in a row, Gray got the chop from my side before his expected price downfall, only for him to walk away after game number three with best-on-ground honours. He again played purely as a forward, but his great footy brain saw him able to kick five goals.
• Kane Cornes: Proved again that he is back in form in 2010, which is great news for those trusting Mr. Reliable in their team. As he has done most of his career, he shut down his opponent comprehensively whilst helping himself to a lazy 29 touches.
• Tyson Edwards: Like Kane, Tyson is a highly unheralded dream teamer – he consistently scores big numbers, and has done so now for a very long time. Always manages to find space and get the ball, despite in this case being tagged by Cassisi.

Disappointing:

• Nathan Bock: Strangely really sacrificed his own run from defence to quell Westhoff – my opinion is that he is probably not 100% fit and this caused him to spend more time in defence than do the rebounding work – will be a good one to check out in a few weeks once he has bottomed out and regained his fitness.
• David Rodan: Had a fantastic last quarter and really set up the win… The trouble was he did very little for the three quarters leading up to that!
• Jay Shultz: Kicked the first goal and did nothing much after that – he was even moved in the backline in the last quarter, but still there was no spark. Has had a good season to date, so it was disappointing to see him to return to his inconsistent days at Richmond.

Blip on the Radar:

• Scott Stevens: Played well in this game as a forward, but he is just as likely to play next week deep in defence – one of the game’s better swing-men, however it does nothing for his DT consistency! Should have scored better here too – he kicked 1.6!! Shocking!

Essendon vs Hawthorn:

Looking Good:

• David Hille: Hille really looks like his is coming into some form – whilst he started the game slowly, he was one of the harder workers from the second quarter onwards. He is looking much fitter around the ground and not so slow. And for those concerned about his report, it really should be thrown out – whilst he made contact, he made every attempt to avoid it.
• Brent Stanton: Is just not slowing down! The best part is that taggers are not interested in him due to his below average disposal efficiency (and the fact that Watson is more important to the Dons), meaning he will continue to have free reign through the midfield, picking up disposals as he likes.
• Clinton Young: This was his third game for the season, and boy do they need him in form. Young is probably one of the most important players for the Hawks, with his pin-pointed forays into the forward line a huge missing ingredient in their failed 2009 campaign. He is regaining fitness and form and could be a great value pick in your midfield.

Disappointing:

• Jarryd Roughead: Was abysmal for the entire game – it was not so much the fact he was well beaten by Fletcher, but he just wasn’t even trying! He kept making half-leads, often pulling out if it when it looked like he wouldn’t get an easy grab. His two kicks for goals lacked effort or preparation, he refused to chase his opponents and deserves to be playing for Box Hill next week. Easily one of the worst individual performances by a senior player this year.
• Jarrod Atkinson: I must admit, I’ve spent a bit of time talking this guy up, but unfortunately he wasn’t overly impressive, at least from a DT perspective. Whilst he is fast and loves to run the ball from defence, it seems to happen too rarely to really trouble the statisticians. Maybe in time, but at the moment his teammates are not using him as their preferred rebounding option.
• Jarrod Kayler-Thomson: Ironically, the third of three “Jarrod’s” to have a poor game – after a great game last week, this one did nothing to make us confident he will keep his spot. Only the 11 possessions and never really seemed to get into the game.

Blip on the Radar:

• Brent Prismall: I thought he was great. I think he is a great player. I clearly have no idea as Prismall has been languishing in the twos for the past three weeks! Every time he plays he will continue to score well, however the worry is that Knights will spontaneously draw his name from the hat marked “Bendigo” and he will be out of the team again. Unfortunately, it’s not that I don’t trust Prismall’s scoring ability, I just don’t trust the coach…

Sydney vs Brisbane:

Looking Good:

• Kieren Jack: Ok… Sometimes it is important to admit when you’re wrong; last week I labelled Jack’s amazing game as a blip on the radar, but watching his game again this week, I feel this sort of scoring may be a bit more common than I had originally anticipated. He really takes the game on and is as tough as nails. What’s more, 18 of his 23 disposals were kicks – he clearly loves his DT!
• Jonathan Brown: After an absolute stinker last week, the skipper came out swinging, kicking the first two goals of the game. He went on to kick two more and looked back to his regular self. My guess is that the injury is still lingering, but I can’t imagine it will effect again him as much as it did last week.
• Daniel Bradshaw: Stuck it to his old club, booting six goals – he is looking a formidable force in Sydney’s new high-scoring game plan. Admittedly, his opposition Maguire lacked any sort of speed or agility, but still, that can’t take the six goals away from the big guy.

Disappointing:

• Mark Seaby: It is frequently joked about in dream team circles; the worst possible DT game – it is one hit out, then an injury, and that is exactly what happened to Seaby. Not only do all his owners get one lousy point for him (and subsequently miss out on an emergency taking his place), but they also lose a crap-load of money… Just be thankful it wasn’t Jon Griffen’s game from a few years ago; one handball, a free against and injury, finishing the game on -1…
• Matt Maguire: Whilst his score of 54 is all that can really be expected of him, it is worth noting that Maguire has just about peaked in price, meaning that now is the time to trade him to a falling premium defender such as Hargrave.
• Matthew Leuenberger: With Sydney’s main ruckman succumbing to injury early in the first term, Leuenberger should have seized the game by the neck, but instead he had his quietest game of the season. Unfortunatley too, Clark stepped up in his place, suggesting the scores of each will continue to fluctuate as they rotate each week as the first ruck.

Blip on the Radar:

• Mitch Clark: Stepped up in this game, but I feel that this sort of score can’t be relied upon due to the increasing form of his fellow ruck, Leuenberger. Whilst he is now dirt-cheap, I would much prefer to recommend jumping on a player like Cox who will definitely be first ruck every week – Clark will share duties with Leuey, meaning his scores will frustratingly fluctuate week to week.

Geelong vs Richmond:

Looking Good:

• Steve Johnson: As it was expected, Johnson seemed to do as he pleased, kicking five goals from 26 disposals and 13 marks. He has had a slow start to the season, so the query is now whether he is now in great form, or did Richmond just make him look good?
• James Podsiadly: Pods was once again the dominant tall-target in the Cats forward line, booting five goals. He doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon, and seems to be the key target in the forward line thanks to his accurate left boot.
• Paul Chapman: Did as he pleased all game, racking up 33 disposals and two goals. I just wish I could allow myself to pick him – surely he’s due for a hamstring strain sometime soon…

Disappointing:

• Nathan Foley: Is suffering from a tough initiation to the season – in just his second game of the year, Ling sat on him, giving him no room, even when the match was far from won. With Deledio’s move to the backline, it seems that Foley will regularly get the most attention from opposition taggers.
• Brad Ottens: Unfortunately, Ottens didn’t join the party, despite starting the game stronly. He only broke even with Simmonds in the ruck in one of his worse games of the year.
• Alex Rance: Was trialled as a forward again (like he was for the second half of last week), but he just got no delivery. He looks capable, but until the Tigers can deliver the ball inside 50 more than four times a game I would look elsewhere.

Blip on the Radar:

• Shane Tuck: He may have won himself 38 disposals, but his direct opponent kicked five goals and was nearly best on ground… Will be continually under pressure to keep his spot each week and this would scare me if he were in my team…

Carlton vs Collingwood:

Looking Good:

• Dane Swan: The first week I didn’t make him captain… well, that’ll teach me! Swan had a beauty and finally looks to be coming into some of his high possession winning form of 2009 – the fact he wasn’t tagged made a huge difference too! He seems to be working much harder too as his eight tackles proved.
• Paul Bower: Worked hard off Cloke, setting up plenty of the Blue’s run. I really like how he is coming along as a player and looks very capable at DT. Bower started his career as a dour defender, but has shown in recent times that he is capable of reading the play well and running off his man, picking up plenty of disposals on the way.
• Luke Ball: Ball played a game that Ross Lyon would have been happy with – whilst winning plenty of the ball in the centre square, he was able to spread wide and found himself kicking three goals. But those who traded him shouldn’t get too concerned – he won’t be able to replicate this too many times this season if history is anything to go by.

Disappointing:

• Leon Davis: Those who thought they were picking up a bargain with Davis in the past couple of weeks may now find themselves mistaken. Once again Davis showed an inability to break a tag as Aaron Joseph took him totally out of the match. He is still playing through the midfield and with stints in the forward line, although this isn’t really making much difference. Personally, I won’t be picking him in my team until he shows a bit of confidence in his own ability first!
• Brock McLean: The Blues recruited him to help Juddy out under the packs, but it seems Judd doesn’t need any help – he just does it all himself. McLean will keep his spot, but don’t look for his scoring to be too huge or consistent.
• Darren Jolly: Easily won at the bounces, but his work around the ground seems to be totally inexistent. His 30 hitouts accounted for nearly half his total DT score, showing that he is nowhere near the form he has shown capable of at Sydney.

Blip on the Radar:

• Chris Dawes: Dawes smashed third-gamer White, kicking three goals from 17 disposals at full-forward. Dawes has shown ability in the VFL, but he is not at the level where he will give this sort of output against many of the top sides. Expect occasional games where he kicks a few goals, but I don’t see him capable of being a player who does it on a regular basis.

West Coast vs Fremantle:

Looking Good:

• Michael Barlow: Worked really hard through a tag from Matt Rosa to win best-on-ground honours. He is a really smart footballer and knows exactly where to put himself to win the ball, but also disposes of it really well. His ability to break a tag is a new feather in his cap. As it is he is looking like a keeper for season 2010!
• Matthew Pavlich: Pav really stepped up in the second half to help win the game for the Dockers. I had my doubts over him through the pre-season, but with his team in great form, the Pav is looking rejuvenated, hungry and in for a huge year.
• Brad Ebert: Was easily the best Eagle on the ground and probably the best overall player to half-time. He has really taken a big step this year and has a game perfectly cut out for dream team – wins plenty of ball, makes plenty of tackles, can kick a goal and has a good set of hands… I just wish I’d listened to Dan’s rantings about him pre-season!

Disappointing:

• Ben McKinley: I’ve stated a few times this year that McKinley should be played to help the Eagles structure, but I now take all of that back – he was just a waste of space on the ground and had absolutely no effect on the game, even when the Eagles were in control early on.
• Quinten Lynch: Should find himself back in the WAFL next week after a terrible game – he just lacked so much confidence that used to be a big feature of his game. Clearly the orders to him are to no longer just bomb it long – unfortunately, that is what his game was lacking…
• Chris Masten: Had his ACL ruptured by what I thought was an illegal bump from McPhee – this was especially disappointing due to the fact he was playing clearly his best game so far this year…

Blip on the Radar:

• Eric MacKenzie: I thought he played a really good game, running confidently out of defence, but then, his opponent was McPhee… He is typically a dour defender with the ability to provide some run, but don’t expect it being a big feature of his game, at least not this year.

Expert: Dan
Team: Hank Scorpio EDT
Current Ranking:3,727
Round 6 Score: 2,142
Trades Remaining: 16
Team Changes This Week: None

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Current Ranking: 1,606
Round 6 Score: 2,141
Trades Remaining: 15
Team Changes This Week:
In: Ashton Hams, Colin Sylvia
Out: Robbie Gray, Josh Hunt

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Current Ranking: 116
Round 6 Score: 2,179
Trades Remaining: 16
Team Changes This Week:
In: Leigh Montagna, Ashton Hams
Out: Dustin Martin, Rick Ladson

Don’t forget to check out the final Tuney’s Tuition from this morning – Tuney looks at the best Captain theories

WESTERN BULLDOGS v ST KILDA
Western Bulldogs
B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris
HB: Ryan Hargrave, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee
C: Nathan Eagleton, Daniel Cross, Andrejs Everitt
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Daniel Giansiracusa, Barry Hall, Jason Akermanis
Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney
I/C: Dylan Addison, Jarrad Grant, Shaun Higgins, Jordan Roughead
Emg: Matthew Boyd, Josh Hill, Easton Wood

In: Hargrave
Out: Brodie Moles (ankle)

• Disappointing to see Moles come out of the side, especially after scoring his first ton last week. Hargrave comes into his place, which will hopefully see his price continue to plummet… At least for those who don’t own him!
• Boyd as first emergency is an interesting one – was cleared by the docs this week, but it was always going to be a tough side to break into… Surely there would be a late change to bring him in though, so be sure to check the final teams for this game at 6:00 tomorrow!

St Kilda
B: Jason Blake, Zac Dawson, Sam Gilbert
HB: Steven Baker, Sam Fisher, Brendon Goddard
C: Farren Ray, Nick Dal Santo, Raphael Clarke
HF: Andrew McQualter, James Gwilt, Adam Schneider
F: David Armitage, Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne
Foll: Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna
I/C: Jack Steven, Jarryn Geary, Clinton Jones, Steven King
Emg: Robert Eddy, Brett Peake, Ben McEvoy

In: Ray, Steven
Out: Brett Peake, Robert Eddy

• Peake out is a fair call by the Saints – give him a run at Sandy and see how he goes…
• Jack Steven will play his first game of the year (second for his career) and i am personally really excited – his debut last year was fantastic, so fingers crossed he can replicate that form regularly. He is a nuggety HFF who loves to tackle and can kick a good goal – he has long been likened to Paul Chapman.

NORTH MELBOURNE v MELBOURNE
North Melbourne
B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings
HB: Nathan Grima, Lachlan Hansen, Sam Wright
C: Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington, Ryan Bastinac
HF: Aaron Edwards, Todd Goldstein, Brent Harvey
F: Daniel Wells, David Hale, Ben Warren
Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Liam Anthony
I/C: Lindsay Thomas, Leigh Adams, Levi Greenwood, Scott McMahon
Emg: Ben Ross, Josh Smith, Cruize Garlett

In: Wright
Out: Gavin Urquhart (knee)

• Wright coming in in good news for his owners, however the question remains as to whether he will score much more than 40 points though – possibly the fact he is up against a young Dees side could see his output increased!

Melbourne
B: James McDonald, Matthew Warnock, James Frawley
HB: Cameron Bruce, Colin Garland, Clint Bartram
C: Jack Trengove, Aaron Davey, Nathan Jones
HF: Brad Green, Ricky Petterd, Lynden Dunn
F: Colin Sylvia, Matthew Bate, Stefan Martin
Foll: Mark Jamar, Jack Grimes, Brent Moloney
I/C: Joel Macdonald, Jordie McKenzie, Tom Scully, Jamie Bennell
Emg: Rohan Bail, Jared Rivers, Jake Spencer

No change

• Second week in a row unchanged for the Dees! With Bail and Rivers waiting in the wings, everyone will want to work hard to keep their spots!

ADELAIDE v PORT ADELAIDE
Adelaide
B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Michael Doughty
HB: Andrew McLeod, Nathan Bock, Simon Goodwin
C: Matthew Jaensch, Brent Reilly, Nathan van Berlo
HF: Jason Porplyzia, Brett Burton, Bernie Vince
F: Jared Petrenko, Kurt Tippett, Richard Douglas
Foll: Ivan Maric, Scott Thompson, Tyson Edwards
I/C: Myke Cook, Phil Davis, Scott Stevens, Chris Schmidt
Emg: Jonathon Griffin, Taylor Walker, Jack Gunston

In: Bock, Jaensch, Stevens
Out: Patrick Dangerfield (hand), Chris Knights (foot), Ricky Henderson (hamstring)

New: Matthew Jaensch (Sturt/rookie list)

• Jaensch will make his debut for the Crows – he is a lively medium sized forward with a good ability to win the ball at the junior levels. He is 20 years old, so is classified as a mature-aged player – he comes off the rookie list. I’d want to see him play though before trading him in.
• Dangerfield and Knights are both massive losses for the Crows, and each should be expected to spend a few weeks on the sidelines.
• Bock will come into the side which is very good news, however the great news is the fact that Phil Davis has been able to keep his spot despite Bock’s recall.

Port Adelaide
B: Jacob Surjan, Alipate Carlile, Troy Chaplin
HB: Paul Stewart, Chad Cornes, Steven Salopek
C: Danyle Pearce, Domenic Cassisi, Jason Davenport
HF: Matt Thomas, Warren Tredrea, David Rodan
F: Robbie Gray, Brett Ebert, Justin Westhoff
Foll: Dean Brogan, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes
I/C: Hamish Hartlett, Jay Schulz, Nathan Krakouer, Josh Carr
Emg: Cameron Hitchcock, Matthew Lobbe, Michael Pettigrew

In: Davenport, Krakouer
Out: Tom Logan (concussion), Matthew Lobbe

• Both Krakouer and Davenport are big ins for the Power – they were both out with minor injuries.
• It seems the second ruck experiment with Lobbe has failed after only one week as he is back to the SANFL

ESSENDON v HAWTHORN
Essendon
B: Heath Hocking, Dustin Fletcher, Ricky Dyson
HB: Jarrod Atkinson, Cale Hooker, Henry Slattery
C: Mark McVeigh, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton
HF: Angus Monfries, Scott Gumbleton, Brent Prismall
F: Alwyn Davey, Michael Hurley, Sam Lonergan
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Andrew Welsh, Jason Winderlich
I/C: Courtenay Dempsey, Nathan Lovett-Murray, David Zaharakis, David Hille
Emg: Kyle Hadighan, Ben Howlett, Tyson Slattery

In: Davey, Prismall, Atkinson, Lonergan
Out: Jake Melksham, Travis Colyer, Tayte Pears (arm), Kyle Reimers (hand)

• The axe has swung again at Essendon, and those with either Melksham or Colyer will be spitting chips (and those with Howlett for that matter!). We will hopefully see more of these boys later in the year when Knights finally realises that Essendon can’t win the premiership this year and he still needs to build these kids for the future!
• Reimers and Pears will each be out for over a month, so trade if you have either of them!
• Prismall finally comes back into the squad, and Atkinson comes in for his first game of the year – i liked Atkinson’s finish to last year as a running half-back, and despite a poor NAB cup, i would still be keeping watch on him – a potential smokey!

Hawthorn
B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy
HB: Ben Stratton, Ryan Schoenmakers, Grant Birchall
C: Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, Liam Shiels, Jordan Lewis
HF: Cyril Rioli, Lance Franklin, Chance Bateman
F: Michael Osborne, Jarryd Roughead, Campbell Brown
Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell
I/C: Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson, Brendan Whitecross, Clinton Young
Emg: Garry Moss, Beau Muston, Carl Peterson

In: Renouf
Out: Carl Peterson

• Two of the least surprising changes this week – Peterson has been out of form for a couple of weeks and they desperately need Renouf. It is also great to see JKT given his third game!
• Sam Mitchell has not been named, intimating he is still suffering from the hamstring issue which saw him miss last week.

SYDNEY SWANS v BRISBANE LIONS
Sydney Swans
B: Rhyce Shaw, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Tadhg Kennelly
HB: Martin Mattner, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski
C: Jarrad McVeigh, Brett Kirk, Lewis Jetta
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Adam Goodes, Josh Kennedy
F: Mark Seaby, Daniel Bradshaw, Jarred Moore
Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack
I/C: Daniel Hannebery, Ted Richards, Nick Smith, Jesse White
Emg: Ed Barlow, Gary Rohan, Pat Veszpremi

In: Richards
Out: Craig Bolton (achilles)

• Nothing particularly exciting at the Swans this week. Looking forward to Veszpremi getting a game though – he kicked 5 goals on the weekend in a great display!

Brisbane Lions
B: Ashley McGrath, Matt Maguire, Josh Drummond
HB: Travis Johnstone, Joel Patfull, Andrew Raines
C: Daniel Rich, Simon Black, Justin Sherman
HF: Luke Power, Jonathan Brown, James Polkinghorne
F: Brent Staker, Brendan Fevola, Todd Banfield
Foll: Mitchell Clark, Jared Brennan, Michael Rischitelli
I/C: Jack Redden, Matthew Leuenberger, Matt Austin, Amon Buchanan
Emg: Troy Selwood, James Hawksley, Tom Rockliff

In: Buchanan, Sherman, Austin, Power
Out: Daniel Merrett (hamstring), Albert Proud, James Hawksley, Tom Rockliff

• I hate you Voss!! I can’t believe that Rockliff has been dropped from the side… hopefully it won’t be for too long, but all we have to do is hold tight – he has plenty more money to make, he just needs the games!
• Buchanan is a good inclusion – he has great DT potential in this lineup and is a good price, so keep an eye on him!

GEELONG CATS v RICHMOND
Geelong Cats
B: Darren Milburn, Tom Lonergan, Josh Hunt
HB: Corey Enright, Harry Taylor, Andrew Mackie
C: James Kelly, Cameron Ling, David Wojcinski
HF: Tom Hawkins, James Podsiadly, Paul Chapman
F: Steve Johnson, Cameron Mooney, Gary Ablett
Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel
I/C (from): Mark Blake, Shannon Byrnes, Simon Hogan, Ryan Gamble, Allen Christensen, Mitchell Duncan, Travis Varcoe

In: Varcoe, Gamble, Christensen, Duncan
Out: Max Rooke (knee)

New: Allen Christensen (Geelong Falcons)

• Varcoe is named for his first game of the year and is a big inclusion – he had a massive pre-season and looked likely for a breakout year before injury struck. Keep an eye on him! Duncan is the other big inclusion (assuming he makes the Friday night cut!)
• Christensen is named on the extended bench for his debut and if he does play could be a great DT prospect (probably more so in the future than this year though). As a junior he was an elite ball winner with fantastic disposal skills – he averaged 26.5 disposals through his 15 games in the TAC cup last year. He had a fantastic year which culminated in coming runner up in the Morrish Medal (the TAC equivalent to the Brownlow). This kid should be a star in future years so certainly keep an eye on his early games!

Richmond
B: Luke McGuane, Will Thursfield, Kelvin Moore
HB: Shane Tuck, Brett Deledio, Chris Newman
C: Shane Edwards, Daniel Jackson, Ben Cousins
HF: Ben Nason, Jack Riewoldt, Robin Nahas
F: Mitch Morton, Alex Rance, David Astbury
Foll: Tyrone Vickery, Dean Polo, Nathan Foley
I/C (from): Troy Simmonds, Matt White, Jeromey Webberley, Mitch Farmer, Andrew Collins, Tom Hislop, Matthew Dea

In: Hislop, White, Morton, Jackson, Polo, Thursfield, Webberley
Out: Richard Tambling (leg), Trent Cotchin (leg), Troy Taylor (leg), Dustin Martin (soreness)

New: Jeromey Webberley (Clarence)

• Another SEVEN changes for Richmond this week, one of which is Jeromey Webberley, who is finally named for his first game (on the extended bench mind you!). He is a middle-aged recruit taken midway through last years draft and is a running half-back. He is capable of winning a bit of ball, and he scored 78 points against Collingwood in the pre-season, suggesting that he is capable at senior level. Could be a great downgrade target in a couple of weeks.
• There are several big outs for Richmond though, with Tambling, Cotchin, Taylor, and worst of all, Dustin Martin sidelined. The fact Martin is only out with ‘soreness’ intimates it will only be a week/they don’t want him being murdered by Geelong.

CARLTON v COLLINGWOOD
Carlton
B: Ryan Houlihan, Michael Jamison, Aaron Joseph
HB: Paul Bower, Simon White, Jordan Russell
C: Bryce Gibbs, Chris Judd, Kade Simpson
HF: Brock McLean, Setanta O’hAilpin, Marc Murphy
F: Eddie Betts, Lachie Henderson, Chris Yarran
Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Heath Scotland, Andrew Carrazzo
I/C (from): Dennis Armfield, Jeff Garlett, Shaun Grigg, Sam Jacobs, Kane Lucas, Mitch Robinson, Jarrad Waite

In: Waite, Bower, Grigg, Jacobs, Robinson
Out: Andrew Walker (collarbone), Robert Warnock

• Warnock is an annoying out more than anything else – his form hasn’t been fantastic, so it is no surprise they are sending him back to the bullants for a week or two.
• Waite and Bower are a couple of good inclusions for the Blues – it is good to see though that despite the inclusion of two backmen, White is still named at CHB in the side!

Collingwood
B: Heath Shaw, Ben Reid, Ben Johnson
HB: Harry O’Brien, Nick Maxwell, Sharrod Wellingham
C: Luke Ball, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom
HF: Josh Fraser, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak
F: Dayne Beams, Paul Medhurst, Leon Davis
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas
I/C (from): Brent Macaffer, John McCarthy, Tarkyn Lockyer, Simon Buckley, Nathan Brown, Chris Dawes, Alan Toovey

In: Buckley, McCarthy, Lockyer
Out: -

New: Simon Buckley (Melbourne)

• Simon Buckley has been named on the extended bench for his first game of the year. Last year Buckley was delisted by Melbourne and picked up by Collingwood in the draft – he is a running backman, capable of also running through the middle. He is dirt cheap for what he offers (he averaged 77 points at Melbourne in 2008), however he less than impressed through the NAB cup. I doubt he will actually play this week, but it is good to see him on the verge!

WEST COAST v FREMANTLE
West Coast
B: Shannon Hurn, Darren Glass, Brett Jones
HB: Scott Selwood, Will Schofield, Andrew Embley
C: Matt Rosa, Matt Priddis, Brad Ebert
HF: Ashton Hams, Josh Kennedy, Beau Waters
F: Nic Naitanui, Quinten Lynch, Mark LeCras
Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Selwood, Tom Swift
I/C (from): Mitchell Brown, Chris Masten, Eric MacKenzie, Patrick McGinnity, Ben McKinley, Brad Sheppard, Lewis Stevenson

In: Lynch, McKinley, MacKenzie, Swift, Sheppard
Out: Matthew Spangher, Bradd Dalziell

New: Brad Sheppard (East Fremantle)

• Sheppard is the main DT concern listed above – he is named for his debut much later than was initially expected. He had a brilliant pre-season, impressing everyone at the Eagles before having a very less than ordinary NAB cup. Whilst in his junior days Sheppard was an attacking backman, his NAB games suggested Woosha would play him much deeper in defence than is good for DT purposes. Still, keep an eye on him though as his pedigree suggests he will one day be a star!
• Also, Ashton Hams is named for his third game and is named on the field, meaning he will definitely play.

Fremantle
B: Alex Silvagni, Chris Tarrant, Ryan Crowley
HB: Greg Broughton, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden
C: Adam McPhee, David Mundy, Paul Hasleby
HF: Michael Johnson, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill
F: Matt de Boer, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Michael Barlow, Paul Duffield
I/C (from): Nathan Fyfe, Rhys Palmer, Anthony Morabito, Byron Schammer, Dylan Roberton, Kepler Bradley, Zac Clarke

In: Schammer, Palmer, Roberton, Bradley, Clarke
Out: Clancee Pearce, Jay van Berlo

New: Dylan Roberton (Dandenong Stingrays)

• As discussed earlier, Fremantle had to demote two of their rookies due to Thornton and Ruffles coming off the long term injury list – it seems that Pearce and Van Berlo are the unlucky ones – neither will get another game unless if Fremantle have another LTI, or at the conclusion of round 11, Freo can nominate one rookie to be permanently elevated.
• Palmer comes in for his first game of the year – he has now played five games straight in the WAFL and is in very good form – I know i will be looking at him very closely, especially with the sort of form Freo are currently in!
• Dylan Roberton will debut (extended bench again) – he is a tall defender, the worst kind of player for DT unfortunately! Whilst he averaged 18 disposals in the TAC cup, he is still very raw by AFL standards and will take a while to build up the body appropriate to play consistent top level footy. He averaged only 34 points in the NAB cup.

Dear Footy Tragics,

This article is the last in the 2010 series of “Tuney’s Tuition”. From next Thursday, I’ll be heading down a different path with my weekly article.

In this final article, rather than give you a dreamteam tutorial, I’m going to discuss my own personal dreamteam achilles heal. It’s something I’ve battled for over 12 months and I know that I’m not the only one who struggles with the dreaded weekly captain choice.

Each week, no matter how many points I score, I end up kicking myself whenever my captian is not my highest scoring player for the round. As you could imagine, this happens most weeks.

Last Sunday I watched the Collingwood vs Essendon game at the MCG. To my delight, Bren Stanton not only returned to the Essendon line up, he ran free and racked up 34 possessions, 9 marks and 6 tackles on his way to 139 dreamteam points. To my disgust, in the very same match my captain Dane Swan could only managed 25 possessions, 6 marks and 1 tackle on his way to just 83 dreamteam points. For the second time in four weeks, my $523,500 investment Dane Swan had failed to reach 85 dreamteam points as my captain. The final wash up was that I cost myself 56 points by choosing Swan over Stanton as my captain in Round 5.

I’ve long been a fan of choosing one captain pre season and locking him in, because choosing a winner week to week is virtually impossible. Most dreamteamers would have thought Dane Swan would have carved up both Melbourne and Essendon at the MCG. I even joked to a mate that Swan could score 200 points against the Demons in Round 2! Unfortunately, Swan pulled in just 21 possessions and a paltry 84 points.

My reason for selecting Dane Swan can be traced back to the early rounds of 2009, where my long standing captain Kane Cornes was suffering his first form slump in recent dreamteam memory. The consummate professional in Cornes had let me down after years of impeccable service. I vowed not to repeat my mistake in 2010, so I chose the best dreamteam player money could buy in Dane Swan. Needless to say, this plan has failed miserably thus far.

My ongoing saga continues this week, with Dane Swan playing against Carlton, Jimmy Bartel playing Richmond, Brent Stanton playing Hawthorn and Bryce Gibbs playing Collingwood. All four have the potential to post massive scores, yet only one of these four will prove to be the correct captain choice in Round 6.

All the best research in the world leads to nothing, when your chosen skipper who has averaged 140 points per game against his upcoming opponent, has an off day and can’t get his hands on the footy. All players are entitled to a poor performance, but not when you are our skipper please!

Good luck!

Once again, there’s so many guys on the bubble, but this week I’ll do a quick analysis on some falling premiums. I don’t want to paint one side of the picture without the other…but I’ll keep it kind of brief, let’s face it, this is taking me ages to write.

Dean Cox – West Coast ($377,700 RUC, Break even: 78, price drop this season: $93,800)

Cox has started horrendously slow this season, which is most unlike him. Typically Dean Cox has two types of scores – big ones, or 0′s because he is not playing. Luckily for those of us who didn’t start him this year he started the season with 52, 45 and 73, dropping his price right down and his break even way up. Even with his last two games being 99 and 102 he’s still been going down in price.

How good is that? We get to see him back in full form while his price continues to plummet. Anyway, his price will be on the way back up now and I’ll be extremely surprised if he gets cheaper than this in 2010.

For those who planned on trading him in for your mid priced ruckman now is the time to get rid of a Seaby, Naitanui or Ottens – they’ve done their job for now and for the first time ever it’s accessible to trade a $250K ruckman for Cox if you’ve got a little bit of cash. Those with Hille (like me) might have a tougher decision this week. Hille has had a 114 and 87 over the last two weeks, so has scored the exact same as Cox. Hille only has a break even of 16 this week, so maybe you could wait another week…or do you even bank on Hille being a potential keeper? Can opened, worms everywhere. Would love some discussion on this predicament…

One thing to consider with Cox for this week is that he is playing against Sandilands. Even though I expect Cox to get his break even, Sandilands will be much tougher opposition than anyone else he’ll face. The week after, however, Cox is up against Hawthorn, who’s ruck stocks range from Brent Renouf to an inanimate carbon rod. He could potentially be restricted a bit this week, but next week he could score, like 730 DT points.

Alan Didak – Collingwood ($388,600 MID/FWD Break even: 92, price drop this season: $62,700)

The thing I’m loving about Didak this year is that he’s only had one really ordinary game (52) and a couple of consecutive 80′s to bring his price down. In the past goals have really assisted his DT scoring, but this year he’s been playing a more exclusive midfield role. He’s still able to bob up for a goal here or there, but he’s looking very much like a player than can pull down tons, whether or not he’s getting goals. I see his goals now as more of a bonus than an important element of his scoring potential.

His next three games are against Carlton, North and Freo. Carlton haven’t been too bad at restricting him in the past, but he did get a 96 against them last year and a 95 in 2008 (he did also have a 44 in a separate encounter in 08). I think his form is hot enough to make him a big chance for a great score this week. He didn’t play against North last year, but I can see him cutting them up and he scored 116 and 77 against them in 08. I’m sure Didak owners remember his 156 against Freo from last year very fondly too.

His big price drop makes it look like he’s been a lot worse than he has been. His form hasn’t been too bad at all and I reckon he’s just about to hit a good patch. Didak is a player that tends to kill it in a big way over a few weeks, for example last year he had a five week run where his lowest score was 121.

Phil Davis – Adelaide ($94,500 BAC/FWD, Break even: -70)

First two games: 69 vs. Carlton (L), 71 vs. Western Bulldogs (L) = 70 avg.

I’ve really like the start to Phil Davis’ AFL career. After a very disappointing NAB Cup, I didn’t think he’d be one to consider this year, but he looks a completely different player. I thought he was one of Adelaide’s best on Friday night (which puts him in a category slightly above handicapped). He finds plenty of space in the back half and Adelaide aren’t afraid to chip it around, resulting in a lot of +6′s. Not a bad option if you need a back or a forward, but be wary of his job security in the long term. He seems like someone who is great when things are going his way, but completely anonymous when it’s not going well for him. With Bock and Stevens to come back in, he’s done enough to hold his spot for now, but a bad game could see him go back to the SANFL.

Simon White – Carlton ($77,800 BAC, Break even: -74)

First two games: 74 vs. Adelaide (W), 58 vs. Geelong (W) = 66 avg.

Once again, someone who’s job security I wasn’t sold on, but with Andrew Walker going down it slightly improves his spot in the team. Keep in mind that his debut game coincided with the week Thornton and Waite got dropped though, so if Ratten goes for his more experienced players then White could be on the chopping block. They’ve also got Paul Bower to come back into their defence. He scores well enough and his first two games have been promising enough. I really liked his NAB Cup too and was one I had my eye on hoping he was named Round 1. As I mentioned last week, I’m very skeptical of young kids under Ratten – he loves giving them a taste and sending them back to VFL.

Ben Howlett – Essendon ($77,800 MID, Break even: -79)

First two games: 74 vs. Geelong (L), 63 vs. Fremantle (L) = 68.5 avg. (note: these games were Rounds 1 and 2)

I just want to mention Howlett because even though he hasn’t played since Round 2, I anticipate that his third game will be this week. He was unlucky to be dropped in the first place, Essendon were deadest embarrassed on ANZAC Day, so will ring the changes (plus Reimers and Pears will be two forced outs). Obviously job security is pretty bad, but if you’re already holding him, rejoice if he gets named and hopefully he can hold his spot. Doesn’t seem to be considered best 22 by his coach, so I wouldn’t be trading him in, but I do quite like him.

Jarrod Kayler-Thompson – Hawthorn ($77,800 MID, Break even: -108)

First two games: 65 vs. Melbourne (W), 101 vs. North Melbourne (W) = 83 avg. (note: these games were Round 1 and 5)

No doubts about his scoring potential and he’s mature aged, which we all love. But his job security is a big concern. There will be a revolving door on Hawthorn’s last 3-4 spots in their 22 and JKT is very much a part of that rotation. With so many players to come back from injury I don’t think he’ll feature enough (or at least consistently enough) for DT. It’s a real shame because he’s a cracking scorer. You’ll be able to make a quick buck off him if he’s named for a couple of games in a row, but he was first named in Round 1 and then didn’t play until he was a very late in just last week. I’m not advising against him necessarily, but if you’re picking him I’d be expecting him to be there for a good time, not a long time.

David Astbury – Richmond ($89,500 FWD, Break even: -6)

First two games: 51 vs. Melbourne (L), 22 vs. Fremantle (L) = 36.5 avg.

A lot of hype after his first game, but was practically invisible last week. I’ll pass…

Matthew Dea – Richmond ($89,500 FWD, Break even: -35)

First two games: 30 vs. Melbourne (L), 72 vs. Fremantle (L) = 51 avg.

He has a trait that Richmond are obviously massive fans of – poor kicking. His scoring pattern is pretty much a reverse of Astbury’s – invisible in his first game, but got a bit of it in his second. Even if he does hold his spot, I can’t see him getting too many points on a team that rarely has the ball. He’s a very late convert to footy too (basketball background, only played a handful of TAC Cup games) so I think this year will be a development year for him and that’ll be best done in the VFL.

Troy Taylor – Richmond ($89,500 FWD, Break even: 4)

First two games: 46 vs. Melbourne (L), 17 vs. Fremantle (L) = 31.5 avg.

I’m really sorry that I recommended him in the pre-season and hope that no one got excited when he was named to debut two weeks ago. Avoid. Copped a knock on his knee late in the game last week, but if fit I don’t think he’ll even be picked to play.

Ashton Hams – West Coast ($77,800 DEF, Break even: -58)

First two games: 48 vs. Essendon (W), 68 vs. Sydney (L) = 58 avg.

The mature aged rookie listed player from West Coast looks pretty safe to me. He’s very versatile, so that’s something that will help him keep his spot in the team, but for the moment he compliments Mark LeCras as a small forward really well. His versatility was a hallmark of his WAFL career and it seems like that will carry over into the AFL. I like his job security and reckon he’s going to be a pretty solid point scorer around the mid 50′s to mid 60′s in average. He could provide either good bench coverage for those that may have missed out on someone like Maguire, or could be used as a cash cow.

Note: Don’t forget to check out Toby’s Weekend Wrap-Up from Round 5!

This week I’m looking at two more players who have started the season slowly – this time in the midfield. These are two players who have had a few slow weeks, only to finally hit back on the weekend with some very respectable scores. This means their prices have now leveled out and should be heading upwards each week from now. The two players I am talking about are Domenic Cassisi of Port Adelaide and Jordan Lewis of Hawthorn.

Domenic Cassisi:

Cassisi, Port’s Captain, is a very tough inside midfielder, who over the past two seasons has averaged 93 DT points. The strength of Cassisi as a dream teamer is his amazing tackling ability – in 2009 he averaged a whopping eight tackles per game (that’s 32 points worth!) with a total season tally of 161! Tackling is arguably one of the most important modern-day traits to have in your DT players, and statistically Cassisi is the second best in the league (behind only Brett Kirk), so this is a great trait to be able to rely upon every week. So far in 2010 Cassisi has made 32 tackles (equal 6^th in the league), however the rest of his game has been less than ordinary. Over the past two years Cassisi has averaged 22.5 disposals and 3 marks per game, however in the first four games of the year he has averaged only 16.5 disposals (and evidentially only 68 DT points) – clearly well down on his previous years output.

Now I wouldn’t be doing my job if I couldn’t give a reason behind this apparent form slump, so going back to round one (72 points vs North Melbourne) is about the only game I can’t find much reason for – Port played well and Cassisi went head-to-head with Ziebell, however in rounds 2 – 4 we can see more reason for his low output; in round two Adam Selwood shut him down, round three Power were smashed by Brisbane’s midfield, round four saw Port play at Skilled Stadium, and whilst Cassisi was Port’s top scorer, he still did not quite make the ton thanks to a dominant Cats midfield. But watching both Cassisi and the rest of the Port team against St.Kilda on Saturday night he looked much better – 28 disposals, ten marks and five tackles. The team around him also looked much stronger, and now with Boak, Rodan and Pearce all in good form it is much more likely that Cassisi will be less effected by taggers.

To compare this year to the past couple, it is interesting to see that Cassisi has started slowly in both of his past two years; in 2008 he averaged 84 for the first five rounds (before averaging 95 for the rest of the year) and in 2009 it was 81 points for the first four, but averaged 96 points for the rest of the year – and in these remaining games he clocked up a score over 100 on 10 occasions (5 of which were over 120) and only dropped below 90 on five occasions. So from these stats it can be seen that Cassisi is typically a slow starter to the year, meaning that his big game on the weekend could well be the start of a big year for him.

Whilst he is not quite premium material, right now his price seems too low to pass up (he has hit bottom price now, so pounce now if you are ever going to!) – he is capable of scoring some massive numbers, especially with his immense tackling rate. Right now he is already ranked 6^th in the competition for tackles, yet hasn’t even hit his strides – and what is even more important about a selection like Cassisi is his uniqueness – he is in only 0.89% of teams, so it is very unlikely you will be coming up against many mates with him in your team!

Key Stats 2010:

Kick : handball ratio – 1 : 1

Average Marks per game: 3

Average Tackles per game: 6.4

Average Disposals per game: 18.8

Breakeven: 97

Average Dream Team Points: 78.6

Price: $351,000 (-$61,000)

Key Stats 2009:

Kick : handball ratio – 0.7 : 1

Average Marks per game: 3.1

Average Tackles per game: 7.7

Average Disposals per game: 22.4

Average Dream Team Points: 94

Jordan Lewis:

Jordan Lewis is arguably the toughest player in the Hawks lineup – and that is a big call when he is running alongside players such as Hodge, Sewell and Taylor. However, thanks to his ferocity to the ball and the ball carrier, Lewis has had a very tough start to the season. Lewis started the year on a good note as the Hawks thrashed Melbourne – in this game he was the best afield and helped himself to 109 DT points, which consisted of 27 disposals – many of which were huge contributors to his team’s large win. Round two saw the Hawks pitted against the reigning premiers Geelong, and like many of his teammates he had a quiet one. The game was played in close (just how Lewis likes it), yet he strangely saw little of the ball and only lay the one tackle. In week three against the Dogs, Lewis had already gained 52 points by halfway through the second quarter and was looking in great form until he was KO’d by Jarrod Harbrow and was left unconscious. He returned briefly at the end of the game for 12 more points but looked completely out of it. This hit did plenty of damage to Lewis – for those who saw it, they would agree how bad it looked – Lewis was left  unconscious on the ground and with his eyes still open – it is amazing he even made it back on the field the next week, let alone in the same game. In week four against Collingwood it was clear he was still not 100% recovered from the bump and subsequently spent a lot of time on the bench.

So it is fair to say that Lewis has not had the most appropriate start to the season – he looked great in his first game, and just as good against the Dogs until he was knocked out. This week, against North Melbourne, he looked back into form, having now recovered from the effects of the bump – he scored 112 points and was one of the Hawks better players. The subsequent price drop that has followed his few low scores has now made him super cheap – pre-season Lewis was being talked up as a great prospect for 2010 – he hadn’t missed a beat at training (for the first time in a while) and looked good through the NAB cup. However, despite the fact he was a very popular DT choice in the pre-season, he has ended up in just 1% of teams, making him a very unique pick.

For the past three years Lewis has really improved his game (and subsequently his DT game), and he averaged 94 points in season 2009. In 2009 he averaged 26 disposals and never dropped below 20 disposals all year – a fantastic stat which proves his consistency (in dream team he only dropped below 80 points on four occasions). The one area in his game that really could be improved is his tackling – despite being a great in-and-under player, he only averaged 2.4 tackles per game in 2009 – but I am hoping that the five tackles he laid against the Roos is showing that he is attempting to make this a part of his game (5 tackles was his second best tackling effort in 2009). If he were to make up for his lack of tackling, it would be the fact he averaged over 6 marks per game – a good effort for a midfielder.

The great part of Lewis as a pick is the obvious reason for his price drop – a low-grade injury. It is also good to have been able to see him play two very good quality games on either side of this injury – it shows us that not only did he come into the season in good form, but his latest efforts have also been of quality. There is plenty of expectations on the Hawks this season, so Lewis, along with his teammates, will really need to step up a gear (and soon!) to make this season count, and I expect this is exactly what they will do – with Young, Burgoyne and Bateman all coming back from injury, it shouldn’t be too long before the Hawks find another gear, aiding the likes of Lewis to score higher.

Key Stats 2010:

Kick : handball ratio – 1.36 : 1

Average Marks per game: 6.2

Average Tackles per game: 2.2

Average Disposals per game: 21.8

Breakeven: 83

Average Dream Team Points: 83.2

Price: $349,200 (-$62,400)

Key Stats 2009:

Kick : handball ratio – 1 : 1

Average Marks per game: 5.9

Average Tackles per game: 2.4

Average Disposals per game: 26.2

Average Dream Team Points: 94