Footy Tragic

Fremantle vs Collingwood:

Looking Good:

• Michael Barlow: From a purely DT perspective, this kid is amazing to watch: He works so hard through every passage of play he is involved in that he often gets 3 – 4 touches every time the ball goes near him, thanks to plenty of handballing and handball-receives.
• Aaron Sandilands: Dominated once again in the ruck, but his work around the ground is now becoming second-to-none amongst other ruckman in the competition – he loves to bang it on the boot to clear a contest and seems to now have the ability to drop forward and kick a goal or two.
• Dane Swan: So many of his possessions did very little, but that didn’t concern his owners as he scrapped kick after kick to earn himself a very decent 131 points. He is probably not at his 2009 standards just yet, but the signs are clear that he is not far off.

Disappointing:

• Heath Shaw: Was totally shut down by De Boer and did virtually nothing to half time. This is the worry with Heath – he is a great DT player, but is too easily shut-down. Unfortunately, Malthouse doesn’t feel the need to change his positioning to allow him more freedom from his opponent.
• Leon Davis: The real disappointing part about Leon’s game was the fact he actually played a fair chunk of it in the midfield, yet still couldn’t get much of the ball. Personally, I have been totally turned off Davis this year and have a suspicion his isn’t going to bounce back.
• Hayden Ballantyne: Balla played a great team game, but unfortunately this doesn’t always translate into DT scoring. He is brilliant to watch though!

Blip on the Radar:

• Ryan Crowley: Crowly played an amazing second quarter, which amassed to more than half of his total scoring, proving that he could be a good dream teamer if moved off his tagging duties, but I highly doubt there will be much frequency to this sort of scoring from him.

Western Bulldogs vs Sydney:

Looking Good:

• Barry Hall: Booted five goals against his old club – unfortunately, it came the week that plenty of coaches  jumped off him… Talk about sticking it to the man!
• Adam Goodes: Took a while to get into the game but came good, kicking four goals and keeping Sydney somewhat competitive. He seems to be proving a consistent option for the forward line, rather than one capable of huge scoring (and equally low scoring….).
• Daniel Cross: As usual, Cross was the hardest working inside-mid on the ground and finished with 30 possessions and an out-of-the-ordinary 9 marks. Once again, Cross is a brilliant midfield option who is terribly consistent.

Disappointing:

• Mike Pyke: Considering he played the game as the first ruck (and although not much was really expected of him), 27 points was probably a bit below-par.
• Daniel Giansiracusa: After three huge games in a row and Griffen’s late withdrawal, Gia was bound to get tagged, and unfortunately he couldn’t cope. He managed only the 15 disposals for the game.
• Ryan Hargrave: Perhaps that game against the Saints was a fluke – he has shown absolutely NO form since returning from his injury and is proving to be a total waste of a trade for those who brought him in… Bitter? Hell yeah I am!

Blip on the Radar:

• Martin Mattner: 2008 was Mattner’s year – after being traded from Adelaide, he proved to be a great pick-up, being one of the most improved defenders over that season. However, since then all of Malceski, Shaw and Kennelly have become uninjured/traded in/returned to the club and have taken his points. Occasionally he will have a game like this one, but don’t be expecting him to get back to the DT status he earned himself two years ago.

Melbourne vs West Coast:

Looking Good:

• Matt Priddis: Matt Priddis is one of the best inside-mids in the competition for dream team with his ability to both rack up massive numbers of stats and lay stacks of tackles. In this game his numbers read 35 possessions and 12 tackles, equalling a round-high 154 points.
• Jack Grimes: Jack has now played a couple of very good games in a row and is seemingly moving further into the midfield after starting the year deeper in defence. He is a great ball-winner and disposes of it beautifully – highly consider him at his mid-range price.
• Adam Selwood: Continued his great season with another ton. Importantly, he proved that last week’s 64 points was just an aberration as he sacrificed his own game for the good of the team.

Disappointing:

• Colin Sylvia: Was once again stuck in the forward line, despite the fact Davey was off for long periods. Unfortunately,  he once again got very little of the ball and continues to leak plenty of cash for his owners. There is every likelihood he will turn his season around, but many must be hoping it happens sooner rather than later…
• Jack Trengove: Didn’t get too much into this game after a couple of big games the past couple of weeks. There will be no worry about him continuing to get games though…
• Nic Naitanui: With Cox back up and firing, Nic Nat spent a lot of his time in the forward line and failed to kick a goal. This doesn’t look like a trend that will stop anytime soon, so if you are a frustrated Naitanui owner, now might be the time to offload him.

Blip on the Radar:

• James Frawley: Frawley is a classy player who has become a real positive in Melbourne’s young backline. He occasionally gets the opportunity to rebound from defence, and those who watch him regularly will attest to his skills, however skills and potential unfortunately don’t always equate to good DT scores – look elsewhere in this instance unfortunately.

Brisbane vs Geelong:

Looking Good:

• Jimmy Bartel: Jimmy is great to watch – especially when he is your DT captain. When on fire, he picks up the ball consistently with ease and takes a great mark for a player of his size.
• Corey Enright: Whilst there was plenty of ball being flung around between all the Cats players, Enright often started many of the forward thrusts and worked the hardest for many of his stats. Looks to be in some good form.
• Steve Johnson: Another huge game and six more goals from Stevie J could be enough to finally shut up all those that worry that he really isn’t in form, but is simply just playing easy opponents… such as me…

Disappointing:

• Brendan Fevola: Scarlett SMASHED Fevola, allowing him just the three disposals for the entire game. Fev has always been one to mentally shut himself out of games when he knows his opponent has a great record on him – this has always happened on Scarlett and the now-retired Max Hudghton.
• Michael Rischitelli: After a great start to the year, Rischitelli could only conjure up 12 possessions. The entire Brisbane engine room was smashed by Geelong, so it wasn’t solely Rischitelli’s fault.
• Gary Ablett Jnr: Only 96 points… Rubbish! In fact, Ablett owners should count themselves lucky as he was on only 33 points to half time, yet thanks to some junk-stats later in the game he was able to nearly crack the ton without much effort – amazing.

Blip on the Radar:

• Tom Hawkins: Hawkins played his best game of the year, kicking four goals up front and rotating through the ruck. Unfortunately, the Tomahawk has proven to be a somewhat inconsistent DTer over the journey so I would not be expecting this to be his breakout game, especially with jPod due to return next week.

North Melbourne vs Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Todd Goldstein: Was easily the most dominant player on the ground and thrashed Maric in the ruck. He has been credited by Brad Scott as being the most pivotal player in the win and he is not far wrong. Really looks to be continuing his development strongly.
• Nathan Bock: Bock finally looked back into the role that made him a DT force in previous seasons – his run from defence was great, but what makes him especially tasty from a DT perspective is his overwhelming amount of marks and kicks. He took 16 marks and had 17 kicks for the game.
• Tony Armstrong: Had a strong game, although plenty of his ball was won through uncontested possessions. After just his second game, Armstrong could be a great downgrade target, although I wouldn’t be expecting to see too many 120′s out of him!

Disappointing:

• Kurt Tippett: I don’t know whether he was injured or just uninterested, but either way Tippett could just not get into the match. He was easily beaten by Thompson early and just seemed to give up.
• Patrick Dangerfield: Notched up his second highest score for the year, despite the fact he was bizarrely tagged. Perhaps he could get tagged more to help his score… Regardless, he is getting nowhere near the pill – if you still have him, offload him.
• David Hale: Got a mark and a handball before his back suddenly went into spasms – concerns were that he may have a significant back injury, and if so he may miss quite a bit of football.

Blip on the Radar:

• Ben Rutten: “Truck” is a full-back’s full-back – he is brilliant at shutting down his opponent and gives them little room, however his rebounding skills are non existent. However, once a year (check the record books, I do not lie!), Adelaide seem to have a game where Bock and Rutten go nuts on kick-to-kick, bellying each of their scores and making them look like DT jets… It seems that THIS was that game for 2010.

Richmond vs Hawthorn:

Looking Good:

• Chris Newman: Newman played much more through the midfield than in the role he typically lines up in on the backline and it proved to be very effective from a DT point of view. He racked up 27 disposals and 7 tackles, with a bonus 2 goals. If this move upfield becomes more permanent, he could actually be a player very much worth looking at.
• Sam Mitchell: Was very good all day, despite being tagged by Jackson. He played the entire game through the midfield and will only get better as he gets more time on ground after his injury.
• Luke Hodge: Started in the backline, but as usual he eventually moved to the midfield. He is also beginning to show that he has learned the art of breaking a tag – a massive weapon in one’s DT armory!

Disappointing:

• Graham Polak: Stayed all day at full-forward and was used as a decoy to keep Hawthorn’s key defenders from attaching themselves of the likes of Riewoldt. For those tempted by the downgrade, look elsewhere – he will be in and out of the team and his role isn’t to kick goals.
• Wayde Skipper: There was a hint of wonder as to what sort of score Skipper would be capable of in his first AFL game in a few years and his first for his new club who are crying out for a ruckman to step up. Unfortunately, whilst he competed well in the ruck, his work around the ground was close to non-existent.
• Brad Sewell: Sewell seems to be taking a while to come back to full fitness and game-time after his pre-season shoulder injury. This is not to say he won’t come good soon when he builds his fitness (at least he is being played in attacking roles) – watch this space.

Blip on the Radar:

• Matt White: This was White’s best score for the year and he did play a reasonable game, however through his short career he has proven to be an inconsistent scorer who can tempt at times – don’t get sucked in.

Port Adelaide vs Carlton:

Looking Good:

• Matthew Kruezer: Kruezer proved that he is not a ruckman – he is just a bloody tall midfielder. Whilst not doing great in the ruck, he dominated Brogan around the ground with 19 disposals, 8 marks and an impressive 6 tackles for a man of his size. He also dropped forward for three good goals.
• Chris Judd: Judd is in ripping form and is clearly one of the most important and influential skippers in the league with his ability to will his team over the line. He again broke the ton with 27 disposals and 8 tackles – he is showing no signs of slowing down, despite copping a heavy tag every week.
• Jordan Russell: Getting some big scores in dream team is one thing, but delivering them consistently is another thing altogether, and this is exactly what Russell is beginning to show. Three weeks in a row now he has dominated out of the backline and is now presenting himself as one of the best current buys in the backline.

Disappointing:

• Danyle Pearce: As was the case through all of 2009, Pearce cannot handle a tag. He was shut right out of the game by Armfield, and as usual, he did not work hard enough to break it.
• Jay Shultz: Shultz seemed to have a bit of the Barry Hall’s about him, often furious with the lack of good supply being delivered to him. He finally cracked it in the last quarter, giving away a 50-metre penalty when the game was already over.
• Kane Lucus: Only the one touch for Lucas before he went down with a hamstring injury, blowing any chances of a price rise this week (in fact, he may lose a few thousand dollars). He may now be out for a few weeks and face a challenge to get back into the side.

Blip on the Radar:

• Dennis Armfield: Armfield has always been a ‘tryer,’ but never really had the skills to be much more. However, he played out of his skin in this game, making sure Pearce had no effect on the game. Lucky for him, he was able to pick up a few stats in the process, but as a player who typically plays in the back pockets, Armfield is not the type of player who will consistently deliver high scores for your team.

Essendon vs St.Kilda:

Looking Good:

• Leigh Montagna: Continually found himself free on the wing through plenty of hard work and running, and this meant he was frequently delivered the ball by his teammates. Montagna was the number one player in 2009 for disposals by foot and he is showing similar numbers this year, so it is not hard to trust him in your team.
• Heath Hocking: Enjoyed a roaming role around the backline as the third tall who frequently found himself without an opponent. Hocking hasn’t particularly had a very consistent DT year, however with injuries to Hooker and Pears, his responsibility will become more significant.
• Sam Fisher: Played the first three quarters in Riewoldt’s role at CHF and despite the team losing, I expect Ross Lyon will keep a relatively similar structure over the next few weeks as it tended to work well. He presented very well and reads the play beautifully, leading to some good marks. Could be a good smokey pick in this position.

Disappointing:

• David Armitage: After being dropped last week and subsequently carving it up at Sandringham, Armo did very little to suggest he will keep his spot. He does make good decisions when he has the ball and can win the hard-stuff, but he seems to go missing quite easily, leading to inconsistent performances and poor DT scores.
• Andrew McQualter: Ross Lyon proved by dropping Raph Clarke that even the “teacher’s pets” weren’t safe, and this will immediately draw a dark cloud above McQualter’s head. His form this year has been poor and none worse than this game – he made poor decisions and lacked any sort of composure. Needs a run in the twos to give him a kick in the arse.
• Mark McVeigh: McVeigh spent the entirety of the game in the back-pocket, shutting down Stevie Milne. He played very well, but it has absolutely ruined his DT potential. Trade him now before he starts bleeding money.

Blip on the Radar:

• Jason Blake: Blake used to be used as a “Mr. Fixit” by both Grant Thomas and Ross Lyon until 2008 when he was told to make CHB his own. He has done this role with aplomb, but occasionally Lyon will still swing him into new roles as he has proven quite a match-winner on his day (See St.Kilda vs Hawthorn Rd. 16, 2008 – Blake into the Ruck). This was another example, with Blake being swung into CHF for the last quarter, giving him plenty of cheap kicks and marks. He competed well, but with Zac out of form, and Fisher’s current form up forward, I can guarantee he will be back to the backline next week.

Expert: Dan
Team: Hank Scorpio EDT
Current Ranking: 5,908
Round 8 Score: 2,095
Trades Remaining: 12
Team Changes This Week:
In: Matthew Pavlich, Matthew Jaensch
Out: Mitchell Duncan, Barry Hall

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Current Ranking: 3,433
Round 8 Score: 2,177
Trades Remaining: 11
Team Changes This Week:
In: Matthew Pavlich, Shaun Higgins
Out: Jared Brennan, Barry Hall

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Current Ranking: 167
Round 8 Score: 2,182
Trades Remaining: 12
Team Changes This Week:
In: Andrew Carrazzo, Jeromey Webberley
Out: Ben Nason, Alex Silvagni

Don’t forget to check out Tuney’s Team Summary from this morning!

FREMANTLE v COLLINGWOOD
Fremantle
B: Garrick Ibbotson, 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: Matthew de Boer, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Michael Barlow, Paul Duffield
I/C: Nathan Fyfe, Rhys Palmer, Anthony Morabito, Alex Silvagni
Emg: Kepler Bradley, Nick Suban, Antoni Grover

In: Ibbotson, Silvagni
Out: Kepler Bradley, Dylan Roberton (soreness)

• Silvagni comes back into the side after a being a late withdrawal last week with an ankle injury.
• Roberton and Bradley make way – Roberton’s absence means he misses his third game and won’t go up in price – don’t be trading him in this week!

Collingwood
B: Heath Shaw, Ben Reid, Ben Johnson
HB: Harry O’Brien, Nick Maxwell, Alan Toovey
C: Luke Ball, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom
HF: Shane O’Bree, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak
F: Dayne Beams, John Anthony, Leon Davis
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas
I/C: Nathan Brown, Chris Dawes, Brent Macaffer, Cameron Wood
Emg: Tarkyn Lockyer, Simon Prestigiacomo, Jaxson Barham

In: Anthony
Out: Paul Medhurst (foot strain)

• As expected, Medhurst comes out of the team with an injury, making room for the out-of-favour Jack Anthony.
• Ben Reid has kept his spot in the backline ahead of Presti

WESTERN BULLDOGS v SYDNEY SWANS
Western Bulldogs
B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Dale Morris
HB: Ryan Hargrave, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee
C: Ryan Griffen, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Shaun Higgins
F: Jarrad Grant, Barry Hall, Josh Hill
R: Ben Hudson, Adam Cooney, Daniel Giansiracusa
I/C: Dylan Addison, Jason Akermanis, Will Minson, Brennan Stack
EMG: Nathan Eagleton, Brodie Moles, Easton Wood

In: Minson
Out: Andrejs Everitt (ankle)

• Minson comes back into the side, meaning Roughead will not get a chance for his third game. Everitt makes way.
• Moles is named as an emergency, showing he is probably over his injury – he is not doing any good to us sitting in the stands though!

Sydney Swans
B: Rhyce Shaw, Ted Richards, Tadhg Kennelly
HB: Martin Mattner, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski
C: Jarrad McVeigh, Brett Kirk, Nick Smith
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Adam Goodes, Josh Kennedy
F: Jesse White, Daniel Bradshaw, Lewis Jetta
Foll: Mike Pyke, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack
I/C: Daniel Hannebery, Henry Playfair, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Gary Rohan
Emg: Paul Bevan, Matt O’Dwyer, Campbell Heath

In: Playfair,Roberts-Thomson, Hannebery
Out: Jarred Moore (ankle), Ed Barlow, Shane Mumford (suspended)

• Playfair is back into the Swans team after no games in two years. He is a well built forward and will fill in for Jesse White as he moves into the ruck. Playfair could be a good option, but i worry that his job security is low and will miss out when Mumford returns. He has shown good form in the twos though! Hannebery is also back into the lineup.
• Mumford is out for two weeks with suspension, which is a shame after the great form he showed as the Swan’s key ruckman.

MELBOURNE v WEST COAST
Melbourne
B: Jack Grimes, Matthew Warnock, Jared Rivers
HB: Cameron Bruce, James Frawley, Colin Garland
C: James McDonald, Jordie McKenzie, Aaron Davey
HF: Jamie Bennell, Matthew Bate, Jack Watts
F: Nathan Jones, Daniel Hughes, Brad Green
Foll: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Tom Scully
I/C: Paul Johnson, Colin Sylvia, Jack Trengove, Clint Bartram
Emg: Neville Jetta, Jake Spencer, Lynden Dunn

In: Jack Watts
Out: Lynden Dunn

• Jack Watts comes into the squad for his first game of the year. Melbourne have made a point to keep him in the VFL until showing form, and that is what he has done. Will probably not have much DT value, but could still be worth keeping an eye on, especially now that Melbourne are playing some good attacking footy.

West Coast Eagles
B: Will Schofield, Darren Glass, Beau Waters
HB: Lewis Stevenson, Eric MacKenzie, Shannon Hurn
C: Matt Rosa, Matt Priddis, Brad Ebert
HF: Brad Sheppard, Josh Kennedy, Ashton Hams
F: Mark Nicoski, Quinten Lynch, Mark LeCras
Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Selwood, Tom Swift
I/C: Patrick McGinnity, Ben McKinley, Nic Naitanui, Scott Selwood
Emg: Mitchell Brown, Bradd Dalziell, Ashley Hansen

In: S. Selwood
Out: Bradd Dalziell

• Scott Selwood come back in after being a late out last week.
• Shuey owners will be happy to know that he should be playing in the WAFL on the weekend.

BRISBANE LIONS v GEELONG
Brisbane Lions
B: Jed Adcock, Matt Maguire, Andrew Raines
HB: James Hawksley, Brent Staker, Ashley McGrath
C: Michael Rischitelli, Daniel Rich, Justin Sherman
HF: Luke Power, Jonathan Brown, Cheynee Stiller
F: Todd Banfield, Brendan Fevola, James Polkinghorne
Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Joel Patfull, Simon Black
I/C: Jack Redden, Tom Rockliff, Amon Buchanan, Matt Austin
Emg: Travis Johnstone, Pearce Hanley, Tom Collier

In: Buchanan, Maguire, Patfull, Raines
Out: Josh Drummond (knee), Jared Brennan (ankle), Pearce Hanley, Travis Johnstone

• A couple of big losses from Brisbane: Drummond will miss the season and Brennan could miss between 3 and 6 weeks. Johnstone has also been dropped after a poor showing on the weekend against the Dockers.
• Buchanan is back into the side alongside Maguire and Raines. Rockliff has held his spot!

Geelong Cats
B: Andrew Mackie, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt
HB: Corey Enright, Harry Taylor, Darren Milburn
C: James Kelly, Cameron Ling, Jimmy Bartel
HF: Steve Johnson, Cameron Mooney, Travis Varcoe
F: Mathew Stokes, Tom Hawkins, Gary Ablett
Foll: Mark Blake, Joel Selwood, Paul Chapman
I/C: Shannon Byrnes, Simon Hogan, Tom Lonergan, David Wojcinski
Emg: Mitchell Duncan, Dawson Simpson, Ryan Gamble

In: Stokes
Out: James Podsiadly (soreness)

• MASSIVE NEWS with Podiadly out of the team with apparent “Soreness” – this is going to hurt plenty of coaches, especially those who were tempted to keep Brennan over the next few weeks… Whatever you do though, don’t trade him – he will be back!
• Missed amongst the news of Pods, Stokes will play his first game of the year. Priced at just over $320K, Stokes could be very good value with the amount of preparation he has made to get back for this game. At his best he is a great dream teamer, although a mixture of poor form and injuries ruined his 2009 season.

NORTH MELBOURNE v ADELAIDE
North Melbourne
B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings
HB: Nathan Grima, Lachie Hansen, Daniel Pratt
C: Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington, Ryan Bastinac
HF: Aaron Edwards, Josh Smith, Brent Harvey
F: Daniel Wells, David Hale, Lindsay Thomas
R: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Levi Greenwood
I/C: Scott McMahon, Todd Goldstein, Cruize Garlett, Sam Wright
Emg: Nathan O’Keefe, Matt Campbell, Leigh Harding

In: Pratt, Smith, Greenwood
Out: Leigh Adams (hamstring), Liam Anthony (shoulder), Ben Warren

• Liam Anthony is out for the rest of the season with the need for a shoulder reconstruction. So if you have him, trade him!
• Warren is out of the side after several frustrating games in a row – could be finally time to offload him.

Adelaide Crows

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

In: Dangerfield, Walker
Out: Graham Johncock (shoulder), Brett Burton

• Dangerfield comes back into the squad quicker than expected, and Walker has also returned to help the Crows attack.
• Brett Burton has been dropped after he continually looks way too old and out of touch. Graham Johncock should be out for a little while with a shoulder injury.

RICHMOND v HAWTHORN
Richmond
B: Kelvin Moore, Will Thursfield, Luke McGuane
HB: Shane Tuck, Brett Deledio, Chris Newman
C: Shane Edwards, Daniel Jackson, Jeromey Webberley
HF: Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Ben Nason
F: Robin Nahas, Alex Rance, Nathan Foley
Foll: Tyrone Vickery, Trent Cotchin, Richard Tambling
I/C (from): Angus Graham, Graham Polak, Tom Hislop, Andrew Collins, Mitch Farmer, David Astbury, Matt White

In: Foley, Hislop, Graham, Farmer
Out: Dean Polo (suspended)

• This seems to be the fewest changes Richmond have made in a while – Foley and Farmer are the bigger inclusions, whilst Graham would also be likely to play.

Hawthorn
B: Campbell Brown, Stephen Gilham, Brent Guerra
HB: Grant Birchall, Ben Stratton, Shaun Burgoyne
C: Xavier Ellis, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis
HF: Carl Peterson, Lance Franklin, Clinton Young
F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Brendan Whitecross
Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell
I/C (from): Thomas Murphy, Beau Muston, Shane Savage, Ryan Schoenmakers, Wayde Skipper, Cameron Stokes, Matt Suckling

In: Burgoyne, Skipper, Mitchell, Franklin, Murphy, Stokes, Savage
Out: Chance Bateman (suspended), Rick Ladson, Jarryd Morton, Liam Shiels

• Plenty of changes for the Hawks this week, and finally they are for good reasons. Burgoyne will play his first game of the year, although i’d be looking at him closely before trading him in – injuries are one reason, but also, Burgoyne has always proven himself to be more a supercoach specialist than a DT gun.
• Wayde Skipper is a big inclusion, although i wouldn’t be trading him in. Mitchell and Franklin are also very big returns.
• Ladson, as expected, has been dropped and Bateman suspended.

PORT ADELAIDE v CARLTON
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, Justin Westhoff, David Rodan
F: Robbie Gray, Brett Ebert, Daniel Motlop
Foll: Dean Brogan, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes
I/C (from): Tom Logan, Jay Schulz, Cameron Hitchcock, Daniel Stewart, Jackson Trengove, Josh Carr, Jay Nash

In: Carr, Hitchcock, Nash, Schulz, D. Stewart
Out: Nathan Krakouer (groin), Warren Tredrea (ankle)

• It is great to see Hitchcock named again in the side (especially with Podsiadly’s exclusion), albeit on an extended bench – Wait until Friday night to rely on his inclusion.
• Krakouer seems to be in and out with injury, whilst Treddrea will likely miss the rest of the season with his achilles injury.

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

In: Browne, Henderson, Robinson

• The Blues have named three inclusions, although i would be surprised if any played. Henderson would be the most likely if any were to get a guernsey.

ST KILDA v ESSENDON
St Kilda
B: James Gwilt, Zac Dawson, Sam Gilbert
HB: Steven Baker, Sam Fisher, Jason Blake
C: Clint Jones, Nick Dal Santo, Farren Ray
HF: Andrew McQualter, Brendon Goddard, Adam Schneider
F: Jason Gram, Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne
Foll: Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna
I/C (from): David Armitage, Raphael Clarke, Robert Eddy, Jarryn Geary, Nick Heyne, Ben McEvoy, Rhys Stanley

In: Armitage, Eddy, Heyne, McEvoy, Stanley
Out: Steven King (hamstring), Jack Steven

• There will be at least two changes at the Saints, although it has been hinted there will be three. McEvoy is a definite inclusion for King and Jack Steven will also miss out.
• Of those coming back in, i expect Armitage and Heyne the others most likely to get a game. If so, this would be Heyne’s first game for the club (as if would be if Stanley were named).

Essendon
B: Heath Hocking, Dustin Fletcher, Mark McVeigh
HB: Brent Prismall, Cale Hooker, Nathan Lovett-Murray
C: Jake Melksham, Jobe Watson, Sam Lonergan
HF: Angus Monfries, Scott Gumbleton, David Zaharakis
F: David Hille, Michael Hurley, Alwyn Davey
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Brent Stanton, Jason Winderlich
I/C (from): Mark Williams, Leroy Jetta, Travis Colyer, Courtenay Dempsey, David Myers, Jarrod Atkinson, Ben Howlett

In: Williams, Jetta, Colyer, Myers
Out: Henry Slattery (back)

• Slatterey is so far the only confirmed out for the Bombers, who look to have brought plenty of pace into their team to attempt to beat the Saints. This means that Howlett’s spot in the team is probably a bit shaky – fingers crossed he will play though.
• Jetta, Colyer and Myers could be good inclusions for the Bombers, however i think playing Williams will just be playing straight into the Saints hands.

Richmond, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Carlton, St Kilda and Essendon will trim their 25-man squads down to 22 at 5pm on Friday.

View Bombs Ahoy‘s Team
Round 7 Score: 1,938
Current Overall Ranking: 37,373
Trades Left: 14
Remaining Salary Cap: $60,000

Dear Bombs Ahoy,

Thank you for submitting your team. I have noted from your e-mail that your main objective is private league glory and that you are currently sitting 9^th in your league.

With 14 trades remaining, I recommend using three of these trades over the next two weeks. There is no point saving these trades for the finals of your private league if you are still in 9^th position after Round 18. In addition, I strongly believe that you really need to finish in the top 4 of your private league to have a serious crack at winning the premiership. The double chance you gain with a top 4 position is invaluable. In fact, when it comes to your private league, finishing 4^th after Round 18 is just as good as finishing on top because there is no home ground advantage in dreamteam!

The obvious problem you have this week is the injured Jared Brennan. With Brennan’s ankle injury likely to sideline him for 3 – 6 weeks (depending on which article you read) the decision is simple, he has to go.

My recommendation this week:

OUT: Jared Brennan ($348,200);

IN: Alan Didak ($392,700).

My reason for recommending Didak is simple, he is a proven DT gun and he is the best forward you can afford. There is no stand out cash cow who is about to play his 3^rd game this weekend, so I recommend using one trade this week and two trades next week.

Next week, I recommend dumping Barry Hall and one of Matt Maguire or Ben Nason. I understand that Hall has a breakeven of 120 points this week but I would prefer to use this weekend to have a second look at Brad Sheppard and Jeromey Webberley. You can then bring in a gun premium forward for Hall using the cash obtained from the Nason / Maguire to Sheppard / Webberley trade.

These recommendations will set you up for a strong run home and a place in the top 8 (or hopefully top 4) of your private league.

Good luck!

Steve Johnson – Geelong (FWD, $381,400, Break even: 19, price drop this year: $55,500)

So Jared Brennan owners will be looking for a replacement (who, by the way, turned out to be teasing us once again!). Well, if you initially took the risk on the roller coaster ride of Brennan, you’re probably the sort of DT’er who wouldn’t have a huge beef with the similarly up and down Steve Johnson.

Stevie J has looked fantastic in his past two weeks. Granted, they were against the teams he scores first and third highest against. Also, they were both at Skilled Stadium, which is a ground he notoriously slays. However, he has been moving a lot more freely, which is the most important thing as far as I’m concerned.

His break even is only 19, so he’s definitely on the way up. Well, I say definitely, but it’s buyer beware with Stevie J, because when he stinks, he really bloody stinks. Last year he scored a 35 and a 62, plus three annoying scores in the 70s. Hopefully his sub 70 scores are out of the way, as he already has a 35 and a 69 this year.

One thing to note, however, is that he hasn’t scored a ton away from Skilled Stadium in 2010. In fact, all three games Geelong have played at Skilled have resulted in three tons and all four games away from Skilled have been less than a ton. While he’s a Skilled Stadium specialist, I wouldn’t expect his form to remain exclusive to that ground.

On the bubble

Matthew Jaensch – Adelaide (FWD, $77,800, Break even: -48)

First two games: 68 vs. Port Adelaide (L), 38 vs. Richmond (L…wait, I mean W…force of habit)

Jaensch came to Adelaide as a mature aged recruit from Sturt, as a reasonably accomplished SANFL player. He’s a fantastic kick of the ball and is best used across half forward, or maybe on the wing. But what we know about Neil Craig is that he loves playing players out of position (see: Walker, Taylor).

His 38 against Richmond was playing in a lock down role on Nason in the back pocket, which is pretty yuck for DT scoring. If Craig persists with him, he could be a good scorer, but with an injury list you would expect to one day get shorter his job security might not be great. I don’t think he’s a bad option if he can get another game this week, but if you’re desperate for a forward rookie I’d have to wonder why you didn’t jump on Fyfe or Grant last week – there’s not been a shortage of forward rookies lately.

Dylan Roberton – Fremantle (DEF, $89,500, Break even: -29)

First two games: 57 vs. West Coast (W), 39 vs. Brisbane (W)

First up, I’ve gotta be honest and say I haven’t seen Freo over the last two weeks, so I haven’t seen Roberton in action at AFL level yet, but he’s a very good kick of the ball coming out of the backline, so in time he could be one to keep an eye on.

For this year, he could also be not such a bad option. Nason, Silvagni, Hunt and Maguire are popular options who have either maxed out, or are close to doing so. The attractiveness with all of them (except maybe Silvagni when Grover comes back) is that they’ve got a pretty secure job, so provide great back up for your team. Roberton might not be there yet, but Harvey isn’t afraid to play the kids, which is a plus. He’s quite skinny though, so it’ll be tough to see him play out the season – just note that I said the same thing about Stephen Hill last year and was horribly wrong.

Lewis Stevenson – West Coast (MID, $94,500, Break even: -65)

First two games: 56 vs. Sydney (L), 79 vs. Hawthorn (W)

Another good kick of the pill is on the bubble this week. Stevenson had a pretty good debut against Sydney, but was dropped the next week unfortunately. After a week off he was back in and scored a 79, including eight marks and looked comfortable in the AFL.

I’m a little bit worried about the midfield downgrade options in the coming weeks, so if you need a bit of cash for a rookie who has maxed out, I don’t mind Stevenson. West Coast are pushing games onto their kids this year and hopefully Stevenson is a part of that. He’s been on their rookie list since 2008 and has improved fantastically, especially in the early parts of 2010.

Note: Don’t forget to check out Toby’s Round 7 Weekend Wrap-Up.

After spending the past few weeks looking at players on the decline, I think it’s time I looked at some players well and truly on the up. With a couple of injuries in the forward line this week and the maxing out of players such as Barry Hall, plenty of coaches will be looking at this position to make an upgrade. And fortunately, there are a couple of clear-cut options who look well and truly on the way up: Matthew Pavlich and Ryan O’Keefe.

Matthew Pavlich:

The Pav is currently the second highest scoring forward in the competition, and what has made things much better for his output is the fact he is now the star in a winning team, rather than just being a star in a team that can’t get the ball to him. It has been a fast turnaround for the Dockers from where they finished last year – they are sitting second on the ladder and have only lost the one game – a close match against the Saints. Pavlich has been a star in each game and has only dropped below 85 points once!

Pav as a player is an interesting one: most players  improve their point-scoring potential by moving to the midfield, but strangely enough, Pav’s move to the centre in 2009 brought home less than ideal numbers – despite still averaging 92 points for the year, this was eight points down on the previous two years in which he played in the forward line. This year Pav has moved back to being a semi-permanent forward and it has seen his average jump back up to 99 points per game. His role sees him playing a CHF role, which includes several brief stints in the midfield each game. And whilst the scores from last year suggest that midfield is not his preferred position, I belive that these occasional runs help to stimulate him and keep him in the game.

We saw his best game for the season on the weekend against an undermanned Brisbane defence and he looked dangerous every time the Dockers went forward. He is clearly the most used option in their forays forward, and now with the likes of Hill, Duffield and Mundy delivering him the ball, it is more often than not kicked well to his advantage. Also, unlike many other forwards this year, Pav’s accuracy on goal seems to be quite reasonable – so far this year he has kicked 24:10 – this high rate means he is more likely to convert you the 6-pointers than a whole collection of ones.

Personally I see Pavlich as the best option in the forward line leading into Round 8 – he seems to be in great form and is at a reasonable price for what he offers. He hasn’t quite had any scores yet that will blow you away, however I think the form he is in suggests he can consistently deliver a high score – much better than what plenty of the other forwards seem to be offering this year. Also, the only forward averaging higher than him is Paul Chapman, whose hamstrings simply cannot be trusted.

Key Stats 2010:

Kick : handball ratio – 1.6 : 1

Average Marks per game: 5.3

Average Goals per game: 4

Average Disposals per game: 18.8

Breakeven: 46

Average Dream Team Points: 104

Price: $422,000

Ryan O’Keefe:

After asking for a trade at the end of the 2008 season and then looking out of form for the first several rounds of 2009, it seemed like O’Keefe’s career was headed in a downward spiral. But fortunately, this was not so – in round 6 last year he was moved into the midfield, and in turn taking his game to a new level. He became the 2nd highest disposal winner at the Swans and in the top 10 of the AFL from round 10 onwards. He also went through a mid-season purple patch in which he top scored with a whopping 173 DT points! Ball-winning ability is one thing, and skills another – and O’Keefe has both! He finally proved himself to be an elite dream teamer in 2009, showing consistency in his game, that was paralleled with his move to the midfield.

Now in 2010, he is still being played through the midfield and fortunately he has been able to provide us with some very similar numbers to last year. One of the impressive things about his game is his consistency – last year he rarely dropped below 80 after round six and scored over 100 nine times, whilst this year he has only scored below 90 points on one occasion (this week against Geelong).

Typically, Sydney players have always been ones to avoid in dream team, however with a new attacking game-plan in place, their DT value have all gone skyward and fortunately, O’Keefe’s midfield position has been a real winner points-wise because of it. It is also always nice to be able to pick up a true midfielder in a DT forward position and O’Keefe is exactly that – he is a very hard working mid and thanks to the likes of McVeigh and Kennelly, he is rarely the first choice to be tagged.

I believe that O’keefe is a great choice in the forward line as he seems to present as being one of the most consistent dream team performers. As he has shown both last year and this year, he rarely has a poor game, and also has the potential to pull a blinder out of his hat. I think the choice between him and Pavlich is very hard – you are competing between one of the harder working forwards in the game and one of the harder working mids in the game… very tricky!

Key Stats 2010:

Kick : handball ratio – 1.77 : 1

Average Marks per game: 5.4

Average Goals per game: 1

Average Disposals per game: 24.5

Breakeven: 144

Average Dream Team Points: 101.71

Price: $407,400