Footy Tragic

A review at all eight games from an AFL Dream Team & SuperCoach perspective.

 

Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide:

Western Bulldogs:

• Ryan Griffen was great again for the Dogs, continuing on his very consistent season to date. His run and efficiency gives the Dogs a real spark through the middle, and his ability to drop forward and boot a couple of goals has always been one of his strengths. Finished with 27 touches and two goals and could be a legitimate SC option for the run home.
• Robert Murphy was another to really impress me – his current price is also incredibly low, so if you too liked what you saw, then Bob could be a great target for either your forward line or defence this week. His run off half-back was pivotal for the Dogs and Adelaide gave him far too much space to work with, especially in the third quarter where he was easily the best player on the field.
• Luke Dahlhaus played his second game and was again very impressive. His intensity around the contest is great and he always throws himself at the man or the ball, despite the fact he looks like he only weighs 70kgs. He is rookie priced, making him an even better prospect, and judging by his first two games, he should be around for the long haul. Those needing a cheap forward this week should look no further.
• Matthew Boyd deserves a mention here as he has seemingly hurt so many Dream Teams and SuperCoaches this week as their captain. He was given the tough tag by Doughty, who actually has a very good recent record of quelling inside midfielders, and unfortunately he did just that to Boyd, limiting him to just 22 disposals for the game, with 13 of them being handballs!

Adelaide:

• Scotty Thompson was very good for the Crows, putting in a great performance, despite being away from AAMI stadium, his favourite ground. There’s rarely too much to say about Thompson’s games other than he competed hard, ran harder than any of his teammates and wasn’t afraid to stick his head over the ball. Looks a dead certainty to win the Crows’ B&F this year after an ultra consistent season. Finished this game with a game-high 29 touches and 7 tackles.
• Ricky Henderson showed some signs in this game – both good and bad. He played the majority of the game on a wing, which was both surprising and great for his DT/SC. If he keeps this role up he could be a legitimate fantasy option in future years. Unfortunately though, he did make a couple of blunders, including a shocker in front of goal, but after a 28 touch game on the wing, we will forgive him for these little things.
• Andy Otten continues on his good form after returning from a knee injury. Those who kept him are now debating whether he is a keeper, whilst those who offloaded him for a (likely) less superior rookie, will be banging their heads against a wall. He looked great again and I was especially impressed with a few runs he had from half-back, linking up the wing with his teammates for a couple of one-twos. He looks confident again and there is really no reason why you shouldn’t hold onto him until seasons end if you still have him!
• Chris Knights is the bane of many Dream Teams and SuperCoach this teams after another meagre score will see his price skyrocket downwards. He started incredibly slow before complaining of a migraine at quarter time. By half time – only 4 disposals and a goal later – he was subbed off. Personally I don’t think I am the only one being given a headache by Knights…

 

Hawthorn vs Gold Coast:

Hawthorn:

• Sam Mitchell lived up to the hopes of all the coaches that locked him in for captaincy with a massive game against the Suns. Not only did he rack up a bunch of touches, but he was easily one of the Hawks’ best in doing so. He enjoyed himself through the middle as the Suns felt no need to match him up and he again racked up a game-high 38 touches and 8 marks. Great to see him back at his consistent best!
• Shane Savage was another shining light for the Hawks, with his impressive run through the middle and across half-forward tearing apart the Suns. He got going in the second quarter and just didn’t stop, piling on four goals amongst his 33 touches and massive 12 marks. Too late to get on him now, but this kid looks a DT and SC star of the future.
• Lance Franklin really took his time to get into the game and relied on two really big quarters (two and four) to get his ton. He booted 3.4 whilst being pretty well manned by Nathan Bock for the majority of the match, as predicted. The unfortunate tale is that Buddy will likely be rubbed out for at least a week thanks to a high bump he placed on Weller… Unfortunately he just doesn’t seem to learn!
• Max Bailey was a welcome inclusion for plenty of teams after Zac Clarke was rested for the week. Fortunately he did his coaches proud with his strongest game of the year so far, winning 19 hitouts (the most on the ground), as well as 16 touches and 7 marks.

Gold Coast:

• Gary Ablett was again the most dominant player for Gold Coast, amassing his fourth DT score over 130 points in the past five weeks – incredible stuff! He carves through the midfield beautifully and despite the fact there is really no one to give him a chop-out, he still manages to avoid the tag and rack up some bid possession numbers. In this game he got himself 34 touches and 8 tackles.
• Tom Lynch bounced back after a couple of quiet performances in a row, booting three goals on the undersized Gibson. Similar to his first two games, he worked high up the ground and certainly knows how to take a grab, clunking 7 for the game. Now with this score in his rolling average, it looks like you should be able to hang onto him for a little while longer yet.
• Sam Iles played his best game yet for the Suns – whilst he wasn’t prolific or anything, he provided a good workrate and a tough body against a much more physical Hawks outfit. He managed 21 touches and 5 marks, and whilst he is not setting the world on fire, he is certainly providing a good contest and a good emergency option for all his coaches.
• Karmichael Hunt was played in the backline for the full game, despite the constant talk coming from the Suns coaches that he would be played as a midfielder. Obviously they want to give him some more time in the reserves before giving him a run on the ball in the seniors, or perhaps they just needed him back there for the match-ups. Regardless, I know there were plenty of coaches having a sneaky look at him this week and unfortunately he proved to be far from what you would want in your team.

 

Essendon vs North Melbourne:

Essendon:

• Michael Hurley was brilliant for Essendon, not just for his four goals, but his fantastic workrate up the field. It would be fair to suggest he hasn’t really shown a great progression from his amazing debut season, but a few more games like this would quickly correct that opinion. His battle with Grima all night was intense, especially in the frenetic last quarter, where he was clearly the hardest working Bomber. You wouldn’t consider him this year, but he could be at the top of many wish-lists for 2012.
• Brent Stanton had a much better game than what he has been presenting lately, moving well through the middle, but also using the ball reasonably well. He copped a tag from Greenwood all night, but persisted on and won the battle, finishing with 25 touches, 7 marks and a very good six inside-50s.
• David Zaharakis impressed again, playing mainly across half-forward and providing a great spark for the Bombers every time they moved forward. He didn’t boot any of his own goals, but set up plenty of others with a game-high 9 inside-50s. He also racked up 29 disposals and 6 tackles for the night.
• Dyson Heppell continued on his quiet few weeks, with another rather uninfluential game. The time has probably come with Heppell where coaches are going to need to decide whether to keep or offload him. Considering his current price is still pretty fair considering his form, perhaps the smarter idea could be to get rid of him if the cash and trades are there for you.

North Melbourne:

• Brent Harvey won the best on ground honours, although there would have been several others who came very close to stealing it from him. One of the slights on Harvey has always been his ability to break a tag, but he persisted on all night, despite copping close attention from McVeigh. He was an indefinite spark for the Roos and clearly loves playing in these close matches, always managing to find an extra gear when the going gets tough. Finished with 27 touches and a goal.
• Brady Rawlings was very good off half-back for the Roos, repelling plenty of attacks and setting up plenty more. His game was tainted a bit though by a possible ‘dive’ for a free kick, which should attract him some attention through the week. Rawlings is definitely one of the Roos best and can score highly and consistently, so could be a great smokey pick for any team.
• Cameron Pederson may finally have secured that spot in the Roos lineup, booting 3 goals, including two crucial ones very late in the game. He seems to flick between the backline and forward, depending on matchups, but with Grima back, he should be spending more time up front, which is where he has looked the best. Hopefully the return of Lachie Hansen next week doesn’t push him out!
• Liam Anthony started the game as the sub, which was really surprising to me. I can’t quite get a handle on why he isn’t rated so highly within the North coaching group, as externally he looks a great player. Unfortunately, this time spent as a sub with wrench his price down again, frustrating all his owners – perhaps it could be worth getting rid of him as this is not the first time this has happened.

 

Brisbane vs Richmond:

Brisbane:

• Matthew Leuenberger was one of the most consistent four-quarter performers in the game, left to shoulder the full ruck load when Clarke went down with and ankle injury in the second quarter. He dominated his Richmond counterparts both in the ruck and around the ground, picking up 23 touches to go with his 34 hitouts.
• Jack Redden is a little star – you gotta love the way the guy goes about it. In close, uncompromising, tough and knows how to use it too! The Lions are still a very young and developing side, but there is little doubt that this kid will be leading their midfield on Black retires. Won himself 25 touches, 7 tackles and 2 goals.
• Rowan Bewick, whilst not amazing, finally avoided the subs Guernsey and completed one of his better games of the year, amassing 17 touches and 6 marks. It couldn’t have come at a better time, with plenty of coaches relying on the likes of Bewick to start on the field thanks to the Collingwood bye, amongst other round 13 issues.
• Mitch Clark started the game in fantastic fashion, booting two goals and looking pretty dominant through the midfield. He loomed as one of the big factors in the game ahead, until he unfortunately broke down with an ankle injury in the second quarter, forcing him to be subbed out. This injury will likely rule him out for next week too, which is a shame due to his great recent form.

Richmond:

• Dustin Martin played one of his better games for the year, roving between the forward line and midfield. He was hugely effective by foot, hence his whopping SC score – in fact he only had one registered error for the night from his 17 kicks and 5 handballs. Also impressive was his tally of goals, booting a career-best five goals, so it is impressive to see he can also drop forward and be dangerous too, adding another bow to his rather full bow-carrier.
• Bachar Houli played one of his best games for his new club, stationed off half-back. His run and dash was impressive, as well as his ability to continually set up Richmond’s attacks effectively. You would want more games like this to consider him for a role in your side, but this has certainly been the most impressive we have seen him this year, so hopefully Hardwick sticks with him in this role.
• Brett Deledio started the game very slowly (as he has done a bit this year…), but really came good in the second half, playing mainly through the midfield. The highlight of his game was his work delivering the ball inside 50, finishing with a whopping 11 inside-50s for the game. Also had 19 disposals and a goal.
• Reece Conca really seems to have slowed down a bit over the past month and is now leaking cash. He is a player who once looked like he could be a great keeper for your bench, but now he seems to have lost his spark (and is probably getting pretty tired) and it would be worth moving him on if possible ASAP.

 

St.Kilda vs Geelong:

St.Kilda:

• Nick Dal Santo was the best for the Saints, managing to avoid the Ling tag for the first time in plenty of years (Ling ALWAYS manages to give him grief). He won a game-high 11 clearances for the game and was great at linking up play through the centre for the Saints and was one of only a few in the team that didn’t repeatedly turn it over. He is having quite a run of form, but whether you would trust a Saint midfielder in your team this year is another question.
• Sam Fisher was again awesome in the backline for the Saints, repeatedly picking off marks from opposition kicks (SC gold) and then delivering it calmly and cleanly up the ground for his teammates. He has always been a consistent performer in both DT and SC and his past month has been especially good. So those in the market for a new defender should certainly keep big Chips in mind for after the Saints bye.
• Ben McEvoy “continues to pick himself” according to Ross Lyon and he is very correct. Big Mac has never been a great aerial ruckman (he is much better around the ground), but this would have to be one of the first games of the year where he has soundly beaten an opposition ruckman, which was great to see. Also, as usual, he was clunking marks and laying tackles, making him one of the most consistently high scoring ruckman of the last month!
• Nick Riewoldt was poor – but he always is against Geelong. However, this was an exception. Part of the issue is to do with his own form, but another large part of it is how the ball is being delivered to him. So often the ball takes so long to get to him that the opposition already have three defenders on him, or if it comes in quickly it is kicked over his head. He just can’t win. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth trading him, especially with a pretty good draw over the next month. But he’d want to get into some reasonable form sometime soon, or the year will have passed him by!

Geelong:

• Joel Corey was the best of Geelong. Unlike St.Kilda though, who had several strong performers and a bunch of rubbish ones, Geelong shared the load pretty evenly amongst the group. Corey was their best in the midfield, racking up 29 touches, 8 clearances and 8 inside-50s. Unfortunately though, he handballed way too much, hence his pretty average DT & SC score.
• Paul Chapman enjoyed himself later in the game when all the intensity was out of it, but that said, he competed reasonably all day and kicked a couple of pretty long goals, suggesting that his calf/hammy/whatever injury is being managed OK. He was the highest DT point scorer for the Cats, despite being far from his best – that said, it’s great to see him back scoring us some good points again!
• Daniel Menzel was impressive for the Cats and really came from nowhere, booting four goals, including the Cats’ first two. It was as though the Saints didn’t even bother planning for him as he managed to get free and into space so easily and so often. He’s probably a little pricey to be pouncing now, but those who grabbed him earlier in the year will be happy with the dividends he is giving from their bench!
• Jimmy Bartel went down with concussion early in the first term and was pretty quickly subbed off, having had just the two disposals for the night. It was a killer blow for his owners – as will be the fact he will likely miss next week too – but those who don’t have him could potentially pick him up for dirt-cheap as their 7^th midfielder in the coming weeks.

Melbourne vs Fremantle:

Melbourne:

• Brad Green was the star of the game, easily exploiting both his match-ups for the game, Duffield and Lower. He started strong and continued on with confidence, booting 5.4 for the game as a permanent forward. He’s been terribly inconsistent this year, so his owners must be stoked to see him play a game like this, but at the same time, they would be questioning why this can’t be done on a weekly basis.
• Tom Scully was sensational again through the midfield, although I have a feeling that Melbourne fans don’t know whether to be excited by this or not! Only a few games back from a long injury layoff, the guy is playing like a seasoned pro. The only disappointing thing about his form is how expensive he is making himself for next year!
• Stefan Martin played another good game, with more time up forward than as a ruck. He is still rucking, but is now assuming the #2 mantle behind Max Gawn. Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to faze him as he still winning plenty of ball and kicking goals – in this outing he finished with 21 touches, 8 marks and 3 goals.
• Colin Sylvia was a popular addition to many teams last week and will be added to many more this week. He spent the majority of the game up forward, suggesting that he is still struggling a bit with his corkie from a fortnight ago. He is clearly much better used as a midfielder, but he at least still competes pretty well up forward. Finished this game with 18 touches but just the one goal.

Fremantle:

• Michael Barlow, welcome back! It was far from the best game the guy has played, but it was terrific to see him back out there and doing what he does best – racking up stacks of the ball. He doesn’t appear to have changed – he still works just as hard, can still find the pill and still runs with a bit of a waddle. As the most expensive midfielder in the comp, you wouldn’t dream of bringing him in just yet… or would you?
• Paul Duffield started the game in the midfield and actually spent the majority of it there before being moved back to defence to stand the rampant Brad Green. The fact he was moved to defence is a little scary for those who have him or are considering him, but at least he still managed a pretty decent 23 touches for the game.
• Tendai Mzungu was actually very quiet for the majority of the game, but really came into it in the second half, fortunately. He played again on a HFF and does look pretty good there, although I do prefer him on a HBF. Whilst his numbers aren’t blowing us away as much as we’d hoped, a 19 possession game from a rookie is not something to be scoffed at!
• Greg Broughton unfortunately went back to his old ways, sitting deep in defence and providing little rebound. It seems that Harvey is going to play him all over the place, dependant on match-ups (similar to Duffield). In this instance he played the game as a defender on Sylvia, who didn’t venture up field at all. Games like this certainly don’t make me see him as a positive trade target!

 

Carlton vs Sydney:

Carlton:

• Matthew Kruezer hardly seems to have missed a beat, in fact he looks to have gotten even better in his one year absence from a knee injury. He was dominant in the air and around the ground, but what was most impressive is his ability to find space for such a big guy – a skill more typically seen in a midfielder than a ruckman! He moved between CHF and the ruck all game and looked great in both, finishing with 24 touches, 7 tackles, 13 hitouts and 2 goals.
• Bryce Gibbs fortunately avoided the Goodes tag which had caused him to reach a pathetic score of 40-odd last time the two sides met. Instead, he roamed around the backline, moving between Reid, Goodes and other tall targets. But he had no issues in leaving his man to venture up the ground and rebound well from defence. He did rack up the stats in the last quarter, which was a bonus, and he finished with 30 touches, 10 marks and a goal.
• Marc Murphy was great again and appears almost unstoppable through the midfield at time. He has great run and carry, but also looks to have been spending some time watching tapes of Juddy as he bursts through packs with no regard for his own well-being. One passage saw him burst through three packs in the direction of goal, only to get pushed as he kicked it – it only resulted in a behind, but the intent and skill is amazing.
• Lachie Henderson was really the only Blue who didn’t win his one-on-one battle for the game, booting just the one goal whilst being totally spanked by Richards. He was played close by Richards, and with Kruezer in such hot form, he was rarely used after half time. Will give a good decoy for the likes of Kruezer, but you would have to be at least a little concerned for his spot with the plethora of tall forward options at the Blues’ disposal (We haven’t seen that for a while!).

Sydney:

• Adam Goodes still doesn’t look to be in terrific form – he has patches where he really looks like he is getting into the game, then fades away again. It is one of the issues with him playing up forward I guess. He did some good things and like his side, floated in and out of the game sporadically. He did spend some time on the ball in the third term, so hopefully this is Longmire acknowledging that he is effective there, but unfortunately he was moved back forward only 10 minutes later.
• Ryan O’Keefe was one Swan who gave a good effort for the majority of the game, although it will be slightly tainted for a possible MRP report thanks to a high hit on Murphy early in the game. There didn’t look to be a lot in it though – Murphy bounced straight back up and slotted a goal from the free. He finished with 25 touches in his typical midfield role and looks in good nick – whilst this wasn’t his best game, he still should be a pretty decent option.
• Heath Grundy was one of the Swans’ better players, and has become their main rebounding option over the past month or so. He sat at CHB and got plenty of his kicks as Sydney shared the ball around in the backline before launching their (unsuccessful) forays forward. The Swans love the switch, so the likes of Grundy do see the ball in their hands a lot. He is not the most exciting DT or SC option, but his past month has been consistent, so you could do a lot worse.
• Nick Malceski played a very ugly DT/SC role, sitting up forward for the majority of the game. Unfortunately, anyone who has him in their squads will have been watching as Grundy and Kennelly shared it around on the backline, wishing Malceski had been somewhere in the vicinity. Sadly he was not, he was up in the Swans’ forward line, where there was absolutely no action happening in either the second or third quarter. He had a couple of opportunities in the last quarter, capitalising on one and fluffing the other. I do like him as a defender, but if he plays this role again he will be right out of my DT/SC calculations.

 

West Coast vs Port Adelaide:

West Coast:

• Matt Priddis was great as usual for the Eagles, putting in a strong four-quarter performance. We talk about ‘roughies’ for your DT/SC on the run home, and really there should be a lot more chatter about Priddis. Whilst he puts in the odd 80-90 score, he is typically very consistently able to pump out some big numbers. Finished this game with 28 touches and 8 tackles.
• Shannon Hurn was awesome, but Dream Teamers have to realise that he is purely a SuperCoach player unfortunately, due to the fact he doesn’t win a stack of the ball. But when he gets it, he uses it well. His highlights of this game were his three great goals, including a massive bomb from about 70 metres out! If you don’t have him in SC, you should be getting on him asap as his recent form has been terrific.
• Mark LeCras continues on his great recent form, averaging over 100 DT points across his past three games. This year has seen him roam up into the midfield a lot more than in previous seasons, but fortunately it hasn’t prevented his goal-kicking! He booted another 4.3 in this game, alongside 19 touches (with 17 of them kicks!), and whilst his price is pretty high, he is certainly trying to show he is worth it!
• Jack Darling started the game beautifully, managing 45 DT points to half time and practically laughing in the faces of all those who had dared trade him out. Unfortunately though, third quarter saw him get one handball and a free against before being subbed out, resulting in many coaches taking his name in vain. This low score will see his price fly down even more, making it an even harder prospect to find someone to trade him form.

Port Adelaide:

• Domenic Cassisi is another player to return this week from a long layoff and was another who looked like he hadn’t even missed a game. He is such an important player for Port, not just with his leadership, but also his ball-winning skills. Despite copping a pretty big hit to that rather large nose of his, he soldiered on and won 24 touches and laid 11 tackles.
• Danyle Pearce had a great game on the wide expanses of Subiaco (yes, I know it’s not called that anymore), picking up 30 disposals and a goal. He certainly is a good player when he is up and about – it helps when he’s not copping a tag too – but his issue has always been consistency, hence why you should never consider him for your DT or SC.
• Travis Boak was good, and was the real catalyst behind Port’s big push in the third term. He kicked three goals of his own and won 24 touches. He did drift in and out of the game a bit as he was tagged, but it’s great to see him work through it at such a young age. He will be a great player, but just needs more support around him before he can be a consistent DT/SC star.
• Ben Jacobs started as the sub, which was pretty much the icing on the cake for some coaches who had already had a pretty rubbish weekend. The issue was that he was actually sick during the week and was therefore a bit underdone. In fact, there was talk of him not playing at all, so you could be happy with the few points he did squeeze out. He should hopefully be right to go next week.

 

Hey all,

I wanted to get this thread up ASAP as I have a feeling it could be a popular one this week…

Please use this thread to discuss all your Dream Team and SuperCoach heroes and villains for round 13 – who let you down and who is carrying the weight of your team on their shoulders??

Also feel free to gloat about all your successful trades this week, or perhaps you may like to concede it was your fault for a player’s injury or poor score after you trades them in this week!

Please just avoid obscenities or abuse… as hard as that may be!

Enjoy!

 

WESTERN BULLDOGS V ADELAIDE

ES – Fri Jun 17, 7:40pm

 

Western Bulldogs

B: Liam Picken, Tom L. Williams, Easton Wood

HB: Robert Murphy, Dale Morris, Lindsay Gilbee

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Justin Sherman

HF: Shaun Higgins, Liam Jones, Callan Ward

F: Luke Dahlhaus, William Minson, Daniel Giansiracusa

Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney

I/C: Ed Barlow, Nathan Djerrkura, Thomas Liberatore, Jayden Schofield

Emg: Sam Reid, Christian Howard, Lukas Markovic

In: Adam Cooney, Lindsay Gilbee, Jayden Schofield

Out: Brennan Stack (Hamstring), James Mulligan (Calf), Christian Howard

New: Jayden Schofield (East Fremantle)

Milestones: Robert Murphy – 200 games, Callan Ward – 50 games

Adelaide

B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Luke Thompson

HB: Michael Doughty, Andy Otten, Brad Symes

C: Matthew Jaensch, Scott Thompson, Nathan van Berlo

HF: Chris Knights, Ricky Henderson, Rory Sloane

F: Jack Gunston, Kurt Tippett, Matthew Wright

Foll: Sam Jacobs, Richard Douglas, Patrick Dangerfield

I/C: Bernie Vince, Jared Petrenko, Shaun McKernan, Christopher Schmidt

Emg: Ivan Maric, Aidan Riley, Richard Tambling

In: Ricky Henderson, Christopher Schmidt

Out: Brent Reilly (Knee), James Sellar

 

HAWTHORN V GOLD COAST SUNS

AU – Sat Jun 18, 2:10pm

 

Hawthorn

B: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Paul Puopolo

HB: Matt Suckling, Ryan Schoenmakers, Thomas Murphy

C: Isaac Smith, Sam Mitchell, Shane Savage

HF: Shaun Burgoyne, Lance Franklin, Liam Shiels

F: Cyril Rioli, Jordan Lewis, Brendan Whitecross

Foll: Max Bailey, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell

I/C: Rick Ladson, Michael Osborne, Luke Breust, David Hale

Emg: Jordan Lisle, Riley Milne, Kyle Cheney

In: Max Bailey, Rick Ladson, David Hale, Isaac Smith

Out: Brent Guerra (Ear), Jarryd Roughead (Achilles), Clinton Young (Hamstring), Brent Renouf (Internal Injuries)

 

Gold Coast Suns

B: Rex Liddy, Jack Hutchins, Campbell Brown

HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Nathan Bock, Karmichael Hunt

C: Sam Iles, Michael Rischitelli, Matt Shaw

HF: Nathan Krakouer, Tom Lynch, Jared Brennan

F: Daniel Stanley, Sam Day, Luke Russell

Foll: Josh Fraser, Trent McKenzie, Gary Ablett

I/C: Maverick Weller, Daniel Harris, Dion Prestia, Daniel Gorringe

Emg: Hayden Jolly, Joel Wilkinson, Jacob Gillbee

In: Karmichael Hunt, Matt Shaw, Jack Hutchins, Daniel Gorringe

Out: Zac Smith (Ankle), Steven May, Seb Tape, David Swallow (Ankle)

 

 

 

ESSENDON V NORTH MELBOURNE

ES – Sat Jun 18, 2:10pm

 

Essendon

B: Michael Hibberd, Dustin Fletcher, Cale Hooker

HB: Dyson Heppell, Tayte Pears, Kyle Hardingham

C: Mark McVeigh, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton

HF: Michael Hurley, Patrick Ryder, Leroy Jetta

F: Angus Monfries, Stewart Crameri, David Zaharakis

Foll: Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Ben Howlett

I/C: Sam Lonergan, Nathan Lovett-Murray, David Myers, Jake Melksham

Emg: David Hille, Brent Prismall, Travis Colyer

In: Heath Hocking, Sam Lonergan, Brent Stanton, Tayte Pears, Tom Bellchambers

Out: David Hille, Henry Slattery, Andrew Welsh, Travis Colyer, Alex Browne

 

North Melbourne

B: Scott Thompson, Luke Delaney, Michael Firrito

HB: Brady Rawlings, Cameron Pedersen, Nathan Grima

C: Shaun Atley, Andrew Swallow, Daniel Wells

HF: Jack Ziebell, Aaron Edwards, Liam Anthony

F: Lindsay Thomas, Drew Petrie, Leigh Adams

Foll: Todd Goldstein, Brent Harvey, Ryan Bastinac

I/C: Scott McMahon, Levi Greenwood, Samuel Wright, Ben Cunnington

Emg: Benjamin Speight, Ben McKinley, Kieran Harper

In: Nathan Grima, Samuel Wright

Out: Lachlan Hansen (Concussion), Benjamin Speight

 

BRISBANE LIONS V RICHMOND

G – Sat Jun 18, 7:10pm

 

Brisbane Lions

B: Tom Collier, Matt Maguire, Ashley McGrath

HB: Pearce Hanley, Joel Patfull, Mitchell Golby

C: Daniel Rich, Simon Black, Tom Rockliff

HF: Rohan Bewick, Mitchell Clark, Luke Power

F: Todd Banfield, Jonathan Brown, Sam Sheldon

Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, James Polkinghorne, Jack Redden

I/C: Josh Drummond, Ryan Harwood, Patrick Karnezis, Joshua Green

Emg: Cheynee Stiller, Matt Austin, Bryce Retzlaff

In: Josh Drummond, Ryan Harwood, Patrick Karnezis, Rohan Bewick

Out: Jed Adcock (Finger), Cheynee Stiller, Matt Austin, Bryce Retzlaff

New: Patrick Karnezis (Oakleigh Chargers)

 

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Alex Rance, Bachar Houli

HB: Brett Deledio, Luke McGuane, Shaun Grigg

C: Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Reece Conca

HF: Jake King, Tyrone Vickery, Shane Edwards

F: Mitchell Farmer, Jack Riewoldt, Brad Miller

Foll: Andrew Browne, Daniel Jackson, Nathan Foley

I/C: Jayden Post, Tom Hislop, Robin Nahas, Jeromey Webberley

Emg: Shane Tuck, Matthew White, David Gourdis

In: Luke McGuane, Jayden Post, Jeromey Webberley

Out: Matthew White, David Astbury (Knee), Jake Batchelor (Soreness)

Milestones: Nathan Foley – 100 games

ST KILDA V GEELONG CATS

MCG – Sat Jun 18, 7:10pm

 

St Kilda

B: Sean Dempster, Zac Dawson, Steven Baker

HB: Jason Gram, Sam Fisher, James Gwilt

C: Brendon Goddard, David Armitage, Clinton Jones

HF: Brett Peake, Sam Gilbert, Adam Schneider

F: Stephen Milne, Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna

Foll: Ben McEvoy, Nick Dal Santo, Jack Steven

I/C: Jason Blake, Raphael Clarke, Farren Ray, Ryan Gamble

Emg: Justin Koschitzke, Tom Ledger, Dean Polo

In: Jason Blake, Leigh Montagna

Out: Tom Simpkin, Tom Ledger

 

Geelong Cats

B: Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan, Matthew Scarlett

HB: Josh Hunt, Harry Taylor, Darren Milburn

C: Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright

HF: Daniel Menzel, James Podsiadly, Mathew Stokes

F: Mitch Duncan, Nathan Vardy, Steve Johnson

Foll: Brad Ottens, James Kelly, Paul Chapman

I/C: Joel Corey, David Wojcinski, Travis Varcoe, Taylor Hunt

Emg: Mitch Brown, Allen Christensen, Josh Cowan

In: David Wojcinski

Out: Joel Selwood (Suspension)

Milestones: Mathew Stokes – 100 games

MELBOURNE V FREMANTLE

MCG – Sun Jun 19, 1:10pm

 

Melbourne

B: James Strauss, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald

HB: Nathan Jones, Jared Rivers, Jack Trengove

C: Tom Scully, Ricky Petterd, Jeremy Howe

HF: Colin Sylvia, Jack Watts, Cale Morton

F: Liam Jurrah, Max Gawn, Brad Green

Foll: Stefan Martin, Brent Moloney, Jordie McKenzie

I/C: Clint Bartram, Lynden Dunn, Colin Garland, Jamie Bennell, Jordan Gysberts, Daniel Nicholson, Michael Evans

In: Lynden Dunn, Ricky Petterd, Colin Garland, Daniel Nicholson

Out: Neville Jetta

 

Fremantle

B: Greg Broughton, Luke McPharlin, Antoni Grover

HB: Paul Duffield, Michael Johnson, Garrick Ibbotson

C: Nathan Fyfe, Matthew Pavlich, Jesse Crichton

HF: Ryan Crowley, Kepler Bradley, Tendai Mzungu

F: Clancee Pearce, Christopher Mayne, Stephen Hill

Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Nick Lower, Matthew de Boer

I/C: Rhys Palmer, Clayton Hinkley, Zachary Clarke, Benjamin Bucovaz, Jay Van Berlo, Michael Barlow, Josh Mellington

In: Rhys Palmer, Benjamin Bucovaz, Jay Van Berlo, Michael Barlow, Josh Mellington

Out: David Mundy, Hayden Ballantyne

New: Benjamin Bucovaz (Geelong Falcons), Josh Mellington (Murray Bushrangers)

 

CARLTON V SYDNEY SWANS

ES – Sun Jun 19, 2:10pm

 

Carlton

B: Zach Tuohy, Michael Jamison, Jordan Russell

HB: Nick Duigan, Bret Thornton, Christopher Yarran

C: Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Heath Scotland

HF: Eddie Betts, Lachlan Henderson, Kade Simpson

F: Jeffrey Garlett, Shaun Hampson, Andrew Walker

Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Mitch Robinson, Chris Judd

I/C: Paul Bower, Andrew Carrazzo, Ryan Houlihan, Mark Austin, Dennis Armfield, David Ellard, Edward Curnow

In: Ryan Houlihan, Mark Austin, Dennis Armfield

 

Sydney Swans

B: Nicholas Smith, Ted Richards, Alex Johnson

HB: Tadhg Kennelly, Heath Grundy, Martin Mattner

C: Rhyce Shaw, Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh

HF: Ben McGlynn, Sam Reid, Josh P. Kennedy

F: Kieren Jack, Adam Goodes, Ryan O’Keefe

Foll: Shane Mumford, Craig Bird, Daniel Hannebery

I/C: Paul Bevan, Nick Malceski, Jarred Moore, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Mark Seaby, Lewis Jetta, Trent Dennis-Lane

In: Paul Bevan, Jarred Moore, Shane Mumford

 

WEST COAST EAGLES V PORT ADELAIDE

PS – Sun Jun 19, 2:40pm

 

West Coast Eagles

B: Ashley Smith, Darren Glass, Shannon Hurn

HB: Sam Butler, Will Schofield, Scott Selwood

C: Matthew Rosa, Matthew Priddis, Andrew Embley

HF: Luke Shuey, Josh Kennedy, Mark Nicoski

F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Jack Darling

Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Selwood, Daniel Kerr

I/C: Eric Mackenzie, Bradley Ebert, Nic Naitanui, Thomas Swift, Patrick McGinnity, Brad Sheppard, Koby Stevens

In: Eric Mackenzie, Thomas Swift, Brad Sheppard, Koby Stevens

Out: Chris Masten

 

Port Adelaide

B: Tom Logan, Alipate Carlile, Jackson Trengove

HB: Michael Pettigrew, Troy Chaplin, Jasper Pittard

C: Danyle Pearce, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes

HF: Matthew Broadbent, Jay Schulz, Robert Gray

F: Simon Phillips, Justin Westhoff, Daniel Motlop

Foll: Dean Brogan, Hamish Hartlett, Matt Thomas

I/C: Domenic Cassisi, Brett Ebert, Jacob Surjan, Jason Davenport, Daniel Stewart, Ben Jacobs, Cameron O’Shea

In: Domenic Cassisi, Brett Ebert, Jason Davenport, Daniel Stewart

Out: Andrew Moore

Milestones: Michael Pettigrew – 100 games

 

 

Boys on the Bubble: Round 13

So we’re officially half way through the season, and now we start to see teams that aren’t in the race for finals, begin to blood their young guys to see if they’re worth persisting with over the next pre-season.

While there are a few good guys on the bubble this week, scoring capacity wise, they all do have one thing in common, and that’s a lack of solid job security.

Some people have varying opinions and strategies at this time of the year, and I’m a firm believer of having a squad of 33 players, that if fit, will be playing week in, week out.

Some people look at a players pure scoring ability, and get blinded by the fact they may not actually be anywhere near their teams best 22, but more so just filling gaps due to injuries which inevitably happen.

Cases like this round, in which we already know David Mundy, Zac Smith, Joel Selwood, Alan Didak, Heath Shaw, Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and perhaps Leigh Montagna and Brent Stanton all won’t play, is the perfect example of why you should pick your rookies at this time of the year carefully.

Will the likes of Jeremy Howe, Tom Simpkin, and Thomas Ledger be playing in the multi-bye rounds in 16 and 19 when disaster inevitably strikes again? I say doubtful, but we never know with footy!

 

Tom Simpkin (St Kilda, BACK)

DT: $92,500

Scores: 40, 60

Break Even: -25

SC: $103,600

Scores: 61, 61

Break Even: -49

I’ve been quite impressed with Simpkin’s start to his AFL career. He’s one of those guys that will never be a superstar, but he’ll play his role, and play it well for your side, following very much in the footsteps of his counterpart in Jason Blake. In both games so far, he’s scored very well for the amount of game time he’s played, given he’s been subbed off in both games. I actually thought by subbing Simpkin off in his first game, that it really shuffled St.Kilda’s structure around and turned the game in Collingwood’s favour, but I guess Ross Lyon would have his reasons. The fact that he’s been getting subbed off towards the latter stages of games gives me the impression he’s not really a stable figure in that defence yet.

Summary: His job security troubles me. I don’t think I could rely on him playing every week, but with the stability of backline rookies this year, it possibly means you could take a gamble with someone like Simpkin if you need the cash desperately.

 

Zach Tuohy (Carlton, BACK)

DT: $92, 500

Scores: 12*, 73

Break Even: – 10

SC: $103,600

Scores: 9*, 79

Break Even: – 15

Tuohy really impressed me on the weekend against Brisbane; in fact, he was superb. He doesn’t look out of place at all on the big stage, after coming over from Ireland, and he really put a solid case forward to the selectors that he can be a crucial part of the Carlton backline going forward with his run and ball use. He kicked a lovely long goal in the last quarter to further showcase his talent, but his creativity running out of the backline proved to be a great asset.

Summary: Out of all the options this week, I think Tuohy is the pick of the bunch. I actually think his place in the team now is rather safe and he will be a solid scoring option if you need him on the park.

 

Thomas Ledger (St Kilda, MID)

DT: $92,500

Scores: 35*, 31*

Break Even: 9

SC: $103,600

Scores: 26*, 14*

Break Even: 33

Ledger COULD be a very good scoring rookie, but unfortunately Ross Lyon sees him as the perfect sub candidate at the moment, and possibly finding himself out of the side sooner rather that later. He’s a very good ball winner, as he’s shown that in his two very brief appearances. He’s averaged 33 DT points over his two games, basically playing just over a quarter in each, so from that we know what he’s capable of. Hopefully his stint as the starting sub is over, which then makes him a legitimate option, but we won’t know for sure, so it will be a brave call to take the punt on him.

Summary: If he gets picked this week, and you need the cash, consider him. I doubt he’ll be the sub three weeks in a row, but Ross Lyon has done stranger things. If you can, hold off, as there should be a few better options floating around in a few weeks.

 

Jeremy Howe (Melbourne, FWD)

DT: $92,500

Scores: 86, 75

Break Even: – 86

SC: $103,600

Scores: 97, 50

Break Even: – 74

Howe looks like he’s added a few extra strings to his bow since coming up from Tassie in the state league last year. I really saw him as just a mark-kick-goal player that took the odd screamer, but now he’s added a few dimensions that could make him a serious fantasy player in years to come. He’s played as a lead up forward for Melbourne so far, something I’m sure he isn’t quite used to, but he’s doing it well nevertheless. Currently he’s leading the war between he, Matthew Bate and Ricky Petterd (surprisingly), but Petterd was best on ground on the weekend in a dominant display for Casey, so that’s something to be concerned about.

Summary: I think he’s the perfect downgrade for Darling right now, if you’re looking at going that way and don’t necessarily need him to play every week. I think his job security is an issue, but his scoring definitely isn’t. What do you go with?

 

OTHER BOYS ON THE BUBBLE………

James Mulligan suffered a hamstring injury on Friday night so he’ll be struggling to come back anytime soon. Probably not someone you’d look at trading in anyway, considering he’s pretty much an irrelevant part of fantasy footy unfortunately.

 

Alex Browne from the Bombers WILL be a great Dream Team player in years to come, but for now, opportunity will get in his way. Hird has promised he’ll swing the axe, so it’s not looking good for Alex to play his 3^rd game.

 

I traded Max Gawn in last week to be my fourth ruck for the rest of the season, just because he’s probably the likeliest of the ruck rookies to get games. The big Russian Jamar is due to come back in to the side as early as this week, so you’d think Gawn will be a straight swap for him.

 

Isaac Smith is still on the bubble guys! He’s apparently going to play this week, so if you need him and his dual position capabilities, jump on now before it’s too late!

 

Dan looks through all State-League Footy action from the weekend. He runs through the bests and worsts and who is pushing for a recall.

 

Let’s take a look at how the boys playing at state league level went across the weekend. With big fantasy names like Cam Richardson, Michael Barlow, Isaac Smith and Mitch Wallis all featuring there could be plenty of interest here for your Dream Team or Super Coach team.

 

ADELAIDE

Ian Callinan made his long awaited return from injury, playing his first game of the year for Central District. He picked up 18 touches, along with four marks and four tackles. Those who traded him in prematurely will be happy to see him back out there and he could turn out to be a timely downgrade option for many out there.

 

Centrals teammate Ricky Henderson responded alright to being dropped, picking up 20 touches with nine marks and 2.1 to be named third best.

 

Sturt had a few Crows running around fighting for an AFL spot. Richard Tambling was named in the bests, picking up 20 possessions and was lively playing a variety of roles. Speaking of hard at it, Aidan Riley had six tackles and showed ferocious attack on the ball, finishing with 12 touches.

 

Daniel Talia’s South Adelaide had a bye, but the rules allow players on return from injury to have a run with the bottom placed reserves side, so he lined up for WWT 2’s and was named third best for them. Callinan, Riley and Talia are all pushing for debut.

 

BRISBANE

Unfortunately there’s not a great deal of info coming out of the Lions Reserves game in Darwin on Saturday night. The Lions went down to the NT Thunder, who have only lost one game in the past three years at TIO Stadium and are undefeated in 2011.

 

Ryan Harwood was named BOG with his hard inside work. He was ably assisted by Andrew Raines in the hardness stakes. Young Patrick Karnezis is demanding a debut as he continues his impressive form of late with another four goals, while his forward line cohort Aaron Cornelius booted three himself.

 

For those who may have held onto Rohan Bewick he was named third best and kicked two goals from the midfield, while Broc McCauley, who is gathering dust on many benches was also named in the bests. Xavier Clarke got through another game, his third in a row and could be nearing selection – the talent is there, it’s just a matter of how long he stays upright for.

 

CARLTON

Carlton’s VFL affiliate the Northern Bullants had the bye, but were eliminated by WA’s Claremont in the quarter finals of the Foxtel Cup. Foxtel Cup games are shorter (18 min quarters) so the stats are a bit lower for all of the players.

 

It wasn’t a great day for the Ants, but Ryan Houlihan was their best player with 17 disposals and a goal, but a very high five frees against. Rohan Kerr was also quite good, also getting it 17 times with five marks, three tackles and a goal. He’s not really nearing senior selection, but there’s a bit to like about his game.

 

Jaryd Cachia was good once again with 15 touches and was named third best for them, but there wasn’t a great deal else going on from the Blues listed players. Robert Warnock was good in the hitouts, but wasn’t effective around the ground, while Brock McLean (battling the flu) struggled with five touches.

 

COLLINGWOOD

With the Pies missing a few senior players it was interesting to see them field a VFL side that had Brad Dick as the only player with AFL experience. Unfortunately the livewire small forward did his knee in the second term and will be out for the year. There’s grave concerns over his ability to stay on the park, as it’s his second knee reco to go along with his two shoulder recos.

 

Jye Bolton was the pick of this kids with the rookie listed midfield playing a hard inside game and was using the ball well. If the Pies are going to upgrade a rookie it’ll be this guy (all clubs can upgrade a rookie after Round 11, regardless of long term injuries).

 

The two guys who were named as emergencies for the Queen’s Birthday clash Luke Rounds and Tom Young were serviceable. Rounds was named in the bests, playing mostly as a small defender and battled on manfully after hurting his ankle in the first quarter. Young linked up OK, his strength is his willingness to have multiple involvements in the one passage of play, however his kicking can be very hit and miss.

 

Daniel Farmer had been struggling a fair bit this year, but had his best game of the year. Lachlan Keeffe struggled. The bye comes at a good time for the Pies. They want players coming back because from the VFL side they fielded today (minus Dick) isn’t really flush with kids ready to come in and play AFL – luckily the Pies Top 28-30 are so strong!

 

ESSENDON

Essendon’s VFL affiliate Bendigo had a good away win against Sandringham on the weekend with Brent Prismall starring with almost 40 possessions and will be a huge chance to come in this week. His ball use has been a bit better lately, so he’s worked on the deficiencies that see him struggle at AFL level – as long as he can kick it better when he gets the call up!

 

Kyle Reimers was another to impress. He’s played the last few weeks almost exclusively in the midfield for Bendigo and has been in great form. With Essendon struggling big time on the weekend he’ll be a chance, but will be fighting Stanton, Lonergan, Hocking and Prismall this week (fitness pending on the first two).

 

Tom Bellchambers won the taps, but dropped a few too many marks. Overall it wasn’t a bad game by the unluckily demoted big man. Mark Williams (remember that guy?) played his best game in about a decade and a half – slight exaggeration. He was presenting up the ground and was creating opportunities for teammates.

 

Tayte Pears got through another three quarters and looked good early in the game. He’s been doing a few things just a class above VFL level, but might need another run for Bendigo before seeing AFL action. He’s very close…

 

FREMANTLE

Michael Barlow, come on down! In his first full game and also his first in WAFL Seniors on return from that sickening broken leg, he picked up 33 touches and 96 DT points. Slightly low on the points per possession count, but we’ll cut him a bit of slack.

 

Rhys Palmer played with a bee under his bonnet, collecting 34 disposals, along with three marks, seven tackles and a goal in a permanent midfield role. It’s funny that Pavlich gets criticism for playing as a midfielder and Palmer isn’t working as a half forward. I’m no rocket scientist…but like, maybe swap them?

 

Dylan Roberton was also solid with 23 touches, four marks and three tackles. On the return from injury were Alex Silvagni and Roger Hayden, two critical cogs of Freo’s back line who have been missing all year. Silvagni played a half for Peel reserves and Hayden played three quarters for South Freo reserves.

 

An interesting story coming out of Perth is that the Perth Demons wanted to drop Justin Bollenhagen and Casey Sibosado to their reserves but the Dockers were none too keen on that. The pair ended up playing average games in a three goal loss. Tense times…

 

GEELONG

Cameron Mooney on return from dodgy knees (still has them, just managing them now) kicked two goals and was moving well. Depending on how he pulled up he’ll be a decent chance to come back in.

 

Allen Christensen was impressive in a BOG performance and was everywhere in their midfield, playing inside and also getting space to run in. Geelong are having a great run with injuries at the moment, but I can’t think of an unluckier player in the league. Right now Christensen would be playing in every single other side in the AFL (he’d be depth at Collingwood, but they need it now).

 

Josh Cowan was also good on his return to VFL after getting a taste of AFL action. He had a couple of turnovers, but you get that with him, in an overall solid game.

 

Steven Motlop had his best game in a while, with an especially good last quarter with a couple of goals in a lively performance. Interestingly Steve Johnson could be seen having a one on one chat with him at three quarter time before he had that big final term.

 

Shannon Byrnes is tracking OK, but Geelong are going so well at the moment he’s struggling to break in. His run and carry was a feature on the weekend. Tom Hawkins struggled big time early on and looked unenthusiastic. He was moved behind the ball and into the ruck later where he had a bigger impact.

 

GOLD COAST

Karmichael Hunt played his first reserves game and spent most of his time in the midfield. Impressively he picked up 25 touches and was named fourth best for the Suns. He was reported on the day for rough conduct, but the charge was thrown out on Tuesday morning.

 

Jack Hutchins drew a ton of praise from coach Shaun Hart for controlling the defensive end of the ground. Hutchins was named BOG for the Suns and is a big chance to come back in this week.

 

Charlie Dixon was experimented with in the back line and played a great game. Given a few of the marks bounce out of his hands up forward he might as well go back and punch them clear. That could be one to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks.

 

The athletic Joel Wilkinson was another in the backline to impress, getting named second best, while ball magnet Hayden Jolly and popular fourth ruck/DP pivot Joel Tippett were also named in the best players. Exiled forward Harley Bennell kicked three goals along with big man Daniel Gorringe.

HAWTHORN

The exciting news from a fantasy perspective was the good game of Isaac Smith. His repeat efforts and run and carry were notable features of his game, on top of kicking a great goal on the run. He apparently sat out the last quarter, but was uninjured, which suggests a trip to Tasmania might be on the cards this weekend.

 

Kyle Cheney played a solid, dependable game in defence, which is pretty much what we’ve come to expect from him. Jordan Lisle worked his way into the game after a slowish start by kicking three goals and clunking a few good marks. With Roughead going down his chances of getting more regular AFL time will improve.

 

Rick Ladson showed good leadership and is one of those guys a bit too good for VFL level, but has been struggling at AFL level this year. He had a knock to the knee, but should come up OK.

 

David Hale didn’t play, but is expected to return straight into the AFL side this week after a few weeks off with that knee injury.

 

MELBOURNE

Ricky Petterd was named BOG for Melbourne’s affiliate Casey Scorpions in a dominant performance with 34 disposals, 11 marks and a goal. He’s way too good for VFL level, so I suppose he’s there to learn something about forward pressure at a guess. He should be back in the AFL this week, especially after Melbourne’s dispirited showing on Queen’s Birthday.

 

Lucas Cook was one to really excite the fans, just showing a bit of what he could provide to their forward line in years to come. The concept of a legitimate marking target in the Melbourne forward line is a confusing idea, but keep his name in mind. He had 13 touches, six marks and kicked 4.3.

 

Matthew Warnock and Lynden Dunn also had good games, while Colin Garland, who was listed as four weeks away with an ankle injury made a surprise return to the field and will be likely to play for Melbourne next week.

 

NORTH MELBOURNE

With half of their group playing for Werribee and the other half for North Ballarat there were two BOG performances in the Roos stable. Ben Warren kicked six goals and was in everything up forward for Werribee. He had 19 touches and six marks (three contested). He’ll need to be a bit more consistent, but this is a great effort in the right direction for him.

 

Robbie Tarrant was named third best for Werribee, doing a great job on Tom Hawkins for most of the day. Hawkins only kicked one goal, while Tarrant set up a lot of play with 21 disposals and seven marks. Toby’s man Gavin Urquhart provided plenty of rebound with that lovely leg of his (no homo), while Sam Wright was super impressive with 27 possessions, six marks, four tackles and three goals. What makes it an even better performance was that he was the traveling emergency for North Melbourne on Saturday night and flew home to play this game on Sunday.

 

For North Ballarat Cam Richardson had his obligatory BOG performance – yes, that’s THREE IN A ROW! Get around him Scotty! He racked it up 27 times, had 15 marks and bobbed up for a couple of important goals. I’ve got some holes in his stats so I couldn’t get all of his DT score, but it was 128 before counting tackles or frees.

 

Cruize Garlett is another one in ridiculously good form. He was named third best and had 31 touches, six marks and a sausage roll. The Roos are in good form, but there’s some serious rumblings happening amongst their reserves.

 

PORT ADELAIDE

Mitch Banner was the big performer at SANFL level for the Power on the weekend with a 33 possession, seven mark and two goal best on ground performance for the Magpies. His disposal was good and will be a big chance to be an inclusion this week after a solid month of SANFL footy.

 

Magpie teammate Brett Ebert was handy too, playing across half forward and through the middle with 19 touches, nine marks and 3.1.

 

Jason Davenport was solid with 21 touches, eight marks and 2.1. He’s been in good form in the SANFL, but like Banner was historically had trouble taking that form up to the next level.

 

It was a week of comebacks for the Power though with captain Dom Cassisi playing a full game for West Adelaide and picking up 20 touches and four clearances. He’ll return to the AFL this week. David Rodan played on Monday for Norwood Reserves. In 60% of game time he picked up 19 touches, six marks, four tackles and a goal. Physically he looks up to it, but with the shorter break for him, he’s likely to spend one more week in the SANFL.

 

RICHMOND

The less said, the better. Coburg got smashed by Port Melbourne and there was very little for the Richmond faithful to get excited about.

 

David Gourdis was named best on for them. He’s a tremendous athlete and does a consistently good job to close down space and spoil, but he tends to struggle with the ball in hand. With Astbury going down he’ll surely get a shot this week.

 

Jayden Post was named third best for them. The ball was in their back line a lot and he apparently did a couple of decent things, while Shane Tuck exhibited his usual hardness at the contest.

 

Angus Graham got reported for rough conduct and started a melee. It was such a dismal day for Coburg that a melee was probably one of the biggest positives. The hearing for Graham is tonight (Wednesday). For those stashing Tom Derickx as your fourth ruck, he’s been in ordinary form and was not seen after half time after suffering an injury in the second term.

 

ST.KILDA

Tom Lynch played a very good game sweeping across half back, collecting 35 disposals to be named third best for the Sandringham Zebras. Andrew McQualter was named BOG with 33 touches running through the midfield, while Robert Eddy was also good on return from an arm injury.

 

Dean Polo was another to have a crack and the Saints have plenty of fringe midfielders who have a red hot dip (see McQualter, Eddy).

 

Tommy Walsh will be nearing his debut and played a bit as a ruck and a forward on the weekend. He kicked two late goals from outside 50, one on the run and one from a set shot in the last term. Another last term hero was Will Johnson, who kicked four of his five goals for the day in the fourth quarter. Justin Koschitzke got through the game, but it sounds a bit more like Walsh would be ahead of him for a senior game right now.

 

SYDNEY

Paul Bevan had a BOG performance for the Swans Reserves with two goals, as well as dishing off quite a few, especially in the second half. He played with plenty of confidence.

 

On a wet day, Daniel Currie impressed with his ability to mark the ball. A few weeks ago I commented on the Bombers having enviable ruck depth, but Sydney are in an equally charmed position. With Mumford and Pyke both out injured they still have Seaby performing well and still can’t fit Currie in, who has been in great form lately. “Crusher” has been on their list for five years and is yet to debut!

 

Campbell Heath was free of any serious defensive responsibility and used the opportunity to attack whenever he could, even floating forward to kick a couple of goals. He’s played a few games on return from the LARS surgery of his knee, so hopefully he can start pushing for selection.

 

Byron Sumner and Dylan McNeil were both named in the best players for the Swans for their roles in the midfield (and a little across half back for Sumner). Big Jesse White kicked six goals, while Jarred Moore chimed in for three.

 

WEST COAST

The Eagles depth is so damn impressive. The same names are getting a run in this article every week and they still can’t break in. Koby Stevens had another BOG performance for East Freo with 26 touches and ten tackles. Ten!

 

Andrew Gaff picked up 27 touches, four marks and kicked 1.1 playing on a wing for South Freo. Teammate Ashton Hams returned from a two week suspension and had it 24 times with four marks and seven tackles.

 

Young forward Scott Lycett continues his super impressive form with 15 disposals and seven marks, along with 2.1. For a young tall the season he is putting together is going way too underrated and if he were at another club struggling for forward options he’d probably have played 4-5 games by now.

 

Tim Houlihan, Bradd Dalziell, Jacob Brennan and Brad Sheppard were all once again productive. If injuries start to hit West Coast (only Mitch Brown and Waters out of their best 22) they’re well equipped to handle it.

 

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Mitch Wallis was named second best and had about 30 touches for Williamstown, with a lot of them being quick handballs out of traffic. Jason Tutt was named in the best players for the second week in a row, while Sam Reid on return from a hamstring injury had close to 30 possessions in a solid game.

 

Jordan Roughead shouldered nearly all of the rucking responsibilities, with a little support from Zephanniah Skinner and Matthew Panos and acquitting himself well. Panos played in a variety of roles, starting in the back line, but eventually moved forward in the second half where he kicked two last quarter goals. Jarrad Grant had plenty of shots at goal, but only converted for two majors, while Andrew Hooper finished with three goals.

 

Welcome to another Tuesday of Kristian’s Kaptains! I hope you all jumped on board Matty Boyd, Brendon Goddard, Marc Murphy or Gary Ablett (who I copped a bit of stick for leaving him out of my article last week!). Apart from those four, there weren’t many stand-out performances on the weekend. Even Scott Pendlebury was struggling to reach a score of 80 before a bit of junk time footy luckily got him over the ton.

This week will present many challenges! Of course, Collingwood has the bye, so those without Pendlebury and Swan will automatically have two players out of their midfield. If you really copped some bad luck, you’ll be missing David Mundy, Leigh Montagna, Joel Selwood and possibly Brent Stanton as well! All of those guys are legitimate captain options, so stocks will be running pretty thin!

Luckily there are quite a few guys who have good records against their upcoming opposition, so all is not lost yet. I’ll now run through the guys who you should be considering for your captain in round 13.

 

MATTHEW BOYD VS ADELAIDE

Mr Consistent, you can’t go wrong with this selection at all. You can basically lock in at least a 100 score, with the chance of a possible monster, like last week. I know I keep harping on about Boyd’s safety and consistency, but you just can’t go past it. The ONLY thing that should worry you about Boyd this week is his record against the Crows in his last five outings. He has a DT average of 86, and a SC average of 87. However, in a must win game for the Dogs, at Etihad on a Friday night, can you not see Boyd having a massive game? Put this one in the book.

 

HAWTHORN STARS VS GOLD COAST

If you don’t have Boyd, look here next. This game is being playing at Aurora, statistically the BEST venue for Dream Team scoring in the country. With the way the Hawks have been playing this season, there should be an absolute feast of points for the taking and there is no doubt one of your Hawthorn premiums will be cashing in. The two obvious candidates are Sam Mitchell and Lance Franklin, but don’t discount Hodge, Shiels, Rioli, and even Suckling! If you’re in the mood to go chasing for the monster, this is your game; it’s just a matter of picking the right bloke!

 

GARY ABLETT VS HAWTHORN

It’s taken me a while to get the faith back with Gazza, but it is back! He’s finally starting to gel and find his own in that midfield, and there’s really no stopping him from here. Having said that, I don’t like the match-up this week, as this could be a serious smashing with Hawthorn on the rebound, so I don’t see Gaz scoring like he has in previous weeks. He is pretty much a sure thing for 90’s at least most weeks anyway, so he isn’t the worst option, but I don’t see him putting up another massive score this round. His record against the Hawks is super-impressive though, with a DT average of 120 and SC average of 130 in his last five games.

 

JIMMY BARTEL

Some say his Dream Team and Super Coach days of dominance are over, but he’s still pulling out some massive scores. His record against the Saints is outstanding, and with no Joel Selwood by his side, he really is the main midfielder in the team for a few weeks. I think Jimmy is just being eased into this season to be honest, and I reckon we’ll see him bring out a massive second half to the year. I think it starts right here against the Saints; the guy’s a champion, averages 120 DT and 130 SC against the Saints, and it’s his big stage to step up and be the veteran in the midfield. Jump on the Jimmy train!

 

DEAN COX VS PORT ADELAIDE

This looks like a really enticing match up for Cox, especially at Paterson’s stadium. It’s hard to see not having a massive game, and like Boyd, should be a guarantee for at least a DT and SC ton. Naitanui has been doing the bulk of the ruckwork lately, with Cox spending a bit of time forward, so when he moves into the middle, he’s most likely be battling it out with Justin Westhoff. Lock him in for 30 hitouts just there. His last five games record against Port looks average, but that includes a 45 DT, 41 SC game from early last year when he was under done. It still adds up to a 94 DT and 107 SC average which is still rock solid.

 

OTHER POSSIBLE OPTIONS………

Do you take the risk on Jobe Watson’s second week back from a hamstring injury? He struggled on the weekend, but his history says so, averaging 111 DT and 116 SC against the Roos.

 

Brendon Goddard is back in hot form, but against the Cats, you would be just a little wary of a potential blow out. He has a great record against them though, averaging 105 DT and 114 SC.

 

Marc Murphy is having a massive season, and he’ll look to continue that against the Swans at Etihad Stadium. He has a rock solid average of 100 DT and 106 SC against the Swans, although Keiran Jack is now back into the side, so that could be a potential match up.

 

Paul Chapman’s not in the greatest of form, and therefore can’t be trusted. I’d wait until he shows signs of exploding again, before making him captain!

 

Steve Johnson is in the form of his life, yet he’s still too inconsistent to be a genuine captain option for my liking. He’s due to have a quiet game, and against the Saints it might be, only averaging 64 DT and 68 SC!

 

MY TOP 3 DREAM TEAM CAPTAIN OPTIONS

1. Matthew Boyd

2. Dean Cox

3. Sam Mitchell

 

MY TOP 3 SUPER COACH CAPTAIN OPTIONS

1. Lance Franklin

2. Gary Ablett

3. Dean Cox