Footy Tragic

A review at all eight games from an AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach perspective, running through all the heroes and villains of each game.

Hawthorn vs Essendon:

Hawthorn:

• Isaac Smith was the top scorer for the Hawks and one of NINE who hit the ton on the night! He was brilliant all night for Hawthorn, stationed on the wing, providing great run and carry for them all night. His speed in the lineup looks really dangerous, so I really can’t see him losing his spot anytime soon. He racked up 25 touches, 14 marks and kicking three very impressive goals too. Those who have felt the pain of him sitting on their bench all this time must be now feeling somewhat vindicated.
• Grant Birchall was the best for the Hawks all night, playing as the loose man in defence and racking up plenty of kicks and marks and repelling plenty of failed Essendon inside-50s. Birch has never been a great DTer (he is more a SCer), but his past month or so has really stamped him as a legitimate premium option for any defence – and a definite unique too. He is still somewhat expensive, but when he can rack up 33 touches and 12 marks off half back, then he is worth every cent.
• Sam Mitchell had another great game, although he did start a bit shaky, gifting a couple of goals to Essendon with turnovers. Fortunately though he moved on and had a great game through the midfield all night. He racked up 38 disposals (again – I think this is the fourth time he has hit this number this year!) and continues to repay all the coaches that took a punt on him over the past month.
• Paul Puopolo was one of only a couple of disappointing Hawks for the night – he wasn’t terrible, but just didn’t get into the pace of the game like plenty of his teammates – he looked a bit lost at times and lost a few battles to his opponents, not really getting too many clean disposals. The worry is, with plenty of coaches relying on him, the great game played by Kyle Cheney – Cheney plays a very similar spot in the team to Puopolo (and the injured Murphy), so plenty will be holding their breath for Hawthorn team selection next week.

Essendon:

• Brent Stanton, whilst he did manage the majority of his kicks in the second half, was one of Essendon’s better players. He was one of the few who continued to work pretty hard, even when the game was well out of their reach and actually did a lot of good work to get the margin looking a lot more respectable in the second half.
• David Zaharakis is really becoming a great player – quite honestly, it has taken me a little while to become a fan, but games like this really prove me to be pretty wrong about him. He spent much more time through the midfield than up forward and whilst his team was spanked, he was one of only four Bombers to give a solid effort for the majority of the game. He provided them with a bit of spark through the game, and especially in the second half when they closed the gap. Finished with 31 touches and five tackles and whilst he isn’t premium material yet, it’s good to see he is showing signs.
• Paddy Ryder was poor all game – his form and body language is pretty poor, suggesting he does not deserve a spot in the team. Hird continues to experiment with the three ruckman setup and it continues not to work – Hille was dropped this week then recalled, whist the same thing happened to Bellchambers a fortnight ago. It is now Ryder’s turn to have a stint in the VFL, although judging by Hird’s words of support for him after the game, he is unlikely to be going anywhere.
• Jobe Watson, Sam Lonergan and David Myers all sustained injuries in the match, which was further bad news for the Bombers. Myers and Watson will likely miss three weeks, whilst Lonergan appears done for the season.

 

Gold Coast vs Western Bulldogs:

Gold Coast:

• Gary Ablett again hit the ton, although not quite reaching his recent pass-mark of 130 points… Oh well, we’ll still take 118 I guess! The thing that has been most impressive with Ablett over the past month has been his workrate when his team doesn’t have the ball – he is chasing and tackling hard, having increased his tackle-count to 7.4 a game over the past five weeks, a massive increase on his 2010 average of 4.2 a game! It has meant that whilst his disposal count over this year has been down, he can still make up the points in other areas of his game. THIS is why we love the little guy – he simply loves Dream Team!
• David Swallow had another solid game, repaying all of his coaches for his absence last week. As the age-old saying goes, ‘A ton one week, will make up for a donut the week before.’ He racked up 21 touches, 5 marks and 2 goals for the game and the week off looks to have certainly helped him. If you still have him, personally I would be inclined to keep him as he will provide some great coverage for you for the remainder of the season. And could this finally be the week he gets his NAB rising star nod?
• Sam Iles was very good and continues to provide some very good support for those teams struggling to field a full midfield at the moment. He played the entire game through the midfield and racked up 24 touches, 3 tackles and booted a goal. He was Gold Coast’s B&F winner last year, so there was never to be any doubting his spot in the team, although it’s great to see him start producing some scores worth getting excited about.
• Tom Lynch was strong up forward again, booting three goals, including a contender for goal of the year. This is the second week in a row now that he has kicked three and he continues to look like a real star of the future. For those with him in their Dream Teams and Supercoaches, this is the sort of score you should be expecting from the big guy – 50-60 points. Unfortunately though, I’d say there were plenty hoping he would average over 90 points as he did in his first two games.

Western Bulldogs:

• Matthew Boyd is such a tease – clearly there would have been plenty of coaches freaking out at Boydy sat on just 10 DT points at quarter time (especially those who locked him in as captain), but fortunately he managed to squeeze out another lazy 126 points over the next three quarters – pretty impressive stuff. His game itself was good too, with 9 clearances, 39 disposals and 5 tackles.
• Ryan Griffen was once again very good – it’s almost a shame how much his season seems to have gone unnoticed due to the Bulldogs’ form – with only three games under 100 points for the year, this has clearly been his most consistent season of his career. In this game he was the Doggies cleverest and most skilled player through the middle, winning plenty of the ball (including 7 clearances), but also using it very well.
• Adam Cooney looks to be returning to some good form after spending the majority of the year on the injury list. Now priced under $300k in Dream Team, you wouldn’t be silly for considering him as a decent 7^th midfielder. When in form he can score extremely well, so although he doesn’t have that much wanted DPP capability, his scoring potency could certainly help you get over the line in some tight games!
• Barry Hall’s days look just about over. He had another day of being thrashed by his opponent, despite kicking two goals. He just doesn’t have his speed off the mark anymore and looks pretty resigned to the fact that his body has just about given up on him. With Jarrad Grant booting 8 goals in the VFL on the weekend, it might just be about time for Hall to call a mid-week press conference.

 

Richmond vs Melbourne:

Richmond:

• Nathan Foley was Richmond’s best, with another strong midfield performance. He was the Tigers’ leading disposal winner with 27 touches and also their highest clearance winner with 5, an area of the game where Richmond were dominated most of the day. Foley is another one of those great 7^th mid type players I have been talking about – he won’t score high enough or consistently enough to be in your top-six mids, but could be awesome cover for the rest of the season.
• Tyrone Vickery continues to impress in the forward line for Richmond. In fact, they aren’t even bothering to use him as a ruck anymore thanks to his form in the goalsquare. Whilst he doesn’t look particularly strong, his core strength appears good as he is actually quite able to hold his own in most marking contests. He also has a good ability below his knees (like Riewoldt), making his a tricky guy to match up on. Finished with three goals as Richmond’s highest goal-kicker.
• Brett Deledio was good, playing the majority of the game through the middle, as he has over the past few weeks, moving away from his early-season half-back role. He was one of the Tigers’ better playmakers on the day, with his inside-50 count very impressive (seven) as it has been for most of the year. He finished with 26 touches and 4 marks for the game.
• Brad Miller’s form has been pretty average recently – he was originally recruited to provide some leadership to a young Richmond forward line, but now it just seems like he is keeping some younger teammates out. His form just doesn’t warrant selection, laying just one tackle and kicking one behind for the day.

Melbourne:

• Brent Moloney was best on ground with 10 clearances and 9 tackles in a dominant midfield performance. It was no coincidence that he had such a great game as his big mate Jamar was back in the lineup – Jamar and Moloney have a great partnership around the ground and seem to know exactly what each other are going to do. He also managed 30 disposals and amazingly zero marks for the day.
• Ricky Petterd went a long way to securing his spot in the team with an amazing 13 tackles inside Melbourne’s forward 50. His workrate all day was very good and although he didn’t register anything more than a behind on the scoreboard, it was the sort of game that will feature very highly in the Coach’s votes.
• Jack Watts was very good again, roaming through the midfield, up forward and occasionally off half-back. His workrate and belief in himself is fantastic compared to where he was at the start of this season. He takes on every contest and isn’t afraid to try and win the hard-ball – in fact, he had more contested possessions than uncontested ones for the game. He finished with 3.1 along with 19 disposals and 4 tackles.
• Jeremy Howe, who has been a marking specialist this past few weeks, was kept really quiet all day, only booting the one goal and taking two marks. He should have enough credit in the bank to keep in the side, but it was disappointing to see him stationed almost permanently in the forward line and have a mere cameo role after he has covered so much ground in his first few games. As I said, he should stay, but it does create worry about the sort of scores we will see from him in the future.

 

Sydney vs Collingwood:

Sydney:

• Ryan O’Keefe was Sydney’s best through the midfield, continuing on his good recent form that has seen him average over 100 DT points from his last five games. He won himself plenty of disposals, but from a DT point of view, his 10 tackles were all very lovely too! Clearly one of the in-form forwards at the moment and DPP too, so you could do much worse than bringing him in!
• Mark Seaby seems to love playing without Mumford in the team, getting his second ton in a row without the big guy, but as soon as Mummy is back in the side, Seaby seems to be rubbish. He’s not the sort of ruck to be considering due to this up-and-down scoring unfortunately.
• Josh Kennedy was great in-and-under all the packs and congestion for the Swans, winning 17 contested possessions and just 8 uncontested, plus a team-high 7 clearances. He hasn’t become the massive ball-winner that plenty of Dream Team coaches had hoped he would be through the pre-season, but SuperCoach players should be licking their lips at stats like those!
• Andrejs Everitt would have to be one of the more disappointing players who Sydney have traded for in quite a while. He was the sub, but although his numbers suggest he was activated late in the game, he actually came in part was into the 2^nd quarter. So despite getting nearly three quarters to have an influence on the game, Everitt managed just one kick, one handball and one mark… Not entirely impressive.

Collingwood:

• Travis Cloke’s game had plenty of positives to come from it – the trick is what is the highlight – is it his 6.4? Is it the fact he had 18 kicks and ZERO handballs? Or perhaps the fact that seven of his eight marks were contested? They were all brilliant numbers from a guy that has really started showing some good recent consistency, now averaging 125 DT points from his past 3 games – he is still prone to the odd quiet game, but with numbers like that, you’d have to consider him!
• Dane Swan, welcome home from Arizona buddy! He didn’t even look too tired! He came back and showed us the form we have come to expect of him, picking up 33 touches, 8 marks and a frustratingly inaccurate 1.4. He looks to be well and truly over his ailments which he went overseas to cure, which is great news for all those who have him – and if you don’t have the Great Dane, now at a bargain price, you MUST pounce!
• Scott Pendlebury notched up the ton, which was great to see, considering his poor recent record against the Swans. In fact, his first half was brilliant, scoring 72 DT points, but unfortunately he didn’t go on with it as much as hoped (as Sydney put the clamps on and got back into the game), scoring just another 35 points for the game.
• Alan Didak’s injury and subsequent subbing off would have ruined numerous Saturday night’s, especially for those who had just traded him in the night before. He was pretty ineffective up until his injury anyway, but a subbing off is always an extra blow to the system. The talk today is that he was only taken off as a ‘precaution,’ so should be good to go again next week. I understand that most coaches would prefer him gone for the year so they can just get rid of him.

 

Fremantle vs Brisbane:

Fremantle:

• Matthew Pavlich, who had been rumoured all week at being a late withdrawal, carved up the undersized Brisbane backline, shotting five goals straight in a great display. He still spent plenty of time through the midfield, but looked most damaging (as he always has) when stationed up forward. He was clean with his marking and clean with his kicking, also racking up 29 disposals – so much for the injury scare! He’s still cheap if you want him, but you’d have to pounce soon!
• Greg Broughton played his best game of the year, playing between the midfield and backline. He rebounded really well and moved the best he has all year – although it did help that he was opposed to Sheldon – a far inferior opponent than what he sometimes cops. The return of Silvagni certainly helps him (and Duffield) as it will free him up from a lot of defensive work and allows him to work further up field. He racked up 32 disposals, 7 tackles and 2.1 for the game.
• Clayton Hinkley actually really impressed me – he has always been a player I have never really noticed much of before in any of his games – he is typically a 10-possession wonder, so when he did some really clever things in the forward line and set up some nice goal, he had me checking my team sheet. Whilst I’m not suggesting to jump on him by any stretch, but it’s always nice to see a player who has been around for a while have a somewhat breakout game.
• Aaron Sandilands started slowly, continued really slowly and then went down with a reoccurrence of his turf-toe. It would be a devastating blow for all those coaches who held onto him all this time, only to find out he will likely miss another 4-6 weeks. He has been flown to Melbourne for surgery on his toe, and whilst the club are being pretty quiet on a timeline, plenty of media doctors are suggesting it could be a while before we see the big guy back in action.

Brisbane:

• Tom Rockliff lined up on a wing opposed to Fyfe and competed really well, probably even winning the contest. He is a great ball-winner and a great leader for the Lions’ young on-ball brigade and works tirelessly all day, despite what the scoreboard shows. Picked up 27 touches and 10 marks for the day and could still be a great option for those who haven’t finalised their mids yet.
• Simon Black showed off some vintage form, picking up 33 possessions and laying 7 tackles as the best of the Lions. His form isn’t as consistent as it once was, but it’s still great watching the champ run round, picking up disposals at will.
• Pearce Hanley is become a bit of a favourite of mine, running off half-back, although I can’t help but watch him and think that he is stealing all of his kicks from Adcock. His past month and a bit has been very good, playing as the designated runner out of defence whilst Adcock has been out of action. The issue will be what role he plays when Jed returns either next week or the week after – but if he does return and Hanley continues this form, you’d have to consider him.
• Patrick Karnezis looked good in his second game, playing across a HFF, but I was really surprised when he got subbed off in the third quarter. He was having a reasonable effect on the contest, so why not keep him out there? Especially when the likes of McKeever or Retzlaff (nothing against them) were having much less effect on the game. Anyway, another thing to be confused by with this sub rule!

 

Geelong vs Adelaide:

Geelong:

• Corey Enright somehow managed to sneak his own ball into Skilled Stadium and capitalised on it, having an absolute day out. He spent the whole game sitting behind the play and touched it at least every time Geelong rebounded from defence – it certainly helped too that Adelaide provided no forward pressure and just bombed it in. He sat on 101 DT points at half time, and whilst some may feel disappointed he didn’t reach 200 points, you just gotta be happy with that sort of display!
• Allen Christensen had a brilliant game, playing across half-forward and showed exactly what can happen when a talented youngster is given a chance. He took full advantage of his side’s dominance and showed some real confidence at getting the ball every time the Cats went forward, booting two goals from his 26 disposals – could be in hot competition with Swallow for the round 14 NAB Rising Star nod.
• Daniel Menzel was another Cats youngster to really impress me – he combines so well with Stevie J down in the forward line – they both work really well alongside each other with quick handballs over their head, opportunistic goals and a great ability to work off their opponents. He booted 3.2 and picked up 16 disposals before being shut down in the last quarter with cramp – looks a really good catch for the Cats though.
• Steve Johnson was actually one of the quieter players on the field, which was disappointing considering the amount of goals kicked by the Cats. He started well, but faded really bad in the second half, which you could tell was frustrating him, as he began to demand the ball from his teammates, such as one awkward moment when Dawson Simpson marked it 40m out, Johnson hounded him until he got the cheap handball, only to shank the kick.

Adelaide:

• Bernie Vince was one of only a few good Crows throughout the game – some showed fleeting interest in playing a game of football, but it quickly waned. If it weren’t for the likes of Vince, Scott Thompson, Graham Johncock and Ricky Henderson, then the margin would have been twice as bit. Vince was probably the best of the lot, working hard on a wing and dropping forward nicely – he ended with 34 touches and 2 goals.
• Ian Callinan finally got his debut after two months of injury and a month in the SANFL and it was worth the wait. In the first quarter, he was about the only Crow with any sort of tenacity and really tried to take the game on. He played between the midfield and up forward for the game and looked really capable, finishing with 21 disposals, 5 tackles and a goal. Lock him in as a trade target either this week or next.
• Chris Knights had me swearing at the TV non-stop for the first three quarters – “Where the @$#% is Knights!?” “Put Knights in the @$#% midfield! He’s not a #$%@ forward!” etc. Fortunately, finally, common sense prevailed and Knights was put into the midfield for the last quarter. He has played only stints through the middle this year and every time he has he has looked really good – he wins clearances, tackles well and knows where to run. Up forward he is average, so I don’t know why he is persisted with up there. Anyway, his first three quarters netted just 22 DT points, so it was good to see him churn out 51 points in the last quarter.
• Patrick Dangerfield was another example of Adelaide players just not competing hard enough – he is a tough player, I’ll give him that, and when he goes for a contest he goes in hard, but so often he was just standing still and not trying to move to space or get to the contests in the first place. He, like Knights, is also spending way too much time up forward. What I can’t understand, it why when Adelaide can’t get the ball into their forward line, do they play some of their best playmakers (Knights, Dangerfield) deep in the forward line with the likes of Schmidt, Henderson and Gunston (all natural forwards) as midfielders?? Makes no sense to me.

 

Carlton vs West Coast:

Carlton:

• Heath Scotland was terrific, playing purely through the midfield and continuing on his most consistent season to date. Those who have him in their teams will attest to the fact that watching him run around, getting all those kicks and marks is simply a thing of beauty! He knows so well how to find space and uses the ball very intelligently – he finished this game with 32 disposals and 7 marks and it going a long way to justifying himself as the most expensive defender.
• Marc Murphy just can’t stop churning out the tons, with another brilliant four-quarter effort, despite playing the Swans, a side with a number of taggers with some pretty good credentials. That late finals bye which Carlton faces would be mocking so many coaches that use that as their reasoning for picking up Murph… He looks so good at the moment that he may well be worth it!
• Chris Yarran had a very impressive game off half-back. I have learnt the hard way that he is purely a SuperCoach player, not a Dream Teamer, although those who own him in either competition would have been pretty satisfied with this performance. The only downside was when he was moved forward in the last quarter as Ratten tried to find a spark, but unfortunately he did nothing there and just cost his owners some points that he could have been racking up off half-back.
• Matt Kruezer was simply unstoppable last week against the Swans, but this week he just couldn’t get anywhere near the ball, playing predominantly as a forward whilst Warnock rucked. Last week he swung between ruck and forward, and it was his time through the midfield that really drew his points. But unfortunately, stationed at FF on Glass, he just couldn’t get into the game – as we have learned in previous seasons, he is best played on the ball if you are to have any interest in him for your Dream Team.

West Coast:

• Matt Priddis was the dominant player for West Coast and really helped set up their win with a massive second half. His tough inside work, as usual, was his highlight, but I reckon his foot-skills have gotten markedly better this year too – his snap goal on a tight angle was further proof of this. Finished the game with 30 disposals (19 handballs though) and 6 tackles.
• Sam Butler’s half-back role is one I commented on quite a bit earlier in the season as one I really like for Dream Team – unfortunately it hasn’t really played into our hands as liked – he hasn’t been nearly as consistent as you would want. But it was good to see him rack up another DT ton, and whilst a lot of the ball he gets is pretty cheap, he does get a bit of it and uses it well. My only query would be whether he is just warming the seat for the return of Beau Waters in a fortnight or so who, just quietly, I’m quite excited to see coming back!
• Mark LeCras had quite a quiet game – after all this talk of him playing more time in the midfield, he ended up playing the majority of his game in front of the sticks. He still had quite a bit of effect, kicking 3.1, but he only managed 10 disposals. I know there are plenty of coaches wanting to bring him in after the bye, but perhaps it would be better waiting now until his price has sunken back a bit.
• Shannon Hurn has been in terrific recent form, so it was no wonder that the Blues stuck a hard tag on him. They totally quelled his influence (hence Butler’s numbers), which hasn’t always been an easy thing to do. He only managed 6 kicks (and 4 handballs) for the game – a number the Blues, but not so much his owners, would have been particularly happy with.

 

Port Adelaide vs North Melbourne:

Port Adelaide:

• Matthew Lobbe is the man that deserves first mention considering how much of a surprise his game was. He was a late inclusion for Dean Brogan under the league’s ‘like-for-like’ rules – his inclusion was a massive surprise, especially considering he was named to play for West Adelaide RESERVES on the weekend. His SANFL form has been average, but it was great to see him recognise his opportunity and take it with both hands. He competed really well in the ruck and finished with 14 disposals, 5 tackles and 24 hitouts.
• Domenic Cassisi was one of Port’s best, up until he got injured in the last quarter. He is a great leader on the field and creates a lot of drive through their midfield. There has been no news yet as to whether he will play next week, although I doubt that will worry too many coaches. That said, he is a great scorer and DT player, and dirt cheap at the moment for what he could offer you. If you trusted his body to hold up for another nine rounds, than he would certainly be worth considering!
• Troy Chaplin was very good again and continues on his most consistent season to date. It certainly helps that the ball goes down his end stacks, but he works very hard to get into space and cut off as many forward thrusts coming his way as possible. He is not the highest scoring DT or SCer, but his consistency this year suggests he should still be a viable option.
• Daniel Stewart is one Port Adelaide youngster that has impressed me in the games I’ve seen of him this year. He has been in and out of the lineup and really hasn’t set the world on fire with his damage on the scoreboard, but I have been impressed with the way he moves and generally looks like a footballer. He’s not one to consider this year, but if he can add some kilos to his frame, he could be one worth considering for next year.

North Melbourne:

• Drew Petrie was fantastic for the Roos, with his highlight being a whopping EIGHT contested marks – only one less than the all-time record held by Wayne Carey. On top of his eight contested marks, he picked up another three uncontested and had 13 disposals and 4.3 to his name. He is in some ripping form at the moment and is making those who doubted him earlier in the year look a little silly.
• Todd Goldstein had another ripper game – whilst I have already talked up the exploits of Lobbe, he was still pretty much thrashed by Goldstein in the ruck. Goldstein picked up 53 hitouts – a massive number – along with 13 disposals and 6 tackles around the ground. He has gotten better and better all year in the long-term absence of McIntosh and looks to be the 2^nd best ruck in the league at the moment (behind Cox) – the worry with having him in your team though is that pesky finals bye!
• Andrew Swallow had a pretty torrid start to the game, being held statless in the first quarter and then taking a knock to his knee in the second term that threatened to put him out of the match. Fortunately he bounced back pretty well and won himself 14 disposals – fortunately though for his owners, he put in the hard yards to make up the points with a very impressive 9 tackles.
• Cam Richardson was the man to watch in this game and whilst he didn’t rack up 44 disposals, he was serviceable. He looked better than his past few performances, but that said, he still didn’t set the world on fire. There will be plenty of coaches keeping their fingers crossed this week that he will get another game and injuries to Wright and Adams may help him.

Unfortunately, once again by popular demand, here is the General Rant thread.

You know the rules, 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!

Hey all,

Here is episode 3 of Footy Tragic, where we spend plenty of time looking at what to do with your underperformers and tiring rookies, as well as discussing all the teams and some upcoming smokey picks that could make your squad nice and unique for the run home.

Hope you enjoy it and look forward to your feedback soon! Big screen version is here.

 

FTep3 from Steve Greenwood on Vimeo.

HAWTHORN V ESSENDON

MCG – Fri Jun 24, 7:40pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Josh Gibson, Thomas Murphy

HB: Paul Puopolo, Jordan Lisle, Grant Birchall

C: Liam Shiels, Sam Mitchell, Shane Savage

HF: Isaac Smith, David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne

F: Jordan Lewis, Cyril Rioli, Michael Osborne

Foll: Max Bailey, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell

I/C: Chance Bateman, Brendan Whitecross, Luke Breust, Matt Suckling

Emg: Will Sierakowski, Riley Milne, Kyle Cheney

In: Chance Bateman, Brent Guerra

Out: Lance Franklin (Suspension), Rick Ladson (Groin)

 

Essendon

B: Mark McVeigh, Dustin Fletcher, Michael Hibberd

HB: Dyson Heppell, Tayte Pears, Heath Hocking

C: Brent Prismall, Jobe Watson, David Zaharakis

HF: Angus Monfries, Michael Hurley, Brent Stanton

F: Sam Lonergan, Patrick Ryder, Leroy Jetta

Foll: David Hille, David Myers, Ben Howlett

I/C: Andrew Welsh, Alwyn Davey, Tom Bellchambers, Jake Melksham

Emg: Kyle Reimers, Jake Carlisle, Travis Colyer

In: David Hille, Andrew Welsh, Alwyn Davey

Out: Cale Hooker (Hamstring), Kyle Hardingham (Suspension), Stewart Crameri (Soreness)

 

GOLD COAST SUNS V WESTERN BULLDOGS

MS – Sat Jun 25, 2:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Gold Coast Suns

B: Nathan Krakouer, Nathan Bock, Jack Hutchins

HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Campbell Brown, Joel Wilkinson

C: Michael Rischitelli, David Swallow, Sam Iles

HF: Daniel Stanley, Charlie Dixon, Matt Shaw

F: Josh Fraser, Tom Lynch, Jared Brennan

Foll: Zac Smith, Maverick Weller, Gary Ablett

I/C: Karmichael Hunt, Luke Russell, Hayden Jolly, Dion Prestia

Emg: Daniel Harris, Daniel Gorringe, Jacob Gillbee

In: Zac Smith, Hayden Jolly, Charlie Dixon, Joel Wilkinson, David Swallow

Out: Trent McKenzie (Rested), Daniel Harris, Rex Liddy, Sam Day (Rested), Daniel Gorringe

New: Hayden Jolly (Glenelg, SA), Joel Wilkinson (Broadbeach)

 

Western Bulldogs

B: Lindsay Gilbee, Tom L. Williams, Easton Wood

HB: Robert Murphy, Dale Morris, Liam Picken

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Justin Sherman

HF: Shaun Higgins, Liam Jones, Ed Barlow

F: Luke Dahlhaus, Barry Hall, Daniel Giansiracusa

Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney

I/C: William Minson, Callan Ward, Christian Howard, Jayden Schofield

Emg: Sam Reid, Lukas Markovic, Andrew Hooper

In: Barry Hall, Christian Howard

Out: Nathan Djerrkura, Thomas Liberatore

 

RICHMOND V MELBOURNE

MCG – Sat Jun 25, 2:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Alex Rance, Bachar Houli

HB: Brett Deledio, Luke McGuane, Shaun Grigg

C: Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Reece Conca

HF: Robin Nahas, Tyrone Vickery, Shane Edwards

F: Mitchell Farmer, Jack Riewoldt, Brad Miller

Foll: Andrew Browne, Daniel Jackson, Nathan Foley

I/C: Tom Hislop, David Gourdis, Jeromey Webberley, Jake Batchelor

Emg: Shane Tuck, Jayden Post, Bradley Helbig

In: David Gourdis, Jake Batchelor

Out: Jake King (Suspension), Jayden Post

 

Melbourne

B: James Strauss, James Frawley, Daniel Nicholson

HB: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Jack Trengove

C: Tom Scully, Colin Sylvia, Jeremy Howe

HF: Nathan Jones, Jack Watts, Ricky Petterd

F: Jamie Bennell, Mark Jamar, Brad Green

Foll: Stefan Martin, Brent Moloney, Jordie McKenzie

I/C: Cale Morton, Liam Jurrah, Jordan Gysberts, Joel Macdonald

Emg: Matthew Bate, Sam Blease, Max Gawn

In: Mark Jamar, Jordan Gysberts

Out: Clint Bartram, Max Gawn

 

SYDNEY SWANS V COLLINGWOOD

ANZ – Sat Jun 25, 7:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Sydney Swans

B: Nicholas Smith, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner

HB: Tadhg Kennelly, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski

C: Rhyce Shaw, Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh

HF: Ben McGlynn, Sam Reid, Lewis Roberts-Thomson

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

Foll: Mark Seaby, Craig Bird, Daniel Hannebery

I/C: Paul Bevan, Jesse White, Josh P. Kennedy, Andrejs Everitt

Emg: Brett Meredith, Lewis Johnston, Lewis Jetta

In: Paul Bevan, Jesse White, Andrejs Everitt

Out: Shane Mumford (Suspension), Lewis Jetta, Alex Johnson (Calf)

Milestones: Josh P. Kennedy – 50 games

Collingwood

B: Leon Davis, Ben Reid, Heritier O’Brien

HB: Alan Toovey, Nick Maxwell, Heath Shaw

C: Dane Swan, Dale Thomas, Sharrod Wellingham

HF: Chris Tarrant, Chris Dawes, Andrew Krakouer

F: Alan Didak, Travis Cloke, Leigh Brown

Foll: Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Luke Ball

I/C: Tyson Goldsack, John McCarthy, Steele Sidebottom, Jarryd Blair

Emg: Luke Rounds, Lachlan Keeffe, Alex Fasolo

In: Dane Swan, Dale Thomas

Out: Simon Buckley (Groin), Alex Fasolo

 

FREMANTLE V BRISBANE LIONS

PS – Sat Jun 25, 5:40pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Fremantle

B: Greg Broughton, Luke McPharlin, Paul Duffield

HB: Dylan Roberton, Michael Johnson, Garrick Ibbotson

C: Nathan Fyfe, Michael Barlow, Clancee Pearce

HF: Ryan Crowley, Matthew Pavlich, Tendai Mzungu

F: Kepler Bradley, Christopher Mayne, Stephen Hill

Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nick Lower, Matthew de Boer

I/C: Rhys Palmer, Zachary Clarke, Alex Silvagni, Josh Mellington

Emg: Roger Hayden, Clayton Hinkley, Jonathon Griffin

In: Aaron Sandilands, Rhys Palmer, Kepler Bradley, Dylan Roberton, Alex Silvagni, Josh Mellington

Out: Antoni Grover (Quad), Clayton Hinkley, Benjamin Bucovaz, Jay Van Berlo, Jesse Crichton, Jonathon Griffin

New: Josh Mellington (Murray Bushrangers)

 

Brisbane Lions

B: Daniel Rich, Matt Maguire, Ashley McGrath

HB: Pearce Hanley, Joel Patfull, Mitchell Golby

C: Luke Power, Simon Black, Tom Rockliff

HF: Rohan Bewick, Bryce Retzlaff, Sam Sheldon

F: Patrick Karnezis, Jonathan Brown, Jesse O’Brien

Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, James Polkinghorne, Jack Redden

I/C: Cheynee Stiller, Andrew Raines, Ryan Harwood, Niall McKeever

Emg: James Hawksley, Matt Austin, Joshua Green

In: Cheynee Stiller, Andrew Raines, Jesse O’Brien, Bryce Retzlaff, Niall McKeever

Out: Mitchell Clark (Ankle), Josh Drummond (Soreness), Tom Collier, Todd Banfield (Hamstring), Joshua Green

New: Niall McKeever (County Antrim (Ireland))

 

GEELONG CATS V ADELAIDE

SS – Sun Jun 26, 1:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Geelong Cats

B: Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan, Matthew Scarlett

HB: Tom Gillies, Harry Taylor, Taylor Hunt

C: Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright

HF: Daniel Menzel, James Podsiadly, Allen Christensen

F: Joel Corey, Mitch Brown, Steve Johnson

Foll: Brad Ottens, James Kelly, Paul Chapman

I/C: Shannon Byrnes, David Wojcinski, Tom Hawkins, Travis Varcoe, Dawson Simpson, Steven Motlop, Mitch Duncan

In: Shannon Byrnes, Tom Hawkins, Dawson Simpson, Mitch Brown, Tom Gillies, Steven Motlop, Allen Christensen

Out: Josh Hunt (Suspension), Darren Milburn (Calf), Mathew Stokes (Suspension), Nathan Vardy (Soreness)

New: Mitch Brown (Sandringham U18)

Milestones: Shannon Byrnes – 100 games

Adelaide

B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Luke Thompson

HB: Matthew Jaensch, Andy Otten, Michael Doughty

C: Nathan van Berlo, Scott Thompson, Richard Douglas

HF: Rory Sloane, Ricky Henderson, Bernie Vince

F: Matthew Wright, Kurt Tippett, Ian Callinan

Foll: Sam Jacobs, Patrick Dangerfield, Brent Reilly

I/C: Chris Knights, Ivan Maric, Jared Petrenko, Shaun McKernan, Christopher Schmidt, Jack Gunston, Richard Tambling

In: Ivan Maric, Brent Reilly, Richard Tambling, Ian Callinan

Out: Brad Symes (Knee)

New: Ian Callinan (Central District)

 

CARLTON V WEST COAST EAGLES

ES – Sun Jun 26, 2:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Carlton

B: Bret Thornton, Michael Jamison, Christopher Yarran

HB: Jordan Russell, Bryce Gibbs, Zach Tuohy

C: Kade Simpson, Mitch Robinson, Heath Scotland

HF: Jeffrey Garlett, Lachlan Henderson, Andrew Carrazzo

F: Andrew Walker, Matthew Kreuzer, Eddie Betts

Foll: Robert Warnock, Chris Judd, Marc Murphy

I/C: Ryan Houlihan, Mark Austin, Dennis Armfield, David Ellard, Rhys O’Keeffe, Brock McLean, Edward Curnow

In: Mark Austin, Dennis Armfield, Robert Warnock, Rhys O’Keeffe, Brock McLean

Out: Shaun Hampson (Knee), Nick Duigan (Calf)

New: Rhys O’Keeffe (North Adelaide)

 

West Coast Eagles

B: Sam Butler, Darren Glass, Shannon Hurn

HB: Andrew Embley, Will Schofield, Scott Selwood

C: Matthew Rosa, Matthew Priddis, Thomas Swift

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, Ashley Smith, Patrick McGinnity, Brad Sheppard, Koby Stevens

In: Eric Mackenzie, Brad Sheppard, Koby Stevens

Milestones: Mark Nicoski – 100 games

PORT ADELAIDE V NORTH MELBOURNE

AS – Sun Jun 26, 4:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Port Adelaide

B: Tom Logan, Alipate Carlile, Jackson Trengove

HB: Ben Jacobs, Troy Chaplin, Jasper Pittard

C: Danyle Pearce, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes

HF: Matthew Broadbent, Jay Schulz, Hamish Hartlett

F: Simon Phillips, Justin Westhoff, Robert Gray

Foll: Dean Brogan, Domenic Cassisi, Matt Thomas

I/C: Michael Pettigrew, Steven Salopek, David Rodan, Mitchell Banner, Daniel Stewart, Andrew Moore, Cameron O’Shea

In: Steven Salopek, David Rodan, Mitchell Banner, Andrew Moore

Out: Daniel Motlop

 

North Melbourne

B: Scott Thompson, Luke Delaney, Michael Firrito

HB: Shaun Atley, Cameron Pedersen, Nathan Grima

C: Brady Rawlings, Andrew Swallow, Daniel Wells

HF: Jack Ziebell, Aaron Edwards, Ben Cunnington

F: Lindsay Thomas, Drew Petrie, Levi Greenwood

Foll: Todd Goldstein, Brent Harvey, Ryan Bastinac

I/C: Leigh Adams, Robert Tarrant, Samuel Wright, Liam Anthony, Ben McKinley, Cameron Richardson, Kieran Harper

In: Robert Tarrant, Ben McKinley, Cameron Richardson, Kieran Harper

Out: Scott McMahon (Family Reasons)

 

 

Toby runs through all the kids about to play their 3rd game and rise in price – so who looks best for your AFL Dream Team & SuperCoach?

 

Luke Dahlhaus (Western Bulldogs, FWD)

DT: $88,400. Scores: 34*, 76. Break even: -39

SC: $99,700. Scores: 33*, 69. Break even: -32

Dahlhaus has been noticeable in his two games so far this year and it hasn’t purely been thanks to his dreadlocks. The Doggies played him as a sub in his first game, yet he still came on for a little over a quarter and impressed, picking up 9 disposals and not looking overawed. He has great pace, something which the Doggies are craving, and has already shown he has no issues with sticking his head over the ball. He does sometime look a bit frantic in the way he plays the game, with flailing arms and hair, but from what we’ve seen so far, he makes the right decisions most of the time and adds an exciting element to the side’s midfield and half-forward line. So for there reasons I think he will stay – he is on the senior list for the rest of the year, so the opportunity is there for him to stay in the squad, although I get the feeling he could wear the sub-vest a bit. His rookie price is also an added incentive for those looking to make extra cash from bringing him in.

Summary: Easily the best option this week – hasn’t got any issues winning the ball and his spot in the side should be safe if his form continues.

 

Ed Barlow (Western Bulldogs, MID)

DT: $152,800. Scores: 53, 91. Break even: -22

SC: $170,300. Scores: 42, 91. Break even: -14

Barlow’s a really interesting one. As a dream teamer, he always teased us with form – he would play the odd blinder (being followed by the club proclaiming he was ‘the next Adam Goodes’) and then following it with a bunch of stinkers. I’d say there are few Dream Teamers or SuperCoaches who have not had him in their team at some point over the journey. Anyway, his two games so far for the Doggies have actually been quite good – better than expected. His first game was against the Saints and he was serviceable, without being a star. But his second game had a lot more to like. Playing Adelaide on the weekend, Barlow sat mainly around CHF (a great fantasy position) and kicked 1.3 from 17 possessions and 7 marks. More games like this would certainly make him a good prospect, but the issue is just that – can he keep the form up? Judging from photos posted by the Herald Sun today, both he and Barry Hall are flying north for this week’s game – so the question is, with Hall back, where does he play? He could still float around half-forward, but also has the ability to play back or on the wing if needed. But at the end of the day, he is a hugely speculative pick – his form over his first two games make him attractive, but the selection policy at the Dogs is a revolving door at the moment. Also, he is at an awkward price point and midfield only, making him an even trickier proposition.

Summary: I wouldn’t think you were silly for picking him, but at his awkward price and his poor history of fluctuating form, he would have to be a speculative pick at best.

 

Rex Liddy (Gold Coast, FWD)

DT: $97,600. Scores: 16*, 27*. Break even: 35

SC: $110,200. Scores: 12*, 12*. Break even: 53

Liddy’s first couple of games have been rather underwhelming from a fantasy perspective, so I won’t waste your time or mine. He has been the sub in both his outings so far, coming on both times when the game was far from reach. He is a small forward, but hasn’t shown any great ball-winning skills. Has talent and there is a bit to like from what we’ve seen, but I’d say his chances and scoring potential will be very limited.

Summary: Don’t bother – will go backwards in price this week (if he plays), which I can’t imagine being what you are after.

 

Mitch Golby (Brisbane, DEF)

DT: $92,500. Scores: 70, 39. Break even: -35

SC: $103,600. Scores: 52, 38. Break even: -17

I actually quite liked Golby’s first game, playing as a small defender. His courage couldn’t be questioned with a good tackle count and also his 17 possessions on debut was great to see. He looks like a real ‘Voss’ player – hard at the contest and will get the best out of himself. His second game though was a little underwhelming – he didn’t appear to move as high up the ground as he did in his first game and only managed 9 possessions. At the end of the day, the kid actually looks pretty good, but I get the feeling he will be victim to Vossy’s kid-rotation policy which seems to see the kids getting dropped, despite showing some form at AFL level.

Summary: Has shown form, but not enough to guarantee his spot. Voss likes to give the kids a few games here and there, so you can’t trust his job security.

 

Jordan Lisle (Hawthorn, DEF)

DT: $97,600. Scores: 47*, 52. Break even: -21

SC: $110,200. Scores: 35*, 58. Break even: -16

Lisle has been pretty impressive in his first two games and has been used as a bit of a ‘Mr.Fix-it’ type player in both the games. He has also been a late inclusion to both games he has played in – coming in for Franklin in game one (and playing forward) and coming in for Shoenmakers in game two (and playing in defence). Frankly, it’s not a ringing endorsement for the guy’s job security that he has only managed his two games through late inclusions – don’t get me wrong, he is an impressive youngster, but I feel that the Hawthorn selection panel doesn’t quite see 2011 being his year. He has done pretty well with both his opportunities, and will likely play again this week in the absence of Buddy, but don’t go trusting his job security from the following week onwards. Hawthorn already have an over-abundance of talls in their current lineup, so I can’t see him grabbing his spot unless someone succumbs to injury, or he kicks a bag this weekend, which is probably quite unlikely.

Summary: It’s a no unfortunately – has shown some form, but his job security is poor and at this time of year, that sort of this is vital.

Hey all, for the show this week we are putting in an ‘email of the week’ type segment. So for it, it would be great if you could email in any awesome DT/SC theories you have or any cool stats you might have seen that are relevant. We aren’t looking for questions about your team or anything, but rather some cool stats or theories to read out on air. The best one or two emails will be read out. Please email them to: contact@footytragic.com or go tohttp://www.footytragic.com/contact.php . Thanks!

 

Dan runs through all the action from this weekend’s state-league matches. Which AFL listed players are pushing for a senior game?

I’m going to make an effort of heavily featuring the game/s that I attend or watch on TV in these articles, so this week there is a major focus on the Carlton and Geelong players, as I went down to Skilled Stadium to watch the Cats reserves take on the Northern Bullants.

ADELAIDE

Ian Callinan had an excellent game for Central District. Following up from playing a half last week he played most of the game, only resting for large parts of the last quarter. He had 30 touches for the day (only two in the last term with less time on ground), had seven marks and kicked 1.2 for a grand total of 114 DT points. The Dogs have the bye next week, so unless he is called up straight to the Crows side he may be lining up with the bottom placed reserves side.

Brodie Martin picked up 32 touches, along with ten marks and four tackles for Sturt to be named sixth best for the Double Blues. Teammate Richard Tambling was named fifth best for his 17 touch effort.

Aidan Riley travelled to Melbourne as an emergency for the Crows on Friday night and returned to play for Sturt on Saturday. He had a very slow start and worked his way into it, but only ended up with 14 disposals and two goals. It wasn’t a glowing game, but he’s still not too far from a debut. Neil Craig was on SEN saying Adelaide have too many inside mids at the moment, so this view might work against Riley, but Craig might be better served realising that a lot of his inside mids aren’t much chop at the moment.

Promising Daniel Talia was disappointing for South Adelaide. I’ve been thinking he’d need a few weeks of SANFL before maybe getting a debut, but I suppose that could do with some re-thinking – he needs a few good weeks in the SANFL before getting a debut.

BRISBANE

There was a general bye in the Northern Conference of the NEAFL, so Brisbane reserves didn’t have a game. The reason for the bye was a composite QLD/NT squad took on the WA side. Only rookie listed AFL players are eligible to represent in state league rep games and Niall McKeever was the only Lion in action and was named fourth best for the gallant underdogs, who only went down by six points. The Irishman, McKeever played in the ruck against Michael Rix (remember him?)

CARLTON

Brock McLean was really good, apart from a quiet third term. His clearance work was excellent and puts himself back in a position for a senior game –Carlton are not lacking in clearance players at the moment, however.

Rhys O’Keeffe really impressed me. It took him a little while to get into the game, but his second half was excellent. He kicked a brilliant clearance goal in the third quarter and a clutch set shot in the last. He plays an outside role, but swoops into the thick of a contest and his left foot is an absolute gem.

Dennis Armfield had a good day with plenty of hard running…not sure where he gets off sledging the more accomplished Shannon Byrnes for being a hack, but it was amusing nonetheless. He’ll be the first runner back into the Blues line-up.

Mark Austin had a good day mostly on Cam Mooney and occasionally the resting ruck. He didn’t have a goal kicked on him and was strong playing in front of Mooney most of the day on the high ball. Allowed Mooney one contested mark in the last minute of play with the Ants up by 6, but he sprayed the shot.

Levi Casboult had a great last quarter on his return from a knee injury. He took some really strong grabs and ended up with three goals in the final term. Kane Lucas could use a couple more games in the VFL, but did some nice things. I thought Paul Bower and Aaron Joseph really struggled, while Robbie Warnock was beaten in the ruck by Dawson Simpson and did little around the ground.

COLLINGWOOD

The whole club had the weekend off!

ESSENDON

Stop the presses! Scott Gumbleton played a game of football! Last year’s amazingly durable cash cow (by his personal standards) made his return for the Bendigo Bombers and kicked three goals. He showed off his trademark ability to take a grab and overall it was a good showing. Essendon need him back, so IF his body holds up he should be back in the team soon.

Remember Jay Neagle and Mark Williams? Yeah, they’re both still at Essendon. Their form has been indifferent this year (read: bad). Williams has put together a couple of good games in a row now. He was playing up the ground a bit and was classy with his disposal, while Neagle spent a lot of time in the ruck, but was also handy when forward.

Kyle Reimers was stretchered off very early in the game after getting knocked out cold. In a very courageous effort he came back on and played a brilliant second half. Even with his limited game time he was still named in the bests for Bendigo. He’d have to be a big chance this week.

First year player Ariel “Little Mermaid” Steinberg kicked five goals, with a particularly big last term (3.2). He’s a strong marking, but slightly bodied forward originally from Mildura. Interestingly he spent a year in Canada playing gridiron as a 16 year old. The fun things you learn on Footy Tragic.

Ricky Dyson, Tyson and Henry Slattery all had typically serviceable games. Essendon only have a five day break between this Bendigo game and their contest vs. Hawthorn on Friday night, so it’s worth noting that Travis Colyer, David Hille and Andrew Welsh all didn’t play this game.

FREMANTLE

The WAFL had the weekend off for the state game against QLD/NT and no Freo rookie listed players were involved. It was unfortunate timing for Alex Silvagni and Roger Hayden, who made their long awaited returns from injury in the WAFL Reserves last week.

GEELONG

The Cats reserves aren’t travelling so well this year, so they did well to get within five points of the third placed Northern Bullants.

First of all, I was so glad to see Simon Hogan back out there. It was his first game of the season after taking a leave of absence to deal with his fight against depression. I’d like to congratulate him on his fight to date and hope that he can continue to turn his life around. From a football perspective, it was a very good first up by him. His clearance work was really good and he didn’t run out of puff as the game wore on (though he’s always had good endurance).

Josh Cowan was also good around the clearances. He’ll always have limitations with his kicking, but he finds it well enough. Shannon Byrnes did all the right things to put himself back in the mix for selection. He ran hard, kicked a couple of nice goals, but flashed in and out a bit too much. There’d be no rush to get him back, but if changes were forced he could step up.

I liked Dawson Simpson in the ruck. I thought he had the better of Robbie Warnock and gave the Cats clearance brigade some good service. A few of their rookie listed players caught my eye. George Burbury and Jack Weston are exciting types. Burbury had one contest where he was outnumbered one to five and somehow got the ball out (the somehow was actually a Bullants player picking the only bad handball option) and followed up his work for a goal. Basketball convert Ryan Bathie showed plenty in defence, with a couple of good marks and a lovely save on the goal line that would’ve done a soccer goalie proud.

Poor Cameron Mooney had a shot to tie the scores up in the 31^st minute of play. 20m out on a slight angle with six points the difference and he sprayed it wide. He didn’t kick a goal and was well held by Mark Austin, but he did some nice things to get teammates involved, but at this stage he’s not doing much more than providing good leadership to the young guys down there.

Mitch Brown kicked three goals, but two of them were real cheapies from the goal square. I thought he had a good game though and it won’t do his chances of a debut any harm, but I reckon that Cats forward line is holding up just fine at the moment, so unless they rest someone he can bide his time in the reserves for a bit longer.

Allen Christensen was kept out as emergency standby for the seniors. Tom Hawkins pulled out late with a calf complaint.

Also, massive props to the bloke, who looked to be in his 50’s in the outer wearing the full Geelong kit. A jumper with #48 on the back (Geelong people, please tell me, who is your greatest #48?), footy shorts and I think he may have even been wearing the socks too. It wasn’t a warm day down at Kardinia Park, so that shows commitment – especially since Weston wore long sleeves.

GOLD COAST

See Brisbane for an explanation, but there was a general bye in the Northern Conference of the NEAFL. Joel Tippett was the only Sun in action and I can’t find one word about his performance.

HAWTHORN

Box Hill fielded an extremely inexperienced line-up against Bendigo and as a result there isn’t a great deal of players pushing for senior selection. They only had 10 Hawthorn listed players and six of those are on the rookie list. Will Langford (son of Chris) made his VFL Seniors debut and showed some good signs, particularly in the first half.

Luke Lowden put in a lion hearted effort rucking basically solo all day and was named in the best players. He dropped off in the second half, but can be excused because of his immense workload. The main thing of significance would be that Kyle Cheney was kept out, presumably because Hawthorn play five days after this Box Hill game took place, so he’s a probable in this week. Riley Milne was also named in the best players and has been an emergency a couple of times this season.

MELBOURNE

It was a pretty miserable day for Melbourne’s affiliate, the Casey Scorpions. They lost to Coburg, who have been battling this year. After Melbourne had such a convincing win against Freo, you don’t imagine there would be too many promoted to the seniors this week.

Sam Blease is pushing his case for senior selection with another good game to be named third best for Casey, while Matthew Bate was named second best. Matthew Warnock was also named in the best players, but looks set to only be a depth player for the rest of the year.

NORTH MELBOURNE

Unfortunately there is very little information coming out of the North Ballarat loss to stand alone top of the ladder Port Melbourne. Cam Richardson’s form must have dipped from his past few weeks. After getting named BOG three weeks in a row he was only named second best this week – hopefully he gets back to full form next week.

Cruize Garlett also continues his scintillating form by being named third best. They’re putting together quite the tandem. Matt Campbell made his long awaited return from a hamstring injury.

PORT ADELAIDE

He’s not the best kick of the ball, but Port just need to get Mitch Banner in. His form has been really good lately and on the weekend he had another BOG performance for Port Adelaide with 28 disposals, eight clearances and a goal for the Magpies. The numbers sound OK, but then consider that this was in a Foxtel Cup game where the quarters are much shorter. I’d roughly put that on par with a 40 touch game.

David Rodan in his game back in the SANFL Seniors (played reserves last week) kicked six goals for Norwood in a massive second half. It probably won’t be too long before we see him back in Power colours.

Steven Salopek had 28 touches and 11 marks for Glenelg, go be named second best. Kristian was looking for those numbers when he picked him this year, except that he wanted them in the AFL. Danny Meyer (yes, he is still on their list) was named fifth best for Glenelg with 15 touches, five marks, five tackles. They must’ve loved his aggression with five frees against…

RICHMOND

David Gourdis was named best on ground for Coburg, standing Fevola for the most of the game and doing quite well on him too (not that that is such a claim to fame anymore). Shane Tuck also had his usual influence on the game, picking up about 30 touches through the middle and getting named in the bests.

Mitch Morton played his first game for a while and was very quiet. Looks like it could be a little while before we see him in the seniors again. Matt White played wing and was impressive, kicking a couple of goals and featuring in the bests.

ST.KILDA

Sandringham had a bye this week.

SYDNEY

The Swans reserves had a pretty easy game against GWS, so it’s fair to say it wasn’t a hard day to get your name in the bests. Luke Parker was the man named as BOG from the reports and it was thanks to not only his great ball winning skills and tough attack on the contest, but also his clean ball usage whilst under pressure, which was certainly a positive. Lewis Johnston pushed his case for a recall with another strong game as a rebounding defender, with his raking kick a highlight. His defensive partner in crime was Campbell Heath, who is now a couple of games back from his knee reconstruction – he was named second best.

Daniel Currie continued on his good reserves form, kicking four goals to be the leading goalkicker for the game, whilst also competing in the ruck for long stints. He has been good for a few weeks now and may be aided by the suspension of Shane Mumford – if there were ever a good time for his debut, this would be it!

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Christian Howard appeared to be best on ground for Williamstown, which will greatly please those coaches who traded him before he then got dropped. He was very creative through the midfield and looked to have gained plenty of confidence from his brief stint at the top level, winning plenty of ball both inside and outside the packs.

Zeph Skinner was another standout performer, but the slight on his game was that he does too much of his work up the ground and not enough in front of the sticks – that said, winning plenty of ball is not something we will scoff at for Dream Team! I’d say he’s still a while from senior selection, but will be in the mix with games like this.

Mitch Wallis competed well and looks good at this level, but really looks like he needs to keep working on some of his deficiencies before getting another call-up. There’s no doubting his courage – just his kicking skills.

WEST COAST

General bye in the WAFL due to state game and no WC rookies made the team.

 

Hey all, for the show this week we are putting in an ‘email of the week’ type segment. So for it, it would be great if you could email in any awesome DT/SC theories you have or any cool stats you might have seen that are relevant. We aren’t looking for questions about your team or anything, but rather some cool stats or theories to read out on air. The best one or two emails will be read out. Please email them to: contact@footytragic.com or go to http://www.footytragic.com/contact.php . Thanks!

Kristian runs through all the best Captain choices for both AFL Dream Team & SuperCoach.

KRISTIAN’S KAPTAINS ROUND 14

Welcome to another Tuesday of Kristian’s Kaptains. First of all, I’d like to apologise for Matthew Boyd’s disgraceful performance on the weekend after I pumped up his tyres significantly and assured everyone he was a guarantee for at least 100. Little would I know, Doughty would put such a tight tag on him and do such a fine job of it. I hope you went with my second option in Sam Mitchell instead, who did what we all thought he’d do, and that’s basically run around by himself all afternoon and collect 40 disposals.

It wasn’t the greatest week for captains at all, barring Mitchell, Thompson and Ablett, who are fairly unique choices, everyone else disappointed. Cox barely got to 100, Bartel got knocked out on 2 (I was on him for a BIG score!), Montagna got subbed off, Boyd was a disaster, Nick Riewoldt was hardly seen all game, and Goddard was terrible as well. It was a terrible week for captains, but not as bad as it was for Dream Team and Super Coach as a whole.

This week doesn’t really forecast as a great round for captains either and it’s fair to say I was having a tough time trying to come up with a top three I felt comfortable with! There are lots of players under injuries clouds, in poor form, and also the ones who have just gotten off the plane from Arizona. Who knows what is in store for Dane Swan this week?

Anyway, let’s get stuck into some of the options!

 

GARY ABLETT JNR VS WESTERN BULLDOGS

I have strayed away from mentioning Ablett in previous weeks, purely because I wasn’t sure if he was ‘back’ in Dream Team terms, and if we could trust him to pull out the big scores week in, week out like he did for the Cats. That myth is now over. Boy is he back, and in a massive way too. In four of his last five games he’s exceeded 130 Dream Team points, and this week he looks to be one of, if not the best captain option this week. He’s managing to break the tag quite easily now, and the Suns players are doing a great job of feeding him the ball. His tackle counts are also at a career high, which is an added bonus, getting up to 8 tackles a game in the past couple of weeks. The main reason he is such a relevant option this week is because his record against the Dogs is quite outstanding. With the Western Bulldogs being so out of form, you’d think Ablett will bring his own picnic down to Metricon Stadium. The only thing that should sway you from picking Ablett as your captain this week (average of 121 DT and 134 in his last 5 games against the Dogs) is that you don’t have him in your team. If not, get him in!

MATTHEW BOYD VS GOLD COAST

I know he may have let you down last week, but if you don’t have Ablett, I still think Boyd is your next best option for the captaincy this week. You can’t hold grudges for too long and he rarely has two bad games in a row. Even though this match is against the Gold Coast, it’s a really important match for the Dogs to keep their season alive, so there’ll be no messing around for Boydy this week; he’ll be getting a ton of the pill. When they met in round 3, Boyd scored 125 DT and 131 SC, which is pretty much all you can ask for from a skipper, so don’t be all hasty and abandon him this week, Boyd is a mighty fine option.

DANE SWAN VS SYDNEY

Dane really only gets a mention here because of his recent history against the Swans. Even still, it’d take a lot of guts to back him in straight away after his ten day adventure up at Arizona. We still don’t exactly know what is wrong with him, or if the trip actually worked at all. If you’re THAT keen to make him captain, I’d go to the lengths of heading down to training to get a first person view of how he’s moving. Look, I honestly doubt not making Swan captain will hurt anyone this week. I don’t see him churning out a 150 straight away, and if he does, who cares? Not many people will make him captain this week, so you won’t be losing many points. You also run the risk that he could potentially be a sub this week. It’s extremely unlikely, but Didak started as a sub a few weeks back, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. For what it’s worth, his record against the Swans is great; as is the case with most teams I guess (116 DT and 111 SC). I still wouldn’t risk him though; there are much ‘safer’ options out there this week.

 

MARC MURPHY VS WEST COAST

Well he’s the best Dream Team player in the land at the moment, and the Blues are flying, so you really can’t go wrong with selecting Murphy as captain, no matter who they’re playing. He’s taken his game to another level this year. We always knew he could kick goals, tackle, take a good mark; but now it’s all come together into this awesome package, and that’s why he was taken at pick number one. He does come up against the Eagles this week, who have done a really good job of containing the opposition’s gun midfielders this season, so be wary of that. Having said that, his last three games against them haven’t been too shabby at all, averaging 122 DT and 136 SC. For me, there’s three ways of looking at it:

1) He’s in RED HOT form, so why wouldn’t he continue that?

2) He’s due for a bad game, surely?

3) I don’t have him, so I hope he scores 10.

This one’s a really speculative call. Personally I’d go with Boyd or Ablett if you have either of those two.

 

OTHER OPTIONS TO CONSIDER……..

Speaking of some good form, Sam Mitchell is definitely having a purple patch. He’s a pretty safe bet to knock up some good points although he’s been a bit up and down against the Bombers in recent years, averaging 92 DT and 93 SC.

 

Jobe Watson should be right to go now after having two ‘quietish’ games coming back from his injury. His last two games against the Hawks have been particularly good, and the Hawks do tend to leak midfield points.

 

Scott Pendlebury has a pretty lacklustre record against the Swans, and personally, I really don‘t like him this week. Sydney knows how to shut players down, and Pendles will be their number one target.

 

Jimmy Bartel has an AWESOME record against the Crows, but I don’t reckon you can select him after being KO’ed on the weekend. His last five games against them he’s managed to amass 122 DT and 117 SC.

 

Paul Chapman is another option, but he could be Doughty’s target for this week, and he did a massive number on Matthew Boyd. He averages 99 DT and 98 SC in his last five games against the Crows. He also isn’t in the best of form either.

 

Dean Cox is always a safe captaincy option, but he’s recently been spending a bit more time forward, which is affecting his scoring slightly. I think there are better options out there this week; especially that he’s playing Carlton, who nullifies the opposition’s scoring quite significantly.

 

MY TOP 3 DREAM TEAM OPTIONS

1. Gary Ablett

2. Matthew Boyd

3. Marc Murphy

 

MY TOP 3 SUPER COACH OPTIONS

1. Gary Ablett

2. Matthew Boyd

3. Jobe Watson