Footy Tragic

 

The year so far…

Well, we are fourteen rounds into the 2012 season and so far in AFL Dream Team I have scored 27,671 points, am ranked 10,486 overall, have an average score of 1977 and have made 19 of a possible 24 trades.

I’ve found it interesting this past week to reflect on my season so far – looking at what has made my team either succeed, or crash and burn. I’ll give you the hot tip though, most decisions have ended up in the latter category.  Whilst in some leagues luck has kept me in touch with the top-end of the ladder, in other leagues I will be finishing close to the bottom. Not exactly what I had wanted. That said, I’m feeling in a pretty good position for the rest of the year. So, what has gone right and what hasn’t…

 

What has gone right:

Not a lot, unfortunately. My backline is probably one area I have been pretty happy with from the start – I didn’t have a huge amount of confidence coming into the year with the players I selected and felt like I was missing some pretty important players. But as it turns out, I’ve made some good selections. I started with Goddard, Deledio, Birchall, Duffield (he is probably the one downfall here), Lake, Clarke, Ellis and Morris. But I had toyed with the likes of Hargrave, Brodie Smith, Malceski and Conca for quite a while. So pretty happy I avoided these.

Starting Giles was a great decision in the end, although not an uncommon one. Actually, having Giles as my number two ruck from round one was what allowed me to start with the strong backline I did. He’s falling away a bit at the moment, but I can’t think of anyone I’d have rather started (except maybe Maric, but that would have been a huge risk).

I fell a few hundred bucks short of trading Murphy in a week before his injury. Gotta like a bit of good luck!

 

What hasn’t gone right:

My number one ruck has been a disaster this year. I have made two trades on this position already this year: Mumford – Sandilands – Goldstein. There have been way too many late withdrawals and injuries in this position this year too, which has really hurt.

I have made some horrible trading errors this year and have had terrible luck when I do bring someone in. So often, I have traded a player in only to receive their worst score of the year.

Trading rookies before their first price rise or just before they hit form has also hurt. Dickson was traded out without a price rise, whilst Coniglio ($222k), Clay Smith ($149k) and Devon Smith ($240k) were all traded way too early.

 

Worst trade of the year:

There are probably two…

Firstly, trading in Aaron Sandliands for Mumford at round four was a poor decision. He netted little points, had a couple of no-shows and then got injured. I probably should have seen this coming considering his injury history.

Also, trading in Allen Christensen in round six was terrible. In fact, this was my first upgrade of the year and clearly a poor one. Whilst Christensen had looked good in his couple of games before I traded him in, he ended up playing just two games for me with scores of 71 and 68. I then traded him out again in round 11 – four weeks later.

 

Who did I wish I’d started in my initial squad:

Fortunately, this one is a pretty hard question. I didn’t miss any of the big breakout names, although I wish I’d stuck to my guns and picked Pearce Hanley. I talked him up all pre-season, so it’s a bit annoying I didn’t follow through on it. That said, he’s not killing me too much by not having him!

 

Who do I wish I’d left out from my initial squad:

Travis Cloke is quite clearly the easy answer here. He has been terrible this year, with few decent scores and has subsequently leaked me stacks of money, now forcing me to keep him. I wish I could trade him out, but at his current cost he is just not worth it!

 

Now, I’d love to hear from you all on the above questions – where are you ranked, how happy are you with your team and what would have you done differently?

 

 

 

I apologise for the lateness of this article folks. The Euro Final took a toll on me and now the Tour de France and Wimbledon aren’t helping either. I am very much sleep deprived, so if the following doesn’t make sense, you were warned.

I decided to not have a life this weekend, so I managed to watch almost every game, sadly. Only two of them were good, and you can say Adelaide vs. Richmond doesn’t count, because that game was a pure nightmare for me. The North Melbourne game was the other entertaining one.

The rest of the games were terrible. I’m not sure how I managed to stay awake through them. Screaming at Ryan Hargrave, Steve Johnson and Jed Adcock to get a kick was possibly my only motivation, if that’s what you want to call it.

Speaking of getting kicks, Jamie Elliot doesn’t need them. Just lay 15 tackles a week mate and you’ll forever by in my good books.

I faced the decision of playing one of Jamie Elliot or Jason Porplyzia this round. I chose Jamie Elliot. At half time of the Adelaide game, Porps was sitting on 23 and I was quietly fist pumping to myself about what a genius decision it turned out to be as Elliot was swiftly moving his way up to the 100 mark. A 74 point second half to Porps later, the decision I spent tossing and turning over all week meant sweet **** all. That story sums up Dream Team 2012.

Oh and what about making Ablett captain over Swan? Who else did that? Good one KP. Never did I think Dane Swan scoring 172 IN MY SQUAD would be the most gut wrenching feeling ever. I might trade out one of them so I never have to make that decision again.

You know what else is bad? Brendon Goddard. This guy has escaped criticism all season, but now I’m onto you man. I am actually happy he got suspended for two weeks. Even though Steve Morris won’t score that well, at least he cares. Yeah OK, my Dream Team’s at that point. Players that care will get a gig. If I had the trades Goddard would be out for Tom Couch.

I still love you BJ. Just do something when you come back, please?

Dusty Martin haters, OUT! He’s back. Enjoy the ride. Make him your eighth forward at your peril.

How about my man Toddy Goldstein? He’s just rolling right now. H-Mac is no threat to him.

Just quietly, has anyone seen Chris Yarran’s prices? Anyone. anyone? Cheap as chips.

Who doesn’t have Beau Waters? Please share some pain with me. His 50 point quarters are like being stabbed in eye. Why can’t he just suck for one game and give us non-owners a reprieve. I love to watch West Coast. I don’t want to hate them.

Ohhhh, another thing really bugged me on the weekend. Last week the Bulldogs let Pearce Hanley run around by himself to just murder anyone else who doesn’t have him. I’m cool. He’s pretty unique. My boy Dyson Heppell plays them, so surely he’ll do the same thing right, being an outside midfielder? No of course not, Liam Picken goes straight to him. You should’ve seen me curse. Thank goodness Jobe was in Superman mode, so the Dogs had no other choice but to put someone on him and let Dyson scrap something semi-respectable.

I missed the Sydney vs GWS game. It sounded like a cracker.

Since when does Jed Adcock get tagged? Seriously, Melbourne. You know you’re obsessed when you count missed points. For all the Adcock owners out there, he was robbed a handball and a tackle. I expect those six points in the mail.

I swore I never would, but I was so close to pulling the trigger on Colin Sylvia last week as a back up forward/mid. Well he’s back in the midfield now, and Melbourne has a great run home. An average of 90 is not beyond him.

Finally, it was good to see Sam Gibson get a decent chance. I think he’ll stay in this team. He was very solid. Not outstanding, but he did nothing wrong.

Anyway guys, I think that’s all covered. Again, I’m sorry if nothing I said made sense, especially the last few paragraphs, because Ana Ivanovic is now on.

 

 

Like all good things in life, the days of Jonathon Giles in our starting line up has to come to an end. Not that we can complain, of course. For a guy we snapped up at rookie price, scores of 80 plus were certainly more than anyone ever expected.

There was a stage when I really started to think of Giles as a ‘keeper’. But with Dean Brogan’s return to the side imminent, it really was inevitable that the time to trade Giles would come. Brogan back means 2 things for Giles; less time on the ball, and more time spent up forward. Giles has proven to be more than capable in the forward line, kicking bags of 3 twice and at least 1 in seven games. But playing for GWS, a team that’s being beaten most weeks, the forward line isn’t exactly the ideal place to be; at least this year.

Giles’ numbers have taken a significant hit in the 5 games he has shared with Brogan, which is a reflection of the role he plays in these games more than anything. With the number one ruck mantle his, Giles averages an impressive 16 disposals per game. However with Brogan in the team, and more time spent in the forward line, this figure drops a significant amount, to 11 disposals in the 5 games they have played together. As expected this has had a huge impact on his fantasy scoring, particularly in AFL Dream Team, dropping from a 90.83 points per game average to 67.6 with Brogan in the side.

While we can thank Giles for his 13 rounds of service, with Brogan back in the side he simply doesn’t score well enough to warrant a starting position in our fantasy teams.

Last week I discussed the issue of trades, and how conservative we should be with the use of our remaining ones. In the case of Giles, the time to trade is now. We’re incredibly fortunate that despite having two sub-par scores in recent weeks, Giles still sits at a ceiling price, making him a lot easier to upgrade.  With a breakeven in Dream Team of 118 this week, I can only see the problem getting worse from here. The value of money is at an all time high at this stage of the year, and while $130,000 spent on upgrading him this week might be difficult, that could easily become 200,000+ in future weeks if the scores of 50-60 continue.

So should we target?

Really, most the names speak for themselves:

- Dean Cox is still a gun, is safe and is capable of scoring 100+ any given week.

- Ivan Maric is the other obvious candidate, and I’ll claim bragging rights after giving him a wrap in the pre season. Big Ivan has a ripper draw to end the year, and I can only see his form continuing on.

Two others that I like are Jonathan Griffin, who is significantly cheaper, and Jarryd Roughead. During Sandilands’ lengthy absence in 2011, Griffin averaged 90 Dream Team points per game, and his form the past two weeks indicates that will be the case again, with scores of 101 and 86. Roughead hasn’t dropped below 85 Dream Team points in his last four games, and priced at $409,000 is more affordable than both Maric and Giles.

 

 

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The Footy Tragic Show (Full Episode):

Winners & Wieners
Strategy On The Run Home
Team Selection News
Captain Options
Post Round 13 Bye Trade Options

 

 

 

 

CARLTON V HAWTHORN

MCG – Fri Jun 29, 7:50pm

Carlton

B: Zach Tuohy, Michael Jamison, Nick Duigan

HB: Bryce Gibbs, Matthew Watson, Christopher Yarran

C: Heath Scotland, Chris Judd, Kade Simpson

HF: Dennis Armfield, Shaun Hampson, Andrew Walker

F: Jeffrey Garlett, Matthew Kreuzer, Eddie Betts

Foll: Robert Warnock, Mitch Robinson, Andrew Carrazzo

I/C: David Ellard, Aaron Joseph, Brock McLean, Joshua Bootsma

Emg: Paul Bower, Andrew Collins, Frazer Dale

 

In: Shaun Hampson, Joshua Bootsma

Out: Lachlan Henderson (Groin), Andrew Collins

 

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Josh Gibson, Benjamin Stratton

HB: Matt Suckling, Ryan Schoenmakers, Grant Birchall

C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Isaac Smith

HF: Cyril Rioli, Lance Franklin, Shane Savage

F: Luke Breust, Jarryd Roughead, Paul Puopolo

Foll: David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne, Brad Sewell

I/C: Clinton Young, Brendan Whitecross, Liam Shiels, Jack Gunston

Emg: Thomas Murphy, Kyle Cheney, Bradley Hill

 

In: Jordan Lewis, Brendan Whitecross

Out: Thomas Murphy, Bradley Hill

 

 

COLLINGWOOD V FREMANTLE

MCG – Sat Jun 30, 1:45pm

Collingwood

B: Heritier O’Brien, Nathan Brown, Marley Williams

HB: Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey

C: Simon Buckley, Dale Thomas, Jarryd Blair

HF: Alex Fasolo, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw

F: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack

Foll: Darren Jolly, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom

I/C: Sharrod Wellingham, Jamie Elliott, Caolan Mooney, Jackson Paine

Emg: Martin Clarke, Cameron Wood, Tom Young

 

In: Caolan Mooney, Jackson Paine

Out: Martin Clarke, Tom Young

New: Caolan Mooney (Ireland)

 

Fremantle

B: Nick Suban, Luke McPharlin, Adam McPhee

HB: Alex Silvagni, Michael Johnson, Tendai Mzungu

C: Michael Barlow, Ryan Crowley, David Mundy

HF: Garrick Ibbotson, Zachary Clarke, Christopher Mayne

F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Lachie Neale

Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Matthew de Boer, Clancee Pearce

I/C: Greg Broughton, Dylan Roberton, Jayden Pitt, Nick Lower

Emg: Michael Walters, Thomas Sheridan, Lee Spurr

 

In: Hayden Ballantyne, Dylan Roberton

Out: Jesse Crichton, Hayden Crozier (Illness)

 

 

ADELAIDE V RICHMOND

AS – Sat Jun 30, 1:40pm

Adelaide

B: Sam Shaw, Ben Rutten, Michael Doughty

HB: Brent Reilly, Daniel Talia, Nathan van Berlo

C: David Mackay, Rory Sloane, Bernie Vince

HF: Jared Petrenko, Taylor Walker, Chris Knights

F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Matthew Wright

Foll: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Patrick Dangerfield

I/C: Richard Douglas, Brodie Martin, Brodie Smith, Ian Callinan

Emg: Ricky Henderson, Luke Brown, Josh Jenkins

 

In: Chris Knights, Brodie Smith

Out: Shaun McKernan, Matthew Jaensch

Milestones: Jason Porplyzia – 100 games

 

Richmond

B: Dylan Grimes, Alex Rance, Chris Newman

HB: Bachar Houli, Ben Griffiths, Matt Dea

C: Shaun Grigg, Dustin Martin, Daniel Jackson

HF: Brett Deledio, Brad Miller, Shane Edwards

F: Jake King, Jack Riewoldt, Robin Nahas

Foll: Ivan Maric, Trent Cotchin, Shane Tuck

I/C: Daniel Connors, Steven Morris, Brandon Ellis, Todd Elton

Emg: Reece Conca, Tom Derickx, Brett O’Hanlon

 

In: Dylan Grimes, Steven Morris, Todd Elton

Out: Reece Conca, Jake Batchelor, Brett O’Hanlon

New: Todd Elton (Dandenong Stingrays)

Milestones: Shane Edwards – 100 games

 

 

WEST COAST EAGLES V GOLD COAST SUNS

PS – Sat Jun 30, 2:40pm

West Coast Eagles

B: Beau Waters, Darren Glass, Patrick McGinnity

HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Mitch Brown

C: Andrew Gaff, Matthew Priddis, Brad Sheppard

HF: Josh Hill, Quinten Lynch, Chris Masten

F: Nic Naitanui, Jack Darling, Daniel Kerr

Foll: Dean Cox, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey

I/C: Matthew Rosa, Ashton Hams, Jacob Brennan, Murray Newman

Emg: Sam Butler, Thomas Swift, Koby Stevens

 

In: Murray Newman

Out: Thomas Swift

New: Murray Newman (Swan Districts)

 

Gold Coast Suns

B: Alex Sexton, Matthew Warnock, Taylor Hine

HB: Sam Iles, Steven May, Trent McKenzie

C: Matt Shaw, Karmichael Hunt, Harley Bennell

HF: Jared Brennan, Charlie Dixon, Liam Patrick

F: Daniel Stanley, Sam Day, Brandon Matera

Foll: Tom Hickey, Josh Caddy, Gary Ablett

I/C: Zac Smith, Jarrod Harbrow, Joel Wilkinson, Kyal Horsley

Emg: Jeremy Taylor, Aaron Hall, Andrew McQualter

 

In: Jarrod Harbrow, Charlie Dixon, Matt Shaw, Steven May

Out: Luke Russell (Hamstring), Rory Thompson (Ankle), Michael Rischitelli (Hamstring), Seb Tape (Knee)

 

 

SYDNEY SWANS V GWS GIANTS

ANZ – Sat Jun 30, 7:40pm

Sydney Swans

B: Rhyce Shaw, Heath Grundy, Alex Johnson

HB: Nicholas Smith, Ted Richards, Jarrad McVeigh

C: Martin Mattner, Ryan O’Keefe, Lewis Jetta

HF: Ben McGlynn, Sam Reid, Jude Bolton

F: Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Adam Goodes, Andrejs Everitt

Foll: Shane Mumford, Josh P. Kennedy, Kieren Jack

I/C: Craig Bird, Daniel Hannebery, Mike Pyke, Tony Armstrong

Emg: Nick Malceski, Trent Dennis-Lane, Harry Cunningham

 

GWS Giants

B: Luke Power, Tim Mohr, Shaun Edwards

HB: Chad Cornes, Phil Davis, Tomas Bugg

C: Tom Scully, Callan Ward, Adam Treloar

HF: Toby Greene, Jeremy Cameron, Adam Tomlinson

F: Devon Smith, Jonathon Patton, Nathan Wilson

Foll: Jonathan Giles, James McDonald, Dylan Shiel

I/C: Curtly Hampton, Rhys Palmer, Dean Brogan, Adam Kennedy

Emg: Sam Darley, Mark Whiley, Nick Haynes

 

In: Curtly Hampton, Adam Tomlinson, Chad Cornes, Adam Kennedy

Out: Sam Darley, Jack Hombsch, Mark Whiley, Taylor Adams (Suspension)

 

 

ESSENDON V WESTERN BULLDOGS

ES – Sat Jun 30, 7:40pm

Essendon

B: Michael Hibberd, Dustin Fletcher, Cale Hooker

HB: Kyle Hardingham, Jake Carlisle, Dyson Heppell

C: Courtenay Dempsey, Jobe Watson, Heath Hocking

HF: Stewart Crameri, Patrick Ryder, David Myers

F: Kyle Reimers, Michael Hurley, Ben Howlett

Foll: David Hille, Brent Stanton, Nathan Lovett-Murray

I/C: Sam Lonergan, Leroy Jetta, Jake Melksham, Cory Dell’Olio

Emg: Ricky Dyson, Tom Bellchambers, Elliott Kavanagh

 

In: Sam Lonergan

Out: Angus Monfries (Hamstring)

Milestones: Jake Melksham – 50 games

 

Western Bulldogs

B: Ryan Hargrave, Brian Lake, Dylan Addison

HB: Robert Murphy, Lukas Markovic, Easton Wood

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Christian Howard

HF: Shaun Higgins, Liam Jones, Adam Cooney

F: Jordan Roughead, Tom Campbell, Liam Picken

Foll: William Minson, Ryan Griffen, Clay Smith

I/C: Justin Sherman, Thomas Liberatore, Luke Dahlhaus, Tory Dickson

Emg: Lindsay Gilbee, Ayce Cordy, Mark Austin

 

In: Ryan Hargrave, William Minson, Lukas Markovic, Justin Sherman

Out: Daniel Giansiracusa (Foot), Ayce Cordy, Mitchell Wallis, Mark Austin

Milestones: Shaun Higgins – 100 games

 

 

GEELONG CATS V PORT ADELAIDE

SS – Sun Jul 01, 1:10pm

Geelong Cats

B: Tom Lonergan, Matthew Scarlett, Corey Enright

HB: Josh Hunt, Harry Taylor, Taylor Hunt

C: Steven Motlop, James Kelly, David Wojcinski

HF: Andrew Mackie, James Podsiadly, Mathew Stokes

F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson

Foll: Dawson Simpson, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel

I/C: Joel Corey, Trent West, Mitch Duncan, Allen Christensen, Billie Smedts, George Horlin-Smith, Jordan Murdoch

 

In: Billie Smedts, George Horlin-Smith, Jordan Murdoch

New: Jordan Murdoch (Glenelg)

 

Port Adelaide

B: Jacob Surjan, Alipate Carlile, Paul Stewart

HB: Tom Logan, Troy Chaplin, Darren Pfeiffer

C: Kane Cornes, Bradley Ebert, Danyle Pearce

HF: Brett Ebert, Justin Westhoff, Andrew Moore

F: Chad Wingard, John Butcher, Matthew Lobbe

Foll: Brent Renouf, Matthew Broadbent, John McCarthy

I/C: David Rodan, Daniel Stewart, Ben Jacobs, Aaron Young, Thomas Jonas, Nathan Blee, Cameron O’Shea

 

In: Alipate Carlile, David Rodan, Matthew Lobbe, Daniel Stewart, John Butcher, Aaron Young, Thomas Jonas, Nathan Blee, Cameron O’Shea

Out: Domenic Cassisi (Hip), Matt Thomas (Suspension), Hamish Hartlett (Hamstring), Jackson Trengove (Finger), Jarrad Redden, Jay Schulz (Abdomen)

New: Nathan Blee (East Perth)

 

 

BRISBANE LIONS V MELBOURNE

G – Sun Jul 01, 3:15pm

Brisbane Lions

B: Josh Drummond, Joel Patfull, Ryan Harwood

HB: Mitchell Golby, Niall McKeever, Jed Adcock

C: Ryan Lester, Daniel Rich, Pearce Hanley

HF: Simon Black, Jonathan Brown, Dayne Zorko

F: James Polkinghorne, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath

Foll: Ben Hudson, Tom Rockliff, Andrew Raines

I/C: Jack Redden, Jared Polec, Patrick Karnezis, Joshua Green, Rohan Bewick, Elliot Yeo, Jack Crisp

 

In: Jared Polec, Patrick Karnezis, Elliot Yeo, Jack Crisp

Out: Matt Maguire (Elbow)

 

Melbourne

B: Tom McDonald, James Frawley, Jared Rivers

HB: Daniel Nicholson, Jack Watts, Jack Grimes

C: James Magner, Jordie McKenzie, Joel Macdonald

HF: Jack Trengove, James Sellar, Nathan Jones

F: Jeremy Howe, Colin Garland, Luke Tapscott

Foll: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia

I/C: Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Stefan Martin, Jake Spencer, Sam Blease, Jamie Bennell, Rohan Bail

 

In: Stefan Martin, Jake Spencer, Jamie Bennell, Rohan Bail, Luke Tapscott

Out: Aaron Davey (Hamstring), Mitchell Clark (Foot)

Milestones: Jordie McKenzie – 50 games, Jack Trengove – 50 games

 

 

ST KILDA V NORTH MELBOURNE

ES – Sun Jul 01, 4:40pm

St Kilda

B: Jarryn Geary, Jason Blake, James Gwilt

HB: Sean Dempster, Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert

C: Brendon Goddard, David Armitage, Jason Gram

HF: Nick Dal Santo, Nick Riewoldt, Adam Schneider

F: Stephen Milne, Justin Koschitzke, Jack Steven

Foll: Ben McEvoy, Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna

I/C: Raphael Clarke, Clinton Jones, Farren Ray, Rhys Stanley, Arryn Siposs, Ahmed Saad, Terry Milera

In: Farren Ray, Rhys Stanley, Ahmed Saad

 

North Melbourne

B: Scott McMahon, Scott Thompson, Michael Firrito

HB: Shaun Atley, Nathan Grima, Jamie Macmillan

C: Ryan Bastinac, Daniel Wells, Samuel Wright

HF: Brent Harvey, Robert Tarrant, Leigh Adams

F: Lachlan Hansen, Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas

Foll: Todd Goldstein, Andrew Swallow, Jack Ziebell

I/C: Matt Campbell, Cruize Garlett, Liam Anthony, Ben Cunnington, Kieran Harper, Will Sierakowski, Sam Gibson

 

In: Matt Campbell, Cruize Garlett, Will Sierakowski

New: Will Sierakowski (Hawthorn)