Footy Tragic

Toby runs through all the AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach Winners and Weiners for round 4. Which players got us excited and who got us riled up to get onto this list?

 

St.Kilda vs Fremantle:

St.Kilda:

Winner:

Lenny Hayes wins the Winner award for the second week in a row, once again saluting as the Saints’ number one midfielder on the night. He was under every pack and tackled like an animal, finishing with 7 for the game, along with 30 disposals. Kudos to those who punted on him at the start of the year.

Weiner:

Jamie Cripps started the game as the sub again and came on for minimal impact – he did kick 1.1, but it really should have been 2 goals with the miss coming from only metres out. He hasn’t been able to cement his spot in the side yet, still being flicked between half-back and the forward line.  Until his does, I can’t imagine him having a huge impact on many games.

Fremantle:

Winner:

Aaron Sandilands was fantastic for the Dockers, and was easily their best four-quarter performer. The Saints actually competed with him OK in the air, but around the ground he proved very hard to stop, finishing with 20 disposals along with 6 marks and 44 hitouts. Fortunately, injuries have not been an issue for Sandi this year, as was originally the concern with him.

Weiner:

Matthew Pavlich, whilst not terrible, has not really hit his strides yet this year. He played a lot of this game forward and was very well held by Dempster – a defender who would typically play on a team’s third tall or small forward, not a key forward like Pav. So it was a little disappointing that he wasn’t able to capitalise on this a little more than he did, only finishing with 1.2 from 16 disposals.

 

Carlton vs Essendon:

Carlton:

Winner:

Marc Murphy played another fantastic game through the midfield, picking up 29 touches as one of the Blues’ best. We have seen him dominate the first three rounds in games which were easily won by the Blues, so it was good to see he can still produce these sorts of scores, despite the fact the Blues were smashed on the scoreboard.

Weiner:

Andrew Carrazzo went down early in the first quarter with what has since been diagnosed as a shoulder injury, likely to sideline him for six weeks. After good early-season form, obviously this would have been a big disappointment. The one good news to come from this though is the fact it allowed Mitch Robinson to move to the midfield in his place.

Essendon:

Winner:

Umm… Brent Stanton was alright… In fact, he absolutely killed it – again! Watching his game closely this week, the one thing that really stood out was that he appears to be winning more of his own ball this year than he has in the past. And it hasn’t prevented him from still picking up and absolute crap-load of disposals out wide too. He finished with 36 disposals, 17 marks and 4 tackles. Seriously, I think it’s time we are start to plan how to get him into our teams!

Weiner:

David Zaharakis continued on his frustrating start to the year, only managing 16 disposals and 1 goal. It’s his role that is an issue, seemingly spending a lot more time as a permanent forward this year than he was in 2011 – still not sure whether this is a structural thing, or a result of all that ‘knee injury’ talk that was happening in the pre-season.

 

Collingwood vs Port Adelaide:

Collingwood:

Winner:

So many options this week for the Pies, with plenty of players bouncing back from an average start to the year. But this week I just cannot go past Dane Swan. Swanny had easily his best game of the year, picking up the pill at will, just as we have become accustomed to over the years. He finished the game with 36 touches and 8 tackles – fantastic stuff!

Weiner:

Chris Dawes has been one of the disappointments of the year for Collingwood, having looked very out of form over this first month of footy. Whilst he has never been a legitimate DT or SC option, last year he showed signs that he may one day be a player we want. Also, Bucks has changed his role – he is now playing through the ruck and up forward in the Leigh Brown role. Unfortunately, whilst is can be good for DT and SC, it is simply not working for Dawes – he just looks lost most of the times he is up field.

Port Adelaide:

Winner:

Travis Boak played a great game, really troubling the Collingwood midfield at times with his class. We’ve know for ages that he is a star in the making, and with Port looking much more competitive in 2012, could we see a 100+ point average from him in both DT and SC?

Weiner:

Robbie Gray, amongst all the frustration and disappointment this weekend, presented what was clearly the worst story. Gray is one player loved by many supporters from all clubs, so when he went down with an ACL injury with 30 seconds to play, we were all gutted for him. I also feel gutted for those coaches who had him sitting on their benches for the first three weeks as they awaited his return!

 

Adelaide vs Greater Western Sydney:

Adelaide:

Kurt Tippett was the star for Adelaide, in what was a somewhat underwhelming Dream Team display from a team playing GWS – I’m sure I wasn’t the only one disappointed to see only two Adelaide DT tons! Tippett again loved beating up on his less experienced opponents, managing 4.1 from 17 disposals and 4 marks.

Weiner:

Patty Dangerfield is certainly not getting the sorts of scores we had hoped from him based on his pre-season. The frustrating thing is that he is actually playing very well, but he is just not presenting as a great Dream Teamer. He just does not get enough stats in each column, and simply does not win enough ball outside of the contest. He is a brilliant inside player, but won’t be a brilliant DT option until he can start picking up a few more marks and kicks.

 

GWS:

Winner:

Luke Power played a very lucrative role for the Giants, floating around across half-back. His ball use was not really a strength, but he did manage to get a stack of it. Whilst it is hard to consider many of the Giants’ senior players for our teams, scores like this will become hard to ignore if he can deliver them consistently.

Weiner:

Adam Kennedy was a bit disappointing, failing to get much of the ball, despite being stationed in his typical half-back role. Unfortunately, Power appeared to be the one benefiting from all the loose ball down back. As a rookie-priced player, we can’t expect too much from him, however, scores like this are disappointing regardless of who delivers them.

 

West Coast vs Hawthorn:

West Coast:

Winner:

Daniel Kerr was fantastic for the Eagles, and it was his strength in the contests which helped get them across the line, in what was an extremely contested game. With a strong team around him again, Kerr looks capable of getting near his best of a few years ago. Whilst injuries are still a concern for him, games like this make us forget he was ever gone. Finished with 33 touches and 1.2.

Weiner:

Shannon Hurn was a major disappointment, being tagged right out of the game by Cameron Bruce. He was restricted to just 7 disposals and 2 marks for the entire match.

 

Hawthorn:

Winner:

Sam Mitchell continued on his stellar form with another 29 disposals and 8 tackles, going head to head with Selwood. He is simply so good at winning his own ball that is seems he is impossible to stop from a tagging point of view. Looks capable of being a top-5 mid by season’s end.

Weiner:

Brendon Whitecross would have disappointed the many coaches who brought him in after his great start to the season. He was hardly seen early on, with just the one touch in the first quarter and hardly got into it from there. He typically plays across the flanks, so expect him to have more effect on games which are a bit more open than this one.

Brisbane vs Gold Coast:

Brisbane:

Winner:

Tom Rockliff is the clear winner here, starring through the midfield with 37 disposals, 7 tackles and 2 goals. He was just a powerhouse all over the ground and Gold Coast were unable to stop him as he gathered disposals everywhere. And for those who don’t have him in their team, after his average score last week, he is actually quite cheap – if you need a midfielder this week, Rocky could be your man!

Weiner:

Jack Redden continues to disappoint his owners this year with another average showing. Whilst he wasn’t terrible, he is scoring nowhere near high enough considering his price at the start of the year. I’m sure those that do have him will be beginning to consider offloading him – for Rockliff perhaps?

 

Gold Coast:

Winner:

On a pretty low-scoring night for the Suns, Gary Ablett was again their best, until going off with a knee injury late in the game. Up until that point he had picked up 33 disposals and laid 4 tackles. There has been no news yet on the severity of the injury, but scans on Monday will clear it all up. Fingers crossed it is nothing significant!

Weiner

Michael Rischitelli is one player who has not really returned to 2012 in very good form. His numbers this year have been well down on last year and I’m surprised more people haven’t been picking up on this, especially with all the talk about how Ablett needs support. If he does return to form, look at him for a cheap 6^th mid option later in the year.

 

Geelong vs Richmond:

Geelong:

Winner:

Allen Christensen played his first real good game of the year after an injury-interrupted pre-season. He looked really good, playing through the midfield and kicking one really important goal late in the game, despite being nearly knocked out a few minutes earlier. We spoke all pre-season about his potential as a DT and SC option – hopefully this game is a sign of what to expect for the rest of the year.

Weiner:

George Horlin-Smith played his second game after an impressive debut last week. He unfortunately didn’t have the same effect on the game this week, being subbed out in the 3^rd term with just 11 disposals to his name. I wouldn’t be trading him in this week if you had been considering it.

 

Richmond:

Winner:

Brett Deledio continued on his super early season form with another top game against the Cats. He had 31 touches and 5 marks and played a big part in their second half comeback. Despite having played just one game in the pre-season, Deledio is looking to be in some of the best form of his career! Jump on asap if you don’t already have him!

Weiner:

Addam Maric has been a significant disappointment this season after showing such great signs in the pre-season. Once again he found himself wearing the sub vest at the end of the game thanks to the fact he had nil effect on the game. I hope you didn’t listen to Kristian this pre-season and bring him in.

 

 

Sydney vs North Melbourne:

Sydney:

Winner:

Luke Parker had a fantastic game for the Swans, getting off to a flyer and never slowing down, finishing the game with 29 disposals, 5 tackles and a likely 3 votes. He really led from the front in the midfield and looked really impressive – great to see considering his average first two games this year.

Weiner:

Gary Rohan started the game well, booting the first goal within a minute, but unfortunately had his tibia (leg bone) broken under an opponent in a tackle only a few minutes later. This injury will have him out for the rest of the year – a real blow for the Swans.

 

North Melbourne:

Winner:

Ben Cunnington was good for North, enjoying the contested game style brought by the Swans. Whilst he didn’t win a stack of the ball (21 disposals), he did look pretty comfortable and certainly got a lot more into the game than I have seen him do in the past. For a top-5 draft pick he has taken a long time to come along, so hopefully he can start playing a few more games like this.

Weiner:

Todd Goldstein is just about outside of the best-22 at this rate, with McIntosh playing as the preferred ruckman. Goldstein was subbed off in the third quarter and had done very little up to that point, with just 7 disposals and 18 hitouts. He is a great young talent, so it is a shame seeing him get such little opportunities.

 

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs:

Melbourne:

Winner:

Matthew Bate played through the midfield, which was good to see, winning 20 disposals and booting 2.1. Unfortunately though, it is a worry when a player like Bate is your best player on the day as once again the Dees showed little heart.

Weiner:

Jack Trengove played a rubbish game considering he is captain. Even late in the game when the game could still have been won, there didn’t appear to be any corralling or intensity given by Trengove, which was a real shame to see.

 

Western Bulldogs:

Winner:

Ryan Hargrave played a beautiful dream team game, floating across half back and picking up plenty of loose ball – especially late in the game. Although, a game like this, so late in the round, could have also made him the weiner for many people as he got their opponents across the line. Regardless, it was great to see from the veteran as he picked up 26 disposals and 9 marks.

Weiner:

Matthew Boyd was disappointing, especially for those who locked him in as captain, expecting him to run riot against the Dees in the wet. Not so, he hardly made much damage at all, with just 19 disposals and 7 tackles for the game – a season low.

 

 
Hi guys.
 
Firstly, we’d just like to thank the Footy Tragic community for all the positive feedback we’ve had regarding our show so far in 2012. We’re averaging over 30,000 unique viewers per episode and these figures look set to grow. Please don’t hesitate to put forward any thoughts/ideas that you have, which could potentially improve the show moving forward. Your constructive feedback is really appreciated.
 
The entire show has been uploaded below. We’ve also edited last night’s episode into several small clips to help you find content quickly. Just scroll further down the page.
 
Enjoy!!!
 
 

The Footy Tragic Show (Full Episode):

 

 

 
 

Winners & Wieners:

 

 
 

Boys On The Bubble:

 

 
 

The Teams:

 

 
 

Captain Choice:

 

 
 

The Big Issue: Nat Fyfe

 

 
 

 

 
Check out the discussion the Footy Tragic boys had regarding Round 4 team selection on their show:
 

 
 

ST KILDA V FREMANTLE

ES – Fri Apr 20, 7:50pm

St Kilda

B: Jarryn Geary, Sam Gilbert, Jason Blake

HB: Tom Simpkin, Sam Fisher, Sean Dempster

C: Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes, Brendon Goddard

HF: Jack Steven, Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna

F: Stephen Milne, Rhys Stanley, Terry Milera

Foll: Ben McEvoy, David Armitage, Clinton Jones

I/C: Justin Koschitzke, Jamie Cripps, Dean Polo, Jack Newnes

Emg: Farren Ray, Brett Peake, Beau Wilkes

 

Fremantle

B: Garrick Ibbotson, Zac Dawson, Adam McPhee

HB: Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin, Tendai Mzungu

C: Paul Duffield, Ryan Crowley, Stephen Hill

HF: Matthew de Boer, Christopher Mayne, Clancee Pearce

F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Zachary Clarke

Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nathan Fyfe, Nick Suban

I/C: David Mundy, Greg Broughton, Michael Barlow, Lachie Neale

Emg: Kepler Bradley, Dylan Roberton, Jack Anthony

 

In: Hayden Ballantyne, Lachie Neale

Out: Kepler Bradley, Josh Mellington (Hamstring)

New: Lachie Neale (Glenelg)

 

CARLTON V ESSENDON

MCG – Sat Apr 21, 1:45pm

Carlton

B: Jeremy Laidler, Michael Jamison, Christopher Yarran

HB: Nick Duigan, Lachlan Henderson, Zach Tuohy

C: Marc Murphy, Chris Judd, Kade Simpson

HF: Jeffrey Garlett, Jarrad Waite, Kane Lucas

F: Shaun Hampson, Mitch Robinson, Eddie Betts

Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Bryce Gibbs, Andrew Carrazzo

I/C: Paul Bower, Heath Scotland, Brock McLean, Edward Curnow

Emg: Jordan Russell, Bret Thornton, Andrew Collins

 

In: Brock McLean

Out: Dennis Armfield (Knee)

 

Essendon

B: Dustin Fletcher, Tayte Pears, Courtenay Dempsey

HB: Kyle Hardingham, Cale Hooker, Dyson Heppell

C: Michael Hibberd, Jobe Watson, Jake Melksham

HF: Stewart Crameri, Tom Bellchambers, Sam Lonergan

F: Leroy Jetta, Michael Hurley, Alwyn Davey

Foll: Patrick Ryder, Heath Hocking, Brent Stanton

I/C: Angus Monfries, David Zaharakis, Ben Howlett, Cory Dell’Olio

Emg: Ricky Dyson, Henry Slattery, Luke Davis

 

In: Sam Lonergan, Cale Hooker, Cory Dell’Olio

Out: Ricky Dyson, Kyle Reimers, Jake Carlisle (Soreness)

New: Cory Dell’Olio (South Fremantle/South Coogee Junior)

 

COLLINGWOOD V PORT ADELAIDE

ES – Sat Apr 21, 2:10pm

Collingwood

B: Heritier O’Brien, Lachlan Keeffe, Ben Johnson

HB: Simon Buckley, Nick Maxwell, Tyson Goldsack

C: Dane Swan, Tom Young, Sharrod Wellingham

HF: Jackson Paine, Chris Dawes, Ben Sinclair

F: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Alex Fasolo

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom

I/C: Alan Toovey, Martin Clarke, Jarryd Blair, Paul Seedsman

Emg: Nathan Brown, Cameron Wood, Kirk Ugle

 

In: Ben Johnson, Simon Buckley, Tom Young, Paul Seedsman, Jackson Paine

Out: Heath Shaw (Hamstring), Dale Thomas (Hamstring), Ben Reid (Quad), Cameron Wood, Luke Ball (Knee)

Milestones: Martin Clarke – 50 games

 

Port Adelaide

B: Jacob Surjan, Alipate Carlile, Jackson Trengove

HB: Ben Jacobs, Troy Chaplin, Danyle Pearce

C: Hamish Hartlett, Domenic Cassisi, Kane Cornes

HF: Travis Boak, Justin Westhoff, Robert Gray

F: John Butcher, Jay Schulz, Chad Wingard

Foll: Brent Renouf, Bradley Ebert, John McCarthy

I/C: Paul Stewart, Matthew Broadbent, Daniel Stewart, Darren Pfeiffer

Emg: Matt Thomas, Simon Phillips, Aaron Young

 

In: John Butcher, Brent Renouf, Darren Pfeiffer

Out: Matt Thomas, Jarrad Redden (Rested), Cameron O’Shea

New: Brent Renouf (Hawthorn), Darren Pfeiffer (Norwood)

 

ADELAIDE V GWS GIANTS

AS – Sat Apr 21, 4:10pm

Adelaide

B: Sam Shaw, Ben Rutten, Brodie Martin

HB: Brent Reilly, Daniel Talia, Brodie Smith

C: Nathan van Berlo, Patrick Dangerfield, David Mackay

HF: Bernie Vince, Taylor Walker, Jared Petrenko

F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Ian Callinan

Foll: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Rory Sloane

I/C: Michael Doughty, Shaun McKernan, Matthew Wright, Matthew Jaensch

Emg: Chris Knights, Brad Symes, Ricky Henderson

 

In: Shaun McKernan, Sam Shaw, Matthew Wright, Matthew Jaensch

Out: Graham Johncock (Thigh), Andy Otten, Tom Lynch, Sam Kerridge

New: Sam Shaw (Oakleigh Chargers (Vic))

 

GWS Giants

B: Phil Davis, Tim Mohr, Jack Hombsch

HB: Luke Power, Chad Cornes, Adam Kennedy

C: Rhys Palmer, Tomas Bugg, Tom Scully

HF: Stephen Coniglio, Curtly Hampton, Adam Treloar

F: Shaun Edwards, Israel Folau, Devon Smith

Foll: Dean Brogan, Callan Ward, Dylan Shiel

I/C: Jonathan Giles, Jacob Townsend, Adam Tomlinson, James McDonald

Emg: Josh Bruce, Anthony Miles, Nathan Wilson

 

In: Shaun Edwards, James McDonald

Out: Jeremy Cameron (Soreness), Toby Greene (Soreness)

New: Shaun Edwards (Melbourne Grammar/St. Mary’s)

 

BRISBANE LIONS V GOLD COAST SUNS

G – Sat Apr 21, 7:40pm

Brisbane Lions

B: Ashley McGrath, Matt Maguire, Josh Drummond

HB: Mitchell Golby, Joel Patfull, Pearce Hanley

C: Jed Adcock, Tom Rockliff, Daniel Rich

HF: James Polkinghorne, Jonathan Brown, Todd Banfield

F: Ryan Lester, Daniel Merrett, Aaron Cornelius

Foll: Ben Hudson, Simon Black, Jack Redden

I/C: Andrew Raines, Ryan Harwood, Jared Polec, Jack Crisp

Emg: Sam Sheldon, Patrick Karnezis, Billy Longer

 

In: Simon Black, Aaron Cornelius, Ben Hudson, Jack Crisp

Out: Matthew Leuenberger (Achilles), Jesse O’Brien, Claye Beams, Billy Longer

New: Jack Crisp (Murray Bushrangers (VIC))

 

Gold Coast Suns

B: Jared Brennan, Nathan Bock, Seb Tape

HB: Matt Shaw, Matthew Warnock, Jarrod Harbrow

C: David Swallow, Gary Ablett, Trent McKenzie

HF: Harley Bennell, Tom Lynch, Brandon Matera

F: Luke Russell, Sam Day, Aaron Hall

Foll: Zac Smith, Karmichael Hunt, Michael Rischitelli

I/C: Josh Fraser, Campbell Brown, Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy

Emg: Sam Iles, Joel Wilkinson, Liam Patrick

 

In: Campbell Brown

Out: Maverick Weller

 

WEST COAST EAGLES V HAWTHORN

PS – Sat Apr 21, 5:40pm

West Coast Eagles

B: Eric Mackenzie, Darren Glass, Adam Selwood

HB: Beau Waters, Will Schofield, Shannon Hurn

C: Andrew Gaff, Matthew Priddis, Matthew Rosa

HF: Josh Hill, Quinten Lynch, Chris Masten

F: Dean Cox, Josh Kennedy, Ashton Hams

Foll: Nic Naitanui, Scott Selwood, Daniel Kerr

I/C: Luke Shuey, Ashley Smith, Patrick McGinnity, Jack Darling

Emg: Mitch Brown, Koby Stevens, Ryan Neates

 

In: Darren Glass, Matthew Priddis, Matthew Rosa

Out: Mitch Brown, Bradd Dalziell (Knee), Koby Stevens

 

Hawthorn

B: Benjamin Stratton, Josh Gibson, Brent Guerra

HB: Grant Birchall, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling

C: Brendan Whitecross, Sam Mitchell, Shane Savage

HF: Shaun Burgoyne, Lance Franklin, Michael Osborne

F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Jack Gunston

Foll: David Hale, Brad Sewell, Jordan Lewis

I/C: Clinton Young, Liam Shiels, Kyle Cheney, Bradley Hill

Emg: Cameron Bruce, Jarrad Boumann, Broc McCauley

 

In: Bradley Hill

Out: Luke Breust (Concussion)

New: Bradley Hill (West Perth)

 

GEELONG CATS V RICHMOND

SS – Sun Apr 22, 1:10pm

Geelong Cats

B: Cameron Guthrie, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright

HB: Andrew Mackie, Harry Taylor, Tom Gillies

C: Taylor Hunt, Joel Corey, Steven Motlop

HF: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Allen Christensen

F: Mathew Stokes, James Podsiadly, Steve Johnson

Foll: Trent West, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood

I/C: Shannon Byrnes, Josh Hunt, Mitch Duncan, Jesse Stringer, George Horlin-Smith, Jordan Schroder, Orren Stephenson

 

In: Josh Hunt, Mathew Stokes, Jesse Stringer, Jordan Schroder

Out: James Kelly (Groin)

New: Jesse Stringer (Port Magpies), Jordan Schroder (Calder U18)

 

Richmond

B: Steven Morris, Alex Rance, Chris Newman

HB: Bachar Houli, Dylan Grimes, Jake Batchelor

C: Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin, Daniel Jackson

HF: Reece Conca, Tyrone Vickery, Shane Edwards

F: Brad Miller, Jack Riewoldt, Robin Nahas

Foll: Ivan Maric, Trent Cotchin, Shane Tuck

I/C: Nathan Foley, Angus Graham, Luke McGuane, Matthew White, Shaun Grigg, Brandon Ellis, Addam Maric

In: Angus Graham, Luke McGuane, Matthew White

 

SYDNEY SWANS V NORTH MELBOURNE

SCG – Sun Apr 22, 3:15pm

Sydney Swans

B: Martin Mattner, Heath Grundy, Alex Johnson

HB: Andrejs Everitt, Ted Richards, Rhyce Shaw

C: Kieren Jack, Jude Bolton, Lewis Jetta

HF: Jarrad McVeigh, Sam Reid, Gary Rohan

F: Craig Bird, Ryan O’Keefe, Ben McGlynn

Foll: Shane Mumford, Josh P. Kennedy, Daniel Hannebery

I/C: Nick Malceski, Jesse White, Mark Seaby, Luke Parker, Tony Armstrong, Tommy Walsh, Harry Cunningham

 

In: Mark Seaby, Tony Armstrong, Tommy Walsh, Harry Cunningham

Out: Adam Goodes (Suspension)

New: Tony Armstrong (Adelaide), Tommy Walsh (St Kilda)

Milestones: Andrejs Everitt – 50 games

 

North Melbourne

B: Scott McMahon, Scott Thompson, Liam Anthony

HB: Daniel Wells, Michael Firrito, Jamie Macmillan

C: Samuel Wright, Andrew Swallow, Shaun Atley

HF: Ryan Bastinac, Aaron Edwards, Kieran Harper

F: Matt Campbell, Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas

Foll: Todd Goldstein, Jack Ziebell, Leigh Adams

I/C: Brent Harvey, Hamish McIntosh, Cruize Garlett, Luke Delaney, Ben Cunnington, Robbie Tarrant, Levi Greenwood

In: Cruize Garlett, Robbie Tarrant, Levi Greenwood

 

MELBOURNE V WESTERN BULLDOGS

MCG – Sun Apr 22, 4:40pm

Melbourne

B: James Frawley, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram

HB: Rohan Bail, Colin Garland, Luke Tapscott

C: Matthew Bate, Brent Moloney, Nathan Jones

HF: Jordie McKenzie, Jack Watts, Jeremy Howe

F: Tom McDonald, Mitchell Clark, Aaron Davey

Foll: Mark Jamar, James Magner, Jack Trengove

I/C: Lynden Dunn, Ricky Petterd, Cale Morton, Jack Fitzpatrick, Joel Macdonald, James Sellar, Thomas Couch

In: Brent Moloney, Ricky Petterd, Jack Fitzpatrick, Joel Macdonald, Thomas Couch

Out: Jack Grimes (Suspension), Stefan Martin

New: Thomas Couch (Grovedale)

 

Western Bulldogs

B: Robert Murphy, Lukas Markovic, Dylan Addison

HB: Patrick Veszpremi, Ryan Hargrave, Easton Wood

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Luke Dahlhaus

HF: Daniel Giansiracusa, Liam Jones, Adam Cooney

F: Nathan Djerrkura, Ayce Cordy, Justin Sherman

Foll: William Minson, Ryan Griffen, Liam Picken

I/C: Shaun Higgins, Jarrad Grant, Jordan Roughead, Mitchell Wallis, Thomas Liberatore, Tory Dickson, Mark Austin

In: Patrick Veszpremi, Justin Sherman, Mitchell Wallis, Tory Dickson, Mark Austin

Out: Brian Lake (Suspension), Clay Smith (Soreness)

New: Mark Austin (Carlton)

 

 

 

 

Hey guys, so I’m back after a couple of weeks with my new article called ‘KP’s Big Issue’.

Every Thursday I’ll talk about what the major discussion is in AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach and give my two cents worth.

I hope not too many people traded out Greg Broughton last week. He repaid the faith and finally looked like he had the desire to go out and get the footy himself. I never thought his role was the issue.

This week it’s been all about his superstar team mate, Nathan Fyfe.

It’s no secret Fyfe has had shoulder issues and over 30% of people picked him in their fantasy teams knowing full well that at any stage his shoulder could come out and he might do some serious damage.

Last weekend our worst nightmare came to life, and to make matters worse he went off early in the game with a very low score on the board. That was just unlucky.

With Fyfe, we know he’s a fierce competitor. Last year he came back on the ground a couple of times after popping out his shoulder, and not once did it hamper his scoring.

I guess the major talking point is whether or not you should trade him out and there are very good arguments for both.

Personally, I’ve been a major advocate for holding onto your trades up until around round five this year as I think they’ll become vital in the bye rounds and later on in the year when teams will inevitably rest players as has become the trend. I’m honestly predicting chaos, so I’ll be setting up for that.

Therefore in relation to Fyfe, if he’s playing, I’m not even considering trading him out unless his shoulder is considerably troubling him, or if it happens again. He’s shown last year that he’s able to play through injury and not be affected at all, so the former point doesn’t concern me too much.

I’ve also heard people saying Fyfe will be a sub candidate. I don’t buy into that at all. If Fyfe is fit, he plays a full game. He’s in Fremantle’s most important two or three players. Just because he’s the substitute it doesn’t mean he’s saved from contact.

The only concern I have with Fyfe is if he pops his shoulder out again and it happens in the first or second quarter. That’s when it hurts. If it happens in the second half of a game, chances are he’ll be on a pretty respectable score by then. A large portion of fantasy footy is luck, and this is a classic example.

My final point on keeping Fyfe is more my own mental state. Last year I went through the whole season without having him, and it killed me. He is a machine, and such a good player to watch, that I can’t even imagine not having him in my Dream Team or Super Coach anymore. If I trade him out now, and he continues to play on unscathed, I don’t think I could live with myself. As crazy as it sounds I’d rather roll the dice, and if he scores another 20 or 30 before going off the ground, well I’m willing to cop that. At least I’ll know definitely he’s a ‘no go’ and I’ll simply trade him out.

On the other hand, with the low score rolling through his average, Fyfe is the highest value he’ll be in some weeks, so if you’re feeling trigger happy, trade him out now.

Just quickly, I’ve also seen this argument; “I’ll trade him out now, and if he dominates I’ll trade him back in”. I don’t get that. That’s two trades down the drain for not a whole lot of gain. If you feel confident in the slightest that he’ll continue to score well, then you should keep him. You’ll feel sick if you trade him and he dominates. The vent thread will be your home for many weeks.

If you REALLY want to trade him then by all means go ahead. Personally, I don’t like many options and the worst thing to come out of all this is the fact Mitch Robinson won’t be unique anymore. Oh selfish me.

In all honesty though, Mitch Robinson looks the best option to trade in for Fyfe, closely followed by Steele Sidebottom.

Sidebottom could see a scoring spike now with the absence of Luke Ball. I think Steele is the logical replacement in that Pies starting midfield.

Brendan Whitecross is also an option, but I want to see what he does with Luke Hodge back in the side, and he could also pose bye problems if you already have Lance Franklin, Dustin Martin, Mitch Robinson and the like.

I really don’t see any benefits with trading Fyfe out now, unless he doesn’t play this week, then, even I will ship him off.

If it happens again, cop it on the chin and move on and don’t blame me, because I’m putting my money where my mouth is so we’ll be in the same boat and can cry together.

Such is Fyfe.

 

@KristianPisano on Twitter