Footy Tragic

Friday:

North Melbourne vs Collingwood: 

Whilst being a very one-sided contest, it seemed like several Kangaroos stood out as individuals. The first player of note was Hamish McIntosh – I really liked his first half, as he seemed very mobile, and back to his form (or even better than) of 2007. If you are yet to make a trade for Hille, or even Ottens, he could definitely be your man! Take note as well, he was up against quality opposition in Fraser, so this is encouraging! Next player to shine for me was Gavin Urquhart – he played more as a midfielder (obviously getting more responsibility in Harvey’s absence) and he looked really good – he is now strong bodied (so won’t trail off like last year) and has a great kick, so they want it in his hands. For those who were interested in checking out Levi Greenwood’s second game would not have been overly happy (unless if they were Roos supporters!) – He looked really good, and I liked his crash-and-bash nature, but he does not get too many possessions, therefore is not very Dream Team friendly! For Collingwood, Dayne Beams burst his own bubble when he went down with an adductor strain! It would almost be the perfect time to trade him, if only there were a suitable down-trade option (perhaps Sidebottom! HINT HINT Mick!) Tarkyn Lockyer continued on his uncontested ball rampage, earning another hefty score – the perfect kind of DT game!

Get on: Gavin Urquhart – I spoke of my like for this guy last week, but I want to emphasise it – he is loved down at North, and in his new role, he is a steal as a backman under $300,000.

Get off: Travis Cloke – whilst there is probably not much more money to lose on the most promising CHF of 2007, his time in your side is up. To make matters worse, he always has a shocker against the Saints, who they meet next Monday.

Injury: Daniel Pratt hurt his knee. Medhurst injured his ankle and will most likely miss a week. Beams will probably be out for a couple of weeks. 

Saturday:

Hawthorn vs Carlton: 

What an exciting close to the match… only without the fairytale finish – unless if you checked your DT scores and had either Roughy or Fev in your team, each forward scoring eight goals each! Sam Mitchell continued his half-back ways for one more half, but it looks like he will be back in the middle from here on in, as he finished the match there. If only Hodge could pull out those sorts of numbers off half-back. Again, Hodge was tagged, and this week by Carrazzo, which brings up another fantasy-relevant point. Carlton seem to be playing Carrazzo as a tagger – a position that will not allow him the access to the ball that he is usually allowed. This is obviously very bad for DT purposes! My suggestion – hold off – but if you see Ratten swing him back to half-back, GET ON! But until then, he is as useless in your team as the man he is sent to tag! And speaking of keeping an eye out – sooner or later, Buddy is sure to go BANG – if he does, get him, as he is very close to bottoming out – and after a very minimal pre-season, he is surely starting to work into some match fitness!

Get on: Brad Sewell – played very well head-to-head with Judd – when in this role, as he showed last year, he is more than capable of scoring big!

Get off: Setanta O’Hailpin – yeah, he’s OK – but I’ve got no idea why they are playing him after what he did in the pre-season

Injury: Nothing major. 

West Coast vs Fremantle:

Another classic derby match, and one of my favorites of the round! West Coast looked dominating in the first half, before being put to the sword in the second by a rampaging Freo, who looked nothing like the Freo that we’ve come to know and hate! Their skills were reasonable and they were taking risks, which paid off. Haselby was clearly their best on ground, closely followed by a host of kids, with Stephen Hill having a great game, playing in bursts through the middle, and Nic Suban was also quite solid through the game. On debut was Matt DeBoer, who has the skills to be a great Dream-teamer, but was used more as a forward for this match. He also seemed very aware of his poor kicking, and refused to do anything but handball under pressure – I’d hold off on him, as his form in the WAFL was not too fantastic before his call-up either – he may only play a small role through the year. For the Eagles, Cox was good for the first half, but like the rest of their leaders, fell away in the second. Adam Cockie was their debut, who looked good in glances, but didn’t seem to feature too much. Also, Ash Hansen was again terrible, and I think the writing will soon be on the wall for him as Josh Kennedy will be called up to play his first match of the year!

Get on: Paul Duffield – was the highest DT scorer on the ground, but also played a game to match it. He is still quite cheap, and discounting a poor game last week, has been quite consistent through the year.

Get off: Sam Butler – If he was your smokey for the year, his time is up. He just isn’t getting into games or winning the ball like he used to in their premiership year.

Injury: Ryan Crowly – finished on crutches with an ankle problem – may be a week or two. 

Brisbane vs Essendon: 

This was a happy match for Dream Teamers worried that certain stars were gone – Jonathon Brown is back! Daniel Rich is Back! Even Josh Drummond was OK! This match didn’t seem too hard for Brisbane, as always seems to be the case on their home soil – it is great to see Voss has implemented a high-possession game style, which means that when they win, we also win with some great scores! Of note was the form of Brown – whether it was just the opposition of whether he is really back in form is yet to be decided. But a fit, firing Brown would be great in any Dream Team – he is consistent and at the moment, relatively cheap, and surrounded by many non-performing forwards. Very tempting… For Essendon, it was their attack that let them down – again, Lucas just looked too slow and fatigued – Knights says he won’t drop him, but I doubt it’s too far away! Paddy Ryder continued his foray in the ruck, and again showed his class and ability to score in a new position! His price is starting to rise, so those who are interested, get on now!

Get on: Jonathon Brown – give him another week to test him, but if he continues this form, he can become unstoppable.

Get off: Scott Lucas – The only thing saving him is the fact he still tries hard… the problem is that his body won’t obey.

Injury: Dunstin Fletcher – gotta feel sorry for him in his 300^th game – broke his leg, and will be out for quite a while.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide: 

Fortunately, Matt Thomas (a.k.a. The Crow Killer) only inured one player in this derby (Mike Cook), but he was able to regain his place on the field, unlike Bassett and Hentchel before him. As expected, it was a toughly fought game, with owners of the Cornes boys the real winners! The Adelaide kids were again found warming the bench, but luckily they produced better scores than 12! We also know that this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be dropped – I feel that Craig is getting his team ready for the next couple of years by blooding some of the younger talent – far from a bad thing! For Port, all those who traded in Hartlett this week will be cursing his frail little body… although hopefully the injury is only minor and he will only miss a couple.

Get on: Matt Thomas – I told you a couple of weeks ago, and I don’t think anyone listened – he went up $33,000 this week and will continue to as he averages 85.

Get off: David Rodan – just back after being dropped – may see himself back in the magoos after this performance.

Injury: Hamish Hartlett – Hamstring strain. Unfortunately it looks like he will miss the obligatory 2 – 3.  

Sunday:

Sydney vs Richmond: 

Whist they lost, Richmond should at least be happy with the players who got them close to the line – Tambling, Graham, Jackson and Coughlin – all of them either not playing or being heavily criticized earlier in the season. However, do not jump on any of these players after one good game, please! Especially Tambling! As usual, Sydney kept Dream Team scoring to an absolute low, whilst making sure their opposition were the same! And let me tell you, if Deledio is one of the better players one more time, but doesn’t register over 100 points, I’m going to get VERY angry!! It was amazing to see Richo walk out onto the ground before the match, expecting him to be a late withdrawal, however, he played, and re-injured his glute. He played out the match as a full forward, meaning his price will be uber tempting over the next few weeks!

Get on: Mark Coughlan – whilst I won’t be trusting him personally, he has proved what he is capable of, and is trusting his body in the contests. For those wanting to get rid of Rich of Beams, he could be the perfect solution.

Get off: Micky O’Loughlin – at his age he probably won’t leave the forward 50 – not great for his DT points!

Injury: Whilst not major, Richo really needs to consider resting for next week’s game, before he injures himself again! 

Geelong vs Melbourne: 

I thought to myself, ‘Do I put Ablett as Captain, assuming he will get the ball 45 times? Or Chappy, knowing that he loves games against easy opposition?’ Upsettingly, I went with Ablett, as Chappy brought home the biggest score of the year, with 41 disposals and 12 marks! He was everywhere, and I am still very happy he is the leader of my forward line! Unfortunately though, Ablett hurt his groin – it was tight, so he didn’t want to play on. Apparently, this is not unusual for him, so Geelong aren’t too concerned. But considering the position they are in, they are not going to risk him next week if at all skeptical, which is a very scary prospect! Other news from the game include Mackie’s move back to a rebounding defender, and the return of Russell Robertson – whilst no one in DT world cares about him, its nice to see him back out there! It was also good to see some of Melbourne’s tougher players, such as McLean, Petterd and Sylvia giving their all at each contest, despite the odds being against them.

Get on: Joel Corey – he dropped $50,000, and is back in form. Now is the time to pounce! And remember, you can never have too many Cats!

Get off: Addam Maric – first game for the year was very poor – will be lucky not to get dropped.

Injury: Gary Ablett – as discussed above. 

St.Kilda vs Western Bulldogs: 

The match of the round saw St.Kilda keep their top placing on the ladder after they knocked off a very strong competitor in the Dogs. All those who waited on Riewoldt to drop further in price are now kicking themselves, as he is now more expensive than when the season started, and very much in form! Also for the Saints, Brendon Goddard was brilliant, and probably one of the best players of the round – his skills and ability in traffic were amazing to watch! Hayes was again good, and Farren Ray played his best game for the Saints, up against his old team. The dogs unfortunately had no real shining light, except for Aker popping up with some good pieces of play towards the end of the match. Gia fans may have to wait another week to see his second 100 of the season… many hoped it would be this week, but unfortunately, it was not to be!

Get on: Brendon Goddard – Many tipped him as a brownlow outsider this year, and after this match, I’m tipping that his odds will very quickly shorten!

Get off: Adam Cooney – We know he is a great player, but great players need match fitness too! He almost needs a run in the twos.

Injury: Sam Fisher – took quite a knock to his shoulder but returned. Hopefully nothing serious and he will play next week!

Check out this week’s selection video here

Expert: Dan
Team: Hank Scorpio EDT
Round 6 Score: 1,922
Overall Ranking: 10,951
Trades Remaining: 15
Remaining Salary Cap: $23,600
Team Changes This Week:
In: Hamish McIntosh, Lenny Hayes
Out: David Hille, Ryan Griffen

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Round 6 Score: 2,052
Overall Ranking: 246
Trades Remaining: 17
Remaining Salary Cap: $84,200
Team Changes This Week:
In: Hamish Hartlett
Out: Mitch Robinson

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Round 6 Score: 1,864
Overall Ranking: 13,845
Trades Remaining: 16
Remaining Salary Cap: $13,600
Team Changes This Week:
In: Hamish Hartlett, Daniel Giansiracusa
Out: Daniel Rich, Hayden Skipworth

Toby’s dreamteam, Fiora’s Hardnuts is now ranked 122 overall. Can he climb further up the ladder in round 6?!? Follow his progress over the weekend in the Live Scores category.

Falling premiums will likely be the theme for the next few weeks, because let’s face it, we’re right in the middle of the first wave of gun players who started slowly and have bottomed out in price (or are about to). Also, it’s pretty feasible that back lines could need a bit of tweaking this week with the amount of common personnel likely to miss – Cheney, Petrenko, Raines etc.

Well by this stage you’re hopefully in a position where you’ve got some cash or can free up some cash to make the move on a fitter looking Luke Hodge. We all know what Hodgey is capable of, but he’s not really shown much of that this year. It’s all to do with his limited pre-season (I was silly enough to start with him, thinking the tough bugger could play through anything, but there’s no substitution for a strong pre-season) and the horrid run of injuries the Hawks have had.

Lacking match fitness, Hodgey has struggled a bit in the early stages to drive the Hawks out of defence. On top of this he has been greatly affected by the absence of pretty much the whole Hawthorn backline. All of their injuries have meant that he’s been forced into a more accountable and defensive role, which doesn’t allow him to get loose or chop off the front of a contest.

Stephen Gilham and Brent Guerra are possible inclusions this week, so that should free Hodge up a bit to play in a more attacking role back there. The Hawks obviously love getting the ball to him because he’s such a beautiful user, plus he’s the master of getting into the right spots to block off opposition entries.

I don’t think you really need too much convincing about Hodgey, but just to really drive the point home check out their run over the next few weeks: Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle and Melbourne. That’s a pretty favourable DT draw and I can see Hodge going ballistic and getting his price back to where it started this year (for the same reason, keep an eye on Buddy too!). His best DT match-up is Carlton, as he averages 101.8 points over his career against them and the other three teams don’t fill me with much confidence in trying to curb his influence.

He showed last week with a 100 vs. West Coast that he is on his way back to his best, so if you haven’t got Hodge I’d give it some serious thought over the next couple of weeks because he’s just about at his cheapest. He’s probably likely to go slightly down in price this week, but it shouldn’t be too much. From there I anticipate it will be onwards and upwards.

View Superbad!’s Team
Round 5 Score: 1,936
Current Overall Ranking: 1,317
Trades Left: 17
Remaining Salary Cap: $900

Dear Superbad 

Thank you for submitting your team. 

I’m going to start by focusing on your forward line. This is a real weakness in an otherwise strong team with only Chapman, Higgins, Franklin, Nathan Brown & Lovett as keepers. Your weakness has really been put under the microscope with Hayden Skipworth sustaining a hamstring injury, which will most likely keep him out for another 2 – 3 weeks. 

The problem with the forward line is finding a cheap option that will do more than play 5 or 6 games for the season & average 40. Jack Ziebell has started the season well, but you have missed the boat on him as his price has now risen by over $100,000 to $228,300. 

Although we all like instant results, good things come to those who wait. I’m going to take a step back & highlight two quality forward line options that have yet to make their AFL debut. Both of these boys are priced under the $131,000 mark: 

1 – Chris Yarran – Carlton ($130,600) – The Blues were delighted that Yarran was still available at pick 6 in last years National Draft. Yarran is a medium – sized forward with freakish talent. He starred with Swan Districts in the WAFL last season & was also super impressive in the National Under 18 Championships final against Vic Metro. After an injury interrupted pre – season, Yarran has now hit form in the VFL. Playing for the Northern Bullants, he slotted 3 goals & was named in the best players against Port Melbourne last weekend. Brett Ratten won’t be able to resist the temptation to unleash Yarran for much longer. 

2 – Steele Sidebottom – Collingwood ($110,600) – Sidebottom is a medium – sized midfielder / forward, taken at pick 10 in last years National Draft. The boy they call “Rusty” stands at 180cms & weighs 80kgs. He has a strong body for an 18 year old & he can seriously play. One other thing, the kid kicked 10 goals for the Murray Bushrangers in last years TAC Cup Grand Final! For those of us lucky enough to see the game, there is only one way I can describe his performance in that game, he was simply ‘in the zone’. What’s more, Rusty is showing very solid form at VFL level for Collingwood.  

Message to Mick Malthouse, ‘What more does this kid have to do to get a game???’ 

Don’t think, DO! The setting is perfect for “Rusty” to debut on the big stage, this Friday night against North Melbourne at the Docklands (the venue where Sidebottom turned the TAC Cup Grand Final into his own personal showtime!). 

My recommendation with your forward line is to wait until the teams are announced this Thursday night. Skipworth is the man to take out given he is injured, with his replacement being one of the two boys I have mentioned above. The waters become somewhat muddy, if neither Yarran nor Sidebottom is named this week. Should this be the case, my advice would be to hold fire for at least one more week. Tempting, as it may be to bring in a stopgap measure to insert as your 7^th forward, I very much doubt any forward priced around this mark will out perform Yarran or Sidebottom over the 22 rounds. 

Following this trade, you should look to add a premium forward into your team, by freeing up cash from another position (most likely your midfield). Strengthening your forward line is a two step process. Be strong, patience is a virtue! 

Your midfield is much easier. There is a player who has played 2 games already & he looks super impressive. His name is Hamish “Hammer” Hartlett. Port Adelaide only had eyes for Hartlett in last year’s National draft & swooped on him with pick 4. At 184cms & 77kgs, Hartlett is a genuine midfielder. It’s also worth noting that Port Adelaide preferred “Hammer” to Daniel Rich in last year’s draft. Mitch Robinson is the man to make way.  

Proposed action this week: 

OUT: Mitch Robinson ($154,400)

IN: Hamish Hartlett ($138,600) 

Good luck!