Footy Tragic

Friday:

Geelong vs Bulldogs: 

Probably the best game so far this year, and almost the biggest upset! Whilst under the pump, the Cats didn’t show nearly the same scoring output as they have in the past when they’ve dominated, with the highest score being Ablett, with 116. Speaking of Ablett, he announced himself as back, and over his injury after a prolific first half, before fading away in the second. For all those that traded him out (like me!) felt depressed watching our old favourite tearing it up! It was terrible – especially as I traded him for Bartel, who as my Captain, scored me a miserly 69! For the Dogs, it was Brad Johnson who won it (and lost it) for the dogs, with support from Aker in his 300^th game! Johnno really turned back the clock to show why he was a DT favourite a couple of years ago! In saying that, his midfield time is not what it used to be, so don’t get carried away! This game also came with a few downsides – the injury to Paul Chapman looked terrible, although he will probably only miss the one. And Higgins re-injured his troublesome groin – the papers reported he may miss six weeks, but he is apparently wanting to play through the pain! We can only wait and see!

Get on: Corey Enright – he really impressed me this game, and the Cats are using him a lot through half back! He is well priced, and will regularly score high in a good side!

Get off: Tom Hawkins – this was the match talked up as his big test, however, he failed to deliver, kicking only 2 behinds for the night. He should be a future star, but not yet!

Injury: As stated above, Chappy’s dislocated finger (which went through his skin) could sideline him for a week or two, and we are yet to know how Higgins’ groin will effect us. Gamble also got heavy concussion, but he should be ok for selection this week. 

Saturday:

Fremantle vs North Melbourne:

Definitely one of the worst Dream Team games for the year, with only one player breaking 100! Unfortunately, there were not a lot of positives from this match, except that plenty of Roos and Dockers will drop in price over the next few weeks. Worth noting though is the second games for two Roos – Sam Wright and Nathan Grima. Both are looking like gaining some confidence in the side, and look to have decent fantasy potential! I like both boys, but feel that Wright will have more scoring potential in the future weeks – not unlike the rise of Ziebell. We also saw the return of Des Headland for Freo, who looked quite good, and is well priced for his potential! Definitely worth considering, but be wary with Des – he can be quite inconsistent! Unfortunately, this is about where the news from this match ends, as everyone’s scores tended to range between 60 and 90… nothing very exciting at all! align=”right”

Get on: Sam Wright – is definitely a good player, and worth looking at for a downgrade from players like Mitch Brown or Ziebell who may have hit their peak.

Get off: Ryan Murphy – No, he wasn’t injured, he had just one handball! If only he were a defender, you could trade him for Presti!

Injury: Roger Hayden – tweaked his calf in the second term – will most likely miss, but scans this week will determine how long. 

Adelaide vs Carlton: 

Adelaide notched their first win at Aami stadium for the year with a thrashing of the Blues. Chris Knights was the star for Adelaide, but strangely it wasn’t as a ball-winning midfielder as he is known, but rather as an opportunistic forward, booting five goals! It was nice to see some big DT numbers across the board for Adelaide – they have been a team of excessive handballing this season, but hopefully some more wins will mean the ball is in their hands more often, and their points can really start to rise. Also looking good was DT superstar Scott Thompson – he hasn’t gotten off to the best start this year, and he is nearly down $100,000 on his starting price. For those of you looking for a mid-priced midfielder, look no further than Scotty T – he is a star on his day, and surely some big scores are around the corner! For Carlton, their only stand-out was Nick Stevens who played mainly off half-back, but it seems, he may also be a negative out of the game, as has been reported that he may have re-injured his troublesome neck. Keep an eye on any news on this during the week. In a further blow to the Blues, they lost Jarrad Waite early to a knee injury – he has partially injured his ACL, and scans this week will determine if he requires a full reconstruction – this would be terrible news!

Get on: Scott Thompson – as stated above, he’s at a brilliant price at the moment, and is surely around the corner from some big games!

Get off: Dennis Armfield – played a shocker, and really didn’t look up to AFL standard!

Injury: The big blow to the blues is the injury to Waite, which could potentially put him out for the year! Keep an eye on Stevens! 

West Coast vs Collingwood: 

Damn you Dane Swan! One more low score and you would have dropped in price enough to make you mine!! But you went and scored 158 and now we can never be together! He plays one of the better Dream Team games at the moment, and you may be surprised to know that he is only priced around $450,000 – he has bottomed out, and if you haven’t got your eyes set on Gazza, Swan is your man! With such high scores to such popular players, some would hope Collingwood could win more often, with very few players having a poor game! Pendlebury is looking great, and I don’t know how he seems to make it under so many people’s radars – he is a very good footballer, and also very consistent – one of the best DT traits! For West Coast, they really struggled – Dean Cox was outmuscled by Cameron Wood and Fraser, and Embley and Selwood scored highly without being amazing. One of the things I did like about this game was Mitch Brown’s move back to the forward line – he will have much better scoring potential from here, so those with him on the bench will be very happy!

Get on: Dane Swan – he is one of the elite DTers you MUST have, and he has bottomed out – he will consistently back these sorts of scores up and is a worthy captain choice.

Get off: Leigh Brown – even the goal he kicked was rubbish.

Injury: Fortunately there were none! 

Richmond vs Essendon: 

Once again, Richmond were left kicking themselves after sacrificing an early lead to be overtaken and smashed. Not a lot went right for them in the second half, with players such as Deledio, Nathan Brown and Newman all falling away from their first half form. Andrew Raines gave the finger to all those coaches who have held onto him, missing out on players such as Ryder, Gilbert, Geary and Grimes along the way. If I were him, I’d be keeping an eye out for angry DTers wanting to vent frustration! For Essendon, it was Winderlich again who got the BOG honours, continuing on his form in 09. Cash Cow Zaharakis continues to impress me, and if you do have him, may I recommend holding onto him for a few more weeks, as he doesn’t look like slowing down!

Get on: Jason Winderlich – seems to be over his injuries, and is well on his way to being an elite midfielder – still priced below $400,000

Get off: Andrew Raines – What a joke! Trade him for Jared Petrenko or Prestigiacomo!

Injury: None! 

Sunday:

Sydney vs Port Adelaide: 

Sydney absolutely turned it on against Port, smashing them through the whole day! They were led by gun midfielders Kirk and McVeigh, as well as forward-cum-midfielder, Ryan O’Keefe! For all the bagging I’ve done of O’Keefe in earlier Weekly Wraps, he has really turned his season around, and is looking like a very good value pick! We knew what he could do, but he just had to prove it! For Port, the positive I am taking is the turnaround of Kane Cornes after his injury and then pathetic score last week. He wasn’t back to his best, but actually scored his second best DT score against Sydney! So hopefully we will see him back in full flight next week against the Pies. His brother on the other hand was poor (as was most of the team) – if everyone didn’t already have him, it would be much more of a concern!

Get on: Ryan O’Keefe – See the “player of the week” section – we asked for one more good game from him, and we got it! If you need a forward option, lock him in!

Get off: Nick Malceski – He is far from his 2007 form, which is very disappointing. It is most likely because of his knee injury last year – mentally he looks like he hasn’t recovered.

Injury: Craid Bird – Got KOd and was concussed. Expect him to be right for this week. 
 

St.Kilda vs Brisbane: 

For the second time this week, an equal ladder leader was nearly knocked off their perch – but unfortunately for Brisbane, they were in the end unsuccessful. The game itself was a real scrap, which is never good for Fantasy purposes (unless if you have a team of in-and-under specialists). For the Saints, I am getting very excited about Kosi – he is looking much fitter and stronger than years gone by, and after his low score (through injury) a few weeks ago, his price dramatically dropped. So anyone in the lookout for a good second ruck shouldn’t go too much further than this big man! Unless if you want to look at the Lions ruckman, Mitch Clark, who also played a superb game – he won plenty of hitouts and possessions against one of the premier ruck combos in the league! Impressive stuff! Jared Brennan has always tempted me, and did again in this game – but be honest, who isn’t drawn in by him? He’s a freak! His price is very reasonable, but consistency is the question. If you are in the mood to take a risk with potentially high rewards, consider Brennan!

Get on: Justin Koschitzke – at about $265,000 and as either a forward or ruck option, Kosi is a steal. He won’t average over 100, but could consistently score you between 70 and 90, with the occasional massive number!

Get off: Steven Baker – I do not want to write him off, but his form does not warrant selection. He is the Saints spiritual leader, but he can’t run, turn or kick… a worry.

Injury: Stephen Milne looked in trouble early with a knee injury, but returned to the field after having it heavily strapped – should be ok this week. 

Hawthorn vs Melbourne: 

At quarter time, I was thinking “Buddy’s Back!!” But alas, he slowed down, finishing with an average 94 points. So in the end, the big story for the night was a player playing his first game – Beau Muston. He is not a gangly 18 year old like many other debutants this year – this kids been in the system a few years and is very well built, and by the looks of his debut game, a bloody good player! He was played as a true midfielder, racking up 31 disposals and 10 marks. Over the next two weeks, find a spot in your team for him because if he can keep his body right, he is going to be a star! The other player to hit his straps was Colin Sylvia – he has really picked up his act lately, pleasing the Melbourne faithful who have been frustrated for years – we just need to get it consistently and he could be a DT star! Also under the watchful eyes of coaches was the third game of Grimes… unfortunately it wasn’t as prolific as his first two, but it was against some tough opposition. He will improve – remember, it was only his fourth game!

Get on: Is it obvious? Beau Muston – really impressed me, and he is coming into my team either this week or next, guaranteed!

Get off: Brent Guerra – What’s happened to him this year? If he’s not getting injured, his having a bad game! Will probably get better, but feels like a sinking ship at the moment.

Injury: Cameron Stokes – Suffered hamstring tightness and was taken of the field (I assume precautionary) and Garry Moss injured his calf. Both will need scans to determine the extent of the injuries.

Expert: Dan
Team: Hank Scorpio EDT
Round 9 Score: 1,862
Overall Ranking: 5,058
Trades Remaining: 12
Remaining Salary Cap: $43,700
Team Changes This Week:
In: Jack Grimes
Out: Alex Rance

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Round 9 Score: 1,793
Overall Ranking: 1,220
Trades Remaining: 11
Remaining Salary Cap: $49,200
Team Changes This Week:
In: Jack Grimes, Matthew Pavlich
Out: Alex Rance, Nathan Krakouer

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Round 9 Score: 1,808
Overall Ranking: 5,927
Trades Remaining: 10
Remaining Salary Cap: $10,300
Team Changes This Week:
In: Michael Quinn, Matthew Pavlich
Out: Nathan Krackouer, Jared Petrenko

Slightly risky this week, but I’m going to profile a guy who looked like a shadow of his former self for the first few rounds this season. After the news that he wanted a trade back to Melbourne and that a deal couldn’t be done I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking that ROK just wasn’t interested in playing for Sydney anymore.

It looks like his slow start to the season was merely misleading. Having played all of his career as a deceptively tall medium forward ROK trained this pre season with the midfield group. There was no evidence of an actual move to the midfield until the last few weeks.

With Michael O’Loughlin and Barry Hall having interrupted starts to their seasons ROK had to plug a hole in the forward line until they got back to fitness (http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25497353-5015864,00.html). With those two back in action O’Keefe has started seeing some of that midfield time and it looks good from a DT point of view.

MOL, BBBH and ROK have been in the same team from Round 6-8. I must admit, I didn’t see the Round 6 game, but from what I read it sounded like he saw a bit of midfield time and only scored 79. Nothing to slit your wrists over, but not quite fantastic. However, against Geelong on a day where Sydney got dominated he snagged a respectable 92 and followed it up last week against West Coast with a 110.

Now ROK has always been a consistently good DT scorer, averaging around 85-90 a season, which you’d take for your 6^th or 7^th forward. I like the sound of his move to the midfield and think it could at least see him average those sort of points for the rest of the season. The thing that makes his move particularly appealing is his tackle numbers over the past few weeks. In fact, the trend this season has been that his tackle numbers are way up and his goal and disposal numbers have been down.

The last few weeks have seen those disposal numbers go up again, but with all these tackles it should supplement his lack of goals (mind you, I’m sure the Swans wouldn’t be adverse to swinging him inside 50 for bursts). He only managed three tackles in his first two games, but since then he’s averaged 6.3 per game (or 25.3 DT points per game). 25 points on tackles means he only needs another 60 points from all the other stuff for a respectable score and I’m pretty confident he can more often than not manage 10 kicks, 10 handballs and a few marks. He’s a very, very smart player and this goes a long way to him just being able to find the right spots to get the ball.

OK, so you could’ve got him $15K cheaper before this week, but you really need to see a couple of good games in a row. And let’s face it, he’s not exactly breaking the bank at $327,700. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but he was only $12K more expensive than Krakouer last week – would’ve been a lovely sideways trade! That’s the move I’m looking at this week though because Krakouer looks well and truly done with a break even score of 138 (while ROK is set to go way up with a break even of only 33).

View The Spidermen’s Team
Round 8 Score: 1,926
Current Overall Ranking: 3,447
Trades Left: 12
Remaining Salary Cap: $3,700

Dear The Spidermen 

Thank you for submitting your team. 

You have done a good job selecting your squad of 30, which is reflected in your overall ranking of 3,447. However, your weakness is your backline which is where I will turn my attention. 

My primary concern is Nick Malceski who is averaging 65 points per game in 2009 from 7 matches. Not surprisingly, Paul Roos finally ran out of patience & swung the axe in Round 8. While Malceski had a brilliant season in 2007, he has not been the same player since rupturing his ACL in the 2008 pre – season. The question still remains as to whether the revolutionary knee surgery performed on Maxwell in an effort to get him back on the park sooner, was the right call. Malceski is clearly lacking confidence & spark, which resulted in him being dropped from the Swans team last week. 

I have my reservations about 4 other players in your backline. They are Cheney, Raines, Suban & Broughton. You could get away with having 2 of these 4 playing each week, but when it stretches to 3 as it did for you in Round 8, alarm bells start ringing. 

Luckily for you there is an ideal replacement waiting in the wings who has already played 2 very solid games, with an average of 102 points per game. His name is Jack Grimes & he is your solution. Please refer to our Player Of The Week category for a detailed description on Grimes.

PROPOSED ACTION THIS WEEK: 

OUT: Nick Malceski – $274,300

IN: Jack Grimes – $186,400 

The Malceski to Grimes switch will not only boost your weekly points tally, you will also free up an additional $87,900. This will leave you in a strong position to upgrade a cash cow who has reached his peak in the next 2 – 3 weeks. 

Good luck!