Footy Tragic

The Team:

2009 started for the Eagles much like how 2008 finished - poorly. They looked likely to finish once again in the bottom two and with no real positive future in sight. But how things changed by the end of the year - they ended up winning eight games, placing them a reasonable 11^th on the ladder. And seemingly, the only way looks to be up in 2010 - already they have started the year strongly with 3 out of four wins in the NAB cup - and most of those wins were very strong ones too. I am tipping them for a spot in the eight in 2010. West Coast’s DT pickings will be in their mid-priced players (of whom they have plenty) - these are the players that really began coming along towards the end of last year (Naitanui, Kennedy, Swift, Masten) and will continue to grow in 2010. There are very few players on their list who are on the downward spiral (they have no players 30 or over), so you can confidently pick Eagles, knowing full well that they should make you some money. Also, with their home-ground being Subiaco, there is much more kicking (and therefore marking) in their gameplan - Subi is a much longer ground than most, meaning disposals and all other key DT stats are increased.  

Who’s Hot?:

Nick Naitanui ($232,400): Not unexpectedly, the Panther had a massive pre-season and showed us the results in a couple of amazing NAB cup displays! Has all the tools to be a great footballer and more importantly, a great dream teamer!

Brad Sheppard ($133,500): The first year player has been praised for his amazing maturity since coming to the club - he is a very strong runner with great vision and pace and looks to have put his name heavily into round one calculations.

Luke Shuey ($94,500): Has really stepped up his training after an injury plagued 2009. The best bit is that he hasn’t just trained strongly, but his NAB games have also been both brilliant and consistent. Should really step up this year.

Chris Masten ($293,900): Has had a massive pre-season both on the track and on the field. Has really stepped up his running and worked on his disposal. All signs are pointing to a breakout season for the kid with him already winning stacks of the ball through all the NAB games as well as the Eagle’s intraclub.

Daniel Kerr ($271,600): Been one of the stars on the track this pre-season, looking very much like he could be getting back to his best in 2010. He is apparently totally over his groin issues from 2009. 

Who’s Not?:

Dean Cox: Took a very long time to recover from his 2009 groin issues and we have subsequently seen very little of him this pre-season. For the first time in many years, he should not be the first player selected in your team, if at all!

Beau Waters: Looked to have finally recovered from his elbow injury before injuring his knee mid-January. Fortunately, he was very fit up until this point, suggesting he won’t be totally underdone going into the season

Eric Mackenzie: Had shoulder surgery in the off-season and therefore is still quite underdone. 

The Bargain:

Beau Waters ($152,800): As with every bargain, there is often a reason behind why they are so cheap - for Waters, the problem is that he has played a total of just eight games in the past two years. His main impediment has been an issue with a dislocated elbow which he suffered in 2008, forcing him to miss the entire 2009 season. If we pretend that this injury history doesn’t exist, he is a fantastic pickup - at his best, Waters was a great rebounding defender, known for his ferocious attack on the ball and the ball carrier. In his last full season (2007), Waters averaged 79 DT points, including a score as high as 130 - definitely pretty good for a defender. His downside though is obvious - these injuries (which nearly ended his career) are not to be taken lightly - there is every chance he could break down again and cost you a valuable trade. His other problem is his known inconsistency - even at his best, Waters would post scores of 120 one week and 40 the next (as his did in 2008). And as an owner of Waters in 2008, I can tell you that it was mighty frustrating. Now reflecting on these two issues, it is fair to say that at a touch over $150k, I am prepared to cop inconsistency - the only other players I will pick up for this price are first or second year kids (or Presti!), who probably don’t have as much upside as Waters. As for the injury, the reports are suggesting that he is back at full fitness. He actually recovered from the elbow injury by the end of last year and was in fact training very well until suffering from a knee complaint that sidelined him until after Christmas. Fortunately, his huge pre-season to that point was enough to tide his fitness over. We have also seen him three times so far in the NAB cup - he has impressed in patches of games (and was a standout against the Blues), suggesting his body is ready for round one. I can’t give you a guarantee he will remain fit, but I do believe that if he is to stay on the park, he is one of the better buys of 2010.

The Kid:

Luke Shuey ($94,500): It would be hard to be a dream team fanatic and not have heard Shuey’s name this pre-season. Shuey is a second year player (who was drafted at pick 18 in the 2008 draft) and looks set to make his debut in round one this season, such was the quality of his NAB cup. Firstly, a history lesson - As a junior, Shuey was noted for his bash and crash style of play, much like a Nathan Jones or Luke Ball. In addition, Shuey was also highly regarded for his ball winning ability - In the 2008 Under 18 National Championships, Shuey averaged 18 disposals, 3 marks and 3 tackles in his 4 games, and to cap off his carnival, he was named Vic Metro’s Best and Fairest player. He also has great endurance, clocking up an impressive 14.4 beep test at the state screenings. Unfortunately, we were not able to see any of this potential in 2009 as Shuey both broke his leg and had to return to Victoria for family reasons - essentially, it was a debut season to forget for the youngster. But if his 2010 pre-season is anything to go by, Shuey is set for a much more influential year this year. He has played in all of the Eagle’s NAB cup matches and has been one of their better players throughout. And unlike many of his younger teammates who have been given point-draining roles in the forward line and backline, Shuey has been repeatedly placed on the wing, averaging 62 points in his first two games. West Coast are on their way up in 2010 and will be looking to lock in a team and attempt to stick with it for 22 rounds - especially through their midfield as they give ample time to the developing youngsters such as Shuey. I feel very confident suggesting Shuey for your DT midfield bench - not only is he a strong bodied player capable of competing at the highest level, but he’s is a great ball winner and looks to have already secured himself a spot in the team round one. 

The Premium:

Adam Selwood ($386,500): Selwood is probably the ’smokiest’ premium I have talked about this pre-season, but that doesn’t make me any less confident he can get the big numbers. In previous years, Selwood has often been the Eagle’s first choice tagger, playing his games with the sole aim of taking his opposition out of the contest. However, in the second half of 2009 things changed - rather than attempting to shut down a player, he instead went head to head with them, meaning his game revolved more around winning possessions and clearances, effectively hurting his opposition in the other direction. This caused a dramatic increase in Selwood’s dream team ability, lifting his average from 72 in 2008 to 88 points in 2009. I believe that with a full season playing like this he is a good chance to add another 5 - 10 points to that average. So far this pre-season, we have seen that his numbers are going anywhere but down - he has already pulled in scores of 39 (only playing 2 quarters), 107, 121 and had another big game on Saturday (which we are yet to see the scores from). Admittedly, I am finding him very hard to squeeze into my lineup due to his tricky price-point - he is neither premium priced, nor mid-priced, meaning any team structure you are working on needs to be thrown out the window. But if you can get him in there I believe you will be very heavily rewarded - he has huge potential to score some massive points this year, and whilst you may have to suffer through the odd 70 score, I believe that at this price there is very little that can go wrong. 

The Smokey:

Daniel Kerr ($271,600): Two years ago, Kerr would have easily fitted into the above category, but his recent problems both in the medical room and at the tribunal have seen both his footy game and dream team game take a significant dip. Kerr’s loss of form has also been mirrored by the team’s loss of fellow premium midfielders, Cousins and Judd. As soon as they were out the door, all opposition attention turned to Kerr as he was clearly the best midfielder in the lineup - the fact he only had kids playing as teammates meant there was never any blocking the opposition or helping him out. Nothing has really changed in the past two years for Kerr and the question that now remains is how he will now cope with a much more developed midfield around him. Now with Masten and Priddis in the lineup, Kerr will not only have protection from teammates, but he may not always be the one given the close attention. A fantastic pre-season has also helped us believe that injuries are behind him and that the future is again bright for the little man. The problem with this selection is whether Kerr will in fact step up this year and be able to break the tag (because lets be honest, he will get it most weeks) - we have only seen him once this pre-season and he was reasonable without being spectacular. My gut feel is that Kerr is a no-go zone, but part of me also knows he has an immense upside. He can easily average a score in the 90’s when he’s on fire, but it is a massive risk to take for the hope of getting it. He won’t be in my team, but there are many coaches who will take the punt - and if they succeed, they will be heavily rewarded!