Footy Tragic

Western Bulldogs vs St.Kilda:

Looking Good:

• Daniel Giansiracusa: Played again through the midfield in Boyd’s absence and was one of the Dog’s better midfielders throughout. He spent a lot of time behind the ball which created his massive score – there were 30-something backwards kicks by the Dogs in this game (the AFL average is eight!), meaning he was treated to plenty of kicks and marks.
• Lenny Hayes: Was the strongest contributor for the Saints in all four quarters and looks back to the Hayes we know from seasons past – his game time was up, and his workrate continues to be second to none.
• Lindsay Gilbee: Played a huge game off half-back on second gamer Jack Steven. Like Gia, he spent plenty of time behind the ball, talking plenty of kicks and marks – don’t expect this sort of score to be the norm though!
• Jarrod Harbrow: Best player on the field – his dashing runs from defence were amazing. He is really taking his game to another level, and looks to be improving with every game.

Disappointing:

• Barry Hall: If history was something to go by, Barry Hall should have kicked a bag on Zac Dawson, but his solitary goal for the game came whilst being manned by Sam Fisher. Looked ready to punch-on again and it seems like it is only going to be weeks until he really snaps…
• David Armitage: This should have been the type of game where he dominated – in-and-under and dirty! But instead he managed only 10 disposals (two goals helped buffer his score). Shouldn’t lose his spot in the team, and still competes well, but I think his DT scoring may be too inconsistent, at least for now.
• Brad Johnson: Never particularly stepped up and had an impact through the game, even when it was in the balance in the last quarter. Will lose some respect after taking a dive which deserves to be looked at by the tribunal. I will give him some leeway though for the fact he is probably still very underdone – don’t expect him to get back to his form of a few years ago though at his age.

Blip on the Radar:

• Andrew McQualter: Was always a great ball-winner as a junior, but the role he plays for the Saints is a moderate disposal getter at best – he plays as a high-pressure forward, not so much for his goal-kicking, but for his ability to pressure and create turnovers. In this game he ventured more upfield that usual (due to the fact most of the game was played in the Bulldog’s half of the ground), meaning for a higher disposal count. Don’t be expecting it regularly though!

North Melbourne vs Melbourne:

Looking Good:

• Jack Grimes: Used as an attacking tagger, centring his attention on Daniel Wells. He begun to show the DT promise he showed us last year with 33 disposals. Hopefully Bailey continues to play him in attacking positions, allowing him to become the DT star we all know he can be!
• Daniel Wells: This is now Wells’ third very good game in a row – he finally seems to be turning his form and consistency around under the tutelage of Brad Scott. He again played as an outside midfielder, resting in the forward line (and kicked two goals) – is looking really exciting!
• Andrew Swallow: Only won the 21 disposals, but a huge nine tackles went a long way to giving him his great score. Swallow is a real meat-and-potatoes midfielder, but he can do the tough stuff really well.

Disappointing:

• Ben Warren: Kicked only the one goal, playing exclusively in the forward line, with absolutely no time through the midfield – a real disappointment after the great pre-season form he showed!
• Colin Sylvia: I’m sure he had plenty of coaches cursing as they traded him in this week for the big bucks. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones noticing Sylvia’s strong form and Brad Scott sat Rawlings on him. He should bounce back, but it is a concern that he struggled to break the tag, albeit from a very good tagger.
• Matthew Bate: After his brilliant game last week against the Lions, Bate had very little effect on the game, being well held by Hansen. Bate is a very important cog in the Melbourne team, so it is important he doesn’t have too many more shockers like this.

Blip on the Radar:

• Lynden Dunn: Had a very good game playing purely as an attacking midfielder, however this is not Dunn’s typical role. Dunn is generally used as a tagger for Melbourne, regularly being used to shut-down the opposition’s bigger bodied midfielders (e.g. Goddard), however with Wells and Harvey the main Roos playmakers, Dunn was let off the tagging leash, however he should be straight back into it next week against the Doggies.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Robbie Gray: If there was a player’s game that made me angry this weekend, it was this one – after two average games in a row, Gray got the chop from my side before his expected price downfall, only for him to walk away after game number three with best-on-ground honours. He again played purely as a forward, but his great footy brain saw him able to kick five goals.
• Kane Cornes: Proved again that he is back in form in 2010, which is great news for those trusting Mr. Reliable in their team. As he has done most of his career, he shut down his opponent comprehensively whilst helping himself to a lazy 29 touches.
• Tyson Edwards: Like Kane, Tyson is a highly unheralded dream teamer – he consistently scores big numbers, and has done so now for a very long time. Always manages to find space and get the ball, despite in this case being tagged by Cassisi.

Disappointing:

• Nathan Bock: Strangely really sacrificed his own run from defence to quell Westhoff – my opinion is that he is probably not 100% fit and this caused him to spend more time in defence than do the rebounding work – will be a good one to check out in a few weeks once he has bottomed out and regained his fitness.
• David Rodan: Had a fantastic last quarter and really set up the win… The trouble was he did very little for the three quarters leading up to that!
• Jay Shultz: Kicked the first goal and did nothing much after that – he was even moved in the backline in the last quarter, but still there was no spark. Has had a good season to date, so it was disappointing to see him to return to his inconsistent days at Richmond.

Blip on the Radar:

• Scott Stevens: Played well in this game as a forward, but he is just as likely to play next week deep in defence – one of the game’s better swing-men, however it does nothing for his DT consistency! Should have scored better here too – he kicked 1.6!! Shocking!

Essendon vs Hawthorn:

Looking Good:

• David Hille: Hille really looks like his is coming into some form – whilst he started the game slowly, he was one of the harder workers from the second quarter onwards. He is looking much fitter around the ground and not so slow. And for those concerned about his report, it really should be thrown out – whilst he made contact, he made every attempt to avoid it.
• Brent Stanton: Is just not slowing down! The best part is that taggers are not interested in him due to his below average disposal efficiency (and the fact that Watson is more important to the Dons), meaning he will continue to have free reign through the midfield, picking up disposals as he likes.
• Clinton Young: This was his third game for the season, and boy do they need him in form. Young is probably one of the most important players for the Hawks, with his pin-pointed forays into the forward line a huge missing ingredient in their failed 2009 campaign. He is regaining fitness and form and could be a great value pick in your midfield.

Disappointing:

• Jarryd Roughead: Was abysmal for the entire game – it was not so much the fact he was well beaten by Fletcher, but he just wasn’t even trying! He kept making half-leads, often pulling out if it when it looked like he wouldn’t get an easy grab. His two kicks for goals lacked effort or preparation, he refused to chase his opponents and deserves to be playing for Box Hill next week. Easily one of the worst individual performances by a senior player this year.
• Jarrod Atkinson: I must admit, I’ve spent a bit of time talking this guy up, but unfortunately he wasn’t overly impressive, at least from a DT perspective. Whilst he is fast and loves to run the ball from defence, it seems to happen too rarely to really trouble the statisticians. Maybe in time, but at the moment his teammates are not using him as their preferred rebounding option.
• Jarrod Kayler-Thomson: Ironically, the third of three “Jarrod’s” to have a poor game – after a great game last week, this one did nothing to make us confident he will keep his spot. Only the 11 possessions and never really seemed to get into the game.

Blip on the Radar:

• Brent Prismall: I thought he was great. I think he is a great player. I clearly have no idea as Prismall has been languishing in the twos for the past three weeks! Every time he plays he will continue to score well, however the worry is that Knights will spontaneously draw his name from the hat marked “Bendigo” and he will be out of the team again. Unfortunately, it’s not that I don’t trust Prismall’s scoring ability, I just don’t trust the coach…

Sydney vs Brisbane:

Looking Good:

• Kieren Jack: Ok… Sometimes it is important to admit when you’re wrong; last week I labelled Jack’s amazing game as a blip on the radar, but watching his game again this week, I feel this sort of scoring may be a bit more common than I had originally anticipated. He really takes the game on and is as tough as nails. What’s more, 18 of his 23 disposals were kicks – he clearly loves his DT!
• Jonathan Brown: After an absolute stinker last week, the skipper came out swinging, kicking the first two goals of the game. He went on to kick two more and looked back to his regular self. My guess is that the injury is still lingering, but I can’t imagine it will effect again him as much as it did last week.
• Daniel Bradshaw: Stuck it to his old club, booting six goals – he is looking a formidable force in Sydney’s new high-scoring game plan. Admittedly, his opposition Maguire lacked any sort of speed or agility, but still, that can’t take the six goals away from the big guy.

Disappointing:

• Mark Seaby: It is frequently joked about in dream team circles; the worst possible DT game – it is one hit out, then an injury, and that is exactly what happened to Seaby. Not only do all his owners get one lousy point for him (and subsequently miss out on an emergency taking his place), but they also lose a crap-load of money… Just be thankful it wasn’t Jon Griffen’s game from a few years ago; one handball, a free against and injury, finishing the game on -1…
• Matt Maguire: Whilst his score of 54 is all that can really be expected of him, it is worth noting that Maguire has just about peaked in price, meaning that now is the time to trade him to a falling premium defender such as Hargrave.
• Matthew Leuenberger: With Sydney’s main ruckman succumbing to injury early in the first term, Leuenberger should have seized the game by the neck, but instead he had his quietest game of the season. Unfortunatley too, Clark stepped up in his place, suggesting the scores of each will continue to fluctuate as they rotate each week as the first ruck.

Blip on the Radar:

• Mitch Clark: Stepped up in this game, but I feel that this sort of score can’t be relied upon due to the increasing form of his fellow ruck, Leuenberger. Whilst he is now dirt-cheap, I would much prefer to recommend jumping on a player like Cox who will definitely be first ruck every week – Clark will share duties with Leuey, meaning his scores will frustratingly fluctuate week to week.

Geelong vs Richmond:

Looking Good:

• Steve Johnson: As it was expected, Johnson seemed to do as he pleased, kicking five goals from 26 disposals and 13 marks. He has had a slow start to the season, so the query is now whether he is now in great form, or did Richmond just make him look good?
• James Podsiadly: Pods was once again the dominant tall-target in the Cats forward line, booting five goals. He doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon, and seems to be the key target in the forward line thanks to his accurate left boot.
• Paul Chapman: Did as he pleased all game, racking up 33 disposals and two goals. I just wish I could allow myself to pick him – surely he’s due for a hamstring strain sometime soon…

Disappointing:

• Nathan Foley: Is suffering from a tough initiation to the season – in just his second game of the year, Ling sat on him, giving him no room, even when the match was far from won. With Deledio’s move to the backline, it seems that Foley will regularly get the most attention from opposition taggers.
• Brad Ottens: Unfortunately, Ottens didn’t join the party, despite starting the game stronly. He only broke even with Simmonds in the ruck in one of his worse games of the year.
• Alex Rance: Was trialled as a forward again (like he was for the second half of last week), but he just got no delivery. He looks capable, but until the Tigers can deliver the ball inside 50 more than four times a game I would look elsewhere.

Blip on the Radar:

• Shane Tuck: He may have won himself 38 disposals, but his direct opponent kicked five goals and was nearly best on ground… Will be continually under pressure to keep his spot each week and this would scare me if he were in my team…

Carlton vs Collingwood:

Looking Good:

• Dane Swan: The first week I didn’t make him captain… well, that’ll teach me! Swan had a beauty and finally looks to be coming into some of his high possession winning form of 2009 – the fact he wasn’t tagged made a huge difference too! He seems to be working much harder too as his eight tackles proved.
• Paul Bower: Worked hard off Cloke, setting up plenty of the Blue’s run. I really like how he is coming along as a player and looks very capable at DT. Bower started his career as a dour defender, but has shown in recent times that he is capable of reading the play well and running off his man, picking up plenty of disposals on the way.
• Luke Ball: Ball played a game that Ross Lyon would have been happy with – whilst winning plenty of the ball in the centre square, he was able to spread wide and found himself kicking three goals. But those who traded him shouldn’t get too concerned – he won’t be able to replicate this too many times this season if history is anything to go by.

Disappointing:

• Leon Davis: Those who thought they were picking up a bargain with Davis in the past couple of weeks may now find themselves mistaken. Once again Davis showed an inability to break a tag as Aaron Joseph took him totally out of the match. He is still playing through the midfield and with stints in the forward line, although this isn’t really making much difference. Personally, I won’t be picking him in my team until he shows a bit of confidence in his own ability first!
• Brock McLean: The Blues recruited him to help Juddy out under the packs, but it seems Judd doesn’t need any help – he just does it all himself. McLean will keep his spot, but don’t look for his scoring to be too huge or consistent.
• Darren Jolly: Easily won at the bounces, but his work around the ground seems to be totally inexistent. His 30 hitouts accounted for nearly half his total DT score, showing that he is nowhere near the form he has shown capable of at Sydney.

Blip on the Radar:

• Chris Dawes: Dawes smashed third-gamer White, kicking three goals from 17 disposals at full-forward. Dawes has shown ability in the VFL, but he is not at the level where he will give this sort of output against many of the top sides. Expect occasional games where he kicks a few goals, but I don’t see him capable of being a player who does it on a regular basis.

West Coast vs Fremantle:

Looking Good:

• Michael Barlow: Worked really hard through a tag from Matt Rosa to win best-on-ground honours. He is a really smart footballer and knows exactly where to put himself to win the ball, but also disposes of it really well. His ability to break a tag is a new feather in his cap. As it is he is looking like a keeper for season 2010!
• Matthew Pavlich: Pav really stepped up in the second half to help win the game for the Dockers. I had my doubts over him through the pre-season, but with his team in great form, the Pav is looking rejuvenated, hungry and in for a huge year.
• Brad Ebert: Was easily the best Eagle on the ground and probably the best overall player to half-time. He has really taken a big step this year and has a game perfectly cut out for dream team – wins plenty of ball, makes plenty of tackles, can kick a goal and has a good set of hands… I just wish I’d listened to Dan’s rantings about him pre-season!

Disappointing:

• Ben McKinley: I’ve stated a few times this year that McKinley should be played to help the Eagles structure, but I now take all of that back – he was just a waste of space on the ground and had absolutely no effect on the game, even when the Eagles were in control early on.
• Quinten Lynch: Should find himself back in the WAFL next week after a terrible game – he just lacked so much confidence that used to be a big feature of his game. Clearly the orders to him are to no longer just bomb it long – unfortunately, that is what his game was lacking…
• Chris Masten: Had his ACL ruptured by what I thought was an illegal bump from McPhee – this was especially disappointing due to the fact he was playing clearly his best game so far this year…

Blip on the Radar:

• Eric MacKenzie: I thought he played a really good game, running confidently out of defence, but then, his opponent was McPhee… He is typically a dour defender with the ability to provide some run, but don’t expect it being a big feature of his game, at least not this year.