Footy Tragic

Western Bulldogs vs Melbourne:

Looking Good:

• Daniel Giansiracusa: Despite the return of Boyd, Gia’s spot in the midfield thankfully continued, and he didn’t disappoint! He still continues to prefer his boot and lays plenty of tackles, leading to some very nice DT scores! I’m really enjoying his form after a slow start to the year!

• Tom Scully: Played easily his best game of the year, nearly winning the game off his own boot with 18 well-earned possessions in the last quarter alone! This kid is going to be a gun – if you don’t have him this year, it is too late, but I think there will be plenty keeping an eye on him in 2011!
• Shaun Higgins: Was one of the more composed players on the wet MCG and seemed to have plenty of space. His clean disposal and good composure were highlights, showing he is currently in good form.

Disappointing:

• Barry Hall: He is beginning to look very old – he has certainly lost some pace and cramp in the last quarter wasn’t a great sign. I will be surprised if he turns his game around much for the remainder of the year – if possible, find a way to trade him out.
• Colin Sylvia: Continues to play as a forward which is both a little surprising and worrying – despite the fact his first two games of the season (where he scored a ton in each) were in the forward line, he will always have more potential upfield. Hopefully the move is made sooner rather than later as he is currently leaking cash for his owners!
• Ryan Hargrave: Had only two disposals to half time which would have had all his new owners cursing his name. Fortunately, he was able to score 50 points in the second half, but still, 51 total points is not good enough!

Blip on the Radar:

• Josh Hill: Hill was a late inclusion and competed really well in conditions made for a player of his ilk – he laid a game-high 10 tackles which was impressive, but don’t expect him to back this up to often – Hill tends to be Mr. Inconsistency, and this is the reason he finds himself in and out of the team.

Essendon vs Port Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Domenic Cassisi: Amassed an amazing 14 tackles and looks to be back to his best after bottoming out a few weeks ago. Like most captains, he really steps up when the games are close.
• Kane Cornes: Mr. Dependable delivered another solid performance, racking up 29 disposals, despite rolling an ankle in the third quarter. He is still cheap for what he can deliver, so definitely consider him!
• Angus Monfries: Worked hard all game for his goals and kicked a total of three. He seems to be working on his forward pressure, which is encouraging – he finished the game with 7 tackles. He does still lack a bit of consistency though.

Disappointing:

• David Hille: Was easily beaten, which was very disappointing considering his recent form and the fact he wasn’t contesting against a highly rated ruck duo. I wouldn’t be jumping to any conclusions and panic trading him out though!
• Robbie Gray: After a massive game last week, Gray didn’t even touch the ball in the first quarter. He ended with only two goals in a performance that suggested he may be an inconsistent scorer this year if he continues to play up forward.
• Michael Hurley: Like Gray, Hurley didn’t touch it in the first quarter and spent most of the game being dominated by Carlile. I hope no one jumped the gun and traded in Hurley this year as he has so far shown little of the dominant form that ended his 2009 season.

Blip on the Radar:

• Dean Brogan: Brogan played a very good game as Port’s number one ruckman, but he is not typically a high disposal ruckman, meaning he is not the solution to your rucking woes. Whilst he may play the odd good DT game like this one, typically his dominance is going to be at the bounces, rather than around the wings.

West Coast vs Hawthorn:

Looking Good:

• Josh Kennedy: This really looked like a breakout game for Kennedy – he was plucking strong marks, working very hard up the field and on leads and kicked himself 6 goals. If he can keep this form up he has the potential to become one of the best forwards in the competition. This was easily one of the more impressive individual performances of the weekend.
• Jordan Lewis: Was a late inclusion in the side and looked straight away like he wanted to make amends. He finished the game on 31 disposals, but it was his workrate that was the most impressive – as I said, he really looked like he had a point to prove. Hopefully it can continue!
• Dean Cox: Cox is still working gradually to full fitness and also working out the new rucking structure with Nic-Nat in the team. Fortunately, thanks to Cox’s big tank, he is being employed as tall winger when Naitanui is having his stints in the ruck, meaning his point-scoring is not being ruined by just being stuck in the forward line.

Disappointing:

• Rick Ladson: Could be one of the next Hawks to be cut as Clarkson tries to find a team that gives their all. He once again lacked intensity and turned the ball over with his apparently accurate boot. Now is the time to hit the trade button on Ladson.
• Adam Selwood: Selwood went back to his old methods of tagging as he tried to shut down Hodge – this method means he sacrifices his own game to shut-down the opposition, rather than just playing off them and hurting them the other way as he has done all year. I honestly doubt that this will be a regular change of method.
• Liam Shiels: Was played as a tagger on Priddis, but forgot to get the ball for himself too. He is still young, so we can let him off… But only this once.

Blip on the Radar:

• Quinten Lynch: After a shocker last week, Lynch played a much better game as a pure-forward. However, don’t expect him to start pulling out the massive scores which his earlier years became known for. I expect his role will continue to change and he may find himself in and out of the team throughout the year – two huge negatives from a DT perspective, so avoid!

Collingwood vs North Melbourne:

Looking Good:

• Dane Swan: Swan looks to be finally regaining some consistency to his dream team… uh… I mean football. He finished the game with 38 disposals – reasonable by his standard. He looks like he is moving better than earlier in the year (maybe it is his haircut!?) and I am hoping this could mean more scores consistently over 120!
• Luke Ball: This was Ball’s second good game in a row, suggesting last week was no fluke. I am surprised that his big scores have come in their two big wins, as at the Saints, Ball would always be the best in the close games and suffer a bit in a thrashing. Hopefully (for those who have kept him), this renewed form can continue on for the remainder of the season.
• Ben Cunnington: Cunnington was definitely not the best from the Roos, but this was definitely his most impressive game for the club. He seems to be gradually picking up the pace of the game, thanks a lot to Brad Scott trusting him with big tasks and giving him time to learn and develop. It may still take a few weeks, but I think we will surely see some good form from him this year.

Disappointing:

• Travis Cloke: It’s always disappointing when a CHF in a team that kicks 23 goals in a game only kicks one of them himself. He was easily thrashed by Grima, and personally I would never trust Cloke in my team due to his immense inconsistency.
• Aaron Edwards: Edwards is another inconsistent forward who looks capable of anything one week, and then the next he looks to be running around the forward line like a chook with his head cut off. Unfortunately, this game was the latter…
• Paul Medhurst: Scored only 20 points in the first half before racking up some garbage stats when the game was already won. Every week he seems to be proving that 2008 may have been a fluke after all…

Blip on the Radar:

• Sam Wright: I’m sure all Wright owners (who likely have him on the bench) may have breathed a final sigh of relief as he racked up his first score over 60 for the year. Personally, I recommend holding onto him until his price tops out, then trade him straight out – don’t be expecting 80′s consistently.

Brisbane vs Fremantle:

Looking Good:

• Matthew Pavlich: As expected, the Freo skipper had a day out in the forward line with Brisbane lacking both their half-back and full-back. He booted 3 goals, but also had plenty of impact when he moved for stints in the midfield. He looks to be the in-form forward of the competition at the moment.
• Simon Black: Was immense through the midfield, and it was his pin-pointed forward entries that nearly won it for the Lions. He isn’t getting any younger, but by that same token, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down either!
• Stephen Hill: I reckon this could have been one of his best games for his club – despite being tagged, he racked up over 30 disposals and covered the ground really well. He played with a lot of maturity and looks to be turning into a brilliant player.

Disappointing:

• Josh Drummond: Was beginning to have a real influence on the game when moved to the midfield, but unfortunately he went down with what looked like a severe knee injury which, will likely put him out of the game for the rest of the year.
• Jonathan Brown: Was very well beaten by Tarrant, but he still does not look 100%. The Brown from rounds 1-3 would have won this game off his own boot, but there was just no push from him at all when it was in the balance. Hopefully he can come good, and fast!
• Paul Duffield: This was one of those games that makes dream team frustrating – I thought that Duffield was one of Freo’s better players and really helped keep them in the game with his poise and surprising braveness in some contests. Unfortunately, DT scoring doesn’t always reflect this and his score therefore was much lower than expected. So if you have him, don’t get fed-up and trade him – there are plenty of big scores to come!

Blip on the Radar:

• Kepler Bradley: This was probably the best game I have seen the big man play, yet still I don’t think I could ever see myself putting him in my dream team… ever. He has too much of a poor DT history to trust, so don’t.

Geelong vs Sydney:

Looking Good:

• Gary Ablett Jnr: Ablett continued his dominant form against Sydney, racking up and impressive 38 disposals. But what pleased me most was the fact he lay 7 tackles – proof that he is not only working as a ball-receiver, but also working hard defensively too!
• 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 (copy and pasted from last week… Consistent, heh!?).
• Shane Mumford: With Seaby down and the lack of Ottens in the opposition, Mumford was the dominant ruckman on the ground and proved that he could be a good fantasy option for this year, however I do think he may already be a bit overpriced for the risk involved – I would prefer to see him up against a better ruck division before making my decision.

Disappointing:

• Daniel Bradshaw: After a huge game last week against his old club, Bradshaw was stood by Scarlett and was totally dominated. He took one mark, had two kicks and booted one goal for the entire game – not particularly delightful if you have him sitting in your forward line…
• Jarred Moore: Played the game as a small forward but kicked a total of NO goals…
• Cameron Mooney: With the arrival of the jPod, Mooney and Hawkins have been pushed to the side – because of their issues in front of goal (and jPod’s great left boot), they are no longer the preferred options (but that’s OK, cos we have jPod in our teams instead of them anyway!).

Blip on the Radar:

• Mark Blake: He may have been the only Cats ruckman, and therefore expected to pick up the slack left by Ottens, but he was as uninspiring as expected. Please don’t put him in your team – you will only regret it.

Richmond vs Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Scott Thompson: Was in and out of the game for most of it, but stood up when it counted in the last quarter. Thompson is a DT star of years past, however I wouldn’t be pouncing yet – wait until the Crows can string a few games together first.
• Shane Edwards: Has always shown a bit of potential, and I thought he was one of Richmond’s better players for the first three quarters and really helped create their lead early with a couple of nice goals and some hard work around the flanks.
• Nathan Van Berlo: This is only NVB’s fourth game for the year, so his fitness is still building. I thought he worked hard for the four quarters and often dropped back behind the ball to win some cheap stats (gotta love that!). He has never been an amazing DTer, despite always threatening to be, so keep an eye on his next few games and see if he can keep it up.

Disappointing:

• Dustin Martin: We know he is a confident player, but he tries too often to break the tackles or charge through a pack, often resulting in getting pinged for holding the ball. His outside game is brilliant and he will certainly be a star, however at this stage of his career, he needs to learn his limitations at senior level.
• Phil Davis: I can’t really tell you what he was doing as I hardly saw him – he played as a defender, but Bock’s return seems to be hurting his output. A couple of poor turnovers marred his game and he may have a few worried owners as to his security in the team for next week.
• Jason Porplyzia: Competed well in the forward line and kicked a few opportunistic goals, however with his fitness where it is (nowhere), he is not the type you want in your team – despite his low price-tag, stay far away until he is fully up and running.

Blip on the Radar:

• Richard Douglas: Douglas played a good role in the Crows first win, but I cannot see him doing it regularly – he is a player who carries plenty of hype, however I have personally never seen why… He does have some pace and skill, but doesn’t particularly stand out at anything. He will keep his spot in the team, score the occasional ton, but he is far from the upgrade target you are looking for…

Richmond vs Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Jordan Russell: Absolutely creamed McQualter, running off the half-back. His run was the most pivotal for the Blues as a game being lauded as one of the best rebounding games in history. He looks like the player capable (and likely) to step up into the spot created by the injured Bower, so has the potential to score some very big numbers.
• Lenny Hayes: Lenny was one of only four or five Saints who gave their all for the entire match. He went head-to-head with Judd and won, but it was clearly not enough to take his team over the line. Lenny’s scoring is very much on the up now, so pounce now if you are keen.
• Eddie Betts: Betts has always given the Saints grief and his five goals were proof they still have no answer for him. The Blues have now built there forward line around the likes of Betts, Garlett and Yarren, and so far it is proving successful against the top teams in both St.Kilda and Geelong.

Disappointing:

• Nick Dal Santo: Although he was heavily tagged by Carrazzo, five disposals in the first three quarters is pathetic. He just couldn’t get near the pill and looked more like the DalSanto of 2008 who would never work hard enough. The Saints are flat and giving him no support – if they turn their form around, Dal has the ability to get back to his best.
• Sam Fisher: Houlihan shut Fisher out of the game with a strong forward tag on him. Fortunately, with Gilbert in great form, opponents won’t always select Fisher as their point of attack, but the Blues have always, always played a man through Fisher, so things weren’t about to change this week.
• Justin Koschitzke: Whilst Ross Lyon won’t blame the big man, his lack of output in the forward line is deeply troubling him – he kicked a solitary behind against the Blues. He gets too easily pushed off the ball and goes to ground too easily – he needs his skipper there to feel the confidence.

Blip on the Radar:

• Dennis Armfield: The game-plan used against the Saints involved every defender working hard off their man, so clearly it meant that they each saw a bit of the pill. Armfield was also a bit further up the field as his opponent, Schneider, played stints through the midfield too. He is typically just a shut-down player and provided very little run, so he is not the player you want.