Footy Tragic

Well, this week the topic is probably no huge surprise – with the highly unfortunate injury to young Carlton star Matthew Kruezer, I will look at some of the better trade options for those 44,586 coaches with him in their side. Due to the fact he only managed 5 points before falling with injury, his price will severely drop – likely to be as low as $300,000. Therefore, taking into account that everyone won’t have a lazy $100k sitting in the bank for a straight upgrade to Sandilands, I am going to look at some options at a few different price-points.

Aaron Sandilands: Big 211 has been the ruckman of the competition so far this year – at his towering height and newly acquired marking skills, he is close to impossible to beat for many ruckman. In the early years of his career, he was simply a tall guy who could tap the ball at stoppages, however he has greatly developed in recent years to also become a fantastic midfield option for Fremantle too. He averages 17 disposals and 36 hitouts a game, showing it is close to impossible for him to score below 80 (something he has done only once so far this year). He is very consistent and capable of big scores, making him the number one ruck target for your team this year.

Paddy Ryder: After a slow start to the year, where he averaged just 69 points for the first five rounds, Ryder has really turned his form around, averaging 106, including no scores under 90 points. Essendon have been rotating their rucks quite a bit through the forward line (however, Ryder’s time in the ruck has been up the past couple of weeks due to Hille’s injury) – this means that Ryder is often capable of quite a few disposals, as well as snagging a few goals. He has averaged 12 disposals, 19 hitouts and one goal a game – but where he really builds up some points is in his 5.25 tackles per game (over 20 DT points worth). Ryder epitomises the ideal new-age ruckman; he is tall, fast and agile, capable of running all day and essentially playing as an extra midfielder. He is the most expensive ruckman at the moment, but his current form can certainly justify his price.

Dean Cox: Coxy has had a decent year without being terrific – he started the year well underdone, returning from injuries that cut his 2009 campaign short. Because of this slow start, he averaged just 67 points for the first four rounds and subsequently dropped $93,800 from his huge starting price. Since round five, Cox has started to build some form and fitness back and it has helped him turn his scoring around. However, it should not be expected we will see the Cox of 2007-2009 return now that Naitanui is in the side – Woosha (John Worsfold) is giving NicNat the most time in the ruck, playing Cox forward more often then not. This has certainly dropped Cox’s scoring ability – he has averaged well over 100 the past few years, but in 2010 he has averaged just 85 points (94 not including the first four rounds), which includes only three scores over 100 (102, 108 and 103). His current price is probably all that he is worth, unless the long season starts to take a toll in Naitanui, which wouldn’t be surprising. The hope would be that as the season progresses, Cox can spend more and more time in the middle, pushing his price up – however, as it stands, Cox is probably the best of the mid-priced ruckman – he is no longer a premium.

Shane Mumford: I gave Mummy a bit of a wrap two weeks ago and it still stands – after averaging 100 points over the past four weeks, he has become a very viable option. He plays the game with  a huge amount of aggression, tackling hard and getting plenty of contested ball. He has been in somewhat of a purple patch since Seaby injured himself a few weeks ago – since becoming Sydney’s number one ruck he has averaged 7 tackles, 35 hitouts, and 13.5 disposals a game – all very much up on his stats from earlier in the year when he was second fiddle to Seaby. This form shouldn’t just be temporary either – Seaby isn’t due back for a couple of months and the only other viable ruck on Sydney’s list is Mike Pyke, who certainly isn’t setting the world on fire. Whilst Mumford is possibly becoming a bit pricey, I think he has the runs on the board to suggest consistency – he plays the game with huge intent, so is not simply going to drift in and out of games. I see him as just as good an option as Cox.

Kepler Bradley: Bradley is a very left-field option, but currently he is averaging the fourth best score of all ruckman, so is certainly worth discussing. He has always been a much-maligned player known for his flailing limbs and often used as a whipping boy for Fremantle fans. However, this years things seem to have changed; he came into the squad for his second game in round 9 for the suspended Michael Johnson and looked very good. He is playing as Sandilands’ second fiddle in the ruck, but also playing as a full-forward the rest of the time – the four goals he kicked against North Melbourne were the difference in round 10 and he doesn’t seem to have looked back since. He has averaged 80 points, however hasn’t scored over 100 once which is a slight worry – at least the consistency is there for him to build upon. He could certainly be worth considering, although I don’t know how many dream teamers could actually stomach trading him in (I threw up twice when writing this article!).

Other Possibilities:

Angus Graham: Having his breakout season and priced a little over $300k. His tackling was a highlight early (he averaged 7.5 for his first three games), but has only laid three since. He is really coming of age, but I worry he may score sporadically alongside Richmond’s form.

Mark Jamar: Jamar has been one of the biggest improvers of the year, although his DT scoring hasn’t been quite as impressive. I really like watching the Russian go about it as he is one of the big reasons for Melbourne’s rapid rise this year. Unfortunately though, he is averaging just 72 DT points with only one game over 100 – you would be better looking at one of the above options.

Kurt Tippett: Adelaide have been terrible this year and the delivery to this young man has far from helped his case. But at the back of everyone’s minds, surely people are questioning whether Adelaide will bounce back in the second half of the year – players are starting to return from injury and they do look OK in bursts. If they get going, Tippett’s price may suddenly jolt upwards, but is it a risk you’re willing to take?