Footy Tragic

Note: Be sure to check out Toby’s extensive Weekend Wrap-Up from Round Two.

Welcome to the first of Footy Tragic’s two brand new articles for 2010, “Who’d you rather?” This article will replace the weekly poll, and will pitch two players of equal value (from the same position) up against each other – I will discuss the pros and cons of each player and give my executive decision of which I think is the better choice for your dream team. I will try to make these articles as relevant as possible. And it must be re-iterated, I am not discussing which is the better player of the game, but who is the better dream teamer! And just to make things more fun, a poll will be included for you to vote on which pick you would most prefer in your own dream team! Enjoy!

This week I will be looking two of the mid-priced rucks; this pre-season, many coaches spent hours deciding who would be their second ruck, and many looked at those players in the $200k – $250k price range. Unfortunately, as it is at round two, not all of these options have worked out (in fact, some of the premium options have been even worse!), so I am pitching two of the more impressive mid-priced ruckmen against each other, Mark Seaby and Todd Goldstein.

Mark Seaby:

I must admit, my feelings for Seaby through the pre-season were awfully sub-par. He didn’t look good at training and I thought he looked to lack any sort of intensity through the NAB cup. But oh how things have changed in the past two weeks – most notably in the game on the weekend (against Adelaide), Seaby really stepped up his physical presence in the contests and used his body size to his advantage, easily winning contested marks and fighting strong for the hard ball – he even laid six tackles! He reminded me a lot of Mitch Clark from 2009 where he racked up the hitouts and possessions around the ground, but was then able to drop back in the hole and win plenty of marks, or go forward and kick himself some goals. I honestly was really impressed with Seaby’s form on the weekend and believe that it was not just a flash in the pan. His other main advantage as a ruckman is the fact he plays for Sydney – the number one stoppage team in the league. Sydney’s incredible amount of stoppages leads to an increased number of rucking contests, meaning Seaby will contest more ruck contests than any other ruckman in the AFL – the stoppages won’t just help him win plenty of hitouts, but will also give him plenty of opportunities to be a key part of the play. One last gushing positive about the big man is his kick to handball ratio; rarely do ruckman use their boots to dispose of the ball, but so far this season Seaby has nearly used his boot once for every time he has handballed it – an incredibly good ratio for a ruckman!

Key Stats:

Kick : handball ratio: 1 : 1.2

Average Hitouts per game: 27 (5^th highest in AFL)

Average tackles per game: 3

Average Disposals per game: 16.5

Average Dream Team Points: 104.5

Price: $226,700

Todd Goldstein:

Probably not as much has been written about the big man from North as there has been on Mark Seaby, but it doesn’t mean that his start to the season has been any less impressive. He is still young, so does not yet have the experience, nor the history to base any real DT expectations on. However, on several occasions we have seen Goldstein step up and either play a big part in a game, or ever take it by the scruff of the neck as he did when he kicked five goals against Melbourne in 2009, earning him a NAB rising star nomination. Also this year his form has been very good, especially for a player in a losing team. His ability to not only play well in the ruck, but also at both ends of the ground is what has held him in good stead – although he hasn’t kicked any goals yet in 2010, he does have a good presence up forward (as in he’s not one of those ruckmen who have no idea where to lead etc). He is also capable of sitting in the hole down back and plucking marks as he showed against the Saints. As much as I have talked Goldstein up with his ability to play in key positions, rucking is still his specialty – he is very strong in the air and also when the ball hits the ground, which is not incredibly common for young ruckmen of his age. This year alone he has already won 36 hitouts (and so far he has played on strong ruckmen, Brogan and Gardiner), and the stat that has impressed me the most, his nine tackles! Of the more traditional ruckmen in the competition (i.e. not Naitanui), I believe that Goldstein is probably the best of the younger generation and the most likely to have some good DT improvement this year. He is capable in the air at winning hitouts, but also his work around the ground is rapidly improving, suggesting he has the ability to be a high-disposal ruckman and not just another gorilla only used at centre bounces.

Stats:

Kick : handball ratio – 1 : 1.5

Average Hitouts per game: 18 (12^th highest in AFL)

Average tackles per game: 4.5

Average Disposals per game: 14.5

Average Dream Team Points: 86.5

Price: $221,100

The Decision:

I believe that at the end of the day, Mark Seaby is the better pick between these two for a few reasons; the fact he is number one ruckman in the number one stoppage team in the league is a very persuasive fact all on its own – and not to say that Goldstein won’t get his opportunities in a youth focused North Melbourne, but McIntosh is always going to be in front of him. Seaby has already presented some pretty big scores to us in the first two rounds, and he was always going to be a decent dream teamer if given the chance. Seaby only turned me off in the pre-season due to his lack of intensity, but now that he has turned that around I believe he could be a great pickup! But don’t think for a moment that he will average 105 points all year, but even if he averages 90, that would be similar to what we got from Sandilands in 2009. Right now he is a bargain for what he can offer you, so now is the time to pounce if you are ever going to! And please don’t be dissuaded from picking up Goldstein if you are keen, as I believe that he too is set for some big improvements in 2010!