ESSENDON v ST KILDA

Essendon

B: Heath Hocking, Dustin Fletcher, Courtenay Dempsey

HB: Mark McVeigh, Michael Hurley, Kyle Reimers

C: David Zaharakis, Jobe Watson, Travis Colyer

HF: Kyle Hardingham, Scott Gumbleton, Brent Stanton

F: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Sam Lonergan

Foll: Patrick Ryder, Bachar Houli, Ben Howlett

I/C: Cale Hooker, Alwyn Davey, David Hille, Brent Prismall

Emg: Leroy Jetta, David Myers, Nathan Lovett-Murray

In: Hille, Lonergan

Out: Jason Winderlich (hand), Leroy Jetta

• No massive surprises here as Essendon had already flagged their intentions coming into this game. Hille returns after missing seven games, whilst Winderlich has been put in for surgery. Surprisingly, NLM did not get a recall after impressing in the VFL.
• Also, watch the final teams for this game as Jobe Watson is coming in under a lot of injury speculation.

St Kilda

B: Zac Dawson, Jason Blake, Sam Gilbert

HB: Jason Gram, Sam Fisher, James Gwilt

C: Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Farren Ray

HF: Clinton Jones, Justin Koschitzke, Leigh Montagna

F: Tom Lynch, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne

Foll: Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider

I/C: Jack Steven, Ben McEvoy, Brett Peake, Sean Dempster

Emg: Adam Pattison, Jarryn Geary, Andrew McQualter

In: Lynch

Out: Andrew McQualter

New: Tom Lynch (Sandringham Dragons)

• As a Saints supporter, I must admit I am VERY excited about the debut of Tom Lynch - he is the type of player the Saints have been crying out for for the past year and a half (a third tall forward), but has had to bide his time developing in the VFL before getting a chance in the seniors. In juniors he was personally coached by Stewie Loewe and played at the CHF to Jack Watts’ full-forward. He is a fast leading player with good hands and a good kick, but prides himself on his aggression and tackling. All Saints fans dubbed him the next Aaron Hamill when he walked through the door, so there is little wonder why we will be an excited bunch to see him on Friday night. His junior numbers are also very good, suggesting he will be reasonable at Dream Team.
• McQualter makes way (a few weeks too late) and will likely find the going tough to push back into the side.
• Keep an eye on Montagna for a late withdrawal.

COLLINGWOOD v CARLTON

Collingwood

B: Nick Maxwell, Simon Prestigiacomo, Ben Reid

HB: Harry O’Brien, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey

C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Jarryd Blair

HF: Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis

F: Dayne Beams, Leigh Brown, Steele Sidebottom

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas

I/C: Alan Didak, Ben Johnson, Brent Macaffer, Chris Dawes

Emg: Tarkyn Lockyer, Josh Fraser, Simon Buckley

In: Cloke

Out: Tarkyn Lockyer

• Despite Collingwood acting coy as to whether Cloke would play this week, it is no surprise to see him named, nor is it a surprise to see Lockyer dropped. Whilst Tarkyn has been decent over the past month, he is clearly on the outer at the Pies.

Carlton

B: Aaron Joseph, Michael Jamison, Paul Bower

HB: Andrew Carrazzo, Jarrad Waite, Jordan Russell

C: Heath Scotland, Chris Judd, Shaun Grigg

HF: Kade Simpson, Brad Fisher, Andrew Walker

F: Eddie Betts, Lachie Henderson, Shaun Hampson

Foll: Robert Warnock, Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy

I/C: Dennis Armfield, Jeff Garlett, Chris Johnson, Chris Yarran

Emg: Marcus Davies, David Ellard, Mitch Robinson

In: Fisher

Out: David Ellard

• Ellard is probably a bit stiff to miss (but may be a late inclusion for Dennis Armfield who is not quite 100% after his big his last week), whilst Fisher is a good news story coming back into the team. Fisher is a great marking forward - unfortunately it is his accuracy in front of the sticks and his workrate that have been questioned. He is coming back from LARS knee surgery on the ACL he blew in the NAB cup. He has played several VFL games though so should be fit. Probably too pricey to bring in though.

PORT ADELAIDE v HAWTHORN

Port Adelaide

B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Nick Salter

HB: Nathan Krakouer, Troy Chaplin, Matt Thomas

C: Kane Cornes, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak

HF: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, David Rodan

F: Justin Westhoff, Daniel Stewart, Brett Ebert

Foll: Dean Brogan, Danyle Pearce, Robbie Gray

I/C: Mitchell Banner, Matthew Broadbent, Andrew Moore, Jack Trengove

Emg: Jasper Pittard, Danny Meyer, Scott Harding

In: Krakouer, Trengove

Out: Tom Logan (concussion), Josh Carr (retired)

• Krakouer has passed his fitness test and will finally return to the squad, whilst Trengove is the other good inclusion.
• We say goodbye to Josh Carr, but don’t thank him for all the incredible tagging jobs he did on our Dream Team captains over the years…

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy

HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Ben Stratton

C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young

HF: Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne

F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne

Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell   

I/C: Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson, Wayde Skipper, Brendan Whitecross

Emg: Shane Savage, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling

In: Ladson

Out: Campbell Brown (suspension)

• Brown will miss two weeks with suspension and Ladson will come into his spot.

SYDNEY SWANS v GEELONG CATS

Sydney Swans

B: Paul Bevan, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner

HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Tadhg Kennelly

C: Daniel Hannebery, Brett Kirk, Jarrad McVeigh

HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Jesse White, Josh Kennedy

F: Ben McGlynn, Adam Goodes, Jarred Moore

Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack

I/C: Lewis Jetta, Brett Meredith, Mike Pyke, Rhyce Shaw

Emg: Trent Dennis-Lane, Sam Reid, Patrick Veszpremi

No change

Geelong Cats

B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt

HB: Andrew Mackie, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright

C: James Kelly, Cameron Ling, Gary Ablett

HF: Shannon Byrnes, Cameron Mooney, Travis Varcoe

F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson

Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Joel Corey

I/C: David Wojcinski, Mathew Stokes, Tom Lonergan, Trent West

Emg: Taylor Hunt, Simon Hogan, Daniel Menzel

In: Byrnes, West, Hawkins

Out: James Podsiadly (soreness), Jimmy Bartel (ankle), Mark Blake

• We knew it was coming, but when you finally see it on paper it is a blow - Pods is being rested again after he commented through the week that the long season was certainly taking a toll on him. Geelong want him 100% for the finals, and with Hawkins’ return, there is no point pushing him.
• Bartel, to many, will be an even bigger blow thanks to the lack of good midfield bench options. He will hopefully miss just the one week, but be sure to brace yourself as the likes of Chapman, Enright and Ablett are rested over the next fortnight, as anticipated by Bomber Thompson.

BRISBANE LIONS v MELBOURNE

Brisbane Lions

B: Xavier Clarke, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath

HB: Luke Power, Brent Staker, Joel Patfull

C: Jack Redden, Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff

HF: James Polkinghorne, Jonathan Brown, Albert Proud

F: Jared Brennan, Brendan Fevola, Todd Banfield

Foll: Mitchell Clark, Simon Black, Michael Rischitelli

I/C: Pearce Hanley, Cheynee Stiller, Ryan Harwood, Matthew Leuenberger

Emg: James Hawksley, Aaron Cornelius, Justin Sherman

In: McGrath, Clarke, Stiller, Black

Out: Amon Buchanan (quad), Matt Maguire, James Hawksley, Aaron Cornelius

• Whilst Brisbane haven’t been one to go light at the selection table this year, this week certainly offers up a few surprises - in a week where they are clearly trying to make a statement by dropping Maguire, Hawksley and Cornelius, they bizarrely didn’t drop Fevola!
• McGrath and Black return, but the big story is the first game of Xavier Clarke for his new club. Clarke crossed from St.Kilda in last year’s trade week and came with a broken body, having ruptured his ACL early in 2009 after many series of hamstring issues. It is great to see him back on the park, but maintain plenty of speculation about his body holding up - he has had a rough career to date - every time he looks like he is reaching form, he suddenly re-injures himself. He is a mega bargain, but personally i think he is not worth the risk.

Melbourne

B: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram

HB: Cameron Bruce, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald

C: Rohan Bail, James McDonald, Brad Green

HF: Lynden Dunn, Jack Watts, Tom Scully

F: Jamie Bennell, Paul Johnson, Austin Wonaeamirri

Foll: Mark Jamar, Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey

I/C: Jordie McKenzie, Cale Morton, Liam Jurrah, Nathan Jones

Emg: Addam Maric, Matthew Warnock, Jack Trengove

In: James McDonald

Out: Addam Maric

• McDonald is the only inclusion into the side that thumped Sydney on the weekend. The real surprise is seeing Trengove on the bench though - surely he is not far away!

RICHMOND v ADELAIDE

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Luke McGuane, Will Thursfield

HB: Brett Deledio, Kelvin Moore, Daniel Connors

C: Mitch Morton, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards

HF: Ben Nason, Andrew Collins, Jake King

F: Matt White, Jack Riewoldt, David Astbury

Foll: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson

I/C (from): Ben Cousins, Andrew Browne, Mitch Farmer, Jeromey Webberley, Alex Rance, Robbie Hicks, Troy Taylor

In: Moore, White, Jackson, Thursfield, Taylor, Hicks

Out: Dean Polo, Robin Nahas, Jayden Post

New: Robbie Hicks (Calder Cannons/Rookie list)

• Another wealth of changes for Richmond, with forgotten man Troy Taylor making a comeback (sorry kids, no Relton Roberts) and debutant Robbie Hicks named on the extended bench. Hicks is a small forward (a VERY small forward; 176cm and 67kg) who averaged 11 disposals (8.5 of those uncontested) through the TAC cup and kicked nearly 2 goals a game. Small forwards can be good DT scorers, but i feel that Hicks may just be a bit too small to play yet at senior level. Keeps tabs on him certainly, but this is not the time of year to be picking up speculative rookies.

Adelaide

B: Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten, Scott Stevens

HB: Brent Reilly, Nathan Bock, Nathan van Berlo

C: Rory Sloane, Scott Thompson, David Mackay

HF: Ricky Henderson, Taylor Walker, Matthew Jaensch

F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Richard Douglas

Foll: Ivan Maric, Bernie Vince, Patrick Dangerfield

I/C (from): Tony Armstrong, Phil Davis, Jonathon Griffin, Jack Gunston, Chris Schmidt, James Sellar, Brad Symes

In: Sellar, Schmidt, Davis, Gunston

Out: Graham Johncock (suspension)

• Adelaide have returned to the well of youth, topping the team up with youngsters Sellar, Schmidt, Davis (WHY was he dropped!?) and Gunston.
• The only omission so far is Johncock, who has been suspended for one week.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v NORTH MELBOURNE

Western Bulldogs

B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris

HB: Ryan Hargrave, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken

HF: Robert Murphy, Liam Jones, Brad Johnson

F: Jarrad Grant, Barry Hall, Shaun Higgins

Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney

I/C (from): Dylan Addison, Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt, Daniel Giansiracusa, Brodie Moles, Jordan Roughead, Easton Wood

In: Dylan Addison, Andrejs Everitt, Liam Jones, Nathan Eagleton

Out: Callan Ward (hip)

New: Liam Jones (Tasmania U18)

• The Doggies have said a couple of times this week that they are looking forward to giving Jones his first game and that is exactly what they have done here, naming him at CHF. Jones is a 195cm key position forward and was highly rated when he came to the Dogs at the end of 2008. He is still relatively light, so don’t expect him to score very much, but with his athleticism and AFL heritage, there is a very good chance he will be a good player for years to come.

North Melbourne

B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings

HB: Jamie MacMillan, Josh Smith, Scott McMahon

C: Leigh Adams, Brent Harvey, Sam Wright

HF: Matt Campbell, Aaron Edwards, Ben Speight

F: Ben Cunnington, Lachlan Hansen, Lindsay Thomas

Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Levi Greenwood

I/C: Ed Lower, Todd Goldstein, Ryan Bastinac, Brayden Norris, Marcus White, Leigh Harding, Gavin Urquhart

In: McMahon, Thomas, White, Wright, Norris

Out: David Hale , Ben Warren (back)

New: Marcus White (Calder Cannons/Rookie list), Brayden Norris (Murray Bushrangers)

• The Roos have now all but resigned to missing the finals, but it means they will give more youngsters a game. Speight and Macmillan get a second run, whilst White and Norris will debut if they make the final cut from the extended bench.
• Norris is an athletic mid with a super tank, reaching an impressive 15.06 in the beep test at Draft Camp. He isn’t necessarily a big ball winner, averaging just 15 disposals in the TAC cup, playing mainly on a HFF, but Bastinac has already shown us this year that he is able to turn a big tank into a decent footballer.
• White is in his second year on the Roos rookie list and is a midfielder. He played VFL last year for North Ballarat as a tagger, a role which may prove to have adverse effects on his DT scoring at AFL level. Watch to see where Brad Scott plays him first, but don’t be expecting a very attacking role.

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST EAGLES

Fremantle

B: Chris Tarrant, Antoni Grover, Greg Broughton

HB: Justin Bollenhagen, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden

C: Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy, Nathan Fyfe

HF: Jay van Berlo, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill

F: Adam McPhee, Michael Johnson, Hayden Ballantyne

Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nick Suban, Paul Duffield

I/C (from): Michael Walters, Dylan Roberton, Matthew de Boer, Paul Hasleby, Jesse Crichton, Anthony Morabito, Kepler Bradley

In: Bradley, Mundy, Walters, Bollenhagen, Tarrant

Out: Rhys Palmer (shoulder), Clancee Pearce (knee)

New: Justin Bollenhagen (South Adelaide)

• Bollenhagen is again named to play (I talked about him in last week’s article), but this time is named on the field, so will definitely line up. Palmer and Pearce will miss, whilst Harvey complained during the week that he had too many first and second year players in the squad. Therefore, the likes of Crichton, de Boer, Roberton and Waters must be a little nervous with their names on the extended bench.
• Mundy will also return after being a late withdrawal last week with stomach cramps.

West Coast Eagles

B: Will Schofield, Eric MacKenzie, Ashley Smith

HB: Beau Waters, Mitchell Brown, Shannon Hurn

C: Brad Ebert, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa

HF: Andrew Embley, Josh Kennedy, Andrew Strijk

F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Nic Naitanui

Foll: Dean Cox, Chris Masten, Scott Selwood

I/C (from): Brett Jones, Patrick McGinnity, Ben McKinley, Brad Sheppard, Lewis Stevenson, Tom Swift, Callum Wilson

In: McKinley, Jones, Wilson, Swift, McGinnity

Out: Adam Selwood (shoulder), Ashton Hams (suspension)

• Hams is gone for three weeks with suspension, whilst Selwood may miss a couple.
• A raft of inclusions are named, but expect Jones, Swift and McGinnity to be the few with any chance of playing.
• Once again, no Koby Stevens - in fact, he doesn’t even make the emergency list.

Due to technical difficulties, Ben’s ‘Gold Coast Kids’ article will be unavailable until mid afternoon.

Sorry to upset your daily routine. Please check back in later.

Cheers.

The Team @ Footy Tragic

It’s impossible to go past the Great Dane in his current form. Since Round 10 his lowest score has been 110 (Round 13), which was also his only score until 125 across that period. In his last two against Carlton he’s scored 131 and 140. Glasses down, easily the best captain choice this week. If you’ve got him I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. Sure, someone might outscore him this week, but his form line is just too ridiculous to risk NOT having him as your captain.

Now for those who don’t have Swan…

Gary Ablett

GAJ has really been on the wane lately. His 126 last week was a return to form, however he scored five goals, which isn’t all that common an occurrence. Goals are just cherries on the top of his scoring when he’s at the top of his game - rather than the focal point. He’s still a great option and he typically massacres Sydney. His highest score this year (and the third highest out of anyone, behind Lake and LeCras) was a 167 against the Swans in Round 7. Bare in mind, that was after he’d had a week off and it was down at his beloved Skilled Stadium.

Leigh Montagna

Montagna’s form was great until last week. There’s no reason to suggest it wouldn’t have continued to be great either…all until he slipped on a dodgy piece of grass at Etihad Stadium and tweaked his groin. Even if he’s named this week you’d have to be wary of naming him captain, purely because you suspect he’d be playing hurt. It’s a pity, because Essendon leak points to pretty much any position and he chopped them for 137 earlier this year (despite St.Kilda losing that game). Form and opposition says yes, injury cloud says no. He might even miss, though he hasn’t appeared on St.Kilda’s injury list, but never take that thing seriously. St.Kilda treat submitting an injury list with unparalleled contempt.

Matthew Boyd

The most underrated DT’er in the league is a legit captain option. Boyd gets a lot of his own ball, so it’s entirely in his hands as to how well he scores, and being such a determined player he usually comes out with great numbers (aided by plenty of tackles). He scored a modest 108 against North earlier this year, however that was in the month of footy where he was a bit down on form coming back from his broken hand. Since Round 11 his lowest score is 114 and he’s cracked 120+ four times in that period.

Paul Chapman

Despite GAJ getting a massive 167 against Sydney earlier in the year, I’d say Chappy was best on that day. He snagged a handy 140 himself and was everywhere, kicking goals, laying tackles and taking marks. Historically though, Sydney have kept him fairly contained over the years. They’re not the same Sydney they used to be, but it’s something to be aware of (last year I’m pretty certain his 73 against them was injury affected, but I can’t exactly remember at what stage of the game that was).

Luke Hodge

Hodgey completely dominated Port last time he played them and did everything but convert in front of goal. He kicked 1.5 but still scored 131 in a fantastic display. He’s been playing good lately, not great, but pretty good. He’s been a little up and down over the past 5-6 weeks actually with 140, 61, 119, 87, 126 and 101. Port kept Hodge pretty quiet both times they met last year.

Brendan Goddard

Goddard hasn’t quite got to any great heights since being a late withdrawal against Brisbane with illness. He’s scored 96 and 109 in the past two weeks. Before missing he’d scored 120+ in six straight games - the only player to do that this season (I don’t count Ablett’s run of six in a row, because he missed a game during that streak). He also only scored 101 against Essendon earlier this year. He only scored 66 against the Bombers the time before that as well, so current form and recent history doesn’t sound too compelling.

Adam Goodes

There’s so many more I could mention (Selwood particularly stiff to miss out) but I thought it’d be worth keeping a sneaky eye on Goodes. Earlier this year I wrote about how he usually storms home in the second half of the year. Well, it took him a little while to get going (largely because he was playing as a full time forward) but he has blitzed in his last three games with 158, 116 and 124. He was very ordinary against Geelong earlier this year, with a 63, but last year he scored 121 and 114 against them. It’d be a risky option, but in his current form you could throw him into the mix.

However, if you can afford a proper upgrade of any of these guys, then I can certainly see the merit - an upgrade is a noticeable points increase, as discussed above. If you have a fair amount of trades left, it could even be a consideration to do a two-for-one trade to bring one of these guys in to strengthen your side. My suggestions of the real premiums are detailed below; please note though I have only picked a couple of midfielders as there are quite a few who could fit the bill.

Good Luck! (and apologies for the lateness of the article!)

Defenders:

Brian Lake - $457,200; season avg. 104.29; last five avg. 118.8:

I think coaches started waking up to Lake as a dream teamer when he scored a whopping 192 points in round 9. At the time I wrote it off as a blip on the radar, never to be seen again. As it turns out, I was proven wrong. Although playing a full-back role, a position typically inhabited by players with no interest in finding the football, he plays a very creative attacking game - and what’s more, he is very capable of shutting down his direct opponent in the process.

Lake is a fantastic reader of the play and is ranked first in the AFL for marks from opposition kicks, showing that he is almost able to play the loose man role in the backline whist still actually having an opponent - he knows exactly when to zone off his opposition and intercept a foray forward. He has brilliant marking skills too, ranked number one in the AFL for marks and number five for contested marks. Even lately, opposition coaches have attempted shutting him down and this became laughable against Carlton when the Blues forwards spent more time trying to spoil Lake from marking, rather than marking it themselves.

Whilst he has had 137 contested possessions for the year (remembering that backmen will typically have a very high contested count), he has had a whopping 235 uncontested possessions, which for a backman is typically consisting of either rebounding out of the backline with no pressure, or kick-to-kick football. Lake loves a bit of kick-to-kick, and it often the middle man when bulldogs play the game - last week he racked up 30 points in under five minutes of play and this is not the first time it has happened. With the Bulldogs killing games early, Lake is able to get plenty of ball later in the game as they chip it around.

By now it is hard not to think of Lake as a dream team star - he has done it consistently now for most of the year, only dropping below 80 twice - both times in the first four games. You could do much worse than bringing Lake into your squad, and being in just 11% of teams, there is a strong chance you won’t have too many opponents who have him too.

Midfielders:

Dane Swan - $539,000; season avg. 124.41; last five avg. 136.6:

There is little more to say about a man who is so prolific in this game we play - he is a star, plain and simple. In fact, looking at his season stats, he has only dropped below 110 points on three occasions, and two of those times in the first five rounds! That’s mammoth! He is a ball magnet, but more so is a ball winner. His incredible fitness allows him to run all day and run into space to pick up plenty of ball from his teammates. He is also great at clearances, regularly seen streaming out of packs with the ball and kicking it long into the forward line. Another stat line he seems to be succeeding at is tackling -  he averages nearly five per game.

Essentially, at this point of the game, if you don’t have Swan you are making it very very hard for yourself. With those clever enough to have kept him captain over the past month would have been treated to scores such as 322, 282, 276 and 266 - all immense figures. Compare this to players using Ablett as Captain over the past month - 216, 218, 162 and 252 - that’s a huge 298 points difference in four games of football!! So it is worth not only thinking about what he may bring to your team as a player, but think about what he may bring to your team as Captain! He could quite easily be the difference between you winning or losing your final.

He is not slowing down either, proving himself untaggable again this year. Fortunately, the likes of Didak, Pendlebury and Thomas are all having good years too, meaning Swan is not regularly at the attention of taggers, and if he is, it is generally not the primary one. Teams have learnt not to let the likes of Didak off the leash as he is much more damaging by boot.

Essentially, I think you need Swan this year. Most years it is not as easy to suggest one player as a necessary addition, but he is simply so far ahead of everyone else it is just ridiculous. If you don’t have him, he may be the guy who squashes your own finals hopes, being your opponent’s captain.

Matthew Boyd - $489,700; season avg. 115.8; last five avg. 125.4:

Boydy is way too unrecognised for his amazing DT skills - in the past month or so he is in fact not too far behind Swan. Since round 11 he hasn’t dropped below 110 and has been over 130 on three occasions. He is Mr. Consistent this year, and whilst his best may not be as high at Swan, he is consistently around a very good level.

One of the best things about Boyd is his lack of owners - he is only in 11% of teams, mainly thanks to his lack of media attention, but this doesn’t make him any less great. He is currently ranked 15^th in dream team and 10^th for disposals in the AFL, despite missing two games earlier in the year - if he had played them and gotten his average in each, he would have been ranked 3^rdfor disposals and 2^nd for dream team - not bad figures at all!

Boyd is another untaggable, but that is mainly because he typically plays a role on opposition mids. Boyd is very good at stopping the tougher in-and-under mids in the competition, but will often try to hurt them the other way with his own fitness. He will often play on players who lack much of a defensive side to their game, meaning that they will rarely stop him from sneaking forward for a goal, as he does quite a bit.

I don’t think Boyd is a better pick than Swan, but he is cheaper by $50k and won’t average significantly less than him for the rest of the season. He is also a lot less common, so if you are looking to beat your opponents rather than be the same as them, Boyd could be a fantastic way to go.

Forwards:

Paul Chapman - $454,500; season avg. 117.25; last five avg. 112.6:

We all know the highs and lows that are Chappy - whilst he is far and away the best DT forward option this year, averaging nearly 20 points better than his nearest opponent, most of those who don’t have him are clearly paranoid about his hammys going ‘ping!’ But so far in 2010, Chapman has missed only the one game, a stat which certainly goes against what history would suggest of him.

Chapman claims that Geelong’s new fitness guru has cured his plight with hamstrings, so we have to choose whether to believe this or not before trading him in. The worry is, if the issues really aren’t gone, history suggests that Chapman will miss most of his games at the back-end of the year. For example, these are the games he missed for the past three years; 2009: Rd 8, 10, 19, 20, 22; 2008; Rd 9, 10, 18, 19, 20; 2007: Rd 7-9, 17-19. Get the gist? Knowing that rounds 19 - 22 are DT finals time, Chapman has missed 6 of a possible 12 finals games, including last year’s Grand Final! So if you were to trade him in, you’d want to damn well believe his word!

Also, Bomber Thompson has signalled he will be resting his stars over the next month or so, putting further doubt into the minds of many. But all this aside, perhaps we have to look at the positives - you won’t win dream team without taking risks and Chapman is certainly a big one. He doesn’t appear to be carrying any injury and we know that he would certainly have been rested if he was. I really like him as a pre-finals trade. Just before (or maybe after) week one after assessing all the current media about him. I have a gut feeling that all will be OK, but still, you would want to have some fair cover. Personally I don’t have him, but I will shortly be doing the maths to find out how possible trading him in is.

Looking Good:

• Lenny Hayes: This game was perfectly suited to Lenny, who loves hard fought contests through which he can tackle all day long. His match-up on Hodge was fantastic, and he was allowed enough room to rack up 30 disposals and 11 tackles.
• Luke Hodge: Hodgey was brilliant… again! Watching him streak away from clearances, or pass off a brilliant underground handball, you simply watch him with awe. In fact, if he doesn’t win the Brownlow this year, the umpires have a lot to answer for! He finished this game with 33 touches - his mediocre 3 tackles meant he didn’t score much higher than a ton.
• Nick Riewoldt: Three games back and he is starting to look much more like his old self. Despite kicking all the Saints behinds for the night, his confidence in pack marking and chasing and harassing his opponent hasn’t waned. With the Saints’ brilliant run over the next month, he could be due for some big scores.

Disappointing:

• Sam Gilbert: Was dragged deep in defence by Osborne, so saw very little rebounding action. Opposition teams are working out how important Gilbo is to the Saints, but fortunately for them they also have Fisher and Gwilt in their arsenal, meaning they don’t need to be overly concerned when Gilbert is taken deep. He should bounce back though I would assume.
• Jordan Lewis: Continued his forward tagging role this week, however to less effect than against Brisbane last week. Unfortunately for Lewis, Sam Fisher is also a good defender in his own right, meaning that playing on him will likely mean you are left missing in action too. I was surprised though that they didn’t throw him into the guts when the game was in the balance late.
• Leigh Montagna: Was playing well until he pulled a groin muscle when he slipped on the Etihad surface. The Saints are playing a no risk policy at this time of year, so there will be plenty of nervous owners waiting to see how he trains this week.

Blip on the Radar:

• Ben McEvoy: Played one of his best games for the club, which included kicking the goal that drew the match. Whilst he does appear to have the attributes needed to be a good ball-winning ruckman, he isn’t necessarily an athletic ruckman who can win plenty of ball around the ground (i.e. Cox and Kruezer), but more of a smart ruckman who knows where to run to intercept kicks in defence, as well as kicking the odd goal when dropping forward. His scoring is hugely inconsistent, so stay well away.

Collingwood vs Richmond:

Looking Good:

• Dane Swan: Another 37 touches for Swanny in another best on ground performance. I feel like I say the same thing in this article every week - the guy’s a gun. Plain and simple. If you don’t have him, you really want to start doing the maths to work out how to get him. And if you do have him, never ever ever move the ‘C’ away from his name!
• Alan Didak: Despite copping the King tag for most of the day, Dids pretty much did as he pleased, racking up 28 touches, as well as dropping forward for three bonus goals.
• Mitch Morton: Played an interesting game in the back half, rather than in his usual spot up forward. He looked confident (although I think over confidence may have been one of his issues earlier in his career) and was one of Richmond’s few highlights. I wouldn’t touch him though!

Disappointing:

• Dustin Martin: Never really got into the game until late, when he then unfortunately copped a knee in the back which put him back out of the action. He still got 17 touches, but handballed way too much.
• Jack Riewoldt:
  

  To kick two goals on Presti you have to be doing something right! But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to hold his lofty average, which now seems to be slipping over the past fortnight. We must remember that this is still a breakout season for him and we must take the good with the bad.

• Sharrod Wellingham: Didn’t get too involved in the party, picking up only 17 rather poor disposals. I doubt he will get dropped, but needs to stay in form to keep his spot in a side that has close to half a dozen players knocking on the door.

Blip on the Radar:

• Alex Rance: Played around the flanks for most of the game and racked up a reasonable amount of ball. However we have already seen this year he is not in the best-22 yet, so don’t be trading him in on the back of one good score, even as an emergency.

Geelong vs Brisbane:

Looking Good:

• Joel Selwood: Selwood has been the in-form Cat midfielder over the past month, and again played in amazing fashion, racking up a huge 41 disposals, 9 marks and 10 tackles, culminating in the biggest score of the round.
• Gary Ablett Jnr: Interestingly played a lot more time in the forward line, and although finishing with just 26 disposals, his work up forward netted him five goals, resulting in his large score. I have a suspicion he is a little underdone at the moment, but if he can rest up forward and kick five goals, I’m happy for him to see out the season up there!
• Jack Redden: I really, really rate this kid - he is smart and tough and knows how to find the ball. Whilst Brisbane have a number of young midfielders coming through their ranks, this kid is my favourite. He finished this game with 25 touches and 10 marks - great figures for a player of his age against an opposition of such quality.

Disappointing:

• Corey Enright: This is the third week now that Enright has made the disappointing list… Once again a forward tag has shut him down and once again he did very little about it, finishing with just 19 disposals. He MUST improve, or plenty of coaches are going to get very burned!
• Brendan Fevola: I think it is time that we resigned to the fact that the Fevola trade is the worst thing to happen to Brisbane - he has been a spud of the highest order this year and looks nowhere near getting any better. His body language lets the rest of the team down and he deserves to be dropped. I’m sure Brisbane wish they could have their time all over again.
• Daniel Rich: Was shut down by Ling and had zero effect on the match, finishing with just 12 touches. 2010 just hasn’t been his year.

Blip on the Radar:

• David Wojcinski: Wojo has never been and will never be a good dream teamer. He is a role player for Geelong and has good run and carry skills with his great pace. In thrashings like this one, his scoring tends to lift with his team, but this is not something you should expect consistently from him.

Essendon vs North Melbourne:

Looking Good:

• Andrew Swallow: Swallow was again prolific through the midfield - he has worked so hard to become a player capable of the tough stuff, as well as being able to spread wide and create an option for his teammates. Not only does this allow him to plenty of the ball, but also helps him get to damaging spots on the ground, such as the forward line, where he has become able to kick a few goals.
• Jobe Watson: Watson is thriving under the captaincy, racking up over 40 touches as the best player for his team on the night. He has got a real good footy head on him and knows how to get the best out of himself - with these traits he will rarely have a bad game.
• Kyle Hardingham: Hardingham was the story of the night - he was a mature aged rookie taken by Essendon in the pre-season draft last year and played the game as a forward. As it seems, he has a great set of hands on him and can kick at goal pretty accurately. He finished the night with four goals and a contender for mark of the year. You can pick him up as a midfielder for just under $100k.

Disappointing:

• Daniel Wells: In one of the stranger stories of the weekend, owners of Wells would have been mighty disappointed when he strained his quad with the last kick of the warm up. Obviously, he couldn’t play, but plenty of owners would have been very happy the Roos were able to bring Hale into the squad, meaning you weren’t left with a big fat zero from Wells which would actually count as his score.
• Brent Prismall: Came in as a late inclusion and made a few blues that didn’t help his cause to stay in the team. I don’t understand why he keeps getting dropped, but I wouldn’t be expecting him to survive after an average performance like this one.
• Ben Cunnington: I know he is still a kid, but the best DT scoring player through the TAC cup has certainly been a bit of a disappointment this year. He is showing signs he will be a good player in the future, but is currently not winning enough of the ball.

Blip on the Radar:

• Levi Greenwood: Greenwood had less of a role to play than usual so spent chunks of time on the ball, leading him to his biggest score of the year. Don’t be expecting too many like this though.

West Coast vs Carlton:

Looking Good:

• Kade Simpson: Was the Blues best midfielder on the night, despite wearing a close tag. Finished with 33 disposals and 12 marks for the game, easily the best on ground.
• Andrew Strijk: Strijk was particularly good early until a high bump ruled him out later in the game. Was one of West Coast’s best players, with his strong runs and pin-point forward entries a highlight. He looks to be a real find for the Eagles.
• Marc Murphy: Murphy finished with just 26 disposals, but his two late goals were the sealers for the Blues. He still doesn’t seem to be playing at his best, but I’d still take 106 points from him anyday!

Disappointing:

• Dean Cox: Cox was really average, after impressing over the past fortnight. He finished with just 8 touches and 16 hitouts, playing second fiddle to Naitanui.
• Robert Warnock: Those hoping this game would galvanise his spot in the team may have been a little worried when he racked up just 10 disposals for the game - 9 of which were handballs. He was also beaten in the ruck contests by Naitanui.
• Ashton Hams: Had another decent game, but a high bump on Armfield that sent him to hospital will be looked at very closely. Could be looking at a few weeks on the sidelines.

Blip on the Radar:

• Shaun Grigg: Grigg had a reasonable game playing around the midfield and half-forward line. He plays well as a ball-winner, but my worry is that we have seen this same scoring from him in previous seasons, only for him to pull out plenty of mid-20 scores too.

Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle:

Looking Good:

• Daniel Cross: Crossy seemed to get just about every possible hard ball all day, picking up 31 touches in another dominant display. He is a great dream teamer from seasons past, yet is highly (and strangely) unheralded in plenty of DT circles. He wins plenty of ball and is a tackle machine. Consider him if you need a midfielder.
• Jarrod Harbrow: Ran around in the backline, picking up stats at will, especially in the second half when the Dogs played plenty of kick-to-kick games in the back half. Certainly a good score, but don’t be depending on these sorts of numbers from him too often in the future.
• Nick Suban: He did this last year - played the last half-dozen or so matches with aplomb, and fingers crossed he can repeat the feat this year. He was one of Freo’s better players in this game, finishing with 24 touches on the wing.

Disappointing:

• Stephen Hill: Once again tagged out of the game and had very little influence. Received no help from his teammates.
• Aaron Sandilands: Won in the hitouts, but was beaten around the ground by Hudson and Roughead. He doesn’t have too many shockers, so expect him to bounce back quickly.
• Dylan Roberton: Played up forward rather than as a rebounding defender as he has done for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, in a game that saw the ball travel into Freo’d forward line very few times, it was unlikely Roberton would score very highly.

Blip on the Radar:

• Roger Hayden: I really like Hayden as a player, but I think it’s a real shame he doesn’t play a more attacking role for Fremantle. He has great speed and creativity, but his defensiveness stifles this attribute. So until he is given a new role, expect very few scores like this one.

Melbourne vs Sydney:

Looking Good:

• Colin Sylvia: I’m loving Sylvia’s form recently - it has now been three plus-100 scores in a row and he has been looking very good, playing predominantly as a midfielder. He continued his recent trend in this game with 28 disposals and 7 tackles. Fingers crossed he can keep the run going!
• Adam Goodes: Speaking of good recent form, Goodes clocked in another very good game, albeit playing much more forward of centre than probably hoped. He was being tagged by Morton so kept trying to drag him to full-forward, and it worked, with Goodes kicking four goals as one of Sydney’s few influential players.
• Brad Green: Green was back playing his forward role which he is so good at - he knows exactly where to lead and is Melbourne’s best kick at goal. He finished with five goals for the game whilst rotating between a selection of opponents.

Disappointing:

• Ryan O’Keefe: What a shocking game - O’Keefe was tagged by Bruce but did virtually nothing to prevent it. He spent most of his time up forward and seemed resigned to losing the battle. He better pull his finger out soon as this display needs a lot of making up for!
• Tadhg Kennelly: Kennelly was also tagged and hardly did much of a better job than O’Keefe at breaking it. Melbourne were too good on every line and once again Sydney looked like they knew they would lose since 10 minutes into the first quarter.
• Jack Watts: It always frustrates me when a team kicks over 20 goals, yet their full-forward can only muster one of those goals. This was the case with Watts in this game, with him booting just the solitary goal from 9 disposals.

Blip on the Radar:

• James Frawley: Frawley has the potential to be a future star - whilst most of his early career he has been a strictly defensive player, he has had the odd game where he has created plenty of run from the half-back line. This was one and it was hopefully a sign of things to come from him. Unfortunately though, season 2010 is probably not an option, but certainly keep an eye on his pre-season next year!

Port Adelaide vs Adelaide:

Looking Good:

• Domenic Cassisi: Cassisi was amazing through the midfield - in fact, although he finished with 28 touches, it felt more like 40, such was his presence. It was Port’s one-touch clearance work and clean hands that won them the game and Cassisi epitomised this. He also lead the way with their strong focus on tackles with a whopping 12!
• Troy Chaplin: Chaplin was great rebounding out of defence for Port, cutting off so many Adelaide forward forays and running them straight back out. Adelaide tried to shut him down but really had no answer as he finished with 26 disposals and 11 marks.
• Justin Westhoff: Westhoff was great at CHF, beating a very significant player in Bock. His four goals all came at pivotal times, and unlike his opponents, he seemed capable and confident of kicking them from anywhere.

Disappointing:

• Kurt Tippett: Was hardly sighted until he moved into the ruck in the last quarter, yet still to little avail. Whilst not doing much this year, Crows supporters can at least be excited at the potential of their young team over the next few years with the likes of Tippett, Walker, Vince, Mackay and Dangerfield all looking like potential stars.
• Taylor Walker: Had plenty of chances to get the Crows back into the game but continually missed his shots at goal, finishing with 2.4 for the evening.
• Robbie Gray: Lacked the match fitness to play such a high intensity game straight back from injury. He was also well held by Johncock, but just struggled to win his own ball. Will get better though I am sure.

Blip on the Radar:

• Matt Thomas: Thomas, aka. ‘The Crow Killer’ loves his showdowns, and it was to be expected that he would run rampant in this game. He has in fact been scoring quite well this year, but still he averages too low to really consider him for selection. He plays his roles perfectly so there is no reason for Port to play him as a more attacking player. Therefore, keep away.

Expert: Toby
Team: Fiora’s Hardnuts
Current Ranking: 1,835
Round 17 Score: 2,004
Trades Remaining: 4
Team Changes This Week: None

Expert: Ben
Team: The Redbacks
Current Ranking: 1,029
Round 17 Score: 1,986
Trades Remaining: 5
Team Changes This Week:
In: Ashley Smith, Sam Gilbert
Out: Bradley Sheppard, Jeromey Webberley

ST KILDA v HAWTHORN

St Kilda

B: Zac Dawson, Jason Blake, Sam Gilbert

HB: Jason Gram, Sam Fisher, James Gwilt

C: Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Farren Ray

HF: Clinton Jones, Justin Koschitzke, Leigh Montagna

F: Andrew McQualter, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne

Foll: Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider

I/C: Jack Steven, Ben McEvoy, Brett Peake, Sean Dempster

Emg: Adam Pattison, Jarryn Geary, Rhys Stanley

In: Dal Santo, McEvoy

Out: Adam Pattison, Jarryn Geary

• No huge surprises at the Saints with Dal Danto coming straight back into the squad after being a late withdrawal last week.
• McEvoy also comes back from a weeks rest, whilst Geary is a surprise omission.

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy

HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Ben Stratton

C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young

HF: Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne

F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne

Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell

I/C: Campbell Brown, Xavier Ellis, Wayde Skipper, Brendan Whitecross

Emg: Rick Ladson, Jordan Lisle, Shane Savage

In: Franklin

Out: Carl Peterson (wisdom teeth)

• Franklin is straight back in after passing his fitness test today at training. The Hawks are still suggesting that he is not 100%, but i would be very surprised if he didn’t play!
• Peterson is out, having chosen a very bad point in the season to have his wisdom teeth removed.

COLLINGWOOD v RICHMOND

Collingwood

B: Nick Maxwell, Simon Prestigiacomo, Ben Reid

HB: Harry O’Brien, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey

C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Jarryd Blair

HF: Luke Ball, Chris Dawes, Leon Davis

F: Dayne Beams, Leigh Brown, Steele Sidebottom

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas

I/C: Alan Didak, Tarkyn Lockyer, Ben Johnson, Brent Macaffer

Emg: Josh Fraser, Luke Rounds, Simon Buckley

In: Maxwell

Out: Heath Shaw (back)

• Maxwell back is no huge DT news, although the loss of Shaw certainly is, especially after he found some good form against the Saints on Saturday. Chances are it will only be a short-term injury.

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Luke McGuane, Alex Rance

HB: Brett Deledio, David Astbury, Daniel Connors

C: Mitch Morton, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards

HF: Ben Nason, Andrew Collins, Ben Cousins

F: Jayden Post, Jack Riewoldt, Dean Polo

Foll: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Jake King

I/C: Robin Nahas, Andrew Browne, Mitch Farmer, Jeromey Webberley

Emg: David Gourdis, Troy Taylor, Robbie Hicks

In: Morton, Polo, Rance, Nason, Post, Browne

Out: Richard Tambling , Kelvin Moore (leg), Matt White (leg), Will Thursfield (concussion), Trent Cotchin (suspension), Tyrone Vickery

• The Tigers swing the axe after their first loss in a month, with Tambling being the biggest name omission. The Tigers will also be short on defenders with Moore and Thursfield both injured.
• Cotchin is out suspended for four weeks.
• Nason is the good news inclusion, whilst Brown will play his first game of the year - don’t be expecting too much from him though!

GEELONG CATS v BRISBANE LIONS

Geelong Cats

B: Tom Lonergan, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt

HB: Darren Milburn, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright

C: James Kelly, Cameron Ling, Gary Ablett

HF: Paul Chapman, James Podsiadly, Travis Varcoe

F: Mathew Stokes, Cameron Mooney, Steve Johnson

Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Joel Corey

I/C: David Wojcinski, Andrew Mackie, Jimmy Bartel, Mark Blake

Emg: Taylor Hunt, Simon Hogan, Daniel Menzel

In: Johnson, Milburn

Out: Shannon Byrnes (soreness), Simon Hogan

• The Cats further strengthen their team by bringing back Johnson from suspension and Milburn from injury. Byrnes makes was with soreness/resting, whilst Hogan has been dropped.

Brisbane Lions

B: Brent Staker, Daniel Merrett, Joel Patfull

HB: Pearce Hanley, Matt Maguire, Daniel Rich

C: Jack Redden, Jared Brennan, Tom Rockliff

HF: Luke Power, Jonathan Brown, Amon Buchanan

F: Aaron Cornelius, Brendan Fevola, Todd Banfield

Foll: Mitchell Clark, Michael Rischitelli, James Polkinghorne

I/C: James Hawksley, Matthew Leuenberger, Ryan Harwood, Albert Proud

Emg: Tom Collier, Justin Sherman, Cheynee Stiller

In: Proud, Hawksley, Cornelius, Harwood

Out: Ashley McGrath (suspension), Justin Sherman, Tom Collier, Travis Johnstone

New: Ryan Harwood (Tasmania U18s)

• The Lions bring back last week’s surprise omission, Cornelius and also add debutant Ryan Harwood. Harwood is a very competitive midfielder who averaged 21 disposals through both the TAC cup and u18 championships. He is a good body size and his strength is around contests, averaging the most clearances of anyone in the Tasmanian team. He was picked by Brisbane at pick 47 in the 2009 draft and looks a likely type at AFL level.
• Making way are McGrath (suspended for one week), Sherman and Johnstone - both who were AWFUL against Hawthorn last week.

NORTH MELBOURNE v ESSENDON

North Melbourne

B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings

HB: Jamie Macmillan, Nathan Grima, Daniel Pratt

C: Leigh Adams, Brent Harvey, Ryan Bastinac

HF: Matt Campbell, Lachlan Hansen, Ben Warren

F: Daniel Wells, Todd Goldstein, Aaron Edwards

Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Levi Greenwood

I/C: Ben Cunnington, Ed Lower, Gavin Urquhart, Josh Smith

Emg: Leigh Harding, David Hale, Ben Speight

In: Smith, Macmillan

Out: Robbie Tarrant (thumb), Sam Wright (concussion)

New: Jamie Macmillan (Oakleigh Chargers)

• The big news here is that Jamie Macmillan WILL make his debut this week - i talked about him in last week’s teams review, so check that out if you want to know more.
• Tarrant makes way with a thumb injury which will see him miss a few weeks, whilst Wright still hasn’t recovered from the bump given to him by Cotchin.

Essendon

B: Heath Hocking, Cale Hooker, Dustin Fletcher

HB: Mark McVeigh, Michael Hurley, Courtenay Dempsey

C: Kyle Reimers, Jobe Watson, Travis Colyer

HF: David Zaharakis, Scott Gumbleton, Angus Monfries

F: Leroy Jetta, Jay Neagle, Sam Lonergan

Foll: Patrick Ryder, Jason Winderlich, Ben Howlett

I/C: Bachar Houli, Brent Stanton, Kyle Hardingham, Alwyn Davey

Emg: Brent Prismall, David Myers, Nathan Lovett-Murray

In: Houli, Jetta, Hardingham

Out: Jake Melksham, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Tom Bellchambers (foot)

New: Kyle Hardingham (East Fremantle)

• Essendon’s emergency list almost looks like their best line at the moment, with Lovett-Murray dropped and Prismall not getting a recall. Melksham is the other player to be omitted.
• Houli and Jetta, two players seemingly out of favour at the Bombers are back, whilst Hardingham will make his debut. Hardingham is a mature aged midfielder and one who has strong dream team potential. He is  21 years old and was drafted to Essendon is last year’s pre-season draft after taking home East-Fremantle’s B&F in 2009. Despite playing off half-back, Hardingham was the club’s leading goalkicker, kicking 25 goals in his 15 games. He averaged 19 disposals, 6 marks and 2 tackles a game in 2009.

WEST COAST v CARLTON

West Coast

B: Will Schofield, Eric Mackenzie, Brad Sheppard

HB: Beau Waters, Mitchell Brown, Shannon Hurn

C: Matt Rosa, Matt Priddis, Andrew Embley

HF: Andrew Strijk, Josh Kennedy, Brad Ebert

F: Dean Cox, Quinten Lynch, Mark LeCras

Foll: Nic Naitanui, Adam Selwood, Chris Masten

I/C: Ashton Hams, Scott Selwood, Ashley Smith, Lewis Stevenson

Emg: Tim Houlihan, Patrick McGinnity, Callum Wilson

No change

Carlton

B: David Ellard, Michael Jamison, Paul Bower

HB: Jordan Russell, Jarrad Waite, Bryce Gibbs

C: Chris Yarran, Chris Judd, Heath Scotland

HF: Marc Murphy, Lachie Henderson, Kade Simpson

F: Jeff Garlett, Shaun Hampson, Eddie Betts

Foll: Robert Warnock, Andrew Walker, Aaron Joseph

I/C: Dennis Armfield, Andrew Carrazzo, Shaun Grigg, Chris Johnson

Emg: Marcus Davies, Richard Hadley, Mitch Robinson

In: Johnson, Warnock, Ellard

Out: Sam Jacobs, Kane Lucas (hamstring), Mitch Robinson

• The Blues had suggested that Warnock would earn a recall this week, which is fantastic news, however it is surprising it came at the expense of Jacobs, who has been more than serviceable this year. Chris Johnson is another inclusion, who like Warnock, will have a lot to prove in this game with his career just about on the line.
• Lucas is out with a hamstring injury that the club has said will make him miss the rest of the year.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v FREMANTLE

Western Bulldogs

B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris

HB: Ryan Hargrave, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee

C: Daniel Cross. Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken

HF: Robert Murphy, Brad Johnson, Shaun Higgins

F: Jarrad Grant, Barry Hall, Daniel Giansiracusa

Foll: Ben Hudson, Adam Cooney, Ryan Griffen

I/C (from): Dylan Addison, Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt, Brodie Moles, Jordan Roughead, Callan Ward, Easton Wood

In: Addison, Roughead, Hall

Out: -

• No outs yet for the dogs (except Aker of course!), but they have included Roughead and Hall into the game - both of which are almost certainties to play.

Fremantle

B: Dylan Roberton, Antoni Grover, Greg Broughton

HB: Matthew de Boer, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden

C: Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy, Nathan Fyfe

HF: Jay van Berlo, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill

F: Adam McPhee, Michael Johnson, Hayden Ballantyne

Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nick Suban, Paul Duffield

I/C (from): Justin Bollenhagen, Jesse Crichton, Clancee Pearce, Byron Schammer, Paul Hasleby, Rhys Palmer, Anthony Morabito

In: Schammer, Suban, Pearce, Bollenhagen, Crichton, Grover

Out: Kepler Bradley (knee), Ryan Crowley (knee), Alex Silvagni (groin)

New: Justin Bollenhagen (South Adelaide), Jesse Crichton (North Launceston)

• No huge ins for the Dockers, although it is good to see them name two debutants (albeit to the extended bench). Neither are particularly impressive for Dream Team unfortunately with Bollenhagen being Freo’s last pick in the 2009 draft as a player who can play either end of the ground. He wasn’t spectacular in the draft camp, failing to get in the top 30% of any tests - he is a project player and will take time.
• Crichton has the junior stats to suggest he could be a good dream teamer, although at just 72kgs, i doubt it will be in 2010. in the under 18s he impressed as a midfielder both capable of winning the ball, but also ferocious tackling, averaging a huge 6 tackles per game. He also averaged 19 disposals in his 5 games. As I said, he is probably too skinny, but we must remember the debut of Stephen Hill last year who was 69kgs!
• Bradley, Silvagni and Crowley are all big outs for Freo - all forced by injury.

MELBOURNE v SYDNEY SWANS

Melbourne

B: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram

HB: Jordie McKenzie, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald

C: Jamie Bennell, Cameron Bruce, Brad Green

HF: Lynden Dunn, Cale Morton, Tom Scully

F: Colin Sylvia, Jack Watts, Liam Jurrah

Foll: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Aaron Davey

I/C (from): Nathan Jones, Paul Johnson, Rohan Bail, Matthew Bate, Austin Wonaeamirri, Addam Maric, Matthew Warnock

In: Wonaeamirri, Warnock, Maric

Out: -

• Nothing too exciting here, except for Wona being back, which may help those coaches who traded him in earlier in the year. I wouldn’t even consider him if you don’t have him though!

Sydney Swans

B: Rhyce Shaw, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner

HB: Paul Bevan, Heath Grundy, Tadhg Kennelly

C: Nick Malceski, Brett Kirk, Kieren Jack

HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Mike Pyke, Josh Kennedy

F: Ben McGlynn, Adam Goodes, Jarred Moore

Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh

I/C (from): Trent Dennis-Lane, Daniel Hannebery, Lewis Jetta, Brett Meredith, Gary Rohan, Sam Reid, Jesse White

In: Dennis-Lane, Jetta, Reid, Rohan

Out: Nick Smith (hamstring)

New: Sam Reid (Murray Bushrangers)

• Sydney are bringing in a few young guns, TDL, Jetta, Reid and possible debutant Reid. All are named on the extended bench though, so don’t get too excited!
• Reid is a key defender, and undersized at that. He was never a big ball winner in juniors, averaging just 8 disposals in the TAC cup, proof he is not a dream teamer!

PORT ADELAIDE v ADELAIDE

Port Adelaide

B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Nick Salter

HB: Tom Logan, Troy Chaplin, Matt Thomas

C: Kane Cornes, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak

HF: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, David Rodan

F: Robbie Gray, Daniel Stewart, Brett Ebert

Foll: Dean Brogan, Danyle Pearce, Josh Carr

I/C (from): Mitchell Banner, Jack Trengove, Matthew Broadbent, Justin Westhoff, Andrew Moore, Jasper Pittard, Chad Cornes

In: Thomas, Boak, Carlile, Stewart, Gray, Moore, Pittard, Cornes

Out: Daniel Motlop (suspension), Jay Nash, Steven Salopek (shoulder), Scott Harding, Jason Davenport

New: Jasper Pittard (Geelong Falcons)

• I am going to be honest and say I simply cannot wait till this game - in fact, I am rarely so excited about a game played by two interstate teams outside the eight. Why? It is the last ever game of one of the AFL’s toughest players - Josh Carr. I doubt he will go out swinging (aka. Doing a Lynch), but if let loose, he is going to make the game worth watching. The icing on the cake is the return of Thomas from injury - aka. “The Crow Killer.”
• Cornes may also be back (fingers crossed this isn’t another last game), with Gray, Moore and Boak other big inclusions.
• Jasper Pittard is named on the bench for his first game, although i doubt he will play. He is an incredible football talent and a great footballer to match - he is a great athletic tall who will play most of his football on a wing or off half-back thanks to his great ability to read the play and mark above his head. He is a little undersized for AFL level, but not too small. He averaged 20 disposals in the TAC cup and there is little doubt he will be a future gun!
• Salopek is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, whilst Harding, Davenport and Nash have been dropped.

Adelaide

B: Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten, Graham Johncock

HB: Simon Goodwin, Scott Stevens, Andrew McLeod

C: David Mackay, Patrick Dangerfield, Nathan van Berlo

HF: Rory Sloane, Taylor Walker, Richard Douglas

F: Ricky Henderson, Kurt Tippett, Matthew Jaensch

Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Scott Thompson, Bernie Vince

I/C (from): Brent Reilly, Brad Symes, Phil Davis, Ivan Maric, James Sellar, Tony Armstrong, Nathan Bock

In: Bock, Sellar, Armstrong

Out: -

• Bock is really the only exciting news. Played well in the SANFL on the weekend and there is little doubt he will play.

With the Gold Coast joining the AFL in 2011, many DT coaches will be wondering which players to jump onboard from the new franchise. With this in mind, over the next six weeks I will take a look at the Gold Coast players most likely to make an impact in 2011.

The introduction of a 17^th team creates many DT questions such as: How will the Gold Coast players be priced? What happens with the bye each week? How many trades will we get if the season extends to 24 rounds? While I cannot answer these questions at this point in time, I can advise which players to select in 2011.

Barring injury or suspension, the first player to select in your 2011 DT is David Swallow. Swallow will be named as one of the Gold Coast’s first three selections in the 2010 National Draft and he is already playing VFL footy. Swallow is a hard running, goal kicking midfielder and he is the younger brother of Andrew Swallow, currently playing for North Melbourne. Swallow is also a ball magnet and an excellent kick of the football. Swallow is 186cms /83kgs and he will be 18 years of age by Round 1, 2011.

Here is a quick snapshot of Swallow’s last three years of footy:

• 2008 - Represented WA at the NAB AFL Under 16 National Championships;
• 2009 - Represented WA at the NAB AFL Under 18 National Championships, played 5 matches and averaged 21 disposals per game. Swallow was named joint winner of the Larke Medal (with Andrew Hooper from the Western Bulldogs) for the best division 1 player over the championships. Swallow also played 4 games for East Fremantle seniors in the WAFL, averaging 20 disposals per game;
• 2010 - Currently playing for the Gold Coast in the VFL. Swallow has played 12 games this year, kicking 12 goals and has being named in the best players seven times. Swallow’s best game for the year was last Saturday, where he was best on ground in the Gold Coast’s one point win over the Bendigo Bombers. Needless to say, this form is extraordinary for a 17 year old boy playing against men in a very strong VFL competition.

Swallow chose to move from Perth to the Gold Coast 12 months early to prepare himself for AFL football in 2011. As a result by Round 1, 2011 Swallow will have completed two full AFL pre seasons.

We have seen players such as Tom Scully, Jack Trengove, Dustin Martin and Anthony Morabito make an immediate impact in their first year of AFL footy this year. I fully expect Swallow to do the same in 2011.

Good luck!

Ideally by this stage your team should be complete, or at the very least you’ll maybe have some minor tweaking to do (luxury trades). Rookies can still come in handy if you’ve got a bit of dead wood on your bench just for some coverage on the way home.

Robbie Tarrant - North Melbourne ($94,500, FWD, Break even: 19)

First two games: 40 vs. Syd and 19 vs. Rich = 29.5 avg.

We’ve seen how his brother scores as a defender (and Robbie is also playing defence, despite being a DT forward) and you can expect much the same out of Robbie (not much). He’ll mainly play lock down roles, and will be rather dour about it. I don’t rate him much as a forward prospect either, so if he was to potentially move forward I wouldn’t be anticipating it to be a successful move. Plus, he’s had his share of injury concerns (a few shoulder recos) already.

Maybe he could be good coverage (job security wise), but I feel you’d be better off waiting for someone else to come through, like David Ellard (Carlton, recently promoted off rookie list), Lewis Johnston (Sydney) or Luke Tapscott (Melbourne). If they can crack a game, depending on how they look in those games, I’d be looking for one of them to cover any forward dead wood that you have.

Ash Smith - West Coast ($94,500, BAC, Break even: -73)

First two games: 79 vs. Adel and 66 vs. Ess = 72.5 avg.

One thing the cellar dwellers are good at doing at this time of year is getting games into the youngsters. It seems like every second rookie I write about at the moment is a West Coast kid. Smith has great pace across the half back line, and while I haven’t seen much of his footy over the last two years I had noted him to be a good 70m player (he’ll break the lines, go for a bit of a run and then kick).

I must confess I haven’t seen either of West Coast’s last two games, but from all reports he’s been playing well, and being an early draft pick with a bit of pace (something a lot of West Coast’s kids lack) he would be a good chance to play the season out. A good downgrade option if you need a bit of cash, or you just want a bit of bench security. Could be good for those holding Taylor Hunt or Ben Nason (if he doesn’t get named this week, you might consider offloading him).

Adam Goodes:

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Goodes’ season could probably be considered a pretty average one - he has rarely torn a game open, as has been his trademark in previous seasons, and he has kicked no more than four goals in a game - a feat he has only achieved once, against the Dogs. Dream Team-wise he has also been ordinary, topping 100 points only four times with scores of 100, 102, 103 and 106 - hardly anything too amazing. His one saving grace has at least been consistency - he has averaged 86 points and has dropped below 80 only three times, meaning that 80% of his games have seen him score between 80 and 110. It has been Goodes’ role that has been the main cause for his diminished form - in a Sydney team lacking Barry Hall, Goodes has resumed the CHF mantle for the team - a position that is particularly hard to play, especially in a team such as Sydney that plays most of it’s matches at the SCG - a small ground that often sees the ball kicked over the head of the centre-half forward. He has played the role well, but has far from shone, with many critics suggesting he needed a move back to the midfield to reinvigorate him. Fortunately, in round 15 this is exactly what coach Paul Roos did.

Goodes started the game against North Melbourne in the centre square and dominated from start to finish - he racked up 33 disposals (including 20 kicks), 11 marks, 5 tackles and also snagged three goals when he drifted forward late in the game. His form was stunning, and finally we saw the Goodes of old, the Goodes who has won two Brownlow medals playing through the midfield as both a ruckman and a ruck-rover. The worry after this game was whether he would start the same way the following weeks against Carlton, or whether it was just a ploy by Roos to play Goodes into some form. Fortunately, the same role was given to Goodes against the Blues and it had similar effects, with him snaring another 25 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles and a goal. So over the past fortnight, he has averaged 137 DT points - an incredible 51 point differential to the rest of his season!

Now not for a minute am I suggesting that Goodes will likely average 137 for the remaining rounds, but he is certainly playing in a style that will unlikely see him drop below 100 points on too many occasions through the remaining rounds. In fact, if Goodes continues his midfield role for the remaining rounds, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to average over 110 per game. But that is precisely the issue - WILL Goodes continue to play in the guts for the remaining rounds, or is it purely a sporadic role given to him to play him into some form? In a way, it wouldn’t be a huge loss if you did trade him in and he went back to averaging around 90 points (much better than plenty of other options), but that is not the point! If you trade him now as a Sydney Swans midfielder, you want it to remain this way for the remaining rounds - and this is exactly why you would be paying a premium on him from where he was a couple of weeks ago.

I think the best way to gauge Goodes’ role for the remaining rounds it to look at the rest of the team, assessing who could possibly play his CHF role if he was to permanently move to the midfield. Firstly, the Swans main other tall options are Jesse White, Bradshaw and Henry Playfair - Bradshaw is injured and is expected back in 2-3 weeks; Playfair will likely miss the rest of the season, whilst White impressed on the weekend after being a late inclusion for the Swans. So, the other tall timber looks average, but I am pinning my hopes on the role he played against Carlton on the weekend - he played almost equal time in both the midfield and at CHF, almost like a resting ruckman. When he was in the midfield, White was the main target, whilst small forwards such as McGlynn stepped up. Also, injuries to midfielders McVeigh and Smith could see Goodes spend more time on ball - the role given to Bolton on a HFF also opens up another spot. So, in summary, I do like his chances of spending at least 50% of game time on the ball - seemingly enough to see him clock up the ton.

Despite two big games in a row, Goodes could still be a bit of a risk, but I think that because of the large amount of potential he offers, he is worth the price tag. As I stated earlier, his form at least hasn’t been shocking as a forward, but as a midfielder he would certainly be much more valuable. It has been a year of poor, inconsistent forward options, so hopefully Goodes can offer a reprieve to plenty of stressed coaches in the latter parts of the season. His price is on the up, so now is as good a time as any to pounce!

Key Stats 2010:

Kick : handball ratio - 2.2 : 1

Average Marks per game: 7.4

Average Tackles per game: 2.5

Average Disposals per game: 18.9

Average Goals per game: 1.87

Breakeven: 18

Average Dream Team Points: 93

Price: $383,700(-$51,100)

Nick Riewoldt:

After round two, when Riewoldt kicked seven goals against the Kangaroos, he looked to be the in-form player of the competition and, for the first time in five years, was coming off a complete pre-season and looked a million dollars. Then, as everyone will know, round three saw him tear his hamstring from it’s tendon early in the game, finishing him on 20 points and subsequently putting him out of action for three months and a day, all the way to round 15. He has now played two games, and understandably is still finding his feet after such a long layoff. Fortunately though, Nick is a professional and has returned in very good physical condition, just as he has done, despite injuries, in round one of the past five years. And just like these two games, he has taken some time to adjust his fitness and get to a good pace, then almost like clockwork, three or four games back and he is once again in dominating form. Since injuring his hamstring, Roo has dropped $113,100 from his starting price of over $450,000, now making him a very appealing buy. But can he recapture his form in time for DT finals?

Whilst previous years haven’t seen Nick injure himself quite so severely, he has regularly come into the season underdone - whether it be a pre-season knee injury or shoulder troubles, but he always bounces back very quickly after about 3-4 games of low game time and adjusting to the pace. In 2009, he averaged 78 for the first three games before averaging 106.5 for the rest of the season. In 2008 he averaged 75 for the first five games and 99.4 for the remaining rounds. 2007; 71 for the first four, 99.3 for the remaining. 2006; 86 for the first five and 96.7 for the full season. So going by his history, we should hopefully expect Nick back scoring over 100 in around round 18 - the week before of DT finals. Whilst it is a more significant injury he is returning from, he has at least been able to participate in full training for the past month, meaning he shouldn’t be too far behind the 8-ball, especially considering the amount of work he puts in on the track.

So far, he has played two games and they have both been reasonable -  he has played only around 60% game time in each, meaning  he hasn’t had much of a chance to get much of a rhythm going, and nor has he had much of an opportunity to score much higher than he has. He is presenting well and is still going for the kamikaze marks - his main worry looks to be kicking at goal, but the fact he was confident enough to kick one from 50 metres against the Pies shows that he is winning the mental battle. His game time should begin to ramp up over the next fortnight - normally his game time is around 90%, so he is playing well below his usual TOG, suggesting there is plenty of improvement to come. The Saints also have one of the easiest draws for the rest of the season, meaning he should have many opportunities to rip apart a game - the Saints play Hawthorn this week, then after that it’s Essendon, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne, Richmond and Adelaide - all bottom-eight sides.

There is no doubting that Nick is a risk, but I believe that he has plenty of upside in him. Clearly he is a star player and his best is simply amazing - the query is whether he will return to this sort of form this year. Whilst I believe we won’t see him in the sort of form he started the season in, he does have enough weeks remaining to really make a statement before the Saints embark on their finals series. He will also provide your team with a good dose of x-factor - unlike most of the other high-scoring forwards, Riewoldt won’t be in too many teams. Whilst there will be a large number who jump on him over the next month, it must be remembered that plenty of coaches will be down to their last couple of trades and are probably unlikely to be able to fit him into their squad. He probably carries more risk than any other forward at the moment (Chappy included), but I also believe his upside is well and truly the greatest.

Key Stats 2010:*

Kick : handball ratio - 1.3 : 1

Average Marks per game: 8.5

Average Tackles per game: 2

Average Disposals per game: 17

Average Goals per game: 3.25

Breakeven: 131

Average Dream Team Points: 98.5

Price: $355,000(-$113,100)

*(Stats do not include his round 3 game where he injured his hamstring 20mins in)