my team looks great with this system, well done m0nty

disturbingly similar to my current team.

Last year I went with the theory that Fwds and Rucks needed to be older and established (bar spot purchases such as Hudson). I went young in the middle and managed to start with Joel Selwood, Pendles, Winderlich, Foley, Gibbs, Nlappin off the topo of my head.

I liek to keep some cash up my sleeve and take some risks (working backwards from failures rather than forwards to pick up bolters in the first 2 rounds) this way i “reckon” you win with more of your risks likely to come off through good homework.

This year seems to be the year of durability and depth for mine

Why do you have Symes listed here but then listed as overrated in the previous article?

Point taken on the centres

So there is definetly no merit in selecting more mid range forwards that could play midfield and waiting for premium forwards to drop in value? EG

Dale Thomas
Headland
Delidio
Porplyzia

I am especially interested in thoughts on the injured mid range players coming back
Bradshaw
Hentschel
N Thompson
L Harding

PS Thoughts on Burton, Akermanis, Murphy and Tredrea to improve in 2008

Geeze Monty - you know how to give people the leg up!! I was looking forward to breezing through this years competition and finish undefeated again - but now that my mates have seen this - this is going to be much harder!!

Sandy: Bradshaw won’t play until round 3 or 4. I would want to see Hentschel in action to prove that he’s still able to walk, let alone play. Thommo had a terrible NAB game, barely touched it, I lost all confidence in him. Harding wasn’t a DT player to begin with.

On the other four players you mention, Tredrea is the only one I would consider because his ceiling is higher than the others. I’d want to see some good NAB Challenge reports out of him though.

SJ: I think Symes is over-rated, but there’s no denying that he will improve somewhat. He’s not a lock, as many are saying. He’s one to consider.

I agree with monty - the “grey hairs” aren’t fit yet. A lot of people will grab them but they are slow off the mark.

might be worth trading to make some cash and buying them if they look to go up mid season

Can i get peoples thoughts, and monty’s, on Charlie Gardiner and Aaron Edwards. Both did really well in their respective games. Im just not sure if edwards will ever be adt or sc player that is consistent…As for Gardiner, i always liked him at Geelong, and it seems to me that the Saints have got a great prospect–is he worth having as say, a 7th forward in either dt or sc? Or will he be affected too much by the return of Riewoldt? Maybe even be dropped. On NAB cup performance #1, you’d have to class him as a first team prospect.

Also, looking at the dt and sc structures–what makes you think monty, that your team can grow and potentially win with 4 rookies in your midfield? meaning 2 have to start… I agree there’s talent, but do you think you’re going to generate scores from these guys?

What are your theories on spending? Do you spend your full salary cap, or is it better to keep 100-200K in the bank in case you want to make a trade or two before the Round 3 value adjustment?

sandy. i def think dale thomas is a good acquisition if he is listed as a forward. he’ll play predominantly on the wing i would think and look to increase his 75 avg i would think to around maybe 90ish???!!!!!

Rod: Edwards is not a good pick this year I think, Thompson will limit his potential. Gardiner is going to be fabulous if Roo gets injured, but I’d want to see how he goes with Roo in the side before passing judgment.

Starting 2 rookies in the midfield is an essential part of the EDT strategy. Most of the EDT coaches start off in the first month with pretty poor rankings as they have to wear some relatively low early scores. However, they always roar up the charts in the second month as their cash cows pay off.

kost52: A number of EDT coaches believe in the cash-in-hand strategy. It’s a valid tactic, I think. I don’t know about using it in a trade before round 3 though, maybe hang on to it until one of your cash cows matures.

gday monty.. mate i have the same question as an earlier blogger. mate, what is your theory picking 4 rookies in the midfield?

particularly with two to start during the season? is this a smart or dangerous ploy? what is your theory for this? i have followed your advice.. well simply coz your monty lol but let me and your readers know why you want four rookies in the midfield with two to start….thanks

If you’d started off last year with Joel Selwood and David Rodan in your 22, you would have been laughing ans they delivered consistent 22-worthy scores. I think there are more than enough candidates to be as good as that combo this year among the centre rookies, as I listed above.

cheers monty.. point taken.

so can someone post a picture of their side? ive tried some combinations with this system, always seem to go over the salary

Trying to pick 2 rookies in the midfield who will play is hard enough. Let alone 4 with 2 of them starting.

Point taken though, you have to take the risks to reap the benefits.

I’d feel a bit more comfortable with this approach if I had all the team sheets going in to round 1. Unfortunately we will only see Port, Geelong, Richmond and Carlton’s teams thanks to the Thursday games in round 1.

yeah jesus, i have gone over the cap heaps of times… so to balance it out… i have gone supreme forwards.. with 3 rookies in my forward line…. if that makes sense in reference to monty’s structure.

fair point though 4 mids does seem a great idea.. as long as it comes off.. otherwise, could be a long season

your gonna finish out of the top 10,000 again this year monty giving away info like this. why help newbies like this?

Hey, I finished well inside the top 10000 last year! 67th in SC, in fact. 6000th in DT, but let’s not talk about that…

my apoligys, i thought you finished in 5 figures at the end. still i dont understand why you give info like this out.. surely this is too much help

It’s all part of my secret plan to undermine VirtualSports and take over the industry, Modra93. Don’t tell anyone!

yeah michael ive been moving players around, picking new players etc etc i can never get that right balance that i would like, the problem mostly occurs in the fwd line, after ive finished all other positions

once i pick 5 prem. fwds, ive only got at least 100,000 left, then i get stuck. i follow the structure monty has given us though, so im in a bit of a pickle

What are people’s thoughts on Sandilands? Injured all last year and didnt improve as he threatened to in 2007 but maintained his 70s average. Surely he takes the next step this year and could even be a 90 plus player.

wat a lot of ppl are forgetting that this is only a guideline
its still important u pick ur team and structure so u r comfortable with it
i mean if u copied this team..wheres teh fun?

Just being annoying, but… you’ve got Frankin listed as a Premium price, with Deledio as a mid-price…

However, Deledio is more expensive that Franklin…

yeh sandilands was gonna be a def pick for me but im not so sure now…see how he goes for the rest of nab cup. obviously monty doesn’t rate him, not being up there and all.

but in any case i can see myself picking a few players from outside that list. however i do hope my mates dont read this blog!

Michael,

Last year I had rodan, priddis, jselwood, foley, pendlebury, gibbs, winderlich and Nlappin to start with. There is more groth in the midfield in that year. meaning I went hard on premium forwards.

got my best result ever overall - but it may not be the way to go this year. it was risky, but you have 4 trades to eleimante risks that don’t come off before it really matters.

trust me - it works

cheers for your point of view steve… it’s always really interesting getting everyone’s philosophies and points of views about how they go about selecting their teams….

Steve, i noticed you had priddis, rodan and joel selwood…. gee you sure picked the right group there… i suppose really it comes down to picking the absolute right rookies early in the piece for the mid field… otherwise…. up. you know what creek.. Steve, what about the dreamteam structure?? you don’t have to reveal it, im just interested, do people generally take the same principles into that comp as well, ?

I think it comes down to what the year produces. This year the draft looks a bit of a dud for me. top ten draft picks are either injured, not playing at all or punching out people at the Perth Skyshow.

I think there are some good scholarship boys and spot purchases this year that are well tracked in the media.

I still maintan that fwds and rucks needs established bodies and opportunity, but where is the most growth for cheapies - for me it’s the backs and midfield.

More options, less risk that young fwds or rucks. That said there are always spot purchases that may break the rules.

btw - I was lucky enough to start with 10 of the top 11 most improved players in r3… hahaha a lot of luck, but also taking risks and working backwards

michael-
yeah alot of the top 10 draft picks are being groomed ‘long term’ players..which makes it hard for dreamteam

ive been doing dreamteam for about 6 years (never done supercoach) and finished inside the top 5000 everytime bar one, the thing ive noticed is getting ur rookies right
ive always gone with the way of selecting rookies or cheap cash cows (eg rodan) and guns and then upgrading those cash cows for guns
but this year is a bit harder(especially with the rd1 fixture), and i no i wont hesitate to use 2 trades after round 2 to get my rookie selections right

and the most important thing to get right is dont waste trades early, im going to cop a few injuries (eg3-4weeks) this year and have confidence ive got the right rookies to back me up and try and use 10-12 trades for upgrading (5-6upgrades)

steve is absoluetly right, young forwards and rucks are hard, especially rucks. every now and then u get a forward who will spend some time in the midfield which makes it easy, but getting your bench ruckmen right is very very hard, i usually look at the 22-23 yr olds, kreuzer being hte exception this year but he isnt a lock yet for me

pieso8 great to get your contribution…. appreciate you offering your thoughts

You have missed a whole block of quality midfielders that i have about 3 of in my team
the block of 350k to 300k
players like Brent Reilly, Marc Murphy, Brock Mclean, Daniel Wells, Shaun Burgoyne, Nathan Van Berlo, Daniel Harris, Dale Thomas, Brett Deledio, Nathan Jones
Did you just forget these or leave them out on purpose?

that range is kinda like a no-go zone to some as it represents not too much value, even though i think wells and thomas should steps up to around 90 this year but the risk vs the vale doesnt stack up with most of those guys i think.

Listen to ken, Hendo. He speaks the truth.

hendo
i agree with u
due to the salary cap constraints and lack of major major depth in rookies and cash cows sometimes u r forced to pick players around this price range

every now and then about 10% at the most of players around this price range step it up a level and average 10/15pts more then wat u apid for..leaving u with a 85-90average which isnt nething to sneeze at, but very few players do this and a lot of players at this price range drop and drop quickly
i no i have one or 2 players at this price but i would not put 3 players at this price in ur team
y not get N stevens maybe m coughlan or r dyson who are all looking for great seasons and use the additional cash to upgrade one of those 3 to a superstar eg daniel cross or someone 380k
keeping in mind stevens coughlan and dyson mite not score as high as wells etc, they should only be about 10pts behind, saving u ALOT of salary cap u can use elsewhere

ive just had a look at my team and seen i have 2 players in the 300-350price range
being mundy from fremantle and kosi from saints who i believe both should average 10/15pts more then last year
thats it though only 2 in my entire team

Be wary of Mundy mate - great player but is he going to appreciate? (I am a long term Freo member)

Looking at the scores from this week, there are definitely some cash cows out there. I would warn people off getting sucked into scores from games that blew out (e.g. blues v hawks)

my centre line is Goodes, Murphy, Reilly, Stevens, Schammer, Houli, Palmer and Bird
I don’t really see the point in downgrading Reilly to upgrade Murphy to say Cross because i don’t think Cross or any of the other centres are worth 100k more than these 2.
I think i have a fairly good mix of potential and quality with what i have chosen so far
i would expect to gain money from houli palmer bird and schammer
probably keep Goodes for the year and depending on how Reilly and Murphy goes might keep them too

being freo I almost have to get rhys, and I think he will be a jet. “hot dogs” hasleby (as we call him for eating them at half time in his pudgy years) was a tragic loss that may open doors but maybe the saints or dons have bigger holes in their midfield.

no mundy is only temp atm
my team isnt final

hendo-those guys are worth 100k more simploy because their scores are a 100k more valuable to a team
dont fall into the trap of picking 22even players
ur better off picking as many stars as u can (380k ) and ltos of cash cows and upgrading those cash cows for more superstars
ur going to get trapped if u get too many players at this price

agreed pies08 (110%)

there are some premium’s that are likely to do better this year so you want to “squeeze every penny”. so you can try and shave off $40K here and there if you are confident. But there is a reason some premiums are up there every year.

Sometimes you just have to pay the man. It reduces your teams risk profile, and let’s you go for more cash cows with the certainty of points from premo’s

I know most of the posts have been about the midfield but I reckon defence is a key area this year as there are potential big money makers in the back half this year. What’s the injury status of players like goddard, d jacobs and m maguire? Would you touch any of these guys for supercoach, Monty?

chris i only do DT
but i wouldnt touch jacobs and maguire with a 10foot pole simple for the fact that they are both likely to play half the games for the year, a waste of a trade to get them out really
goddard is different corz from memory he broke his collarbone??
he obviously isnt injury proned if thats the case

yeh if goddard gets up and running he’ll be a worthy pick. but, he has missed a lot of footy. i wouldnt expect big things for a while due to that fact. but he did carve up 06 was it? 100 avg or something? might not be worth the risk just sitting on him but im not sure how long hes now out for

no pre-season no selection for mine (general rule with few exceptions)

What do you think of the 150-200k price range
Hawkins, Douglas, Houli, Dew, Barlow, Thompson, Vince, Gumbleton, Bradshaw, Coughlan, Hislop, Dyson, Moran, Jamison, Patfull, Dempster?
i have like 5 in this range

i’d def. get dyson and probably coughlan
im not sure about the rest
ull have to wait to see how they go for the rest of the pre season
but u def. want to get more ppl around this price range and upgrade mid players for superstars

steve do use bigfooty?
my username is frantelle
msg me
Id like to discuss team structure

Monty (or anyone, feel free to chime in)– what makes you list Nicoski as a potential for your back line? He is an interesting one, has been around for a couple of years now–yet is only worth 236k-what makes you think he’s likely to be a cash cow for you?
Secondly–Im a massive fan of Grant Birchall, yet i rarely hear him mentioned in forums or see him listed in potential teams. He played half a match and scored 67 against Carlton…

rod-
birchall doesnt have a huge ceiling
u want to pick players who are consistent but can also get big scores (120 )
that way if they run into a lot of form they can get 120 for a few weeks in a row
as opposed to birchall who if he runs into form mite crack the 100mark a few times
he could be a big improver this year though
keep an eye out for him

I’d say 4 Premium Forwards, not 5.
I’d also say 1 rookie in centres.

Otherwise agree 100%.

Rucks and Backs I have the same… for now

piseo8
goddard had a ruptured ACL, you wouldnt be out for over half the season with a broken collarbone

brett-
sorry wasnt exactly sure wat he had done, for some reason i thought collarbone
i will stay away from him then

I think a lot of people missed the point of this blog. Its the structure that is the point, not who he has listed next to it.

Rod: Nico is priced at an average of 48 but averaged just under 70 in 2005-06. He’s a lock in pretty much every EDT team, I think.

nicoski, or the surgeon as he likes to be called, is a gun but has had absolutely no luck with injuries for the past few years. when fit and confident we’ll play a lot of ball through him off half back but im not convinced of him yet/this year even, plus shannon hurn and brett jones are both looking damaging off HB something that wasnt happening 05/06. my thoughts.

Pick 2 and 3 this year are intriguing me. Cotchin is obviously injured and wont play until at least rd3, the tigers have said they’ll ease him through the season. What are people’s thoughts on him? Pick him up as soon as he’s picked (before his 3rd game)or wait it out for a while? Masten is another who should play (if he stops belting blokes) and will make money, but will he be sidelined until a few weeks into the season? There are other good young players out there.

So Ken, it’s fair to say you rate hurn and jones higher right now? Im looking at Hurns SC average at the moment, it’s around the 67 mark, not sure what his DT average is-but do you rate him as someone who will have the opportunity to improve on this average by around 20-30 points? Is Nicoski fit?

I would be interested to know what everybodies thoughts are on Mark Coughlin from Richmond?

maybe those two will starve the surgeon of posession opportunities. but yeh i definately think theres some value on the eagles half-backline. i had a look at surgeon after that post and did come to the realisation he is dirt cheap actually hahah, a lot cheaper than hurn or jones.

yeh the surgeon is fit now. hurn wont go up that much. not really a massive ball getter. jones on the other hand, may see some appreciation out of him. def no midfield but last year they began using ball through him off HB = good points. i dont think either are gonna hit 90, or 85 for that matter (maybe jones)

i’ll have more concrete things to say by rnd 1! haha

It’s tough isnt it– jones, staker, waters… and now nicoski… west coiast and adelaide definitely have that potential to provide some big cash cows and massive scorers… Porplyzia, reilly, stevens…Particularly porplyzia in SC, only 349k plenty of room to move is he keeps scoring like he did on the weekend. Does anybody know when the DT comp actually opens?

I have drafted my team (although a great deal can happen between now and the start of the season).

The stucture is:

Over $350K 3 forwards, 3 backs, 3 centres
$250-$349K 2 f, 2 b, 1 ruck
$150-$249K 2 f, 1 b, 3 c, 1 r
Under $150 2 f, 3 b, 2 c, 2 r

Thoughts?

I have 5 players under $150K in the midfield but I see this is where the value of players may increase the most. That is a rookie running through the midfield is more likely to score well than a rookie tucked away in the forward pocket.

Sorry that should read 5 players under 250K in the midfield.

prismall? will he play?

monty - just 2 quick points…

where is jimmy bartel in your calculations. i had him from rnd1 last year (and backed him all the way to the brownlow). he made me heaps… he’s a lock.

as for brad symes - i’m a mad power fan, and he was an outside receiver. rumour has it that th crows like him though, so he may get plenty of the ball. port fans happy to see him go - esp to the crows who will come 16th

hi what’s everyones take on justin kozistke this year? is he a lock for a ruck position or even up front? people seem to think he is already in solid form?

shane- i must admit i am very glad to see that u r taking the same approach with me in regards to the midfield, i figure that maybe with all the research ive been doing that maybe two thirds of my gambles on these cheap cash cows will pay off and i will be laughing

i just believe there are way too many bargains to pass up on there possible rise in value

Dew versus Hawkins? Both at same price… Hawkins should get more games this year with Nablett off with the Gods, but will the Hawks ease Dewey in as his fitness improves?

great to see stewie dew back. hot tip out of crowland is sellars is the 1. port fans dont like him, but this kid can flat-out play. one to watch 4 sure guys…

no chapman listed? Forgoteen or is there something we should know? He was the first forward i picked!

One guy who i may take a punt on is Barlow for the Swans.

Just wonder now with Malceski out for at least 8 rounds whether or not he’ll get more opportunity in the middle and maybe with a bit of run out of the back.

I’d like to see how Kennelly looks after his injuries!

This is the spot that is killing me.

I’ll have about 280K to play with if i wish to trafe him but the common Symes, Ellis, Hurn players dont interest me much. Nicoski i was looking at seriously but with his NAB form and Hurn, Bones and Waters down back just seems to many options in that part for WC.

Thoughts

pies08 & Shane, I too am also taking the cheap centre approach and don’t know whether i can back myself in on it, im trying to be unique without being stupid, but my mates and i put some money into the kitty for whoever wins the league and I’d hate to lose it beacause i was trying to be unique but if you can have set rucks fwds and backs and just have a cheap midfield that will grow in value with good cash cows on the bench i think it’s ideal…..i still think u need the marquet (if thats the speeling) player in the centre just to hold it together and take that captaincy role..!

yeah i got one ‘marquee’ player atm
i mean my team is very very preliminary atm but i will more hten likely go along those lines. i believe there is so much value for cheap centres. and the upgrades about rd7-12 and then all of a sudden u have a team full of superstars
i mean last year i upgraded to have a very very very good centre line(not that good to start off with), my backs were good, rucks were ok and forwards had no depth, this way i got depth everywhere and hopefully some cash cow action in the centre to upgrade for ur bartels and k cornes etc etc

pies08

never used bigfooty, normally do most of my decision making outside of forums, but will check it out.

anyone know where butler is at? still not sure who will reap the benefits of a barren WCE midfield

hey

I am now freosteve on BigFooty

There is a delay before I can do stuff.

Hey Monty, as a rookie in the middle, what do you reckon about Geary? He has been close to BOG in the saints first two NAB cup games, and if he is named for round one, he’s in my side.

Pies08 - what is a cash cow??

A midfieler that goes from $250 to $350? Is that enough?

I think I can pick about 4-5 midfielders in this price range that will do this but I think I can also pick 4-5 rookies that may go from $100 to $200.

In your opinion, who do you pick? Probably less risk with the $250 player but the extra $150 saved can go to use??

Geary is already in my side. Lock him in, Jim.

Speaking of Geary, what about armitage? Im looking at a second mid-price midfielder and he seems to be on par, form wise with say a ricky dyson or brent prismall? What your opinion be of all 3 monty?

shane- normally cash cows or prize horses as i like to call em are mega cheap (80k-120/130k,sometimes up to 180k) who u think will over perform wat they are worth. keeping in mind someone worth 80k averaging 55 will skyrocket in price. u want to pick these cheap players and wait for their prices to go up, sell em back down for someone who is a new upcoming prize horse and use the extra money to upgrade someone to a super premium player

steve- i believe butler is still trying to get fitness and match fitness (probably in the wafl) before he returns back to the eagles. i cant imagine he’d play rd 1, maybe around rd 5 he mite be back, but is def. a bargain at his price and wat he is capable of

Pies08 - I probably didnt explain myself properly.

I wanted your opinion on whether a $100k rise is enough?

Eg Peake is priced at $235. I think he will increase in value to about $340ish. Is this enough to warrant picking him - or do I go say, Geary and hope he goes from $80k to $200K?? Less risk with Peake but I save $150k if I buy Geary.

shane-depends y u get peake? normally if u get guys around that price range u rnt going to sell em down and use the money elsewhere
i mean if u think peake will dominate, pick him, but not for the reason to sit in ur reserves all year

youre like the Yoda of DT/SC, monty. Geary = sure $120-150k profit, i reckon, if they play him. and the saints injury record means…they’ll play him.

Looking to join a fanfooty league, if theres anybody out looking for a player please email me the league name and password at rohanlyle@gmail.com thanks

hey monty who else would you regard as a midprice midfielder? i was going to pick griffen but guess he just didn’t do it for me last year

sif selwood isn’t in the premium mids bracket. surely he is.

hi well i think my supercoach beats that.everyone join my league!! the legue code is 932892

Hi Monty, I finished 13th overall in DT in 2006 and won some cash in the Advertisers comp last year, can I get a place in an elitedre@mteAm league? I also agree in most part with ur team structure, but I dont see the talent outside the premiums in the backs. And as a crows fan I’m putting faith in a couple of Adelaide’s mid-range forwards that u havent included.

Nick: contact macca69 on BigFooty, he’s the man.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on Crows forwards.

Jason Porplyzia and Brett Burton have had awesome preseasons. Could see JP averaging 85 in SC and Burton higher. I am generally skeptical about mid-ranges, have 5 in my team, but I’m confident these 2 will produce the goods.

Wots ur opinion on these 2? And i can’t see any reason to play a mid-ranged back, who do you think is the stand out in this area

Hey guys, just wondering what your points of views on these players who I expected to increase in value;
- Mackie
- Ellis
- J.King
- Pearce
- Embley
- Griffen
- Leurnberger
- N.Thompson
- L. Henderson
- Tippet

Mackie - Lock in, still learning the role, and doing it well, knows where the goals are.
Ellis - Interesting choice, make or break year for the highly touted draft pick from the hawks. Should be a good pick.
J.King - One of the best picks last year as he constantly reaped in the points for a lowly priced rookie.
Pearce - Quality midfielder and with the amount of ball the power midfiuelders getting shouldbe a lock in.
Embley - Not sure about him. As placedas a midfielder has to come up agoinst the other quality midfielders, and with the price he is can get players with better value attached to him.
Griffen - Good price, can break a game open but am not tottaly convinved about him.
Leunberger - This is my 3rd ruck as he progressed awesome towards the end of last season and should benefit from becoming Brisbanes number 1 ruckman.
N.Thompson - Good price, good player, lets see how form warrants his selection.
L.Henderson/Tippet - Am not tottaly convined about these two young KP prospects as they always take longer to progress.

Pick the quality Power Forwards and get the lesser small forwards i say.

hey guys just some thoughts on this team would be greatly appreciated thanks
Backs
Shaw, Johncok, Birchall, M.Johnson, Lovett-Murray, Mattner, Nicoski (Urquart, Proud)
Midfield
K.Cornes, Swan, N.Jones, Griffen, Stevens, Peake (Bird, Ebert)
Ruckman
McIntosh, Simmonds, (Hampson, Graham)
Forwards
J.Brown, Lucas, Fevola, Hall, Bock, R.Murphy, Porplyzia (K.Tippett, Rioili)
cheers

ladies my team shits on any of your girls teams:P if you want to know a good siide come speak to me