I’ll be posting regular tidbits from the Fanplanner leading up to the 2009 fantasy season, with one of the main features being the “structure” posts, where I group together the most popular players in each position according to their price to give you a rough outline of what a generic fantasy team looks like. So let’s drill down into the early December Fanplanner Dream Teams for the latest trends. (more…)

December sunshine signals the first wave of training sessions by AFL clubs, and we all know what that means: fans with digital cameras taking beefcake shots of their favourite players with their shirts off. No, not just that! Dedicated fans write intricately detailed training reports of who’s fit, who’s struggling, who’s in a different role, and who’s hot. Vital fantasy info! (more…)

One of the biggest issues in fantasy footy these days is the angst that the AFL has caused to fantasy coaches with its scheduling, by having a round 1 season opener on a Thursday, bare minutes after the full round 1 teams are announced, causing a massive overload on the servers of fantasy competitions as every man and his dog rejigs his squad based on the selections made by the real clubs. Thus it is vitally important to avoid the 160 minutes of maelstrom prior to the 2009 season by guessing in advance what round 1 teams will be. (more…)

With a lack of free agency and long-term contracts the norm in the AFL, there isn’t nearly as much change from year to year in AFL lists as in other sports like the NFL or NRL. Nevertheless, many old verities in the AFL are changing or look like changing in the near future, many of which will have implications for fantasy coaches. Let’s look at some of them. (more…)

The final AFL drafts for 2008 take place on Tuesday week, with six picks up for grabs in the pre-season draft, and rookie numbers set to expand to as many as eight at some clubs with concessions given as part of the introduction of the Gold Coast team. Fantasy relevance may be limited for some clubs, with others hiding some gems you’ll need to know about. (more…)

Kudos to the Age for daring to report on the speech given by Justin Shaffer, senior vice-president new media for Major League Baseball, last week which referenced the AFL’s exclusive $60 million online content deal with Telstra. This is a topic which needs more background to understand exactly why the AFL has shortchanged online fans for so long. (more…)

One of the things fantasy coaches always look for in national AFL drafts is the mature age player: a player who for whatever reason comes into the league significantly older than the 17 to 18 years of age that is the norm among AFL draftees. Think Darren Pfeiffer from last year’s draft, or Alwyn Davey of a couple of seasons ago. There are a handful of young men who fit the bill this year who should factor into your decisions. (more…)