The West Australian newspaper is reporting tonight that Nick Naitanui will miss up to three months with a fractured knee, severely denting prospects for this debut season and sending fantasy coaches back to the drawing board for their ruck benches. (more…)

It seems being a big bloke down at Carlton is a dangerous occupation. After an early knee scare for the perpetually injured Adam Hartlett a week ago, the papers are full of the news that Robert Warnock turned up to training yesterday in a moon boot and will miss up to two months with stress fractures in his left foot. (more…)

There’s always one AFL footballer each year who enjoys his festive turkey (or turtle) too much. (more…)

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey spoke to the West Australian newspaper yesterday about his preseason selection strategy, which will allegedly be based more around senior players than blooding youth. Then again, you can’t really trust anything the “Worst” reports about the Dockers, given their long-running anti-Freo editorial line. (more…)

Here’s a little proposal. Instead of assuming that you have to have a combination of premiums, mid-prices and maybe a rookie or two in each of the three non-ruck positions for your AFL Dream Team and Super Coach plan team, how about trying a structure where you buy wall to wall starting premiums in your backs, with a few guaranteed rookies on your bench? (more…)

Essendon coach Matthew Knights has told the Sunday Age that he is going to play youngsters Jay Neagle and Scott Gumbleton alongside old stagers Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas in the Bombers forward line this season. Fantasy coaches who are already looking at an embarrassment of riches in the forward rookie choices are going to want to know what this means for their statistics. (more…)

I missed this on the first run through of the forums for the injury report, but apparently new Brisbane coach Michael Voss has let slip that small forward Sam Sheldon has contracted glandular fever and has been sent back to Melbourne to recuperate, with a “best case scenario” of a midyear return to football. Who, you might ask? Well, he was a fantasy smokie that several coaches were keeping their eyes on, especially me! (more…)

Fantasy coaches are always taking risks, and one of the main types of players they take risks on are those whose prices are discounted due to injuries sustained the season before. This makes it vital to keep abreast of injury information, and lists of who is on the dreaded “modified program” at preseason training. Modified programs mean no contact drills and most of the work spent indoors at the gym, with training sessions restricted to some handball work and running laps. So, who’s on the modified programs at each club? (more…)

At the turn of the year most people’s thoughts are of what they had to drink and who they were with the night before (and trying not to think of the cricket ). Fantasy coaches are also starting to think of the new football season, and the mistakes they will never make again with their AFL Dream Team and Super Coach teams. (more…)