Since I’ve already gone through AFL Dream Team 2007 winner Steve Morfesse’s team for 2008, after a suggestion from coggers I guess it makes sense to look at the 2008 Super Coach side of 2007 SC winner Casha. Here’s his starting Casha’s Killers EDT squad:

Backs: Heath Shaw, Andrew McLeod, Lindsay Gilbee, Jake King, Martin Mattner, Brad Symes, Mark Nicoski, Nathan J. Brown, Scott D. Thompson.
Centres: Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes, Nathan Jones, Andrew Swallow, Chance Bateman, Nick Stevens, Bachar Houli, Craig Bird.
Rucks: Justin Koschitzke, Troy Simmonds, Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Hampson.
Forwards: Matthew Pavlich, Nathan G. Brown, Brett Deledio, Alan Didak, Stuart Dew, Nathan Thompson, Leroy Jetta, Cyril Rioli, Kurt Tippett.

This is almost the complete opposite of the Peckin Away team strategy which won DT last year. Where Steve starts five rookies, Casha starts none. Casha spends big on only six premium-priced players, where many others would have 10-12. The fact that Houli starts on his bench only underlines how little Casha values rookies in his structure.

This method requires a huge amount of faith in mid-priced players. Some of them look like genius picks based on round 1 performances, such as Dew, Nathan Thompson, King and Bateman. Others are not so hot, like Swallow, Brown and Didak. His round 1 score was just inside the top 30,000 so he has a lot of ground to make up. It will be interesting to see how many premiums he can manage to trade up to by season’s end… his trade targets will have to deliver in spades!

Those of you who bought the NAB Cup ‘08 AFL Record would have been interested to see an article about Steve Morfesse, winner of the 2007 AFL Dream Team with his Peckin Away squad. Amongst tales of his derring-do were snippets about how he only made one trade before round 8 due to his travelling in Europe, how much he valued his bench and how much research he did before the season. This year, Steve’s Peckin Away team starts as follows:

Backs: Chad Cornes, Joel Bowden, Heath Shaw, Brett Jones, Martin Mattner, Adam Hartlett, Jake Edwards, Scott D. Thompson, Albert Proud.
Centres: Jimmy Bartel, Kane Cornes, Daniel Cross, Nick Stevens, Ricky Dyson, Kieran Jack, Craig Bird, Cale Morton.
Rucks: Dean Cox, Troy Simmonds, Cameron Wood, Matthew Kreuzer.
Forwards: Matthew Pavlich, Nick Riewoldt, Jonathan Brown, Brett Deledio, Jason Porplyzia, Cyril Rioli, Kurt Tippett, Ryan Gamble, Jarryd Morton.

I like this team a lot, especially from a structural point of view. He’s starting five rookies, which is consistent with the high-risk strategy that wins championships. You could point at Dyson, Deledio and Hartlett as poor picks given their round 1 performances, but that’s not the point - the structure is the thing that gets you there. I particularly like how he has spent big on Kornes and Jimmy, in line with his comments in the AFL Record article about how he likes to buy “the absolute best players in the game”. This is where I differ in thinking from those who are on the bandwagons of both Lenny Hayes and Cross due to their prices being slightly deflated compared to their best previous form, as opposed to spending top dollar to get Kane or Jimmy. I have tried to follow Steve’s lead and not pinched pennies with my premiums.

The one big flaw in Steve’s team based on round 1 scores is that too much faith is being placed in mid-priced younger players and not enough in mid-priced older players whose prices are discounted due to recent long-term injuries. Stuart Dew, Brett Burton, Nathan Thompson, Daniel Bradshaw, Tadhg Kennelly, Mark Nicoski… these names are under-represented in elite teams but they all delivered on the Easter weekend. Then again, it’s a long season and those old bones may start creaking again while the young pups are still jumping around. We shall see!

Backs:
Chad Cornes (vc), Joel Bowden, Andrew McLeod, Martin Mattner, Brad Symes, Daniel Bradshaw, Nathan J. Brown.
Scott D. Thompson (e), Albert Proud.

Midfielders:
Adam Goodes (c), Nick Stevens, Bryce Gibbs, Bachar Houli, Travis Tuck, Kieran Jack.
Craig Bird (e), Jarryn Geary.

Rucks
Jeff White, Darren Jolly.
Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Hampson.

Forwards:
Matthew Pavlich, Nick Riewoldt, Brad Johnson, Jonathan Brown, Steve Johnson, Brett Deledio, Stuart Dew.
Kurt Tippett (e), Cyril Rioli.

I’m much happier with this team than my DT team, notwithstanding Gibbs’ round 1 performance. He’s easily replaceable.

For those few of you who had been hanging out to see it, here it is.

Backs:
Chad Cornes (vc), Joel Bowden, Heath Shaw, Brad Symes, Mark Nicoski, Xavier Ellis, Scott D. Thompson.
Lachie Hansen, Albert Proud.

Midfielders:
Kane Cornes (c), Nathan Jones, Nick Stevens, Bryce Gibbs, Travis Tuck, Craig Bird.
Jarryn Geary (e), Cale Morton.

Rucks:
Jeff White, Troy Simmonds.
Cameron Wood, Matthew Kreuzer.

Forwards:
Jonathan Brown, Matthew Pavlich, Nick Riewoldt, Steve Johnson, Brad Johnson, Stuart Dew, Nathan Thompson.
Kurt Tippett (e), Cyril Rioli.

I’m not entirely happy with it. Gibbs has let me down already, albeit he did play in the middle for most of the game which is an improvement over back pocket. Another 50-odd and Gibbs is highly likely to get subbed out before round 3 for whoever looks more like this year’s Matt Priddis. I would have liked more time to go over the rookies who are actually playing in round 1… but that’s a topic for another post.

daniel writes:

i was wondering where i can submit my team for it to be reviewed…it would be greatly appreciated to get some feedback from someone who really knows what they are talking about….

Team: Danz DEEstroyers
Coach: Daniel
Competition: Dream Team
As at round: 5
Ranking: 592
Money Left: $14,800

Backs: Jordan McMahon, Jess Sinclair, Grant Birchall, Darren Milburn, Joel Bowden, Jed Adcock, Justin Koschitzke, Xavier Ellis, David Trotter

Centres: Scott West, Cameron Bruce, Kane Cornes, Sam Mitchell, David Rodan, Joel Selwood, Bryce Gibbs, Richard Hadley

Rucks: Aaron Sandilands, Dean Cox, Ben Hudson, Patrick Ryder

Forwards: Chad Cornes, Matthew Lloyd, Dale Thomas, Angus Monfries, Damon White, Lance Franklin, Alwyn Davey, Tom Hawkins, Aaron Edwards

I like this team! A ranking of 592 is just reward for a team this good. Unlike most teams I’ve seen, Daniel has gone with two premium rucks, which is guaranteed to get a high score from me. Patrick Ryder on the bench is also a good get, I don’t think many people would have picked him as a fantasy sleeper this year. No doubt a lot of that high ranking has been due to solid captain choices, and with West and Kornes in your side you never have to suffer a dud captain’s score.

The only query I’d have on this team is that it’s too top-heavy in the centres, with four premiums and only two rookies, while the forwards are filled with less than impressive mid-tiers. Lloyd has underperformed badly this year and that was predictable given the extent of his injury last year, though in Dan’s defence not many would have predicted that Kevin Sheedy would use Lloyd up the field in a different role. Monfries is too inconsistent to merit a long-term spot. White just doesn’t get enough of the ball to be a decent fantasy player… I’m guessing Dan was taking the chance that he’d step up this season in the early-season absence of Warren Tredrea but that didn’t quite work out.

The big advantage to Dan’s strategy is that there are two golden trade targets coming up in the next couple of weeks. Dan is in an excellent position to buy the aforementioned Tredrea and Nick Riewoldt, probably getting rid of White and Monfries in the process. After that, all he needs is to upgrade Lloyd to a true premium like Matthew Pavlich and he can leave everything but his rookies alone.

-1 for Lloyd and -0.5 for Monfries and White, giving a score of 8/10… which looks rather harsh in retrospect. A solid team that a lot of coaches could learn from. Good luck Dan!

Team: Shermangetti
Coach: Hodges
Competition: Dream Team
As at round: 4
Ranking: 5921
Money Left: $42800

Backs: Heath SHAW, Jed ADCOCK, Lindsay GILBEE, Brendan GODDARD, Grant BIRCHALL, Justin KOSCHITZKE, Xavier ELLIS, Matt RIGGIO

Centres: Daniel KERR, Chris JUDD (C), Nick DAL SANTO, Marc MURPHY, Luke HODGE, Ryan GRIFFEN, Bryce GIBBS, Joel SELWOOD

Rucks: Aaron SANDILANDS, Ben HUDSON, Luke DARCY, Jonathon GRIFFEN

Forwards: Brad JOHNSON, Matthew PAVLICH, Nathan BOCK, Brendan FEVOLA, Lance FRANKLIN, Alwyn DAVEY, Tom HAWKINS, Aaron EDWARDS, Matt CAMPBELL

This is a pretty strong team, as it ought to be if it was decent to start with and has had up to 6 trades to make it flawless. The lack of Joel Bowden and Chad Cornes is good because they have had very slow starts to the year, though Luke Hodge must be giving him the irrits. However, given his ranking of almost 6000 I get the distinct impression that he probably had The Chad and/or J-Bo and has traded them away already.

The only structural flaw I can see is that he is going to have to make up a lot of ground in the forwards to get enough guns. My personal preference is to take your chances on rookies and mid-tier players in the centres, because the depth in all price tiers is far greater there. Are there going to be enough decent rookies to trade Franklin, Davey, Hawkins, Edwards and Campbell down for in weeks 6-12 to get your guns and still leave you with bench cover? I am impressed with Gibbs on the bench, but he really should be in the 22 so that tells me the centres are too top-heavy and short cuts have been taken elsewhere.

I’m going to give this team 8.5/10, with -1 for starting two rookie forwards and -0.5 because that ranking indicates that this team probably sucked pretty hard in rounds 1 and 2. There is a good solid base for growth in the future, so if Hodges can hold off on the trades for a while he should see some good results.

Team: Molly’s No Stars
Coach: Mollyfud.
Competition: Dream Team
As at round: 3.
Ranking: 5349.

Backs: Danny JACOBS, Andrew MCLEOD, Jared BRENNAN, Chad CORNES, Grant BIRCHALL, Joel BOWDEN, Tim BOYLE, Luke MCGUANE, Xavier ELLIS.

Centres: Daniel KERR, Clinton YOUNG, Chris JUDD, Sam MITCHELL, Brad SEWELL, Marc MURPHY, Bryce GIBBS, Chance BATEMAN.

Rucks: Aaron SANDILANDS, Adam PATTISON, Robert CAMPBELL, Brent RENOUF.

Forwards: Scott LUCAS, Matthew PAVLICH, Lance FRANKLIN, Justin KOSCHITZKE, Mark WILLIAMS, Nathan ABLETT, Alwyn DAVEY, Leroy JETTA, Josh KENNEDY.

Alright then. On Brennan, I don’t care whether you had him from the start or you traded him in after his stellar scores in rounds 1 and 2, he’s a dud: -0.5. Another -0.5 for having Boyle in your starting 22. +1 for Sewell though, he’s the sort of unique player who can make a difference. Molly, my friend, WTF were you thinking with your rucks? Campbell has been injured, Pattison is a dud, Renouf is years away from any sort of production. Where are the Crows rucks? -2 for that whole mess, it’s terrible. Your forwards are solid, although I have to give you -2 for your lack of Bock and Adcock.

Everyone, repeat after me: Bock and Adcock are locks. Bock and Adcock are locks. Bock and Adcock are locks. Don’t hock them until they shock you with Barry Crockers, or I’ll dock your flocks on the clock.

Sadly, the total after all of that is a sorry 6/10, one of my lowest scores. Having said that, it’s a long season, good luck mate!

First, let me set out the patent-pending M0nty Fantasy Team Rating System. Like gymnastics, we start with a perfect score of 10. Then, I award negative points for flaws I see in your team. Be warned: no one has yet got a perfect 10. The best anyone got at round 1 was 9.5, and that was one of my fellow EliteDre@mTe@mer league coaches… but more on them later. First, my team. A hint: if you can provide me with exactly the same layout for your team, you greatly improve your chances of me reviewing it.

Team: FanFooty EDT
FanFooty link: FanFooty
Competition: Dream Team
As at round: 1 - 3.
Money left: $87,300 (as at round 3)

Backs: Brendon Goddard, Jed Adcock, Heath Shaw, Joel Bowden, Lindsay Gilbee, Andrew Raines (traded after R1 for Xavier Clarke), Daniel Bell (R2 => Tim Boyle), Xavier Ellis.

Centres: Jordan Lewis, Nathan Foley, Michael Rischitelli, Matt Priddis (R1 => Bryce Gibbs), Shaun Higgins, Nigel Lappin, Beau Muston (R2 => Clinton Young), Lindsay Thomas.

Rucks: Brendon Lade, Dean Cox, Ben Hudson, Jonathan Griffin.

Forwards: Brad Johnson, Chad Cornes, Lance Franklin, Ryan O’Keefe, Justin Koschitzke, Matthew Pavlich, Nathan Bock, Alwyn Davey, Matt Campbell.

I have to bite the bullet and give myself -1 for both Raines and Bell. Raines was the last bloke I picked and I made the cardinal mistake of just getting the most expensive player possible. He’s a defensive stopper, which is usually the opposite of a fantasy stud. Bell is quietly coming good with 82 last week, but his start was woeful and Melbourne isn’t going to win many this year, so if he can’t score consistently when the ball is in the Demons backline then he’s tradebait. The only other iffy picks there are Franklin - who is also coming good, and his worse days are just okay instead of bloody awful like last year - and Lappin, who was risky even before Luke Hodge kicked him into a fantasy nightmare injury scenario. The Priddis trade might prove to have been premature, not because Gibbs isn’t the real deal, but because I could have picked someone else to trade for him… like Lappin. Actually, I’ll go ahead and give myself -0.5 for that, since that was a stupid move.

So 7.5/10 for me. I’m currently ranked far better than I was this time last year, and I’m mid-table in the EDT league, so I’m happy. Now if Lade can just do something about kicking Brogan in the ankle a few times to get more TOG…