Player of the week: Jonathan Brown (155). Fourteen marks and ten goals will do that to your Dream Team score… When you combine this with Brown’s 128 last week against Melbourne, he’s back in devastating 2006 form. His price reflects that: it’s $355k, with a break-even of minus 14.
Honourable mentions: Ben Cousins (140), Luke Ball (155), Kane Cornes (144), Tarkyn Lockyer (142)
Hey, wha’ happened?: Matt Priddis (37). Reckon this is the end of Priddis’ reign as an elite DT player? Hard to gauge, but the early numbers are in and it doesn’t look good. Priddis averages 93 this season (before Saturday night’s game) but Cousins’ return to AFL saw a measly score of 37. That includes six tackles (if you believe ProStats…) However, Peter Everitt can count himself lucky he’s not getting the big boo this week. His score of 28 was even worse, but he’s off the hook due to Priddis’ far higher price.
Other points of interest:
It’s a shorter edition of Talking Points this week, since a hand injury sustained last week makes it hard to type
Aside from Brown’s massive score against the Blues, there were a couple of notable successes (Lappin, Adcock) and some noticeable disappointments (Drummond = 51, Rischitelli = 32). Meanwhile several Carlton players had their best games in a while – Bryce Gibbs’ score of 87 was his highest ever, while Fev’s 97 is his second highest this year. And Heath Scotland’s 102 was his first ton since round 11. Meanwhile, Marc Murphy fell flat with a score of 35.
Cousins starred but other Eagle inclusions also did well against the Swans. Tyson Stenglein scored 88, Ashley Hansen scored 101, and Daniel Kerr scored 90. Chris Judd did well to score 92 (with plenty of tackles to encourage Dream Team coaches that he’ll continue to score well despite a groin injury).
Another return to form this week was Dream Team gun Kane Cornes. Kornes bounced back from some dodgy scores with 144, while Warren Tredrea’s 116 was his first ton of 2007. Will he keep it up or was a once-off? The only black spot for Port Adelaide players was Justin Westhoff and Robert Gray’s form which yielded 45 and 26 points respectively. For the Tigers, Troy Simmonds’ 86 was his best of the year, as he regains match fitness after an ankle injury.
Andrew Mackie, with a classy 134 is the story to take home from Friday night’s match. Gazza Jnr snared a lazy 130, Joel Corey 120 (after a 50-point opening term) and Paul Chapman scoring 117. Jimmy Bartel had 38 touches and scored 117. For those without him, now is the time… But little Joel Selwood - 118 this time, an incredible effort and his fourth ton in ton games (an average of 109 over this period).
For the Doggies it was a bleak night, highlighted only by Tom Williams, who bobbed up with a ton. Scott West scrambled 95 on one leg, while Andrejs Everitt rolled in 77 and looked classy. Aker had a disappointing 60, while a backline favourite, Lindsay Gilbee, scored a paltry 34 after a second quarter injury. Word is he will be sidelined for up to a month. Meanwhile the Coon-dog’s bubble burst when he came up against The Pink Pig, and broke his run of six straight hundreds with only 41.
Tarkyn Lockyer was everywhere against the Dons, scoring 142, while Travis Cloke backed up last weeks 121 with 110 this week. Ireland’s Judd did his nation proud with 86, however the news was not so good for those with Heath Shaw who scored just 53. And it looks like Dane Swan has become an ugly duckling - just 52 this week. He will plunge down into the waters of a price drop soon. But the story of the week comes in the form of everyone’s favourite DT champ, Presti, who blasted back onto the scene with 23. Incredibly, he in now worth 87k (most debutants are 82k!) For the Dons, Damien Peverill led the way with 119, while Adam McPhee was quieter than usual with 60, and Dustin Fletcher returned from his suspension with a ho-hum 70.
Nine Freo players cracked three figures, headed by the popular Matthew Pavlich with a dominating 139. The Purple Haze kicked three and got 125 breaking his run of low scores, and Peter Bell bounced back into form in his 300th match with 129. And Marcus Drum, in his first game for the year, kicked four majors. A prospect next year, perhaps? For Adelaide, Simon Goodwin top scored with 110. Scott Thompson and Andrew McLeod were down a little on the past performances, scoring 82 and 75 respectively. Also disappointing was the talented Stiffy Johncock, who just didn’t stand up on Saturday night and managed a limp 50.
From the Hawk camp, Buddy Love kicked 5.5 on his way to scoring 113, while Grant Birchall scored 110. Let downs came from Jordan Lewis and Shane Crawford who scored 65 and 55 respectively. For the Sainters… whoa! Luke Ball came from nowhere, kicking three goals and scoring a mammoth 154. Leigh Montagna returned in style to form with 143, and Lenny Hayes showed his value with 130. The Volt (109), Nick Dal Santo (105) and Sam Fisher (101) also impressed on a good night for the Saints.
Player of the week: Adam Cooney (150). Cooney is a deserving recipient this week – not only for his dominant performance against the Dons, but also for his last six weeks; before Saturday night, his last five scores were: 107, 122, 103, 122, 107. Farrrk. Sorry, Lenny Hayes (who scored 146) but when you get those sort of numbers for six weeks in a row, you’ll get your medal in the mail. And to think Cooney nearly wasn’t going to play! Did anyone pick him up at $274k after round 7? Let me know.
Honourable mentions: Hayes, Chornes (139), Nick Riewoldt (138), Sam Fisher (130)
Biggest disappointment: Shaun Burgoyne (35). Didn’t see the game, so I’m not sure what happened. Apparently tagged by Adam Selwood, but by Christ there’s no excuse for that kind of a score. 13 possessions – but only four kicks. Less handball more football, Burger!
Other points of interest:
Hard to know which is more disappointing – Chris Judd’s score of 36, or the prospect of more missed matches due to that groin injury. Judd is now worth $331k and falling fast, while several other Eagle team-mates are in the same boat (Quinten Lynch, Michael Braun, Matt Priddis and Beau Waters all face breakevens over 120 next week).
Sam Fisher’s 130 followed up a 129 last week, while other Saints didn’t struggle on Saturday night. They may have won by two points, but their 22 easily outscored the Crows in Dream Team terms. Robert Harvey and Leigh Montagna also did well (122 each) while Kosi bobbed up with 110 – a relief to the thousands of coaches who have him in their teams. For the Crows, Andrew McLeod was the best performer with 117. He’s in form, after a 125 last week, while Scott Thompson is also travelling well. His 106 made it five tons in the last six weeks. Also for the Crows, Jason Torney’s 99 was his highest of this year.
How good is Joel Selwood? His score of 108 against Collingwood propelled him to $329k in price, with a breakeven of 34. It was his third ton in four weeks since coming back into the Cats’ side. Joel Corey (113) was the best Geelong player, while Jimmy Bartel’s score of 81 will result in a price fall to $361k. He’ll drop further, however; his breakeven will be 156 next week. For the Pies, Tarkyn Lockyer (128) and Travis Cloke (121) were the best Dream Team players on the ground; Cloke’s unusually accurate kicking gave him a boost on his usual solid numbers. Dane Swan managed 86 despite battling the Pink Pig, but Anthony Rocca (39) struggled.
While the Cornes brothers scored 263 between them on Saturday night, it was two youngsters who recorded career-highs. Justin Westhoff (99) and Travis Boak (90) both played really well in the Power’s win over West Coast. It wasn’t so good for the Eagles – aside from Judd’s injury (and the 91 point loss) only one player topped 100; Andrew Embley (112). That’s the first time that has happened this year – the Eagles are a notoriously prolific Dream Team side.
The Dogs had a good night on Saturday – as well as Cooney, Brad Johnson and Nathan Eagleton both scored 100s and Jordan McMahon (99) showed he’s back in form. Farren Ray scored his highest of the year (91), and Aker registered 88. Not good news from Lindsay Gilbee (69) and Luke Darcy (53). For the Dons, Damien Peverill (110) top-scored while the form of popular fantasy players Brent Stanton (106) and Scott Lucas (91) will hearten their owners.
Jonathan Brown was back with menace against Melbourne, scoring a wonderful 128; his points always come in style. But he wasn’t the only Lion to have a night out – Luke Power, Jed Adcock, Nigel Lappin, Scott Drummond and Jamie Charman were their top scorers. If you had to nominate who’d be the top six for a game, I reckon I’d go with those six. Simon Black has bottomed out in price; despite scoring just 67, he only slipped 5k and has a breakeven next week of 66. And Jared Brennan is rising fast – his score of 89 means he’s up to $264k with a breakeven of 37.
For the Dees, Brock McLean had his best game for the year with 116, while Chris (A.) Johnson’s 83 was his best since round ten, 2006. Not much other good news – wonder-kid Michael Newton, Monty’s Bubble Boy of the week last week, scored just 14.
I am, like, totally over Peter Everitt and the whole inconsistency thing. 125 against Carlton; that comes after 40, 37 and 70 in the last three weeks. His co-ruck-pilot Darren Jolly scored 87 in the points-fest, which saw Nick Malceski (109), Adam Schneider (107) and Brett Kirk (103) go well. Barry Hall (77) was better than he has been, while Jarrad McVeigh’s score of 80 was one below his career-high. For the Blues, Fev rebounded with 81 while Brad Fisher’s 101 was his second ton of 2007. Heath Scotland scored a useful 90 (but it won’t stop his price sliding) while Andrew Carrazzo disappointed with 64.
Player of the week: Paul Chapman (153). This score included a massive 64-point final quarter – exactly the sort of application Dream Team coaches love to see; as the Bombers’ body count piled up, Chapman was the man who plundered more than any other. If you’re thinking of getting him, move fast; his price is now $362k, and he has a breakeven of just 26
Honourable mentions: Tyson Edwards (152), Scott Thompson (146), Matthew Boyd (146), Domenic Cassisi (140), Kade Simpson (134), Matthew Richardson (127), Dane Swan (126)
Biggest disappointment: Leigh Montagna (48). The little bloke had an off day against the Pies in the wet – 13 touches, one mark. Not cool, especially considering three recent scores of 120+. The impact on his price is already being felt, with an 8k drop to $386k. Beware – next week’s breakeven is 155.
Other points of interest:
- I mentioned the body count above. It is by no means extended to Essendon – Scott West scored 29, Andrew Embley scored 37, Brett Deledio scored 36 and Cameron Bruce was a late withdrawal – all due to injuries. Alwyn Davey’s Dream Team season is over – although his recent good form means his price has risen nicely just before the injury, allowing Dream Teamers to extract maximum value from their cash cow. Not so positive for Ricky Petterd – at least the kid is ok – however, his score of just 4 is not good for his price. The good news is that injuries heal; Chris Judd returned to Dream Team 100 land, causing simultaneous sighs of relief across the nation, and Daniel Kerr also scored a ton for the first time in a while (although may miss through suspension)
- After stunning form all season, some blue-chip guns are starting to sink in price. Kornes is down to $377k this week, with much further left to go; his breakeven is 207. Jimmy Bartel is another with a double-ton breakeven; his scrappy 83 on Friday night showed he’s not injured, but will prove excellent value in coming weeks as his price slumps. He’s currently at $398k. Heath Scotland is the third gun to suffer – he scored just 56 against Melbourne, shooting him down 26k to be at $328k. That’s verrry enticing
- Brock McLean is another on the way down – but he’s nowhere near as attractive, despite a lower price. McLean is at $284k after scoring just 50 against the Blues
- Commentators were widely positive about Barry Hall’s game against Freo on Sunday – where he scored just 51 – and then I read this article this morning saying it’s typical of where he’ll be for the rest of the year. Ouch:
“What we saw from him today is probably what we are going to get from him for the rest of the year,” Roos said… “we will rotate him on and off the ground a fair bit.”
- Xavier Ellis had a good night against the Crows, scoring 81 – his best this year. Shane Crawford also had a good match, scoring 116; it’s his third ton in a row
- Travis Boak out-did Ellis, scoring 88 in his third game for the Power. Boak racked up 23 possessions and eight marks; he’s a ball-winner, all right
- Justin Koschitzke took the field a week after sustaining a two- to three-week hamstring injury, but he needn’t have bothered for Dream Team purposes. A disappointing game yielded just 41 points
Player of the week: Brent Harvey (142). The brother of former junior star, Shane, stepped up in style for Glenn Archer’s 300th match. His 142 points covered all bases; he had wayyy more kicks than handballs (23 to 4), six tackles, ten marks, and two goals. The only thing missing was a hit-out or two, but being 172 cm tall, we’ll forgive him for that.
Honourable mentions: Dane Swan (125), Daniel Giansiracusa (128), Dean Cox (129), Daniel Motlop (131)
Biggest disappointment: Peter Everitt (37). After yours truly predicted him to step up in Hall’s absence, Spida had a shocker against the Cats. His fellow ruckman Darren Jolly wasn’t any better, scoring just 38. With Aaron Sandilands’ late withdrawal, it was a dud week for ruckman. Only Dean Cox, Jamie Charman and Hamish McIntosh managed to score 100s.
Other points of interest:
- Judd and Koschitzke’s injuries were adequately covered by the more popular fill-in choices. Joel Selwood copped a heavy knock against the Swans but still managed a decent 80 (up $18k to $289k now, with a break-even of just 20). And while Koschitzke is both a Forward and Back, Alwyn Davey (98, his highest score ever) and Jesse Smith both pulled their fingers out. Smith’s score of 75 came at the right time; it was his best for six weeks.
- For the Dockers, Aaron Sandilands‘ late withdrawal didn’t mean a thing; youngster Robert Warnock taught Cain Ackland a lesson in the ruck, scoring 82 points to Ackland’s 38. Warnock jumped $32k to $138k - and he’s looking like the best mid-season cash-cow ruckman this year. A big surprise, but I reckon he’s well ahead of Justin Longmuir as Freo’s second ruckman of choice. The only worry is if he starts to get more gametime and pinch points from Sandilands. Other Freo players did well, too; Steven Dodd scored 108, while Dean Solomon’s 116 was his third career DT ton, and his first at the Dockers.
- As many have noted, Fev’s awful score of 44 was much, much worse in Supercoach; he scored just one. Far out, no wonder they dropped him.
- As you’d expect in a 77-point loss, the Blues struggled for good DT numbers. Bryce Gibbs’ score of 18 was his lowest this year, and Jordan Russell’s 51 continues a worrying trend. The 2004 number nine draft pick has only topped 70 twice this season. To put that in perspective, do you want to know who went two picks before him? Another Jordan - Jordan Lewis
- Adam Goodes’ score of 102 was encouraging; it’s his third match in a row over 95
- Another faded gun this season is Adelaide’s Graham Johncock. Johncock sank to below $240k in price not long ago, but his score of 86 against the Eagles was his highest of an injury-interrupted 2007 season. Is he worth getting? Maybe not – there’s plenty of other reasonably priced Backs who are more reliable than Stiffy. However, he is excellent value at $254k
- Mark Ricciuto is one Crow whose DT price is still falling. After scoring 49 against the Eagles, he’s down $28k to $239k. It’ll get worse; his breakeven is 130. Nathan Van Berlo was one Crow who fired, big-time, scoring 110 to rise to $329k
- From the Eagles camp, Adam Hunter scored a career-high 124. Daniel Kerr had a day out, scoring 102 – his highest since round five, causing a price rise to $291k with a breakeven of just 41. Andrew Embley registered 100 (he’s averaging 92 in his five games this season), and another Eagle scored his career high against the Crows; All-Australian Darren Glass, who scored 80
- Good scores all round in the free-flowing, high-possession Hawks-Pies clash. As well as Swan’s 125, Tarkyn Lockyer scored 96, young Martin Clarke scored 85, and Travis Cloke scored 89. The only real mis-fire was Scott Burns, who had his second bad week in a row to score 57. From the Hawks, Ben McGlynn scored a great 115, while Grant Birchall and Jordan Lewis both showed a return to DT form, scoring 85 and 84 respectively. Another one worth pointing out; Shane Crawford had a day out, scoring 102. He’s still quite cheap at $319k…- All the talk this week will surround the competition’s two top players, Kane Cornes and Jimmy Bartel, who scored 61 and 43 this week. That will hurt a lot of teams, since (especially with Judd out) those players are popular captain choices. Bartel was injured, but could be back this week – but Cornes had a shocker. It was his lowest since round six last year (against Adelaide) and should see him fall roughly $19k to $411k. He will drop even further in coming weeks, as will Bartel. When you’re over $450k, you need stunning scores just to hold your price, and that 43 will see him almost certainly plummet to under $400k within a few matches.
- Essendon’s two goalkickers, Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas, did well against Melbourne on Friday night. Their combined 229 points was the highest aggregate score since round one last year. However, despite Lucas’ excellent score of 119, he will still fall slightly after some underwhelming recent performances.
- It wasn’t all good for the Dons – several young midfielders had a terrible night. Brent Stanton had 63, Jobe Watson scored 60 and Jason Winderlich registered 59. Against that, Alwyn Davey had his best Dream Team match ever, scoring 98 while Jason Laycock covered for the suspended David Hille with a career-high score of 94
- For the Dees, Cameron Bruce and James McDonald led the scoring with 103 and 97 respectively. Brock McLean looks set for a price fall after scoring 68; he should fall around $15k to $313k – and his break-even will be around 149
- Brett Kirk continued his stellar form for the Swans in their loss to Geelong. He’s now averaging 119 over the last four weeks, after scoring 128 against the Cats. If you picked him up at $305k a few weeks ago, you’re laughing
- Meanwhile, Geelong captain Tom Harley scored 47; that is exactly his average after five games in a disappointing season so far
- Daniel Motlop’s score of 131 against the Brisbane Lions was just his second DT hundred – the other was in 2004 – and it was a stylish one. Aside from Kane Cornes’ dud night, other Power players did well; The Chad scored 129, while the Burgoyne brothers both topped the ton. Peter scored 105, and Shaun scored 101, his second DT hundred this year. Unfortunately for Brendan Lade fans, the big bloke scored just 46 and will slump to $274k this week, with a break-even of 174
- Justin Westhoff scored just 55 despite kicking three goals (and probably winning this week’s Rising Star nomination), while fellow first-year forward Robert Gray had a disappointing 36. Westhoff is now up to $177k, having risen $41k, while Gray is now at $150k. Who’ll be most expensive at season’s end – anyone want to bet?
For the Lions, all of the big guns fired – bar one. While Nigel Lappin scored 129 (his highest of the year), Luke Power scored 120 and Josh Drummond (118), Jamie Charman (106) and Jonathan Brown (106) did not disappoint. However, Simon Black scored a miserable 49 – which will see him fall around $25k to under $260k. His break-even will be over 150 next week, so he’ll fall even further
Player of the week: Luke Hodge (149). Hodge racked up his fairly massive score two Fridays ago, in the first match of round 12 against the Blues, and it ended up being the highest of the round. From memory, he scored something like 60 points in the last quarter, showing a dead-rubber dedication that Ricky Ponting would be proud of.
Honourable mentions: Brad Sewell (143), Gary Ablett (139), Domenic Cassissi (133)
Biggest disappointment: Brendan Fevola (38). The biggest dud also came in the first game of the round, as Fev struggled against a smooth Hawks midfield machine. He’s now down to $237k, and will drop further since his breakeven is 102.
Other points of interest:
Barry Hall was very lucky not to end up with a Fev-like score this week; his total of 66 included around 40 points in the last quarter. It’s hard to judge where Hall is at - I can’t question his endeavour, but he’s spilling easy marks… all the time… Then again, the Swans midfield wasn’t in great touch on Saturday night.
- The good news is that if you’re willing to jump, there are several good replacements for Hall. Scott Lucas is cheap, Jonathan Brown is cheap, and Nathan G Brown looks in sharp nick, scoring a classy 88 in his first game back from injury.
- Other Tigers also had a good night in the win over Melbourne - Jake King scored his sixth +80 in a row, while Matthew Richardson top-scored with 128 (a great effort considering he kicked twice as many behinds as goals). Graeme Polak scored 117 - his second ton in a row, and third in the past four games - but Kane Johnson had a dud match, scoring just 60.
- For the Dees, it wasn’t as pretty. Jeff White knocked up 124 - nudging out Cox as the highest-scoring ruck for the round - but Cameron Bruce scored just 79, and James McDonald only 73. Brad Green registered 62, while hard nuts Brock McLean and Nathan Jones fared worst of all, scoring 50 and 48 respectively. Byron Pickett had a lowly 40 on his return to AFL, and Adem Yze had 17, which was affected by an injury that should keep him sidelined for a few weeks. One bright spark was Paul Johnson, who looked ok in gathering 74, his highest score ever. Johnson has good agility for a big bloke, and is one I’m thinking about for Dream Team 2008.
- Surprisingly, the Magpies’ midfield had a bad night (similar to the Demons) but ended up winning… Dane Swan scored 65, which means his price will slump and he’ll be in hot demand, while Scott Burns scored 66 and Tarkyn Lockyer scored 72. Josh Fraser scored 40, while Brett Kirk cleaned up with 116 and Adam Goodes ran back into some form, scoring 93 - his second-best score this season.
- The rumble in the West produced some big scores - Justin Koschitzke registered 113, his highest since round 17, 2005. Another to score well (relatively…) was Raphael Clarke, who racked up 77 - his highest since round 5, 2005. His brother Xavier scored just 38. Daniel Kerr and Matt Priddis both enjoyed more opportunity through Judd’
- Other points of interest were highlighted last week
Please note: there is no ‘Player of the Week’ and ‘Biggest Disappointment’ declarations this week – I’ll do them next week once all eight games have been played. We’re all about equality here at FanFooty!
Points of interest:
Warren Tredrea’s great game against Essendon was either a long time coming or a flash in the pan, depending on who you talk to. Tredrea scored 88, but luckily his previous shocking form meant he only rose 8k, to $194k which means he’s still as cheap as chips. However, his breakeven is just 19 which means significant rises are only a few goals away. Port have the Lions next – is Tredrea a good bet at this price? That’s the hot question of the moment.
Joel Selwood continued his excellent debut season, scoring a career-high 121 against
Brisbane. The wet conditions suited the midfielder, and it’s interesting to note that he now has an identical average to that of Marc Murphy during both their first eight games. Considering all the hype about Murphy last year, Selwood is doing very well and probably not attracting the same fanfare. Owners of Gary Ablett will be pleased – he scored about 50 final-quarter points for a match total of 139, pipping Jimmy Bartel who pulled another hundred out with 129. The news wasn’t so good for other Cats players – Cameron Ling scored 69, Andrew Mackie registered 71, Corey Enright scored just 39, and young gun Kane Tenace had a disappointing 58.
Getting back to Bartel – personally, I think he’s topped out in price right now (which is a dangerous thing to say…) He’s up 11k to $456k, but his breakeven next week is 117. That’s after recent scores of 111 (Port), 150 (Saints), 117 (Crows) and now 129. He’s topped out. Kane Cornes is probably another who’s close to a price plateau; his breakeven is 121.
While those to are at the top of the rollercoaster, several other good midfielders are on their way down-town. Simon Black scored just 53 against the Cats, and is now priced at $312k with a breakeven of 155 – he’ll probably end up about $280k in two weeks. Jordan Lewis scored 67 – his third disappointing week in a row – while Mark Ricciuto scored 39 against the Kangaroos, meaning he slipped 27k. He’s now $267k with a breakeven of 160.
It’s not just midfielders who are feeling the damage. Scott Lucas fell nearly 30k to be $302k, (breakeven: 144) and teammate Matthew Lloyd is down to $288k with a breakeven of 130. Jonathan Brown is now $310k with a breakeven of 126 (he scored 64 against the Cats), and Brendan Fevola’s measly 38 against Hawthorn means he is down to just $237k, with a breakeven of over 118. Oh dear.
One final point: Adam Cooney did well in Daniel Cross’ absence, scoring 103 against the Fremantle midfield. It was Cooney’s second ton in a row – the first time he’s done that since round 10 & 11 two years ago. Could he be about to explode? He’s good value at $323k but has a breakeven of just 13… Discuss.
Player of the week: Brian Harris (161). Love it, love it. You may have seen Harris and Dale Morris kick to each other for about two minutes straight on Saturday night, as the Lions flooded the Bulldogs attack forcing the Dogs to keep possession in the backline. It continued throughout the night, and Harris racked up 25 marks (farrrrk) to go with his 27 possessions… It’s the perfect Dream Team match.
Honourable mentions: Scott Thompson (143), Peter Bell (134)
Biggest disappointment: Anthony Rocca (0). When a registers a low score that’s due to injury, such Simon Goodwin’s 10, that’s forgivable. But Rocca was not injured, and spent almost all of the match trying to outwrestle Ben Holland in marking contests – and failing miserably. He gave away far too many free kicks, thus cutting away the scores he gained through a few measly possessions, and ended up with one of the most disappointing totals I’ve heard of in a while. I feel sorry for those who have him in their teams.
Honourable mentions: This week’s 30 was even lower than last week’s score of 36, and Barry Hall would have got this title any other week. On the topic, Luke McPharlin’s magic has well and truly disappeared. After scoring 150 three weeks ago, he’s since registered 28 and now 19. Not cool.
Other points of interest:
Several players look to be on the rise in price, and are good upgrade targets. Heading the list is Ben Johnson (a star in Dream Team last year), whose score of 117 points to big things to come. He’s still under $300k. Jamie Charman appears to be running into some form, playing his two best games by far in recent matches. He scored 92 on the weekend. Team-mate Nigel Lappin (another former DT star) is still relatively cheap at $317k, while Freo’s Michael Johnson is another who’s just under $300k. M.Johnson also topped 100 on the weekend, scoring 108. Adelaide’s Scott Thompson looks a good price at $331k, particularly with Goodwin getting injured.
Why does Glenn Archer love St Kilda? Archer’s score of 100 was his highest since round 9 last year – also against the Saints – when he scored 115.
Harris wasn’t the only Bulldog to have a night out against the Lions. 10 Bulldogs topped 100 – a massive total – including youngsters Tom Williams and Jarrod Harbrow. It was Williams’ second game, after he scored just 5 on debut against the Tigers in round four. His average is now 54, after he scored 103 on the weekend. Matthew Boyd, with 138, and Adam Cooney’s 122 were other brilliant Dog scores.
Dustin Fletcher continued his brilliant run so far this year, scoring 130 on Friday night against the Eagles. In the other Bomber results, James Hird scored 116, taking his average this season to 92 – the highest it’s been since his Brownlow year in 1996. Brent Stanton’s injury-affected 46 combined with an ankle recovery will cut away his price in the coming weeks, and I reckon Alwyn Davey has reached his highest price. Davey played well but only scored 50, and dropped $12k to $203k. His break-even next week is 87.
Wasn’t all bad news for the Swans – several big guns fired on the weekend. Nick Malceski racked up another 130+ score, while Brett Kirk racked up 110 points, his second ton in a row. At around $320, he’s worth considering if you’re chasing a centre.
Of Luke Hodge’s 93 that he scored against the Swans, 48 points came through 12 tackles.
One centre some will be looking to offload is Paul Hasleby. The Purple Haze scored just 37 against Richmond, continuing his inconsistent form this year after he scored just 29 in Brisbane. Another who may be off-loaded is Jordan Lewis, whose 56 points follows a 60 last week. Lewis is having a mid-season rough patch, and his low scores will drag his price down in coming weeks. Those who do have him may be considering selling him. For those who don’t, he may be a tempting upgrade once his price bottoms out.
There are several cheap player whose prices do look to have bottomed out. Travis Johnstone is down $26k to $280k, while Heath Shaw has dropped $20k to be $246k, despite scoring 98. Graeme Johncock is down to $237k, while Simon Black has fallen to $345k with further drops to come. David Wirrpanda is now a cheaper back than Shaw at $243k, and another WA player, Brett Peake, drops $19k to be $227k. Peake has struggled with injury but will find form later this season. He’s good value for that price.
One final word: Jimmy Bartel scored yet another ton (this time it’s 117), to rise $4k to $446k. Incredible.
Player of the week: How can you go past Matt Priddis – who scored 166 against the Kangaroos on Saturday. Priddis racked up 40 disposals (nice…) but went the extra mile to register a massive 10 tackles as well, guaranteeing a fantastic fantasy score. I think it’s the highest score we’ve seen this year – knocking off Scott West’s efforts a few weeks ago – but I’m happy to be corrected on that.
Honourable mentions: In any other week, these guys may have taken out the award… Jimmy Bartel (no surprises there, with 150), Dean Cox (150, his highest score ever), Brad Green (162), Dane Swan (150), Andrew Carrazzo (139)
Biggest disappointment: Crash… Back to earth for Leigh Fisher and Luke McPharlin, after each scored 145+ recently. Fisher scored just eight after twinging his hamstring, while McPharlin scored 28. He still went up in price due to a 150 last week, but that kind of inconsistency can kill a Dream Team’s potency. Due to Fisher’s injured status, McPharlin ‘wins’ it this week.
Honourable mentions: Barry Hall (36), Nick Dal Santo (43), Daniel Harris (26), Heath Shaw (nine, but he was injured too)
Other points of interest:
Heath Shaw’s bad, bad score of nine was injury-affected, but it means he’s looking like a brilliant upgrade target in a few weeks’ time. For one thing, it’s worth waiting until he’s over that corkie, but for another reason his break-even price is 198. In other words, that price of $267k will sink to about $230k over the next couple of weeks – unless, of course, he plays a blinder or two…
It wasn’t just Cox who registered a personal best this weekend. Ted Richards also managed one, scoring 89 against his old club on Saturday night. It wasn’t a great night for the guns, though – as well as Hall’s shocker, Scott Lucas managed just 57, and Adam Goodes had a miserable 47.
Nigel Lappin had another good game on the weekend against
Richmond, scoring 114. Easy to remember now why he was such a Dream Team gun a few years ago – I can remember him consistently outscoring Voss, Black, and Akermanis all in their prime. Lappin is now $288k with a bullet, after rising nearly $30k this weekend, and is set to rise up around $20k after the next match.
Lappin’s former team-mate, Jason Akermanis, scored a miserable 65 against
Carlton. This week is the rematch against the Lions, and Aker needs a big one to kick-start his season. He’s cheap at the moment, but these bad games are not making him an attractive proposition.
The Cornes brothers scored 250 between them – 128 to
Chad, and 122 to Kane, who is fast approaching a West-like price. Kane is now on $411k, having risen $14k, and has a break-even of just 54 next week.
Chad’s breakeven is 51, making him also a good immediate get.
Warren Tredrea, meanwhile, continued his disappointing run, scoring 43. He’s dropped another $15k to be worth under 200 now, and further falls are likely with a break-even of 81. He has reached that once this year (against St Kilda) but apart from that there’s only one other score above 60 this year. When will it stop, Wozza?
In his first game for the year, Carlton’s Jordan Bannister had a ripper, scoring 104. Won’t keep up though.
Chris Judd had a slightly down week, scoring 83. This means his price will slide slightly over the next week or two (he’s worth $385k at the moment), with a break-even of 136 next week. Another elite player in Scott West is also in for a drop; those sky-high scores of earlier this year are not to be seen lately. West is now worth $365k, and has a break-even of 144 next week.
In the Crows’ perspective, there’s a few likely types falling away in price. Andrew McLeod, Scott Thompson and Graeme Johncock are all well down this week and the price slashing won’t stop there. Keep them all in mind.
Clint Bizzell didn’t back up his good form from last week, scoring just 26. From what I can tell, Bizzell is playing as a stopper rather than an attacking half-back, which isn’t good for guaranteed points – even if he is as cheap as chips.
Matthew Pavlich’s timely return to form coincided just as yours truly took him off captain duties… But I have no problems with him scoring 144. His break-even is nine means further price rises are a certainty.
Player of the week: Luke McPharlin (150)
No-one could top McPharlin’s Friday night game, where he pulled in a whopping amount of marks (from memory, around 20). I didn’t watch the game, and can’t give much context to McPharlin’s score except I haven’t seen him name in a single best players list so far. This means his dead-set excellent fantasy score is even better. Honourable mentions: Tarkyn Lockyer (150), Kane Cornes (142), Cameron Bruce (135), Stephen Gilham (121), Scott Lucas (138)
Biggest disappointment: Heath Shaw (46). From what I have heard, Shaw was tagged off half-back on Saturday night as the Lions sought to shut him out of it. It clearly worked – Shaw had a massive downer, and will sink in price over the coming weeks. Honourable mentions in this category go to Sam Mitchell (48), Lance Franklin (27), and Scott West, whose score of 65 is comparable in drop to every other one mentioned here.
Other points of interest:
Adam Goodes had a pretty convincing return to form against the Bulldogs, scoring 110, which will see his price rise to around $272k. That’s still a verrrry reasonable price for someone of his talent. Peter Everitt also had a return to form, scoring 91, although that may be due to the Dogs’ ruck division which was totally outclassed
Scott Pendlebury popped up with another 84, keeping up a super-consistent season. His lowest score so far has been 70-odd – that’s fantastic
Jimmy Bartel registered a very respectable 111, but it could have been far better after he was on 72 at half-time. It was a similar story everywhere across the ground – the Cats were ripping it til half-time and then faded somewhat. Matthew Stokes did really well with 94 (including seven tackles, which fantasy coaches love), and for Port Nathan Krakouer bagged 75 – his best game to date. Shaun Burgoyne, meanwhile, got 87 which is his best game in four weeks. He’s now marginally more expensive than Goodes, which is still ultra-cheap. Get on him
Brock McLean got an even hundred in his return to AFL for the Demons, an excellent effort in his first game back from injury. Ricky Petterd, meanwhile, got 55 which is his lowest score in four games so far. His price will still rise some, though
Shaun Higgins scored 18 the week after being nominated for the Rising Star award. Crash…
Kent Kingsley nabbed a so-so 60 points in his first AFL game, which is about what you could reasonably expect from the King. Any takers here? I think not…
Fev scored 58 in a very low-scoring game on Saturday afternoon. Nathan Basset, take a bow. Nick Dal Santo, the night before, scored 81 but it won’t stop his price falling away to $333k, which is pretty tempting if not for the cheaper players (Goodes, S. Burgoyne).
Sam Gilbert registered his second 90+ in a row, which means he has to score –73 next week to stay at the same price. This kid is looking fantastic – did anyone predict it? Any bets on how long it will last? For me, hmmm, not that long.
Finally, Kane Tenace scored 94 in the Cats’ win over Port Adelaide, which is his highest score ever. Now, this dude looks a bit ominous. He’s always been talented, but finally looks to have sorted out his kicking, and the results are showing. He racked up huge numbers in the VFL for a few weeks in a row earlier this year, and he may be just about to really turn the corner in AFL as well
Player of the week: Leigh Fisher. Take a bow, Fish. Your half-time score of 104 was good enough, but you followed up to finish with 147 points, in a quality Dream Team display that will have every one of your owners bursting with happiness. You may have infuriated every single fan at the MCG, but it was a perfect DT game: Plenty of stats (18 marks, every single one uncontested) and no impact so the opposition doesn’t worry about shutting you down. The only down side is your final quarter, which netted just five points, as you only registered a kick and a handball.
Biggest disappointment: The Sydney - Port Adelaide game. Too many guns scored poorly in this game, so I’m giving this title to the whole bloody match instead. Consider this: Chad Cornes = 38. Ryan O’Keefe = 37. Danyle Pearce = 48. Adam Goodes = 65 (not as bad as some of his scores this year, but still bad). Shaun Burgoyne and Steven Salopek = 55 each. Brendon Lade = 46. Warren Tredrea = 33 (I know he’s injured, but 33 is a shocker). And to top it off, the normally reliable Brett Kirk got 31. Yup folks, that match was a piss-poor one for pretty much every DT coach. The only respite came through the genuine guns of Kane Cornes, Nick Malceski, and Tadhg Kennelly, who all scored decently.
Other points of interest:
- Richmond’s young ruck/forward Adam Pattison helped himself to 107 points in their honourable Friday night loss to Adelaide. Patto has been much maligned, but there’s no way Plough will drop him from now on, and he does actually have some considerable talent for a big bloke. He could well be beginning a mid-season form patch after hitting his gears. Cameron Howat also did well with 96 , and he is a performer who has slipped under the radar of a lot of DT coaches
- The Johnsons – Steve and Michael – both topped the ton in Saturday’s Geelong v Freo match. The forward (Steve) and back (Michael) both have midfield potential, in my opinion, and both are worth careful consideration when you’re going about your upgrade plans over the next few weeks. Steve is better value, although Mick has more potential for consistently big scores. Keep an eye on this blog in the coming days for more
- Another worth watching is Kane Tenace, who recorded 79. Tenace has been in blistering form in the VFL, but as we all know that doesn’t always translate well into the big league. There have always been doubts about his kicking, but if he can keep racking up numbers like that consistently, not a single DT coach will care
- Andrew Carrazzo kept up his steady form, scoring 115 in the Blues’ loss to the Roos. Meanwhile, Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell both didn’t disgrace themselves for North Melbourne, with Thomas scoring 78 in his return from injury, and Campbell getting 65 after a single-figure game last week against Essendon
- Leon Davis snared a surprising 92, which was his best game since round eight last year. Just don’t expect the same situation next week – small forwards, like Davis, are notoriously unreliable
- At the other end of the scale, Dane Swan had a bad day by his standards, collecting just 76 against the Bulldogs. Swan is a proven DT performer, and his sky-high price will plummet as a result of that, so keep him in mind. Daniel Kerr’s price should also fall (even if it was his best game in four weeks), although you should not do anything about drafting him in until the tribunal has sorted through its paperwork after his clash with Cameron Bruce
- Jared Brennan scored his third under-30 game for the year, to go with his two 100+ efforts. This bloke is the most inconsistent DT player going around – and I’m happy to debate that with anyone
- Adam Campbell, from Fremantle, scored just 16, a week after kicking four goals against Hawthorn
- Young Queenslander Sam Gilbert, for the Saints, was a good player on Saturday night, racking up 95 points. Another banana-bender, the highly-rated David Armitage, looked composed out in the middle although didn’t win a heap of ball in his debut game. Armitage scored 46
