The absences of a few key rookie-priced bench favourites are today’s big fantasy news items.
Turns out this year we didn’t have to worry at all about the VirtualSports servers. You want to know why? Because they’re not hosted by Telstra this year, that’s why. The VirtualSports techies have taken a leaf out of the FanFooty playbook – though admittedly we were copying others – and paid for a server or three hosted in the US for much cheaper than you can buy equivalent bandwidth and hardware in Australia. It’s not rocket science from a technical standpoint, but I applaud Peter and the boys at VS for managing to convince Telstra to let them go. In hindsight it has been an even better decision because the AFL servers have all crashed, even without the DT/SC traffic.
Tom Rockliff and James Podsiadly are the names that fantasy coaches have on their lips. In some way the decisions can be put off until tomorrow, unless you want to take a chance on Relton Roberts this evening. Elsewhere fantasy coaches got what they wanted, for the most part – Brodie Moles (on an extended bench), Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, Ben Howlett, Lewis Jetta, Luke Shuey, Ryan Bastinac, and of course the top four draft picks. No Kyle Hardingham or Jordan Lisle, but ins for James Strauss and Carl Peterson, not to mention a player nobody has talked about in Matt Suckling. In fact, the issue this year is an embarrassment of riches at most positions.
What did you take out of today’s news?
edsters77
March 25, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Monty I am tossing up between JKT, Bastinac and Shuey 8th mid.. what are your thoughts
koray
March 25, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Monty congradulations on your pre-season, you have delivered valuable insight on fantasy coaching, and i am sure all who visit this site appreciate the work you put in. If you lived nearby i would of given you a hug.
HintT
March 25, 2010 at 6:18 pm
for/four. 😉
You are right though, loads of options in the midfield to pick from.
Rojo
March 25, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Would love to have Suckling in my team, and I considered him for a while, but he just doesn’t seem to be guaranteed many games.
Any Hawks supporters think he’ll get an extended run in the first 8-10 rounds?
abstracts
March 25, 2010 at 6:28 pm
@ edsters77
I have the same problem in both dt and sc
in sc i have gone JKT and bastinac because the Av. better in nab
but in dt i have gone JKT ( mainly cus of salary cap) and shuey cus i think shuey will play every game where im just not as sure with bastinac….
would love you opinion though molly my man 😀
Great pre-season work, has helped me and plenty of others alot :D:D:D
harry-O
March 25, 2010 at 6:35 pm
JKT is a ball magnet and will pick up alot of cheap possesions!
has been doing it for a while in the WAFL
edsters77
March 25, 2010 at 6:39 pm
JKT it is in SC then.. Thanks lads
evo666
March 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm
My first year on the site monty, thanks heaps for your work over the preseason.
Looks like i’ll be able to avoid the dreaded doughnut for at least round 1!
flagpies
March 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm
whats the story with the lock out ?? does it open up again tomorrow ?
Arky
March 25, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Yep, the forward rookies turned out to be where all the problems are.
Out: Pods, Rockliff, Campbell
In: Gumby, Andrew Moore (yes, I know Hitchcock is the allegedly smart choice, but Moore is my Whitecross choice for this year, plus if I bring in Waite at some stage he could be handy) and Wright.
I may reverse the Campbell-Wright choice if Campbell is OK, but the rumors have me freaked, especially since Campbell was not named on the ground.
I also sacked up, went back to the 6 mid rookies plan and brought back Heath Shaw in the backs instead of Boak in the mids.
m0nty
March 25, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Yes, thanks also to all you commenters for adding to the site as well, it would be a much poorer place without you guys.
stuartfaz
March 25, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Hey m0nty,
As a Hawthorn man, what do you think about Suckling? I’ve had my eye on him as an alternative for Hunt and he’s intriguing.
Pravis
March 25, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Hey mOnty,
Yeah im going to be going with the players with the most job security, which means im going to have to review my side to spend a little more getting scully in. 🙁
Arky
March 26, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Interesting with the final North squad, and Grima missing. I always thought Thompson/Grima/Hansen/Firrito was one tall defender too many. Appears that Scott has agreed, decided that Hansen deserves first crack at CHB (which I still think is the only position Hansen can play, but he’s a potential A-grader there), Firrito first choice as the rebounding 3rd tall, and Grima bounced out.
One would have to say that also means he’s not planning on playing Hansen forward (thank God).
Either Scott really is going to rotate his ruckmen through the tall forward slots, or I guess it’s a mosquito fleet forward line surrounding Hale. Scott has packed his bench with running attacking smalls…even Ross (which is going to be surprising the heck out of BigFooty right about now). It should be fun to watch, if nothing else. Very Western Bulldogs.
marky
March 31, 2010 at 10:17 am
monty….your team is dud….i have plenty of time on my hands, if the doggies boys wernt sick my 2,342 points would of been greater also mitch clark bent me over, so i put sandy in this week, with the dogs, pies playing this years 2 bottom sides im hoping for a 2600 this weekend….