gutsroy
Brownlow Medallist
Four down, one to go…
It’s been a long, cold winter for most of us, and the majority of us were already over this bye shit before it began.
(To be fair, if you play your cards right, the byes are like moving day… it’s up to you whether we’re talking this type of moving day…
or launching one 350 yards straight down the middle sort of action on the thrid day of The Masters...
But like, love, loathe or … well… loathe them even more… the byes are almost run and won for another year.
Rd 15 is in the rear vision mirror…
and Rd 16 and the promise of a world without byes, a world where we can be free, awaits us.
Whether that future will fulfil its promise or crush us like cockroaches remains to be seen.
But at least after this week we won’t be fighting with one arm tied behind out backs, at least we’ll have the opportunity to die on our feet rather than live on our knees. And that’s all we can ever really ask for in life.
It was, as always, an eventful week in football, be that Fantasy or SC.
Fremantle vs Essendon
The round started off with Fremantle taking care of business against an admittedly gutsy but injury-riddled and outmanned Essendon outfit.
For Fremantle, Luke ‘Dogga’ Jackson got to ruck one out against a very game Vigo Visentini without having to share duties with Sean Darcy. He profited to the tune of 186 SC / 144 AF and rewarded those coaches who spent up big. A very vocal and justifiably self-satisfied group of coaches not only brought him in but went all-in with the VC, and Dogga didn’t let them down.
He wasn’t Robinson Crusoe on the night for the Dockers, with Caleb Serong backing up last week’s strong performance with a 149 SC / 138 SC. In a normal week, that would have been a sensational VC result for those who went there, in this week it ended up feeling a touch like kissing your sister.
Serong - and Andrew Brayshaw (103 SC / 104 AF), who seems to be attracting a little more attention of late, freeing up Serong – also got his groove on. Down back, Luke Ryan (157 SC / 127 AF) repaid the faith of those who bought the dip a while back. He’s not the Luke Ryan of yesteryear, been grazing in far too fair a paddock for that, to be honest, but he dined out on Essendson’s forward entries and forwards’ struggles in defending the ball coming back out.
Jordan Clark also put in a shift, his 133 SC / 119 SC actually feeling slightly unders in SC at least, with those stats in a less one-sided game, he might have gone closer to 150.
Heath Chapman, Matt Johnson, Neil Erasmus and Nathan O’Driscoll working his way back up to speed all had good nights, though none celebrated quite so hard or threatened to break the world land speed record in their celebrations as Patrick ‘Prancing Pony’ Voss.
Never really understood why the Bombers moved him on after he won the goal kicking in the VFL, and he loved having a crack at his old mob. He’s box office, Pat. Might be ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ style box office than ‘Citizen Kane’ at times, but box office nonetheless.
The Dockers in general enjoy a favourable fixture with a good chunk of home games from here on it and will attract attention.
For the Bombers, Jye Caldwell (125 SC, 109 AF) has the clearest role and is in the best form of their mids. He was at his best buying shortly after returning from injury, whether the juice is still worth the squeeze is tougher to say, but he, and they all, are on the bye this week anyway.
Zach Merrett’s role still wasn’t where owners would like to have seen. He scraped together a 92 in SC, a putrid 57 in AF. He could be one to pick up post-bye if the imminent return of several distributors down back comes to pass and you think he hits his stride, but there will be more than a handful of current owners looking to sideways him on his bye this week to an alternative with a more lucrative role. All depends on how you gauge his role moving forward. The reality is that when as an owner in SC you’re relieved that a bloke who can pump out 140’s manages to not shit the bed entirely with a 92, well … things are crook in Tallarook.
Nic Martin was just OK, his 93 SC / 85 AF doing nothing to dispel suspicions that he’s something of a flat tracker. Racks up against weak opposition, less so against top 8 sides.
Darcy Parish is an interesting one. He’s building, his scoring was solid (115 SC. 96 AF), but it is also true that every game he plays brings him one game closer to his next soft tissue. Caveat emptor, but at 473.2k in SC / 895k in AF, if you think he can get back to his best and avoid injury, there might be a play there.
Vigo Visentini acquitted himself manfully and had a crack all night against Jackson one out in the ruck for 71 in SC and 63 in AF, and it will be interesting how the Bombers manage him and equally stoic Methuselah Toddy Goldstein. For a 36-year-old, Goldy has honestly been more than serviceable, though not necessarily SC/AF-relevant.
Another debutant who will attract plenty of interest is Archer May. His prospects are a little hard to predict given that Essendon expect to regain a few post-bye, but a basement-priced kid belting out an 83 SC / 74 AF cannot be ignored. In SC in particular, unless you have special circumstances, you don’t need to rush pre-bubble, especially given there are playing options such as Tom McCarthy, Bo Allan and Sam Butler all vying for attention and good buying (all on the bubble and bye-free in SC).
Angus Clarke bounced back after a bit of a down game last week for 65 SC / 65 AF, Isaac Kako did Isaac Kako things for his fairly standard 40-60 sort of score (57 SC / 52 AF), but in a season where every dollarydoo counts, that’s fine for those who have kept the faith. Zak Johnson struggled to get involved and was barely sighted on the night, his 32 SC / 35 AF reflective of that. All of these can be held to squeeze a little bit more out of them, all can be moved on if you just need that extra piece in trades. Probably Johnson first (imminent return of several defenders), then Clarke, then Kako, who has basically become our teams’ mascot at this stage. Will net you a half a Mars Bars and a box of used golf balls down at Cash Converters either way.
You couldn´t throw in Mental as Anything's Greatest Hits by any chance?
Geelong vs Brisbane:
In a game more notable for Nathan Buckley’s incredible grasp of expected scores and probabilistic masterclass than the quality of play on the night, this game was honestly a fizzer.
Geelong were wasteful, never really clicked and the Lions were never seriously challenged, spoiling Patrick Dangerfield’s party for 350 of the best in the process.
For the Cats, Tom Stewart (118 SC, 85 AF) and Bailey Smith (86 SC, 94 AF) didn’t set the world on fire but were OK. Max Holmes (110 SC, 71 AF) was either typically solid or underwhelming, depending on the format. Not sure he’s relevant in either format, but Tom Atkins was one of the few Catters to put in a four quarter performance and show he was up for the fight.You’d expect nothing less.
Jeremy Cameron had very few opportunities on the night, so his 63 SC / 51 AF were actually him maximizing his potential output. He’ll be up and down, as all KPFs tend to be. Jack Martin had an interesting night, spending some time down back and taking the odd kick-in before spending some time up forward late. His 65 SC / 84 AF were a fair representation of his output. Industrious, always capable of winning a one-on-one, but still learning the Cats’ system and blowing out the cobwebs.
For the Lions, all of whom are on the bye this week, Hugh McLuggage bounced back after a recent somewhat dry spell with 131 SC / 103 AF. In SC in particular, his stats stack up with the very best this year.
Josh Dunkley finally got to just play in the guts and do Josh Dunkley things, yielding a 126 SC / 124 AF. If Fagasauraus Rex would just leave him there, he’d be right up there, but it’s only a matter of time until he’s backing spending half the game cutting oranges on the bench for the good of the team.
Lachie Neale has shown a real susceptibility to run-withs this year, and this was no different, a 72 SC / 68 AF being pretty weak sauce from Choccie / Gollum, depending on how sympathetic you find him. In SC in particular, some wil entertain cutting bait and using his funds to get on a a Bont / Sam Darcy type given the poor rookie crop / stunted cash gen means …
Dayne Zorko, Australian of the Decade and classiest rooster to ever lace them up, belted out a 105 in SC and a stellar 124 in AF. If you’ve got a no dickhead policy in place, swipe left, otherwise he is always worth a look.
Will Ashcroft, one who I honestly think is a bit of a flat tracker on the whole, was possibly the Linos’ best MID on the night, returning to form with a 129 SC / 108 AF. He is probably no longer in too many teams at the moment. His brother Levi also bounced back after some fairly poor recent form, recording a 112 SC / respectable 79 in AF.
On the rookie / near enough to rookie-priced front, Cobra Kai Lohmann was robbed of an absolute speccie, only to repeat the dose a few minutes later anyway. He scored a solid 73 SC / 84 AF, but he is a very unpredictable own this year and honestly could have been facing the axe had the Lions not had two outs in the forward line after barely troubling the scorers in three listless quarters as the sub the week prior. He is one you could consider, but he remains very marginal and up and down.
Will McLachlan scored 24 in SC / 33 in AF. He’s not one that screams pick me, certainly not this week on the bye and with Cal Ah Chee and Darcy Gardiner expected to return.
North Melbourne vs Carlton:
This game might be the one that sees Michael Voss setting up an appointment down at Camberwell Centrelink. It was a game the Blues simply couldn’t afford to lose with a view to keeping their already faint finals hopes alive and they didn’t fire a shot for three quarters before restoring cosmetic respectability in the last. Put out your stubby holders for Snapper from Port Phillip Bay.
North deserved to win by a much more comfortable margin before knocking off early in the last.
George Hewett could hold his head high, his side’s best midfielder once more (109 SC, 102 AF). Adam Cerra tried hard but was let down by poor disposal efficiency when it counted (95 SC, 109 in the mor forgving AF), Patrick Cripps spent some time forward and just never really got going, but to be fair, how many times has he already had to try to put the whole team on his back...
Crippa chatting casually with S´Vossy the SuperCoach post-game
Sam Docherty is honestly a bit past it as a footballer but is in a role conducive to scoring as long as he keeps it, and 99 SC / 131 AF is nothing to sneeze at. Less value than a month ago, though.
For the Roos, Luke Parker has been a great pick-up, he led from the front all day (110 SC, 107 AF).
Tom Powell had his best game of the year for a 120 SC / 133 AF, Luke Davies-Uniacke was prolific with 108 SC / 97 AF, but it’s looking more and more like he’s just not going to deliver the run home owners might have hoped for when bringing him in. He’s OK, nothing more, nothing less.
Tom De Koning (76 SC, 73 AF) was impacted by the job share with Marc Pittonet and a tough opponent in Tristan Xerri (79 SC, 84 SC). None of them hit the heights on the scoring front, Tristan Xerri in particular a very disappointing C fallback for some unfortunate coaches with a 79 SC / 84 AF.
Port Adelaide vs Sydney:
After some decent recent form, Port just didn’t show up against the Swannies at home with it all to play for.
Zak Butters (130 SC, 107 AF) was a shining light, everybody’s favourite rookie Sam Powell-Pepper kept trying all night (103 SC, 88 AF, but most of us will have moved him on in the meantime), Jason-Horne Francis (88 SC, 67 SC) still looked hampered by the shoulder and he also has seen a stark dip in his CBAs, both of which would have me holding off bringing him in if I didn’t already have him.
Connor Rozee, whether by design or in the shuffle, played more through the middle – and bizarrely, that is not where we want to see him line up as owners. He is much more prolific shamelessly gulling off half-back. He did receive some attention, to be fair, but 80 SC / 79 AF was kissing your sister areas.
Recently in-form Miles Bergman struggled on the night due to a shoulder compounded by illness, finishing on 47 SC / 52 AF. He should bounce back this week coming. He bizarrely told Isaac Heeney early on in the game that he was crook, leaving Scoops in agreement with shock jock Kanye Cornes that this wasn’t a great idea and questioning his life choices.
On the rookie front, Mani Liddy (59 SC / 74 AF) actually has an OK role with a sprinkling of CBAs. He doesn’t have DPP, always handy at this time of year, but he might be an option alongside Harry Rowston from GWS (admittedly already at a slightly elevated price in comparison but with a really nice inside MID role for the time being).
Dante Visentini is apparently a big fan of Nick Cave on the downlow, because with 36 SC / 38 AF…
His opponent Brodie Grundy (159 SC, 121 AF) continued his outrageous recent run of form. If you have the budget to consider him, he is amongst the best scorers going at the moment, but you have to believe that this level of production will continue.
Isaac Heeney (134 SC, 111 AF) continued the strong recent form patch. Not sure he’s that compelling an option as he’s just OK value. Callum Mills (121 SC, 96 AF) rewarded those who chased value / upside, if he avoids injury and keeps the role, he’ll be one of the bargains of the year. Matt Roberts (96 SC, 76 AF) had an acceptable score on paper, but he was pushed to a wing and that’s just not a sustainable scoring role. I’d be considering moving him on for an alternative with clearer prospects. Angus Sheldrick again impressed with 83 SC / 70 AF, but he’s one you either got on early doors or has already priced himself out of consideration.
In a heartwarming moment of unity between the two clubs, Joel Amartey took home the inaugural John Butcher Medal with a stellar display of accuracy, booting 0.6 with 3 shots not even registering a score. His final shots were accompanied by the Benny Hill theme song…
For anyone who hadn’t already taken one of the 13,765 offramps when they presented, Vanilla Bice / Bice, Bice, Baby delivered a sub-impacted 9 SC / 6 AF. Our condolences to the Bice family on his passing.
Collingwood vs St Kilda:
St Kilda gave a very good account of themselves and were in this game until late. Nick Daicos’ late snap to put the game beyond doubt secured him 157 SC and a 102 in AF. His clash with Marcus Windhager was interesting, with Daicos at times dragging Windhager away from the contest and working into position for receives.
In the battle of the rucks, Darcy Cameron (156 SC, 128 AF) had the foot on the throat of Rowan Marshall early. Marshall had barely troubled the scorers at quarter time, things were looking calamitous, and only just got going in the second term, but came home with a wet sail to salvage an extraordinary 124 in SC given the start and a respectable 105 in AF.
Jack Macrae rewarded owners who held him during his time out with the punctured lung and was the most consistent mid on the night with 131 SC / 104 AF. He might be a consideration for some teams’ final FWD position, but there are 5-6 options you could throw a blanket over there. Mason Wood was good buying not all that long ago and does have some pedigree, but it would have been a very niche play.
File this one away under things that might have been useful to know BEFORE the game, but Jack Sinclair continued his struggles against the Pies. He was everywhere the ball wasn’t on the night and was honestly barely sighted, finishing on 65 SC / 64 AF. Not panic stations at this stage, but a night to forget for sure. Jack Steele similarly never got going and barely touched it in the first half, finishing on an untidy 56 SC / 66 AF.
Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera was the Sainters’ standout on the night. They look to get the ball in his hands and he makes things happen. He was tidier than last week by foot and a 142 SC / 125 AF was well deserved.
For the Pies, he’s not widely held, but Josh Daicos’ 96 SC / 101 AF was good, if not great, output for anyone who went there at a reasonable price not too long ago. Ned Long did nothing wrong, a tpically industrious 87 SC / 76 AF the result. He’s probably done his job, but if you have more pressing concerns, he should hover around that level of output.
GWS vs Gold Coast:
This was an all-time bed shit from Gold Coast, proving once again for the slow learners amongst us (including yours truly, sigh) that they simply don’t have the winner’s gene.
After one of the best first quarter displays of all-time, this game should already have been over as a contest before half time, but some atrocious kicking for goal and an inability to execute under pressure when it counted gifted the Giants a very fortunate and not overly deserved win. You can’t let your opposition kick 9 goals in the final term and expect to win many too games. As a card-carrying member of this ****ing rabble, may I just say, fells....
For the Giants, Tom Green (136/117) was immense, especially around the contest in the last quarter. He’s been in strong form recently, but he’s on the bye this week. Finn Callaghan was Robin to Green’s Batman, and he’s picked up where he left off before the shoulder injury, churning out 113 this week in both formats. Harry Rowston, still well priced despite price rises in both formats, churned out 82 SC / 83 AF. You could do worse than consider him post-bye if it wortks with your team’s structure.
Lachie Ash is not widely held, but his 104 SC / 99 AF was solid. Nic Madden is one not many will have jumped on given his short-term prospects are unclear with the expected return of Kieren Briggs post-bye. He battled hard for a 99 SC / 61 AF. How you view that depends a little – he has battled manfully the last two weeks, but his opponent has been just about the most influential player on ground on both occasions, so it’s hard to know if he will keep getting a gig or they’ll bring in Briggs.
The biggest earthquake that went through the game this week was the early KO of Lachie Whitfield (16 SC / 23 AF). It was even more dramatic for the few unfortunate souls who sent him out on the ground with the Captain’s armband. In SC, you won’t have had a doubled C score this week, most likely, in AF you’ll have gotten the 23x2, but two times 2/3 of 5/8 of **** all is still **** all.
It’s not 100% clear if he will be suiting up in their next game, as the gap would be exactly 12 days assuming he was deemed back to normal function the following day and he makes it through the protocol without any delays. One to watch, I don’t know personally.
He might be one some will look to bring in off the back of a hefty price drop, but not this week given they are all on the bye. Xavier O’Halloran’s bubble has probably burst a touch for anyone who went there, 61 SC / 63 AF isn’t going to be making it rain any time soon.
Joe Fonti also disappointed with a 45 SC / 36 AF, he is one you might just look to cash in.
For Gold Coast, Jarrod Witts excelled with 163 SC / 135 AF, but that was to be expected in the matchup and Madden was more than competitive and had some nice moments and got some nice contested possession late.
Touk Miller (141 SC / 130 AF), Noah Anderson (139 SC, 129 AF) and Matt ‘Red Bull’ Rowell (106 SC / 106 AF) all got the job done score-wise, but they are still a bunch of chokers and I honestly can’t be ****ed dwelling on them. Don’t tell us, show us that you mean business and can ****ing hold on in a ****ing close game for ****ing once for ****’s ****ing sake, you ****ers.
Sam Flanders’ role improved slightly (91 SC / 88 AF) and he seems to be gradually rounding into fitness and form, he might be a niche play for some on the run home, but there is a risk that he won’t hit the heights and will just keep plodding along with respectable but unenticing scores.
Western Bulldogs vs Richmond Tigers:
The Tigers have been a breath of fresh air on the whole this year and surprisingly competitive this year, unearthing some really nice young talents in the process.
But for all of the good work that they’ve put in this year, they took a collective RDO this week and just didn’t bother showing up. They were trounced from start to finish an a display bereft of any ticker, want or appetite for the contest against a Bulldogs outfit who did nothing to put to bed criticism that they love to beat up on cripples but go to water against the top sides.
Dogs did what the Dogs do best
Tim Taranto (116 SC, 100 AF) tried hard all night for the Tiges, Nick ‘Flossy’ Vlastuin benefitted from the flood of ball coming into D50 to pump out a respectable 121 SC/ 105 AF to reward the three men and a dog out there somewhere who might own him. Good player, Vlastuin.
Surprisingly, Toby Nankervis was not just beaten on the night by Tim English, finishing on 75 SC / 67 AF, but had his arse handed to him on the physicality front. He never got going and lowered his colours throughout, but we’re all entitled to have a dirty night from time to time, I guess.
For the Dogs, it was basically kick to kick and keepings off all night, and everybody got in on the act.
Marcus Bontempelli (177 SC / 120 AF) had been very effectively curtailed only one week ago but was left to run around like an unregistered dog with body odour all night. There might be some truth to the claim that tagging can detract from your own side’s gameplan, but you can’t tell me that letting the best player in the game wander around untouched all night is a winning tactic. It was piss-weak from the Tigs and showed they weren’t serious about having a crack at winning the game.
Sam Darcy (144 SC / 114 AF) will be one of the most traded in players this week, with a number of savvy operators already having sensed the fresh kill in the offing and just gotten on board this week despite his and Bont’s masisve BE’s going in. He was a cut above and he’s also incredibly skilled for a tall.
Tim English (142 SC / 138 AF) continued the rich vein of form and he had his way with a listless Nank all night.
Ed Richards (120 SC, 92 AF), Matthew Kennedy (113 SC, 114 AF – honestly just about the most consistent FWD of the year and a tremendous starting pick for those who got on) and Tom Liberatore (113 SC / 87 AF) all churned out respectable scores and went through the motions.
Bailey Dale (83 SC, 87 AF) was probably the only underperformer on the night. He ended up spending the last 15 minutes of the game on the bench (just rested, seems to be fine despite the calf strapping) and never really hit the heights, costing many owners the odd close league matchup in the process. But it was in any case a bit of a nothing night for him either way, making the odd uncharacteristic mistake, being called back when he was in the clear and about to rack up a touch on more than one occasion, things like that.
Nothing to be overly concerned about at this stage, just one of those lost opportunities in the end.
I think 103% of coaches will have already moved him on by now, but shout-out to Slammin’ Sammy Davidson for posting a cheeky little 109 SC / 108 AF from beyond the grave.
Anywho, that was the week that was.
As wee look forward to this, the final week of the dreaded byes, players from Adelaide, Hawthorn, Melbourne and the Eagles are now all bye-free.
Jordan Dawson will be a popular inclusion given the Crows’ nice finals run for those looking to fill a final MID spot, Rory Laird might attract a bit of attention for his solid, if not spectacular output in DEF. Many will have been carrying the underwhelming Izak Rankine for many frustrating weeks already in the forward line – honestly, his disposal has been subpar, his rolehas become more marginal (as has Shai Bolton’s, for that matter), having to play further forward and he's looking every inch the overrated front runner for the time being.
For the Hawks, Dylan Moore is one a few might consider of the back of his recent impressive outing (particularly his second half) against the Crows, Lloyd Meek might still represent some marginal value for those in the market for an economical ruck for R2 / FLEX and if he starts to look any good, James Sicily will be one to monitor in the coming weeks, but it will depend on how many trades you have and what, if anything, he shows.
For the Dees, he’s pricey for a reason and some actually traded him out last week on his bye to access a Luke Jackson / make other plays with his cash, but Max Gawn looks like reports of his death were greatly exaggerated, he’s one you’d love to have as a unique on the run home despite the not super-easy run of opponents.
Max always looks forward to the weekend in SC
Kysaiah Pickett rates a mention as he can string together some really nice output for a FWD-eligible type, although he doesn’t scream value anymore. Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are not overly enticing, the old grey mares, they ain’t what they used to be. But Petracca is an OK hold if you’ve been saddled with him from the jump. Not a world beater, but not dire, it’s more that you feel that he could have given you so much more. Oliver has become almost irrelevant.
For the Eagles, every man and his dog will be bringing in Tom McCarthy off the back of the stellar debut if not already acquired, Other than that, there is maybe a niche play in a Liam Baker with FWD /MID DPP, who has had stellar recent output and is just a good player to have in your side because he is a goer, plain and simple. But you have to factor in that Mini McQualter is a magnet-shuffling terrorist with a tiny head
Good luck with your final bye week trading...
It’s been a long, cold winter for most of us, and the majority of us were already over this bye shit before it began.
(To be fair, if you play your cards right, the byes are like moving day… it’s up to you whether we’re talking this type of moving day…
or launching one 350 yards straight down the middle sort of action on the thrid day of The Masters...
But like, love, loathe or … well… loathe them even more… the byes are almost run and won for another year.
Rd 15 is in the rear vision mirror…
and Rd 16 and the promise of a world without byes, a world where we can be free, awaits us.
Whether that future will fulfil its promise or crush us like cockroaches remains to be seen.
But at least after this week we won’t be fighting with one arm tied behind out backs, at least we’ll have the opportunity to die on our feet rather than live on our knees. And that’s all we can ever really ask for in life.
It was, as always, an eventful week in football, be that Fantasy or SC.
Fremantle vs Essendon
The round started off with Fremantle taking care of business against an admittedly gutsy but injury-riddled and outmanned Essendon outfit.
For Fremantle, Luke ‘Dogga’ Jackson got to ruck one out against a very game Vigo Visentini without having to share duties with Sean Darcy. He profited to the tune of 186 SC / 144 AF and rewarded those coaches who spent up big. A very vocal and justifiably self-satisfied group of coaches not only brought him in but went all-in with the VC, and Dogga didn’t let them down.
He wasn’t Robinson Crusoe on the night for the Dockers, with Caleb Serong backing up last week’s strong performance with a 149 SC / 138 SC. In a normal week, that would have been a sensational VC result for those who went there, in this week it ended up feeling a touch like kissing your sister.
Serong - and Andrew Brayshaw (103 SC / 104 AF), who seems to be attracting a little more attention of late, freeing up Serong – also got his groove on. Down back, Luke Ryan (157 SC / 127 AF) repaid the faith of those who bought the dip a while back. He’s not the Luke Ryan of yesteryear, been grazing in far too fair a paddock for that, to be honest, but he dined out on Essendson’s forward entries and forwards’ struggles in defending the ball coming back out.
Jordan Clark also put in a shift, his 133 SC / 119 SC actually feeling slightly unders in SC at least, with those stats in a less one-sided game, he might have gone closer to 150.
Heath Chapman, Matt Johnson, Neil Erasmus and Nathan O’Driscoll working his way back up to speed all had good nights, though none celebrated quite so hard or threatened to break the world land speed record in their celebrations as Patrick ‘Prancing Pony’ Voss.
Never really understood why the Bombers moved him on after he won the goal kicking in the VFL, and he loved having a crack at his old mob. He’s box office, Pat. Might be ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ style box office than ‘Citizen Kane’ at times, but box office nonetheless.
The Dockers in general enjoy a favourable fixture with a good chunk of home games from here on it and will attract attention.
For the Bombers, Jye Caldwell (125 SC, 109 AF) has the clearest role and is in the best form of their mids. He was at his best buying shortly after returning from injury, whether the juice is still worth the squeeze is tougher to say, but he, and they all, are on the bye this week anyway.
Zach Merrett’s role still wasn’t where owners would like to have seen. He scraped together a 92 in SC, a putrid 57 in AF. He could be one to pick up post-bye if the imminent return of several distributors down back comes to pass and you think he hits his stride, but there will be more than a handful of current owners looking to sideways him on his bye this week to an alternative with a more lucrative role. All depends on how you gauge his role moving forward. The reality is that when as an owner in SC you’re relieved that a bloke who can pump out 140’s manages to not shit the bed entirely with a 92, well … things are crook in Tallarook.
Nic Martin was just OK, his 93 SC / 85 AF doing nothing to dispel suspicions that he’s something of a flat tracker. Racks up against weak opposition, less so against top 8 sides.
Darcy Parish is an interesting one. He’s building, his scoring was solid (115 SC. 96 AF), but it is also true that every game he plays brings him one game closer to his next soft tissue. Caveat emptor, but at 473.2k in SC / 895k in AF, if you think he can get back to his best and avoid injury, there might be a play there.
Vigo Visentini acquitted himself manfully and had a crack all night against Jackson one out in the ruck for 71 in SC and 63 in AF, and it will be interesting how the Bombers manage him and equally stoic Methuselah Toddy Goldstein. For a 36-year-old, Goldy has honestly been more than serviceable, though not necessarily SC/AF-relevant.
Another debutant who will attract plenty of interest is Archer May. His prospects are a little hard to predict given that Essendon expect to regain a few post-bye, but a basement-priced kid belting out an 83 SC / 74 AF cannot be ignored. In SC in particular, unless you have special circumstances, you don’t need to rush pre-bubble, especially given there are playing options such as Tom McCarthy, Bo Allan and Sam Butler all vying for attention and good buying (all on the bubble and bye-free in SC).
Angus Clarke bounced back after a bit of a down game last week for 65 SC / 65 AF, Isaac Kako did Isaac Kako things for his fairly standard 40-60 sort of score (57 SC / 52 AF), but in a season where every dollarydoo counts, that’s fine for those who have kept the faith. Zak Johnson struggled to get involved and was barely sighted on the night, his 32 SC / 35 AF reflective of that. All of these can be held to squeeze a little bit more out of them, all can be moved on if you just need that extra piece in trades. Probably Johnson first (imminent return of several defenders), then Clarke, then Kako, who has basically become our teams’ mascot at this stage. Will net you a half a Mars Bars and a box of used golf balls down at Cash Converters either way.
You couldn´t throw in Mental as Anything's Greatest Hits by any chance?
Geelong vs Brisbane:
In a game more notable for Nathan Buckley’s incredible grasp of expected scores and probabilistic masterclass than the quality of play on the night, this game was honestly a fizzer.
Geelong were wasteful, never really clicked and the Lions were never seriously challenged, spoiling Patrick Dangerfield’s party for 350 of the best in the process.
For the Cats, Tom Stewart (118 SC, 85 AF) and Bailey Smith (86 SC, 94 AF) didn’t set the world on fire but were OK. Max Holmes (110 SC, 71 AF) was either typically solid or underwhelming, depending on the format. Not sure he’s relevant in either format, but Tom Atkins was one of the few Catters to put in a four quarter performance and show he was up for the fight.You’d expect nothing less.
Jeremy Cameron had very few opportunities on the night, so his 63 SC / 51 AF were actually him maximizing his potential output. He’ll be up and down, as all KPFs tend to be. Jack Martin had an interesting night, spending some time down back and taking the odd kick-in before spending some time up forward late. His 65 SC / 84 AF were a fair representation of his output. Industrious, always capable of winning a one-on-one, but still learning the Cats’ system and blowing out the cobwebs.
For the Lions, all of whom are on the bye this week, Hugh McLuggage bounced back after a recent somewhat dry spell with 131 SC / 103 AF. In SC in particular, his stats stack up with the very best this year.
Josh Dunkley finally got to just play in the guts and do Josh Dunkley things, yielding a 126 SC / 124 AF. If Fagasauraus Rex would just leave him there, he’d be right up there, but it’s only a matter of time until he’s backing spending half the game cutting oranges on the bench for the good of the team.
Lachie Neale has shown a real susceptibility to run-withs this year, and this was no different, a 72 SC / 68 AF being pretty weak sauce from Choccie / Gollum, depending on how sympathetic you find him. In SC in particular, some wil entertain cutting bait and using his funds to get on a a Bont / Sam Darcy type given the poor rookie crop / stunted cash gen means …
Dayne Zorko, Australian of the Decade and classiest rooster to ever lace them up, belted out a 105 in SC and a stellar 124 in AF. If you’ve got a no dickhead policy in place, swipe left, otherwise he is always worth a look.
Will Ashcroft, one who I honestly think is a bit of a flat tracker on the whole, was possibly the Linos’ best MID on the night, returning to form with a 129 SC / 108 AF. He is probably no longer in too many teams at the moment. His brother Levi also bounced back after some fairly poor recent form, recording a 112 SC / respectable 79 in AF.
On the rookie / near enough to rookie-priced front, Cobra Kai Lohmann was robbed of an absolute speccie, only to repeat the dose a few minutes later anyway. He scored a solid 73 SC / 84 AF, but he is a very unpredictable own this year and honestly could have been facing the axe had the Lions not had two outs in the forward line after barely troubling the scorers in three listless quarters as the sub the week prior. He is one you could consider, but he remains very marginal and up and down.
Will McLachlan scored 24 in SC / 33 in AF. He’s not one that screams pick me, certainly not this week on the bye and with Cal Ah Chee and Darcy Gardiner expected to return.
North Melbourne vs Carlton:
This game might be the one that sees Michael Voss setting up an appointment down at Camberwell Centrelink. It was a game the Blues simply couldn’t afford to lose with a view to keeping their already faint finals hopes alive and they didn’t fire a shot for three quarters before restoring cosmetic respectability in the last. Put out your stubby holders for Snapper from Port Phillip Bay.
North deserved to win by a much more comfortable margin before knocking off early in the last.
George Hewett could hold his head high, his side’s best midfielder once more (109 SC, 102 AF). Adam Cerra tried hard but was let down by poor disposal efficiency when it counted (95 SC, 109 in the mor forgving AF), Patrick Cripps spent some time forward and just never really got going, but to be fair, how many times has he already had to try to put the whole team on his back...
Crippa chatting casually with S´Vossy the SuperCoach post-game
Sam Docherty is honestly a bit past it as a footballer but is in a role conducive to scoring as long as he keeps it, and 99 SC / 131 AF is nothing to sneeze at. Less value than a month ago, though.
For the Roos, Luke Parker has been a great pick-up, he led from the front all day (110 SC, 107 AF).
Tom Powell had his best game of the year for a 120 SC / 133 AF, Luke Davies-Uniacke was prolific with 108 SC / 97 AF, but it’s looking more and more like he’s just not going to deliver the run home owners might have hoped for when bringing him in. He’s OK, nothing more, nothing less.
Tom De Koning (76 SC, 73 AF) was impacted by the job share with Marc Pittonet and a tough opponent in Tristan Xerri (79 SC, 84 SC). None of them hit the heights on the scoring front, Tristan Xerri in particular a very disappointing C fallback for some unfortunate coaches with a 79 SC / 84 AF.
Port Adelaide vs Sydney:
After some decent recent form, Port just didn’t show up against the Swannies at home with it all to play for.
Zak Butters (130 SC, 107 AF) was a shining light, everybody’s favourite rookie Sam Powell-Pepper kept trying all night (103 SC, 88 AF, but most of us will have moved him on in the meantime), Jason-Horne Francis (88 SC, 67 SC) still looked hampered by the shoulder and he also has seen a stark dip in his CBAs, both of which would have me holding off bringing him in if I didn’t already have him.
Connor Rozee, whether by design or in the shuffle, played more through the middle – and bizarrely, that is not where we want to see him line up as owners. He is much more prolific shamelessly gulling off half-back. He did receive some attention, to be fair, but 80 SC / 79 AF was kissing your sister areas.
Recently in-form Miles Bergman struggled on the night due to a shoulder compounded by illness, finishing on 47 SC / 52 AF. He should bounce back this week coming. He bizarrely told Isaac Heeney early on in the game that he was crook, leaving Scoops in agreement with shock jock Kanye Cornes that this wasn’t a great idea and questioning his life choices.
On the rookie front, Mani Liddy (59 SC / 74 AF) actually has an OK role with a sprinkling of CBAs. He doesn’t have DPP, always handy at this time of year, but he might be an option alongside Harry Rowston from GWS (admittedly already at a slightly elevated price in comparison but with a really nice inside MID role for the time being).
Dante Visentini is apparently a big fan of Nick Cave on the downlow, because with 36 SC / 38 AF…
His opponent Brodie Grundy (159 SC, 121 AF) continued his outrageous recent run of form. If you have the budget to consider him, he is amongst the best scorers going at the moment, but you have to believe that this level of production will continue.
Isaac Heeney (134 SC, 111 AF) continued the strong recent form patch. Not sure he’s that compelling an option as he’s just OK value. Callum Mills (121 SC, 96 AF) rewarded those who chased value / upside, if he avoids injury and keeps the role, he’ll be one of the bargains of the year. Matt Roberts (96 SC, 76 AF) had an acceptable score on paper, but he was pushed to a wing and that’s just not a sustainable scoring role. I’d be considering moving him on for an alternative with clearer prospects. Angus Sheldrick again impressed with 83 SC / 70 AF, but he’s one you either got on early doors or has already priced himself out of consideration.
In a heartwarming moment of unity between the two clubs, Joel Amartey took home the inaugural John Butcher Medal with a stellar display of accuracy, booting 0.6 with 3 shots not even registering a score. His final shots were accompanied by the Benny Hill theme song…
For anyone who hadn’t already taken one of the 13,765 offramps when they presented, Vanilla Bice / Bice, Bice, Baby delivered a sub-impacted 9 SC / 6 AF. Our condolences to the Bice family on his passing.
Collingwood vs St Kilda:
St Kilda gave a very good account of themselves and were in this game until late. Nick Daicos’ late snap to put the game beyond doubt secured him 157 SC and a 102 in AF. His clash with Marcus Windhager was interesting, with Daicos at times dragging Windhager away from the contest and working into position for receives.
In the battle of the rucks, Darcy Cameron (156 SC, 128 AF) had the foot on the throat of Rowan Marshall early. Marshall had barely troubled the scorers at quarter time, things were looking calamitous, and only just got going in the second term, but came home with a wet sail to salvage an extraordinary 124 in SC given the start and a respectable 105 in AF.
Jack Macrae rewarded owners who held him during his time out with the punctured lung and was the most consistent mid on the night with 131 SC / 104 AF. He might be a consideration for some teams’ final FWD position, but there are 5-6 options you could throw a blanket over there. Mason Wood was good buying not all that long ago and does have some pedigree, but it would have been a very niche play.
File this one away under things that might have been useful to know BEFORE the game, but Jack Sinclair continued his struggles against the Pies. He was everywhere the ball wasn’t on the night and was honestly barely sighted, finishing on 65 SC / 64 AF. Not panic stations at this stage, but a night to forget for sure. Jack Steele similarly never got going and barely touched it in the first half, finishing on an untidy 56 SC / 66 AF.
Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera was the Sainters’ standout on the night. They look to get the ball in his hands and he makes things happen. He was tidier than last week by foot and a 142 SC / 125 AF was well deserved.
For the Pies, he’s not widely held, but Josh Daicos’ 96 SC / 101 AF was good, if not great, output for anyone who went there at a reasonable price not too long ago. Ned Long did nothing wrong, a tpically industrious 87 SC / 76 AF the result. He’s probably done his job, but if you have more pressing concerns, he should hover around that level of output.
GWS vs Gold Coast:
This was an all-time bed shit from Gold Coast, proving once again for the slow learners amongst us (including yours truly, sigh) that they simply don’t have the winner’s gene.
After one of the best first quarter displays of all-time, this game should already have been over as a contest before half time, but some atrocious kicking for goal and an inability to execute under pressure when it counted gifted the Giants a very fortunate and not overly deserved win. You can’t let your opposition kick 9 goals in the final term and expect to win many too games. As a card-carrying member of this ****ing rabble, may I just say, fells....
For the Giants, Tom Green (136/117) was immense, especially around the contest in the last quarter. He’s been in strong form recently, but he’s on the bye this week. Finn Callaghan was Robin to Green’s Batman, and he’s picked up where he left off before the shoulder injury, churning out 113 this week in both formats. Harry Rowston, still well priced despite price rises in both formats, churned out 82 SC / 83 AF. You could do worse than consider him post-bye if it wortks with your team’s structure.
Lachie Ash is not widely held, but his 104 SC / 99 AF was solid. Nic Madden is one not many will have jumped on given his short-term prospects are unclear with the expected return of Kieren Briggs post-bye. He battled hard for a 99 SC / 61 AF. How you view that depends a little – he has battled manfully the last two weeks, but his opponent has been just about the most influential player on ground on both occasions, so it’s hard to know if he will keep getting a gig or they’ll bring in Briggs.
The biggest earthquake that went through the game this week was the early KO of Lachie Whitfield (16 SC / 23 AF). It was even more dramatic for the few unfortunate souls who sent him out on the ground with the Captain’s armband. In SC, you won’t have had a doubled C score this week, most likely, in AF you’ll have gotten the 23x2, but two times 2/3 of 5/8 of **** all is still **** all.
It’s not 100% clear if he will be suiting up in their next game, as the gap would be exactly 12 days assuming he was deemed back to normal function the following day and he makes it through the protocol without any delays. One to watch, I don’t know personally.
He might be one some will look to bring in off the back of a hefty price drop, but not this week given they are all on the bye. Xavier O’Halloran’s bubble has probably burst a touch for anyone who went there, 61 SC / 63 AF isn’t going to be making it rain any time soon.
Joe Fonti also disappointed with a 45 SC / 36 AF, he is one you might just look to cash in.
For Gold Coast, Jarrod Witts excelled with 163 SC / 135 AF, but that was to be expected in the matchup and Madden was more than competitive and had some nice moments and got some nice contested possession late.
Touk Miller (141 SC / 130 AF), Noah Anderson (139 SC, 129 AF) and Matt ‘Red Bull’ Rowell (106 SC / 106 AF) all got the job done score-wise, but they are still a bunch of chokers and I honestly can’t be ****ed dwelling on them. Don’t tell us, show us that you mean business and can ****ing hold on in a ****ing close game for ****ing once for ****’s ****ing sake, you ****ers.
Sam Flanders’ role improved slightly (91 SC / 88 AF) and he seems to be gradually rounding into fitness and form, he might be a niche play for some on the run home, but there is a risk that he won’t hit the heights and will just keep plodding along with respectable but unenticing scores.
Western Bulldogs vs Richmond Tigers:
The Tigers have been a breath of fresh air on the whole this year and surprisingly competitive this year, unearthing some really nice young talents in the process.
But for all of the good work that they’ve put in this year, they took a collective RDO this week and just didn’t bother showing up. They were trounced from start to finish an a display bereft of any ticker, want or appetite for the contest against a Bulldogs outfit who did nothing to put to bed criticism that they love to beat up on cripples but go to water against the top sides.
Dogs did what the Dogs do best
Tim Taranto (116 SC, 100 AF) tried hard all night for the Tiges, Nick ‘Flossy’ Vlastuin benefitted from the flood of ball coming into D50 to pump out a respectable 121 SC/ 105 AF to reward the three men and a dog out there somewhere who might own him. Good player, Vlastuin.
Surprisingly, Toby Nankervis was not just beaten on the night by Tim English, finishing on 75 SC / 67 AF, but had his arse handed to him on the physicality front. He never got going and lowered his colours throughout, but we’re all entitled to have a dirty night from time to time, I guess.
For the Dogs, it was basically kick to kick and keepings off all night, and everybody got in on the act.
Marcus Bontempelli (177 SC / 120 AF) had been very effectively curtailed only one week ago but was left to run around like an unregistered dog with body odour all night. There might be some truth to the claim that tagging can detract from your own side’s gameplan, but you can’t tell me that letting the best player in the game wander around untouched all night is a winning tactic. It was piss-weak from the Tigs and showed they weren’t serious about having a crack at winning the game.
Sam Darcy (144 SC / 114 AF) will be one of the most traded in players this week, with a number of savvy operators already having sensed the fresh kill in the offing and just gotten on board this week despite his and Bont’s masisve BE’s going in. He was a cut above and he’s also incredibly skilled for a tall.
Tim English (142 SC / 138 AF) continued the rich vein of form and he had his way with a listless Nank all night.
Ed Richards (120 SC, 92 AF), Matthew Kennedy (113 SC, 114 AF – honestly just about the most consistent FWD of the year and a tremendous starting pick for those who got on) and Tom Liberatore (113 SC / 87 AF) all churned out respectable scores and went through the motions.
Bailey Dale (83 SC, 87 AF) was probably the only underperformer on the night. He ended up spending the last 15 minutes of the game on the bench (just rested, seems to be fine despite the calf strapping) and never really hit the heights, costing many owners the odd close league matchup in the process. But it was in any case a bit of a nothing night for him either way, making the odd uncharacteristic mistake, being called back when he was in the clear and about to rack up a touch on more than one occasion, things like that.
Nothing to be overly concerned about at this stage, just one of those lost opportunities in the end.
I think 103% of coaches will have already moved him on by now, but shout-out to Slammin’ Sammy Davidson for posting a cheeky little 109 SC / 108 AF from beyond the grave.
Anywho, that was the week that was.
As wee look forward to this, the final week of the dreaded byes, players from Adelaide, Hawthorn, Melbourne and the Eagles are now all bye-free.
Jordan Dawson will be a popular inclusion given the Crows’ nice finals run for those looking to fill a final MID spot, Rory Laird might attract a bit of attention for his solid, if not spectacular output in DEF. Many will have been carrying the underwhelming Izak Rankine for many frustrating weeks already in the forward line – honestly, his disposal has been subpar, his rolehas become more marginal (as has Shai Bolton’s, for that matter), having to play further forward and he's looking every inch the overrated front runner for the time being.
For the Hawks, Dylan Moore is one a few might consider of the back of his recent impressive outing (particularly his second half) against the Crows, Lloyd Meek might still represent some marginal value for those in the market for an economical ruck for R2 / FLEX and if he starts to look any good, James Sicily will be one to monitor in the coming weeks, but it will depend on how many trades you have and what, if anything, he shows.
For the Dees, he’s pricey for a reason and some actually traded him out last week on his bye to access a Luke Jackson / make other plays with his cash, but Max Gawn looks like reports of his death were greatly exaggerated, he’s one you’d love to have as a unique on the run home despite the not super-easy run of opponents.
Max always looks forward to the weekend in SC
Kysaiah Pickett rates a mention as he can string together some really nice output for a FWD-eligible type, although he doesn’t scream value anymore. Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are not overly enticing, the old grey mares, they ain’t what they used to be. But Petracca is an OK hold if you’ve been saddled with him from the jump. Not a world beater, but not dire, it’s more that you feel that he could have given you so much more. Oliver has become almost irrelevant.
For the Eagles, every man and his dog will be bringing in Tom McCarthy off the back of the stellar debut if not already acquired, Other than that, there is maybe a niche play in a Liam Baker with FWD /MID DPP, who has had stellar recent output and is just a good player to have in your side because he is a goer, plain and simple. But you have to factor in that Mini McQualter is a magnet-shuffling terrorist with a tiny head
Good luck with your final bye week trading...
Last edited:
