Season 2007 finished a couple of days ago and Collingwood are already signing players. Keeping ahead of the other AFL clubs, the Magpies have again found a star from Ireland.
The days of Kevin Dyas at Collingwood could start very soon if he agrees to follow Martin Clarke.
Dyas, a close friend of Marty Clarke, returned to County Armagh last Monday to contemplate a full-time move to Melbourne after a month working with assistant coaches Alan Richardson, Brad Scott and Blake Caracella.
Goals
Leeside Lions: Teu Ó hAilpín 3, Liam O’ Connor 2, Sam Young 1, Rich Bonsak 1, Gareth Kellegher 1, Ian O’ Sullivan 1.
South Dublin Swans: Luke O’ Hea 1, Dom Hoban 1.
Is a great ruckman the real reason that the smalls in the midfield get the ball, or do the smaller players make the ruckman look good, plenty of people disagree on this point. Cox is a great player, no doubt about that, so when Judd goes to another team he won't be teamed with a ruckman anywhere near as good as Dean Cox.
A simple way to see if Judd needed Cox is to look at the games when Seaby was the number 1 and Cox was out of the lineup. There wasn't a big difference in Judd's numbers with Seaby contesting the hitouts, so that should be good news for Judd's new team.
At Melbourne, it could be a team with a couple of stars that left the West. White left Fremantle a long time ago, and White's mobility is very comparable to that of Cox, although Cox has much more height.
If Judd is in navy blue, a few years will be needed for the ruckmen to develop. Kreuzer, he has to go at pick 1, and Hampson should be very good in 3 or 4 years. Ackland and Cloke, if they keep him around, don't provide a lot and are only 7cm or so taller than Judd.
Collingwood need Judd, but they need a ruckman more. Fraser needs help in the ruck, and also more minutes in the forward line to maximise his skills.
Essendon might have a ruck controversy, deciding if Hille or Laycock is the number 1. Ryder and Gumbleton could also be used in the ruck, or be involved in the trade for Judd.
Richmond is the safety net if no trades can be worked out. Simmonds and Pattison are solid but a tad short.
While Judd denied a rumour he had chosen Melbourne, he said he would make his selection from the Demons, Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon in coming days.
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It's still Melbourne.
Nothing official yet, and an announcement is expected in a few days, but everything is pointing to Melbourne at the moment. The Demons and Eagles are said to be looking for another club to provide a draft pick, and that could be Sydney.
It was the biggest obliteration since the bad guys in the movie The Delta Force tried to take on Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin. Like Chuck Norris, the Cats had a lot of kicks and they hit their targets.
The Power seemed to be going along well until the final lineups were announced, with Lade starting on the bench. Whatever the strategy was there didn't work. Ebert did have a couple of shots at goal, he missed and the ball didn't get back down that end very often.
Ottens was an inspiration early in the game, just as John Ironmonger chased down an opponent in the 1989 Reserves Grand Final, Ottens put in the effort and ran down a much faster player. Ottens won the free kick, and Geelong went on to win the game.
The big mark of the game was all about baldness, or maybe boldness should be the term. Tredrea and Harley waited under the ball as Chapman received clearance for takeoff and grabbed it.
Geelong
Corey: Is now a bit underrated as many of his teammates receive individual awards, he again brought in stats with 8 tackles, 13 kicks, 12 handballs and 6 marks.
Chapman: 17 kicks and 4 goals, he was always going to perform in the Grand Final.
Ling: Received 3 free kicks, also had 25 possessions.
S Johnson: 4 goals, 23 possessions and 9 marks.
Scarlett: 29 possessions as he ran off his opponent all game, Scarlett even finished with more scoring shots than Westhoff.
Port Adelaide
K Cornes: 21 handballs, 16 kicks, 10 marks and 2 tackles, the Cornes brothers were always going to get stats.
C Cornes: 32 possessions and a goal,
P Burgoyne: 36 possessions, 5 marks, 6 tackles and 4 frees for, he would have been on most fantasy teams and he produced for them.
Chaplin: He had the ball a lot, his 25 possessions were useful for fantasy teams, but for the Power he was just one of many ineffective players.
Wakelin: He now knows why Lynch decided to get something out of a Grand Final loss with his fists, Wakelin had 9 kicks and 5 handballs in his final game.
Geelong now have to look at contracts, and while a parade through the city there is scheduled for Wednesday there will also be a parade of player managers and their increased demands. The Cats should be able to keep everyone they want, although King may be one they let go to find money for younger players. If King does go, he could be in black and white stripes next season.
Port Adelaide lose Wakelin, and there would also be questions about Wilson continuing. Most of their stars are under contract. They will now go into planning for trading and the drafts, and if they want to add another Ebert to their side they will need to be involved during trade week to acquire a higher pick.
AFL season 2008 starts right now, and a couple of teams may have already added players they need. The Demons and Bulldogs need to bolster their ruck groups and the Crows will be the team that provides them.
Melbourne are said to be landing John Meesen, while there is also more news of Ben Hudson going to the Bulldogs. Meesen would be White’s backup in the ruck and would also see time in their forward line. Hudson would bring stability to the Bulldogs by becoming their number 1 ruckman, with Minson or Street as his backup.
Meesen, the club's first-round draft pick in 2004, has told the Crows he wants to be traded to Melbourne which has offered the 21-year-old a contract.
Hudson, the Crows' lead ruckman this season, has ended all negotiations with Adelaide and confirmed he will join the Western Bulldogs on a three-year deal.
Carlton, at No. 1, and Richmond, at No. 2, have declared they would pass up on Meesen and Hudson if they enter the draft as uncontracted players.
Goals: Geelong: C Mooney 5 P Chapman 4 S Johnson 4 N Ablett 3 J Bartel 2 B Ottens S Byrnes G Ablett M Rooke C Ling A Mackie
Port Adelaide: W Tredrea 2 S Burgoyne 2 C Cornes T Logan
Best: Geelong: S Johnson P Chapman M Scarlett S King C Mooney J Corey C Enright
Port Adelaide: C Cornes P Burgoyne K Cornes
Chance For An Upset: The Power did it not long ago, so they can defeat Geelong again. A bit more experience, a better coach, the best big man in Lade and a couple of Cornes who can do something unexpected, the Power have some things in their favour. Geelong may have been the better team for the year, but for this game there isn’t much between the two teams.
Geelong
They win if....their back line is able to compete in the air, although when the ball hits the ground the Cats will have a good advantage.
The Good News: They have not been expected to win their previous Grand Finals, but this time they are the favourite with most people.
The Bad News: A couple of strange incidents have been a distraction in the last couple of days.
Port Adelaide
They win if....Lade shows why he was named as an All-Australian, and Tredrea will also need to produce.
The Good News: The Power need to thank their scouts, Westhoff and Rodan have been great this season.
The Bad News: Michael Wilson's injury means the Power lose a bit of experience and toughness.
The last game for fantasy AFL coaches. Not a lot of choices, as half the players in the game are on the fantasy teams. Wojcinski didn't have a lot of the ball last week but he might be better this time. Kane Cornes gets the captaincy, not many people will have him there, so if he fires it will push this team up the standings.
Backs
Troy Chaplin
Chad Cornes
Darren Milburn
Peter Burgoyne
Matthew Scarlett
David Wojcinski
Michael Pettigrew
Centres
James Bartel
Steven Salopek
Joel Corey
Kane Cornes (captain)
Shaun Burgoyne
Corey Enright
Ruckmen
Brad Ottens
Brendon Lade
Forwards
Gary Ablett
Warren Tredrea
Daniel Motlop
David Rodan
Brett Ebert
Paul Chapman
Cameron Mooney
The AFL Insider SuperCoach Team End Of Season Review - The Forwards
The team that started the fantasy season.
F Jonathan Brown
F Barry Hall
F Chad Cornes
F Corey Jones
F Gary Ablett
F Jarrad Waite
F Lance Franklin
F Alwyn Davey
F Matthew Campbell
Franklin, Ablett, Jones and Waite were expected to have big seasons. They all did, although Waite wasn't on the fantasy team when he did his best work for Carlton. Hall seemed like a good idea, a top 10 player in 2006, but his career has suddenly declined. Brown started the season on the team, at the big dollars, but he was traded after a couple of games just before his value dropped. He was signed later at nearly half the price. A strategy that did work was taking Davey as an inexpensive player that would go up in value and be a trade asset.
The team that finished the fantasy season.
F Nick Riewoldt
F Barry Hall
F Chad Cornes
F Corey Jones
F Gary Ablett
F Jonathan Brown
F Lance Franklin
Issue #12: How Long Until Judd's New Team Is A Contender
Judd is going from the penthouse to the outhouse, from the haves to the have nots, but while he may not win next year it should not be too long until he is in the finals again.
Collingwood: Only a game away from the Grand Final, Clement is removed but the team also gets improved play from Reid, Brown, Clarke and other younger players next year. This is the team to go to if he wants the best chance to win in 2008.
Essendon: They already have veteran premiership players at either end of the ground. They need some pace in the middle, which is where Judd would help. The Bombers could do some damage next season if they had everyone healthy. There might be a few bad years when the stars from 2000 retire before the Bombers go back up.
Carlton: They hit bottom a few years ago, and are still there. The Blues have added so many players with high draft picks that it should come together soon, and inserting Judd into the lineup would accelerate their ascent.
Richmond: The Tigers would be in good shape if Judd joined via the preseason draft, as they would not be decimated by a trade. Judd and pick 2, and a couple of other good draft picks, and the Tigers would have a big influx of talent.
Melbourne: When the midfield matures a bit, White and Neitz will be retiring. So Melbourne might need a significant rebuild to become a winning team. Judd arriving at Melbourne should be considered Day 1 of a 5-year plan.
While Judd might make his decision over the weekend, it is possible that there will be a delay in the announcement until later next week.
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It's Melbourne ?
If everyone is saying Judd wants Melbourne, then everyone must be right. Even if that is Judd's wish, a trade still has to be worked out.
Melbourne don't have a lot that would interest the Eagles, except pick 4. The Eagles will get a star with that pick, so that is a better return than letting Judd go to Richmond in the preseason draft. Melbourne could also include a later pick or two, or a player, or could also trade some players to acquire extra picks.
The game could be won by the team with the best ruckmen. Lade and Brogan versus Ottens and King.
Lade is one of the underrated superstars of the AFL. One of the best at directing his hitouts to the smalls, he can also go forward and kick goals and there have also been times when he stationed himself at half back and marked everything that came his way.
Ottens was always supposed to be great, he went at pick 2 and was expected by many to go first overall, but until this year Ottens has been far from great. More time in the ruck has made him an important player for Geelong,
He couldn't hit people when he played basketball, so Brogan is having a lot more fun as a footballer. Very good around the ground, his marking around the wing can be something that gets Port Adelaide out of trouble.
King went to Geelong when he was very young, probably too young. Now he is at the end of his career, not very mobile and less of a physical presence than he should be, King can still be effective playing a kick behind play.
The Power could start the game with a big advantage if they use this strategy, start both their ruckmen on the ground. Lade taking the centre bounce, with Brogan placed on the back of the square at centre half back. There might be a few Geelong players who are making sure they know where Brogan is, which means they won't be looking for the ball.
For the first 10 minutes, Lade goes forward, with Brogan as the ruckman. Geelong will be a bit short if they have to cover Tredrea, Lade and Westhoff. Brogan would then go to the bench after a while, returning to the field for the last 7 or 8 minutes to give Lade a rest and get him ready for a big second quarter. The Power might go with their usual tactic, of Lade starting in the ruck for the first 15 or so minutes and then going forward with Brogan coming on the ground as the ruckman, nothing wrong with that.
The Cats might not have too many options, as Ottens will play in the ruck for most of the game and King will replace him for some short spurts. Ottens will push forward when he can as a ruckman, but he may not stay as a forward for extended periods of time. Geelong do have one idea they could turn to, Mooney in the ruck. If Geelong need to shake things up, Ottens could go forward and Mooney could try to outrun the Power ruckman.
There are two games on the MCG tomorrow, and some of the stars from the early game will be on AFL teams next year. The Cannons face the Bushrangers in the TAC Cup Grand Final.
All eyes will be on Ben McEvoy of the Murray Bushrangers. He would have to be a big chance to go at pick 2 in the AFL draft and a big game here could seal it for him. Richmond have pick 2, and usually do like the smaller propsects, but it might be difficult for them to turn down the next Kernahan or Loewe. McEvoy is a big presence in the forward line, and while he is also a solid ruckman his best spot in the AFL would be centre half forward.
There are other players who will be looked at by AFL scouts and fans. Daniher could be on his way to Essendon or Sydney. Hockey is a very dependable player who knows how to play the game. There is also the "Man Mountain" of the TAC Cup, Simpson will not be hard for viewers to spot.
Calder Cannons
B Saville Trengove White
HB Robertson Dulic Jolley
C Arrowsmith Cattapan Tsardakis
HF Putt Laidler Joyce
F Kite Daniher Polkinghorne
R McKernan German Farmer
Int May Considine Mendico
Short McLeod Melksam
Buckley
Murray Bushrangers
B Boyle Hebbard Thompson
HB Klemke Walker Deledio
C Livingstone Hockey McIntyre
HF Normington Garland Bryce
F Rockliff Terlich Simpson
R McEvoy Warnett Martiniello
Int Wright Browne Saker
Giovannini Barolli Morgan
Milne Craven
The Eagles are still going to be a force without Judd in the middle. But just as injuries, and other misfortunes, opened up a spot for Priddis this year, the vacancy created by Judd going will bring a new opportunity for another Eagle.
Matt Rosa: A similar size, and some running ability too, Rosa will probably have a much bigger role next season for the Eagles.
Shannon Hurn: His long-kicking has made him a go-to player for the Eagles, as some of the Eagles' older players move along it could be Hurn who steps up.
Mark Nicoski: He is the Eagles' version of Nick Malceski, and is ready to go from being a steady defender into a game-changing midfielder.
Mitch Morton: There has been a bit of talk about him leaving the Eagles, but if he stays there could be a lot more playing time for him in 2008.
Sam Butler: Injuries took away a lot of season 2007, he should be back next season and ready for a big season.
In a major overhaul of the Blues coaching department, Sumich has been offered an assistant role under new senior coach Brett Ratten and his new senior assistant Mark Riley.
Sumich and Judd have had an excellent working relationship throughout Judd's six years in Perth.
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The Judd School
Don't bother trying to enrol at The Judd School, it is located in Kent, and despite having a lot of sports they don't have any goal-posts on their ovals. They are taking applications to subscribe to the Old Juddian newsletter, and if the operation doesn't fix things up it could be a team in the AFL that gets an old Judd.
AFL Positions:
He has shown an ability to perform wherever the coach puts him. He could be at his best on the wing, or he could be played at half back and has also been used as a forward.
Perfect Fit For:
The Swans need some youth added to their team, and in some ways if they take a player from Tasmania they can eliminate the possibility of a player wanting to return to their home state. Bowden could fit in well with their other players who rotate through the midfield and forward area.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
The Bulldogs have lost a few players who were around the same size as Bowden, so in a later round they might pick him. While not as athletic as these players, Bowden could eventually fill the spot of someone like Montgomery in the back line, Robbins up forward or Faulkner as a midfielder.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
Probably a late pick so he won't arrive at a club that expects him to play a lot. So unlikely to be on many fantasy teams next year.
In 1995, Matthew Knights was destroying the Essendon Football Club. Few players have performed as well in a final as he did that day. But now, it is up to Knights to rebuild a club and to take it into a new time, the post-Sheedy era.
With Ryder and Gumbleton, he has two big pieces of a future contender. The midfield isn't quick, but with Stanton and also Hislop it has good potential. The ruck is a spot he has to figure out, as Hille did fall out of favour at times and Laycock did show he could play.
With a three year contract, Knights can afford to use the broom now, as he will still be around when players taken in the 2007 AFL draft are becoming regular players.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
The AFL finals fantasy game could come down to picking the goal total as a lot of teams will be the same. Bartel, G Ablett, Chapman, everyone will pick them. With the Power concentrating on all the All-Australians for Geelong, maybe Kelly or Enright gets away and has a big game for stats.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Symes is back, the forgotten fantasy superstar of 2006. Might not be a good idea to play him in fantasy teams this time as he probably spends a lot of time on the bench. The bunch of brothers will be on many fantasy teams, but other players like Salopek, Cassisi and Rodan can also bring in fantasy points.
A monumental farce was what the 2006 Grand Final Sprint became, Fevola was given such a big start over all the other competitors that it was not a real race. It still isn't a real race, as some runners will have to cover a larger distance than others.
Here is the tip, Nathan Krakouer of Port Adelaide will win. As he is mentioned as being one of the competitors, it is safe to say he won't be playing for the Power. So early selection news from the Power, or non-selection as it really is.
The Herald Sun newspaper listed the competitors:
Heat 1
Goldsack, Copeland, Wiggins, Fiora, J King, Sansbury, Guerra and Goodwin.
Heat 2
N Krakouer, Ray, Reynolds, Dempster, Ryder, Robertson, Schofield and Hasleby.
The AFL have recently reminded the clubs that big suspensions and fines are on the way to those who are part of fisticuffs and roughhousing. But this is a Grand Final, which is a bit like Christmas, as it is much better to give than receive.
While the best idea is to get the ball and kick lots of goals, if something is instigated then a choice has to be made. The team can act like Melbourne in 2000, or they can follow the teachings of Charles Bronson.
While not a final, this video shows when Geelong were ready to take a physical stand.
Something that has already been shown on TV this week, here is Port Adelaide in a Grand Final.
Plenty of big stars have changed clubs before. Sometimes the star has been the final piece to a premiership team, there are also other times when the team that was supposed to have lost a lot, in terms of players, actually got the better part of the deal.
Colbert to the Kangaroos: A captain leaving, and heading East, so some similarities. Although Colbert didn't have far to travel. It did not work out for the Kangaroos, Colbert was an injury-prone midfielder who was supposed to be the next Koutoufides, when he went to the Kangaroos he continued to be injury-prone and became the next Ian Fairley. Geelong didn't do too badly, their centre half forward on the MCG this weekend was acquired with that trade.
Lockett to the Swans: A star player traded for picks. It was a win-win situation, the Swans and Saints would both got to the Grand Final after the trade.
J Carr to the Dockers: The Power did show the other clubs that they were going to get value back or they weren't going to help a player get to their preferred destination. The Dockers eventually got the player they wanted, while the Power received a collection of draft picks.
Buckley to the Magpies: This was seen as a big loss for the Bears, as Starcevich and Lehmann didn't play many games. But the draft pick that accompanied them must also be taken into consideration, Brisbane turned that into Chris Scott and he played an important part in their wins.
White to the Demons: A Victorian wants to leave a team in WA and return to his home state, another familiar situation. The Dockers received some picks, which they also used to acquire veteran help. White had a long career with Melbourne and did help them get to a Grand Final.
If the Judd trade involves veteran players then a good idea of which team wins the trade will be known in a year or two. But if the Eagles take draft picks, their impact could be many years away.
Despite Richmond's appeal to West Coast because of its draft position, the Tigers have not been sounded out by the Judd camp, which has so far spoken at length to Carlton, Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood.
But Connors conceded that the Tigers could become very big players late in trade week next month should negotiations break down between the club or clubs Judd chooses, and the Eagles.
Jed Adcock had a big season for the Brisbane Lions and a big contract was expected to follow. Whether that was with Brisbane or another team was something that could have become the second biggest story of trade week.
According to this report, Brisbane is very close to retaining Adcock. Adcock is probably seen as a future leader in the midfield, taking over from Black and Power when they retire.
That is another name to cross off the list for the preseason draft. There are few quality players still uncontracted.
The Cats are either sending out a 200cm smokescreen by naming Steven King or they are actually dumping the hustling Mark Blake after he played 22 games, which included 18 consecutive games to start the season.
If they win, nobody will care about this. If they lose, King will probably be called Kingsley be Geelong fans.
King's first two games of the season were against Hawthorn and the Kangaroos, it has been a while since Geelong had a losing streak and that was it.
Another reason why the selection of King is strange, and not just because it was announced so early, is that it could be his last game for the club. It has been many years since King was a big contributor for Geelong and they can't afford to give him a big new contract.
Players like Derek Kickett and Jose Romero have moved to new clubs after missing out on a finals team, so there could be some resentment from Blake about this move. There are plenty of teams that would want him if he did feel the need to leave the Cats. Geelong will be relying on Blake’s connection to the team to keep him around, but it might not work out that way.
There is still a chance that this is a trick, and an emergency or two are added to the team before the game, and Blake does play and gives it his all.
A small win for the Saints, as they keep one of their bigger and stronger bodies, something that will be very important next year with Gehrig, Hamill and Voss gone. Matt Maguire has signed for two more years.
Maguire is also a player that Richmond can remove from their list of uncontracted players. The Tigers have the first pick in the preseason draft but the potential candidates are becoming few in number. Maybe a former Adelaide ruckman will join the Tigers in the preseason draft.
The Cats just got there against the Magpies last week, here is a video highlight package from when they previously advanced to a Grand Final. It was an easy win for Geelong at Waverley.
Plenty of Ablett, as usual, and he had a lot of help from Brownless, Lord, Colbert, Hinkley and even Mensch. For those who want to see the Gale family at their worst, they do some strange things here too.
The answer to that is yes, so that's the end of this post. Although, there will be some different levels of distaste shown by the crowd at Subiaco, depending on the team and how Judd got there.
Collingwood: It's Collingwood. So they don't need any extra incentive to boo them anyway. But if Judd does land there, it could be that the Eagles have negotiated from a position of weakness and accepted a trade that heavily favoured Collingwood.
Richmond: If Judd ends up wearing yellow and black, it could mean the Eagles received nothing for him, and he changed clubs via the preseason draft.
Carlton: Both the teams shared players before, like Clape and Chambers, although that was just because the Eagles didn't want them. Fevola would probably still be boo target number 1, unless he was at full forward for the Eagles next year.
Essendon: A high draft pick, which might be Palmer or Rance, and maybe Ryder as well would soften the blow for the Eagles.
Melbourne: During only a few weeks of their offseason, the Demons have shown that they are a rabble of the lowest order, a very unfortunate predicament for them and something their new coach will want to stomp on immediately. It is likely that when they visit Perth they will be down by 10 goals at half-time, so the Eagles fans won't need to boo.
With additional de-listings and tinkering with total player payments, Collingwood will easily come under its cap next season by $1 million, Judd's likely required remuneration.
Where have all the ruckmen gone, they used to always be among the leaders in the Brownlow. Now if a player is taller than the umpire they are lucky to get a vote.
Here are the top vote-getters from the 2007 Brownlow arranged in a team. The starting 18 players go from 29 votes to 14, the bench is 14 and 13 votes, the emergency players around 13 and 12 votes. Even going to players with 11 and 10 votes, no ruckman was present.
Not easy forming a team out of the best from the Brownlow, it has been a long time since Pavlich played full back or Goodes was in the ruck. Hodge played a bit of centre half back in 2006.
FB Andrew McLeod, Matthew Pavlich, Dane Swan
HB Simon Black, Luke Hodge, Brett Kirk
C Shaun Burgoyne, Jimmy Bartel, Nick Dal Santo
HF Brent Harvey, Nick Riewoldt, Sam Mitchell
FF Scott Thompson, Jonathan Brown, Gary Ablett
Foll Adam Goodes, Daniel Kerr, Chris Judd
bench Brad Johnson, Kane Cornes, Adam Simpson
emergency Joel Corey, Chad Cornes, Simon Goodwin, Heath Scotland
Nothing wrong with Bartel winning the Brownlow, and he now joins former winners like Liberatore and Woewodin. Seriously, Bartel did have a very good season, and he does deserve some recognition, but the real greatness for him will be achieved if he and his team win one more game this season.
If you fancy yourself as a songwriter and can put together a tune, send it to us and we will publish it on geelongadvertiser.com.au with a slideshow of Jimmy's remarkable year.
Issue #8: Who is better, Cale Morton or Alex Rance
The Eagles are probably going to get one very early pick, from the trade for Judd, and they might face the choice of Morton or Rance. Both are great prospects, stars for the WA Under 18 team and have a family connection to the Eagles.
Morton has more hype, and is expected to go earlier than Rance. Morton is just as tall, but he also has a lot of the skills of a midfielder. Morton would give the Eagles a versatile player who would create a lot of mismatches that the Eagles could exploit.
As Jakovich was the big body that the Eagles built their back line around, Rance could be a similar player for West Coast. Glass has the full back spot under control and Rance would give them another star at centre half back. Rance reads the play very well and is a very strong marking player, he also has good pace for his size and can provide some attack from the back half.
The Eagles might be able to work things so they get two picks in the top 6, so they might be able to grab them both. But maybe they have another player that they want, the draft isn't too far away until everything is known, so maybe Palmer or Masten becomes an Eagle.
Next month, Melbourne could be in a better position to satisfy the Eagles as it has several top players who could be traded to other clubs.
As the Demons were gearing up for a full-on assault on Judd, a mystery Victorian punter who barracks for Melbourne emerged with a bucketload of cash to support the move.
Here is a prediction for the Brownlow, Brent Harvey. If he gets a couple of votes during their losses to start the season, then a few 3 votes during their win streak, he should be right up there. Then he could finish off the season with a few more best-on-grounds for the final rounds to overtake G Ablett and C Cornes.
1: Geelong Cats 18-4 win-loss record (1 in last AFL Power Rankings)
The last Power Rankings for the season. Geelong took a while to grab the top spot but have not moved from there since. They are just one game away from something they haven't do in a long time.
2: Port Adelaide Power 15-7 (2)
The Dockers or Bulldogs were supposed to be in this spot, when predictions were made before the season started. The Power shocked the Dockers to start the season, and have turned it up even more for the last couple of months. If the Power win, it will be one of the greatest and quickest team rebuilds ever in the AFL.
The rest of the teams will rejoin the Power Rankings in October.
The Port Adelaide Power made it into the Grand Final, that was the easy part when compared to what some of their fans will have to do to purchase tickets and travel to the MCG.
"We're providing two extra Boeing 747s, that's an additional 700 seats," Qantas spokesman Lloyd Quartermaine said. "We'll be discussing other provisions throughout the week."
Well look at this, a night ride might be needed by some to get to the game. Better not hassle the Hoffs.
Dedicated supporters such as Chris and Emily Hoff, of Angaston, knew the week ahead would be a challenge.
WHEN no one else dared needle the beast, Mark Williams cast himself as the antagonist. He was The Penguin to Geelong's Batman.
Mark Williams is The Penguin, according to someone at Geelong. Not sure about that. You would think Mark Thompson would be the villain, he is called the “Bomber”.
On Grand Final day one thing is for sure, a coach called Mark will have the cup.
The team that gets Judd will be looking for improvement in the short term and also many years of contending. Judd may not have reached the halfway point of his career yet, so his new team should get their money's worth.
Somewhere between 150 and 200 games should be the expectation for Judd at his new club. Obviously his health will determine how many games, but the success of his new team will also impact the total. Judd has played the equivalent of half a season extra when his finals games are looked at.
But the Demons also made sure Judd had a good look around the MCG -- "our home for 150 years", as Harris emphasised, knowing the midfielder is keen to play most of his football there and not at Telstra Dome where Carlton usually plays.
This time around, Connors position is complicated by the knock-on effect any Judd deal might have for other clients. This potential conflict has already been exposed, with Brendan Fevola and Gumbleton, two players in his care, linked to Judd trades this week.
"I am happy to put on record right now that Brendan Fevola will be at Carlton next year, 100 per cent," Connors said.
_____________________________ ___________
There is a big queue of teams that want to talk to Judd, there was also a Big Q that Judd would kick to, and here is a site for Judd Cues.
Judd's Custom Cues is a world-class crafter of fine cue sticks. Recognized by professionals as true instruments of the sport of Billiards, Judd cues are known for their excellent playability, exotic woods and beautifully designed inlays.
If a team is only as good as their last game, there could be another cup going to Port Adelaide. The Power had a huge win as the Kangaroos couldn't get their hands on the ball and when they did it was often a point that they kicked. Port Adelaide have two of the best, and strongest, ruckmen in the AFL and they feed a great onball unit. The Power’s forward structure is very versatile, with talls who can run and shorter players who can take contested marks. Their back line is also underrated, and players like Chaplin and Pettigrew can stop their opponents and also runt he ball into attack.
The Power will go into the Grand Final with a lot of confidence, but they won't have Michael Wilson.
The Kangaroos are in plenty of trouble at the moment. Their coaching situation is a big problem. Laidley expects a long-term extension, but with his two finals debacles it might be better for the Kangaroos to either offer just a single year or to find someone else.
Port Adelaide
Chaplin: 15 kicks, 17 handballs and 8 marks as he controlled the back line for the Power.
Salopek: 25 possessions, 6 tackles and 3 frees for, he is an elite onballer now.
C Cornes: 27 possessions and a goal, he will always get the ball.
Tredrea: A newspaper called him the "former captain", that was odd, Tredrea kicked 3 goals and took 7 marks.
Pearce: He had 18 kicks, 10 handballs and 10 marks as the Kangaroos didn't pay any attention to him.
Kangaroos
Harris: 25 possessions, a goal and 2 frees for, he will be one of their best for fantasy points next season.
Lower: The Kangaroos couldn;t get much lower, but Lower was a highlight with 21 possessions and a goal.
Archer: 15 possessions and 4 tackles in his final game.
Grant: 2 goals and 17 possessions, their only player with multiple goals.
Sinclair: 23 possessions, including 11 in the second quarter.
Ben Hudson could be on the way to the Western Bulldogs, but Will Minson's management have announced that he is happy staying a Bulldog. Minson did not have a good season as the Bulldogs were very unsettled in the ruck. They started with Minson, then added Street to the lineup, before finishing the year with the small combination of Darcy and Skipper.
Will Minson did play a bit as a forward in the VFL this season, so he should be a more complete player for the Bulldogs in 2008. Against the Scorpions, Minson had a game of 3 goals, McDougall kicked 6 that day.
Hudson was part of a dangerous duo in the ruck for the Crows as Griffin was his backup and could also go forward. Maybe Minson and Hudson could both rest up forward, and that would provide a big body for the Bulldogs' forward line.
The Bulldogs also have big Street, and the versatile Skipper, so if Hudson does join them and Minson stays, the Bulldogs will have plenty of options in the ruck.
It seems fans of some teams have given up on getting Judd because of the finances of other teams' presidents and sponsors. That doesn't make any sense, as Judd can't sign a contract and then get a lifetime supply of cardboard as well. The AFL rules won't allow any shenanigans like that.
The AFL, the tax office, sports writers who hide in dumpsters, all the rest of the teams that miss out on Judd, everyone is going to be watching what happens. Judd has so much money, why would he even consider doing something illegal to get a little bit more, and it would not make sense for a team to try to do it because if they get caught then they will lose a lot of draft picks.
Here are some times in sports when people have, allegedly, tried to evade the salary cap, and will probably scare people away from trying it again.
The Raptors were so eager to placate Kendra and therefore Antonio, they explored a spot for her on Raptors TV. The NBA, mindful of teams circumventing the salary cap, shot down the idea.
I suppose it could happen, but the NBA will investigate if it suspects that an outside person or organization is paying a player on behalf or at the request of a team. If they find out that such an event has occurred, they will penalize the team. For the first offense by a team, the fine can be up to $2,500,000, forfeiture of a first round draft pick, and/or voiding the player's contract. The penalties increase for subsequent violations.
Incidentally, players are no longer allowed to become player-coaches. This is because it would be possible to circumvent the cap by signing a player as a player-coach, and paying him less as a player but overpaying him as a coach.
An interesting dilemma if this happens in the AFL. There once was a time when the player-coach was very popular in football. Judd the player gets $200,000 per year while Judd the coach gets $2,000,000. You heard it here first, and probably won't hear it again. Although it would be great to have a player-coach again in football.
They didn't play extra time but this game was just as exciting as the one the Magpies played last week in Perth. While there were many big plays, if it wasn't for a Joel Corey smother it is possible that Collingwood would be preparing for a Grand Final.
The Cats have some problems as they figure out who plays next week. While Gary Ablett may be their best player, his brother may only be their 23rd best.
The Magpies were waiting until their season was over to join the race for Judd. They are in it now.
Geelong
G Ablett: 31 possessions, a goal and 7 tackles, there would have been very few fantasy teams that didn't have him.
Stokes: 3 goals, he also had 12 kicks, 5 marks and received 4 free kicks.
Corey: He didn't get any fantasy points for his most heroic play, but he did help fantasy teams with 18 kicks and 13 handballs.
Milburn: Quiet early, a big last quarter pushed his possessions total to 18, he also had 9 marks.
Ottens: Easily the best ruckman out there, he went 20-20 with 24 hitouts and 23 possessions.
Collingwood
Clement: 20 kicks and 7 tackles, a big fantasy game.
Swan: 20 kicks and 8 marks, the Cats tried to contain him but he still got the football.
Clarke: Playing extra games in the finals may have taken away his Rising Star award eligibility for next year, but he has risen to a high level and he had 21 possessions.
Cloke: He is a fantasy star now, he had another game of double-figure marks, 13, and also had 14 kicks.
Buckley: 14 kicks, 5 handballs, 6 tackles and 10 marks.
The Swans were going to be in a lot of trouble if the rumours were correct and Jolly wanted out. Now there is news that Darren Jolly has a big contract offer from Sydney and is likely to stay. Offering four years is a good idea by Sydney, as they need stability for their list.
Everitt and Jolly were two of Sydney's best players this season. With both of them, the Swans are a contender. With only one of them, especially if Jolly left, the Swans would be in trouble. Everitt isn't very young, and his backups would be Doyle or an untried youngster like White.
Jolly hasn't signed anything yet, so teams like Richmond could still have a chance.
Brisbane send Cameron Wood to Collingwood, the Magpies send pick 14 to Melbourne and the Demons send Travis Johnstone to Brisbane.
West Coast trade Chris Judd and pick 46 to Carlton for Josh Kennedy and picks 3 and 20.
Adelaide trade Martin Mattner to Sydney for pick 28.
Adelaide trade John Meesen to Melbourne for pick 37.
There is plenty of news around regarding player movement and this page will be updated when there is reports that a player is looking for a new club. Links and quotes will be provided, but in a lot of cases it is just a move to increase a player's price. It is hard to have a bidding war if only one team wants a player.
Adelaide
Ben Hudson - Reportedly on the way to the Bulldogs.
From The Advertiser: Hudson deal impasse
The Western Bulldogs have guaranteed the 55-game ruckman a three-year deal.
John Meesen - Traded to Melbourne.
Luke Jericho - It seems the Jerichoholics will need to find a new club.
Martin Mattner - Is now a Sydney Swan.
Brisbane
Cameron Wood - Gone to Collingwood.
Richard Hadley - Looking to leave.
Jared Brennan - Looking elsewhere and is reportedly out of contract.
Carlton
Lance Whitnall - Whitnall could be on his way out, as Carlton might need to release several players to free up salary space.
Josh Kennedy - Traded in the Judd deal.
Bret Thornton - Hawthorn want him, again.
Collingwood
Essendon
Mark Johnson - Could go to Fremantle.
Ricky Dyson - Expected to be traded, he didn't play as many games as he should have last season.
Kepler Bradley - Sheedy is gone, so Bradley is too.
Fremantle
Ryan Murphy - It is unlikely that he stays with the Dockers.
Geelong
Tim Callan - Has asked for a trade, probably to the Bulldogs.
Kane Tenace - Sydney looking to trade for him.
From The Australian:
"We'll be talking to Geelong about Tenace, and it depends on what they want in return," Roos said.
Steven King - Either takes a pay cut to stay as their third ruckman, or moves to a new team.
Hawthorn
Tim Boyle - With Thorp ready to join Franklin and Roughead up forward, it makes Boyle expendable. Boyle's price is said to be a second round pick.
From The Australian:
Hawthorn strategy and list manager Chris Pelchen revealed that a surprising number of clubs had made inquiries about Boyle, who is contracted for next season.
Kangaroos
Daniel McConnell - He won't be back for them, a team might look at trading for him.
Brad Moran - Better chances for regular games if he moves.
Leigh Brown - Unlikely to be there next year.
Melbourne
Brad Miller - The Swans want to acquire him.
Travis Johnstone - Is now a Lion.
Nathan Carroll - Being shopped by the Demons.
Port Adelaide
Damon White - With the addition of Westhoff, White's playing time has been limited and he could be asking for a trade. The Power have said he has one year to go on his contract.
Richmond
Andrew Krakouer - Probably is traded, or delisted.
Jay Schulz - Time at Richmond appears to have run out.
St Kilda
Sydney
Amon Buchanan - Was dropped from the side for a few games in 2007, could be traded.
Adam Schneider - Swans could be looking to trade him.
Jude Bolton - Sydney are seeing what they can get for him.
West Coast
Chris Judd - Moved to Melbourne, the city. Might move to the Melbourne Football Club, they are one of a number of teams he is looking at.
From the Eagles site: Judd leaving "for family reasons"
Daniel Chick - Not expected to return to the Eagles, and may want to continue at a new club.
Ashley Sampi - The Eagles recently said they will talk to him about a new deal.
Mitch Morton - Richmond could trade for him.
Western Bulldogs
Cameron Faulkner - He won't be back with the Bulldogs, but could be included as part of a trade.
From the Bulldogs site: Bulldogs delist six players
Issue #5: Judd Becomes The Captain, If He wants To
Often when a star moves clubs, people talk about the captaincy being something that gets them there. With Judd, he may have had enough of being captain. But if he wants to be captain, he will get the job.
It seems that the former Port Adelaide midfielder who wanted to go to Collingwood but ended up at Carlton in the preseason draft will be the Blues' new captain next year. There couldn't be any argument made that says Stevens should be captain if Judd wants to. Waite probably should be the captain there, instead of Stevens, anyway.
Lloyd might be captain-coach at Essendon at the moment. So Judd won't be the captain there.
David Neitz has already indicated he would hand over the captaincy, although right now there isn't great a candidate for it. Neitz would be very happy to hand the captaincy over to Judd.
Hawthorn have a vacancy at the captain spot, which means a couple of people will now be driving 6 hours to see Andre Rieu instead of the Hawks play. Judd doesn't seem interested in Hawthorn.
Collingwood keep getting mentioned as a frontrunner to acquire Judd. Their captain probably plays another year, and then Judd could get it.
Nisbett said the Eagles remained open to the make-up of the offers from rival clubs.
"It might be draft picks, it could be players or it could be a combination of picks and players," he said.
In the middle of Iowa is the glorious town of Judd. Just to the South East is a place called Melbourne. South of Melbourne is Newton. To the South West is a town called Carroll. Zoom level 5 might show the best detail on the map.
Other interesting place names around Judd, Iowa include Kent, Kingsley, Ute, Rockford, Thor and Crawfordsville. It doesn't seem that Judd will be going to the "Crawfordsville" of AFL teams.
Last week the finals fantasy team was near the top of the standings, nearly all players selected had a good game. Luke Hodge was one of the few who didn't bring in fantasy points. He is gone now, as are a bunch of Hawks and Eagles, and players from the Cats and Power are back in the side.
B Jesse Smith
B Drew Petrie
B Daniel Pratt
B Darren Milburn
B Peter Burgoyne
B Chad Cornes (captain)
B David Wojcinski
C Dane Swan
C Scot Pendlebury
C Tarkyn Lockyer
C Adam Simpson
C James Bartel
C Kane Cornes
R Brendon Lade
R Brad Ottens
F Dale Thomas
F Leon Davis
F Nathan Buckley
F Gary Ablett
F Paul Chapman
F Warren Tredrea
F David Rodan
The AFL Insider SuperCoach Team End Of Season Review - The Rucks
The team that started the fantasy season.
R Dean Cox
R Ben Hudson
R Jonathan Griffin
R Brent Renouf
Hudson and Griffin were good signings to start the year. The team had a bit of a problem when it seemed that both Cox and Hudson were going to miss during the same round, that was when Cox was traded. Next year Cox will probably be back in the fantasy team, and Hudson could also return if he is the number 1 ruckman for the Bulldogs.
Cameron Wood started the season as a big part of the Brisbane team, and also received a Rising Star nomination. But old McDonald made his way back into the Brisbane lineup and then Leuenberger debuted. Leuenberger's arrival also coincided with a huge winning streak by the Lions. Charman signed a new deal, so the Lions don't have a guaranteed role for Wood now.
The Crows are already adjusting their list with ruckman Ben Hudson indicating he would like to play elsewhere. Cameron Wood would be someone that the Crows could use, and he is a South Australian.
There could be the makings of a three-team deal there too. The Bulldogs get Hudson, the Crows get Wood, maybe Sam Power and some draft picks would be sent to Brisbane.
Chance For An Upset: Just another big game on the MCG for Collingwood, so they will be more than competitive. Geelong seem to have more midfield power, but the Magpies might be able to hurt Geelong with a tall forward line.
Geelong
They win if....the smaller, but quicker, Geelong defenders provide plenty of run.
The Good News: They have received many individual awards.
The Bad News: It might not happen this offseason, but Geelong in the future will struggle to keep their team together if many players require bigger contracts.
Collingwood
They win if....Thomas kicks a bunch of goals.
The Good News: Fraser is playing, probably, and he could make things difficult for Geelong if he goes forward.
The Bad News: It is all good there, although the more wins they get it makes it harder for them to get Judd, as they don't have a great pick to trade.
Port Adelaide v Kangaroos
The Tip: Port Adelaide by 44 points
Best-On-Ground Guess: Chad Cornes
Chance For An Upset: The Kangaroos don't have a lot of hope, but they seem to thrive on that predicament. They will need a monster game from one of their forwards to get the upset, big Petrie might be who they need to kick to. The Power had the week off, they have two dominating ruckmen and a plethora of midfield stars and they should get the win.
Port Adelaide
They win if....they stop Harvey and Grant kicking goals.
The Good News: Wakelin returns, and he adds some experience down back.
The Bad News: Ebert is a bit hurt, but is expected to play.
Kangaroos
They win if....McIntosh plays his best ever game.
The Good News: They are a top 4 team, they must have even surprised themselves this season with their success.
The Bad News: The Kangaroos don't have the ability to score a lot of goals, especially with Corey Jones missing.
While Judd may be the only piece going from West Coast in the upcoming blockbuster trade, there is a chance that a player or two will accompany him.
Chick is reportedly looking for a new club. So the Eagles wouldn't be averse to throwing him into the trade.
The Eagles could send Judd to a team that is close to contending, and are ready to send a lot to get Judd and another player that can help. If the Eagles are trying to get younger, then Wirrpanda might be a player to include in the trade. Wirrpanda could also use a new challenge.
West Coast would like the top pick, and while it doesn't look like that will happen, if Seaby was also part of the deal it might help. The Eagles might have a plan to team Dean Cox with Kreuzer, a combination that would dominate in the ruck.
There is also a forgotten player from West Coast, Sampi. A very unlikely player to be added into the trade, but anything can happen.
The Eagles also have several Victorian players who could bring in some high picks themselves. If Collingwood are getting Judd, they might as well see if they can get Mitch Brown too.
THE deepening threat of instability at St Kilda appears to have dashed any hope of the Saints securing Chris Judd and is threatening to prompt the departure of centre half-back Matt Maguire.
There is a chance that some players finish the season with two Grand Final wins, if Geelong wins in the AFL and VFL. David Johnson, King or Prismall would be a chance to get into the Geelong AFL team next week. Tom Hawkins would give Geelong an extra big forward for the Grand Final.
But before the Cats can think of that they have to get past Coburg. Riewoldt and Connors have the ability to grab a game with a feat of great athleticism, and a big celebration afterwards too.
The tip, Geelong by a couple of goals with King the best player.
Coburg Tigers
FB McGuane Silvester White
HB N. Caruso Moore Casserly
C Jackson Carnell Krakouer
HF P. Bowden Riewoldt Oakley-Nicholls
FF Connors Schulz Hill
Foll Ronaldson Neville Shelton
bench Gazzo Simpson F. Caruso
Huy Hughes Sewell
Farrelly Horne
Geelong Cats
FB Lonergan S. Hunt Callan
HB Tenace Spencer D. Johnson
C Davenport Byrne Varcoe
HF Grima Playfair Gardiner
FF Gamble Hawkins Hogan
Foll King Prismall Djerrkura
bench Urie Hollmer Bedford
West Firman Cheep
Thompson Clarke
Name: Lachlan Henderson
Height: 196
Weight: 90
State: Victoria Country
Club(s): Geelong/Geelong College
AFL Positions:
A big spot at either end should be where he is played. More teams probably have him as a prospect for the forward line. He is not tall enough to be a ruckman in the AFL.
Perfect Fit For:
The Cats will know all about him, and he would be a player they would draft if he lasted until their pick. While everything is going well for the Cats at the moment, they don't have any tall defenders ready to step into the team and their forward depth would also be tested by a couple of injuries.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
Anywhere from the Bulldogs to the Cats in the first round. Maybe the Saints are interested. The Saints need to get Riewoldt some help, with Gehrig retiring and Koschitzke playing more in the ruck, Henderson with their first rounder is a possibility.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
Gumbleton, Sellar, J Riewoldt and Tippett didn't help fantasy teams this season, and Henderson could be in a similar situation in 2008. It will depend on who picks him, as the Bulldogs would play him a lot more than the Kangaroos or Bombers.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
They have 9 All-Australians, and most of them will be on fantasy teams this week. Other Cats to consider are Enright, Selwood, Wojcinski, Stokes and, of course, Chapman. Scarlett likes to run off Rocca and get plenty of stats. Gary Ablett will be in for a physical game, the Magpies may bump him a lot but that will mean he has the ball and fantasy points.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Fraser is in and supposed to play, although that was also the plan last week too, for fantasy teams it might be best to wait until tomorrow night to find out about Fraser. Buckley wasn't a big player for fantasy points for the few regular season games he played but for the finals fantasy game he has been very good.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Time to sign a bunch of Cornes and Burgoynes again for fantasy teams. Chaplin was good a couple of weeks ago, he and Pettigrew have the skills to have a big fantasy game in their back line.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
It is difficult to pick one of their forwards for fantasy teams. Corey Jones was their best during the season but he is injured, and while Edwards was great last week he is an inconsistent player.
Adelaide have not had a very stable ruck position in recent years, and there could be more upheaval with John Meesen exploring his options. Several Victorian clubs can give him more money and more games, so he could be on the move.
Ben Hudson is also out the door at the Crows, although Adelaide also has Biglands returning from injury. Maric, Griffin and Tippett are other ruckmen at the club.
While Richmond might like to sign a former Eagle with the first preseason pick, their next plan might be a ruckman like Meesen. Meesen also has forward skills, so he would be a useful addition to the Tigers.
IT is D-Day for John Meesen.
The much-maligned first-round draft pick - who once appeared to be dispensable but is now highly-valuable to Adelaide after Ben Hudson's shock walk-out - will have showdown talks on his future in Melbourne today.
The out-of-contract 200cm ruckman will meet with his management group, Connors Sports Management, at lunchtime to "talk about his options".
The Saints are going to announce that midfielder Robert Harvey will keep going and his career will continue for at least one more season. When he started at Moorabbin, not only did they have Tony Lockett but even Shane Warne was around too. Harvey has been there a while.
While every year the same thing is said, that Harvey will take a lesser role and have reduced minutes, he probably gets his 20 possessions a game next year. Dal Santo, Ball and Hayes should be their big 3 but Harvey is still there for a big 4. Maybe someone like Armitage or one of the Clarkes steps up this year, allowing Harvey to have a bit more rest.
Lyon will today sit alongside Harvey, who turned 36 last month, at a press conference at Moorabbin where his plans to play again in 2008 will be officially revealed.
At the moment, and it is very early in the negotiations, the Eagles would like pick 1 in the draft and Carlton have said there is no chance. A different draft strategy for Carlton last year might have put them in a better trading position now.
Carlton were always taking Gibbs, but they may have erred with that choice, for a number of reasons. The problem that has arisen now is that Carlton still need a ruckman, and for that they need to keep the top pick for the 2007 AFL draft. If they had Leuenberger already on their team, then they could easily agree to trade that pick for Judd.
A year ago, pick 1 was used on Gibbs and pick 17 resulted in ruckman Shaun Hampson. Carlton could have taken Leuenberger at pick 1 and a midfielder like Tom Hislop at pick 17.
It may not matter, as the Eagles should be happy if they get pick 3, but if Carlton had gone big a year earlier then they might be able to trade the top pick this time.
_____________________________ ___________________
Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Melbourne will be talking to Judd soon. Three of those teams have a lot of trade assets. It is hard to see how Collingwood can put together a package that the Eagles would like, but if they send a couple of South Australian forwards to the Crows, and also one of their tall prospects that they drafted in the first round last year to the Bulldogs, they could grab a couple of early draft picks to send out West.
Return Of The Juddi
Carlton 1.38
Collingwood 4.00
Essendon 7.50
Melbourne 9.00
Richmond 13.00
Hawthorn 16.00
St Kilda 34.00
Kangaroos 67.00
Geelong 126.00
Western Bulldogs 151.00
“Return of the Juddi”, that is nearly as bad as Goldspink slaying a bunch of Ewoks in “The Umpire Strikes Back”, probably not coming to a theatre soon.
The ruck spot at the Crows will continue to change this offseason as Ben Hudson is expected to leave. A year ago, the "retirement" of Clarke and an injury to Biglands had a big impact on the Crows.
Just as Hudson did this season, next year Biglands is expected to return from a knee injury and take the top ruck spot at the Crows. They also have Maric, Griffin and Tippett. The Crows might also be shopping John Meesen.
Hudson would be a very good fit with the Bulldogs. The way he works at ground level is something that big Scott Wynd used to do. While a tad shorter than the former Bulldog star ruckman, Hudson would provide a lot of the skills at stoppages that Wynd did.
If the Crows are looking for an addition of quickness then they have found the right team to trade with. The Bulldogs have an ample supply of fast midfielders. A trade between the two clubs could also become much bigger if Ken McGregor is also involved. The Bulldogs are very small, especially up forward, and McGregor would help them a lot.
Will Minson: The Bulldogs started the season with a few wins, and Minson in the ruck. Then he was back to the VFL, sometimes playing as a forward for Werribee. Maybe things turn around next season, as Darcy has retired, but if Minson doesn't hear soon that he is a big part of the future he might consider asking for a new opportunity elsewhere.
Plenty of teams need a big, strong ruckman so there would be a lot of interest in Minson from other clubs. But this isn't a case of a team having an oversupply at a position, so if Minson does go in a trade it could be in exchange for another ruckman who is looking for a new opportunity.
Mitch Hahn: Hahn needs to be on a team where he is the third or fourth marking option in the forward line, not a primary and undersized one. The Saints have the big forwards, and a small guy, but with Hamill out they have lacked a medium option, Hahn would be a good fit there.
It probably isn't the most important item, but when Judd moves there will be some clubs who present him with number 3 and others that won't. Here are the best teams for Judd to get his number, and also included is the player who had number 3 this season.
Melbourne - Clint Bizzell
Why was Bizzell even at Melbourne in the first place, that doesn't matter as he is gone now, so number 3 is waiting for a new owner.
Essendon - Scott Gumbleton
Matthew Lloyd seems to be working out a trade for Judd, possibly as he takes a break from looking for a new coach at Essendon, and that trade could involve Gumbleton.
Collingwood - Ryan Lonie
The Magpies don't really have picks or players to offer, but they are still a big chance to get Judd. There won't be anyone at Collingwood unhappy to give Judd number 3.
St Kilda - Xavier Clarke
The Saints were expecting Judd to drop to pick 5 in the 2001 AFL draft, he didn't so the Saints picked Clarke. The Saints wouldn't mind trading all their Clarkes if it meant they got Judd.
Western Bulldogs - Chris Grant
He has a great past, while Judd would provide a great future. It is unlikely that Judd would become a Bulldog, so Grant will probably wear number 3 for another season.
Kangaroos - Brady Rawlings
If the Kangaroos do get Judd, then rawlings could just switch to number 8. As Wells is one of the only real trade assets the Kangaroos have.
Carlton - Marc Murphy
Murphy could still have the locker next to Gibbs by changing to number 5.
Richmond - Brett Deledio
Deledio and Judd are close to the exact same height and weight, so maybe some wouldn't notice if Judd was in the number 3 next year. Although there is the hair.
Hawthorn - Jordan Lewis
Number 3 will be missing at the start f next season, as Lewis is suspended. The Hawks already had a chance to get Judd, they may not get another .
Geelong - Jimmy Bartel
If Geelong win a couple more games they won't care about the trade week, they probably won't even know it is on.
If Judd did end up at Richmond, some available numbers are 2 and 13. If he isn't superstitious, 13 might be a good choice. At Carlton, they might also have 2 and 13 available. If Carlton move out the disappointing Russell, 2 becomes available. Whitnall seems to be on the way out, Luke Blackwell would probably get number 8, which would mean 13 is free.
There are 9 Geelong players in the best 22 for the AFL, and supposedly no Collingwood players who deserved a mention in the top 40. Yet the Magpies are going to be a big chance when the two teams meet for a spot in the 2007 AFL Grand Final.
Port Adelaide have some of their midfield stars in the team, with Lade joined by the Cornes brothers. Lade would have just got the spot on the All-Australian bench in front of the Kangaroos' McIntosh. Brent Harvey did make this team.
FB: Matthew Scarlett (Geelong), Darren Glass (West Coast), Darren Milburn (Geelong)
HB: Andrew McLeod (Adelaide, captain), Matthew Egan (Geelong), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn)
C: Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide), Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Chad Cornes (Port Adelaide)
HF: Steve Johnson (Geelong), Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions, vice-captain), Brent Harvey (Kangaroos)
FF: Brad Johnson (West Bulldogs), Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), Cameron Mooney (Geelong)
Foll: Dean Cox (West Coast), Daniel Kerr (West Coast), Gary Ablett (Geelong)
Mark Seaby: Seaby has already won a premiership, now he can grab a spot at another team and show that he can be a star number 1 ruckman. If he wants to see if he can take a team to the top then now is when he should ask for a trade, as the Eagles will be the big team involved in trade week. He does seem happy in his role with the Eagles, but that should not deter other clubs inquiring about him.
Seaby's trade value has probably increased this year as he put in some big performances when Dean Cox was out. Seaby also showed he could go into the forward line too, and he was a strong mark and reliable kick for goal during several matches. Right now he is "Robin", but there are several teams to the East that would give him a shot at being "Batman".
Jaymie Graham: The Eagles don't use many tall defenders, as they are happy with what Glass, Hunter, Waters and Staker can do. Eric MacKenzie and Mitch Brown were also brought in with recent draft picks and are probably ahead of Graham now. Another team may not give him as good a shot at a premiership, but at least he could be at a team that will play him every week.
The Eagles now have to decide who their captain is next season. It would probably be either Glass or Cox. Embley and Hunter might be other options.
They probably can't go wrong with Darren Glass or Dean Cox. So maybe they will follow a few other teams and appoint co-captains. Although that never looks right, so maybe they pick Glass, with Cox second in line.
One of many Chris Judd trade predictions:
West Coast receive: Picks 3 (from Carlton) and 5 (from Bulldogs), Josh Kennedy, Josh Hill and Clinton Benjamin
Carlton receive: Chris Judd and Sam Power
Western Bulldogs receive: Mitch Brown, Will Schofield, Lance Whitnall and pick 52 (from Carlton)
Carlton get Judd, the Eagles have the draft picks to get the best from Western Australia and the Bulldogs help the trade work for the other teams while also addressing their need for height. Pick 3 probably becomes Cale Morton and pick 5 could be used by West Coast on Alex Rance.
Name: Levi Greenwood
Height: 181
Weight: 91
State: South Australia
Club(s): Port Magpies/North Whyalla
AFL Positions:
Might spend his time playing in the back half and also the midfield. He can already do a lot of things, and as he hasn't been playing football for a long time there will be other positions that he will learn too. He plays bigger than his listed height, so a team might think about making him into a forward, he is good at ground level and can outmark players who are a bit taller than he is too.
Perfect Fit For:
The Kangaroos traditionally play the game the same way that Greenwood does. Archer is at the end, and players like Simpson will also need to be replaced in the coming years.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
The Crows could use their second round pick to take him. They lose Ricciuto, while Edwards and Goodwin are at the latter stages of their careers, Greenwood would be a good addition.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
Levi's genes must be good, he is a strong player with a big leap and solid fundamental skills. That should translate into a good amount of fantasy points when he gets his chance next year.
Daniel Connors has been a highlight reel in the VFL all season, except for a few weeks when he was in the AFL, and Connors has been awarded the VFL Mark of the Year. Don't expect him to be in contention for the award next year, as the Richmond Tigers must surely have him in the AFL for every game in 2008.
It is the Cats against the Tigers on Sunday, here are the two teams that were named for last weekend. Hawkins versus J Riewoldt, those two alone are worth the price of admission.
Geelong Cats
B Callan Lonergan Bedford
HB Tenace Spencer D. Johnson
C Varcoe Byrne Davenport
HF Grima Playfair Gardiner
F Gamble Hawkins Hogan
R King Prismall Djerrkura
Int Firman Barnes Cheep
Thompson West Urie
Clarke Hollmer
Coburg Tigers
B White Silvester McGuane
HB Casserly Moore N. Caruso
C Krakouer Neville Jackson
HF P. Bowden Riewoldt Oakley-Nicholls
F Connors Schulz Hughes
R Ronaldson F. Caruso Shelton
Int Horne Huy Sewell
Hill Simpson Gazzo
Carnell Robertson
1: Geelong Cats 18-4 win-loss record (1 in last AFL Power Rankings)
The Cats have a Grand Final next week, their VFL team will play against Jack Riewoldt's Coburg, and the AFL Cats also have a huge game. The Magpies kept it close when they played Geelong earlier in the season, although that Collingwood team didn't have Buckley and Rusling, so it will be a tough game for Geelong to win.
2: Port Adelaide Power 15-7 (2)
Sitting back, watching the Hawks and Kangaroos hit each other, ideal preparation for their upcoming match. The Power will be great favourites to win this week, and then nobody will pick them for the following match if they do get there.
3: Collingwood Magpies 13-9 (5)
Their game against Geelong will be bigger than the actual 2007 AFL Grand Final. They showed they can win without Fraser, although they will be expecting him to play in this game.
4: Kangaroos 14-8 (4)
This must be when their unbelievable run ends. If it does end, it won't take away from a season that accomplished so much more than was expected. The brothers and teammates of Chad Cornes and Gary Ablett may take away some of their Brownlow votes, which could help Brent Harvey win the award.
The rest of the teams will rejoin the Power Rankings in October.
Luke Vogels: Always an emergency, and when he does get a chance to play it is a windy day at Geelong and difficult for any talls to have an impact. Vogels might be at the end of his time at Sydney, but someone else may be interested.
Vogels' best ever AFL game was against the Bulldogs. They could send one of their many speedy midfielders to Sydney, which might mean they get something for Faulkner as he would be a player Sydney should consider, and the Swans could send along Vogels to the Western Bulldogs.
Simon Phillips: He seems to get overlooked a lot when they select a team. Most teams do use one or two quick small forwards but the Swans are happy with their current structure of Hall and the versatile players in O'Keefe, O'Loughlin and Davis.
Pavlich decided to remain a Docker, Riewoldt signed with the Saints and Koschitzke would also do the same, it seemed like the offseason was going to be dull. Now the offseason has been turned to on, with Judd on the way home.
This could be the biggest trade period since Tony Lockett left the Saints. Every Victorian team will be trying to come up with a package that will interest the Eagles, except for the Tigers. Judd could move to them in the preseason draft, where he could join Brett "Judd number 2" Deledio and possibly also Trent "Judd number 3" Cotchin.
The mock drafts, that will be posted here soon, will include a lot of stars from WA. The Eagles will want a couple of early picks, for possibly Cale Morton and Alex Rance.
Judd would expect to become captain of his new team, that won't be a problem as the teams in the best position to trade for him are all likely to change captains for season 2008. It does seem that returning to Melbourne is the main incentive for the reported change of clubs, that is something that his family will be pleased with as they often mention how much they would like to have him back.
Right now Carlton can put together the best trade package, with high draft picks and also young players like Josh Kennedy and Paul Bower. Melbourne might be up the top of Judd's list. The Demons saved money when hiring their coach, deciding not to take Sheedy, so they should be able to open up the vault for Judd.
Everyone seemed to pick Hawthorn, based on what happened last week, but the Kangaroos were not the same team that capitulated against the Cats. Midfield dominance was established by Harris, Simpson, Rawlings and Wells. The back line of the Kangaroos was also at their best, Josh Gibson played in front of Franklin which was very effective and Gibson also had plenty of help too.
The Hawks are out now but will expect to be bigger and better next season. There are few bigger than Max Bailey, and in time there may not be many better than Mitch Thorp, and don't forget about Mr Kennedy Version 3.0 who should debut next year for Hawthorn. The Kangaroos travel to play Port Adelaide, in a game that will be overshadowed by the Cats and Magpies blockbuster. The Kangaroos will not be expected to win, although that has been the expectations of most all season.
Kangaroos
McIntosh: 24 hitouts and 23 possessions, but he goes up against Lade and Brogan next time.
Smith: He was everywhere, tackling and running, for fantasy stats he had 16 kicks, 11 handballs, 6 marks, 5 tackles and 2 frees for.
Wells: 21 second half possessions, his total for the game was 28.
Harvey: He wasn't prolific in possessions, 11 kicks for the game, but he also kicked 4 goals.
Rawlings: 27 possessions, an increase on his usual numbers.
Hawthorn
Lewis: The best of their usually great midfield group, he had 31 possessions.
Guerra: 19 kicks, he gets plenty of the ball in the back half.
Franklin: It didn't start well, most of his stats in the first quarter were frees against, he finished the game with 3 goals and 6 free kicks against.
Sewell: 29 possessions, 7 tackles and 8 marks, he can get plenty of the ball while still paying close attention to his opponent.
Vandenberg: Their former captain is now also a former player, he had 9 possessions and 3 tackles in his last game.
James Gwilt: He put together some impressive games when he got a chance, but when the Saints are at full strength in the back line it is hard for him to get a game.
The Saints could be looking to trade for a ruckman or tall forward and they might find a team that needs another tall defender. So Gwilt could be someone who is moved during trade week.
Leigh Fisher: He's not even the best Fisher on the team, although the other guy is very good. Leigh Fisher is a quality player but his numbers did seem to drop off during the season, he might find a bigger role at another team.
The Eagles replicated their performance from last week, seemingly setting up a winning lead in the third quarter but undoing all their good work in a couple of minutes before three-quarter time. Collingwood were a bit healthier, as West Coast lost Hansen very early in the match, and a lot faster when it got to extra time.
Collingwood now need to prepare for a well-rested Geelong side. West Coast will put behind them a season of turmoil, and possibly enter an offseason of turmoil. Daniel Chick is reportedly out of there, Chris Judd has millions of reasons to move to a new club and the Eagles could also have a couple of players retire.
Collingwood
Swan: 28 kicks, 10 handballs, 9 marks, 4 tackles and 2 goals, he was busy.
O'Bree: 15 kicks, 14 handballs, 8 marks and 7 tackles.
Cloke: 19 kicks and 10 marks, also received 2 free kicks.
Lockyer: He might have been called "Andrew Lockyer" by the commentator, but it was a typical Tarkyn game for fantasy points with 20 kicks, he also had 8 tackles. Andrew was a utility player for the Eagles in their early years.
Buckley: 21 possessions, it seemed that a higher amount than normal missed their target but that doesn't affect the AFL finals fantasy game.
West Coast
Cox: 27 possessions, 9 marks and 29 hitouts, he was everywhere.
Priddis: He is a fantasy star, 37 possessions and 8 tackles.
Staker: 12 kicks, 6 marks and 5 tackles, a solid game from the versatile Eagle.
Wirrpanda: It seemed that he was injured during the warmup, he did play and was useful with 13 kicks and 2 goals.
Hansen: 1 kick for 1 behind, it was not helpful for the Eagles and fantasy teams to play him.
Cleve Hughes: It looked like he would become a regular in their forward line, that has not happened yet. Next season, a healthy Simmonds and Pattison could be rotating through the ruck and a tall forward spot. Richardson has several years left and Jack Riewoldt would be expected to play every game next year. Polak can also play forward and Richmond could use one of their early picks to take a big forward too. Hughes might find another team will give him more games next year.
The Saints and Swans will be looking for a tall forward, the Bulldogs may not be looking but they do need a few tall forwards too.
Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls: It isn't working for him and Richmond. He has size, and some ability, but he has not developed his game while with the Tigers and needs a new start.
Things have certainly changed since Buckley and the Magpies played against the Eagles in a final in 1994. Looking back at some of the players from 1994 and what they are doing now, in the future Judd could be coaching the Eagles, Dale Thomas could be a player agent and Anthony Rocca could be in the NFL.
Worsfold is, or course, the coach of the Eagles, and Peter Sumich and Guy McKenna are a chance at the Essendon job. A bunch of other players that were on the field with Buckley in 1994 are now, or at one time have been, assistant coaches.
Gary Pert was an old defender at the end of his career when he played with Buckley, now he runs his club.
Craig Kelly wasn't an old defender then, although with how fast he moved it did seem that he was, he now runs the careers of many players.
Saverio Rocca did not have a good game against the Eagles in 1994, with 1 kick. Now, if Rocca only had 1 kick, it probably means his team has a big win in the NFL, as teams that score don't need to punt.
Michael Christian was another big and slow Collingwood defender from 1994 who is as famous, if not more famous, now. He commentates on television.
Tony Shaw is a radio star now, and was also coach of Collingwood.
Mark Fraser would have played with Buckley in 1994. Fraser could run, and he probably knew most of the rules, so a move into umpiring was logical in some ways.
Glen Jakovich was also playing then, he is now a commentator on Pay TV, although he should have gone to Hollywood and acted with Dolph Lundgren, or at least been his stunt double.
Jason McCartney started his career as a high pick of the Collingwood Magpies, he would play his last game for the Magpies in the 1994 finals game and would then join the Crows. Shane Bond played for the Eagles in 1994, that was his first season in the AFL, later in his career he would play for Port Adelaide.
The 1994 finals game between the Eagles and Magpies also had Jason Ball in the ruck for West Coast, while Collingwood had Paul Williams in their onball group. Many years later, those two players would be important contributors as the Sydney Swans won the AFL Grand Final.
In 1994 Buckley was trying to get Collingwood a premiership, and he still is in 2007, so not everything has changed.
The week 1 team was above average but not great, a lot of that was due to Brent Harvey's bad game. While that could be a reason to replace him this week, instead of that he is now the captain. Harvey will be one of the Kangaroos that has to step up this week, a possible Brownlow winner too, he could have a big game.
B Shannon Hurn
B Grant Birchall
B Heath Shaw
B Adam Hunter
B Brent Guerra
B Jess Sinclair
B Jesse Smith
C Luke Hodge
C Jordan Lewis
C Sam Mitchell
C Daniel Harris
C Tarkyn Lockyer
C Brent Harvey (captain)
R Dean Cox
R Hamish McIntosh
F Quinten Lynch
F Travis Cloke
F David Wirrpanda
F Sean Rusling
F Leon Davis
F Andrew Embley
F Dale Thomas
Hurn is getting a lot of the ball, as the Eagles look to give him the ball due to his kicking skills, so he joins the team this week.
Daniel Harris and Sam Mitchell should have a lot of battles for the ball, they are both on this team.
McIntosh was beaten last week, as were the rest of the Kangaroos, but he should have an easier time this week.
Rusling, Cloke and Lynch can all cover plenty of ground as they lead for marks, the big ground in Perth will hopefully increase their stats potential.
The AFL Insider SuperCoach Team End Of Season Review - The Centres
The team that started the fantasy season.
C Sam Mitchell
C Luke Hodge
C Steven Salopek
C Paul Hasleby
C Marc Murphy
C Jordan Lewis
C Joel Selwood
C Lindsay Thomas
The Hawthorn football club provided three players for the fantasy team's midfield. Lewis and Mitchell stayed for the entire season. Hodge was sent out after a few weeks as he was not playing up to his fantasy price, although he would quickly improve and was a player who would have helped the team if he did stay longer.
Salopek, Hasleby and Murphy were all taken due to their low price, when compared to their potential for stats. Salopek was very good, but injured a lot. Murphy didn't really get going, as his former coach had the idea that he could get away from taggers by sitting on the bench. Hasleby had some big games during the season, but there were some quiet ones as well as the suspension at the end of the season.
The idea of signing Selwood at the start of the season was correct. Trading him in halfway through the year to use his money also seemed like a good idea, until he finished the season with plenty of games that had him ranked among the better midfielders for the round. Lindsay Thomas started the season with a lot of shots on goal, or maybe towards goal, as he kicked a lot of points.
The team that finished the fantasy season.
C Sam Mitchell
C Chris Judd
C Nick Dal Santo
C Paul Hasleby
C Kane Cornes
C Jordan Lewis
Chance For An Upset: This game is supposed to be close, the Eagles have home ground advantage but a depleted team while the Magpies have to travel but have everyone available to play. Collingwood may just get the win as their forward line is at its best at the moment.
West Coast
They win if....their secondary group of onballers star, players like Priddis and Rosa had some big games during the season and will now need to do it in the finals.
The Good News: While they are without some significant players, the Eagles still have the league's best ruckman and Hansen is also back at centre half forward.
The Bad News: Judd may never play again for the Eagles, West Coast have said that they will know if he is staying or leaving very soon.
Collingwood
They win if....Josh Fraser at least breaks even with Dean Cox in the ruck.
The Good News: The Rocca, Cloke and Rusling forward setup is very effective.
The Bad News: If they lose, they are out, but the reward for winning is to face the rampaging Geelong.
Kangaroos v Hawthorn
The Tip: Kangaroos by 22 points
Best-On-Ground Guess: Brent Harvey
Chance For An Upset: Can a team get destroyed one week and then win a final the next week, Hawthorn showed that was possible as they put the game in Sydney behind them and regrouped to defeat the Crows. The Kangaroos were not in it against the Cats, and they did defeat the Hawks when they played in Tasmania, so the Kangaroos might get the win here.
Kangaroos
They win if....Franklin is curtailed, the Kangaroos might need to find a player with Petrie's height and Firrito's running ability to do the job, they don't have one so they will have to hope that Gibson can slow him down or at least hope that Franklin is off with his kicking accuracy.
The Good News: They are not playing Geelong.
The Bad News: Corey Jones misses the game due to injury, he was great against the Hawks during the regular season.
Hawthorn
They win if....Campbell or Taylor can get the better of McIntosh, the Kangaroos' ruckman had a big 2007 season but the Hawthorn ruck pairing is underrated.
The Good News: No change for the lineup, with Bateman and Hodge expected to play.
The Bad News: The Kangaroos did defeat them the last time they played, and while the Hawks didn't have Mitchell and Franklin they did have their Tasmanian advantage and the Kangaroos were without Wells.
The Queensland State of Origin team, that was named last week, and the West Australian team, that was named a while back, now have some tough competition as the SANFL’s honorary state team has been selected. Pavlich and Chad Cornes on the same team, Ottens backing up Lade in the ruck, this team would be hard to beat.
FB Peter Burgoyne, Ben Rutten, Tom Harley
HB Corey Enright, Sam Fisher, Andrew Mackie
C Tyson Edwards, Chad Cornes, Adam Cooney
HF Brett Ebert, Matthew Pavlich, Scott Thompson
FF Michael O’Loughlin, Brad Ottens, Shaun Burgoyne
Foll Brendon Lade, Simon Goodwin, Kane Cornes
bench Scott Burns, Graham Johncock, Brett Burton, Nathan Bock
Ryan Willets: The Power used an early pick to draft Willets but they have not been able to find a spot for him. It does often take longer for tall players to become consistent at AFL level but for Willets the opportunities at Port Adelaide are limited, as they have big veterans like Lade and Tredrea and they have also discovered Westhoff.
The first thing teams need to figure out with Willets is whether he is a ruckman or a forward. He provides a very good target around the ground for players to kick too, but his ruck work isn't a strength at stoppages, so maybe centre half forward is his spot. A lot of Victorian teams need a 197cm marking player in their forward line. He might move along during trade week and fans of his new team could be happy with the acquisition or they might question it, “what you talkin bout, Willets?”.
Brad Symes: He was a very good player on an average team last year, but only an average player on a very good team in 2007. There might be a team out there that was impressed by his 2006 season and will trade for him now.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Priddis and the other onballers will step up for this game and produce a lot more fantasy points. Hansen returns, he has been out for a while and might struggle against Clement or O'Brien.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Rocca was a star last week but it will be tougher against Glass. Rusling and Cloke also played well against Sydney, and could be stopped by Hunter and B Jones.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
The Kangaroos were killed last week, and their fantasy stats were a lot lower than expected, but that won't happen this time. Harvey should be much better, and expect some goals from Petrie too. McIntosh is another Kangaroos who should bounce back from the game against the Cats.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
The same team, so expect a lot of the same statistics. Although Franklin might kick a few less goals. Bateman is supposed to be playing, and Hodge is also ready to go.
The Western Bulldogs need to make a lot of changes to make a run at the cup next season and they have started doing that by delisting a number of players. Midfielder Cameron Faulkner is the biggest name to go, along with Tim Walsh who was a very high draft pick by the Bulldogs.
Travis Baird and Damian McCormack were other Bulldogs on their main list who are gone now while rookie players Marty Pask and Michael West also won't be back.
Faulkner was talked about a year ago as a player who might be traded by the Bulldogs. It is likely that another team will have a look at him now and he could be taken in one of the upcoming drafts. The Power might be a possible a destination for Faulkner, they found a star in Rodan and might think they can also get the best from Faulkner. There was also the suggestion that Faulkner was going to be traded for Skipworth last year, so the Crows might still be interested in Faulkner.
Lynden Dunn: He is being changed into a defensive midfielder, and he had some success at that role, but he has the potential to be a very effective marking forward. It doesn't seem that Melbourne will be the club where he kicks a lot of goals so he should see what other places are interested.
At the Swans, Saints and Bulldogs he could be the third marking option in their forward lines. Dunn has the skills to produce around 10 marks and 2 goals a game, at a new club he would get the chance to do that.
Brad Miller: Every year he is expected to become a star for Melbourne but it doesn't go right for him. Miller needs a fresh start somewhere else. Maybe a spot in Brisbane's back line would get his career going again.
The Demons are starting to send the broom through their club after a terrible 2007 season. Veterans Simon Godfrey and Daniel Ward are out as are Daniel Hayes, Shane Neaves and Heath Neville.
Melbourne have to get younger, so letting Godfrey go made sense for them, but a contending team looking for a midfield stopper might get some value from Godfrey. The Bulldogs will want to make a big run next year, before players like West and Johnson retire, and adding Godfrey might be a good move for the Bulldogs. They want more size in the middle, and someone who concentrates on the defensive aspects, so Godfrey makes sense for them.
Brad Moran: McIntosh has taken a big leap into the elite ruckmen of the AFL, David Hale has extended his contract with the Kangaroos and Drew Petrie is now a dominant force in the AFL, all of this suggests that Brad Moran will be waiting for his chance for a long time. The Kangaroos did have a brief look at Moran as a tall defender, that isn't going to be a good fit.
There are several ruckmen looking for a new club and at least one of them could find their way to St Kilda. Moran would be a good choice for the Saints, Kosckitzke could start in the ruck and then after 10 minutes Moran could come onto the ground with Koschitzke going forward. The Saints would have two athletic ruckmen with good endurance and it might be tough for other teams to keep up. If Seaby leaves the Eagles, Moran would be perfect as Cox's backup, and the big ground at Subiaco would allow Moran to use his running ability.
Todd Goldstein: He is another spot further back in the queue behind Moran. It will be a long time before he is a regular for the Kangaroos, so a move would be beneficial to his career.
This team would be competitive if it was allowed to play during the proposed State Of Origin in 2008. With a hard-working and strong back line, skilful midfield and Riewoldt up forward the Queensland team could upset some of the bigger football states.
Queensland State of Origin Team
FB Daniel Pratt, Daniel Merrett, Mal Michael
HB Andrew Raines, Tom Williams, Josh Drummond
C Cheynee Stiller, Mitchell Hahn, Sam Gilbert
HF Jason Akermanis, Nick Riewoldt, Joel Macdonald
FF Ricky Petterd, David Hale, Michael Osborne
Foll Jamie Charman, Robert Copeland, Scott Harding
bench Ben Hudson, Rhan Hooper, Jarrod Harbrow, Luke McGuane
Name: Scott Selwood
Height: 184
Weight: 81
State: Victoria Country
Club(s): Bendigo/Sandhurst
AFL Positions:
He probably starts his AFL career in a back pocket and then moves into the middle in a few years. S Selwood could also stay in the defensive half, and develop into a player like Wirrpanda or Scotland, who can take control in the back line.
Perfect Fit For:
The Cats might consider using their first round pick on him, while the pairing of Joel and Scott wouldn't be as great as the Lord twins or the Nankervis or Hocking brothers it could be very close.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
Collingwood's second round pick could be used to draft the fourth Selwood. Players like Burns, Licuria and O'Bree are getting to the end of their careers and S Selwood would be a player to eventually use in their roles.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
He is ready to play at AFL level and might play most of the games next season, so he would be worth signing for fantasy teams, especially if he was eligible as a fantasy defender. His playing time, and fantasy points, would probably be higher if he went to a bad team that picked early in the second round, compared to going to a better team who had a late first round pick. Although his brother, Joel, did show that a first-year player can play on a top team and also help fantasy teams.
When players like Koschitzke and Jamie Charman sign new contracts to stay at their current teams it shows that the teams down the bottom of the ladder are not really trying to improve. Richmond, Carlton and Melbourne need to be doing everything they can to entice an uncontracted star to their clubs, but the list of available players is getting smaller every week.
Charman's signing will enable Brisbane to have stability with their list and allow them to plan to improve for next season. The Charman and Leuenberger ruck combination should be a great weapon for the Lions in 2008. It also allows the Lions to use Cameron Wood as a trade asset, and he could bring the Lions a very good draft pick.
The Lions may also look to trade Wood to a team that needs a ruckman and also has a young Queenslander on their list. A Wood for Sam Gilbert trade with the Saints would make some sense for both teams. The Bulldogs would not want to trade Tom Williams, but they would have to consider a trade offer if Williams did want to return to Queensland, and Wood would be a welcome addition to the Bulldogs.
A few awards are being handed out at the moment and most of them are heading to Geelong. The Cats' VFL captain James Byrne has won the J.J. Liston Trophy after another consistent season for Geelong.
Several players among the leading vote-getters could be looked at by AFL clubs when the drafts come along. Neville, Valenti and Summers could be playing AFL next season. Cartledge has been very good for North Ballarat as a ruckman and forward and he could make a return to the AFL.
J Byrne Geelong 22
S Valenti Sandringham 20
T Ronaldson Coburg Tigers 17
C Gardiner Geelong 14
A Neville Coburg Tigers 13
J Hunt Geelong 13
D Whyman North Ballarat 13
E Poyas Sandringham 13
K Matthews Casey Scorpions 12
S Byrnes Geelong 11
P Licuria Williamstown 10
B Houli Bendigo Bombers 9
T Cartledge North Ballarat 9
J Houlihan Northern Bullants 9
D Gallagher Sandringham 9
S Harrison Casey Scorpions 8
M Marigliani Frankston 8
R Young Northern Bullants 8
R Nahas Port Melbourne 8
Br Johnson Williamstown 8
J Cloke Bendigo Bombers 7
B Muston Box Hill Hawks 7
S Birss Casey Scorpions 7
A Iacobucci Northern Bullants 7
P Summers Sandringham 7
M Pask Werribee 7
Thomas Murphy: He seems to get into the team, perform well and then get sent back to the VFL. A player who was thought to be a forward prospect, when he does play for Hawthorn now it is in the back line. There is probably another AFL team that will provide a lot more games for Murphy.
Compared to most of the forwards at the Bulldogs, Murphy is a giant. The Swans could also provide more opportunities for Murphy as a forward. The Saints have lost Gehrig, and can't expect a lot from Hamill, so Murphy could find a regular spot in their forward line.
Jarryd Morton: He probably does go West during his career, it might happen very soon and Hawthorn will be able to get something useful for him as Morton is still under contract. The Hawks have Thorp and Dowler to fit into their team, so Morton won't be playing a lot with the Hawks if he stays.
There will be a lot of players from Western Australia who are selected in the top 20 of the 2007 AFL draft, but the top pick and several other early selections are expected to go on players from the TAC Cup. Here is the 2007 TAC Cup Team of the Year.
2007
FB Mitchell Farmer, Michael Hurley, Haelen Kay
HB Callan Ward, Chris Kangars, Kyle Cheney
C Jackson Hall, James Polkinghorne, Ashley Arrowsmith
HF Scott Simpson, Ben McEvoy, Andrew Otten
FF Andrew Renton, Tim Bongetti, Mitchell Banner
Foll Matthew Kreuzer, Jack Grimes, Nick Suban
bench John Shaw, Kris Nye, Jaxson Barham, Grant Ford
Looking back at the 2006 TAC Cup Team of the Year, there were quite a number of players drafted in the top 20. Matthew Kreuzer is in the team for a second consecutive year.
2006
FB Paul Colbert, Nathan Brown, Andrejs Everitt
HB Robert Eddy, Lachlan Hansen, James Frawley
C Daniel Connors, Leigh Adams, Nathan Batsanis
HF Daniel O'Keefe, Jarryd Allen, Ryan Williams
FF Robert Gray, Brent Macaffer, Cameron Lockwood
Foll Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Grigg, Andrew Horne
bench Andrew McGuiness, Lachlan George, Jarryn Geary, Ben Ross
1: Geelong Cats 18-4 win-loss record (1 in last AFL Power Rankings)
It is Geelong at the top, and daylight probably should be second on this list. There is a big gap between how Geelong win games and how the other teams fight for their wins.
2: Port Adelaide Power 15-7 (3)
The extra week of rest, and then a home game, mean that the Power are the second best chance in the AFL to win it all.
3: Hawthorn Hawks 13-9 (8)
One kick, the big Franklin goal to win the game, has turned their whole season around. After being embarrassed by the Swans in round 22, the Hawks now only have to defeat a couple of teams who finished out of the finals last year and they are in the Grand Final.
4: Kangaroos 14-8 (6)
At least they don't have to worry about playing Geelong in the next two weeks. But if they do recover and win their next two games, it would probably mean they play the Cats again, that isn't something they would be looking forward to. This probably isn’t the week for Coach Laidley to demand a new contract.
5: Collingwood Magpies 13-9 (7)
There is an easy side of the draw, and the difficult one with Geelong waiting. Unfortunately for the Magpies, they have the trip to Perth and, if they win, they have to defeat Geelong for a Grand Final spot.
6: West Coast Eagles 15-7 (2)
They have plenty of injuries. One team from the past two Grand Finals is already out of the finals and the other one will join them in the next week or two.
The rest of the teams will rejoin the Power Rankings in October.
Geelong is the huge 2007 AFL Premiership favourite and the Kangaroos might be out of the finals in a week. The Kangaroos had the right idea and started the game with plenty of marking forwards but the ball didn't get down that end very often. Geelong get the week off, while the Kangaroos might struggle to stop Hawthorn and their big forwards.
Geelong
Bartel: 29 possessions, he is very healthy.
G Ablett: 2 goals, 19 kicks, 13 handballs, 7 marks, 3 tackles and 4 frees received.
Mooney: 5 goals from 8 kicks, also had 6 marks.
Chapman: 12 kicks and 5 goals, he will star in every finals game he plays.
Stokes: A lot more than just a forward pocket now, Stokes had 11 kicks, 10 handballs and 10 marks.
Kangaroos
Simpson: 20 kicks and 7 handballs, the only Kangaroo who kept the statisticians busy.
Rawlings: 8 kicks, 7 handballs and 6 tackles, he helped fantasy teams a bit.
Wells: 17 possessions and a goal, if they win next week it might be because he has a big game.
Sinclair: 9 kicks and 8 handballs, he kept running all game.
Edwards: 11 kicks and 8 marks, Edwards was the Kangaroos best forward.
Steven King: Unless one of the other Geelong ruckmen has an injury, King won't be playing for the Cats in their AFL side. King started his career with the Cats when he was very young, so even though he has been there a long time he could still play a few seasons with a new team.
There are several ruckmen who are rumoured to be leaving their current clubs. If Jolly leaves the Swans, then King would be a useful player to combine with Everitt as the Swans make one more push for a premiership. The Bulldogs might want a big, veteran ruckman, although it would be strange to see King and Street together again. Collingwood need more depth in the ruck, and King would be a chance to be the number 2 ruckman there.
Brent Prismall: Kelly was spending a bit of time in the VFL a year ago, Joel Selwood was also just a prospect who hadn't played a game, coming into season 2007 it looked like Prismall would be a regular in the Geelong side. That didn't happen, and as there are no impending retirements or long-term injuries there, Prismall is not going to have a lot of games next year if he stays with Geelong.
The Crows had experience on their side while the Hawks had Lance Franklin. It was better to have the big guy who kicked 7 goals, including the match-winner.
Hawthorn
Franklin: Expect him to be on the majority of finals fantasy teams next week after his 7 huge goals.
Birchall: 20 kicks, 7 marks and 4 tackles, he is a defender who can get a lot of the ball.
Crawford: He has plenty of experience in big games and was one of Hawthorn's best here, he had 18 kicks and 15 handballs.
Roughead: 3 goals, 14 possessions and 6 marks, it was a solid game for fantasy points as the Hawks' number 2 forward option.
Sewell: 22 handballs and 4 tackles,
Adelaide
Ricciuto: That brings a close to the great career of Mark Ricciuto.
Thompson: 19 handballs, 15 kicks, 8 marks, 6 tackles and 4 frees for.
Shirley: 10 tackles and 24 possessions, the Crows provided a few midfielders who would have helped fantasy finals teams a lot this week.
McGregor: Along with Welsh, McGregor kicked 4 goals for the match.
Torney: 10 marks, 11 kicks, 13 handballs and a goal.
Size is always a problem for the Sydney defenders, but with effort and teamwork they can usually contain a big forward. It didn't happen here as Rocca grabbed everything that was kicked in his direction, Rocca was also accurate with 6 goals and 0 behinds.
Collingwood
Rocca: 6 goals, 9 marks and 11 kicks, he will play against Glass next week.
Buckley: His best game of the year, excluding when he was a Seagull, Buckley had 19 possessions and 5 tackles.
Pendlebury: 24 possessions and a goal, every game he makes a big contribution.
Cloke: 14 kicks, 9 marks and 3 goals, he has been one of the surprises of the season.
H Shaw: 23 possessions and 10 marks, he will be on many fantasy teams next week.
Sydney
Goodes: It is the end of the season for Goodes and the Swans, in the past month he has been one of the best for fantasy stats, he had 15 kicks, 14 handballs and 11 marks in this game.
O'Loughlin: 4 goals and 8 marks, a good game for O'Loughlin as their other forwards struggled.
Malceski: Elevated himself into the elite for fantasy stats this season, he had 23 possessions and 2 goals.
J Bolton: 12 handballs, 10 kicks, 5 marks and 4 tackles.
Kirk: Doesn't have many bad games for stats, again he was one of Sydney's best with 26 possessions.
Ryan Murphy: The Dockers signed many of their players during their disappointing 2007 season. When Adrian Campbell signed a new contract it could have indicated that Murphy's time at the club is over. With Pavlich at full forward, Tarrant also up forward and the possibility that Longmuir could return, Murphy might be looking elsewhere.
Murphy's greatest contribution in 2006, when the Dockers had their best season, was impressive accuracy in front of goal. There are plenty of clubs that need that. The Crows couldn't bring Pavlich over to play in their forward line so maybe they consider trading for Murphy. Several Victorian teams would also be a good destination for Murphy, as would Sydney.
Luke Webster: Another Docker who was more prominent last season. Maybe the Dockers will play him more next year, but a move East might provide a greater opportunity.
The Power play at home in two weeks for a spot in the 2007 AFL Grand Final. The Eagles have to regroup as they play next week to keep their finals alive. After a close first half, it looked like the Eagles had the game under control in the third quarter after Judd kicked a couple of goals. The Power fought back in the final quarter, with Tredrea hitting hard and Westhoff flying high for marks.
Port Adelaide
Chaplin: He would not have been on many AFL finals fantasy teams, Chaplin had 24 possessions and 10 marks.
P Burgoyne: A good choice to captain a fantasy team, he had 22 kicks, 7 handballs and received 3 frees.
K Cornes: 22 possessions and a goal.
Lade: Both he and Cox produced for fantasy teams, Lade had 19 possessions and 15 hitouts.
C Cornes: Like the other Power players, Cornes will have to be traded from fantasy teams as they have the week off. Cornes started slow but finished with 12 kicks and 10 handballs.
West Coast
Cox: 20 possessions, 16 hitouts and 10 marks, he didn't have any injury problems.
Stenglein: He will be asked to do more in the middle, due to their injuries, and he can do it with 29 possessions, 10 marks and 8 tackles.
Embley: A big game for stats after missing a month, he had 10 kicks and 13 handballs.
Lynch: Kicked 2 goals, also had 4 behinds, and added 14 kicks and 8 marks.
Priddis: 22 possessions and 6 tackles, will be expected to have a big game next week.
Courtney Johns: A team with Matthew Lloyd doesn't have a spot for Courtney Johns. The Bombers did try to make it work but a forward line with Lloyd, Lucas and Johns was not a success. The Bulldogs must surely have a big list of forwards they will go after and Johns would make a lot of sense for them. The Saints have to also figure out what to do at full forward with Gehrig retiring, while they do have some options on their list they could also add Johns who would provide a lot of the things that Gehrig did.
Johns is a full forward, and although he has played as a tall defender in the VFL with some success, it is wasting his goal-scoring ability. A team that trades for him and sticks him in the goal-square can expect at least 60 goals next year.
Ricky Dyson: Things could change with a new coach, but maybe it is time for Dyson to find a better situation. He should have been a regular in the Essendon lineup in 2007 and a new team could provide a consistent role in 2008.
AFL Positions:
He usually plays as a key forward, in the AFL his club might decide to convert him into a tall defender. Stewart has the size and attributes to play full back and that could be the best spot for him.
Perfect Fit For:
The Kangaroos need to add some depth for tall defenders, and they also have a Queensland connection now, so Stewart could be a good choice.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
Sydney will be looking to bring in several tall prospects with their draft picks and Stewart is an option in one of the later rounds. Vogels and Grundy have not cemented spots, and Jesse White is still developing, so Sydney can use another key position prospect like Darin Stewart.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
Anything can happen for players drafted late, as Westhoff showed this season, but the logical guess is that Stewart would be a year or two away from regular AFL games. So fantasy coaches won't need to sign him next year.
He won't be one of the early picks, but Darcy Daniher will be one of the most talked about prospects in the draft. This is the first year of teams having to bid for father/son picks. The Daniher situation also is complicated due to the fact that two teams can select him as a father/son pick, Essendon and Sydney.
Daniher will probably get to the club that he chooses, as other teams won't value him too highly, but it will be interesting to see who his preferred club is. At the Bombers he might become a full back, as Essendon have young Gumbleton and Neagle to replace Lloyd and Lucas in the future, so Darcy Daniher might be part of Essendon's back line of the future along with Ryder.
With the Swans, they need some help now up forward and in a few years will have a big need for tall forwards. Hall and O'Loughlin will need to be replaced soon, as will Leo Barry in the back half. The Swans might provide more opportunities for Daniher than Essendon will.
Some of the fantasy stars from the regular season fantasy team are back, like Chad Cornes and Corey Jones, while Nathan Buckley makes a surprise appearance in the finals fantasy team.
B Heath Shaw
B Andrew McLeod
B Peter Burgoyne
B Chad Cornes (captain)
B Craig Bolton
B Graham Johncock
B Darren Milburn
C Luke Hodge
C Tarkyn Lockyer
C Sam Mitchell
C Brent Harvey
C Adam Goodes
C Kane Cornes
R Dean Cox
R Hamish McIntosh
F Corey Jones
F Ryan O'Keefe
F Scott Thompson
F Paul Chapman
F Nathan Buckley
F Gary Ablett
F David Wirrpanda
The AFL Insider SuperCoach Team End Of Season Review - The Backs
The team that started the fantasy season.
B David Mundy
B Daniel Pratt
B Andrew Raines
B Grant Birchall
B Graham Polak
B Sean Dempster
B Justin Koschitzke
B Xavier Ellis (emergency)
B Matt Riggio
The big successes were Polak, Birchall and Koschitzke. Each of those players is a good example for three things that can point to a fantasy stats improvement, which are changing AFL clubs, a young player ready to play and a star coming back from injuries.
Polak went from Fremantle to Richmond, the Tigers needed a lot more height so Polak was always going to play a lot. Birchall showed he was ready in his first year of AFL, in his second year he improved a bit more and might be even better next season. Koschitzke was everyone's pick to have a big return from injury, that happened and he was traded in before the Saints went to Port Adelaide, it might have been a good idea to keep him around longer.
Mundy, Pratt and Raines were all supposed to have midfielder stats in the back line, sometimes they did. Mundy was solid until the coach was removed, then he became a star fantasy player. Pratt was traded for Jesse Smith, it was a trade that didn't lose fantasy points and freed up plenty of money, although Pratt's stats did seem to go up after he was removed from this team. Raines had some big games, and some quiet ones.
Dempster has the talent to be a player for a lot of fantasy points but it didn't happen this year. Ellis is more talented than most, he has good skills and makes the right decisions on the field, next year he will star. Riggio had some good games for North Ballarat.
The team that finished the fantasy season.
B David Mundy
B Jesse Smith
B Andrew Raines
B Grant Birchall
B Graham Polak
B Dustin Fletcher
B Adam McPhee
Chance For An Upset: Every game this weekend should be close. The Eagles will be selected to win by many, but the home ground advantage for Port Adelaide and Judd's injury problems could mean the Power get the week off.
Port Adelaide
They win if....they get goals from some of their smaller players, the Eagles will be concentrating on Tredrea, Ebert, Motlop and The Hoff so someone like Pearce, Rodan or Cassisi will be required to help on the scoreboard.
The Good News: Lade wasn't going anywhere, and now it is official, he agreed to a new contract.
The Bad News: The Burgoynes were not in the 40 possible All-Australians, both Peter and Shaun should have been there.
West Coast
They win if....the Big Q is unstoppable, the Power defenders are not the biggest.
The Good News: Embley is back, he is a versatile player who can do for the Eagles what Chad Cornes does for the Power.
The Bad News: Chick is in the team but reportedly he won't be next year.
Hawthorn v Adelaide
The Tip: Adelaide by 21 points
Best-On-Ground Guess: Tyson Edwards
Chance For An Upset: The Hawks should be favourites, as Adelaide do travel to Victoria to play them, but Hawthorn's game against the Swans exposed many weaknesses and the Crows will look to exploit them. Ricciuto and McLeod could have more finals experience than the entire Hawthorn side, so the veteran Crows should have an advantage.
Hawthorn
They win if....McLeod is stopped by Sewell.
The Good News: Franklin wasn't stopped by Massie when they played, the ball just didn't get down that end of the ground, if they supply Lance with the ball he could kick a winning score.
The Bad News: Last week's game may not have been Hawthorn's worst match of the year, their worst one might have been when they played Adelaide.
Adelaide
They win if....their veterans attack the ball early, Hawthorn may not have the experience but they will have the intensity, so the Crows will need to match that.
The Good News: Ricciuto can will a team to win, and him kicking goals is also helpful.
The Bad News: They don't have Bassett to hound Franklin.
Collingwood v Sydney
The Tip: Sydney by 9 points
Best-On-Ground Guess: Brett Kirk
Chance For An Upset: Collingwood can beat the Swans in the regular season, so they can do it again. But September is when Sydney turn it up and just don't lose many games. This game could go into extra time, something that hasn't happened since maybe 1994.
Collingwood
They win if....Goodes is contained, they might need a tag-team of taggers to do that with a couple of players rotating off the bench to run with Goodes.
The Good News: Fraser is back, he can compete with the big Sydney ruckman and might also go forward and expose the lack of height of the Sydney back line.
The Bad News: According to the selectors, the Magpies don't have any of the top 40 footballers, that must be wrong.
Sydney
They win if....Hall can hold his marks and kick accurately for goal.
The Good News: Ed Barlow is a great find by the Swans.
The Bad News: There is plenty of talk that Jolly might want to move to a Melbourne club.
Geelong v Kangaroos
The Tip: Geelong by 25 points
Best-On-Ground Guess: Cameron Mooney
Chance For An Upset: The Kangaroos went to Kardina Park and won, the Cats defeated the Kangaroos for their home game, so this is the decider at a neutral venue, sort of. They finished far ahead of everyone on top of the ladder, the Cats have to win this game.
Geelong
They win if....N Ablett and Stokes combine for at least 4 goals.
The Good News: The Rooke trip to Germany must have fixed his injury problems.
The Bad News: Egan is a big loss, he is a very underrated player and the Cats won't know what they have lost until they take the field without him.
Kangaroos
They win if....the Kangaroos are too tall in the forward line with Egan out for the Cats.
The Good News: Most people picked them to finish last, so they did a lot better than that.
The Bad News: Archer might only have 2 more games until his career is over.
Ryan Lonie: There was a time when he was a regular in the Collingwood back line, now it might be time for him to move to a new club. The Magpies have a very settled back line, and will add some more midfielders with draft picks, so Lonie's opportunities could be even fewer next year.
While he might like to go to Port Adelaide, that would seem to be an unlikely scenario. Possibly the Crows are a chance. Scotland found a new team and a chance for a bigger role when he went to Carlton and maybe Lonie could do the same. The Kangaroos and Demons could be other options for Lonie.
Chris Egan: The Magpies have drafted very well and many of their picks over the past two years are now in front of Egan. His career could benefit with a move to a new club.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
There is still a fantasy game to play even with the regular season over. Go to the AFL Finals Dream Team site and sign up for a team. A less complicated version of their fantasy game, no need to worry about a salary cap and just choose the best of the best, with the limit of players from each team.
There is some concern with Brogan, and if he did miss the game then Lade could have the best fantasy points of any ruckman for week 1 of the finals.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Cox says there is nothing wrong and he will play. Judd is going to spend time in the forward line but also expects to play in the middle.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
This is likely to be the lowest-scoring game of the weekend, so signing tall forwards from either team could be a risk. Franklin is the best option, but he will have to combat Stevens and the Crows will have another defender helping too. Bateman may not play, so better avoid him when signing fantasy players.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Ricciuto was very good last week, he would be a player that few fantasy teams have so if he fires again the teams that have him might win the round. A safer strategy would be to sign some of their midfielders and speedy defenders.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
The Collingwood back line didn't receive any All-Australian recognition, but many finals fantasy teams will have Lockyer, H Shaw and Clement. If Collingwood win it could be due to the play of Pendlebury, Thomas or Buckley so fantasy teams might want one or two of those.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Hall returns, he was rested last week so he will be ready to have a big game, it is a risky choice but Hall was actually good for his last two games that he played. Goodes is finding form at the right time of the season, as are Davis and O'Loughlin.
bench from: Varcoe, Blake, Byrnes, Rooke, Hawkins, Kelly, King
In: Hawkins, Rooke, King, Bartel
Out: Egan
AFL Fantasy Watch:
Bartel is back, the Power's Pearce played well after having the same type of operation so Bartel should be a good signing for fantasy teams this week. The loss of Egan will mean other Geelong defenders will have to be more accountable for their opponents and that could lessen their stats.
AFL Fantasy Watch:
The Kangaroos do have a height advantage up forward so Petrie might be someone for fantasy teams to sign this week. Going with veterans who were there when the Kangaroos won last century might be a good idea as they won't be overwhelmed by the occasion, so sign Harvey, Simpson and Grant.
The Cats knew they were going to have a successful day at the 2006 AFL draft because Tom Hawkins was already on his way to Geelong, but what they didn't know was that their first round pick would be used to take the Rising Star winner. Joel Selwood dropped 3 or 4 spots and the Cats grabbed him when their pick was up.
Pendlebury and Jones also had great years, although it was easier for them as they did play AFL last season, and Westhoff was another player who would have been a deserved winner of the award. Ryder's votes total seems very low, he had some huge games after being switched to the back line this season.
The votes for the award.
Joel Selwood, Geelong. 44
Scott Pendlebury, Collingwood. 37
Nathan Jones, Melbourne. 17
Justin Westhoff, Port Adelaide. 10
Shannon Hurn, West Coast. 9
Jesse Smith, Kangaroos. 7
Bryce Gibbs, Carlton. 6
Tom Williams, Western Bulldogs. 2
Patrick Ryder, Essendon. 2
Martin Clarke, Collingwood. 1
Here are the Rising Star nominees for 2007, arranged in a team.
FB Ricky Petterd, Tom Williams, Martin Clarke
HB Jesse Smith, Patrick Ryder, Shannon Hurn
C Scott Pendlebury, Joel Selwood, Bryce Gibbs
HF Shaun Higgins, Justin Westhoff, Sam Gilbert
FF Mark LeCras, Tom Hawkins, Scott McMahon
Foll Cameron Wood, Nathan Jones, Travis Boak
bench Will Thursfield, Tyson Goldsack, Robert Gray, Mitchell Clark
Lance Whitnall: Carlton seem to have made their choice in the Whitnall versus Fevola contest. Whitnall needs to get away from Carlton and go to a team that will play him close to goals. Whitnall is built like a full forward, he needs to play in that area.
The Bulldogs, Eagles, Swans, Lions, Saints and Power could all provide an opportunity for Whitnall to contribute and to also win. While Whitnall could move to a new club via one of the drafts, it would make more sense for him to find a new team and for them to trade for him. If Carlton are actually considering just delisting him, another team won't need to offer a lot to get him.
Adam Bentick: The first thing that happened when Ratten became the coach was the demotion of Bentick to the VFL, although Bentick did show that was the wrong move as he had some big games upon returning to the team. Nick Stevens has signed a new deal, a midfielder or two will be added in the draft, Bentick will have more opportunities at a new club.
The AFL have released a list of 40 contenders for the 2007 AFL All-Australian team. Plenty of choices from Geelong and Hawthorn, possibly not enough from Port Adelaide. In a surprise to most, especially people called Tarkyn and Heath, there were no Collingwood players included in the 40 possible All-Australians.
Here is a prediction for the final team, using the players from the list. They won't be naming emergencies for the real team, but they are included here. The captain should be Chad Cornes, with Gary Ablett also in the running for that honour.
FB Nick Malceski, Darren Glass, Jed Adcock
HF Andrew McLeod, Sam Fisher, Craig Bolton
C Jimmy Bartel, Kane Cornes, Joel Corey
HF Nick Riewoldt, Scott Lucas, Brent Harvey
FF Matthew Pavlich, Jonathan Brown, Brad Johnson
Foll Dean Cox, Chad Cornes, Gary Ablett
bench Hamish McIntosh, Nick Dal Santo, Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge
The 40 players who are in the running to be named to the All-Australian team:
Defenders: Jed Adcock (Brisbane Lions) Craig Bolton (Sydney) Campbell Brown (Hawthorn) Matthew Egan (Geelong) Sam Fisher (St Kilda) Dustin Fletcher (Essendon) Darren Glass (West Coast) Roger Hayden (Fremantle) Andrew McLeod (Adelaide) Nick Malceski (Sydney) Darren Milburn (Geelong) Matthew Scarlett (Geelong)
Midfielders/Ruckmen: Gary Ablett (Geelong) Jimmy Bartel (Geelong) Joel Corey (Geelong) Chad Cornes (Port Adelaide) Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide) Dean Cox (West Coast) Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda) Luke Hodge (Hawthorn) Nathan Foley (Richmond) Daniel Kerr (West Coast) Brett Kirk (Sydney) Brendon Lade (Port Adelaide) Nigel Lappin (Brisbane) Cameron Ling (Geelong) Hamish McIntosh (Kangaroos) Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Forwards: Jonathon Brown (Brisbane) Brett Ebert (Port Adelaide) Lance Franklin (Hawthorn) Brent Harvey (Kangaroos) Brad Johnson (Western Bulldogs) Steve Johnson (Geelong) Corey Jones (Kangaroos) Scott Lucas (Essendon) Cameron Mooney (Geelong) Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle) Matthew Richardson (Richmond) Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)
The season is over for Bryce Gibbs and the really important games are just about to begin for Joel Selwood. Hopefully Gibbs has a productive offseason, which means staying away from the bad influences at his club and inviting Matthew Kreuzer to train with him. Selwood is playing the Kangaroos for the third time this year, each game has been at a different venue and this match will be at the MCG.
Selwood is also expected to be given a medal before the finals commence, defeating Gibbs and 20 other players for the Rising Star award is not as important as collecting a medal for winning the last game of the finals. Selwood is built for finals football, so he should have a big say in Geelong's September success.
In round 22, Selwood went to Brisbane and defeated brother Troy for the second time this year. he was in the middle of the action, collecting 24 possessions while receiving 4 free kicks and also giving away 3 of them. Gibbs was one of the best on a team that was one of the worst. Melbourne already had 7 goals on the board before Carlton got going, but Gibbs was productive every quarter. He played forward and also had a positive impact in the middle.
That is the end of the battle of the two midfielders who were picked early in the 2006 AFL draft. It was a demolition by Selwood, something that would not have been expected after Gibbs went at pick 1, and Selwood was drafted later by Geelong who already had a number of talented onballers.
Justin Sherman: His role in the forward line has been taken by Robert Copeland. Proud will also be a player who could be used in a similar way, so Sherman might struggle to get back into the team and repeat the success he had in season 2006. With a draft pick or two, and maybe Schmidt winning a spot, the Lions may not give Sherman many more chances.
Plenty of Victorian sides would be willing to trade for him, provide him with a consistent role and give him another chance to become a star in the AFL. The Saints, Tigers, Blues and Kangaroos might be teams that could use Sherman.
Cameron Wood: This all depends on what happens with Jamie Charman, and if Charman does sign a new contract with the Brisbane Lions, then Wood needs to ask for a trade. With Leuenberger, Charman and also Clark, it wouldn't make sense for Wood to stay as other clubs could offer a lot more playing time.
Name: Alex Rance
Height: 194
Weight: 87
State: Western Australia
Club(s): Swan Districts FC
AFL Positions:
Rance is a big defender who can run and use the ball well. He should develop into the most important defender on his AFL team.
Perfect Fit For:
Firrito is sometimes undersized at full back so the addition of another tall defender could help the Kangaroos. Rance may not last to their pick.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
The Bulldogs could use their first round pick to take Rance. For more than a decade, they have needed height. Rance, Williams and Everitt would be a great trio of young defenders. A lot of the teams with early picks need someone like Rance, so he could be a possibility to go at pick 2, but when the Bulldogs are up at pick 5 and if Rance is still there it would be difficult for the Bulldogs to say no.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
If he goes in the early picks, Rance will probably be on a team that needs help right away, so he should play a lot. He is strong in the air, with good anticipation of where the ball is going, so he can get plenty of marks from opposition kicks. When Rance uses the ball he kicks it long and accurately. Rance should be a player who starts the fantasy season on many teams as a defender on the bench.
Geelong will be without their underrated defender Matthew Egan as he is out with a foot injury. This will provide a challenge for Coach Thompson, as the Cats will take on the Kangaroos and their tall forward line.
The Kangaroos can play Petrie and Hale as forwards, they have ruckman-size and Scarlett and Harley would be their likely opponents. Corey Jones and Aaron Edwards play much taller than their listed heights, and Leigh Brown can also be used as a forward so the Cats will want to restrict the supply to the Kangaroos' forward line or they could be in trouble.
One option that might have to be considered is the three ruckmen for Geelong idea. It might have been Malcolm Blight who suggested that Geelong could copy what he did with the Crows. It must be said that Pittman had a lot of experience as a full back early in his career, so that is why it worked when Pittman, Rehn and Marsh or Keating were on the field for the Crows. Maybe Ottens, King and Blake all play, with Blake used as a tall defender against Hale.
The finals fantasy AFL competition starts now and this could change the stats of a few Cats. Milburn can be very helpful for fantasy teams if he is running around without an opponent, but with Egan out he could have a very different role and might find himself at full back against Edwards or Jones. Mackie, J Hunt, Rooke and even Mooney might be other options as tall defenders. If Mackie or Hunt have to be more accountable for their opponents it won't be beneficial for their statistical output.
The Swans were without Hall and facing a talented Hawthorn team that were aiming at the top 4. Sydney would need a big effort to overcome the Hawks, the Swans got a lot more than that as they provided the Hawks with an old-fashioned whooping. Goodes led the way, back to his best as an unstoppable player who was impossible to find an opponent for.
Goodes was everywhere, as he usually is, but he also made sure he went forward and provided a taller option there with big Barry Hall out of the team. He kicked a goal and also provided the ball to several teammates to goal. His pass to O'Loughlin in front of goal early in the game was one of the highlights.
He was the best Swan for marks and kicks. Along with Leo Barry, Goodes was the best Swan in the air with 9 marks. Adam Goodes also had 15 kicks, a total that was also equalled by Sydney stars Malceski and Ryan O'Keefe. Goodes also added 12 handballs.
The Swans are September specialists, who always lift when the games become more important. There is no player more important for the Swans than Goodes and there is no player who was as impressive during the last round of the season, so Goodes is the AFL Player Of The Week.
Luke Jericho: The Crows had good production from Jericho when they played him but he couldn't keep his spot in the team. This seems to be a case of the player and club needing to go in different directions. There has to be another team that needs a medium-sized forward like Jericho.
The Saints, Cats, Tigers, Demons and Swans would all be a viable destination for Luke Jericho. Sydney might be the best spot, for playing time and for winning a premiership. The Swans need more options in the forward line and Jericho could be used in a similar way to O'Loughlin.
It would seem Jericho's days as a Crow are coming to an end, but a new club and a new group of Jerichoholics could be just a trade away.
John Meesen: There are several Victorian teams that are in a lot of trouble in the ruck, now is the time for Meesen to move. St Kilda would be a great destination for him, as he could rotate with Koschitzke through the ruck and full forward positions.
Over the next few days, there will be posts looking at all the AFL teams and some of the players who might need to move along to a new club to find a fresh opportunity. Some of the players are out of contract and could leave in one of the drafts, others will need to ask for a trade as they are still contracted.
1: Geelong Cats 18-4 win-loss record (1 in last AFL Power Rankings)
They got back to winning, and also got in a good workout as Brown was at his best against them. They will need Milburn to play bigger now with Egan likely to miss.
2: West Coast Eagles 15-7 (2)
The Eagles are not worried that they play in South Australia for week 1 of the finals. Cox and Seaby versus Lade and Brogan will decide which team will get the week off and a home game in week 3.
3: Port Adelaide Power 15-7 (3)
There are 3 big chances for the premiership. The Cats and Eagles will be hard to beat and the Power could get on a roll, win 3 games and get another cup. The Power could play their most important finals game in week 1.
4: Sydney Swans 12-9-1 (4)
Hall was rested and the Swans did not miss him at all. He will return, as will Kennelly.
5: Adelaide Crows 12-10 (8)
Ricciuto is undoubtedly the best ever Adelaide Crow, with Rehn in second spot, and now with the Crows making the finals it will make Ricciuto their all-time leader in games played.
6: Kangaroos 14-8 (7)
Time to give Laidley a one-year contract extension, and if he wins against Geelong add another year or two.
7: Collingwood Magpies 13-9 (6)
The Magpies are far ahead of schedule. When Pendlebury, Thomas and their other young stars become even better, it should mean Collingwood are a constant in the top 4.
8: Hawthorn Hawks 13-9 (5)
It has been a very good season for Hawthorn, and they have achieved a lot more than was expected. It might all end next weekend, but the experience of playing in finals is something that will help them in the future.
The rest of the teams will rejoin the Power Rankings in October.
It was a good start by Hawthorn, Hall didn't play and after a minute they had the lead with a long, and accurate, Franklin kick for a goal. After that it was all Sydney, as Hawthorn made mistake after mistake and Sydney kicked goal after goal.
It was a good start by Hawthorn, Hall didn't play and after a minute they had the lead with a long, and accurate, Franklin kick for a goal. After that it was all Sydney, as Hawthorn made mistake after mistake and Sydney kicked goal after goal.
Swans 141 - Hawks 69
Fantasy Player News
Sydney
Goodes: A player to sign for the fantasy finals competition, he steps up when September comes around, Goodes had 27 possessions and 9 marks.
Davis: 4 goals as Hall was out for Sydney.
Kirk: 18 handballs and 10 tackles.
O'Loughlin: 7 marks, 11 kicks and 4 goals, his production increases at the SCG but he won't play games there during the finals.
Barlow: Next season he could be everyone's secret weapon for fantasy leagues, he had 17 possessions, 9 tackles and kicked a goal.
Hawthorn
Brown: 8 marks and 15 kicks, a better game for fantasy points than he usually provides.
Taylor: 12 possessions and 2 goals, he has been a big improver this year.
Crawford: 23 possessions and 3 frees for, one of the few Hawks with finals experience so he should produce again next week.
Birchall: He was reported, his stats were also down with 15 possessions and giving away 2 frees.
Lewis: 19 possessions and 5 tackles.
The Kangaroos finished in the top 4, the Bulldogs finished in the bottom 4, that was not expected to happen when predictions were made at the start of the year. Hale and Petrie combined for 17 marks, the Bulldogs were never going to have an answer for them.
Kangaroos 157 - Bulldogs 93
Fantasy Player News
Kangaroos
Harvey: If he received 3 votes from this game he could have the Brownlow, 27 possessions and 3 goals were good for fantasy points and getting seen by the umpires.
Petrie: 7 marks and 13 kicks, also had 2 goals.
Wells: 2 goals and 22 possessions, he is a player they need at his best for the finals so he might be a player to sign for the finals fantasy game.
Smith: 11 kicks and 13 handballs, it was a worry when he missed a game with an ankle injury but he was back at his best.
McIntosh: 13 kicks, 3 goals and 23 total hitouts, another big game from McIntosh.
Western Bulldogs
Johnson: 5 goals and 9 marks, it has been a big season from one of the smaller forwards.
Boyd: He increased his output when Cross and West were out, and has continued even with them back, Boyd had 28 possessions.
McDougall: The Bulldogs didn't give him a many games this season, maybe that changes next year after his 20 possessions, 5 marks and a goal here.
Harris: An amazing fantasy season as he marked many kicks from the opposition, he had 12 marks in this game and added 11 kicks and 10 handballs.
Robbins: Kicked 3 goals in his last AFL game.
Melbourne had a big win to finish off the year. 7 goals to 1 for Melbourne in the first quarter put them game away. Jamar provided one of the highlights, and if it had happened earlier in the game it might have been suspicious, there was a stoppage and Jamar won the ball and sent a long, and surprisingly precise, pass into the forward line, that is the Carlton forward line.
Demons 139 - Blues 108
Fantasy Player News
Melbourne
Robertson: Injuries did hurt his fantasy points total for the year but his average per game was great, he kicked 6 goals.
Johnstone: 35 kicks, 9 marks, 7 handballs and a goal, a big game without an opponent.
Pickett: 13 kicks and a goal was a good effort, his retirement means fewer highlights for AFL DVDs.
Brown: He has retired after consistently producing fantasy points, 25 possessions and a goal in this game were good numbers.
Newton: 12 kicks and 2 goals, next season he could become the focus of the forward line.
Carlton
Whitnall: 8 marks and 17 possessions, he had a good game for fantasy points.
Scotland: It won't win many games for his AFL team, but what he did would have won plenty of fantasy league grand finals on the weekend, he had 41 possessions and 8 marks.
Betts: No player on the field was trying more than Betts, he had 5 goals, 10 handballs and 16 kicks.
Jamison: 14 possessions and 2 frees for, he has been a big surprise for fantasy points the past month.
Gibbs: 23 possessions, 10 marks and 2 goals, he should be a big fantasy player next season.
Bench: S Mitchell, B Johnson, H McIntosh, S Thompson
Emergency: C Judd, C Mooney, L Hodge
Here is a prediction for an All-Australian team for season 2007. It might need a few more Geelong players in it, but it seems to be a good representation of the best of the best this year.
Chad Cornes would be the captain for this team. Along with G Ablett and B Harvey, C Cornes is also a favourite for the Brownlow.
When Jake Niall's story appeared in The Age many months ago, most people thought it was an interesting possibility but there was no real chance of Carlton losing enough to get pick 1 in the draft. Things have certainly changed since then.
FOR Richmond fans, the traditional consolation for a truly shocking season — the first draft pick — might not eventuate even in the unlikely event that the Tigers fail to win a single game.
As a result of changes to the contentious priority-pick rule, which gives a club an extra early draft choice, Carlton can trump the Tigers and get pick No. 1 in the draft if it wins four games or fewer this year.
Richmond management may actually be in a good position at pick 2. Pattison has potential, Simmonds has a few years left, and as their coach isn't too excited about tall players it is possible that Cotchin or Palmer would have been their preferred choice anyway. There will be a ruckman available with their priority pick and second round pick, someone like Bellchambers, so Richmond may go small early.
There is still a game to be played to decide the top pick, and when that is over the mock drafts can commence.
The Tigers nearly said goodbye to the wooden spoon but Gehrig and Riewoldt combined to get the Saints over the line, as some questioned whether Riewoldt was over the line when he kicked the goal. Full backs and umpires can breathe easier now as Gehrig has announced his retirement.
Saints 102 - Tigers 92
Fantasy Player News
St Kilda
Gehrig: He ended his career with a big fantasy points game, with 5 goals and 10 kicks. His retirement could make Watts a viable fantasy option next year.
Riewoldt: He signed a big new contract and then improved his stats, in this game he had 18 kicks, 9 marks, 3 goals and 5 frees received.
Birss: A borderline player for the Saints and fantasy teams, he might have a bigger role next year if he replicates his numbers from this game, 12 kicks and 9 tackles.
Harvey: He should have another year, he had 10 possessions in this game.
Fiora: He always provides something for Richmond fans, his 5 behinds gave them reason to cheer but were not good for fantasy coaches, although he did add 19 possessions and 5 tackles.
Richmond
Pettifer: 4 goals, 10 marks and 17 kicks, his last couple of games have been very good.
Newman: One of Richmond's best this year, he had 21 kicks, 11 handballs and 11 marks.
King: 22 possessions, 4 tackles and 3 frees for, he will be much more expensive next year in fantasy leagues.
Tambling: This was supposed to be his breakout year, he didn't quite get there, he had 17 possessions and a goal.
McGuane: 20 possessions here, he has established himself int he Richmond side now and might be a bargain fantasy player next season.
Once again, Lucas started in the back line. He did go forward and nearly won the game for the Bombers. The Sheedy Era is over now, which must mean that Bolton's career is too, although there is the VFL for him. The Bombers may not want to mention the VFL after the Bendigo team's collapse, that showed that big leads are not safe, something that the Essendon team nearly proved to the Eagles in the exciting last quarter.
Eagles 132 - Bombers 124
Fantasy Player News
West Coast
Morton: 3 goals after being a late inclusion, with Hansen out it provides an opportunity for another forward.
R Jones: 30 possessions and 3 goals, the few fantasy teams that have him had a big surprise.
Wirrpanda: The AFL finals fantasy game starts now, Wirrpanda might be a good choice for it, he had 22 possessions and kicked 2 goals.
Staker: He played at both ends of the ground, he kicked 2 goals and might only help fantasy teams if he plays the entire game as a forward.
Chick: It was probably his last regular season game, he kicked 2 goals.
Essendon
Hird: He was chaired off the ground after totalling 34 possessions , 8 marks and a goal.
Lucas: He did more for fantasy points in the last quarter than most players do in a game, 7 of his 8 goals were kicked in the final minutes.
Neagle: He did show a lot, kicking a goal and setting up another, and those who plan their fantasy teams very early will want to pencil him in as a bargain pick for next season.
Lovett: Now in the midfield more, he had 19 kicks, so fantasy points will stay up if the new coach uses him in the same way.
Bolton: 10 possessions and 5 tackles, probably not someone to think about signing next season.
The Cats wanted to get back into winning form, and they did, but they did go to sleep in the second half for a while as Brown demolished them.
Cats 145 - Lions 103
Fantasy Player News
Geelong
Ottens: 4 goals and 8 marks, he has been a very good fantasy ruckman this year.
Chapman: 2 goals and 20 possessions, one of the Geelong players who is guaranteed to step it up for the finals and is a good choice for AFL finals fantasy teams.
Enright: Stars if Bartel is out, he had 28 possessions and two pairs of shorts.
Stokes: 3 goals, 3 frees and 20 possessions, he has increased his fantasy points output recently.
Selwood: 24 possessions and 5 tackles after having a rest last week.
Brisbane
Johnson: 10 possessions and 5 tackles, he also kicked a goal in his last game.
Scott: He didn't play for a long time until getting a couple of games the past two weeks, he is officially retired now and had 6 possessions and gave away 2 free kicks in this game.
Brown: They had the extra defenders around him again, it worked for a while but then Brown went off, he finsihed with 7 goals and 11 marks.
Leuenberger: They played Wood for most of the game, so Leuenberger only had 6 possessions.
Adcock: A great fantasy season, for a defender who plays like a midfielder for stats, he had 19 possessions and a goal.
The Bombers helped the Power as they didn't allow the Eagles to have a big percentage boost so all they had to do was beat the Dockers to finish in second spot. The Power might have thought they did enough in the first half for the win but the Dockers came back and were within a kick of getting the upset. The Power responded in the last quarter, and as the fans did the wave the Power won the right for a home final in the first week of the finals.
Power 117 - Dockers 85
Fantasy Player News
Port Adelaide
Westhoff: He and Rodan are among the fantasy steals of 2007, The Hoff kicked another 4 goals.
Chaplin: 18 possessions, he will do a lot more with Wakelin out of the side.
Lade: He got angry in the second half, which wasn't good for fantasy points, he did have 10 kicks and a goal, as well as 25 total hitouts.
K Cornes: C was slightly better for fantasy points than K for the season, but it was close, Kane will be a player for the AFL finals fantasy game after 31 possessions and 7 marks.
S Burgoyne: P had a much better second half of the season for stats but S was best here, Shaun kicked 4 goals and had 20 possessions.
Fremantle
Cook: 12 possessions and 6 tackles in his last game.
Pavlich: One of the best fantasy players, he had 4 goals and 14 kicks here.
Foster: 16 possessions and 2 goals, could have a bigger role next year for the Dockers.
O'Brien: 15 possessions and 5 marks in his first game.
Murphy: 15 possessions, he might be a much better fantasy player next year on another AFL team.
AFL Positions:
An outside midfielder, a medium-sized running defender or a role around half forward are some of the spots that AFL teams might use him in.
Perfect Fit For:
The Lions could see him as a future replacement for Nigel Lappin. The bonus for the Lions is that by drafting a player from Queensland it will eliminate the "go home factor" that is always a possibility when drafting players from the other states.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
Essendon will probably target smaller players in this draft, a round 3 pick used on Reid might be the right option. He plays the game differently to the Johnsons, but could replace them in the Essendon lineup. The Bombers found games for Camporeale and Reid could also be used like he was.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
If he does get a chance to play a few games next season, Reid could surprise with his stats as he does know how to get into space. A few marks on the wing, some kicks into the forward line and an occasional goal would be enough to double his starting fantasy price. Reid might land on a struggling team that has a lot of playing time available, that could really push his stats up and make him a fantasy option at the centre position.
The AFL teams take the young players from Ireland, the NFL teams take the old players from the AFL, if only some American footballers went to Ireland to complete the circle. Sav Rocca has done enough in the preseason games to win the punting spot for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rocca will make his NFL debut against the Green Bay Packers at the famed Lambeau Field on September 10 (AEST) after impressing the Eagles enough over four pre-season games to oust incumbent punter Dirk Johnson.
The 33-year-old Rocca, who played 257 games for Collingwood and the Kangaroos and booted 748 goals, will replace fellow former AFL star Ben Graham as the oldest rookie in NFL history.
Rocca showed that he was not only a booming kick but could also place the ball where it had to go. He did have a few problems in his last preseason game as the holder for the kicker, although some of the blame for that has been attributed to the long snapper. That isn't a type of fish, the long snapper is the center that is used on special teams.
Dorenbos's next snap, on a 46-yard field goal attempt, was well into Rocca's body. Rocca did a decent job of rushing the ball into position, but Akers missed wide right.
Here are the punting stats from last season for McBriar and Graham. Rocca would be expected to be close to Graham's numbers. Rocca would also be a chance to have the biggest single punt of the upcoming season, McBriar had the biggest last year with a 75 yard kick.
Name Team G Punt Yds Avg Long In20 In10 FC TB Blk
Mat McBriar DAL 16 56 2697 48.2 75 22 5 12 10 0
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