As next weekend is our last chance to catch all 18 teams in action before the lockout… and all games won’t be televised, we would love some scouts at the games to dish the dirt on all of the AFL Dream Team news. This is important for us as this round is most likely to have close to best 22′s playing and team structure will be getting close to how they’ll play come round one.

Things that we want to hear about:

• Substitutes
• Time on ground plus time in midfield for relevant players
• Rotations
• Who takes the kick out
• Who is the sweeper in the backline
• And anything else that is relevant to the game and the players (feel free to use the stats on the various websites to back up your words)

If you are heading to one of the below games, register your interest as being one of our DT TALK Scouts with which games you can attend and we’ll be in contact!

FRIDAY MARCH 16
4:00PM – Collingwood v St Kilda, Visy Park
7:10PM – Port Adelaide v Melbourne, AAMI Stadium
6:30PM – Fremantle v Hawthorn, Patersons Stadium

SATURDAY MARCH 17
12:30PM – GWS v Richmond, Manuka
1:00PM – Sydney v Gold Coast, Blacktown
3:00PM – Geelong v Western Bulldogs, Skilled Stadium
3:30PM – Carlton v North Melbourne, Visy Park
7:10PM – Adelaide v West Coast, AAMI Stadium (NAB FINAL)

SUNDAY MARCH 18
1:10PM – Essendon v Brisbane, Visy Park

All times are local.

Unfortunately we aren’t a registered media outlet with the AFL so there are no free tickets or media box or anything… one day maybe!

Where – Subiaco Oval

Before the Bounce

Straw - Ever since the Dockers became the biggest story of the AFL finals by knifing Mark Harvey in the back I have been looking forward to season 2012.  I was so excited to have a REAL coach take the helm I considered driving to Harves’ abode with one of my kitchen knives to add to the ones Ross Lyon and the FFC board had already jammed in there.  While the intra-club games are akin to touch football it’s an exciting opportunity to see what plans Lyon has up his sleeve for the new season.  Attending with an Eagles supporter should make for an interesting evening.  Interesting notes as of the first bounce are Ballantyne starting in the mids along with Fyfe, Pav deep inside forward 50 and Sandilands taking on a WAFL midget in the ruck.  Hopefully we all look awesome out on the track so DS will be scared into keeping his mouth shut until at least after the first Derby.  Please boys don’t let me down in front of this guy!

DS and I are going to try to focus on the DT relevant players but will see if anyone else grabs our attention.  We’ve divided the players and I’m concentrating on the Purple lads Fyfe, Barlow, Neale and Spurr.

DS – I was disappointed to read that the only REAL Western Australian AFL team weren’t going to have an intra club game before the NAB Cup kicks off this season. This meant that if I was going to do any game day DT research  in an attempt to better my overall DT ranking from last year of 459^th, Id have to go watch the Purple F*ckers. So I got my vaccinations (Purple Cooties is this countries 2^nd biggest health problem behind Man Flu), donned my Hazmat suit and headed down to Subi with my friend and fellow DT Talk tragic Straw(Docker supporter), to check out how the players are going and what changes Ross Lyon has made to the structure and game plan. At the ground I did suggest we pop into the Fremantle Team Store and ask the friendly staff to direct us to the premiership memorabilia section, but the look on Straw’s face made it very clear that wasn’t a good idea.

Players I watched – Pavlich, Broughton, Duffield, Ballantyne.

*Please note: we did our best trying to get the stats but we’re not Champion Data guys so I’m sure we missed a few, especially with the midfield guys. These stats are very close but 100%*

Pavlich

6 kicks, 1 handball, 7 marks, 0 goals(41 DT pts)

DS – I was really interested in seeing if Pav would play the “Riewoldt role” in Lyons Dockers, and he did for the most part. He started deep and came up around the centre a few times on long leads, and then pushed back hard inside 50 to present again. He stay deep 80% of the time tho, and didn’t get many marks up around the flanks 2 or 3 kicks from goal which worried me a bit. He sat out the last quarter but he wasn’t hurt. They were obviously just giving the champ a rest.

Straw – Spent most of the night in the forward 50 and didn’t really roam up the ground too often.  Took an early shower after 3 quarter time.  Nothing great from a DT perspective but early days.  A pre-season scratchy is a bit beneath him so can’t take much from his performance.  Looked fit and if I swung that way I’d totally hit that.

Barlow

5 kicks, 7 handballs, 1 mark (32 DT pts)

Straw – From the second my DT preseason tinkering started this guy was in my team.  Well under-priced from what we have seen in the past.  I spent a lot of the game focusing on him.  He played all 4 quarters in the middle which was encouraging.  As far as possessions go he picked up between 10-15 touches.  I probably missed some of his stats while I was making goo goo eyes at Lachie Neale so he most likely picked up a few more touches.  Didn’t really impact the game and seemed to be playing a more accountable game than we’re used to.  Accountability is the bane of DT performance, he’s now only got one foot in my team…

DS – I gotta say a couple of alarm bells were going off tonight and we watched him very closely. What I saw combined with a few of his comments near the start of this article is starting to make me think he isn’t as big a lock as some are saying.

ARTICLE: Docker Barlow has unfinished business.

FYFE

12 kicks, 6 handballs, 1 mark, 1 behind (52 DT pts)

Straw – For me he was best on ground (photo finish with Ballas).  Due to the delayed pre-season I was never going to start with him but I may have to reconsider.  Killed the first half with probably around 15 touches (mostly kicks!!).  He faded a little in the second half though.  Still got a bit of it.  The main things I noticed were that he spent the entire game in the middle, no moves forward or to the wing.  He was also one of the few (if not only) guys that were being forced to take a breather towards the middle of the quarter and again towards the end.  At one point one of the fitness staff was yelling at him to come off and he was waving them off so that he didn’t break the zone for the kick in.  Eventually they sent his replacement on before he’d leave the ground (somehow we got away with the interchange infringement).  He was always an upgrade target for me but now I may have to look at squeezing him into my starting side.  Has a hippy haircut which pissed DS off so I enjoyed his game even more.

DS – I had him down as an upgrade target later in the season because of his limited pre season due to his groin and shoulder injuries. I’ll have to rethink that now.

Broughton

8 kicks, 5 handballs, 2 marks(40 DT pts)

DS – Ok……if you’ve ever had Broughton in your team then this part is either going to make you laugh or cry! In the first half he played deep in defence on a lockdown role on Mayne. Had 1 kick and 1 handball and never saw much of it even when they were” switching” the ball in defence.

In the second half he literally changed jumpers (I kid you not, he went from 6 to 45) and started in the midfield (inside square for bounces) and racked up quite a few possessions. His number change threw us off a bit, since we initially thought he must have been taken out at half time, so we missed most of his stats in the 3^rd quarter, but from late in the 3^rd till the end of the game he racked up 7 kicks, 4 handballs and 2 marks. If his entire DT career could be summed up in one game this would be it.

Ross Lyon what are you doing to us?!?!?! Where is he going to play?!?!?!

Straw – I love this guy due to his loose affiliation with my footy club (he played there as a kid).  Because of that he should be in your team!  Played the first half as a lock down defender then moved into the mids in the second.  Looks like much of the same rollercoaster as last year.  I’d say buyer beware.

Duffield

7 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks(44 DT pts)

DS – Looks like hes playing the “Jason Gram or Sam Fisher” role in Lyons Dockers. Played Half Back and it looked like they were trying to free either him or McPhee up in defence. Used his pace to provide run and carry and pushed up to around half forward when his team had possession. If it was his turn to be the free man then he often got involved when they “switched” sides coming out of defence. In the second half when Broughton went into the midfield he moved onto Mayne and played deeper.

Straw – DS spent a bit more time watching Duffman than I but from what I saw he was loose in the back half for a lot of the game.  Picked up quite a bit of ball and could be one worth watching in the NAB.  Could really take the step forward we all thought was coming last year.  We all know Ross likes his rebounding slutty defenders

Ballantyne

14 kicks, 9 handballs, 5 marks, 0 goals (75 DT pts)

DS – He’s an annoying little twerp, but bugger me if he isn’t going to be DT relevant this season! Played midfield the whole game starting in the centre square and followed the ball while also pushing inside the forward 50. His 1^st half stats were 4 kicks, 6 handballs and 3 marks.

In the second half he switched with Mzungu and played on a wing, and while still being in the thick of it he tended to stay more defensive half and not push inside the forward 50 much. His 2^nd half stats were 10 kicks, 3 handballs, 2 marks.

It pains me to say it but……Ballantyne is up and about in DT this year.

Straw – Again DS concentrated on Ballas’ game but it was hard not to see him as he was in everything.  He played in the guts or on the wing for the whole game.  Best on ground would be between him and Fyfe.  He has put one foot in my team after tonight!

Spurr

3 kicks, 3 handballs, 2 marks, 1 bone crunching tackle (25 DT pts)

Straw – A lot of chatter pre-season about this guy so far.  Mature age recruit + Fremantle’s mature age policy over the last couple of years = a big chance.  Got very little of the ball and played as a lockdown defender.  Not great for DT but as a rookie is still one to watch through the NAB.  With no current spot on the list he would most likely be a downgrade target.  I think there are a lot of obstacles in his way to getting a game, especially early.

DS – His size surprised me. For some reason I thought he’d have a bigger body.

Neale

10 kicks, 2 handballs, 3 marks (43 DT pts)

Straw – All I can say is WOW!  There have been a few rumours coming out that Ross Lyon rates this guy.  Spent the first half in the centre for the Purples along with Barlow and Fyfe.  Made way for Broughton in the second half and switched to the wing.  Moved around the ground well and got a bit of the ball.  Picked up his kicks all over the ground.  Used the ball well too.  Really got free when he was playing on the wing.  Little nuggetty build too, so size for AFL footy doesn’t look to be an issue.  Definitely one to watch for the rookie spots.

DS – Very impressive. Straw has now claimed him as, and I quote “My boy from waaaay back!” If he gets a game then jump on. Ball magnet who reminded me of Andrew Gaff, but hopefully without the vest.

Other Observations

Straw – The main points I took from the game were……Sandilands was dominant and looked fit.  He was rucking against a guy that was about 105.5cm (i.e. half Sandi’s height).  Can’t take much from his dominance but his fitness was good to see. Lachie Neale really floated my boat.  Interesting that Lyon had him in the midfield from the beginning.  I can really see this guy getting early games. Mzungu had a great game and could increase his average from last year.  Spent time on the wing and in midfield.  Zac Dawson was a lock for me until he was dominated by one of the WAFL fill-ins.  He’s still in there but I’m having second thoughts. We all know Fyfe is a jet and he looks like he’s going to kick on with last season’s form. The story of the night for me was Ballantyne.  It looks like he will not just be running through the mids a little but will play a major chunk of his game either there or on the wing.  I had only loosely considered him before tonight but now he is well and truly on my radar.

Barlow’s lack of impact on the game scared me.

DS – The whole team is noticeably thinner this season. Even players like McPhee and Pavlich have lost a lot of bulk.  Sandilands was utterly dominant but without any real competition. Mzungu played midfield and was best afield IMO. He would easily have racked up the most possessions (also scored a goal) and I wish we’d focused on him. The first thing I did when I got home was check if he was still Mid/Fwd, but alas he’s just a mid this season *shakes fist at Champion Data*. Mcphee spent a lot of time loose in defence, often got involved in “switching” the play and was often third man up in marking contests. Zach Clarke got a corky in the calf and was rested for last quarter. Suban played in defence. Docker fans have lots of mullets and bad tattoo’s. One girl even had a tat on her neck of the old school Docker logo……as I was leaving Subi after the game I had a strong desire to take a shower.

Submitted by DS.

Roy, Calvin and Warnie sat themselves down in the North Launceston club rooms for audio commentary of the Hawthorn Football Club Intra-Club game held at Aurora Stadium… all with an AFL Dream Team focus. We are joined by a few mates, including Coach of North Launceston in the TSL, Zane Littlejohn.

FIRST HALF

SECOND HALF

Thanks to all who tuned in! Hopefully we get a chance to do that again sometime!

Every summer we get drip fed information from the AFL presumably to keep footy in the papers and on the minds of punters who may jump to the dreaded A-league. Although we hear the same rhetoric year in and year out about it being ‘the toughest pre-season ever at the club’ there can be some nuggets of gold around for the DT’er.  Sometimes player x who is flying actually turns out to be a good Smokey! I snooped around a little online to see what I could find……..

Western Bulldogs

Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross and Daniel Giansiracusa were the usual suspects leading the time trials, with Nathan Djerrkura and Liam Picken in the next group behind. Upgraded rookie with the dreads Luke Dahlhaus was flying and reaping the benefits from his first full pre-season. Draftee Clay Smith was the early standout of the kids with his elite running and competitive nature, he has seamlessly fit into the group as far as his physicality was concerned. He could be a show for early games.

WCE

Koby Stevens first two pre-seasons at West Coast were destroyed by injury but he is finally relishing a clean bill of health this summer. The powerful midfielder is leaner, running just behind pacesetter Luke Shuey and is a big chance for early games this year. Draftee Murray Newman has been quick to impress with his speed and agility – two attributes that could see him earn games early in his career as a small forward. He could be vying with Brad Dick for a possible spot.

Sydney

Alex Johnson is one that continues to impress on the track, After 20 games in his rookie season, including two finals;he is primed for this year following some standout performances in the Swans’ time trials. Another who has caught the eye is defender Nick Smith. He has already taken his running and fitness to a new level. Of the new draftees Father son pick Mitchell would be considered the most AFL-ready. A tough midfielder who uses the ball well and boasts a terrific work ethic, Mitchell should slot in well to the swans ethos.

St Kilda

New coach Watters has been particularly impressed with Adam Schneider, Stephen Milne and Justin Koschitzke. Koschitzke hasn’t had a pre-season for a few years,although you’d still have rocks in your head to pick him!  Of the November draftees,Ex Eagle Beau Wilkes shapes as the most likely to play senior football early in 2012. He has been training with the backline group and is an option to fill the boots of Zac Dawson. He is locked for my bench!

Richmond

Non Fantasy relevant midfielder Shane Edwards has emerged as the star performer in the early weeks of Richmond’s pre-season. The 23-year-old, who has played 89 games in five seasons and has impressed gaining strength and fitness. New draftee Ellis, a strong midfielder who was taken with pick 15, has been particularly impressive at training to date, club insiders say he should play senior games in 2012. Backman Morris has also been touted early by coach Hardwick.

Port Adelaide

Key forward Jay Schulz has been showing plenty of fire and passion at training, but all that means is he got in a punch on with a teammate. Nothing else DT related to mention here really! The club’s first pick in the Draft, Chad Wingard, has already shown toughness. Wingard fell off a mountain bike during the training camp in New Zealand, but insisted on finishing the arduous ride. The 18-year-old then shook off his injuries to front up for the white water rafting session a day later. Maybe if port spent more time training with footballs and less time being adrenaline junkies they may gain better football skills!

North Melbourne

Nathan Grima has been flying pre-season and could be a serious DT candidate. Now well and truly over the back injury that wrecked his 2011, Grima is consistently at the front of the running groups and his sure ball-handling and pin-point disposal are just as eye-catching. Of the younger brigade, Shaun Atley is impressing his teammates with his feats in the gym. The next Chris Judd? Still a way to go it seems but bulking up is a start.

Melbourne

Rookie Daniel Nicholson has sparkled in virtually every session as he pushes hard to impress. Could be one to watch as a cash cow milker. Nathan Jones as always has been one of the best performers, running hard and encouraging others, while 194cm key defensive prospect Tom McDonald has raised eyebrows by keeping up with most of the club’s midfielders during running sessions. Not much DT related here really.

Hawthorn

Luke Breusthas been a standout of the pre-season so far, the young small forward has elevated himself to another level. Watchlist ahoy! Liam Shiels has also impressed with his hard running and work ethic, while backman Ryan Schoenmakers has made big gains in strength. Mature-age rookies Broc McCauley and Adam Pattison should be ready to step straight in and offer support in the big man department if needed, although most peoples rucks benches will already be sorted one would think.

GWS

Lots to see at the GWS, needs to be our DT gold mine! Young forward Jeremy Cameron has added bulk to his frame and Steve Clifton has impressed with his fitness and running ability. Tom Scully has been told to pull back on his training; such has been his intent (feeling guilty?). In terms of which Giants kids are AFL-ready, there’s little doubt many will be thrown in early. Get your note books ready….Stephen Coniglio, Dom Tyson, Matthew Buntine, Dylan Shiel, Jeremy Cameron and Adam Treloar have all shown signs they are ready for football at AFL level.

Gold Coast

Gary Ablett is tearing up the training track and is miles in front of the same time last year (lock); second-year players Luke Russell, Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy have also been hugely impressive to date. Prestia has kicked on in leaps and bounds, Caddy has been an animal on the track after an injury-plagued 2011, He could be a DT sleeper although price is a bit annoying.

Geelong

Billie Smedts, Geelong’s first pick in the 2010 Draft has been a standout on the track so far. Smedts didn’t play at all last season after needing surgery to fix a hip problem, word is he could play early. Much of the focus has been on mature-age ruck bench DT lock Orren Stephenson. The 29-year-old ruckman has been impressing his new teammates with his fitness and skill.

Fremantle

Zac Clarke is seen by new coach Ross Lyon as “a young tall forward with elite athleticism”. Running in the lead pack early in the summer, the 21-year-old has also impressed with his strong marking ability and accurate kick when playing forward in drills. Could finally be in for a run of games alongside Sandi? Draftee Lachie Neale appears the most likely to play senior football in his debut season. The midfielder is strongly built and boasts an accurate kick that has impressed his coaches through the pre-season. Played senior football with SANFL club Glenelg but Lyon has a history of not playing kids.

Essendon

Essendon players have spent a lot of time in the Gym bulking up; Angus Monfries, Jake Melksham and Dyson Heppell are all looking considerably larger. New DrafteeElliott Kavanagh, a midfielder could be the most likely to emerge early in the season. He has been sticking to Heppell all pre-season trying to emulate him. Coaching staff are confident that the three mature-age rookies – Corey Dell’Olio, Mark Baguley and Brendan Lee – are all capable of stepping up to AFL level straight away if called upon.

Collingwood

Scott Pendlebury and veteran Ben Johnson have impressed in pre-season leading most trials. Marty Clarke came back with a stronger physique than he had when he was last a Magpie and showed his endurance hasn’t suffered despite two seasons out of the game. Draftees Jamie Elliot and Peter Yagmoor impressed early on with their sharpness and speed, but would seem unlikely to play early doors.

Adelaide

Adelaide has also been bulking up. Breakout candidate Rory Sloane is leading the charge with a 3.5kg increase; Brodie Smith (2.5kg), Rick Henderson (2.4kg) and David McKay (2.3kg) aren’t far behind him. Rookie Ian Callinanalso put on two to three kilos and could be a sneaky mature pick. Josh Jenkins has impressed since arriving and could back Jacobs up in the ruck. Draftee Sam Kerridge impressed considerably on his first day at the club when he ran further than any other player and Luke Brown has emerged as one of the best in the boxing ring. If DT ever extends into boxing or running, get on these 2 then, for footy… Who knows?

Brisbane

Elevated rookie Mitch Golby has killed it in the weights room and is noticeably bigger, Irishman Pearce Hanley has come back fitter than ever, and Captain Jonathan Brown is as fit as he’s ever been after starting his first pre-season in more than a decade. Could be a nice differential this year! Of the draftees the most ready-made is Docherty even though he has had an injury hiccup he is expected to be back well in time for the season’s start. Zorko would seem to be a safer pick for a walk up start into the lion’s team.

Carlton

Matthew Kreuzerhas shed several kilograms from his huge frame and looks fit, lean and mobile. Can he finally live up to DT potential? Kane Lucas, Paul Bower and Jordan Russell returned to training in excellent shape and have set a high standard. Bower in particular could be DT relevant if getting games. Of the draftees it wouldn’t surprise to see former Sydney rookie Sam Rowe featuring in Carlton’s senior side early in 2012. The 24-year-old spent the last four seasons at SANFL club Norwood and has played out of the goal square during match practice.. Big watch here for a bargain mature player.

I guess if you are a DT junkie you probably already know all this info and being 2^nd or 3^rd hand knowledge it can probably be taken with a grain of salt… but until the NAB it’s all we have!

Adzman.

Hawthorn

Paul Puopolo

I made my way down to Aurora Stadium this morning to check out the Hawks in their game. They played as the young-uns vs the oldies. Word is that they’ll be taking the young team to Perth next week for the NAB Cup opening game. We didn’t see Cyril Rioli or Shaun Burgoyne (indigenous camp), Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell and David Hale were also bigger names that were missing. The good news was that Max Bailey got through his first game in a long time… and probably won the ruck duel with Renouf. Our eyes were on Isaac Smith who didn’t do a lot, but what he did do was very flashy – fast and skillful. He kicked an awesome goal that made Stephen Gilham look silly. Cameron Bruce excited me off the half-back with some stints in the midfield. Now that he is named as a defender, he is certainly on my radar. The big one was Paul Puopolo. We didn’t realise who he was until about half way through the game after making plenty of committed efforts all over the ground. His pace and attack on the ball (and player) was great. Won’t be a high DT scorer, but worth a bench spot if he can get a game. Buddy Franklin was very dominant and the Hawks would be happy there isn’t another Buddy for another club, because no opponent had a chance against him.

Collingwood

The message out of the Magpies game was that Andrew Krakouer dominated. Lots of clearances and four goals. Hopefully a sign that he is ready to go in round one. I have been a bit cautious in putting him in my team thus far, but he is doing all he can for selection. Keep an eye out on Alex Fasolo who might get some games this season. Could be a good one for your watchlist as a downgrade option.

Adelaide

Tassie boy Ian Callinan (as Chook mentioned in the latest DT TALK video) impressed kicking 2 goals. Draftee Brodie Smith was talked up as well as DEF/FWD Daniel Talia. The bad news from the day was that two of the biggest bargains of 2011 pulled up with minor injuries. Andy Otten strained his ankle and Chris Knights has a corked thigh.

Are you heading to any intra-club games? We’d love a report! Email them to warnie@dreamteamtalk.com

"Where's your club at?" A must read article.

Make sure you check out articles like this one, and take mental notes (or even write stuff down if you’re as tragic as me) on who is looking good and who isn’t. Take note of who are having limited pre-seasons as usually that means players may not be up to scratch early on in the season.

The latest “Where’s your club at?” article from the official AFL website is a ripper. Here are some DT relevant notes I took from it:

• ADELAIDE:
  Richard Tambling won’t be into full training until the new year. He could be a bargain pick of 2011.
• BRISBANE:
  Big man Jonathan Brown and big knob Brendan Fevola are still a long way off joining the main group. JB usually has limited pre-seasons and is to be expected. Fev will be bloody cheap, as his average dropped over 30 points last year.
• CARLTON:
  Matthew Kruezer is returning from a knee injury and isn’t training. Quite a few would have him penned in as an improving ruck. Could be struggling for round one.
• ESSENDON:
  DT dick tease, Brent Prismall is working hard… if he is in Hird’s good books, then he could be someone to reach premium status in 2011.
• FREMANTLE:
  Look out for Tendai Mzungu as one of the most popular bench players in 2011. He is likely to be listed as a defender and is mature age… ticking a lot of boxes.
• GOLD COAST:
  Names will continue to float around for these guys. We’ll be having a crack at picking best 22s closer to the start of the season.
• HAWTHORN:
  Cameron Bruce will get picked up in the pre-season draft. Will play, but is maybe a bit too old.. and expensive.
• MELBOURNE:
  Look out for Addam Maric who will be close to rookie priced. A great bench option for those who are going for the league win. Colin Sylvia could be a great fwd/mid pick up again. Ricky Petterd is recovering from a shoulder reco… but will be under-priced and well worth a look at.
• NORTH MELBOURNE:
  I have Drew Petrie penciled in as my 2nd ruck, but he won’t join training until the new year. Cameron Richardson is a rookie priced player to monitor.
• PORT ADELAIDE:
  Marlon Motlop wants Nathan Krakouer’s half back position. Hasn’t set the DT world on fire, but will come very cheap and is training well. Robbie Gray will hopefully trick heaps of people… but then I suppose if I don’t pick him, he’ll have is break out year we all thought he could have had in 2010.
• RICHMOND:
  Under priced midfielder, Nathan Foley, is pretty much only running at the moment.
• WEST COAST:
  Number 4 draft pick, Andrew Gaff has been talked up… so hopefully he’ll be a chance to join the Eagles midfield.
• WESTERN BULLDOGS:
  Dream Team slut, Brian Lake, won’t be running until mid-January after multiple operations. He should be one of the first considered as his DT numbers are that of a premium defender these days, but the limited pre-season could hurt. Monitor his progress.

Do you have any other things to add from other articles you’ve read recently?