tbetta’s Bullets: Round 2

• Not so Sunny on the Gold Coast

Everyone was looking at the game between the Suns and the Blues on Saturday night for not only DT, but to see history in the making. They weren’t disappointed – a 119 point flogging is surely a record?! Scoring-wise, the Suns weren’t very impressive, especially early. But those who had Harris (i.e. everyone) were rewarded with a 97, and most of the popular rookie-price players at least cleared 60. It also gives us a good idea of what to expect; modest scoring from the Suns while the opposition will score more heavily – Carlton had 7 players to top the ton this week, the most of any team. So Bulldogs players should be good value in Round 3.

• Benched

I talked about the subs last week, and it’s reared its ugly head again in Round 2. Jack Riewoldt was the big one with a particularly stale donut, but Hayes (65), Anthony (64), H. Shaw (65),  A. Krakouer (48), Lower (41), and Palmer (53) all had their DT potential culled by the controversial sub rule. Soon, when we start reporting our scores mid-lockout, we will have to add another column for sub-affected players… Something like 1400-13-Y-3 will read: ‘1400 points from 13 players, Yes, Captain has played, and that includes 3 sub-affected players’.

Things should even out over the year though, I think, because I have a feeling most teams will start rotating their players through as the Sub – after all, the players hate the sub as much as we do (see Petterd). Fremantle and Collingwood are two that come to mind – I don’t see Lower or Krakouer taking part in the exchange of vests in Round 3.

• Dropping the Ball

Every year we see an old rule which, for some reason, is being interpreted completely differently.  A few years ago it was the Deliberate Rule, more recently the Hands-in-the-Back Rule was re-imagined, and now it seems the Holding the Ball Rule has changed beyond recognition from last year.

I first noticed it in the St Kilda–Richmond game on Friday, as it was about as obvious as a sledgehammer to the face. Holding the ball was given numerous times to players who had literally only just picked up the ball, as apparently prior opportunity is no longer required. So I watched a bit more intently over the course of the weekend, and it was particularly bad in the Eagles-Port game, so much so that even the commentators mentioned it a few times. Fair enough, ping the player if he dives on it, but don’t penalise players going for the ball!

In dream team, this doesn’t mean much. At first I was mad, thinking that when a free kick is given it equates to a -2 overall (1 for the free kick for, -3 for the free kick against). But then I realised that the resulting kick or handpass would put it back into the positives…. So I’m just going to have to hate the new interpretation as a regular viewer, not as a DT coach.

• A Week is a Long Time

I was very disappointed after last weeks sub-par performance which resulted in a score on the wrong side of 2000 – especially when I was taking on The Calvinator. But things were different this week, thanks to my faith in Yarran (114) and Shuey (100), both of which dogged me last week, and added over 200 points to my score. Which goes to show that you NEVER trade after Round 1, because a week is a long time in Dream Team.

• Makers and Breakers

Getting straight into it, here is my Top 5 for Round 2:

MAKERS

1. Dane Swan   162

2. Andrew Embley 155

3. Chris Dawes 112

4. Bryce Gibbs 144

5. Andrew Karkouer 48

Swan is a shoo-in this round. Had 90 a minute into the 3^rd quarter and never looked like slowing. This guy is a Gun, plain and simple, and in a week where many coaches jumped on Montagna (Cheers Calvin), he was even more valuable. Andrew Embley! Couldn’t believe it when I read his name in 3^rd position in the Stats Centre. He’s turning the clock back in a big way, and would have been an amazing unique pick for the 1348 that have him. Chris Dawes comes in at number 3, mostly because no one expected him there. He’s averaging 115.5, and it doesn’t look like a fluke either. With a BE of -21, expect to see him traded in a bit this week before a big price hike. Bryce Gibbs’ 144 has rewarded the coaches smart enough to pick him up, and with his 147 last week, you’d be kicking yourself if you’re not one of them. Rounding out the 5 is Andrew Krakouer, who was unlucky to earn the green vest, but came on basically at 3 quarter time, and salvaged a good score. If he can score this well so quickly, I can’t wait to see what he can do with a whole game if Malthouse gives him a chance. Now, for the bottom 5…

BREAKERS

1. J. Riewoldt 0

2. Morton 32

3. Zaharakis 42

4. Broughton 61

5. Jolly 40

Riewoldt is an obvious one, leaving the ground with a headache and a donut. Not his fault mind you, as he really wanted to get back out there, and probably lost a few friends because of it! Regardless, if you had him, it hurt. The good news is that he’ll be back next week. With Jack donning a vest, it was up to Morton to pick up the slack, and he didn’t respond. It’s a wonder how the Tigers were even close to the Saints, let alone equal, with neither Riewoldt or Morton firing. Zaharakis was a popular trade when Brown and LeCras went down with LTIs last week. But he couldn’t back up his ton from Round 1, and probably left a few coaches regretting not picking up O’Keefe (102) or Cyril (110) and instead trying to save some cash. Broughton had a dirty week, picking up 21 touches for only 61 points. There’s no doubt he’ll bounce back, but those who picked him up over Grimes (87) can’t be happy. Same goes for those who thought they’d same some cash and pick up Jolly over Sandilands, Cox or Ryder. He was probably the victim of the fast-paced game the Pies played to decimate the Roos, but he still needs to work harder around the ground – 5 touches is not enough.

• Bubble Boys

This shapes as a very important week. With price changes occurring after the weekend (excluding GC, Crows and Roos), it’s our last chance to cleanse our team of bad choices and improve the areas where we lack before it becomes too costly. Lot’s of big choices to make – do you trade for Curnow, Tapscott or Bewick before their price rockets? Do you proceed with Pitt, Hibberd or Polec or trade for more effective cash cows? Do you cull dead weight like Foley or Everitt before they lose you precious cash? Should you get on Dawes or Grimes before they shoot up in price? So many choices…

My advice is to make one or two trades this week, even if you don’t need to. This is the last chance you have to jump on or jump ship with most players before the price change, and it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t waste.

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