Greatest Dream Team of All: Round 1

On the back of the non-success of the ‘Greatest’ series on afl.com.au, I will aim to reinvent and establish a new article: DTTalk’s own ‘Greatest Dream Team of All’. Taking into consideration DT form of players across the competition, a best 22 will be proposed; with things like value and price coming into play. Whilst the article shares the same name as its predecessor, these articles will be focus on players from a DT perspective (sorry Nick Maxwell). This is by no means a reflection of any player personally or on their playing style, just a pure expression of their DT awesomeness.

Upon receiving feedback from the initial article in the preseason, I’ve tweaked the structure of this idea to reveal a team that legally fits within the AFL Dream Team Salary Cap – making this team of players even more impressive. So, without further ado I give you McRath’s Inaugural Greatest Dream Team of All:

Backs

A. Carazzo (CAR – $454,800) – Carrotts was fantastic in Thursday night’s opening v Richmond. Effectively shutting down the dangerous Trent Cotchin in Q2, he went on himself to record a handy 106 points from 31 touches.

M. Suckling (HAW – $448,900) – Suckers picked up right where he left off in 2011 as he marshalled the Hawks half backline to record 26d and 7 marks on his way to 105 points.

G. Birchall (HAW – $443,500) – Suckling’s partner in crime, Birch had the 3^rd best score by a defender in R1. He scored an outstanding 118 points from 21 touches, 8 marks and a goal.

J. Adcock (BRL – $417,700) – Brisbane’s stand-in captain had a field day against Melbourne on the weekend, scoring 125 points from 29d, 9m, 4t and a goal. Jed was the #1 defender in Round 1.

P. Hanley (BRL – $396,600) – The Lions’ Irish experiment showed how far he has come on Saturday against the Demons. He racked up 23 touches, 9 marks, 6 tackles and 2 goals to be one of the best on field. Those who picked him will be very happy with this unique.

T. Mohr (GWS – $115,800) – The Giant’s stalwart held the fort down back in the absence of many experienced players. Despite his DT-unfriendly role, he still managed a serviceable 74 points from 16 disposals.

T. Bugg (GWS – $104,200) – GWS’s second inductee this week, Bugg is already being headhunted by many who missed out; and has already been traded in by around 4% of coaches. His 27 touches for 97 points against the Swans were invaluable to his coaches who put faith in him to start on the field.

Reserves

J. Hombsch (GWS –$104,200) and B. Smedts (GEE – $104,200) who scored 71 and 50 respectively to give solid cover for their teams in Round 1.

 

Midfield

S. Pendlebury (COL – $576,900) – Was arguably the best on ground against the Hawks on the weekend. The majority’s decision to start him over teammate Swan paid off as he accrued 33 disposals on his way to an elite 132 points.

G. Ablett (GCS – $554,700) – Calvin’s #1 captain pick for the week didn’t let us down as he continued his unstoppable run of form against Adelaide. With a massive 42d, 2 goals and 136 points, Ablett put on another fantastic display to vindicate his selection in over 50% of teams,

S. Thompson (ADE – $538,500) – The first of a raft of Crows to make the grade in R1 as Adelaide overran the Suns in a non-competitive contest. Gathering another 39 touches against the Suns, Thompson showed us why he loves playing Gold Coast with his score of 135.

B. Stanton (ESS – $528,300) – My ‘Whore of the Week’ in my Numbers Article, Stanton absolutely dominated North on the weekend, scoring from everywhere. He finished with an outstanding 35d, 7m, 5t and 2 goals on his way to 153 points – and is my captain in the Greatest Team for Round 1.

J. McDonald (GWS – $98,700) – Old McDonald really stood up against the Swans, providing some good protection for his young charges. Gathering 23 touches and laying 6 tackles gave him a handy 98 points – not bad given his sub-$100k price. The only issue is that he’ll miss 2 weeks from his hit on Luke Parker.

J. Magner (MEL – $85,800) – Second only to Trengove for the Dees on Saturday was our very own ‘Magnet’, James Magner. Despite picking up a slightly ankle injury in the closing minutes, he gave his coaches a big smile in tallying 103 points. Now let’s hope he’s okay for Round 2.

Reserves

C. Smith (WB – $107,700) scored an outstanding 79 before being subbed on the weekend in a performance surely worthy of a Rising Star Nomination, while T. Greene (GWS – $134,700) showed great ability to score 99 from 27 disposals v Sydney.

 

Rucks

P. Ryder (ESS – $394,400) – A bit of a surprise here as Ryder was the top scoring ruckman of the round. His 128 points came from 20 touches and a game high 33 hitouts – all of this against two of the game’s best rucks in Goldstein and McIntosh.

M. Kreuzer (CAR – $326,000) – The former #1 draft pick is finally starting to live up to his potential. Playing almost as another midfielder, Kreuzer’s 2^nd and 3^rd efforts were outstanding as he went on to record 96 points, including 15 hitouts.

Reserves

J. Giles (GWS – $117,800) and J. Redden (POR – $104,200) scored 77 and 68 in their debuts for their clubs, providing solid bench cover for their coaches; or a serviceable 2^nd ruck score for those who went with the Sole Premium Ruck strategy.

 

Forwards

L. Franklin (HAW – $503,000) – Buddy once again justified his selection in all of our Dream Teams as our #1 forward option. He tore apart Collingwood in the second half to finish with 21 disposals, 5.3 goals and 125 points. On an even more positive note, he only gave away 1 free against (and gained 2 frees for) – which can only help his DT output.

N. Fyfe (FRE – $486,600) – Undoubtedly the best afield on Saturday night, Fyfe showed no slowing down from his preseason on his way to 30 touches and 124 points, including 2 goals. He is a smokey for the Brownlow this year – and my sources tell me that he’s currently paying $31, jump on!

D. Zaharakis (ESS – $443,200) – Zaha scored an even 100 against the Roos to prove himself as the best of the mid-price premium DPP Forwards in Round 1. He beat out Martin, Robinson, Danger, Sidey and Lewis to be more than effective for his coaches. His score could’ve been higher too, if he’d converted his 2 behinds into goals.

K. Tippett (ADE – $350,400) – In a Crow-heavy forward line up, Tippett tops the list here with the 114 points he scored against the Suns. He dominated throughout as Adelaide’s #1 forward target, scoring 4.3 and also grabbing 13 hitouts.

T. Walker (ADE – $296,400) – Tex also had a great outing against Gold Coast, taking advantage of their inexperience down back. He finished with an important 98 points and kicked 5.3. In an ominous sign to the rest of the competition, if Tippett and Walker can both lift; they could become an unstoppable force in the AFL for years to come.

I. Callinan (ADE – $217,000) – Proving to be a better mid-price pick than teammate Jason Porplyzia at this early stage, popular 2011 rookie Callinan came out firing with 99 points from 18 disposals and 2.5 goals. Imagine if he’d converted all 7 of his scoring shots…

A. Kennedy (GWS – $104,200) – Top scoring for the Giants in their debut match, as well as his – Kennedy showed an uncanny knack for finding the ball. He ended up with 28 disposals and a game high 11 marks before settling on 116 points. If he backs this performance up in R2, it’ll be hard for those who missed out to justify not getting him in.

Reserves

C. Hampton (GWS – $104,200) showed that the hype surrounding him is valid on his way to a serviceable 77, whilst T. Milera (STK – $115,800) had a great debut for the Saints on his way to 74 points.

 

Greatest Dream Team of All: Round 1

B:        A. Carazzo (106), M. Suckling (105), T. Bugg (97)

HB:     J. Adcock (125), G. Birchall (118), P. Hanley (120)

C:        B. Stanton (153 – ©), G. Ablett (136), J. Magner (103)

HF:      N. Fyfe (124), L. Franklin (130), D. Zaharakis (100)

F:         T. Walker (98), K. Tippett (114), A. Kennedy (116)

Foll:     P. Ryder (128), S. Pendlebury (132), S. Thompson (135)

Int:      T. Mohr (74), J. McDonald (98), M. Kreuzer (96), I. Callinan (99)

Reserves: J. Hombsch (71), B. Smedts (50), C. Smith (79), T. Greene (99), J. Giles (77), J. Redden (68), C. Hampton (77), Milera (74).

Total Score from starting 22: 2660 (with Stanton as Captain)

Cash Remaining in Salary Cap: $1,600

Honourbable Mentions

Tom Rockliff (BRL, MID – $554,700) – 130

Sam Mitchell (HAW, MID – $554,000) – 130

Rory Sloane (ADE, MID – $429,500) – 125

Brad Ebert (POR, MID – $308,100) – 125

Trent Cotchin (RIC, MID – $463,400) – 120

Jack Steven (STK, MID – $394,500) – 119

Will Minson (WB, RUC – $365,500) – 97

 

Stay tuned for our next instalment in the ‘Greatest’ series in the next few weeks after the first price changes.

Feedback appreciated as always. Also – if you’re not already… follow me in the Twittersphere: @McRathDT