Dream Team Extra: Round 9

 

And a great weekend was had by most! Some excellent games of footy were on show, particularly Richmond’s spirited fight in Dreamtime At The ‘G and Port’s stunning 6-goal comeback late in the fourth quarter against the Roos. There were massive 2300 and 2400 scores around the grounds – congrats to you coaches who clocked big numbers and marched up the rankings. There was more bad than good news doing the rounds with a few notable guns blighted by injury. So enough chit-chat, let’s dig in!

 

Murphy Dangerfied

Two hard nuts went into a contest on the weekend and after the dust settled, the semi-kamikaze Paddy Dangerfield walked away while the mighty durable Marc Murphy was left writhing in pain. That’s just the luck of the draw as Murph came off second best. The upshot is that he’s out for 8-10 weeks after surgery to fix his broken shoulder. That’s an eternity in the DT world and I’m sure you’ve already pulled a reversible trade or ten to sideways him for another midfield premo. Sadly though, here’s another salute to a fallen DT hero… Take care Marc and see you on the paddock when you’re fighting fit!

 

Swan Song?

The Great Dane was buzzing along in the 90s with a good bit of the final quarter to go when, to the dismay of his coaches (especially those who had him as Captain!) he came off the field and disappeared down the race. The ‘Arizona calling’ alarm bells starting ringing and now there’s a fair bit of twatter debating the merits of keeping the Pies’ accumulator versus trading him out.

Like the Ablett trade, it all really depends on how long you think he’s going to be out for. Collingwood have marked him as a 2 week out, with no indication that he’ll be rested or sent up north for a dose of high altitude training. However, there is some sense in the reasoning that he could be out for up to four weeks as he recovers and rests until after the Pies’ R12 bye. Whichever the case, weigh it all up before you pull the trigger as this could shape your run home. To paraphrase the crusty Grail knight in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, choose wisely!

 

Greater Western Merry-Go-Round

Dream Team stat supremo @FantasyFreako was among many to tweet that the old fox Sheeds will be putting his rotation policy into effect again this weekend.

Really though, this shouldn’t surprise us. GWS have what looks like a solid plan to get their club up and about in quick time, with a pretty enviable list of youngsters and Sheedy and Choco running the show. This season looks like a real ‘blooding’ year as their selection committee continues to run the kids through the revolving door.

Hey, that’s great for squad development, isn’t it? Yup, just dandy! But… And it’s a big Serena Williams-type but… This hurts us coaches who have feasted on the charcoal Ooompa-Loompas in the hope that they’ll make us a bucket load of cashola and provide valuable cover when needed. While most are mooing nicely, with the exception of Jon Giles, all of the popular rookies have been rested or rotated so far this year. Psst – don’t take this as gospel, but Gilesy may cop a rest at some stage too!

Okay, to cut a short story long, what I’m getting at here is that while some like J-Mac may be worth holding on to due to very low BEs, do not rely on the baby Giants for cover during the bye weeks. I know, I know, like the dog’s bollocks, I am stating the obvious here, but just be prepared for your precisely planned handful of donuts to turn into a Deluxe Mixed Box through rounds 12 and 13 as Sheedy stirs his starting lineup like a party mix.

 

Injury Update

Good news everyone – the Kangas have marked H-Mac as being a test, so the big man could be back this week! From the AFL Injury List, others listed as ‘test’ include: Jed Adcock, Clancee Pearce, Adam Kennedy, Jack Hombsch, Jacob Townsend and Matt Priddis. Sam Fisher is still a week away. Al Christensen is also 1-2 weeks off. Keep an eye on Mummy – he’s 1-2 weeks out and could be a prime uprgade target after R12.

 

Rookie Roundup

I’m really starting to hate this bit. Not because I don’t like writing it, but because half of my rookie picks usually end up getting rested or dropped when the teams come out tonight or green-vested 90 minutes before game time! Okay, let’s have a pot-shot then… In defence, Bugg is the obvious choice if he is named or if you haven’t upgraded him already. Darley, Morris, Ellis and Spurr should do an adequate job otherwise. The Horse is a must in the middle, then Magner, Coniglio and J-Mac (again, if selected) with Lachie Neale and Clay Smith a fair way behind. Jon Giles and Big O are the preferred rucks. Up forward, flavour of the week Zorko should be solid, then Dickson and Dev Smith (see J-Mac). Like I said though, tonight’s lists are key and they will destroy my guesswork!

 

Anyways, that’s the rub for this week. I’m looking forward to another relatively carnage-free round of high scoring. Feel free to add any news bits, gossip, rumours, rants, raves, etc below to keep the stone rolling. See ya next Thursday for another bout of media trawling and good luck this weekend!

 

Any questions, suggestions, general chit-chat or requests for next week’s Extra?
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