The Thursday Scramble: Round 21 – Finals Week 1

Wow, what a weekend of footy.  Some big scores and some failures, more injuries and late outs!  How are we supposed to play this game!  There is only one way….. Scramble!

A valuable lesson

The late out to Rowan Marshall gave us a valuable lesson. We need to have a bench and looping can be dangerous.  With the way this season has gone we have had little chance to improve our benches and to get some of the guys that are no longer playing out of our team. However, when we get a late out in the last game of the round we often have absolutely nothing we can do about it. So having a player there is important.  Did I have a good player there? No, I had Mitch Zadow coz he was cheap but getting a game. Thankfully I brought him in this week for a red dot otherwise I would have had nothing. I only got 29 points from him, but it was 29 I didn’t have otherwise.

We also need to be very careful of looping for this very reason as well as for the 50% rule, the closer we get to the end of the year the more likely late outs and restings could be towards the back end of the weekend when other results have played out already. So you can blow up your bench in the chase for dollars but really if you can bring in a basement player that is playing their first game or someone that is close to basement then that is the way to go.

Finals Time!

I think we all know the strategy here.  If you have that all important double chance and you should get the win then you can look to improve that team for the Prelim and GF. If you aren’t so confident, then still have an eye on that next week because you know there will be one. Those in the Elim finals may need to risk it for the biscuit and take some chances on players that they otherwise wouldn’t have which may weaken their team for the following week.

From here on out trading has to be about matchups. Yes we are going to get more injuries and restings, but we know that at least two teams, Adelaide and Geelong, play the bottom two sides in the last four games and the players from those teams are the ones that we have to be targeting. A team that is locked away in its spot and can’t move is often one to avoid because that is where they may start to do some freaky stuff and rest players. Once the Dockers get locked into that top spot or top two then look for them to probably rest Luke Jackson or maybe a Serong or a Brayshaw.  I don’t think Murphy Reid will rest just given his age, but Jackson is one I think is a huge chance.

Adelaide won’t be resting given their loss to Collingwood they are in a more precarious position than they otherwise would have been and Izak Rankine is the player that a lot of teams will be targeting and from the Cats if you still haven’t brought Bazlenka back in then he is one you must target also.

Owners of McAndrew may want to have an escape strategy handy. The Crows play the last game of the round and word on the street is that McAndrew is sick and with the Bombers this week there is a fair chance they won’t take the risk with him. We don’t need another Rowan Marshall episode!

Things To Remember

• Just the one game on Friday night this week so our looping options may open up a bit with less players early in the round.
• Keep an eye on your opponent’s team. It is head to head from here on out so your trades may want to cover off one of their players or go for a random unique that could have a big one. It will depend on the status of the matchup.
• Don’t give up!  We are just a few weeks from the end now and if Roy and Calvin can keep turning up, so can we!

Not much else to say this week other than go for it and get through to the next week of finals!  Have a great weekend of footy watching and see you all back here next Thursday.

Dunny

A passionate Port Adelaide Fan who simply loves footy! That is how I would describe myself. Catch my weekly article "The Thursday Scramble" with all the last minute things to think about for the weekend Follow: @pkd73.