Jeppa’s Draftees – Rd 18

Buddy is still out, Stevie J and Robinson are in doubt, Broughton’s gone for the year and it’s only Wednesday morning!If you think last week tested your team’s depth then think again as this is only the tip of the iceberg fellow coaches.

Rookies are looking thin for the rest of the year so it might be time to take a punt on those limited downgrade options available. Remember you can find me on Twitter @JeppaDT.

Three-or-more Gamers

A lazy 36 disposals and 133 dream team points puts Sam Gibson in the Michael Barlow and Dayne Zorko category of exceptional rookies. His continuous run and ability to receive the outside ball was very, very good. The decision now is to keep Gibson as a back up midfielder or trade him up to a Premium that may have previously looked out of reach. Another rookie that got leather poisoning on the weekend was Adam Treloar who scored 121 after amassing 37 disposals. It was Treloar’s3^rd100+ score for the year and second in a row. No doubt his scoring ability will come in handy during the final rounds of the year.

It was a huge DT scoring week for more of the popular Greater Western Sydney rookies with Jonathon Giles, Toby Greene, Curtly Hampton, Devon Smith & Thomas Bugg scoring 118, 101, 100, 100 & 93 respectively. Taylor Adams was on 59 at half time but faded to finish with 86. We all know that these GWS rookies have great job security,lets just hope there are no more rest weeks in 2012!

Jamie Elliott was again very active as a half forward flanker for Collingwood scoring 95…Didak who?Mark Baguley played a lot better this week as he ran off his opponent to score an 86. He was one of very few Essendon players who tried to take the game on and create from the backline.

Notable mentions toJackson Sheringham (78), Jeremy Cameron (75), Tom Young (85), Nathan Brown (68), Lee Spurr (69)&Beau Wilkes (72).

Two Gamers

There is only one player that should be on your radar from the boys on the bubble this week and that’s Carlton’s Tom Bell. He backed up his very good debut with an impressive performance against Richmond scoring 83, which included 7 tackles. Interestingly, he started inside the square at some centre bounces and ran with Trent Cotchin at times. There is a lot of potential here with Bell, his skills aren’t the best but his attitude and work ethic is exceptional. There’s no doubt that if you are looking for a downgrade this week, Bell is your best bet. I suspect he will be named for Round 19even if Robinson, Walker & Simpson all line up.

Levi Casboult provided a target in the forward line but only managed to score 40 points. He’s never going to get you big numbers and his job security is diminishing with Waite on the cusp of returning for the blue baggers.Frazer Dale started as the sub again for Carlton and had minimal impact when he came on for Duigan in the last quarter. He still scored 20 in less than a quarter but with some stars coming back for the Blues, Dale will be omitted this week. Sam Frost scored a below par 40 and will probably make way for Chad Cornes this week at selection.

You should all note that Tom Couch was really good for Casey on the weekend collecting 32 disposals and kicking 2 goals. Fingers crossed he gets named this week as he is the only basement priced player that looks like getting a game in the last five rounds of the year.

One Gamers

There were no eye-catching performances from any of the one gamers this week. Midfielder Elliott Kavanagh was a late replacement for Cale Hooker and scored 46. He showed a bit though and looked to improve as the game went on. Hopefully he gets a couple more opportunities because I reckon he’s got a big upside. Alex Browne played two games last season but kept his rookie price for this year so I’ll claim him as a draftee. He only scored 48 and was matched up on Bruest. His defensive skills and rebound out of the 50 was not as effective as Hirdy probably would have liked. To be fair, the footy was constantly pumped into the Bombers defensive 50 making it very hard to defend so Browne might get another chance.

I managed to catch Stephen Wrigley in the flesh on Sunday and he was far from impressive after only scoring 33. Wrigley was matched up on Hams all game who did as he pleased and kicked 3 goals.Given Wrigley’s lack of productivity out of the backline, his spot in the side looks shaky.

Draftees of the Year – Rucks

Another season of DT is almost at a close so its time to reflect and have a look at the best draftees of the year. I’ll touch on the draftee’s strengths, weaknesses and prospects for next year. Lets start with the Ruck category this week…

Jonathon Giles – Will finish 2012 as the highest scoring rookie ruckman and is currently averaging just over 78. His ruck work and goal kicking are his main attributes but he lacks mobility and will need to improve on his fitness if he wants to become a more consistent competitor next year. Barring any major injuries, Giles should play 20+ games next year.

Orren Stephenson – Was the mature age rookie that found a place on most DT benches this year after Geelong’s ruck stocks were limited. Stephenson’s ruckwork and taps to advantage are his greatest assets but he is an average target up forward and in modern football, ruckman need to be able to play/rest forward and kick goals. I’d say he’d struggle to get a game next year unless he improves dramatically over pre season.

Jarrad Redden–Made his debut for Port in Round 1 and like Stephenson, occupied the other ruck bench spot in most DT teams. I like Redden’s tenacity but he too needs to improve on his fitness as well as his skills at ground level. It’s safe to say Redden wont feature in most DT sides next year but we thank you Jarrad for your assistance in 2012.

Josh Jenkins – Is one of those mobile ruckman who loves to throw his weight around. Jenkins provides a very good target up forward but his ruck work is not the best and he drifts in and out of games. I can’t see Jenkins getting a regular game next year with Jacobs as first choice and a healthy Kurt Tippet to pinch hit in the ruck when needed.

Billy Longer – Has only played the five games this year but the future is bright for this young ruckman. He is very mobile and showed his true potential when he played as Brisbane’s first choice ruckman in rounds 8, 9 & 10. In these three games he averaged 71, not bad for a teenager with a lot of improvement left in him. With Ben Hudson likely to retire at years end, keep an eye on Longer as potential ruck back up next year especially if he is priced under or around $200K.