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ROUND ONE IS HERE!!! AFL Fantasy Q&A | #PODPOD
5k Plays8 months ago
Round zero is complete and it’s thrown us a few curve balls bound to ruin the months of planning and preparation we’ve put in this pre-season. Isaac Heeney F1? Lachie Whitfield D1? Tom Green must-have?! Nick Daicos full-time mid!!! Erol Gulden’s a dud????!?!?
Overreactions are flowing after the first four games of ’round zero’ but we must keep a cool head to maximise our chance for the Lux! Holmesy, Lewy, and Harmey are here to guide you on the home stretch ahead of your journey to hat territory and... hopefully, ultimate glory!
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Transcript
Recording Timing and Weekend Insights
00:00:17
Speaker
Good day and welcome to the Pod Pod. It's Holmsey here with you on this Wednesday night. A bit of a usual, unusual recording for us. We usually go on a Monday, but we thought with how important this week is, we wanted to give as much up-to-date information as possible. So going on a Wednesday just before teams have dropped, we actually do have some teams to talk about, but
00:00:38
Speaker
As always, we do have a couple of members here of the Pod Pod family. So we've got Louis. Louis, how are you, mate? How was your weekend and how are the nerves heading into round one? It's go time. Yeah, it was good, mate. It was good to see some real footy, even though it did feel a little bit like pre-season football.
00:00:57
Speaker
Definitely some large takeaways to come out of it and the nerves are definitely getting there. I'm really keen for lockout because I'm overthinking about this game to this point at the moment, but they're certainly nervous as well about what I'm going to lock in.
00:01:14
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know about you, mate, but there's been a little bit of a negative wrap around this round zero, but I was just happy to have Footy back. It was something to watch on Thursday, Friday night, and being able to get back and watch those Sad Day games a little bit later on was good. So happy that Footy's back, and another man that I'm also pretty sure is happy that the Footy is back is two-time top 10 finisher, Hami.
2024 Pod Challenge Announcement
00:01:36
Speaker
Mate, how are you going? Yeah, good. Thanks, Hamzi. Yeah, look, I'm dead keen for the Footy to start tomorrow night, watched a little bit.
00:01:43
Speaker
I've been super busy but yes it's great having it going isn't it?
00:01:49
Speaker
Yeah, and it's all about to get real, which is very, very exciting with the first game dropping tomorrow night, which we are going to get to. Before we do get started, we do just want to let the listeners know that the Pod Pod Challenge is back for 2024. And this year we've gone a little bit bigger, so we have a prize available thanks to Super Coach Champion. They've kindly offered to supply us an AFL fantasy ring if you take out the top spot in the challenge.
00:02:14
Speaker
Please enter our league. It was really big last year and we're looking to go even bigger this year. So the league code for that is N63ANCEP and that'll be in the show notes in the description below as well. So if you're interested in getting one of these rings for your own fantasy leagues, then make sure to use the code PODPOD when checking out.
00:02:34
Speaker
And then you can have one of those for your own individual leagues. But we're going to get stuck straight into it today.
Injuries Impacting Fantasy Selections
00:02:39
Speaker
We've got a monster podcast to get through. So we're going to start with some of our hot topics. I'm going to throw it to you straight away, Louis. So we had a couple of players go down with some season-ending injuries in Sam Docherty and Kitty Coleman. Pretty unfortunate for both of those players, especially Sam Docherty, who's been through so much already. But from a fantasy point of view, does that open up any opportunities for any of our fantasy relevant players?
00:03:02
Speaker
Well mate, straight away I started thinking about Zach Williams. He's one that's just come into that side after just about two years missing.
00:03:10
Speaker
with various different injuries. Sam Docherty probably was pushing up a little bit higher on the wing but still spending a bit of time down back. I think there's a large 100 point sized hole within that team now and I don't think there'll be just the one bloke who takes that line's share. I think it will be split pretty evenly amongst some of those defenders. Maybe even a guy like a Nick Newman can see a small little points bump
00:03:37
Speaker
Hami, do you think it opens up a little bit more opportunity for, say, George Hewitt, who's a little bit under priced, knowing that at the moment you've got Docherty and Walsh both not in that side, which is essentially, you know, 200 fantasy points up for grabs? No, that's an open up spot for Durden. He's the one that's coming. He's going to kill it now.
00:03:54
Speaker
I agree too. That's actually the one that I would have suggested should see the bump. George Hewitt, he should have a solid roll through that midfield even more so with Dokka to going out because Doc was sort of chopping out through that midfield as well. So priced at 74 I think from Emory Hewitt and it's just a shame he's got that early buy. May sort of hold off and have a look at him this week and then jump on after the buy, not sure yet.
00:04:22
Speaker
Yeah, he's interesting. I'm not going to lie, someone that I've looked at over the last couple of days, he's kind of come into calculations with that doc injury, but also already having a hundred point score in his price rise. It means that with a soft matchup against Richmond and another decent score, he could get off to a floor and get that cash gen going, which would be good to see.
Debutantes and Rookie Risks
00:04:41
Speaker
Some news on some debutantes. So a few have already been announced. So we've got McCurcher and Dursma both being confirmed to be debuting for North. So McCurcher, we're all very high on Dursma, not as much, but I will admit he did look pretty good in that practice game. And although we think we're going to get a lot of these forward options, they're still not guaranteed just yet. So keep him in the back of your mind. And then Darcy Wilson has been announced for St. Kilda as well.
00:05:06
Speaker
I will throw to, I'll go to you, Louis. Darcy Wilson, it's pretty much locked that we're all going to pick him, but is he someone that you're considering to start on your ground? Yes, he definitely is someone I'm considering. Not many rookies drop a 97 in the preseason. Within that Saints game style is always very promising too. Yeah, I think he's someone that might be able to find a little bit of ceiling for us in
00:05:32
Speaker
in a line where we're probably a little bit underdone in terms of our forwards. So, no, I do like Darcy Wilson. Yeah, Hami, are you the same? Yeah, yeah. He's a guy that, well, he averaged over 100 in the juniors. So, he's got that good scoring pedigree background. So, he's on the bench for me in a minute. So, I guess we'll just sort of see what shakes out tomorrow.
00:05:59
Speaker
Yeah, he could even be someone that finds his way onto the ground for me this week, knowing that a Harley Reid has a tough matchup against Port, but we know it's rookie roulette for a reason and you're pretty much taking a stab either way. So definitely someone we're going to lock in, but whether or not you play him on field is up for debate. All right, what we're going to do, we've got a stack of questions to get to. Thanks for the listeners for that. So we're going to spend a fair bit of the podcast
00:06:23
Speaker
going through your questions, but we are going to give a quick recap on the round zero games.
Round Zero Recap and Player Performances
00:06:28
Speaker
We're going to go through some of the relevant players. We're going to look at their break-evens and also whether or not we're looking at picking them. So we're going to start with the Sydney, Melbourne game and the player I want to start with first Brody Grundy, turn back the clock. We all thought it was going to be a tough matchup against Gorn, but really in that second half, Grundy really just took control.
00:06:48
Speaker
scoring 118 in fantasy and having that 74 point second half. And he has a really low break even now. And Louis, as someone that was, you know, I know you were keen to lock in Cherry, but you're also looking at Gorn. Is Grundy the one of those three now that you're really just locking your way and you're deciding between the other two?
00:07:06
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. He showed us no reason to have any doubt, which is sort of ironic based on the preseason game he had prior to that, where a lot of coaches, including myself, did jump off. He showed that he can get back to his best with that performance, I thought. And to do it against such quality ruckmen in Max Gorn was really impressive. He's got the really low break even now.
00:07:30
Speaker
So you can rise that immediate cash gen, which is what we're wanting from some of those rucks. So yeah, Brody Grundy in my ruck line now. Yeah, I really like that. And it definitely was revenge game, but he's also got revenge game this week against Collingwood too. So if you can get off to another really good flyer, then who knows, maybe he's made enough cash at his buy to look at going up to a martial or English, but you know, maybe he's just scoring so well that he's someone that we need to keep, you know, longer term towards his buy. So Brody Grundy, very good.
00:08:00
Speaker
Hami, I'll throw to you for this one because I already know Louis' thoughts. Isaac Heaney, coming from nowhere. We've seen this midfield role in the past in preseason, but it's never sort of eventuated properly during the season. But 14 CBAs, 13 clearances, nine coaches' votes, 121 AFL fantasy and a projected 55 breakeven with a lack of forward premium options is Isaac Heaney someone that's coming to calculations for you.
00:08:27
Speaker
Oh, he's certainly got my attention. But I'm just wary because he's done it before, because they have gaps in their midfield for a short period of time. Yeah, I'm just uncertain whether it's a long term play. If I bought him in at seven hundred and twenty two thousand, I'd want to make sure that there's a lot of upside and somebody that I'm keen to keep long term. And for me, I'm not convinced at this point in time that that is handy for me this year.
00:08:59
Speaker
Yeah, well, I mean, Taylor Adams is going to be out for another two to three weeks. They say Parker's about the same. So maybe that midfield role is going to die off a little bit once they return. But he was he was sensational in that role. And look, even if Parker and Adams do come back in round four,
00:09:17
Speaker
Sydney have the Eagles, so there could be a potential ceiling game on the cards as a forward against the Eagles anyway, so potentially he's not someone you absolutely have to trade out straight away if those players come back. So on Isaac Heaney, I'm very, very interested in, as is his other Sydney teammate in James Jordan.
00:09:35
Speaker
started a bit slow. He ended up on 76 points, but I think he only had five or six points in that first quarter before he really got going. It looked like he really needed to work into that game, playing against his old side. He ended up with five center bounces, so not really that much of a midfield role.
00:09:51
Speaker
But who knows, maybe that increases as the season goes on. And if you're keen on a James Jordan before, he did no
Midfield Potentials and Player Roles
00:09:59
Speaker
harm to that. I think you should still be keen. I think the only question is whether or not too many Sydney players in a Grundy, Heaney and Jordan come that round five by. But of course, you do have multiple trades to use before that point in time. Louis, Errol Goulden. So a lot of people were hot on an Errol Goulden with the run that they have coming up.
00:10:19
Speaker
A 69 doesn't paint a good picture to start. It's why we're often nervous to start these premiums priced at 110 plus because all it takes is one of these games where they're off a little bit or the conditions don't exactly suit and they can drop a score like this. But what are your thoughts now on an Errol Goulden?
00:10:36
Speaker
To be honest, they haven't really changed. We saw the context of that game. It was very sticky, very hot, and just not a lot of marks were being taken. It really didn't suit Errol whatsoever, which to your point, sort of does make sense. It wasn't the one to start. He's now got a super high break even. So in terms of cash, I suppose you might look in another direction. But that being said, you mentioned the fixture, mate.
00:11:03
Speaker
I don't think anything's changed there. He can go 120 plus times four for the next couple of weeks and leave us with Edgar on our face potentially or those that were considering starting him anyway. It makes it really hard to be starting now just because there will be that initial cash loss. It's going to take a brave coach to jump on, but that being said, they could be rewarded with some serious ceiling.
00:11:30
Speaker
Yeah, what I will say about a player like Errol Gooden, he was not someone I was looking to start because of his price. But if you are really hot, you're picking Errol for the year. You're not picking him to ride a cash rise and potentially trade him out. So anything he loses this week, you're not going to lose if he does manage to go at 115 plus from here.
00:11:50
Speaker
So you just be thankful that you didn't get that stinker of a score in round zero. But all that matters is the points that he's going to score from here on out. So the cash, the cash loss is really irrelevant unless he ends up being a player that isn't a top eight midfielder. And then you do need to trade him out. But Errol Gordon.
00:12:07
Speaker
You're right, it would be a brave coach to start, but the option is still there if you're keen. Last player I'll talk about harm is Matt Roberts coming off a 91, playing that half-back role with kick-ins. He looked fantastic. He's a lock for everyone because of his break-even, but the question I want to ask you is, has he made his way onto your ground or are you still looking to start him at M9?
00:12:28
Speaker
Not yet. He's still on my bench at this point, but I've definitely been thinking about that, Holmesey. So, yeah, great scoring, great role. Yeah, a lot to like about what Roberts has been doing.
00:12:43
Speaker
Does having someone like Roberts at M9 with that kind of scoring capability make it more comfortable for you to start someone like a Tom Green or a premium with a buy, knowing that you're able to swing Roberts on for that round and you can potentially get a score of 70 plus?
00:13:01
Speaker
Yeah, maybe. Maybe he goes hand-in-hand with Hewitt, hey? So, yeah, that's right. As long as you're not carrying another through the midfield, it'll allow you. But you're still going to be choosing these, you know, premium players or the players with the buy. They've all got to have upside still. I mean, you can't just, you know, pick the top-priced player, and now they've got a buy, so I'll chuck Roberts on. You know, you still got to be confident that they are, you know, presenting some level of value for you.
00:13:29
Speaker
Yeah. So the only concern I would say with like readjusting structure to get a guy like this on your field, and I don't blame you either. I certainly looked at it with the 91 score. He's got a seriously low break even now as well, but we've got to remember that these guys are still rookies and that 91 could easily flip to a 19 next week.
00:13:51
Speaker
Then we're scratching our heads while we've sort of bent backwards to do something like this and I don't think that's going to be something we do see from Matt Roberts just because he has been in the system for a couple of years and he did look good down back and he was taking kick ins and all that but looking at his scoring worm too. He had a massive first half, he was up at around 65 and then pretty much flatlined until the last couple of minutes of that game where he was able to junk
00:14:18
Speaker
a few stats for us. That could potentially be a sign of improvement. It could also potentially be a sign of if that second half is more like his first half, if there is a bit of a flaw there. It's just one tiny flag.
00:14:33
Speaker
Yeah, it's a, it's a rookie roulette for a reason. All right, moving on to Melbourne, who they played in this game. And Hami, I'll get you to talk about this bloke. So Max Gorn started pretty well. I think he was over 50 at halftime. And, and then as we said, Grundy got ahold of him in the, in the second half and he only ended up on the, was it 87 fantasy points?
00:14:53
Speaker
It was a tough game, the conditions didn't suit, but have your thoughts changed about a Max Gorn or do you still think he's someone that can go 105 to 110 and push high enough up towards those rucks? Yeah, he can go 105. Yep, I'm still pretty confident that that's going to be the case. It wasn't only Grundy,
00:15:11
Speaker
like Grundy had a really good second half and was getting stuck into him, but so were a number of other players. So they didn't have the best night. And yeah, he'd probably be a little bit dirty, but I'm still confident that he's going to have a good season.
00:15:30
Speaker
Uh, same as army there. I think he's going to be a great pick. He's got the ceiling still, which I think is a big reason why coaches were picking him. He's a certain option for VCs. That's for sure. Early, um, at 54 points at halftime and then faded in.
00:15:48
Speaker
In what was his first hit out for the year, officially, that's not uncommon. We've heard of really senior players before, saying that round one is always the hardest one. You're blowing the cobwebs out. You never truly match fit until you are, and that's what I'd be putting it down for Max Gorn. In fact, I'm a little bit scared of what potentially he might throw out next week or this week now, just given that he got a bit of
00:16:13
Speaker
scrutiny in the media that I think was a little bit over the top. I reckon there might be a bit of screw you coming our way and you might drop a nice ceiling score for us.
00:16:24
Speaker
Yeah. Couldn't agree more there. Hami, I'll throw this one to you just because he's your boy. I know you either traded him in last year or he was someone that you were definitely very hot on. Jack Viney, 123, best on ground in that game. Clary Oliver underdone, Petrarca moving forward a little bit. Is Jack Viney someone we need to look at as a bit of a quick turn, hits and cash play and then look to flicking at his buy when some of those other gun premiums have either dropped in price or come off their buy?
00:16:54
Speaker
Yeah, maybe even not. He may even be a keeper for you. I did have him for a period last season. I did say a couple of weeks ago I was keen on him based on the pre-season of him and also of Oliver. I just think he's in for a good season, good contested player, got a well-rounded game.
00:17:17
Speaker
Um, not really someone you'd go out of your way to tag. So, uh, I think I picked him up in a draft the other day, actually. So I've been quite bullish, but, um, yeah, he's not in my team at the moment, but he has sort of has been in and out. I'm quite keen.
00:17:34
Speaker
Yeah, he finished the year very strongly and he started the same way this year. So Jack Finey, definitely someone to keep on the radar. He's kind of in that Libba mode last year where Libba got off to a hot start and all of us podcasters are saying, no, you can't do it. You can't do it.
00:17:50
Speaker
going to revert back. But at the end of the year, if Jack Viney had a 110 plus season, would any of us be surprised? I don't think so. He's got the fantasy game in him. So not someone I'm looking to start at the moment, but definitely someone I'm keen to watch and keep on the radar. Louis, talk to me about Christian Salem, someone I've been pretty keen on. He had the role in the first half until Bowie went down. So he had nine CBAs and then
00:18:14
Speaker
had to shift back into defense once that injury occurred. So he scored the 95. I think he was on 59 at halftime, so he slowed a little bit. Is he still a good pick or do you think there's too many moving parts there now with the bow injury and him going down?
00:18:30
Speaker
I think there's maybe, yeah, too many moving parts here for me to want to select him. That being said, he showed plenty in that role. And I think it was the second quarter where he went at, I think 45 of those fantasy points were required. And he just seemed like he was everywhere sitting off the back of stoppage, getting the short ones too, which we love to see from our midfielders. But yeah, that Bowie injury may have
00:18:56
Speaker
stuck a bit of a stick in our plans, but Holmsey, I know you were pretty keen on him leading up to this. Have your thoughts changed here as well, or?
00:19:06
Speaker
I'm going to be keenly watching selection tomorrow. I think if they bring in someone like a Marty Hoare or someone that could slot into defence, I think he's still going to continue with that midfield role. It kind of sounds like they've had this plan of him playing midfield in the works for about a year now. It sort of sounded like they wanted it to happen halfway through last year, but it didn't really eventuate.
00:19:28
Speaker
He's been training there all pre-season and you wouldn't think that they'd throw all of that out with one injury, but at the same time, if they don't have anyone on the list that they can comfortably play in that back line, then maybe it's easier for them to slot him back into that role and to get someone like a Tom Sparrow to play a little bit more midfield who can play a bit of a role. So I'm definitely looking at selection and he's someone I want to pick, but you're right, it does come with a lot more risk now with the bow injury.
00:19:55
Speaker
The last two players will touch on Hami. We're not going to talk about Jack Billings starting his sub. Even if he comes in this week, he's going to have that 10 points in his rolling average for a while yet. So we need to see a little bit of an uptick before we even look at trading
Gold Coast Players and Matchup Analysis
00:20:08
Speaker
him in. But we've got the two rookies, so Blake Howes.
00:20:11
Speaker
um blew up blew our expectations out of the water scoring 74 points and just looking right at home took seven marks and he has a negative break even so we're all locking him in um either on our bench or i know some coaches even myself have toyed with him playing at a at a d6 knowing that you're only going to need his scoring rounds one and four with the best day team but what about caleb wins up he had the role
00:20:33
Speaker
looked good at times. It wasn't the best conditions for wingers in those greasy conditions, but scoring the 45 is that elevated price tag now, something we have to go away from if we get more rookies named in the forward line. Yeah, I think we can have a better forward line options to be honest. He's scored 45.
00:20:52
Speaker
It's got a similar amount of points the week before in the pre-season game so I just have a feeling that's about what we're going to get and there's potentially higher scores elsewhere in the Ford line.
00:21:08
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Nah, couldn't agree more though. Like I said, the conditions didn't suit him and he does look like a pretty classy player out on that wing, even though he has fumbled a little bit at times. I think once he gets up to speed in AFL and gets a bit more confidence, I wouldn't be surprised for that scoring to uptick.
00:21:24
Speaker
Okay, moving on to the next game, easily the game of the round. We had Colton and Brisbane. We'll start with the Colton boys, and we've already spoken about Hewitt and the interest there. It's a shame that he has the early buy, but with that midfield role and the players out for Colton at the moment and him, you know, he's had a bit of scoring history in the past going at 98 only two years ago. With the early buy, I'm not sure we could go there, Lou, but what are your thoughts on George Hewitt?
00:21:52
Speaker
Uh, yeah, mate, I haven't really considered it largely to be honest with you. Um, when you brought it up the other day, it was, um, probably the first time that I've really seen it being talking about, mate. So I'll throw to you for that one because I'm sure you've got more, not only interest, but more information than what I do.
00:22:11
Speaker
Yeah, look, I just think he's one of those main cogs in the midfield at the moment with Doc going down and Walsh being out. He had a very injury-interrupted season last year. He was subbed out a lot, and he was dealing with concussions and some nagging injuries. And we saw what he could do in the year prior where he went at 98. All those same players are still around now, so we've seen him do it. And the fact that he's already got 100 in his price, I think, is someone we have to look at. But just with that early buy, it's
00:22:41
Speaker
It's a tough pick and it's also pretty hard to lock him away in that first game knowing what changes we might have to make when the Friday teams get trimmed on Friday, but Zach Williams, army 51 points in the first half and then died off a little bit, which you would expect from a player who hasn't played the game in 18 months. I think, you know, all things considered, if, if they had a healthy list in that game, maybe he would have been one that they looked to manage and sub out in that second half, but
00:23:07
Speaker
with the injuries that they had, they didn't really have a chance. You had to play, but Zach Williams, you see someone you've come around to now, you're a little bit cold early, but you just wanted to see him play really. Yeah, my concerns were that he wasn't in full training and that sort of thing earlier in the preseason. Now he's playing, looks fit. Like I'm really happy with what he's doing, so no real hesitation with selecting him.
00:23:31
Speaker
Yep. And once again, we'll put our hats out for you, Louis, because I know you were pretty keen on this bloke, but Orazio Fantasia, 33 from a full game, going with his 20-odd point game in the practice game. So playing is that small forward, does some very classy things at times, but clearly he's just not quite back to his best at AFL level at the moment. But Orazio is just someone we're ruling out now.
00:23:55
Speaker
Yeah, we're our coaches being saved again. Definitely wasn't super keen on Orazio Fantasia, popping one early potentially. He does have Richmond this week though, so we'll see how that goes. But yeah, I think we can put a line through Fantasia now. There's clearly a lot better options that we can choose from instead. So yeah, for that reason, he's a bit unlucky and he did his chances a fair amount of harm with a 33 on Daebu as well.
00:24:25
Speaker
Yeah, look, it wouldn't surprise me if you can come out against Richmond and get a ceiling score, but I'd absolutely want to see that and have that score in his price cycle before jumping on there. Some other fantasy relevant players, Nick Newman, 83, it was always going to be tough to start someone like a Nick Newman who had a tail of two halves last season. He came home like a steam train, but
00:24:48
Speaker
Yeah, with the way they're playing at the moment, I'm not sure I'd be willing to have a starting pick with Nick Newman, knowing that they've got the buy as well. And the same with Adam Chera. He last year showed in patches that he could score with some of the best midfielders in the comp, but 77 points. And with that early buy, I'm not sure I'd be touching him at 872K.
00:25:08
Speaker
Before we move on to Brisbane Harmony, Jack Carroll. So Jack Carroll is the sub, came on after halftime, scored 45 points, which isn't the worst. 45 and a half a foot is actually very decent. Priced at 347. If he's not the sub this week, is he someone that you'd look at or is that 347K a little bit too much for someone on our mid bench?
00:25:28
Speaker
I think that we can just afford to waste until after his buy. So we get another look at him this week and his price isn't going to go up that much relative to his current price of 347. So yeah, I think we have a look at him, mate, and see if he gets a decent roll in the midfield, which is what we'd probably need of him for him to be a worthwhile pick.
00:25:52
Speaker
Yeah. The one thing about Jack Carroll, the commentators and the coaches all were raving about him in that second half. He came on and had instant impact. And that was when Colton stormed back into the game and won. So maybe there is something there, but you would be worried with a Sam Walsh still on the horizon and potentially some other players for Colton to come back, but definitely someone to monitor knowing that his price won't go too far with a break even of 32.
00:26:18
Speaker
Okay, moving on to Brisbane and Josh Dunkley, 104 fantasy points, full-time midfielder. There's word that Locky Neal's had a bit of an interrupted preseason, so he's coming from pretty far back with his fitness and he seemed like he was the main guy in there. Josh Dunkley, he had a pretty good first half, but like all the Brisbane players, they kind of faded in that second half when Carlton got on top.
00:26:40
Speaker
With the early buy, Lew, it's pretty hard to start at Josh Dunkley, but with what you saw from him on the weekend, is he someone that you might look to target early on in the season as a bit of an under-priced top eight midfielder? Yeah, absolutely. I think he potentially might be one of the players we're first targeting coming off of that round to buy. He showed you everything that you'd like to see. Full-time mid is a guy who's got sealing for a long period of time as well.
00:27:07
Speaker
Yeah, I think he's safe as houses Josh Dunkley and with locking Neil Probably declining slightly is certainly from his brown my year and Jared Lyon still making up some of the numbers in that midfield I think Josh Dunkley's got the keys to it
00:27:21
Speaker
Yeah, so that's a good segue, Louis, talking about Jared Lyon. So he came back and scored a 90-odd, which, unfortunately, he's priced a little bit too awkwardly for us in Classic, knowing that he's been on the fringe of that best 22 and they haven't been afraid to drop him. But what it did do was push human cluggage back more out onto the outside. So he was on the wing a lot more than what we kind of anticipated, and his scoring dropped pretty significantly. So 68 for human cluggage.
00:27:45
Speaker
I don't think they have plans for him to be a full-time midfielder, although they did lose that game, so potentially they do swing it around a little bit, but I think he's someone that we have to cross off our lists for now as that sort of underpriced premium, not that a lot of us were considering him with that early buy anyway.
00:28:03
Speaker
The best of the rest, there weren't really many Brisbane players that are relevant. We had a Kyle Loman who we thought was going to be a rookie that potentially might get a game, but being the sub in the first game shows that he's right on the edge of that 22 and could be in one week and out the other. So that's pretty risky for someone that we need to be playing consistent games to get his cash gen going, although there is the Kitty Coleman injury. So maybe he does come into that best 22, but he's someone I'm going to stay away with, stay away from now, especially with that 28 score being in his price.
00:28:32
Speaker
Louis, I'll throw to you. Is there any other relevant Brisbane players you want to talk about before we get to this next game? No, it's a pretty tricky team with the round to buy, but I probably will just flag Cam Rayner. He attended 11 CBAs and we did see that article in the off season that potentially this is finally the year that he's going to get more midfield minutes.
00:28:52
Speaker
There's a little dose right there, only scored the 74, but he's also cheap. He might just be one to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks. You could get yourself a bargain, especially if they do look to change up that midfield slightly.
00:29:08
Speaker
Yep, yep, beautiful. All right, Hami, moving on to the next game. So what we're going to do is we're going to start with Gold Coast and we're going to talk about a few players here. And I want to talk, I want you to say whether or not you've become more interested in any of these players, knowing that the Richmond, they weren't very competitive. I don't think it's necessarily going to be an accurate reflection of what these Gold Coast players are going to score against a team that's pushing for the eight or is actually playing good footy, but we've got Budarik who scored 88 willpower scoring 106.
00:29:38
Speaker
And then we had the midfielder, so Raul Miller, Flanders and Anderson. Raul and Miller both turning up and then Flanders and Anderson both posting scores in the 90s. Are any of these players coming onto your radar now?
00:29:50
Speaker
hmm yeah yeah richmond were pretty poor and uh the back line went quite well for the gold coast hey so budderick i guess more interested pal i guess more interested matt ral not really interested probably had the best game he could have and uh yet he still only scored 112 fantasy points
00:30:09
Speaker
took a fleeting interest, but probably about the same in Flanders, and my opinion hasn't changed. Probably just those couple of backline players, but then you can't really have Buderik, Power, Sexton. It's not really going to work, is it? Not too sure who you just got to select to. Your favorite one is, and for the most part, it's the person who is the cheapest, isn't it?
00:30:34
Speaker
Yeah. So then out of those players, you're going to pick Sexton because he's cheap and he's got the forward status. I think so. Yeah. And he's got a nice role.
00:30:45
Speaker
Yeah, I will say, you know, he scored an 88, which was a good start for his cash rise. He's got a 32 break even now. So if he is able to get a few good scores under his belt, maybe he gets that cash scoring nicely so you can get up to a day cost or another premium around his buy or, you know, after
00:31:05
Speaker
after day cost has dropped, if he does, sorry, not saying you will, but yeah, I'd be, I'd be pretty nervous starting these Gold Coast players. Or if you do just temp your expectations a little bit because they're not going to, they're not going to have it as easy as they did every week. Richmond were kind of understate how bad they were, especially in that first half, which we will, we'll move on to now. We'll get through this pretty quickly. So Louis, Seth Campbell
00:31:28
Speaker
200K forward scored the 61, which means he has a negative four break even it did take two goals to do it. I never really liked to target players that can have these nine disposal games because if they don't tackle him, if they don't get any goals, that's when you get the 20 and 30 scores. But were you impressed by what you saw with Seth Campbell?
00:31:46
Speaker
Yeah, I was as much as you can be for that type of player. I don't think he's ever going to be the sort that's pushing 20 touches, but had a nice well-rounded game, nine disposals, four tackles, two goals. Looked like he was doing the things that the coaches would love to see that don't necessarily correlate with a stat or a fantasy point. He's got the
00:32:09
Speaker
money already moving for you in terms of cash generation. I probably don't mind the pick. I think he's one where you can pivot early potentially. So if you can start a Seth Campbell and get a nice little price rise post round one and then maybe jump to a rookie that you missed or that's a 200K gamble. Instead, I don't mind that. We're always scratching around for trades anyway around that period of time.
00:32:35
Speaker
The unfortunate thing with him is you do have to lock in on Thursday night, so that's going to be pre-Sunday teams being finalised, of course, and then that's going to be pre-subs on Saturday as well, which I'm a little bit worried that we might get thrown a curveball with the subs. So for me, I think I'm just going to let that one go through to the keeper.
00:32:58
Speaker
Yeah, that's an interesting point. You bring up their lure, especially with the subs and being named from the bench. So maybe we do need to potentially not lock in those trades so early if we can. Hami, is that sort of the same thinking for Josh Gibbkes? I know we're kind of starved for rookies down there in the back line, but Josh Gibbkes, he showed a little bit, but the scoring is not going to be there. But do we still need to consider him knowing that we don't exactly have heaps of options down back?
00:33:27
Speaker
Look, you can consider him. I think if Zachary gets a name, he's potentially a better option at his price point because we have seen this for quite a few games now. There is no real scoring ceiling, 39. I mean, he's lucky to hit 40, hey? So, yeah, if we need to, we'll put it that way.
00:33:53
Speaker
Yeah, it's interesting. Back when he made his debut in that, I think it was 2021 or 2022, he somehow managed to put together an 80 game and actually spiked his price enough up to make a decent amount of cash. But yeah, you'd really be hoping that that can happen again and it's a bit of a risky pick. So yeah, not someone I'm looking to start at this stage, but once again, we need to wait for teams tomorrow to see who comes into the mix for us as defender rookies.
00:34:20
Speaker
The last two players we'll talk about, we'll kind of just lump these in. Jaden Short, back to that half-back roll, has a mortgage on the kick-ins and the ball back there. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say there's going to be a lot of ball back there for Richmond this year. Scored the 103.
00:34:35
Speaker
We've seen him go 105 as a defender in the past before he went into that midfield role. So potentially he's a top six defender and some under priced that we could look to target. But with that round six buy, once again, it makes it tough. But if you like to Jayden short before, there's no reason that you wouldn't have a crack at him after what you saw on the weekend.
00:34:54
Speaker
And Tim Taranto, Louie, what the bloody hell happened there? So 56 points, had the midfield role, but he just looked, he just looked out of sorts. We've always known his disposal is a bit of an issue, but there was one coming out of the back line where he just turned it straight over to Feorini that resulted in a goal straight away. And he came straight off with his head in his hand. So Tim Taranto, a bit of a shell of his former self at the moment.
00:35:18
Speaker
Yeah, I saw that turnover, mate. That one was terrible. Yeah, I think Tim Taranto is probably a player that plays better with the other players around him playing well. And fortunately, that was just a shocker for the whole Richmond side. And I'm not really convinced that that's not going to be the case for at least the foreseeable future. So a 56th horrible thing to see from your primo, like he did it in the opening round.
00:35:45
Speaker
I've now got a total line through him to start. It could be an option to downgrade to later, but I don't know. I've got a few concerns about this Richmond side at the moment. I probably wouldn't go there by cash cows until maybe post the mid season by until they start to settle. I still like Jaden Short, though I think he's a little bit impenetrable back there, but yeah, some of these other ones I'd be a bit hesitant about.
00:36:13
Speaker
Yeah, you're right. And we've got back-to-back samples now, albeit one was a pre-season game, but total team fantasy points 1100 is on the seriously low end when you think about the league average being 1540. So they're just not getting their hands on the footy. We know you have to get your hands on the footy to be good at fantasy. So Richmond, pretty risky to go there at the moment, I agree.
00:36:35
Speaker
last game, Giants and Collingwood, the Giants, man, they blew me away. It was always going to be a little bit of uncertainty about whether or not their, their run in the finals was a bit of a fluke last year or whether they could go on it, but go on with it. Sorry, but they were, they were fantastic and they were back to, back to the Giants of old where they were just possessing that ball in the back half and running teams off their feet, which
00:36:58
Speaker
Collingwood had no answer for and led to some monster scores on the giant side.
Whitfield's Rise and Favorable Matchups
00:37:02
Speaker
So, Hami, I'm going to start with Lockie Whitfield because we know Louis' thoughts. I want to get your thoughts. Is Lockie Whitfield someone that's coming into calculations now off the back of that 137 and looking to being back to the Whitfield of old?
00:37:14
Speaker
Oh, he absolutely is. Look, the Giants, they know how to score fantasy points. There's always a lot of chipping around and that sort of thing. They got North Melbourne and the Eagles before their buy.
00:37:29
Speaker
Gee, it's pretty attractive, isn't it? So I guess with Whitfield, with his highest score that he scored at over 130, that's locked in and he's going to go up in price accordingly. So I'm quite interested. I sort of was a bit interested in the preseason, but he may have forced our hand.
00:37:52
Speaker
Yeah, look, he was someone I was interested in as well. It's not someone that spent a lot of time in my team because during the preseason, we were always sort of talking about not starting these by players, but he was always someone in the back of my mind that I thought if this was a regular season, he'd be someone I'd be looking to start because he's underpriced on what we've seen him do before. And with the Giants coming back to form, that could naturally lead to a bit of a scoring bump, but he showed it on the weekend and
00:38:16
Speaker
and got very busy late too, which he's not afraid to junk it up late in the game, which is always good for our fantasy players.
00:38:24
Speaker
Moving on, and I'm going to go to you, Louie, even though I know this one breaks your heart because it's probably going to be the one year you don't start him when really, if it wasn't for the buys, he's someone we'd absolutely look at. But Josh Kelly, pure center bounce mid, 117 fantasy points, looked good, looked healthy. There was no Finn Callahan, so who knows? Once Finn comes back, maybe it does push into the outside a little bit, but with Callum Ward going down, it's Josh Kelly. We looked at someone to start, write his price, and then look to maybe trade at his buy.
00:38:54
Speaker
Yeah, I don't mind it. I think in terms of value, $110k less than a Tom Green, that Josh Kelly might actually be your avenue to make that cash generation and then offset it with one of those rookies off the bench. I think there's a serious play there.
00:39:11
Speaker
Yeah, I'm going to have major FOMO too, Holmsey, because I reckon I've started Josh Kelly every single year since he averaged 112 or whatever it was a decade ago. So yeah, it's never been a match made in heaven for us. But the fact that I won't be on this year, maybe for the listener, might mean it's time to jump on.
00:39:31
Speaker
Yeah, maybe you might turn the cycle around. I'm going to lump a few players together, but before I do that, Hami, Aaron Cadman, scored the 47, has good job security. By the looks of it, they want to invest some time into him. He didn't score very well, but he did have that sort of backup ruck role and against North and the Eagles, who don't have the best ruckmen, especially the Eagles. Aaron Cadman
00:39:55
Speaker
Could there be some ceiling games over the next two games before his buy to really get his cash gen started? Is he someone you're looking at? Yeah, he is someone I'm looking at. And I think he might be worth a punt because of that fact. You know, 47, not a bad score, priced at $221,000, number one draft pick. I think they should be investing in him more so than Ricciardi. So, yeah, I think he's worth a look.
00:40:20
Speaker
Yeah, and he'll be someone I look at as well, depending on selections next week. Now, these two players I'm going to lump together, even though one is from Collingwood. So, Tom Green and Nick Daikos, both absolute guns, both full-time midfielders for their team and the main ball winners. We didn't learn anything different about Tom Green and Nick Daikos in this game. They're both the exact same players. They both have potential upside.
00:40:44
Speaker
It's just going to be whether you are willing to take on their buy or not. I don't think anything's changed. But if you're hot on either of those players and you can make your structure fit with not taking on too much risk with the buyers, absolutely go there and lock that in.
00:40:57
Speaker
Darcy Cameron though, Lou, he was someone that's kind of popped his head out. We've always known he's got a bit of a fantasy game about him, but we've also known that he's got a bit of a flaw. Is this a bit of classic Darcy Cameron or do you think that they're moving past Mason Cox more through the ruck and he's going to be more of a full-time ruck this year who has potential to be an underpriced ruck for us?
00:41:18
Speaker
I think it's more of the latter to be honest with you. I do think Darcy Cameron will sort of come into his own a bit more. He will be that main ruck. I think they will start to fade out. Mason Cox, he's probably slightly under priced. In fact, he definitely is given his break even as well. But I think we've got enough other options in the ruck that we can just avoid this one. It does smell a little bit like Brendan Cox of round one last season where he came out with the one
00:41:47
Speaker
55 or whatever it was. It's probably more of a higher floor within this role. But yeah, I'm not too keen on that one. I'd be keen to hear Hami's thoughts on him though. There's so many options in the right. I just don't think we need to take the risk with him mate.
00:42:06
Speaker
Yeah, it will be interesting though this week, Collingwood versus Sydney in terms of Cameron and Grundy. You know, they got rid of Grundy so that they could play Cameron, albeit, you know, wiping off a million dollars a year from their salary. But yeah, I don't think he's someone I'm looking to start with the amount of options that we have in the rack line, but you can't deny the scoring was there on the weekend and he has a nice break even because of it.
Player Debates and Cash Generation Strategies
00:42:28
Speaker
All right, last two players will go with Collingwood before we get to these questions. Charlie Dean, 200K defender, scored the 36 fantasy points, but with Jeremy Howe on the horizon and them just getting beaten up, potentially maybe they look to bring a noble and a Howe in to shore up that back line with the Charlie Dean going out. But once again, just wait for selections there, but he'd be someone I'd be nervous to start knowing that he could be out.
00:42:53
Speaker
at some time in the next couple of weeks and then you're stuck with a 200 to 250K player rotting there on your defender bench.
00:43:02
Speaker
The interesting one though, Tom Mitchell subbed out on 34. Now he's not fantasy relevant for us, but it does bring into calculations of Finn McCray who fly their coach came out today and basically put it on record that they will be selecting him at some point soon. Louie, if he gets up for round one, is he someone that you look at despite barely seeing in the preseason and knowing that he's really fighting for his spot in that best 22?
00:43:28
Speaker
No, to be honest, he won't be, but he is one that if he can pop off in this round one for us and looks and goods that I'll be planning to pivot over to. But in terms of starting selection, there's a little bit of Wayne Miller about it where, you know,
00:43:46
Speaker
slightly on the radar or pre-season then drops off it and then bam he comes back right before sort of lockout of round one and might not have the same future as what Wayne Miller did for us that season but for honestly just that reason alone I think I would just let that one go by and then pivot towards him post round one or even two
00:44:11
Speaker
Yeah, I think out of all of our rookies, or maybe not some of the highest scoring ones in the midfield, but he has the most upside in that forward line. But unfortunately, with that job security risk, it is a pretty big risk. But at the same time, if you are investing $300K in him, it's pretty easy to drop down to someone off the back of him being dropped rather than having to find money to go up.
00:44:33
Speaker
I just think you can look at it both ways too like we might be seeing it as our Finn McCray perhaps gone ahead of Tom Mitchell here and his spot in the midfield is his but then you know flip that and you've got a Brown low medalist playing VFL footy that's not breaking into that premiership contending pyre side it just doesn't really it doesn't make sense to me at this point
00:44:57
Speaker
Yeah, fair enough. I agree there. All right. We're going to bang through some of these questions now. Now, apologies. We did get a lot of questions. We've tried to, to, uh, we've, we've already answered a lot of the questions, so we've taken those ones out with the players we've spoken about. But, Harmony, if you, Rowan Potter, asked to Bonner or not to Bonner? Hmm. There's a few people asking that one, isn't there? So... You got a Bonner, Harmony? Yeah, hi. I'm pretty hard on Bonner. Um, yeah, he's, he's...
00:45:27
Speaker
Yeah, he's in my team currently. Doesn't mean he will be at lockout, but I'm quite keen on him. It's a shame he's not a backer or forward. What do you think he can average, Hami? Probably 80 plus. I'm really low 80s. What about you, Lou? I mean, he's come from port. Lou, you reckon he looks okay?
00:45:54
Speaker
I think he looks okay. That's always been Riley Bonner's deal though. He's always looked okay. There are some games where he looks good. There's other games where you just want to pull your hair out. I'm still up in the air a little bit with Riley Bonner. I think I'm leaning towards not just because there's Marcus Winhager coming back, Jack Sinclair coming back.
00:46:17
Speaker
It's already plenty of that pill being shared around between Henry, Nassau, Wangani, Meliro and Brad Hill. Just not sure if he fits in there long term, but I don't mind it as a quick little cash play.
00:46:32
Speaker
to start he's probably one you could pivot off really quickly if the role wasn't there and you know make it a bit of a play where you can sort of set yourself up post round one but it wouldn't surprise me either if you could pop out an 80 and get that cash gen going that's 30 points upside or thereabouts which is which is fantastic so yeah I'm I don't want to sit on the fence I'll just say yes
00:47:00
Speaker
So Louis back to you Hawker, crunch time now, which two of Gorn, Grundy and Cherry are you looking at? Knowing that it really depends on what you're doing with the cash on the other end, but just looking at those three in isolation, which of the two Ruck you're looking to target?
00:47:16
Speaker
Um, I'm going to start Grundy Cherry. Uh, just think the cash generation of Grundy's already been built or began to be built. And I think Cherry is sort of really high floor guy for the price point. He comes in at 580 K.
00:47:32
Speaker
I think there's potentially 300K that can be made there, which is really valuable in your starting squads in terms of fantasy. Really like Gorn though, I think he's, like I said at the top of the show, he's an awesome captain option and there's a couple of VCs in there and definitely gonna have FOMO watching him. No doubt, bang out a couple of those 140s. Could get some coaches on the way quite nicely, but just that cash generation aspect, I'm gonna give it a miss, I think. White Knuckles.
00:48:03
Speaker
Army, this one's for you. Heaney, Jackson, or both? Mmm, yes. They are both good options. So, yeah, I'm not too sure at the moment. I'm probably leaning towards Jackson over Heaney, but both, you know, worthwhile, both worthwhile starting picks.
00:48:27
Speaker
So just on Jackson then, because there's a bit of a journal wall going on at the moment, uh, Ryan Daniels has stated that he believes Jackson's only out for four weeks and that actually fits with the official Fremantle injury list. But then Tom Morris has come out and said that he's more likely to be out for six to eight.
00:48:46
Speaker
Does him being out for four weeks change your mind on anything or are you happy for that four week play and you punt on it potentially being a little bit longer? I don't care, mate. He's in there for a month and he's going to score really well. And I think that we've got enough trades to be able to pivot. If it doesn't work out, I think he's still worth a shot. Yep. I actually agree with you there. Lou, is Cofield viable at D6 still, or are you trying to spend down despite the lack of alternatives?
00:49:13
Speaker
I think he's viable at d6. He's 60-65. I'm thinking I've been keen on him all pre-season. I really like him as a player and I think he's gone to a fantastic team in terms of sharing the points around.
00:49:29
Speaker
I think he is entrenched within that best 22, but you can never be too sure with Bevo. There's already been a few things rumored on X of just craziness in terms of team selection. Um, so just be aware of that. If he is on your field, I think I'd be making some plans on how I would pivot from him. If, if something does go wrong early and you know, that could even be injury. He's been an injury prone player.
00:49:54
Speaker
up until this point in his career, that's the only caveat I would have with him. Other than that, I think he's a really good pick. This one's for Yihami, someone that we're all on the pod pod at least pretty keen on throughout the preseason just because of what he did in the back half of last year. But we've gone a little bit cold because of his practice game score. Is LDU still a viable selection or are we looking to fade him now? Jeez.
00:50:22
Speaker
I dropped him straight up after that bloody practice match. That was shocking. But watching him come out and get 140 this week, he's out of my sight at the moment. I'm on the back of what I've seen in the pre-season. Yeah, Louie, is he in your sight or have you faded him as well? Yeah, I faded him before that game anyway.
00:50:48
Speaker
I still don't really think there's any reason to fade him off the back of that. It does take some wind out of the sails in terms of your confidence, but I think that was a really solid case to start him before that game. If he'd just pumped out a 90, I think he'd still win a lot of teams. I think he's a great starting pick.
00:51:08
Speaker
Yep. He's still in my side, so there's a bit of an insight for the listeners there. Louis, back to you. Stuart versus Whitfield. Talk us through this because you've got Tom Stuart who we're all pretty much banking that he essentially just does what he does with potentially a little bit of upside, but with his good run and no buy, how do we split a Whitfield who potentially might score better, but has that early buy?
00:51:34
Speaker
Yeah, it's going to be a tricky one. I know a lot of coaches are sort of going cold on Stewart.
00:51:42
Speaker
I don't blame them with Max Holmes down there now as well, looking like they're going to add a bit of speed on the ball. But that being said, Stewart still put up a 33 point quarter when Max Holmes was going nuts too. So I think the scoring capacity is still there. Didn't really kick it out of first gear. In terms of the run, I can't remember the stat I threw up a couple of weeks ago, but I think he plays three of the top four easiest teams to score for defenders.
00:52:12
Speaker
If Geelong start to have to slow the ball down a little bit, which I suspect they will, I think they're going to get beaten pretty badly in that midfield, then there's going to be not only a lot of intercept marks up for Stewart, but I think there might be
00:52:27
Speaker
A bit of chippy chip chip. Whitfield we probably don't need to delve into. He's got the early fixture right. Not only is it West Coast and North Melbourne, then he rolls into Sun Saints. He's got Essendon a little bit later there too.
00:52:45
Speaker
Yeah, I just really like the fixture for him in terms of how to split them. I think you can almost flip a coin. If you want to say that Stewart is 100 guy, times that by six, you got 600. If we think Lockie Whitfield can sustain or reach that ceiling enough to go at 110.
00:53:04
Speaker
Times five it's five fifty plus you've got maybe a Zach Reid or a Blake House or someone coming off the bench with potentially a fifty and you're at six hundred there as well so I think both are good picks and it's just going to be the risk profile that you've got within your side it might even be split hairs in terms of how many by players you've got on field too.
00:53:28
Speaker
Geez, look at you going with that, Maslow. You've come a long way, mate. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you. Hami, can you go a Marshall instead of a Max, or do you think there's too much value to be had in the ruck this year? Because I've looked at going a top-priced ruck, but what are your thoughts?
00:53:46
Speaker
I don't mind the idea of going with a top priced ruck, a martial or an English, if it means that you are not going to go with a high priced M1 and use your martial or English as your captaincy option in the first few rounds until somebody else presents themselves for you. So I'm okay with it, to be honest. I think I have said that fairly regularly.
00:54:15
Speaker
Yeah. Lou, what are your thoughts there? In terms of starting one of the big dog rucks, um, yeah, pretty much mirror Hami's thoughts there, I think. Yep. Beautiful. All right. Back to you, Hami. We're going to just, uh, quick fire answer here. Butters or Rosie? Rosie. Louie, crouch or wines? Wines.
Fantasy Viability of Key Players
00:54:40
Speaker
Does the news of Berry today potentially starting round one make you a little bit colder on a Matt Crouch? Yeah, only slightly. I think when Sam Berry was scoring his points in the first half alongside Matt Crouch, he was coming from outside of contest and he wasn't really eating into Crouch's numbers there when he was gone at crazy points per minute. So yeah, only slightly, but I think it'll be okay.
00:55:07
Speaker
I think the issue for Adelaide there, if Barry's coming in, he's actually for lead because Matt Crouch ain't playing on a forward flank kicking goals. He's inside the mute fielder and that's around about it. So I think it's a touch concerning for lead and I probably faded him slightly because of it all. Yep, don't mind that take at all, Hami. Back to you for this last one.
00:55:34
Speaker
Why are so many content creators hot on steel when the Saints have moved away from a stoppage heavy game? Other than he's done it before, what's the justification of being hot on a jack steel? Because he's the number one midfielder, he's just about the only midfielder. The guy scores through tackles, marks, kicks and he's an inside midfielder. He's everywhere and he's a fit guy. I think he's a very good player and I don't have much concern starting him.
00:56:02
Speaker
Lew, do you have any other thoughts on a Jack Steele? Yeah, well, I pretty much gave them last week. I'm in that camp that Jack Steele is going to struggle a little bit in this game style. I think he does all of the above that Harmony mentioned, and there's a lot of positives that you can take away from his preseason game, be it his high handball rate, nine tackles still despite low stoppage game.
00:56:28
Speaker
You can build a really good case for upside but I tend to think that Stewart's best work is going to be at the coal face and that might require a lot of handballs. The tackers will still be there which will prop up his floor but you don't want Jack still using the ball within that midfield when you've got
00:56:45
Speaker
you know, five, six, seven options, which are just beautiful uses of the football all around him. And especially given that the saints like to share it around a little bit like that, they're not a stoppage heavy anymore. I think still might get lost a little bit in that price that 98, if he's only going to go at, you know, 103 to 105, it's probably not enough for me, but I think he's a smash pick if he can go 110.
00:57:11
Speaker
Yeah, I think he's someone that it's not a lot of downside. I can't see him going much lower than 98. But if he can recapture some of his old form, then he is someone that could burn you and go 110 plus. So I can see both sides and he's infinite at the moment. But like you said, I.
00:57:28
Speaker
Yeah, I don't have any concerns, but I'd be willing to trade off him if I don't say it pretty early on. All right, boys, that's going to wrap us up here. What I want you guys to do, just one last closing thought for the listeners, Lou, before lockout tomorrow, what's a bit of advice that you can give for coaches who are, you know, building their sides and what are you looking to do for lockout tomorrow?
Final Advice for Fantasy Coaches
00:57:51
Speaker
The 100% the biggest piece of advice I'd give is just to to be your own coach in this last day There's no worse feeling than flicking your team over to three or four different mates or or experts or whatever asking them for their thoughts and their thoughts they're always going to sort of be seen through the lens of their own sides and it can sometimes just throw you out in terms of their influence on what you're thinking about your own side and yeah, there's nothing worse than
00:58:20
Speaker
rolling into round one with a couple of different blokes. It didn't spend much time on your team, but you were told they were the ones to sort of go. So yeah, it's a long winded way of just saying back yourself. And if you can avoid some of the noise out there, then even better.
00:58:39
Speaker
Probably just be a little bit wary about those sub-risk players. So even with your rookies, just trying to make sure that you look at the team list and to make sure that your players are all within that 22.
00:58:54
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, just enjoy it. Don't be scared if your team's a bit vanilla. You don't need to try and take a punt at, you know, we're not dossy here. We're not chasing pods just for the sake of having a pod. Vanilla is okay at this point in time.
00:59:12
Speaker
Yep. Couldn't agree more there, Hami. Well, that's it for this podcast today. Make sure you follow us over at Pod Pod AFL on X. Please leave a rating and review on Spotify, Apple Podcast, wherever you listen to the podcast. It would really help us out.
00:59:28
Speaker
We'll be bringing you weekly content all season and we are pumped to be back for 2024 with this real stuff kicking off. So just a reminder, make sure you join the Pod Pod Challenge with the code N63ANCEP and we'll be back next week to review all of Round 1 boys. How exciting. Can't wait. Bring it on. Thanks IMG.