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AAMI Community Series WRAP | #PODPOD
5.6k Plays8 months ago
Opening Round is just around the corner and our AFL Fantasy teams are starting to shape up! Holmesy, Harmey, and Lewy recap all the hottest storylines from the AAMI Community Series and touch on ALL the most relevant players, including Nick Daicos, Rory Laird, LDU, Max Gawn, Marcus Bontempelli, Brodie Grundy, Sam Flanders, and 69 others!
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Transcript
Introduction and Panel Setup
00:00:19
Speaker
G'day, and welcome to the Pod Pod. It's Holmesy here, not Dossy. Absolutely shitting myself. Welcome. Welcome to the Pod Pod where we talk all things AFL fantasy classic. This night, live on Monday the 4th of March.
00:00:34
Speaker
a few of us away today. There's no Stado. He's off with work, but we do have Louis and Hami. I'll throw to you first. Louis, how are you, mate? I hope you had a big weekend watching footy because we're going to need your insights. I did, mate. The partner's definitely not happy with me. I spent majority of the weekend sitting on the couch watching the footy and it's just what you got to do as a modern day fantasy coach, isn't it? There's so much information out there, but it does sometimes come down to your eye and hopefully I've got enough
00:01:04
Speaker
information out of the weekend and I'm keen to unpack it all with you. Yeah, and we've, as I said before, we've unfortunately lost Dossie's hats, but we still have two time top 10 finisher, Hami on board. Hami, how are you? Yeah, good. Thanks, Buzz. Going pretty well. And yeah, I enjoyed watching a bit of footy on the weekend as well. Got along to one of the games, so I'll talk about that. But yeah, no, it's really, really enjoying that and looking forward to round zero and round one to follow.
Pre-Season Preparations and Challenges
00:01:34
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. All this pre-season work's done now. We've seen as much footy as we're going to see. We're going to get to see the Round Zero games, obviously, but hopefully now our team should be close to being set. And as Lou was saying, it gets real from here. So it's really good. So let's get stuck into a few hot topics first before we dive into our analysis of the weekend's footy. So the first one, Lou, I'll throw to you, Zach Williams. Played VFL on the weekend, but word out of training was that he didn't train fully today. He was just on a bit of a modified
00:02:04
Speaker
running program, it doesn't look like he's going to get up for round zero. And even if he does, you would be a pretty brave man to pick him off just the back of limited VFL minutes. But what is the absence of Zach Williams do for our structures in defense? Oh, look, it really depends how you were setting up previous. So I think before there were a lot of coaches that had Zach Williams sitting at
00:02:26
Speaker
around that D5 range and perhaps Coffield was sitting there in D6. I think now there's a majority of coaches that are probably scratching around for an extra 200, 250K where they're going to have to take off somebody's head in another line and that's, look, it's probably a blessing that we're finding that out now because you'd hate to find out that he's not playing right before the game.
00:02:50
Speaker
We do have that cheat sheet, of course, with round zero. Mitch Cleary pretty much suggested as much that he's probably not going to be available, but if he does play, and we've said this the whole preseason,
00:03:04
Speaker
It's obviously there's a line for when we're going to pick him because he is a cash generation play even despite that interrupted preseason coming back from an ACL. Is there still a number that you guys might look forward to perhaps pick him in your sides?
00:03:22
Speaker
It's actually, I'm still pretty keen because there's nobody really around that price point. You sort of got to go up because I've got not much faith in the people that are priced below him. So I'm still hoping it is going to get a game at this point.
Impact of Player Returns and Injuries
00:03:39
Speaker
Does it not give you Wayne Miller vibes of 2022, Hami? Yeah, it looks a lot of flags, that sort of thing. If I can find a better alternative way around it, I can't remember what's, but it looks like just over 500. And I think there's a couple others around that. But we'll talk about some more players like Massimo, I'm not sure about either. So we'll talk to some of those when we get to them.
00:04:03
Speaker
I think given his cheap price point, he does present an option for us that if he does end up playing round one and looks the goods and his break even starts moving, potentially he's one using a bit of DPP or even if we're going down in defense that we can jump on a Zach Williams post that round two by if he does look the goods.
00:04:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now, another bit of news just off the press. So yesterday, Melbourne announced that they're going to have some debutantes. So they've already announced that Windsor and Howes are going to play. Billings is going to play his first game in the, for Melbourne as well. But the big surprise, Clary Oliver, all good to go for round zero harmony. So what does Clary Oliver back in this midfield do for some of the other options we were looking at? Jeez, you'd have to be underdone though, wouldn't he? I mean, we're
00:04:49
Speaker
We'll talk about that game when we get to it. I think it might push Salem out who was looking like having that and maybe a bump sparrow down a little bit in the CBAs. So he'll be in the midfield, but I can't see him playing more than 60% game time, can we? Like he's going to be pretty low on the fitness base. He could go bang here. A bit of white line fever, you never know. Does it change where you take him in draft, Louis?
00:05:19
Speaker
Yeah, you probably are sliding him down a bit. There's a few players that have certainly put their hands up. This young brigade of this new school fantasy players are definitely coming through and I think there's a little bit more confidence in them given that we've seen them do a whole pre-season and also put up numbers last year as well. He's definitely sliding in drafts a little bit, but I think
00:05:42
Speaker
even those that are picking him around that 10 range, I think I've been seeing him on X sort of sliding too. I still think they're getting a bit of a bargain. I'm sliding him up. If anything, I'd be sliding him up. Yeah, but that's just me. Moving on. Now, I never thought I'd say this, but unfortunately, Taylor Adams is injured, so three to four weeks with a medial. Hami, I throw to you.
00:06:07
Speaker
What do we think now for this spawns midfield? Does it bump up a James Jordan? Do we think that Errol's going to go to another level if he's got another level to go to? Yeah, where does the injury for Adam sit? It's unfortunate. We only really saw a half from him and he didn't play the week before, so we didn't even get really that good of an idea of how they plan to set up to begin with. Yeah, my boy, Taylor Adams is pretty disappointing that because he's
00:06:31
Speaker
Yeah, I was hoping for a big season for him. What does it do? Well, that's Parker and Adam's out, isn't it? So that's two, like,
Pre-Season Game Analysis
00:06:38
Speaker
inside mids, two grunt players. So probably doesn't really affect your Warner or Gordon too much because they're a different style of player. So I'm not sure. I think when Adam's went out for a memory, it meant Jordan went in and got a few CBA's and can't remember who else, Sheldrick possibly?
00:06:56
Speaker
Can't remember off the top of my head, but yeah, there's definitely a bit of a change in the first couple of games for them. One being round zero, obviously, and then round one and possibly even round two. So yeah, I'm not 100% certain of this product. I'm going to have to look into it, mate.
00:07:16
Speaker
Yeah, and to be honest, we're going to get to look around zero. So we're lucky that it's a round zero team and we don't have to go in blind. But yeah, once again, it's very interesting to see who gets the bump there. Last little bit of hot topics, and this is due to the relevance of our North Melbourne midfielder. So Jai Simkin, obviously getting that hit from Webstar.
00:07:36
Speaker
I'd say he's concussed. I haven't seen it anywhere that he's officially concussed, but we're going to have to wait and see on that one. But let's just say Jai Simkin does miss round one. Lou, does that open up any more midfield opportunity for some of these young guns like a Wardlaw, Tom Powell, Lazaro that we were looking at before?
00:07:55
Speaker
It sort of looked like it was trending towards him not being a part of that midfield group as strongly as what he's been in the last couple of years. So maybe it opens up that half forward spot and we see one of those midfielders we have been seeing the last couple of weeks play that role to suddenly have to drop back into the forward line and that could affect their scoring there.
00:08:18
Speaker
You know what it made me think? It probably puts your Tom Powell or your Charlie Lazaro more in the frame for a decent amount of game time rather than being a sub risk or being out of the 22.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's interesting because I did watch a bit of that game and we will get to it. But it seemed like Tom Powell was was the guy in the middle in that quarter one. And then as soon as Simpkin got subbed out, Will Phillips came on and Tom Powell was essentially out of there. So whether it was Will Phillips doesn't really have a secondary position or they just wanted to see what it was like. I'm not sure. But, Hami, you want to say something? Oh, it's just how did you rate Will Phillips when he knew then, Hamzi?
00:08:57
Speaker
Well, I thought Tom Powell was actually quite good on the inside in that first quarter. He did some good things, but not really from a fantasy point of view. He had a few good tight handballs and released some runners out, but he didn't do a hell of a lot. And to be honest, Will Phillips never really does heaps anyway. So I don't really know what to read into it, but I mean, LDU didn't do much either. So who knows really what the midfield is going to look like.
00:09:20
Speaker
But we will get to that when we deep dive into the game. So what we're planning on doing today is we're going to go through each game game by game and each one of us is going to lead a few of the games. And just a bit of a caveat, we are going to briefly touch on the first four games, all of the round zero teams, but knowing that we are going to have round zero
00:09:38
Speaker
to have another look at these teams and to see what it's like in a real AFL game. We're not going to go too in depth in these games, but we will try to go more into depth with the teams that we're not going to see again for until round one. But before we do that, Louis, what is some advice that you can give for the listeners when going back and watching some of these practice games? Yeah, I mean, I sort of set it off the top of the show. When you are watching these pre-season games,
00:10:03
Speaker
It's all well and good to see a score ticking over and it does certainly get you pretty excited for the fantasy season proper to get started. But if you've got a list of players that you're watching carefully, the first and foremost, you want to see that they've actually got the role and that they're consistent within that role.
00:10:21
Speaker
That's why we're picking them. That's what we're expecting within the season proper. And that's going to give yourself the best opportunity at picking a player that's not going to disappoint you. And within that as well, sometimes some of these players will get managed. They will have the role, but they might play half a game or 60% of a game. And that's a big flag as well. Just in that, come the real stuff, that's just not going to be the case. They're going to be up towards, you know, 75% plus depending on the sort of player they are.
00:10:51
Speaker
Yeah, roll and time on ground are big ones for me in determining whether or not their score is legitimate or not. Hami, what do you have to add to that? I guess from the games on the weekend, if anybody's going back watching, then probably a focus on the lower end price point. So the rookies and those that are cheaper value picks is really what we'll be concentrating on.
00:11:17
Speaker
your top end premiums less of a concern if they're popping a bad score or they're sitting you know sitting on the bench or what have you it's not going to happen come season proper so yeah some of those premium scores you can probably discount to some extent I think and yeah it's
00:11:34
Speaker
As Lou said, making sure that the players that you're keen on have got the right role. But yeah, I guess also those that are cementing the spot in the 22 and whether the rookies have got some sort of long term prospect rather than being in round one and then you don't see him again.
00:11:51
Speaker
Yeah, you boys nailed it. The one thing I'll just add is you just have to watch some of these games, whether or not it's just the first half of every game or whether you've got time to watch a little bit more because there's just so much, so much that goes on. And without just, without watching it and understanding the context and just looking at scores, you are, you are going to miss out on a lot. So just make sure you are listening to the podcast and some of the advice we give, but you do have to go back and watch for yourself because there's a lot that we won't be able to
00:12:16
Speaker
to explain. But let's get into it. So the first game, it was a long time ago now, but last Tuesday we had the Pies versus Richmond. And Hami, you're going to lead us away here.
00:12:27
Speaker
Yeah, it won't sort of dwell on this one too much, given that they are round zero teams. But I guess if we have a look at the pies, you sort of got one at the top end and one at the bottom end. So Nick Daikos, he scored 75 from 56% time on ground. So if you liked him before, you'll still like him now. He sort of did it easy, high points per minute as usual for Daikos.
00:12:53
Speaker
Finn McCray, probably a touch concerning. Don't think he came on until later. Low time on ground and a 28. So for those that still have him on field.
00:13:03
Speaker
maybe hit the panic button and abort mission on that one, I reckon, which is a little bit of a shame, given he's somebody that having the right role, he could pop some decent scoring. But the thing is with him, he's trying to crack a spot in the premiership team, isn't he? So he's not going to be a walk-up starter in their center as easy as that. Now, the Tigers, probably it seemed that do have some fantasy relevance for the season.
00:13:34
Speaker
I watched a few that I was being keen on. So Gibkus, he played pretty well. Like he sort of was always in the contest. He played a fair proportion of the game. Key roll down back, but a score of 29 points. So that just shows you what a fullback's going to do. He'll be a really slow burn and he'd be bench only if you're gonna go that way. But look, he did some nice things. He actually played,
00:14:01
Speaker
a good game as far as the game goes. Jayden Short was somebody that I was keen on, someone that I've been sort of ficking in and out of my team. And I say that because
00:14:13
Speaker
You sort of want people that play in the midfield, but a defender or a forward status in fantasy. But Jaden Short historically has been somebody that has scored better when he's on the back flank. Now he was everywhere in the backline. He was kicking in. He was the chip too at times and I was pretty impressed with what I saw. So a bit of a smoky and some of the lower ownership percentage that coaches could be looking at.
00:14:41
Speaker
Yeah, there's a few other players that I sort of kept an eye on, but I wasn't blown away with Thompson Dao. Geez, he scored 57 and I reckon that's about what you're going to get. So, not as much upside as some people are predicting there with him, I reckon. So, that's probably all I wanted to touch on from that game, guys.
00:15:01
Speaker
Yeah, I think one of the main things for Richmond is this new coach. We were kind of hoping that there'd potentially be a little bit more midfield time up for grabs for some of these, some of these other players, but it did seem like it was back to Toronto Hopper. Uh, Thompson Dow, like you mentioned, had a pretty prominent field role.
00:15:17
Speaker
I impressed you with the whole game couldn't believe it. So it seemed like it was pretty much same same for the Tigers which which does make sense I think in terms of a new coach he wants to get wins on the board early he needs to get into his AFL career you know we saw what happened with Bolton when he was in charge of Carlton and you just play those kids all the time and and it just doesn't necessarily work so I think come the real stuff you're still going to have the usual culprits of your uh
00:15:43
Speaker
Toronto Hopper, if Dow gets to the line, he'll be in there, but Dusty will be going through there, Bolton will still going there at times. So I think if you were keen on a Liam Baker, I think it's pretty much same, same for what we've seen. So moving on from there, the next game that I'm going to look at here was the Colton, Melbourne game.
00:16:02
Speaker
The first thing we'll touch on is the Blues. I think it was pretty evident that they were trying to roll on with the way they played in the back half of last year. So they were very fantasy relevant to start the season when they were sort of chipping it around and playing slower. But when they were hunting towards a premiership late, they switched it up. They went very quick and fast and that didn't necessarily result in high fantasy scores. And I think that's what we're going to see from Colton this season. So I don't think any of the midfielders are relevant at this stage, especially with Sam Walsh out.
00:16:32
Speaker
we were looking potentially at an Orazio Fantasia and although he played pretty much a full game, the scoring didn't reflect. Well, the scoring wasn't there and if he's going to be popping 20s and 30s for us, then potentially the cash gem won't be there. There was a bit of a worry at the end of the game. We saw him holding a bit of a calf, but whether that's just cramp or just tiredness at the end of the game, who knows, but you'd be a little bit worried
00:16:54
Speaker
with Fantasia with what you saw on the weekend. I know Lou's been pretty big, but once again, we get to say round zero, and if he pops a big score to start, then that's a pretty easy start.
00:17:05
Speaker
with Melbourne. So the interesting part about Melbourne was the midfield dynamic. So we spoke off the top that Clary Oliver wasn't here and he's going to be back, but Christian Salem was the M1 or M2 in terms of CBAs and he played a very prominent role, nine tackles, which we haven't really associated him with being a tackler in the past. So Lou, what did you think about Christian Salem?
00:17:29
Speaker
Yeah it's interesting, he was pretty much the M1 within that game and they have flagged for a couple of weeks now and apparently the whole preseason has actually been training as a midfielder.
00:17:40
Speaker
There's definitely spots up for grabs. We know that Clayton Oliver's coming back, but Angus Brayshaw was one that we didn't see coming as coaches ourselves, but he leaves a bit of a hole within that midfield. And it seems like Salem might be the guy to fill that hole. So coming in at 700K, he's got that round six by as well. He might be one that we watch pretty closely in that opening round because he might be your ticket up too.
00:18:06
Speaker
uh the man on everybody's lips it seems the the last couple of the last couple of months in nick dakos who has that round five by
00:18:15
Speaker
Yeah, I'm definitely going to watch closely this round as well. And like Harmony mentioned, Clary Oliver is going to be a little bit underdone after not doing a whole bunch in the preseason and coming off just VFL
Player Performance Evaluations
00:18:27
Speaker
minutes. So if there is a world where Salem can get three, four, five, six weeks in the midfield and he can elevate his price and you can get him up to day cost, then I think that is definitely a play. But once again, watching in round zero.
00:18:39
Speaker
A few of the cheaper options. So we had two rookies. So Caleb Windsor playing on a wing. Limited time on ground. I think 66% time on ground in the end. And he did score two goals to get to 49 points there, there about. So maybe that's a little bit of a concern with his scoring. He's not going to kick two goals every week, but he did look good early. And it seems like there's a role for him on the wing, at least while Hunter's out.
00:19:04
Speaker
We had two rookies so Bailey Laurie got busy late but didn't really score well early but as a 200k forward needs to be looked at if he gets selected but I don't think he's going to get there round zero. Melbourne have announced that Howes is going to make his debut so a 200k defender once again didn't score very well but the options back there are limited so have a look in round zero and see what you think of his role.
00:19:31
Speaker
And Jack Billings, so played that high half forward, pushing up onto a wing at times as we thought he would. And he actually looked pretty good. He was limited time on ground. He was being managed a little bit, but seemed to get a little bit of ball on the outside and they like what he does moving the ball inside 50. So you'd have to be pretty happy with 81 points for his first real hit out since basically the start of last year. So all positive.
00:19:55
Speaker
And my boy Max Gorn, 130 off limited minutes in terms of being managed in that last quarter, almost had a supercoach ton. We say it every year, these players that come out and they just look like they're raring to go in pre-season. Well, he's put his hand up and I think he's going to find himself in a lot of teams. He provides a second captain option. And if he pops a big 150 somewhere in these best 18 games, I guarantee you're going to want to have the VC or the CEO on him at some point. So Max Gorn,
00:20:24
Speaker
Is it still now between the three or are you thinking to lock Max Gorn away and now you're going to pick between Grundy and Cherry? And Stado said Soldo as well.
00:20:35
Speaker
True, sorry. Yeah, so four, big four. He was next level. I mean, he was playing against Pitnett in the first half, who then sat out the second half and DeConning came in. And it was like, DeConning may not have even been there. He was just doing everything he wanted to. So yeah, he killed it. And I guess he just confirmed what we all thought, really.
00:21:00
Speaker
And you mentioned the VC there in the ceiling. Sorry, I'll get back to you there, Hami. But you mentioned the VC in the ceiling as well, boys. And just looking at the fixture, he's got the first game rounds four, five, seven and nine. So if you're a non-owner, you'd hate to be watching those games if he can pop a big ceiling score there. Just one other I was going to mention before home see in that game.
00:21:25
Speaker
You spoke about the Blues midfield, you reckon it doesn't change much? Well, it probably doesn't, but you've got to remember Hewitt's priced at 74. He was in that midfield the entire game and he scored 94 points in this. So, yeah, I mean, that early buy is a downer, but he's sort of certainly somebody that you could bump up your draft list and he could be good value there. Yeah.
00:21:48
Speaker
Army don't mind that at all. All right, moving on to the next game and, Army, we're back with you. So, Sydney played Brisbane on Friday Arvo. How'd you see this one?
00:21:59
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, no, I watched a bit of this one. I don't know really how I saw it. I guess the teams were just mixing things up a little bit. Really disappointing to see Adams go down, but they already made replacement. The guy that started on the wing and he had a few CBAs, but James Jordan, man, he was sort of hovering around that. He sort of sat back on the back flank in transition and they looked for him. So he had a really nice role. I was impressed with what he did.
00:22:29
Speaker
Errol just came out and did whatever he wanted. Massive score build, 24 touches, but he per tackles, he per marks. He's just observable first through the roof. So yeah, he's probably an option for us in the midfield, I'd say.
00:22:48
Speaker
What else do we have? Grundy, geez. I don't know, in the big four, Homsey. I don't know where Grundy really sits in that now, but look, he was just chopping out. Pete Adams played and I don't really know if he gets a game in a regular season. So even though Grundy only scored 51, he's a well better scorer than that. So don't sort of be too put out there.
00:23:12
Speaker
Um, just on that army, just, just before we get out, like Louie's opinion on this, cause I was thinking about this the other day. Sydney don't really have like a really good forward line. They've got a Marty that, you know, plays a role. Logan McDonald hasn't come on. You've got McLean, who is that typical, uh, forward rock who can chop out at times. But is there a little bit of a worry that at some stage they might bring in a, a Peter Adams type that has to play forward and chops out a little bit?
00:23:41
Speaker
Yeah, potentially mate. They do have a tall forward line though and those guys would have to be playing pretty poorly for him to come in. I reckon we've already seen Grundy as a forward just doesn't work. Melbourne pretty much turfed him because that was the case and I think Sydney have given him some promises that he will be that number one ruck. It's something that's definitely worth flagging but I don't think it's something that we're going to see across, you know, the first
00:24:11
Speaker
six, seven, eight weeks when it's really relevant towards his cash generation. But I've definitely called on him in terms of him being a keeper. I think we are probably going to be looking at those other three in Max Gorn, Rowan Marshall and Tim English. I don't think Brody Grundy is going to be able to bridge that gap enough for us, unfortunately. But that being said, I do think that he's
00:24:34
Speaker
of the guys that are priced at around 650K, he would be the guy that does have that higher floor or the highest floor. Where the ceiling lies, I'm not quite sure. I'm a little bit skeptical now.
00:24:47
Speaker
would have liked to have seen a little bit of a better hit out in the official practice game. But that being said last week in the unofficial one, he did think he turned up according to some of the stat watches there. So he's definitely still got that fantasy ability. It's not going to surprise me whatsoever if he comes out and pops a 100 and opening round. And that's probably what is really going to throw a spanner in the works for coaches, isn't it? If Brody Grundy off the back of a practice game can really turn it on for the season official.
00:25:16
Speaker
All right, I'll throw you on the spot then, Luke. Round zero rolls around. Max Gorn just towers him up and he only scores a 75-80 score. Are you a bit more nervous starting a Brody Grundy? Absolutely. Yeah, 100%. Yeah, I'd be a little bit worried too. Hammy, finish this off.
00:25:37
Speaker
Yeah, that's when you'd probably look for Soldo instead, Holmesy, I reckon. So look, just to finish it off, I always sort of get a bit double take when, I don't think Sheldrick was number 12 last year, was he? So with a few change in
Team Strategies and Fantasy Implications
00:25:49
Speaker
numbers, I had to look up players at times, but he was all right. QT Coleman, he started off like on fire in the first quarter. Then he dropped away a little bit, which he tends to do. I reckon he's got a bit of a smaller tank. He can't run him out as well, but he looked really good.
00:26:07
Speaker
But one role change, all these players reinventing themselves as backmen. Well, Kyle Lohmann is somebody that's been a forward at Brisbane today and he's out of haircut and he's sitting on the back flank and he actually looked bloody good. So for a rookie priced option, 257,000 as a forward, he scored 77 points and quite a few intercept marks and kicks coming out of that backline. So I was quite impressed with his game.
00:26:33
Speaker
Thank you.
00:26:39
Speaker
Yeah, look, I'll throw to Louis on this one because he's been the biggest Kyle Lohmann fan, but kind of similar to Finn McCray in terms of Lohmann having to break into a side that didn't win a premiership, but was right there. No McKenna on the weekend. Do we actually see Lohmann getting a spot in that 22? And if he does, he'd have to be a huge sub risk, right?
00:26:58
Speaker
A massive sub risk, but he is a player, a young player that they do rate highly and he has been pumped up quite a bit by the Lions all pre-season. It's definitely going to be determined by his performance in round zero, not only for fantasy coaches in terms of the score, but also the coaches themselves at the Lions, whether or not he can play a pivotal role within that team.
00:27:21
Speaker
just with some of these other options that are presenting themselves, he might still be a little bit unlucky and we might just have to look elsewhere just to try and give ourselves the best opportunity to avoid that sub.
00:27:33
Speaker
Yep. Yep. Agree there. All right. Moving on to the next game. So that was on the same day on the Friday. We had Gold Coast taking on GWS and we'll start with Gold Coast and we'll start with Sam Flanders. So during that game, it was a very clear one, two, three in terms of Tooke, Anderson and Rao as the three midfielders. And Flanders was still the fourth, but Bailey Humphrey got a little bit of time in there as well.
00:27:59
Speaker
And going on last year, being that fourth midfielder, it was not an issue for Flanders. He was still able to find the footy for fun and put up those monster scores for us in the back half of the year. But under a new coach, Dima, it seemed pretty obvious that they were
00:28:15
Speaker
really taking on that Richmond or the ex Richmond mantle of just chipping around a little bit in the back half, but then absolutely running and gunning. And as a result, the scores weren't there for the Gold Coast. And I will throw to you, Louis, we heard that we had the comments from Dima, but Flanders did not impress me on the weekend. And with that early buy, it has me wondering whether or not we go there.
00:28:38
Speaker
Yeah, we didn't really see it, did we? Definitely got all fantasy coaches excited when we heard that all the balls going to go through. Sam Flanders were going to absolutely feed him, but it just wasn't the case. And I think we are seeing a little bit of the remnants of that Richmond game style. And I sent out a tweet last year that I think there's only four or five players under dimmer that have averaged over 95 or something like that. So.
00:29:05
Speaker
That's probably where we'd want him to land as a starting pick. It comes in priced at about $820K. You're getting up there.
00:29:14
Speaker
And just in terms of some of our other options that we can pay, you know, two, three, 400 K less for, uh, and get within that sort of scoring range as best case scenario. Of course, I'm just thinking that yeah, sample and is probably one that we're going to look to fade and there's, and there's not too many players that we do pick that are that fourth banana, which has been the, uh,
00:29:37
Speaker
The common phrase is pre-season. I'm just going to steer clear for now. The skeptic in me wonders how much of a carat that contract extension at the end of the year was. He probably really wanted it, I suppose. I'm not saying that's going to play a part, but I think we just let that one go through to the keeper for now.
00:30:01
Speaker
given that buy, yeah, we might be speaking a little bit differently, but I think that's carrying a massive weight there. Yeah, he's a pretty important player for our forward line, so I'm going to get your opinion too, Hami. What are you thinking now with Flanders? My opinion hasn't changed. I've been pretty consistent with my thoughts on him this preseason. I encourage everybody to pick him, and I won't be.
00:30:26
Speaker
Army, Army, Army. Not keen, Army. Nah. Is that for pretty much just his role within that side? Yeah, role, new coach, priced at 90. So, you know, he's not coming in priced at 60, is he? So he's actually still got to go pretty well to pay off as a really good pick. So, yeah, I'm just sort of happy to watch other people take the risk with him.
00:30:53
Speaker
Yep. Yep. Fair enough. In that midfield, there was definitely no took playing forward. He was, he was everywhere. And I do get the feeling he's someone that a dimmer Hardwick would really like. So I don't think we're going to get took forward status. I think he's going to be one of the main guys in there with Anderson and Rao.
00:31:12
Speaker
But we turn our attention to the back line. That's where everything was happening there on the weekend in terms of looking at a few players. And Alex Sexton, I think, is someone we all have to absolutely look at and lock in if he's there round zero and round one. I mean, he scored 115, but all the word out of Gold Coast was that he's regenerated on the back line. Dim has sort of taken him under his wing and told him that the role is there for him. And boy, didn't he show it not only from a scoring point of view, but he looked like he was willing to take the game on and really embrace that Hardwick style. So we like what we saw from Sexton.
00:31:42
Speaker
But as a result, Tom Powell was pretty good back there too. I don't think he's an option for us in classic with what he's priced at, but he was one of the main guys back there. And as a result, Conor Buderik didn't really put up the score that we thought he would. And if we want to pay up for someone in that price range, we really need him to be getting, you know, pushing towards 80. And it's going to be pretty tough, I think, in that system with the games that they play at Metricon and him sort of being that. Maybe he's the second distributor behind Powell.
00:32:11
Speaker
Hami, you're kind of nodding there. Do you agree that kind of Buddha didn't really show enough for us, especially, you know, with the price that we're looking to pay to start in?
00:32:19
Speaker
I agree with everything you said there. I don't think you can just completely discount Buderik. I think he still wasn't too bad, but yeah, you're right. He's sort of behind Powell and Sexton now. Sexton was taking a kick in or being the kick too. So you could tell that they wanted the ball in his hands and yeah, he played a nice game. So yeah, Powell probably, probably expected to see a bit more from Powell actually, but you know Sexton was the man.
00:32:44
Speaker
Yep, so from the GWS point of view, I think there's not a heap that we can take out that's new information from this. Tom Green, once again, was everywhere in the midfield. That's what Tom Green does. I don't think there's anything we need to touch on there. What is interesting to note, though, that Whitfield only had 50% time on ground, so I believe he was managed in the second half. So 45 from half a game is Whitfield doing Whitfield things. I think Josh Kelly was managed in the second half as well.
00:33:10
Speaker
the midfield stats. I'm not sure how much we can take out of it there, but even then the breakout contenders that we'd be looking at in terms of a Finn Callahan, he didn't play and it was back to the usual suspects of Ward in there. So I think GWS are purely in the frame for a premiership this year. They want to hunt it. So I think they're going to play a lot of their old heads and
00:33:29
Speaker
and not necessarily play a lot of these young guys. I mean, Aaron Cadwin was pretty good. At times he was pushing quite high up the ground, which is what you want to see from him when you've got Jesse Hogan and Ricciardi as the two tall main guys in there. You want to see a Cadman getting up the ground and getting marks. And I think he even chopped out in the ruck at times. So I think you'd be pretty happy with
00:33:49
Speaker
what he showed and the positive thing about a cadmene is they have the Eagles and North in rounds one and two. So if he can get a few ceiling games for him to really get his cash going at 220K, I think he's definitely an option for us, Luke. Yeah, he is. And 221K, seriously cheap. He's got all the job security in the world there. And what interests me with those first two fixtures versus the Eagles and North Melbourne is he's probably taking
00:34:16
Speaker
Well, yeah, absolutely. But he's probably taking the fifth best defender when you really think about it within that forward line. So you've got Hogan Ricciardi green. I think Brown has shown enough as well that he's taking the fourth best. And then Cadman sort of just sits there as that second ruck. And I'm not sure he's going to be paid enough attention. So he might be able to pop one really early for us. And that's all we need is a pretty much near basement price rookie to get us on our way and
00:34:44
Speaker
If you're scratching for cash, he's probably one that I do keep coming back to every single time.
00:34:52
Speaker
Yeah, he's in my forward line at the moment on the bench, and I think something pretty bad would have to happen between now and round one for him not to be there. I think he's a fantastic option in that role. The other real cheap guy that we have before we move on, Josh Fay, showed a little bit. He scored okay, but when the whips are cracking in round zero, round one, is he best 22? I'm not too sure. And I think we still probably have a couple of mid-only options that are probably better value than him, but definitely one to keep on the watch list.
00:35:22
Speaker
Hami, before we move on, do you have anything else to add from that game? Not really. No. No, I think you got it. Yeah, I did like Cadman chopping out in that ruck too. That was good to see. Beautiful. So moving on, we've got Lou talking about Cats and Essendon because we do want to get this podcast under two hours. And if Hami was talking about Essendon, we'd be here all day. So, Lou, why don't you take us away there? Yeah, we'll start off with the Cats. Tom Stewart had the 61 from 68% time on ground.
00:35:52
Speaker
Not much has really changed with his role there. He's still an intercepting defender that does love a bit of chip chip in defense. I wouldn't be reading too much into the low score here. He's a bit of a veteran, 31 years old, averaged over 90 for five seasons now.
00:36:09
Speaker
I think we're probably going to get exactly what we expect. Obviously, the decline does have to come at some point, but I think that he's still a stalwart of that older cat side, and I think a lot of the football's still going to be going through him. Wouldn't be ringing any alarm bells there whatsoever, and with that fixture combined, I think he presents as a brilliant starting pick.
00:36:33
Speaker
Interestingly though, next to him was Max Holmes and he's someone who's probably been thrown around a little bit within that cat side. He's been a midfielder at times, he's probably spent most of his time as a wingman and we actually saw him off the halfback flank for one of the first times really and really injected a lot of speed back there and found plenty of the footballs, scored the 88 in 65% time on ground and
00:37:00
Speaker
and just looks like he's come on quite a bit and is playing a major role within that cat side. I think he's about 680K. He's a midfielder only, unfortunately, but presume he will pick up the defender status. Did that game on the weekend for any of you boys, maybe throw to you, Harvey. Does Max Holmes give you any interest at all whatsoever, mate? It's interesting. He's just on that back flank at the moment, which is quite a nice role. So, look, I don't know.
00:37:29
Speaker
awkward price, isn't he? But yeah, I probably won't be going in. I think that what interested me about it is they interviewed him after the game and his comments were that he's kind of making all of the line coaches want him for his services. So that kind of indicates to me that they might not have a, like they've got a role, but they're not sure what it is. And I'd be a little bit worried starting someone as a mid only at his price.
00:37:54
Speaker
that he's going to get thrown around. And if he ends up back on the wing or half forward or whatever it is, I don't think he's going to be valued for us in that midfield with how'd you long play the game. You'd really need to be sold that you're going to get the back roll from him and get DPP because if he ends up being a mid only for you, it's going to be a bit of a nothing pick. So that'd be my worry on homes, but you can't argue the
00:38:16
Speaker
the 88 from the short time on ground. But what we do know is these outside players tend to kill it in the preseason when it's less contested and the game's a bit different, Hami. Yeah, that's a good point. It's very much like an unaccountable game style. There's a lot of chipping around. I just remember talking about Holmes. He sat off the last 10 or 15 minutes. Remember, he got a knock and checking his lower leg. So he just kind of sat out. That's part of the reason why he had a low time on ground. But he sat up again. I'll be right. I'll be good. Yeah.
00:38:45
Speaker
It's interesting, I actually heard Patrick Dangerfield suggest the same thing in terms of flexibility within that side. He was, I think it might've been a halftime interview and he said that we want all our players to be capable of playing three, four, five positions and that Max Holmes is probably the best at that. So definitely a flag there, might be a trade in target after he picks up that defensive status and probably relevant that we talk about this next guy who's been thrown around plenty within that Geelong side since coming across for
00:39:15
Speaker
pick alongside pick seven for the cats which was Jack Bose put up a really impressive game last week in the unofficial preseason game and
00:39:25
Speaker
attended plenty of center bounces and I thought, oh hang on, we might actually have a player here for 500K, perhaps Zach Williams alternative in our defense, but unfortunately he didn't come on until pretty much the last quarter, Jack Bose, he scored the 47, that was under 30% time on ground. Is that for you, Holmsey, just a guy that you're gonna let go through to the keeper, just knowing that Chris Scott is such a volatile coach?
00:39:52
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, absolutely made it. You can't be paying 500K for someone that's fringe best 22. They showed last year, they weren't afraid to throw him the sub vest. He got subbed out a few times and couple that with his injury history. I think you'd be pretty crazy to pick a Jack Bose and his Dossie's boy. And we know Dossie's going to do it, so that should probably scare enough people off. But yeah, it's
00:40:16
Speaker
It's not easy. It's AFL footy, but anyone that comes on in that second half when everyone's cooked, it's, it's a lot easier to find the ball. And I think if he was in their main plans, I think he would have played in that first half. I think it's as simple as that. So he's definitely someone I'm looking to let go and, and yeah, not looking to begin.
00:40:34
Speaker
I'll go on to a couple of rookies now. Geelong always seemed to have a pretty good crop of rookies. Oliver Dempsey scored 75. He's a forward only 252K. He was pretty impressive actually and comes up against the Saints in round one which are
00:40:54
Speaker
They do facilitate a lot of marking for the opposition teams. Any interest here guys or would you prefer to go towards a rookie that does play in that round zero opening round with a bit of a break even that's already moving?
00:41:09
Speaker
Yeah, I think there's been enough options for us in terms of, we're going to get to a few later, but I think there's enough forward options that you kind of just let a Dempsey, Dempsey go through. He's not the main guy there. You've got Hawkins, you've got Cameron, and then, you know, obviously close and Messi get the ball a fair bit as well. So yeah, I don't think he's an option for us.
00:41:31
Speaker
Jay Clark was probably the big story out of this in terms of rookies. He was a little bit shaky last week but this week just looked so impressive within that midfield and I can see why there are some comparisons to Joel Selwood from his draft year. He's 237k midfielder, scored the 68, attended plenty of CBAs and just looked like a more mature footballer and he sort of got better as the game went on and I think this is
00:41:57
Speaker
Uh, probably going to be the guy for, for most coaches that he's going to be riding the pine. Is he, is he on both of you guys benches? Yep. Yep. No worries. Moving on. Uh, finally Sean Manor, uh, score the 35 27% time on ground. He's a mid forward, uh, really like his scoring capability, but I've got major, um, concerns about him being a sub.
00:42:22
Speaker
Eventually he will break into that side and I think he will do it through form, which will be good for scoring. But he might be one that we can downgrade to a little bit later potentially, albeit I think there will still be a bit of concern there. But let's move on to the Bombers. I'll probably rely a bit on you to hear Harmey as the Bombers man on the podcast. Zach Merritt just rolled the legs over really. We know what Zach Merritt's capable of. He's gone at 110 plus for
00:42:52
Speaker
after.
00:43:09
Speaker
Story of the match in Nick Martin who just seemed to to run around everywhere certainly had that license running off of half back and and pushing up even into the forward line and applying some forward pressure and presenting for marks there too and 120 he scored 88 percent time on ground. We know his fitness is elite And he is that guy who is fitting into that Nick day cost mold which we've heard so often this preseason already is
00:43:38
Speaker
Starting to force a few coaches' hands, that ownership is really jumping up now. I think it's at 25% and a player of that value with ceiling like that can be someone that can get away from you. Hami, I know you're someone who's been a little bit cooler on him as a selection. Have you changed your mind? Any thoughts, opinions on what occurred on the weekend there?
00:44:03
Speaker
He was bloody impressive. But yeah, and we said earlier, that's the pre-season game though, isn't it? Everyone's given each other space because they don't want to get injured and they're chipping it around a bit. So it was sort of set up for him, but he had a really good role. I mean, he was taking kick-ins, he was everywhere. Part of the reason why the bombs were two goals up at three-quarter time. So yeah, I don't know. I'm still undecided, to be honest with you, Luke.
00:44:31
Speaker
He's a popular one. Holmesy, what about you, mate? Yeah, I'm very interested in a Nick Martin. Still not 100% locked into my side, but everything he's done in the pre-season so far has suggested that he's going to be one of the main guys back there. And Ridley's gone down as well, which means there's going to be even more ball back there for someone like Nick Martin. So yeah, I'm pretty hot.
00:44:56
Speaker
Beautiful. Another one of their teammates, Darcy Parrish, scored the 103. I think Darcy Parrish is a known quantity these days. He does go at that 105 plus mark average. I know you're really keen on him as well, Holmes. I'll throw to you in a sec, but just my general observation there was he looked seriously fit. And I'm not sure I've seen Darcy Parrish spread so much for Marks and to be a part of
00:45:24
Speaker
every single chain of play and he's one that has been in high consideration for me to sit at M1 or M2 within my midfield. I think potentially there is five points upside there and he just seems to be coming on as a player. He's only 26 years old. He's a little bit younger than what I probably presumed and I think Brad Scott is building his midfield around his midfield ball in Darcy Parish and he's grabbing it with both hands.
00:45:50
Speaker
Yeah, he's someone I've looked at a fair bit this pre-season. Ever since he averaged 120 for that big stretch back in 2021, he's always someone that we thought has the capabilities to potentially put it all together and average that sort of 115 plus. I've been on record saying I always kind of am a little bit nervous about trying to pick these players in terms of knowing that Zach Merritt's going to be around that 110 mark.
00:46:13
Speaker
can they have two guys in that team go above that, but I think they can. Their midfield is actually quite thin and you can definitely have two guys go absolutely ham in that midfield. You do kind of worry his game is definitely built around high possessions. He doesn't tackle a lot, but like you said, he's the fittest. Well, he's looking the fittest he's been in a while and if he can spread for a few more marks, then absolutely there's room for growth there. So it would be a brave coach to do it, but I can definitely see a little bit of upside there if it all comes together for him.
00:46:43
Speaker
Yep. And you've put down Ridley here on the run sheet. Uh, harm is, is that just due to the injury? And, uh, with that quad injury, does that open up any, uh, any fantasy points for another player in their defense?
00:46:57
Speaker
Yeah, the Riddler, that was a bit sad. He'll be out for quite a while. So yeah, that's right. I guess it's a fairly long term opportunity for somebody to submit themselves in our back line. So I'm not sure who it's going to be at this point, but possibly Zach Reed's not exactly the same type of player, but he's a defender rookie, 253,000. So it could be him.
00:47:22
Speaker
Let's touch on Zach Reid because I couldn't have been more impressed with him. He's sort of come from the cloud, so to speak. He's been
00:47:30
Speaker
Talked up all pre-season by bombers, track watchers, and he really showed that. You're obviously not an Essendon fan. He doesn't come from the clouds. He's probably been on the list for ages and high hopes for him. Yeah, yeah, I know that in that respect, but it seems like he's really entrenched within that best 22. I couldn't have been more impressed. He scored the 67, keeping in mind he is a key defender, peeled off a plenty of marks there, which we love to see.
00:47:56
Speaker
high time on ground, 92%. That's great. Proves that he's going to be on the ground a long time. We have actually mentioned before that that Essendon defense line, they do like to share it around a little bit and they do have quite a high median
00:48:12
Speaker
uh, score in terms of their average. So he's one that, um, I think coaches can lock into their benches if they do feel like spending that extra 53 K.
Eagles vs. Adelaide Game Insights
00:48:21
Speaker
Uh, should we move on to Port Freo here, boys? Um, yep. Keep your eye on Lee. Whizz through this a little bit quicker. Uh, Connor Rosie, 112, uh, 73% time on ground, uh, started that game like an absolute house on fire. Looks for goods. Um,
00:48:38
Speaker
I think he's one of the best players in the comp, and I think he probably does all the right things to be one of the best fantasy players in the comp as well. Slightly managed minutes in the second half, but I think we know what we're going to get with Rosie, and that West Coast matchup round one does loom. Pretty juicy there. If you can put a C on him at the end of the weekend, that might be a nice one to get you going. I think the story out of this game, though, was Zack Budders scored the 11,
00:49:06
Speaker
And that was off the back of a rolled ankle pretty early on in the game. I know you boys probably have expressed a lot of interest in him during this preseason. Is he someone that you are now ruling out due to that? Or is it now a case of him potentially being a bit of a point of difference at an underpriced price point where you'd still be willing to take that risk?
00:49:29
Speaker
Oh look, I'd cooled slightly on him anyway, Lou, just with Wines coming back in and playing a bit more of a prominent role. So yeah, I guess we'll see, but I'm not off completely, but yeah, I think he'll be fine for round one. He just tweaked it and he could have gone back on if they were really pushing.
00:49:50
Speaker
Yeah, I think if you're keen on Butters before, you still kind of have to be. It's unfortunate that you haven't seen a full game with what it's going to look like with Rosie, Butters, Wines and Jason Horn-Francis. But if he gets up for round one, he's fine. If you're still hot, I'd say you still kind of have to be. Oh, let's touch on Wines then. He was a 95, 60, 76% time on ground, attended just about every single CBA, which rings true with
00:50:19
Speaker
everything we've heard this pre-season and I think the biggest thing for me by the eye just looks to have trimmed down looks really fit and moving quite well and not expecting him to get back to his brown low form or he did go at that 110 but if he's there at the coal face every single week and keeping in mind he does have that West Coast matchup first up which is what we like to see start the score rolling with a nice big ceiling score potentially 701 K
00:50:47
Speaker
go to you, Harmony. Is he one that has featured in your side this pre-season? Just the hype around him. He's definitely, I've grown more confidence in the upside for him this season. So, yeah, I'm definitely interested. Just quickly, Holmes, are you the same? Yeah, look, I've had him for a little bit. I'm not saying he's going to be there round one when everything comes out in the wash, but
00:51:15
Speaker
You know, everything out of Port Adelaide this preseason has been that Ollie Wines is building back to being a full-time midfielder. Ken Hinckley starting to say that he's back to his best and he's going to play full-time midfielder. And we've seen that for two games now. So yeah, we can't really think anything else at this point.
00:51:31
Speaker
Where he gets to, I'm not too sure, you know, probably going to need a mid 90s average, but we've seen him do that plenty, plenty in the past. And yeah, I'm a big believer that he can get back to that. So we'll see how it goes, but you will need a parachute plan if it, if it starts out the season and you know, he's just, he's just, he did well in the pre-season, but we see a little bit of what we saw last year, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
00:51:53
Speaker
And just quickly, Ryan Burton did pop that 125. He's a 579K defender. The reason I do mention him is he was off the chain, so to speak. Asaba, BZT, Zerk, Thatcher, and Alir, Alir are obviously the tools within that defensive line. Burton's no longer required to even be that third defender, which may just unleash him within that side to get involved with a bit of chip, chip, mark, mark.
00:52:22
Speaker
Just at that price point i think it does reflect a little bit of value where that lies i'm not too sure but.
00:52:28
Speaker
I'll mention it again, that West Coast match up round one after we saw what the Crows did to them does give me a little bit of interest there. Moving on to Fremantle. This was probably the second biggest story out of this game. Andrew Brayshaw with the 79, which was fine for a premium, but we saw that he was pushed out of that midfield in favor of Sorong, Young and Fife.
00:52:56
Speaker
Are there any concerns here guys? We're obviously paying a 110 price point for him. You do want a little bit of a surety from your premium midfielders. Is this enough for you to just steer clear and maybe target him a little bit later?
00:53:10
Speaker
Yeah, look, if you came out in round one and had a 120, 130, I wouldn't be surprised, but I also wouldn't be surprised if you came out in round one and played a little bit more on the wing and was a little bit more outside. So if you're paying a 110 price tag, I think you want to be 100% certain on what role they're going to play. And I think there's just enough doubt around brayshore now to fade in to start the year. But that doesn't mean I don't think you can still be a top eight midfielder. I just, I need to sort of see it in the season first. Yeah.
00:53:39
Speaker
probably the same. I'm not affected by it as much as what some others might be. I think Brayshore's a fit enough, good enough player that maybe that outside time
Midfield Dynamics and Emerging Talents
00:53:49
Speaker
can still facilitate a really nice fantasy score there, but definitely point taken. Caleb Sorong, 85, looks incredible. This guy averaged 108 last season. Do we just simply, do we see this repeating itself this season as well, guys? Maybe even a couple of points upside? Yep. Yep.
00:54:09
Speaker
Yep, cool. Bigger story out of this. Hayden Young for Fremantle anyway, 114 attended pretty much every single center bounce and looked good doing it was getting clearances kicking goals and
00:54:24
Speaker
and spreading quite well and was probably the one saving grace out of that pretty terrible Fremantle side. Scored that 114 within a team that only scored 1100 fantasy points too. So quite a large market share there. You'd think that that goes up, given that Fremantle are a pretty high fantasy scoring side as a team, or at least they were last season. Hayden Young has had a little bit of discussion about fading, but is he in both of you guys' teams at this point?
00:54:53
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think he only had 75% time on ground as well. Um, being new to the midfield, I don't expect that to spike straight away. Maybe that's his time on ground to sort of start the year, but you would expect as the season goes on, um, that jumps up to more of a, you know, 80% plus that we see for, for a lot of midfielders in the comp. So there's room for growth there as well. So yeah, he couldn't have, he couldn't have done more on the weekend. And if you were hot before, then you should still be hot now.
00:55:18
Speaker
Yeah, he came back into my side actually, Lou. Yeah, he was much, much better than the week before. Yeah, Ditto came back into my side too. Who has replaced him in defence is Jordan Clark. He scored 81 and he does seem to be that sort of quarterback in defence for Fremantle. And this is one I think has slipped a little bit under the radar. It's a little bit of an underwhelming score, I suppose, but in terms of the role and
00:55:47
Speaker
Where the upside sort of lies within what his stat sheet showed within a pretty poor Fremantle side from a fantasy perspective I think there's a bit of upside here and anybody that was keen on Clark should continue to be so yep
00:56:03
Speaker
Yeah, beautiful. Thanks for that, Lou. Let's keep rolling through. So we had the Eagles play Adelaide and I'll start with the Eagles because there's not really much to see here. Harley Reid, we all kind of jumped off or not jumped off, but we're all a little bit worried last round. But he was back in the midfield this week. They didn't muck around with him as much on the halfback flank. And he looked like a much better player this this round. So I think he's definitely someone that can be fieldable. He might not be
00:56:33
Speaker
What we pegged him to be at the start, but I think with his job security and what the Eagles need, I think he's going to be there and play a pretty prominent role for them. So he was someone that I'd moved to my bench, but I've actually moved him back onto the ground now with a little bit more confidence.
00:56:48
Speaker
Elliot Yeo, all we needed to see was him to play a full game and to look fit and healthy. And he was. The scoring wasn't there, but he still had nine tackles. And I suspect that that's the role he's going to play for the year. Hami, were you still sold on what Elliot Yeo did on the weekend?
00:57:05
Speaker
I have been all pre-season buddy. So yes, I think that for a defender, Price at 70, he's doing everything that we would want to see at this point in time. I think he's going to have a key role in their midfield and yeah, I'm still pretty interested. Yeah. Now I'm new to this hosting thing, so I don't know how this is going to go, but let's just go quickly back, Luke, as you're fuming. Nat Fife, you wanted to touch on. Oh look, just for the listeners, because he is super relevant. He scored the 58.
00:57:34
Speaker
He was in every single centre bounce. He had 26 touches and it was pretty much all handballs with the forward status. It does carry a bit of relevance there. If you guys are still interested or other options presented themselves.
00:57:49
Speaker
Yeah, I think the other options have presented themselves. I think with his injury history, he no doubt has the role. And I don't think he's going to have many games where he only scores 50 odd from 26 touches. I think when the real stuff starts, potentially a few more tackles and marks are on offer, but it's very clear.
00:58:05
Speaker
that he's the pure, pure inside bull. And I think you're going to have a few floor games and maybe we don't get the ceiling games enough to really skyrocket his price to get him up close to where we need to be. So I've called on that five a little bit, but there's no doubt he's looking as fit as he has been in the last couple of years and the role is there. No, I'm pretty keen, Lou. I mean, I liked what I've seen last couple of games and yeah, I think there's definitely some upside with him.
00:58:34
Speaker
Yep, beautiful. All right, back to this Eagles game. There wasn't really much else to see from the Eagles front. They got belted. They were terrible around the stoppages. It was a lot of what we saw last year, unfortunately. So those hoping for a little bit of an Eagles resurgence, I don't think that's going to be the case this season. Liam Duggan was just ticking the legs over, but he didn't really score well enough priced at 96. I think you'd have to be a pretty brave coach to go there, but who knows once the real stuff starts.
00:59:02
Speaker
You still should be around the top six mark if he continues on what he did last year. But I suppose Adelaide with a story, they looked fantastic. They're midfield, they started out with what we thought they were going to do in terms of lead, Dawson Crouch and Rankin was in there to start. Now Rankin played a very good game, 119 from essentially three quarters. They managed him pretty heavily in that last quarter, but I do worry it was against the Eagles. I don't think he's going to have free reign in that forward line.
00:59:30
Speaker
Um, like he did against the Eagles and he could be, you know, just has, has cozy picket vibes where he went off in the preseason last year and there was all this talk of midfield time, but I think he just offers so much to them dynamically in that forward line that if he has 12 touches, but kicks three or four goals, then that's, that's a win for Adelaide. They don't need him racking up the footy. So he's not someone I'm looking at to start, but some coaches might go there.
00:59:54
Speaker
Matt Crouch played a very predominant center role in that first half. And as a result had 57, 18 touches, I think it was at a hundred percent disposal efficiency. So that's everything we needed to see from Matt Crouch. And then he was heavily managed in that second half. So don't just look at his score and think that it's not there. Just look at that first half and see what he did before they started throwing the magnets around.
01:00:19
Speaker
Jordan Dawson, he just, he's Jordan Dawson. He's fantastic. When he's not in the midfield, laying tackles and getting the ball, he gets it on the outside. He drops back in defense. They always look for him. So there's every chance he averages what he did last year. And there's a top eight mid. Rory Laird, maybe a little bit of a concern. He didn't score very well in this game and he was just ticking the legs over. But if there's not as much of a reliance on him now that they've got Matt Crouch and Jordan Dawson and these type of players, then
01:00:47
Speaker
maybe regresses a little bit from that 110 price tag. It's a pre-season game, I'm sure when the real stuff's going it and there's more tackles, his score will elevate, but it's just a slight flag there. Sam Berry, Lew, now he's a bit of a buzz now that he's come out and scored that, but does anyone here actually see Sam Berry as being best 22 come the real stuff?
01:01:11
Speaker
I think he's probably forced Matthew Nick's hand for at least for the first couple of weeks and interestingly in that first half he wasn't attending many center bounces and that was when he did a lot of his damage he was coming he was coming towards stoppage and not actually starting within it so yeah really impressive game by him I think he can coexist with the rest of those midfielders he does bring a little bit of the same in terms of a Matt Crouch so I'm not sure if they will butt heads but
01:01:40
Speaker
got minimal concerns there. But yeah, I do think he will at least start in the best 22. Yeah, I think we just have to remember that they played the Eagles, so scoring is going to be a little bit inflated. And Josh Rosselli didn't really get any midfield time. He might have got a CBI here or there. I can't remember, but he definitely didn't have that midfield role that many were hoping when we set out on preseason in November. But I think you just have to kind of cross him off your list.
01:02:05
Speaker
Once again, I think he falls in that ranking mold where he's very X factor. They would much rather have him close to goal being dangerous rather than having him rack up the pill in the midfield. They've got enough players that are going to do that there.
01:02:17
Speaker
Last one I'll touch on, Mitch Hinge didn't score very well, but I mean, they were so dominant through the midfield that there wasn't really enough ball to go through the back line anyway, but it also did seem like he was locking down a little bit at times. And I think that's what you're probably going to get with a Mitch Hinge. I think his role is going to be up and down where some games he'll be able to hunt the footy. And if there's a matchup for him, you might have to lock down for that reason. I'm not keen on a Mitch Hinge, especially when we've got some other options back there. Hami, do you have anything to add before we move on?
01:02:46
Speaker
the game.
01:03:02
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Agree with you there. All right, Hami, moving on to the Bulldogs Hawks game that you actually went to. Yeah, it went along. Had a look at this one, which was, yeah, it was really nice to get along and see what was happening off the ball outside of the camera shot. We had Bont and John, you can both hit 127, but I tell you what, there was a fair bit of difference in
01:03:24
Speaker
the impact around the ground. Bond was everywhere. Newcomb must have junked up a little bit towards the end of the game. So, yeah, there was a big difference between those two players. Team English did whatever he wanted. Ned Reeves, I mean, far out. Yeah, Team English, he's just going to have another cracking season, I expect.
01:03:43
Speaker
But I was more interested in the cheaper guys, as you would expect. Ken McKenzie, he was on the wing in the second quarter. He popped in for a few CBAs, but mostly on the wing. And I'm okay with that as a fantasy coach. Like I'm fairly happy selecting him if he can cement his spot in the 22, because he got subbed out a lot last year. And I think that he can have a nice role there. And I sort of watched him versus Ward and McKenzie's actually
01:04:11
Speaker
well ahead of him, I reckon, at this point in time. Riley Sanders, he didn't have his CBA role. He was coming off a forward flank, but he had that sort of role where he starts on the flank, runs up into the contest, and follows the ball around a bit. So he jumped up late to move his way up to 30 touches and 92 points. Wouldn't expect that every week, but he's a bloody, gonna be a very, very good fantasy player. Bit of forward DPP there. Might help us out, Hami. Yeah, you're right. That's it. Get him forward.
01:04:40
Speaker
in Coby McCurture back and free up some space in that midfield for us after about around six or seven. In the back line, Nick Coffield, he played okay, but it actually looked like Buku was ahead of him as a key post in the back line. So I'm still not 100% sold that he's in the best 22. Sorry to say, Lou, I know that you are.
01:05:05
Speaker
But yeah, I still think that there's a chance that he's on the fringe of the team. Huswait was in the midfield quite a lot, and it was obvious that they really want him in there. So I think he's going to have a pretty solid role, but with all the CBAs that he had, he still only scored 68 points. So by two games last year, I'm not too sure whether he's a starting option for you, but he played pretty well.
01:05:35
Speaker
Massimo he played on the wing he sort of swapped I can't remember the third in the rotation but anyway Massimo was on the wing and he scored a few points in the second half but look I didn't really love his game you know this weird knee strapping on too so I'm not sure I'm not sure whether he's in the 22 too so they're the two I guess I questioned Stado on last week in his back line and I'd still probably still a little bit uncertain about whether they are gonna be there so
01:06:04
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a feeling that they didn't have Weddle. Yeah, they didn't have Weddle. They didn't have Dylan Moore. Gunston didn't play either. So Gunston, you'd think is probably going to come back into that side at some point, which might push a C-Mac or someone else up around the wing. So you'd, you'd probably be a little bit nervous about a Dan Brozio and his spot in the side. I think when, when all the guys come back.
01:06:29
Speaker
Yeah. Now the rookie, the new recruit from the VFL Phillips, he spent a bit of time on the beach getting patched up. He got a hit in the head. But he played all right, got 43 points. So $200,000 rookie bench option for us there. Carl Eamon, yeah, he was that link up off the back flank. They did look to him. Jarvan Impey looked pretty good too, but he didn't really score.
01:06:54
Speaker
amazingly. So, yeah, if you're keen on Ayman, he's got the role that you are after. Caleb Daniel, jeez, he did nothing. Only came in on the third quarter, I think, about halfway through the third quarter. So, I don't know if he's out of favor. Him and Jack McRae must be good mates, and I bet we'll both put them both on the outer. So, anyway, that's probably spoke too much, but there's heaps more, I could say. It was really good game, and two teams, it should be
01:07:24
Speaker
Yeah, worthwhile having a lot of fancy players for us. Yeah, I think Bulldogs just did Bulldogs things in terms of that really tight Bontrelor and Libba midfield. You had Harms going there at times and Sanders going there at times, but once again, it's going to be those three and pretty much that's going to be it.
01:07:47
Speaker
Yeah, a bit to take out from the Bulldogs Hawks. There's a little bit to take out, but I do want to see what it's like when a few more of their senior bodies come back in and will day whenever he does come back. But you'd have to like what you saw from Mackenzie and some of the cheaper guys. Louis, take us away. Let's get this last game done. So we had St. Kilda and North Melbourne.
01:08:06
Speaker
Yeah, and I don't know about you boys, but I was sort of thinking our team looks good here, pretty settled, and then one more game to go, whatever, and it probably ended up being one of the more relevant ones for the weekend. We'll get started with the Saints here. Rowan Marshall scored a ton. What was impressive about this is he only had a handful of hit outs. Cherry beat him pretty comfortably, in fact, but for him to be able to score that,
01:08:30
Speaker
in what was a pretty low stoppage game was very impressive if you were keen on him I wouldn't be scared away whatsoever. Jack Steele scored the 93 which is probably what you want to see had nine tackles in like I said a low stoppage game maybe there's a little bit of a concern though that just for me myself and I'd like to get both of you guys opinions on this that
01:08:54
Speaker
Perhaps the Saints do want the ball in some of their better ball users. We saw Nassiah Wanganyan-Malira have a bit of a blinder, Riley Bonner was everywhere, Liam Henry was presenting always, Brad Hill another, and Darcy Wilson, the potential debutante was also just about everywhere. Is Jack Steele, we know he's such a good player, he's priced at 98. Do we need to temper our expectations a little bit here in terms of what he can average seasonally
01:09:23
Speaker
Where he's ceiling sort of lies now Yeah, I think so Lou like he did everything I needed to say and I'm not gonna lie I'm still probably gonna start him But watching that game st. Kilda look to just go fast off that back line. There was no mucking around Yeah, they went wide at times but it was very clear that when they could get the ball in Bonner's hands and and the size hands and and
01:09:46
Speaker
they were just keen to go and get it forward quickly. And if that's the case, maybe Jack Steele does get lost a little bit in that midfield and just tries to get forward to get to that next stoppage just in case. But in terms of a pre-season game, you couldn't really ask him to do much more, I wouldn't have thought. Yeah, I probably didn't feel that way watching it, Lou. Watching it, I didn't sort of look and look at it and go, oh geez, he's looking slow or he's looking at a play. So I just looked at it as if he's a very good player that's coasting a bit
01:10:16
Speaker
No, I agree there, mate. I'm just a little bit concerned that maybe he's not the guy that they want the ball in the hands of and maybe a little bit like Wines, that coal-faced guy. But I did mention the Saya Wangani-Malira scored the 99 and he does seem to be that guy that is wrapping around always to guys on the mark and using the ball to
01:10:37
Speaker
really just amazing effect by foot. He's going to be a fantastic player. It's third season in the comp and just continues to get better and better. And there's clearly a lot of faith shown in in him by Ross Lyon, 824 K defender, presents value, I think. Is he somebody that has spent a bit of time in your sides or a bit of interest there for you, Hondi?
01:11:02
Speaker
Uh, he hasn't, I am interested. Um, but I think I'm gonna gonna pass at this stage with some of the other options we have back there. Um, but yeah, he was, he was good, but I do worry that it still was North Melbourne and it was a pre-season game. And when the, when the real footy starts and it gets a bit more contested, um, there's not going to be as much easy ball back there, but you are right. He looked fantastic and they look to give it to him as much as they could.
01:11:26
Speaker
I will move on to Bonner then. I think maybe we'll just spend a minute on this guy here because he is the one that actually our man Dossie identified pretty early on. I think it was about quarter time when he said Riley Bonner, M1, 104 on the weekend, 463K. I think this has been one of those pre-seasons where we've been scratching around for a value guy. Sheldrick Wardlaw, types like that have
01:11:53
Speaker
been on the lips of people but Bonner has just come out of nowhere here and I think he's given coaches a lot to think about within that St Kilda game style that do like to share it around. He has shown sealing in the past at Port Adelaide and he just had really he had a fantastic game. This wasn't just a plotter trying his best in a preseason game versus North. He was a bit of a cog within that system for me and without Jack Sinclair to start and we know that
01:12:25
Speaker
Webster will probably face at least four to six weeks on the sidelines. Is he someone for you, Harmony, that you're now considering as a value option through the midfield?
01:12:36
Speaker
Yeah, I'm interested. It's a shame he's mid only, isn't it? Like he was taking kick
Key Player Roles and Team Evolution
01:12:41
Speaker
-ins. He did play very much a key role and from memory he did last week from what I saw as well. So yeah, he got my attention. Even like that gully kicked, like I can't remember who was it, handboarded off to him, but he was just floating around the back and they gave it to him. Yeah. So they had a good game. Same for you, Holmsey. You keen there?
01:13:07
Speaker
Yeah, I am. It is a shame that he's mid only. And a skeptic in me wonders how much you'll be able to get once Jack Sinclair comes in, who commands so much footy back there as well, but he's definitely in the system to do it. And he's definitely under priced if he's, if he's going to be a mainstay in that team, come round one.
01:13:25
Speaker
Yeah, no, I like it, mate. Just trying to figure out whether he's someone I start or someone I maybe drop down to based on round one. Darcy Wilson was a big story out of that, 97. He's 249K mid forward. One of the fittest guys at St Kilda, certainly the fittest draftee that came out of the 2023 pool. I think he's probably made himself a lock within our sides. If he can run all day, he's out there for long enough
01:13:54
Speaker
fantasy friendly side and given his fitness I just don't see a sub on the cards whatsoever here so
01:14:02
Speaker
fieldable option there. I like him a lot. Aris Showenmaker, he was one that came from the Clouds Army. He scored the 83, 200K defender. It was one that we saw an article just last month that he was training with the VFL group. So I do sort of question whether or not he is best 22 and that was just a little bit of a taste and Russell send him back to the twos again to
01:14:27
Speaker
to work on some of the things that he did do, but did show that ceiling straight away, which we do like to see. But I think it's personally, I think it's fraught with danger with Sinclair returning in what sounds like round two. Do you agree, guys? Yeah, I do. It was really nice to see him being a kid from Launceston, you know, having a good game. But I think there's a fair chance he'll play VFL early.
01:14:53
Speaker
All right, we'll move on to the final team, North Melbourne. This is quite a funny side, something, some side that was totally irrelevant, probably three or four years ago and now we're looking at fielding between five and eight options on our field. I probably wouldn't go up to that top end, but Harry Sheasel, 107, coming off a debut year of 97.
01:15:18
Speaker
he showed us all we wanted to see. I think in the second year in the competition, a bit more confidence in himself, a bit more confidence from teammates and a roll off of half back. I think that floor raises and with that comes the
01:15:32
Speaker
the average, so good starting pick there. LDU, 38, which was something that coaches would have hated to see. He's one that I've seen in numerous starting sides for a long, long time now. It was a super quick game. There weren't a lot of stoppages, but you do want to see a little bit more of a score there. If he was in your side before, guys, I'll throw to you for this one,
01:16:00
Speaker
Is LDU now on the outer in terms of a starting selection or can this one just be brushed away as a preseason game? Yeah, look, he's been in my side for most of the preseason and he still is at the moment. He didn't score very well in the corresponding preseason game last year from memory and then came out round one and round two and blitzed it with two pretty good tons.
01:16:24
Speaker
Yeah, look, it was it was bad to watch, but at least he got through. He's not this like we just kind of put him there and we didn't think too much about it. So we definitely have to think about it now.
01:16:36
Speaker
But yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if people jump off and then round one, round two rolls around and he's back to doing what he's doing. So have a think about it. If you can find someone around his price that you're a little bit more comfortable with, I wouldn't blame coaches for jumping off. But I think at this stage, I'm going to stick fat and I'll still probably start him. Are you there saying they're harming? I can hear you snickering. I'm sure you're thinking what a good thing this must be for Jai Simkin.
01:17:01
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Disappointing for joy. Got knocked out. What was he doing? Like, it was just stuff. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing a few times. I didn't really know what to make of LDU's game. But he obviously didn't really care much about getting the pill. We'll move on to Tristan Cherry. He's definitely the popular R2 amongst the coaching community.
01:17:28
Speaker
I'm really high on him. I really love that he beat Rowan Marshall. In terms of hit outs, that should bode well. In terms of establishing a high floor just from that alone, I think he can get a little bit more involved in a higher stoppage game. I know you're pretty keen, Harmony, but I know you've been a little bit cooler on him, Holmsey. Just get your thoughts on him real quick.
01:17:52
Speaker
Yeah, look, he presents value, no doubt, as the number one ruck, but I'm just not as high on him as everyone else is. I think it's probably going to fall somewhere between 82 to 87. I don't see him as being that 90 plus ruckman that a lot of other coaches are. I'm not going to talk anyone out of starting him is the value option along with Grundy that we're kind of looking at.
01:18:14
Speaker
But yeah, I've always sort of worried with that North Melbourne game style of getting beaten up a little bit that I don't necessarily see him as being the smash pick that some coaches do. But yeah, I know you guys are keen. Fair enough, mate.
Rookie Potential and Preseason Highlights
01:18:30
Speaker
Zach Fisher was the big one out of this. We've been searching for somebody in our forward line that we can have a little bit of faith within.
01:18:37
Speaker
I'm still not sure if Fisher's that man, but he couldn't have given a better audition there. 114, 36 touches was absolutely everywhere. Showed that observable thirst. I'm not sure if we can use that anymore on this podcast. Might be trademarked by Dossie, but Zach Fisher, he's locked in our sides now, isn't he, given the scarcity of the forward line?
01:19:01
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, he is, Luke. Don't get me wrong. There's still the injury worry. He's had two hammies already this preseason, but with the lack of forward options that we have, he presents a fair bit of value. And with the way North Melbourne play as well, he seemed to fit in really well in that system. So I'm looking to start him, absolutely. Was it last year, St Kew at all one of the easiest teams for defenders to score against? It was, wasn't it? So maybe he had an easier game to come in, but he was still very impressive.
01:19:31
Speaker
The buzz name of the preseason was George Wardlaw, a little bit of a breakout comparisons to Clayton Oliver. He scored 78. I think it was at 12 tackles he had and 10 touches. I'm not sure that's going to be sustainable. Of course, the disposals and tackles could flip a little bit. Obviously, you got a few more disposals there, but are we looking elsewhere, guys?
01:19:58
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. I think they're going to manage his time on ground. I think he's going to be a pure impact player for them where when he comes on, he comes on for bursts and can potentially score quite well, but I don't think his time on ground is going to be good enough to have him go up 85, 90 plus, which we kind of need him to in that midfield role. So I'm, I'm not looking at Wardlow. Yeah, I'd like to see him accumulate the ball a bit more there.
01:20:21
Speaker
Yeah, I'll get that feeling as well. Oh, go on. Sorry, Hami. Go on. You're all right, mate. Yeah, I was just going to say a similar thing. He's going to be a very good player, but it's sort of like in and under grunt work, I think. Yep, yep. Agreed. Tom Powell started the game like a house on fire. Only had the 50, though. Definitely declined as the game went on.
01:20:43
Speaker
Uh, I have heard a few people suggest that once Simkin went out of the game, uh, and you even mentioned it at the top of the show, they harm you that it did seem that Tom Powell was planted onto that half fold flank and he just got lost a little bit. And he strikes me as that pure sort of inside midfielder, very silky within it. And, uh, I'm just not sure that he's going to be, uh, in there enough for us to, to be starting him or considering him at that 520 K price tag.
01:21:11
Speaker
Colby McCursher was the number one Rook really all pre-season Sanders may have edged a nose in front now, but he scored the 63 slow start came home strong show that he can coexist amongst Sheisland Fisher and I think he's one that we just don't overthink put him on your field tuck him away and hopefully come round six we can slide him back into our defensive lines. Zane Dursmer
01:21:37
Speaker
He's one that was highly rated as a junior, good scorer, played pretty much purely forward, scored 64 and he looks a little bit like Mitch Owens. He just looks like a pure footballer. I won't be surprised for him to sort of average in those that 50 range, which I guess would be enough. But being in the role, it is going to be a little bit volatile.
01:22:00
Speaker
Charlie Lazaro he's another one the traders have pumped him up and rightfully so scored the 80 and he looked good doing it he was very much a part of that system and streaming through the midfield he was being used and he was hunting the football too think if Simpkin doesn't line up round one he's gonna be one to benefit from that and I think he's probably
01:22:24
Speaker
Rookie that's put his hands up to be a fieldable option for us up forward, which is really nice to see. Nuon, he looked really good, scored the 56, 200K forward. Just a little tip of the cap there. I think we're going to have better options. And Toby Pink scored the 28, Toby Stink, 200K defender. I think we can move on from that. Ethan Phillips is probably
01:22:51
Speaker
is probably edge to head there and I think I'd rather go there given that Hawthorn don't mind shipping it around in the back line whereas it looks like North Melbourne are looking to get it into the hands of Schiezel Fisher and Mercursia and go go go immediately so that wraps us up for the game so I'll throw it back to you there Holmsey.
Podcast Wrap-Up
01:23:11
Speaker
Yeah, boys, look, thanks for that monster pod, but we really wanted to make sure that we covered all the games comprehensively for the listeners. So hopefully you're still sticking with us, but we're working through it without Dossie, but we'll get through them where we're super excited for the season. So we'll wrap up there and we'll be back next Monday with, you know, having watched some live footy, which is really exciting in terms of games for the four premiership points. But thanks again. And we'll chat soon. See you boys.