Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
The Bye Rounds are almost Over! | Strategy Round Table | AFL Fantasy Q&A #PODPOD
2.9k Plays7 days ago
We say it every year, but there is always a carnage round that sees many great teams copping bullets. This round unfortunately it was Lachie Whitfield, with many coaches not only copping the bullet but a captaincy bullet too! The PODPOD is here to help review the round that was and set you up to finish the bye rounds strong as we enter the final phase of the season!
This week we have a full panel on deck as Holmesy, Lewy, Harmey and Sam discuss the key strategies for round 16, discuss a bunch of relevant trade targets and answer lots of listener questions! As the race for the hilux and the elusive top 100 hats heats up, this episode is not one that you want to miss!
If you love our content and want to help support us for all of our years of work, please consider giving back by having your specific AFL Fantasy questions answered. At the link below, you have the option for a full team review, specific player / strategy questions and in-season trade and captain options. For a small fee you can have your questions answered whilst also supporting the PODPOD. All questions are greatly appreciated!
Ask me a question to get a personalized audio response! - https://AskMeOnQu.com/podpodafl
Want to join the PODPOD challenge and go up against this amazing community? We would love to have you! Join with the code below:
HDPYPX6X
The winner will receive a custom AFL Fantasy ring courtesy of our friends at Supercoach Champion. Head over to supercoachchampion.com if you would like to enquire about custom rings or accessories for your own leagues!
Like this episode? Follow us on spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts to make sure you are up to date for when new episodes are released!
This episode was brought to you by Magic Sports. Magic Sports have a number of new products to help take your fantasy games to the next level:
Slyder - https://www.slyder.team/login
AFL Fantasy Team Picker - https://picker.bolter.team/login
Follow us on X:
The PODPOD: @podpodAFL
Holmesy: @Holmesyheroes
Lewy: @LewyAF
Harmey: @jonharmey
Dos: @HKdos
Sam: @grillis03
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:00:19
Holmesy
G'day and welcome to the Pod Pod. It's Holmesy here talking all things AFL Fantasy Classic for you on this Monday, twenty third of June. We have one bye round to go. We're almost back to best 22, best 22, sorry, and the fantasy season is well and truly heating up.
00:00:35
Holmesy
We've got ah a bit of a somber panel today, which we're going to get to, but first I'll just, I'll go to two-time top 10 finisher and runner-up in 2019, John Harmy, to bring a bit of energy to the pod, mate. You're always up and about.
00:00:49
Holmesy
How are you, Harmy?
00:00:50
Jon Harmey
Hey, host Holmesy. Yes, heating up for some and cooling down for some other coaches. It would seem a bit of a rough week for the PodPod boys, but don't worry.
00:01:01
Jon Harmey
I'm still holding
Challenges and Triumphs in Fantasy Rankings
00:01:02
Jon Harmey
my ranking out in the dossier ranks, so I'm doing my bit for for the group.
00:01:02
Holmesy
Thank
00:01:08
Holmesy
That's it. thank you for Thank you for keeping the brand going, Harmy, although I'm not sure Dossie ever cracked the top 10K. So still, even when you're doing your best Dossie impression, you're still well ahead.
00:01:15
Jon Harmey
Oh, sorry. Yeah.
00:01:21
Holmesy
Sam, I'll throw to you, mate. ah Thank you for breaking tradition and actually coming on the pod today after a rank drop. It is good to see you, although you did have a bit of a tough weekend, mate, but but how are you going?
00:01:34
Sam
Yeah, I did have a tough weekend, but it is a monumental occasion that I am on um having slid ranks. So I just want the listeners to know how many hard yards I'm putting in to be here and provide those good coaches out there um with the advice on what not to do, ah particularly one minute before the lockout starts for the weekend.
00:01:58
Holmesy
i think I think the highlight was when i Sunday night when I messaged you about you know my trade plans and you went, mate, what are you doing? Lockout's not even over yet. It's 6.01 p.m.
00:02:10
Holmesy
Knowing full well that you you've planned all of your trades that you were doing throughout the buy rounds from about round 11. So don't don't come at me with that just because you had one poor round, mate. You need to be up and about still. You're still in the hunt.
00:02:22
Sam
and And you know the worst part? There's absolutely no point planning trades in round 11 and 12 because none of them eventuated.
Trade Planning and Mental Health Benefits
00:02:31
Sam
I think the one buy trade that is going to go to plan is getting Dacos in this week because if I don't do that, I'll pull my hair out.
00:02:40
Holmesy
Yeah, look, i think I think we're all at the stage at the moment where I think Louis mentioned we're just going to trade in players we like to watch and and just enjoy it and have some good mental health. And on that note, I will throw to Louis. We know Stevie Fizz is the the poorest man in AFL footy. And and we've got Louis on tonight who is now the most unlucky coach in fantasy footy, which we'll get to. Louis, I know you've had a tough week, mate, but it is good to see you. And yeah, how are you?
00:03:08
Lew
Yeah, not too bad. Yeah, big day today. So um I've had a flat weekend, but I'm probably a little bit flat this afternoon due to that too. But yeah it's good to catch up with you boys tonight and talk a little bit of fantasy.
Navigating Captaincy Challenges and Optimism
00:03:21
Lew
And like you said, we're coming into the back end of the buyers now. So it's ah back to normal in in a week's time and I can't wait for it.
00:03:31
Holmesy
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see whether coaches have just sort of sideways traded throughout the buys and come out of it the other side with a worse team or if coaches have been planning ahead. So it's it's really exciting to see how the rankings are going to start to shift over the next month or so, Lou. But I touched on it before. Let's do our round review now. Unfortunately, needing to start with you, tell the listeners yeah what happened over the weekend.
00:03:54
Lew
Yeah, yeah's I mean, it just capped in Lockie Whitfield for his 23 concussion game. So that one's a rough one. um Yeah, I was pretty flat about that. But onwards and upwards, I guess. Yeah, it's just going to have to fight back. I've slid massively. So I've gone from rank 139 to in one week off the back of a 16.35, it's ah yeah pretty grim.
00:04:23
Sam
Yeah, wowzers.
00:04:26
Lew
It was already a a bit of a tough week for me because I held Max Gorn um and I had the four premiums on the buy, but thought, no, I've got 18 premiums.
00:04:36
Lew
they'll they'll They'll score well for me. And pretty much all of them decided to to score between maybe 70 and 95. And then the captain just decided he wouldn't even be part of my best 18.
00:04:48
Lew
So it's it's been an absolute shocker.
00:04:51
Holmesy
Yeah, and it it was interesting to look on the socials over the weekend. I didn't actually know that rule. I thought that the captain was in your best 18 regardless. But because the 23 didn't, the 23 doubled to 46, is it correct that your team essentially didn't have a captain this week? I didn't think that was even a rule.
00:05:08
Lew
Yep. Yeah, I didn't have a captain this week. So it's yeah it's pretty grim.
Weekly Player Performance and Trade Debates
00:05:13
Sam
Actually, I think, uh, Warnie posted an update. I think, uh, the 46 does count, which is even more sticking the knife in.
00:05:21
Lew
Yeah, so if the 46 counts, then I would have lost points anyway, um I think.
00:05:21
Sam
I don't know if you saw the latest today.
00:05:26
Lew
So...
00:05:27
Jon Harmey
Yeah, it was him on us.
00:05:28
Holmesy
Oh, yeah, that's right. So if let's say your lowest score was an 80, then that would then drop out and the 43 would, yeah, far out.
00:05:34
Lew
46 goes in. yeah I'm not sure how it works. I said before the pod, I actually haven't even opened up the the app. So yeah, this is my me dipping my toes back into fantasy for the week.
00:05:47
Holmesy
Glad we can be your, yeah, glad we can be your support.
00:05:47
Lew
Hope you've got some good advice, boys.
00:05:51
Holmesy
Yeah.
00:05:51
Lew
Yeah, so sometimes you got to take a day or two off, don't you?
00:05:55
Holmesy
Oh, mate, 100%. And to be honest, that just shows, look, you need a lot of luck in this game, clearly.
00:06:00
Sam
Thank you.
00:06:01
Holmesy
Like, Lockie Whitfield as captain, that was the greenest of all green matchups against Gold Coast. He started well. He always finishes strong. Like, sometimes you just get unlucky and it just sucks. You've had a ripper season, Lou, and and no doubt you've still got time to climb back. It's going to be tricky, but...
00:06:18
Holmesy
Yeah, just just really unlucky. But shout out to friend of the show, Geordie De Senna, who also copped the Whitfield captain, but still managed to go 1860, which is ridiculous.
00:06:29
Holmesy
Far out. He would have been well inside the top 100. But onwards and upwards, Sam, why don't you give us your score and rank for the week?
00:06:38
Sam
Yep, sure. So i scored 17.26, which is actually the lowest score I've recorded this year. So even lower than our round two, three, and I can't remember what other rounds we had, best 18. But yeah, rank has slid from 82 all the way out to 3.11. So yeah, quite ah quite a slide. But and on the flip side, it makes me feel like that kind of 50 to...
00:07:05
Sam
500 mark. Everyone's locked in there pretty close and tight. So chance to bounce back next week and then post-buzz.
00:07:13
Holmesy
Yep, 100%. Sam, do you, like you didn't have Whitfield, you just feel like you had a ah week where a lot of your premiums just didn't fire and you can turn it around or you're starting to have a few issues and your team starting to bob up?
00:07:26
Sam
I think I had a week where maybe I just didn't get saved by a few guys. Like, you know, Ned Long's been really good lately and he he got a 70. um I had Merritt and Bolton on the Thursday, but no Jackson. So that was a rough night.
00:07:41
Sam
um But I think the chickens are coming home to roost on me a little bit because, you know, obviously I missed out on some extra cash value from guys like Ashcroft and Reid trading them out early. And maybe now that's just starting to catch
Long-term vs Short-term Trading Strategies
00:07:54
Sam
up with me. But,
00:07:55
Sam
Look, still going okay, and we'll be exiting the buyers with 22 premiums, which is yeah which is, you know, good enough, good enough.
00:08:07
Holmesy
Harmi, you had your hand up, mate. You don't want to say anything anymore? You don't want to to stick the knife in bit further?
00:08:12
Jon Harmey
No, no way.
00:08:12
Holmesy
off
00:08:13
Jon Harmey
I'm only about talking up the boys. I'm not stabbing them in the back.
00:08:18
Holmesy
Good man. Harmi, how'd you go this week?
00:08:20
Jon Harmey
ah Look, 1809, which... Comparatively, it sounds okay, but it wasn't okay. I actually dropped rank, but not that the ranking really matters too much at this point.
00:08:34
Jon Harmey
um So, yeah not a very good week. And similar to Sam, just had a whole bunch of players that should have scored all right that bloody didn't like Merritt, Sinclair, Bergman, Bolton.
00:08:46
Jon Harmey
Captain Smith. So anyway, look, i had a few better ah players, obviously, because I didn't completely bomb, but wasn't it wasn't a very fulfilling week.
00:08:58
Holmesy
Yeah, it was a bit like that. And I guess I was one of the luckier coaches that did manage to to save with a few premiums. I had 19.03. As much as I am sad for Louis and what happened, I i clearly was one of the coaches that benefited by not having Lockie Whitfield.
00:09:13
Holmesy
If he had have put up just a normal score, i definitely would have slid. But I had the epitome of a par round, I guess, for my rank. I went up three ranking spots to a very nice 169.
00:09:26
Holmesy
ah from 172 and hoping this week with a lot of the popular Brisbane GWS players out that i that I haven't owned all season that hopefully this is the week that I can start to to push up a little little bit towards that top 100 boys.
Player Performance Predictions and Team Strategies
00:09:39
Holmesy
But Sam, I'll go to you first. Can you give us your Stato and Dossie picks for the week?
00:09:46
Sam
Yeah, huge bounceback bounce back from Bontempele. So very happy to see him put last week behind him. um Look, in hindsight, would have been a great captain choice, but it's hard to captain a guy after a score of 50. I think I've learned my lesson. Just captain people against West Coast enrichmond and and don't worry about the rest.
00:10:08
Sam
Dossie Pick of the Week. Oh, my God. When you talk about trading in someone that you think is going to give you 100 every week, you feel so confident. Zach Merritt.
00:10:20
Sam
oh I mean, as Lou said in the chat, um I'm grateful that we kind of jumped on him when he got the 149 against Richmond. But aside from that, it has been hard watch and hard scoring. So my Dossie Pick of the Week is him and Brad Scott for playing the kids in midfield.
00:10:37
Holmesy
Could have been worse, Sammy Boy. You could have traded him in after the 149 and got a and an AT average from him over the last three weeks. um Look, let's just do this now because it's going to be a bit of a hot topic. Zach Merritt, obvious trade out with the role at the moment and what he's doing for that team, Harmi, but he does have Gold Coast and Richmond after his buy where there's going to be no tag. I suppose the question I have for you is,
00:11:03
Holmesy
Is he playing sore? Is this role going to turn around and they go back to him being their main man in the midfield? Or is it because they're so depleted that you know they're just going to use him as a role player where he's not going to have ah this this fantasy-friendly role?
00:11:15
Holmesy
what do you What do you think? Because I'm torn. I i want to ah want to boot him, but those two matchups after his bye are nice and enticing.
00:11:24
Jon Harmey
Yeah, look, I want to boot him too, mate. And I actually changed my trading plans a little bit over the weekend to give myself the ability to if I want to go that way. um Is he playing sore? I don't think so.
00:11:37
Jon Harmey
ah And look, apologies to everybody last week when I said don't trade Zach Merritt because he's a 110 averaging player.
Insights from Zach Merritt on Bombers' Strategy
00:11:45
Jon Harmey
Well, quite clearly he's not. The Bombers don't want to win games. They're tanking for a draft.
00:11:50
Jon Harmey
pick in my opinion and him playing on the start on the wing on the weekend. Zach Merritt the wingman? I don't really think so. Is that using um his skills and experience to the best of our ability? Don't think so.
00:12:05
Jon Harmey
um i don't like what I'm seeing so I'm happy to jump off and trade back in if he proves me wrong.
00:12:12
Lew
yeah I was listening to an interview, might have been on Channel 7 pre-game with Zach Merritt, and he kind of in a roundabout way just said that this year is now a development year and they're going to shift him around in order to have the younger players and less experienced players you know perform to the best of their a
Strategic Trading and Player Evaluations
00:12:31
Lew
ability. So that probably tracks a little bit with the with the maybe they're tanking a little bit theory, Harmi, but um yeah, I don't know if they're going to throw Zach Merritt around for...
00:12:42
Lew
the remainder of the season and, you know, find out about their list. You'd think they would have done that already with 12 debutantes. Then he might be one we want to jump off. and
00:12:52
Jon Harmey
It wasn't even that, though. You say, oh, getting getting some young blokes a run through the midfield. Well, we'll set a field.
00:13:00
Holmesy
Set a field
00:13:01
Jon Harmey
Leads the fucking, oh, sorry, it leads the um CBAs. Darcy Parrish, Jai Caldwell.
00:13:06
Lew
We've got to re-record now. You swore.
00:13:09
Holmesy
Is this the ball boys, Harmy?
00:13:10
Jon Harmey
God, it's just...
00:13:12
Sam
We just have to mark an explicit episode.
00:13:12
Jon Harmey
Being...
00:13:14
Lew
but if we if we think back to If we think back to that 149 that Zach Merritt scored against Richmond, the roll wasn't there that week either.
00:13:16
Holmesy
No ads. No ads in this podcast now.
00:13:26
Lew
It was, you know what was it, like an 84-point last quarter where he just mopped up off of half-back. So um even with that 149, the roll wasn't there. it's you know The alarm bells are probably sounding off and Unfortunately, he's probably lost a lot of the cash that he's going to lose. But if this continues, and you know with the buy next week, I think he's one that we can certainly consider to to jump off. Maybe we can get a little bit creative with it. you know We've got a few guys, um be it a Jason Horn Francis, say um a Callum Mills on the weekend that we can make some cash off of going down.
00:14:03
Lew
um i know with coaches struggling to find cash on the bench, that might be an option for this week.
00:14:11
Holmesy
Beautiful. Now we did get a bit off off track, Lou, so why don't you now give us your State Owen Dossie picks for the week?
00:14:17
Lew
Yeah, so my Stato pick of the week was Luke Jackson for his 144. And I actually traded Zach Merritt to Luke Jackson. So my week, had I not done that, could have been a lot worse. That was an 87-point swing. So um thank God I did that one. My Dossie pick of the week, though, I won't give it to Lockie Whitfield. ah I can't really control that sort of stuff. So that is what it is. But Shai Bolton, 53, who...
00:14:44
Jon Harmey
Yes.
00:14:44
Lew
I actually brought in the same week I brought in Zach Merritt for that Richmond game has been a bit of a fizzer. It started off okay. And I was hoping he'd get me through the buys, but he's a, he's a seriously hard watch and the role it looked, it's, it's kind of there. It probably wasn't ever there when I picked him though, to be honest, I think it was a,
00:15:04
Lew
Bit of ah you know eyes on the other end of the trade, and that's come back to bite me four or five weeks later.
00:15:06
Sam
Thank you.
00:15:10
Lew
So, yep, Bolton 53, that one hurts, and I can't wait to see the back of him this week.
00:15:16
Sam
I think the role was there for a couple of weeks, but it has it has just evaporated, as you point out, Lou. um They've gone with Jackson as a bigger body in there now. They've gone with Wagner to to to play a tagging role. um So I think coaches that traded in Bolton, myself included, m don't beat yourself up too much. it It was really nice for a couple of weeks there, but then he just kind of went back to the role he was playing in the first six or seven rounds of the season, which is a shame.
00:15:46
Sam
Here's a 50-50 that might keep you up at night. Grian Myers and Shai Bolton. Because I reckon I was looking at them at the same time. Wowzers.
00:15:55
Holmesy
Yeah. Hey, Sam, you traded in Luke Jackson this week though, right?
00:15:59
Sam
Yeah, I did um for about 30 seconds and then I traded him back out. So um we don't need to go into details. I was... Feeling pretty cool, calm and collected on Thursday night.
00:16:08
Holmesy
No, I think we do.
00:16:10
Sam
um
00:16:10
Holmesy
i think we do.
00:16:11
Sam
Wasn't really stressing about being rank 82. And um look, let's go to the strategy roundtable.
00:16:19
Holmesy
but But Sam, I have a screenshot of your trades that you sent me two minutes before the game on Thursday night that had Luke Jackson in it. what What happened?
00:16:29
Lew
and Send the screenshots of Warnie and say the um the game glitched.
00:16:29
Sam
I don't want to talk about it.
00:16:34
Sam
Yeah, that's true. Yeah, maybe I should try that. Yeah. My brain glitched.
00:16:40
Lew
yeah
00:16:40
Holmesy
Did you or did you not send me that trade two minutes before lockout of that game and then immediately say, nah, I can't do it, I'm a pussy, and then two minutes after that say, oh my God, what have I done?
00:16:53
Sam
No, because it wasn't two minutes. It was one minute before the game, and it was one minute after the game had started. Oh, my God. ah just I just – I couldn't sit there in good conscience with – Luke Jackson as my R, whatever call it, R2, because I already had, as you know, seven forwards. I just, it was hindsight's 20-20. Let's move on
00:17:16
Holmesy
Yeah, yeah, nah. Fair enough. Harmy, why don't you give us your dossier and Stato picks for the week?
00:17:22
Jon Harmey
Yes. ah Well, my Stato pick for the week, I would like to give it to Sam Davidson for his 108 points. Sadly, however, I benched Sam Davidson to take Kyle Lomans, 84.
00:17:37
Jon Harmey
eighty four So I didn't get that. So I can't, in good conscience, give it to him. I think I'll probably give it back-to-back weeks to Caleb Sorong, 137, even though it was against the Bombers. I was still quite happy seeing him rack up.
00:17:54
Jon Harmey
So that was pretty good. I'll give it to Sorong. Dossie pick of the week, so many to choose from. ah Disappointing to see Bolton and Merida both off the table already. So let's have a look. Maybe maybe the must-have trading of the week, Johnson.
00:18:10
Jon Harmey
oh man, he couldn't get near it. 35 points. yeah And then, you know, thinking I was going to get 100,000 cash generation got a lot less than that. So let's go that way.
00:18:21
Jon Harmey
He can have it, even though he's a rookie. up Too bad. You've got to perform or you're getting called out.
00:18:29
Sam
if ah While we mention Johnson, if coaches are looking to trade, say, Johnson or Clark this week, I think it's a little bit of a tricky one. Who would you prefer to hold for another round? Because I thought Clark actually looked really good on the weekend. He was playing a bit deeper um and was ah getting a lot of the pull. I actually didn't even see where Johnson was playing because, yeah, he was he hardly touched it.
00:18:54
Sam
Who would you like to hold or trade in that situation?
00:18:59
Jon Harmey
Johnson was named on field when they named the team on Thursday and I thought, oh yeah, well that's good, he's named on field, they're going play on the backflank too, I thought, oh well, he might get a decent role here and that's why one of the reasons I brought him in.
00:19:12
Jon Harmey
Come game time, he's sitting on the bench for the first five to ten minutes of the game, he didn't really get as much of a run at it but I have much more confidence in Clark actually.
00:19:23
Holmesy
Yeah, murphy' Murphy's Law...
00:19:23
Lew
Yeah, I echo that, but I think both can go sort of back to back.
00:19:28
Holmesy
Yeah, Murphy's Law says whatever one you trade will be the one that gets dropped um out of the buys because they do have, what, Redmond coming back, Ridley will be close, Reid will be close.
00:19:32
Jon Harmey
Yeah.
00:19:38
Lew
This is just going to be prior verse read 2.0, isn't it?
00:19:38
Holmesy
um
00:19:42
Holmesy
Yeah, yeah, far out. ah So my Stato and Dossie Picks of the Week before we get into our roundtable, I just want to give a shout-out to Noah Anderson for his 133.
00:19:55
Holmesy
um He's a bit of a nervous own because you do know he can get tagged at times. And I did think he was going to get the Bedford tag this week, and he did sit him sit on him at times. But, yeah, 133 when you're expecting a tag.
00:20:08
Holmesy
ah was definitely needed and yeah, it was a very good way to finish Sunday. My dossie pick for the week, and I'm going to give this to multiple players.
00:20:20
Holmesy
How's this, Harmy? So these four players did not make my best 18 this week. Merritt, 57. Sinclair, 64. Holmes, 71. Chad Warner, 71.
00:20:30
Jon Harmey
yeah
00:20:30
Holmesy
And then you had players like Liddy and Lohman making my best 18. So... um't unbelievable these so-called premiums we have. um The Saints matchup was always going to be tough, but it didn't matter for Nassai Wanganee-Millera, who was my mental health trade-in this week and not going to lie, i got in Sam's DMs and was a little bit annoyed that he wasn't on 50 early in the first quarter like he always has been when I don't own him. But but yeah, just these premiums at the moment, especially the ones that are getting tagged, are a bit of an issue.
00:21:01
Jon Harmey
It's unlike you to have a complaint about a player you've traded in, Homesy.
00:21:06
Holmesy
Yeah, not like me at all, Harmy. I keep it to the DMs these days, keep it away from the group chat. But I i promise I will not complain for the rest of the year now knowing what Louis copped on the weekend.
00:21:18
Holmesy
Unless I cop something worse than that, I'll just i'll just keep my mouth shut.
00:21:22
Lew
not not a single complaint from me by the way
00:21:25
Holmesy
Yeah, yeah, I agree. Well done, well done, Lou. All right, before we get into the strategy round table, just a quick update on the Pod Pod Challenge. So still 15 coaches in the top 100, which is very good to see.
00:21:39
Holmesy
ah Hopefully we can get a few more in there and and really get some of these coaches some hats. So well done there. Still two coaches inside the top 10. So Michael's team, are Niso FC, sitting at number six.
00:21:50
Holmesy
And then Tom's team, Ethan M. Fan team, sitting at number nine. ah Those two coaches have been well entrenched in the top 10 for a while now. So keep going, lads, in and push up towards that Hilux.
00:22:01
Holmesy
um Bit of an update, Louis. Jacob Does Fantasy has slid to number four. So we wanted to see how long he could hold on for. And he's doing some things, but slipping a little bit now.
00:22:11
Holmesy
So i think...
00:22:12
Lew
He's doing well.
00:22:14
Holmesy
I think the the team that was winning last week was at Rankin-My-Chain, who has an unbelievable team. I think he slipped to 13 as well with the the Whitfield injury. So it's still so much moving to be done up that top end, which is going to make for very interesting viewing come the end of the season.
00:22:33
Holmesy
All right, what I want to start with, boys, is I just want to have a bit of a chat about trading strategy this week. It's a bit of a tricky week because, as I mentioned off the top of the show, we've got a lot of popular premiums on the buy.
00:22:44
Holmesy
So, I think Whitfield, Ash, Green, Holmes, Baz, Stewart, Martin, Merritt, Caldwell, Dunkley, Zorko, Ashcroft.
00:22:49
Jon Harmey
Not married.
00:22:51
Holmesy
There's so many of them. Yeah, maybe we don't put Merritt in that conversation or or even Tom Stewart, but... What I want to do is just quickly talk about pre-trades, how many premiums and rookies we have, and what we're sort of looking to do because it's going to be an important week of trading to make sure we're set up for next week because we don't want to be coming out of the buys with rookies on field. I know McCarthy was good last week.
00:23:15
Holmesy
But we saw Bice have a 120 and a 90 and then get subbed out for a nine. So we know these rookies can can put up these scores, Lou. So at the moment, pre-trades, I know you haven't opened the app, but how many premiums and rookies do you have?
00:23:28
Lew
Mm-hmm.
00:23:28
Holmesy
And what are you sort of looking to do at this week to sort of set yourself up?
00:23:32
Lew
um So I'm at 17 primos, two rooks before trade. So I'll be able to um get that 18th primo, complete my side for the 22. So I'm happy about that. But um this is going to be a really interesting week for coaches because like you said, some of our best scorers, I think I saw something the trader said, it's something like nine of the top 20 players this year all have the round 16 by. So,
00:24:02
Lew
I think if you're extremely heavy, you probably have to do something about that. It might be a little bit of a sideways sort of shuffle, but ah as a general sense, I'd probably keep trucking along and making sure I'm improving my side.
00:24:16
Lew
um And that might even be you know exploring a 23rd premium. We've got, as I mentioned before, we've got a couple of cheapies in Horn Francis and maybe a Mills that we can look at.
00:24:27
Lew
That's probably... the direction that I may head in. Holmesy, you've got 18 premiums next or this week rather. What's your sort of plan of attack?
00:24:39
Holmesy
Yeah, so that's where, yeah, a bit selfish of me, but I did want to talk about it a little bit. So there's the two trains of thought for my side personally. So at the moment, as it stands, if it wasn't best 18, I do have the 22 primos, admittedly um with McKercher at D6. So...
00:24:57
Holmesy
so If I was to go down, you know, the one way of maybe trading out a Zach Merritt, I've still got my 22 premiums on field for next week. And then that would allow me to get a 19th scorer for this week. But part of me wants to explore the idea of a 23rd premium. And maybe I'll throw it to you, Harmy.
00:25:17
Holmesy
Sam, so i've I've spoken to Sam about it and he's not 100% sure. So I could sideways trade Zach Merritt or I could use my bench. I could use my Johnson, Clark and Lohman and get two rookies in and get one of them up to a Callum Mills, which would essentially give me a 23rd premium. Do you think that's the avenue that I need to go down? It would get me an extra scorer this week, but it does mean that my on-field scorers are going to be a little bit weaker compared to the rest of the comp. What do you think, Harmi?
00:25:45
Jon Harmey
ah I think there's still plenty of rounds left. So I wouldn't be too concerned about taking a slight points hit this week if you feel it'll be better in the long run.
00:25:58
Jon Harmey
Just a question on that. So if you bring in Mills and let's say he's on the bench, he's your D7. Who's your D6 normally?
00:26:08
Holmesy
Yeah, so what that would mean is that it would be a loop. When we come for best 22 next week, it would be a loop between Colby and Mills. So I suppose you kind of can use it in a way. The idea, and and Chris did it so well last year with all these tags, is that you know say you've got a Nick Dacos and you know he's coming into a rough tag for a 60, you can bench him trying to try and get the loop. And if he's no good, then you put your 23rd premium on and you might gain sort of 30, 40, 50 points against the rest of the comp that can't do it that way. Now, it will mean that the 22 on field aren't as strong as someone that's putting all of their cash on their field.
00:26:48
Holmesy
Maybe it's a bit early, Harmy. Maybe do you think we look at this maybe around sort of 17, 18, 19 bit later on
00:26:54
Jon Harmey
yeah Yeah, I think I'd probably prefer that. I mean, the other thing is, ah well, Colby's a defender mid, so if you had a defender mid in the utility or the mid, then you could sort of loop him for mid and defender.
00:27:06
Jon Harmey
And then the the other thing is you've also got McCarthy, who could be an all-right scorer. So, you know, it's possible that you don't need to have Mills as your D7 because McCarthy might be ah legitimate D7 for us. I guess time will tell on that one.
00:27:22
Lew
Could you swap it around, Holmesy? Could you um go 22 this week with um maybe that extra premium because that's what best 18 sort of favours ah while on the other end, maybe just setting yourself up with the return to two trades to get that 23rd premium next week where it's it's probably going to be more advantageous?
00:27:44
Holmesy
Yeah, I think that the way that I could get it done this week is because you've got the three trades, Louis.
00:27:49
Lew
Yeah.
00:27:49
Holmesy
so without that third trade, you know you're going to have to wait a lot longer for McCarthy to kind of mature and and get up in price. You're kind of banking on you know your Johnsons and Lomans to hopefully put on you know another 100-odd K, which won't necessarily happen.
00:28:06
Holmesy
um But you know you can carry carry carry cash over week to week and then –
00:28:11
Lew
That's what I was sort of thinking. yeah If you could swap some primos over, carry cash over and get it done with one downgrade next week, I don't mind that either. But I like Harmy bringing up McCarthy there. We saw he had an absolute phenomenal role last week or the week prior to the bart buy rather. If he can keep that up and go at a seventy five eighty clip,
00:28:33
Lew
I'd be pretty happy with that because um you know I'm not totally convinced that yeah know Mills and Horn Francis are going to go too much past 90 in terms of an average, which might be close enough when we're talking a guy that we've just paid, what, 293k and some others paying only the 230k.
00:28:49
Lew
some others paying only the two hundred and thirty
00:28:52
Holmesy
Yeah, I suppose the only issue with the McCarthy loop is that um with the Eagles run home, I haven't checked it. I'm only assuming that they're going to have a lot of late games on Sunday, ah which means that you know you're pretty much relying on McCarthy to play on field after you know whoever you've tried to loop hasn't worked. And that, that for me personally, would make me nervous. ah you know Maybe he comes out this week and and he's just a bona fide sort of you know, low-end premium and and that kind of puts your nerves to rest. But like I mentioned with Bice, we can see these players drop off. And the last thing you want to do is put McCarthy on field late on a Sunday for ah a 40 or 50, Sam.
00:29:30
Lew
Yeah, they've got form too, the Eagles, for some some strange sub calls that have so hurt the fantasy coaches.
00:29:37
Sam
Yeah, i just had a quick look because I had the same thought, Kyle. um He's got a couple of early games in the next five rounds, but most of them are late. so you you are making that awkward decision if your premium scores 70, 80 points. Oh, i do I? Don't I? And yeah, it could definitely hurt you.
00:29:55
Sam
The one thing I would say about the 23 approach you're talking about is it is a chance to make a bit more cash as well, unless your rookie, obviously, that you trade in performs really well because guys like Mills and
00:30:04
Holmesy
Thank
00:30:08
Sam
And McKercher, we think, are probably good to to chalk up another 100, 150k from here on in um ah while scoring us some points on field and giving us a bit of flexibility. So don't discount that if you're um if you're looking to keep the cash gen rolling.
00:30:26
Holmesy
Sam, just before we move on, how many premiums pre-trades do you have on field this week? And what are you looking to do with your trades to set yourself up for next week when we go back into best 22?
00:30:38
Sam
um I haven't got my pre-trade figures, but post-trade, I guess it's one one less, I suppose. Post-trades, I've got 18 premiums and three or four rookies playing, just depending on which rookie I'm trade into this week.
00:30:55
Sam
um So I should have 22. And then I guess next round, I'm probably looking to move on Ned Long. and try and pick up either someone like a Josh Dunkley or or one of the really good defenders um like Nazaire or Dane Zorko. So, yeah, that's kind of the plan I had going forward. this This week I had earmarked to trade out Ned Long.
00:31:17
Sam
um ah But, you know, he's got the Eagles matchup and I think Zach Merritt's a bit more of a priority for me at the moment. So, yeah, that's kind of how I'm rolling at the moment.
00:31:29
Sam
Team's okay, but I've got guys like Warner, Rankin, and Daniel in the forward line and and missing Kennedy. So, um you know, missing some of the really good informed players there.
00:31:39
Holmesy
that is ah That is a good segue. So we're going to do it we're going to look at some trade targets now. And I like a lot of these because a lot of them are you know overpriced or maybe at value.
00:31:50
Holmesy
But we do know it's starting to get to the time of year that we do need to sort of hunt these players. ah So Lou, I'll start with you first. As a Matt Kennedy owner, my new philosophy is getting players in that just make my mental health better like Nass last week.
00:32:05
Holmesy
Can I pay $1.12 for Matt Kennedy?
00:32:09
Lew
or I'll tell you what, mate, if you did pay 112 and he drops a stinker, then your mental health is probably going to need a check. But I'll tell you what, up to this point, I think he hasn't gone below 107 since round six. So the form is there.
00:32:26
Lew
Bevo's put him in a great role. it It sort of reminds me of that old school Dunkley role a little bit where he starts in the centre bounce, but there's also a threat up forward. ah he's fun to watch it's made it's a massive price tag though so I think if you've if you've avoided paying up this much for players prior to this um maybe you can make it work get some of those points onto the field for coaches in a more luxurious position but generally the straight batters is obviously looking for that value and I think there are a couple of defenders um that have a nice run coming up and
00:33:01
Lew
and they're a little bit, ah sorry, forwards i have a nice run coming up they're little bit cheaper that maybe we can explore and save a bit of money and, and you know, improve our site around that over the the next number of weeks. Because, yeah, if you can if you can get a decent player for 200k less, maybe one hundred k less, and you can use that better elsewhere, then generally that's your best bet.
00:33:23
Holmesy
I suppose i'll I'll ask you, Lou, so...
00:33:25
Lew
He's also not a captain option. Are you going to put the C on Matthew Kennedy? I think he's a flyer for a VC for sure, but I'd be a nervous captainer despite the form. 105.
00:33:35
Holmesy
I suppose, worst case, what can you see him doing? Like, what's the absolute worst case that Matt Kennedy will do from here?
00:33:42
Lew
ah one ah five
00:33:45
Holmesy
Yeah, so ah if it's 105, then i'm I'm doing it because, yes, you're going to lose a little bit of cash on him, but 105 is still clearly going to have him as F3, more than likely F3.
00:33:57
Holmesy
I think the guys at sort of F6, F7 are your McCrays, your Warners, your Rankins that are all sort of around that sort of 90 to 94 range. So if you're getting 10 to 11 points on them each week,
00:34:10
Holmesy
um I don't think it it matters too much. So yeah, Matt Kennedy firmly in my sights this week despite... usually not playing the game this way. Harmi, the next player I'll go to is Harry Sheasel. Now, you asked us about him pre-pod.
00:34:26
Holmesy
So why don't you give us your thoughts on Harry Sheasel? Because he's doing it, he's he's getting it done without having the CBA role. He's playing as an extra midfielder around the ground, a la Nick Martin.
00:34:37
Holmesy
I think he's had one score of 80 in his last six or seven. um Yeah, Harry Sheasel, 109. What do you think?
00:34:45
Jon Harmey
I think that he's not too bad a trade-in option, someone that I have had a bit of a look at. I guess um he seems to be back into the role he was at the start of the year, but scoring better.
00:34:57
Jon Harmey
And that would seem to be the role that Clarkson actually wants him to play. So I guess I feel as though the role um so is a bit more certain, but he's scoring well. So I'm fairly comfortable, I think, trading him in at that, but it's not as if you're getting a bargain, is it?
00:35:16
Holmesy
Well, do you see him as a top six defender, Harmi?
00:35:20
Jon Harmey
Yes.
00:35:22
Holmesy
Yeah, I think ah think that answers it. I think he's he's always going to be prone to to maybe a 90 score, 80 maybe at worst here or there because there will be games still where North aren't on top.
00:35:34
Holmesy
But in those softer matchups, I mean, they played Freo and he still scored a 130 and Freo are tough for mid. So... I think Sheezul's found his place in that team and I think he is a very good option.
00:35:48
Holmesy
Sam, Nassaya Wanganeen-Milera priced at 113. Just keeps getting it done. Do you have plans to get him at some stage or do you think now you need to wait for him to drop a little bit?
00:36:00
Sam
ah Yeah, I do have plans to get him at some stage, of course. I think he's one of the kind of half a dozen guys in the game at the moment who are a must-have. They're clearly going to be a top six defender and unless something drastically changes, which I don't think it will.
00:36:17
Sam
um ah yeah, I'll try and find a ah nice place to get him. Maybe if I can identify a good run for him coming up, but you know, I mentioned it before, if I can get Ned Long to him um next week, going into round 17, I'll feel pretty good, but ah geez, I'll be tempted by guys like Dunkley and, um and oh sorry, there's one other defenders have dropped off a bit, but yeah, guys like Dunkley at 925. I mean, we know if he gets back to his best form, he can go 105, 110. So,
00:36:47
Sam
Yep, it'll be expensive and when I come to get him, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
00:36:54
Holmesy
He's just one of those players at the moment where we keep saying it. Well, I keep saying it every week. Why why do teams not put attention into him? And I think they do. I just think he's that quick and classy at the moment that...
00:37:06
Holmesy
he's He's getting the ball, but because St Kilda are so bad as well, they don't mind him getting the you know the little 45 kicks out to the boundary or or taking it on out there because they know that they're just going to win the ball back over and then they're away. So yeah, he's expensive, but I think it needs to happen at some point soon.
00:37:26
Holmesy
Louis, another, so this is a forward and you mentioned, I suppose you can throw him in the blanket with your JHF. and maybe some others. But Jack McRae, 104 on the weekend. are His break-evens basically reset now.
00:37:39
Holmesy
ah Do you think Jack McRae is a good option to bring in this week?
00:37:44
Lew
Yeah, do. ah I'm really keen on Jack McRae. He's one that started the season off with a bang and um probably didn't fall out of form as much as maybe he was just doing some of the more important footy things rather than what we loved as fantasy coaches. But...
00:38:01
Lew
Yeah, he's he's definitely got the role. I think he's a part of a team that's going to be conducive of scoring. And I think as the game slows down, maybe Jack McRae gets a little bit more involved. So when we talk about these forwards and there being a little bit of a blanket over them,
00:38:18
Lew
I actually think Jack McRae has just popped his head out from underneath that blanket ahead of some of these other guys. And ah I'm relatively confident of him being top six forward from here and and you know maybe even nudging sort of top four or five as well. So I think he's a great target over the next coming weeks.
00:38:36
Jon Harmey
Yeah, I brought in McRae on the weekend, actually, Lou. um Yeah, he's just in their midfield. He's in their best midfield at the Saints. And i mean, it's not like Filippo or anybody's going to take his spot. So I just think that he's got the potential to really rack up.
00:38:52
Holmesy
Harmi, do you think Jack Steele is going to come out of that midfield soon? And then it's it's basically McRae's?
00:39:00
Jon Harmey
The thing is he's not very versatile still. It's not like he's ah a ripping, goal-kicking forward flanker, is he? So I think that he's put up assist with him being in the midfield for quite a while yet.
00:39:16
Holmesy
Yeah, it's it's just interesting. they they need to keep They need to keep building that list right and... Yeah, Jack Steele, he's been good from a fantasy sense over the last sort of five, six weeks, but he hasn't been good from a footy perspective, Sam.
00:39:30
Sam
Yeah, just just adding to the McRae chat there, I mean, 104 from 71% time on ground against Collingwood. If I was in the market for a forward this week and I was looking at Matt Kennedy or Jack McRae, I would feel pretty pretty comfortable just grabbing Jack McRae and saving myself a bit of cash.
00:39:50
Holmesy
don't Don't do that to me, Sam.
00:39:52
Jon Harmey
smart ah
00:39:53
Holmesy
Don't do that to me.
00:39:55
Sam
good Good coaches can afford Kennedy homes, so you'll be fine. You'll be fine. Pay up and and and sleep easy.
00:40:02
Holmesy
Sam, I'll stick with you and I suppose Lou as well. Is this the week that you guys grabbed Nick Dacos? You've got away with it ah for the last five or six weeks with some tag games, but against the Eagles, does anyone that not have that doesn't have Nick Dacos, do they need a jump this week?
00:40:18
Sam
I do think so. um Not only because he's got the Eagles this week, but he actually has a great run uh, after that as well. Um, so he's run from now until the end of the year is pretty nice. Yes. There's going to be some tags in there. Maybe he gets a chin cotter in round 17, probably gets Wagner again in round 19, but on the other side of that, they've got Eagles, the sons Richmond,
00:40:43
Sam
Lions, I don't think, will tag him. Maybe they'll surprise me. ah But I think their midfield's good enough to go head-to-head against Collingwood. um So yes, he's a must-have for me. and And thankfully, he's not too expensive. So I'm happy to to buy him here at 1.02.
00:40:59
Holmesy
Harmi, I'll throw you two defenders now. Surely you're going to go to the the North Melbourne game in Tassie over the weekend, but Colby priced at 73, Mills priced at 81. Are these two options if you're if you're in the market to get that sort of last defender to get the rookie off your field?
00:41:15
Jon Harmey
think they're both options. I guess they're both they both present quite good value based on the last couple of week a couple of games that they have played. So I'm pretty satisfied bringing either of those guys in.
00:41:32
Holmesy
If you had to pick one.
00:41:34
Jon Harmey
Well, I picked Mills because I've already got Mkircher. I have done for a long time, Holmesy. Ah, look, if I if i didn't have either, I'd probably take Mkircher at the value.
00:41:45
Sam
Yeah, I agree. I'd probably take Mekircher. Ironically, i'm I'm actually going Mills over Mekircher because I don't know if I can have Sheasel, Daniel and Mekircher all in the same side.
00:41:53
Lew
Thank you.
00:41:55
Sam
That feels like too much north backline exposure. um So, yeah, I still think Mekircher's got ah ah probably a slightly better role and um if it continues. And, yeah, we know the north backline has been has been pretty good for points.
00:42:10
Holmesy
Lou, I'll throw you two forwards. Oh yeah, two forwards. So JHF priced at 81, break even still 99, so up there a bit, but we can we know he can hit that on his day. And Dylan Moore priced at 83. So if you had to go one of those two in the market for a discounted forward that might be out to push towards that sort of F6 range, who are you going?
00:42:35
Lew
I'm firmly in the JHF camp there. I know that he's been playing a little bit more forward than usual, but more is pretty much a guarantee to to be on that half forward line, whereas I think Horn Francis is going to play a large role in the back half of the season for Port and will have that midfield role at least 50%. So I'm going to back that in.
00:42:56
Lew
ah Backing the better player too, i think, and and pick Jason Horn Francis there.
00:43:03
Holmesy
Sam, last couple of midfielders before we move on to the questions. ah So Butters priced at 95, Bont priced at 98, and now Sorong priced at 106.
00:43:16
Holmesy
Talk us through these three options and maybe sort of rank who you'd be looking to target.
00:43:21
Sam
um as I mean, Sorong has been very good the last couple of weeks. I almost worry if that hurts him a little bit, as in maybe coaches, and by that I mean actual AFL coaches, start thinking about tagging him again um because he has he has been so good. But I guess time will tell.
00:43:44
Sam
Really like Bont and Butters, they obviously come with tag risk. um Bulldogs are playing some pretty good footy at the moment and scoring some good fantasy points. um If I had to pick between the two of them, I'd probably take Butters over Bont just for a little bit less tag risk with Rosie and Horn Francis in there, but it's a tough one.
00:44:08
Sam
I'm keen to hear other thoughts on the pod because Price, similarly, I do struggle to split them.
00:44:13
Holmesy
Thank
00:44:15
Sam
Bont maybe has a bit more of a ceiling on his day.
00:44:19
Holmesy
Yeah, this one's this one's tough. And umll I'll be honest, I don't really want to pay or buy into any midfielders this week. um Butters on the weekend, I think we saw exactly what Zach Butters is. When he doesn't get tagged, he can put up 80-point halves.
00:44:34
Holmesy
But he's just so good at footy and he's so important to that team that when they do tag him, he puts up at a 20 or 30-point half. And that's what we saw on the weekend. I think he's got some tags coming up towards the end of the year.
00:44:46
Holmesy
Makes me nervous, but you do know you're potentially going to get a ceiling score if there's no tag. Bont's the same. i mean I mean, at least when Butters does get tagged, he's like Dacos.
00:44:47
Lew
Kennedy, the goat.
00:44:57
Holmesy
He tries to shake it off and and it's it's tough. But Bont, he doesn't care. and bit like Holmes earlier on in the year, he's getting tagged and all that does is just release Richards, Treloar, no Treloar anymore, but Libba.
00:45:10
Holmesy
um all their All their players, they just go to go to work and Bont's happy to just sort of coast around.
00:45:13
Lew
kennedy ah go
00:45:15
Holmesy
um And yeah, Bont, do we think Lou Bont has James Jordan this week?
00:45:22
Lew
No, think Bont will be fine. It's his 250th game too, so they'll probably be looking for him. He'll want to play a big one. I like Bont this week.
00:45:30
Holmesy
Yep. I think if I did have to rank them, Harmi traded in Sorong at the perfect time for his back-to-back 130s, but Windhage is going to clamp him this week. It means that he'll probably only get ah an 80 to 100 score, which isn't isn't the worst, but I think you're right, Sam, that Sorong is very clearly the number one trade target at Frio. And because of that, I said I only want to trade in defenders. I don't want midfielders that can get tagged. So that's why I'm not going to go Sorong.
00:45:57
Holmesy
I think out of those three, it would be Butters 1, Bont 2, and then Sarong 3. Would you agree with that, Sam?
00:46:06
Sam
I think for the prices, yes, that's right. I think you could actually go, as Luis just said, I think you could go Bont this week, Butters next week if you wanted to get two midfielders.
00:46:16
Sam
um Butters might get Cincotto this week. After that, I think his actually tag run looks pretty good to me. Lions, Eagles, Hawks, Crows, Cats, and then Fremantle in 22 maybe gets Wagner. But I don't think the rest of those midfielders are tagging him. Maybe he gets Nash against the Hawks, but that's more of just an attention at stoppage rather than a hard tag.
00:46:38
Lew
Has Chincota gotten any scalps this year? and I know he's been tagging, but I haven't paid attention to what the result of it is.
00:46:43
Holmesy
Merit.
00:46:43
Sam
Just, yeah, just the one merit.
00:46:44
Holmesy
Merit's the only one. But it still was a 90, so yeah.
00:46:45
Lew
Just merit. Yeah, okay.
00:46:49
Sam
Yeah. I don't know.
00:46:50
Holmesy
All right.
00:46:51
Sam
I'm pretty confident Carlton don't tag Butters. I think they would just go head-to-head in midfield ah with Port, but who knows?
00:46:57
Lew
Yeah, I tend to agree, but we'll see.
00:46:58
Sam
I'm not an AFL coach.
00:47:01
Jon Harmey
Holmes, in that midfield discussion, one thing you didn't mention, who was off the bite last week, is Noah Anderson, because he's not much more than the Bont price tag there.
00:47:15
Jon Harmey
Where would you sit him in the mix of that group?
00:47:20
Holmesy
Look, it's really tricky.
00:47:22
Sam
Holmes is an owner, Hami. So you've just ruined it. That was his secret weapon for the rest of the year.
00:47:26
Holmesy
yeah
00:47:27
Jon Harmey
Ah, right.
00:47:27
Sam
we We had that in the run sheet.
00:47:28
Holmesy
Nah.
00:47:28
Holmesy
Nah.
00:47:29
Sam
Don't talk about Noah Anderson. What?
00:47:32
Jon Harmey
I don't read the ranch elite.
00:47:32
Sam
but
00:47:32
Holmesy
You want you want Matt Rowell instead, Harmy. Nah, look, hey he's your typical, like, when he when he's allowed to roam free, he's racking up at the moment.
00:47:43
Holmesy
He's been getting, you know, high 30s. I think he had 40 touches or close to it on the weekend. but he can get tagged to a 60 and I know Bont can as well, at least with the others, when they get tagged, they still get to it an 80, 90, a hundred.
00:47:57
Holmesy
That's what worries me about Anderson. Um, I just, yeah, it's it's hes it's a nervous zone, that's all. But he's he's he's good. I don't regret having him. There was a bit of buyer's remorse when he had that 60. But outside of that, I think he's been above 110 in five out of his last six games. So he's he's in some form.
00:48:17
Holmesy
um I don't hate going there, you just have to know that there will be weeks where he gets attention and there could be a potential basement, Sam.
00:48:25
Sam
Yeah, i just wanted to pivot back to Dacos and hear from Louie. Is it a no-brainer this week, Lou?
00:48:31
Lew
it is for me mate yeah i won't be able to watch nick dacos up against the eagles um as a non-owner myself but uh yeah you raise a good point with the with the tags they're going to come for nick dacos but um yeah and when he's not being tagged he's going to excel just being the player that he is so think trading him in at 1.02 that might be just about um as cheap as what coaches who jumped on back in around five or six um picked him up for or not far off so
00:48:48
Sam
Yeah.
00:48:57
Sam
Yeah.
00:48:59
Lew
Yeah, now's the time to jump um and, yep, pick him.
00:49:05
Holmesy
Beautiful. All right, lads, it's been almost 50 minutes, so let's get stuck into some questions. I know Lou needs to have some fruit food. Harmi, I'll go to you first. This one's from Gabriel.
00:49:16
Holmesy
Is it better to go one of Mills and Moore this week and also get McKercher, which leaves him with 22 premiums overall and 18 this week, or do you look to target a better bona fide premium and do the final upgrade next week and rely on a rookie for the 18th player this week? So,
00:49:32
Holmesy
17 premiums and a rookie this week, or do you take the the three sort of mid-price players, um which means he's got no rookies on field next week?
00:49:40
Jon Harmey
Well, the thing about that is you' you're not guaranteed that you're going to get that rookie off next week if you don't take the opportunity now because you could get an injury or something else could go wrong. So, you know, you're kind of banking on everything going right for you to be able to get that ah other upgrade next week if you don't take it now.
00:49:58
Jon Harmey
Yeah. That's a bit of a hard one. I don't mind some of the players that you mentioned there that are potentially underpriced premiums and I feel pretty good about having them in my team many anyway. So um I'd probably take the good players while you can now and get that rookie off field now.
00:50:17
Jon Harmey
um That's probably how I would go.
00:50:22
Holmesy
It's a bit of a topical question. So Sam, i'll let I'll let you answer that one as well.
00:50:28
Sam
Yeah, maybe I'm in a bit division different camp. um To borrow a phrase from Lou, you can always hide behind best 18. I wouldn't mind grabbing one of those top line must-have guys like Nazair or Kennedy or something like that.
00:50:42
Sam
um And then you know if you've got, say, three or four rookies playing,
00:50:47
Jon Harmey
Thank you.
00:50:47
Sam
It's no guarantee, but one of them should give you a 70 or something. um But these guys are all going to make money. Mills, Moore, McKircher. I mean, Moore's a bit more of a punt, I feel, than Mills and McKircher. I feel very confident in their roles.
00:51:01
Sam
um You know, Moore had 13 tackles the other week to get to 100. Clearly, that's not happening week in, week out. But that's my take.
00:51:10
Lew
Yeah, I think um you may be introducing just a little bit too much risk because you need to nail the premium, first of all, going 120 plus. And then you need to hope that there's no injuries or suspensions that your team cops as well.
00:51:23
Lew
Because if you aren't able to complete your team by next week, then quite quickly, the points that you've sort of gotten this week um are going to fall by the wayside and you're going to fall a little bit behind.
00:51:37
Holmesy
Do you think, just back to the Mills-McKircher argument, do you think if you give it one more week, do you think, Louie, those players almost lose their value and they're no longer options?
00:51:47
Lew
Yeah, they probably do. I mean, they're going up but between five and 10 points in terms of value per week. um And yeah, to maximize that, you want to jump on as early as possible ah because all the other coaches have already done so. So I think, yeah.
00:52:04
Holmesy
Beautiful. Lou, I'll stick with you. This one is from Jack Marquis. So he's trading Clark to McCarthy, Tick, and then Merritt to Wang. That leaves him 38K.
00:52:15
Holmesy
With the third trade, should I fix up a bench rook to get more dollars for next week or do I go sideways from another underperforming primo? So I suppose you could go, you know, someone in that 800-ish K range, you might be able to get like a long to a McRae or a Warner to McRae or do you think you just bank the money and go again next week?
00:52:33
Lew
I wouldn't mind banking the money here, I think. yeah We've got, what, nine rounds of football to go. Coaches are struggling to generate cash. It sounds like you've got a nice little option here too to bank a little bit more cash and also get a nice rookie on the other end, which is is going to help you in three, four weeks' time. so Unless this underperforming premium is, you know, no chance of really bouncing back and being one of those guys that the rest of the competition wants to jump on when the form turns, I'd probably lean towards the rookie. But without knowing who that premium is, it's a little bit of a difficult question to answer.
00:53:11
Holmesy
Yeah, I really like the idea of banking cash this week because we have some very nice options coming off the buy. Josh Dunkley, 920-ish K. ah Whitfield's going to be 940K if you don't own him and he gets up for the West Coast game.
00:53:25
Holmesy
Even a Butters will be around that mark. um If you can bank money this week and then do a double upgrade next week in terms of you know maybe taking, for example, Warner and Long to Dunkley and Whitfield,
00:53:38
Holmesy
I think that would be a massive, massive upgrade for your team next week. So I like the idea of banking cash to to kind of launch next week as long as you've got 22 premiums on field and and you're not still running a rookie.
00:53:51
Holmesy
Sam, I specifically left this question for you. This one's from Core. Not a question. Well, it is kind of a question. 17 on field after trades. Am I cooked?
00:54:02
Sam
Yes, you are cooked chat. You are cooked.
00:54:07
Holmesy
Yeah, that's yeah that's that's brutal. But hey, just it's going to suck this week and you are going to take a points hit, but don't lose sight of trying to make your team better for next week. You may as well take the hit this week to make sure you come out of it better the other side. so Don't go sideways trading all of your gun premiums just to get 17 on field this week. Just try and improve your side and make sure you can still launch next week.
00:54:31
Holmesy
Sam, I'll stick with you because that was a quick question. This one's from DO. If it gets me to the trade I want, is it still a play to trade Gorn to Grundy this week? Factoring in their respective fixtures with a view of trading back to Gorn in a few weeks, he'll have 20 on field. So we traded Gorn this week.
00:54:49
Holmesy
But is it a place still to trade Gorn to Grundy?
00:54:50
Sam
a
00:54:55
Sam
I'm going to say no. um understand the question and the thinking because the tough fixture run is is still there. But one of the great advantages of trading him last week was obviously he scored zero for us last week.
00:55:11
Sam
So you've got to look at it as a trade decision over a three-game stretch and a four-game stretch. Last week, I think it was a good move. This week, I don't feel so good about it. You know, he's it' still Max Gorn.
00:55:23
Sam
He's still, what, second, third or fourth best AFL fantasy player in the comp. I wouldn't be doing it. I don't think Grunty's up to, what, 1.1 now? You're probably only making 100k off it.
00:55:34
Sam
I'd be holding Gorn.
00:55:38
Holmesy
Yeah, yeah i I agree with that it's yet that. The money that Grundy's made now, the fixture's still there, um but I think last week was the week to do it. I think now you've you've held and he's going to be a little bit more unique than what he was um this time last week with all of us um still having him. So yeah, ah I'd still be holding Gorn.
00:55:57
Holmesy
um Who knows? The fixture hasn't mattered for him all year, so he could just keep doing what he is doing. Harmi, this one's from Pax. And first off, Pax, we do apologise for getting Dossie on the pod two weeks ago and and bringing back these vibes. But he went full Doss and brought in Harry Cunningham.
00:56:16
Holmesy
Is there any chance he's playable or do you just need to jump off straight away?
00:56:25
Sam
Harmy's left himself on mute.
00:56:27
Holmesy
Yeah, well done. Well done, Harmi.
00:56:28
Sam
oh ah I'll fill the gap. ah ah Yes, trade him.
00:56:34
Jon Harmey
Yeah, I'd be trading, Holmes. Well, I probably wouldn't have brought him in, but I have done some stupid things in my time too. But no, look, Harry Cunningham, he ain't going to score for you. Just get off now.
00:56:46
Lew
How many coaches is he owned by?
00:56:46
Holmesy
Yeah, also has the dog yeah he has the dogs this week, which is the reddest of red matchups as well. So, yeah. Look, I did it, what, three weeks ago with Riley Hardiman. Traded him in for one week, traded him out the other week. It does suck and makes you feel sick, but you can it know it only gets worse if you hold and whatnot. So just bite the bullet.
00:57:06
Holmesy
and get him out straight away. Louis, this one's from Dave. What's the priority level of matching a Nassaya, Wanganeen, Milera versus going two lower end guys to fill your 22 for next week?
00:57:17
Holmesy
So I suppose this comes back to what we were talking about before. Do you go a Mills and a Moore or do you go a Nassaya and maybe a cheaper premium such as ah a Juwa? So what do you think there?
00:57:29
Lew
I don't mind the latter because you're sort of killing two birds with one stone, albeit Dewar, despite the break-even. Remember Riley Hardiman a couple of weeks ago? He had the minus one break-even.
00:57:41
Lew
Everyone was trading into him and It took one stinker and it went the other way and it was pretty much straight out of coach's side. So um maybe approach that one with caution, especially being at the Eagles on a wing. We know that some of the best wingers in the comp can sometimes have days where they go missing, let alone a team that struggles to sort of score 1,200 fantasy points a week.
00:58:04
Lew
um Wang is just so dominant, isn't he? um He's putting up 120 just about every single week. but depending on where you're at, I think I prefer the Mills and Moore value option and then maybe finding cash later on to put on top of their head to to then get to some of these better guys because yeah you're being let down on that Wang and Dewa one on one side, I think.
00:58:30
Holmesy
Yeah, and i I can see why you're looking at it as well, Lou, but your point that you make about the one stinker um really just putting a dent in things, and the Eagles have Collingwood this week in Melbourne, so there's going to be no easy ball for that in that game, and if he has a 40 or a 50 game, which is more than likely against them, then yeah, all his cash is stunted, and then you're just left with another trade-out.
00:58:55
Holmesy
when you're going into best 22, it's not something you want to have to fix. So yeah, I would be Mills and Moore as well. ah But like we mentioned before, just having a plan to try and get Nassai in at some point soon. Sam, this one's from Kyle Greats.
00:59:09
Holmesy
Which two go first out of Will Ashcroft, Long, Warner and Daniel?
00:59:15
Sam
Um, I think, I mean, unless you're planning to hold Will Ashcroft after his bye for any length of time, I think he can go first being on his bye. Long obviously has the Eagles this week, break evens around 80 ish. I still think he's a hold for now.
00:59:32
Sam
I'd probably, it's hard to say this. We were talking about it on the weekend homes. You know how hard to watch water is at the moment. Um, you know Gut feel is is a is a forward ah playing in midfield role, so normally you'd hold, but GC's been pretty awful since a couple nice scores. up So I'd probably have Ashcroft, then Warner, then Daniel, then Long.
00:59:57
Sam
I'd be holding Long last, I think. Any different takes on that?
01:00:03
Holmesy
um I think I'd be ah i definitely Will Ashcroft first, as he's on the bye. We've seen those Brisbane midfielders go up and down, but it's clearly McCluggage and then we're assuming Dunkley as the two big consistent scorers in there. And then you've got Neil and Ashcroft who are up and down depending on the matchup. So I'd be more than happy to go on Will Ashcroft.
01:00:25
Holmesy
I wouldn't be trading out of long this week because of the Eagles matchup. So, yeah, I think it's Warner as well. Caleb got tagged on the weekend by Carlton, which shows where they're at it as as a club. But um Daniel still has the role, um should still hopefully be safe for an 80-85 plus each week.
01:00:44
Holmesy
He's just had a couple of tough match-ups over the last couple. So, yeah, I'd be going Warner and Will Ashcroft out. Harmi, this one's from John Vogan. I can't remember, do you have him or not? But is it worth holding Kyle Lohman at F7 knowing that he's got a bit more cash to make or do you trade him out?
01:01:02
Jon Harmey
Well, it depends if he's your only avenue to get cash, but I have him at F7 and I'm holding.
01:01:10
Holmesy
Yep, i'm I'm holding him as well. I think um I'm hoping that he's going to be my avenue to get that 23rd premium at some stage. If he can hopefully pop another 80-odd in the next couple of weeks and and get himself up to sort of 550K, think that's what you want from Loman. So I'm happy to hold, but knowing full well that there could always be a 40 around the corner and then his cash is completely gone.
01:01:33
Holmesy
Sam, this one's from Forrest. I'm trying to work out who to trade out of Whitfield, Merritt, and Will Ashcroft. He's ranked 4,000, so he's mostly playing for league. So take that into consideration.
01:01:46
Sam
Yep, okay. um I would... ah just I mean, if he's playing for league, if you're sitting high on the ladder, I'd be holding Whitfield um and just wait for him to come back in two weeks' time if you're not worried about your rank.
01:02:01
Sam
ah Merritt or Ashcroft? Jeez, toss a coin. Merritt might come back and start playing midfield again and um ah and be worth something.
01:02:13
Sam
I think Ashcroft's just going to keep doing what he's doing. So maybe trade out Merritt first. The role is really awful. We talked about it earlier. It is putrid at the moment.
01:02:23
Holmesy
ye Yeah, I think I agree there. I mean, if you are playing for league, you just hope it turns around. If you're playing for league, definitely don't trade out Whitfield. um He's going to be back.
01:02:34
Sam
Yeah. Yeah.
01:02:35
Holmesy
At him at you know worst case, he's back round 18. He might miss the the one extra game, but he's going to be there at the pointy end when you need him firing.
01:02:42
Lew
Okay.
01:02:44
Holmesy
Yeah, Will Ashcroft, I think you're not going to want him at the end of the year. He's going to have to go at some stage. He's pretty much made his cash unless he goes on a run. um So yeah, I'd i'd go Merritt first, but also would be happy holding him and trading out Will Ashcroft instead and then hoping for a Zach Merritt bounce back towards the end of the year.
01:03:03
Holmesy
All right, boys, that's it. We're going to wrap up there. Harmi, I'm going to throw to you, as I always do, just give the listeners some closing thoughts. You've you've been at the pointy end a few times now coming out of the buyers. What should our coaches that are you know sort of pushing towards 100, top 500, top 1,000, what should they be looking to do to make sure they finish the buyers strong and enter you know the last final bit of the season with a nice, strong team?
01:03:29
Jon Harmey
Oh, look, just um I'd be viewing what your team is looking like next week. So just make sure that you've got all your positions in the right order and that you're coming out ah out of the round with a completed team. And yeah, exciting times for anybody in the top 500. You'll all still be a shot at finishing in the top 100.
01:03:52
Jon Harmey
ah this So there's still hope for some of us.
01:03:55
Holmesy
Yeah, look, that's that's a great point. um Just make sure that whatever trades you're doing, make sure that it doesn't leave you unbalanced like Sam with with seven forwards. Just make sure that when you come out of the buys, you're going to be nice and balanced and not be stuck with too many premiums.
01:04:11
Holmesy
But yeah, look, the one...
01:04:12
Sam
Hey, hey, it's fixed. It's fixed. All right. I've only got six forwards now.
01:04:18
Holmesy
proud Proud of you, Sam. The one final thing I will add
01:04:20
Sam
at And not one of them is Kennedy or Jackson or McRae. So maybe I'm still bugging anyway. But, you know, at least the team has got the right players in the right positions now.
01:04:31
Holmesy
Yeah, very, very good. The one thing I did just want to mention is don't forego cash gen just yet. There's still, you know, what, eight, nine rounds to go. the the good teams will continue to to to turn their cash over. Think DT Lemon, who always finishes with such strong team value.
01:04:50
Holmesy
You still need money to trade for the final rounds of the season. So don't throw it all the way. You still need to make the right rookie pick. You still need to make sure you're turning your bench over. because that's how you can launch later on in the year. But on that note, make sure you're following us at PodPod AFL on X. Make sure you're subscribed on all of the podcast channels, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcast.
01:05:13
Holmesy
And we will be back here next week as we head back into Best 22. Bye. bye