Discussion 2021: Detailed Pre-Season Player/Role Observations by Wogitalia & Others

[Bomber18]

I have enjoyed some of the comments by AFLstatsmate on Twitter (https://twitter.com/aflstatsmate?lang=en). I'll compile them all here as Tweets can become a bit messy.

Dogs v Hawks

Whitten Oval was the venue for the first practice game of the 2021 AFL Season and here are the rundown notes that our team have complied for fantasy coaches’ key for insights.

Few of the noted players missing from the Bulldogs were key midfielders in Macrae &; Treloar, Tall Fwd Naughton and prized number 1 draft pick Ugle-Hagan, who was set to play in the lower tier game.

The hawks were missing prime midfield movers in Mitchell &; Shiels, along with fwd sharp shooters in Gunston &; Wingard. Defensive ball magnet Scrimshaw and club utility Burgoyne were also absent , while Sicily is out longer term with his knee injury.

Starting by looking on the ball, both teams played went with a multi ruck option mainly with Martin for the WB and Big boy McEvoy for the hawks, who both gained their lion share of both centre bounce attendances and ruck contests around the ground.

CBA’s for the bulldogs were 19-10 Martin over English and for the Hawks it was 17-12 McEvoy over Ceglar.

Both secondary rucks were rested down forward as the clubs looked to minimize rotations through the bench were possible.

This could either be great for fantasy coaches who have Martin/ McEvoy or a danger sign for coaches on the other end with English/Ceglar, especially in keeper leagues.

The WB’s rotation in the mids was on full display during the CB’s showing off what will be a huge level of riches in this area with Dunkley, Bontempelli, Libba, Smith and Lipinski all in double figures still with the likes of Macrae &; Treloar to possible return.

Libba having the most attendances, could see a bump again this year but it looks like Lipinski could be starved of opportunity again and be sent back to the high half forward line.

Bontempelli and Dunkley both had periods of playing deep in attack so fantasy coaches could see this turn into a harlem globetrotter type event where points are shared around or there could be games where either player goes without the pill for longer periods of time.

Here is hoping for the first of those two options.

The Hawks had 10 different players rotate through the middle during the 29 different centre bounces with Worpel &; O'Meara gaining the larger share at 19 each.

Phillips rotated through the midfield and was busy racking up disposals and looked to be enjoying his first outing in the brown and gold.

Both Moore &; Cousins had further opportunity in the middle and didn’t look lost at sea, with either being worth a smokey pick later in draft leagues.

Coaches looking for value had look no further than to the wings as both teams as a couple of different options maybe have started to present themselves.

While the WB had a rotation of more main stayers in Hunter &; Jong, they also had a rookie draft player out of the SANFL in Lachie McNeil showing some influence.

He was able to show a solid running ability while finding the footy and had an impact with disposals linking up on attacking runs inside-50. He also showed his tackling was up to AFL standard.

Cheap in AFL Classic if named in Round one but also a chance of being a later pick in deeper draft leagues.

The Hawks has a few more players in total rotating through their wing positions but the most impressive to be given a chance was Connor Downie.

This kid picked up in last year’s draft at pick 35 must have almost enough to have penciled himself in for round 1 based on that performance. He showed great ability to rack up the footy while looking confident and not out of his depth at the contest.

He might be able to walk into the side and be of AFL standard straight away… Flag him for both Classic and Draft leagues.

Will day looked to play the patrol role across half back, Will need more data to see how this role could progress with the likes of scrimshaw to still make his way back into the side.

Highly rated draft pick Denver Granger-Barass played from after half time, But showed there is still a fair way to improve to play a key position. Not one for us in all version of fantasy.

Last player to flag might be Breust who had a share of CBA’s as well as and handful of goals up forward.

With the possibility of no Gunston &; Wingard to start the season and given the shortage of fwds this year in across the fantasy formats he might be worth streaming as a key player in the hawks front end.

"CBA Numbers for the WB - Preseason 2021 Vs Hawks:

Western-bulldogs 29 -Tom Liberatore 23, Stefan Martin 19, Marcus Bontempelli 19, Josh Dunkley 17, Bailey Smith 15, Patrick Lipinski 12, Tim English 10, Anthony Scott 1"

"CBA Numbers for the Hawks- Preseason 2021 Vs WB:

Hawthorn 29 - James Worpel 19, Jaeger O'Meara 19, Ben McEvoy 17, Dylan Moore 13, Jonathon Ceglar 12, Luke Breust 12, Tom Phillips 11, James Cousins 10, Daniel Howe 2 &; Harry Morrison 1"

 

[Bomber18]

Ess v Carlton

Game from Ikon park saw the first of the practice matches for Carlton and Essendon. Both teams had their new recruits on display with only a handful of first choice players not pulling on the jumper.

For the Bombers key players missing were McGrath, Zaharakis, Stringer, Phillips &; Hurley while for the blues McGovern, De Koning, Marchbank &; Newman had the day off.

The Bombers midfield rotation was dominated in the first half by their main guns in Shiel, Merrett, Parish and new recruit Caldwell. All CBA’s (11) in the first half were shared between this midfield rotation from a followers point of view.

Overall the bombers had 9 players rotate through the centre bounces with players like Shiel being rested onward from half time.

Looking at a few key take outs from a individual player point of view

Caldwell – if you don’t have stocks in him you dam well should after the first outing in the black and red sash. Was using significantly in the mid field rotations attending the most CBA’s (22 of 27) of any bomber. Also had plenty of the footy around the ground…

Might be time to sell your soul in keeper leagues as he will likely be around for a while.

Sam Draper – A great ruck option for fantasy coaches given his opportunity to progress this year. Only missed 2 CBA’s until the half when he was rested.

The Wings saw a few players rotated with Langford, Smith, Cox, Ham &; Guelfi all seeing time in the position. Langford was most notable and swung into the midfield rotation after half time attending 10 of 15 CBA’s.

Cox – In the Wing rotation and floated up forward when finding the footy. Started well in the 3rd quarter and showed a great work rate. Gave himself a great chance to play round one… Watch list for sure.

Guelfi - was almost Essendon’s best on ground at the half and put in a great showing. Very Busy between the half Fwd/Def lines and was able to get involved in transitioning the ball in attacking plays.

Ham – Gathered the ball almost at will through the middle of the ground during general play, rotating on the wing and in defense. Prob only for a deeper draft league though really.

Perkins – Couple of good possessions in the 1st half as he looked to take the game on. Might need to adjust to the speed of the game given such a longer period off from playing footy. Deeper keeper leagues as a late pick could prove a good move.

Hind – ran off half back also getting involved in attacking plays using his foot skills to hit up targets in transition.

Jones – Looked like he could be a handy player and could be someone throwing his name up in lights to play round one… more of a fantasy classic option one would think.

Cahill - Used the ball well in in defense. Another one to watch list as a cheap option for fantasy classic

Culter – @TKLKaes - Not good enough for AFL – Horrible decision making and looked lost. He might have lost his spot on the bus.

Heppel – was completely absent from the CBA’s only playing down back, Bombers really looked to get the ball in his hands whenever possible. Might be a time to buy low in draft leagues

Smith linked up early running the ball through the middle spent more time up fwd but could be a warning sign for fantasy coaches.

Last of all for the bombers was Waterman who is looking for a spot at Essendon as an SSP player. Kicked 4 goals and could be a smokey to play round one if the bombers are looking for more fire power in their fwd line.

"CBA Numbers for ESS- Preseason 2021 Vs Blues:
Essendon 27 – Jye Caldwell 22, Zach Merrett 19, Darcy Parish 17, Nick Bryan 11, Kyle Langford 10, Sam Draper 10, Dylan Shiel 9, Peter Wright 6 &; Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti 4"

The Blues midfield rotation looks that it might be set with a starting trio of Cripps, Walsh and Williams as in not one of the CBA did the blues have at least two of the big three of as part of their on-ball combination.

Pittonet was also used as the maink big man in the ruck position.

Overall the Blues had 12 players rotate through the Centre bounces with Curnow, Martin and Setterfield also seeing time in the middle during the second half.

Wing play showed a rotation of players including Setterfield Curnow, Cuningham and Newnes getting time and a chance to see the footy in this position.

Looking at key players for the blues. Sam Walsh – This kid was fantastic and it could have been mistaken that he brought his own footy…

Was everywhere and in everything. His move into the engine room for 2021 looks all but assured with 19 CBA’s of 27.Another guy to get in almost all formats of the fantasy game this year.

Cripps – look lean when running on the ball but definitely spent more time up forward where he was a large handful for the bombers defenders. If the blues can get enough of the ball down to him while resting there the +6's could make up for any loss in contested possessions.

Williams – @CalvinDT from the traders will be happy given the level of involvement by #hisboy as Williams racked up the footy thru the middle and was relied upon for 14 of the 27 CBA’s.

Dow – surely the shinning light for the blues running through the midfield (9 CBA’s in the first 3/4ers of the game) winning the contested ball as well as hit the scoreboard with multiple goals. There will be many coaches set for him to rise up their Drafting Ranks @HKdos 😍.

Saad showed damaging bursts of speed through the middle and will be damaging off half back. Maybe a draft player over fantasy classic.

Fogarty – Only used in 1 CBA by the blues after starting up forward. Gathered the footy playing through the middle of the ground. Could be a warning sign for fantasy coaches given the amount of players carlton have in a similar mold if they continue to use him as a small Fwd.

"CBA Numbers for Carlton - Preseason 2021 Vs ESS:
Carlton 27 - Marc Pittonet 20, Sam Walsh 19, Patrick Cripps 19, Zac Williams 14, Paddy Dow 9, Jack Martin 9, Ed Curnow 8, Oscar McDonald 4, Callum Moore 3, Lachlan Fogarty 1, David Cuningham 1 &; Liam Stocker 1"

Couple of questions around Nick Bryan... while didn’t do a heap around the ground fantasy wise, he might have done enough to force a 3 way handcuff in draft leagues for Draper and other back up in Phillips

 

[Bomber18]

North v Saints

"North Melbourne took on the ever improving St Kilda at Arden St for their first hit outs of 2021.

First a few key missing players with the Saints having Marshal, Hannebery, Gresham, Geary, Jones &; Gresham not suiting up."

The Roos had top line players of Cunnington, Phillips, Davies-Uniacke, Anderson, Polec, Goldstein &; Dumont all unavailable.

To the saint first who had 11 players rotate through their 30 CBA’s, with free agent Crouch looking to gain some match fitness before having to complete the first couple of rounds of the main season in the grand stands.

A player that is looking to take the next step after a solid first year could be Bytel who has a 50/50 split of rotating with and without Crouch across his CBA’s.

Ryder took the main ruck challenges and got a chop out from Hunter who has been picked up as part of the SSP to cover injury to Marshal.

The wings had around 6 players mainly rotating through them for the saints with what could be the seasonal main stayers of Hill and Billings finding the footy in transition.

Both players could be considered ideal for this type of position given their skill sets and ability to break lines with top line pace. Ross &; Wood also helped out in this position.

"Looking at Key players for the saints.

Crouch – Looked to kick off his career at his new club with a solid start winning the ball at will in the saint’s engine room."

A great extractor and will fuel the outside runners well while accumulating disposals.

A Smokey for AFL Classic but could be considered a required player if you can find him in the pool for Draft Leagues.

Steele was solid and will likely be a large part of the midfield rotation but the attack shown by Bytel and Clark is worthy of note and where saints fans should be excited. Bytel kicked two goals in the first half before having 65% of his CBA’s in the second half.

Both should be around for a long time and if they can get further opportunity to progress will be good to great pickups in draft leagues.

With two players in it must mean that two will be forced out and at the moment that seems to be Ross &; Sinclair. Both had a handful of CBA’s but have had to make their way to the half back line for opportunity. Both should be pivotal in setting up transitional attacks from def.

Excitement machine Higgins was looking to kick a few snags in his new colours but also had a stack of footy forward of center for his troubles.

Questions still linger given the heap of small fwds the saints have, could he be the one to partner with butler in a dangerous one-two combination.

This could be disaster for fantasy coaches picking who might be the player to score well each week and might be worth passing on them even in draft leagues.

Dunstan – was only used after half-time with little impact. Don’t let his avg from last year help you be the coach that auto drafts him after to many beers.

Nth Melb had 9 players rotate through their CBA’s, heavily relying on the foursome of Simpkin (24), Tyson (21), Hayden (21) &; Hall (19). Only 2 instances in total of the 30 CB didn’t have at least 3 of the 4 in the rotation.

Campbell took on the ruck role with no Goldy and must be looked in draft leagues when finding the handcuff.

Simpkin – Plenty of the footy. Will continue to develop but might find it a bit tougher this year with a little more attention coming his way.

Hayden – looked strong and built for AFL footy. Can he find his way in the best 22 with the cattle that’s still to come back in? Im not so sure unless injuiries play their part.

Hall – Had a small influence on the play and managed to set up attacking plays as the ball transitioned from defence. Could be worth a pick in draft if you’re the coach that hasn’t yet been burnt by him yet in your league… This could be your year.

There are others in keeper leagues that you must be targeting.

Tyson – Many Coaches have been burnt by Dom but there was something about him that just looked different today… Oh that’s right he was actually playing…

He has the ability to find the footy and found himself with a great share of attendances at centre bounces (21 = 2nd for a follower behind Simpkin) but with the first choice mids to come back it he might get the squeeze.

Must only be for draft leagues over classic fantasy, but he is deff worth a middle to late pick in a deeper draft league.

The roo’s had a high rotation of players moving through the wing positions with Scott, Thomas, Stephenson, Powell, Taylor &; Menadue being the major names coaches are looking for.

Scott and Thomas could be the ones to use the positioning to help their fantasy scoring being around more contested footy but also using the space in transition. Scott is one that you might be able to sneak in deeper drafts given where he is ranked in most platforms.

Stephenson – His stocks role last week like gamestop but after that showing will likely crash just as quickly. Played predominantly as a forward with a rare few wing attendances and once CBA.

Kicked two goals but had little impact and he will need to have a huge week next week for coaches to jump back on board no matter for the format. Sell now but it might be to late...

Powell looked he could be comfortable at the speed and level of AFL, Managed to get a fair bit of the ball early when starting up fwd but also started on the wing at time and picked up 2 CBA’s.

The club can see a large amount of upside. Might have to go earlier than you might like in keeper leagues, but it might be the only chance you will ever have to draft him.

Ziebell should get more footy across half-back but you'll need more convincing in the AAMI Community Series clash next week. The role looked fantasy friendly. Shared kick ins with McDonald

McDonald - got plenty of ball deep on the last line of defence. Also bobbed up taking a share of the kick ins. Gut feel will get the footy a lot given the amount of ball that will be down that end during the season…

Likley to be under red hot pressure, So might suffer in supercoach formats.

Corr – Down back deep like Mcdonald, could be some chances for him to get the footy, but won’t get the easy level of possessions he might have been used to at the giants.

Zurhaar – Really looked like he had been caged up since last season… He wanted to tackle and make those tackles hurt…

If he could get up on his bike and escape the fwd line he has reasonable fantasy scoring credential but given the roo’s avenues to goal he might be stuck for a little longer. Maybe one for deep draft leagues – the last role of the dice kinda pick.

"CBA Numbers for St Kilda - Preseason 2021 Vs Nth Melb:
St-Kilda 30 - Brad Crouch 20, Jack Steele 18, Paddy Ryder 18, Hunter Clark 15, Jack Bytel 14, Sebastian Ross 11, Paul Hunter 12, Sebastian Ross 11, Jack Sinclair 5, Jack Higgins 3,Jack Billings 2 &; Luke Dunstan 2"

"CBA Numbers for Nth Melb - Preseason 2021 Vs St Kilda:
North-Melbourne 30 - Jy Simpkin 24, Tom Campbell 23, Dom Tyson 21, Kyron Hayden 21, Aaron Hall 19, Nick Larkey 7, Tom Powell 2, Cameron Zurhaar 2 &; Jaidyn Stephenson 1"

 

[Bomber18]

Dees v Richmond

"CBA Numbers for Melb - Preseason 2021 Vs Richmond:Melbourne 30 - Clayton Oliver 23, Max Gawn 20, Christian Petracca 18, James Harmes 13, Tom Sparrow 11, Luke Jackson 10, Nathan Jones 9, James Jordon 8, Alex Neal-Bullen 6 &; Charlie Spargo 2"

More details to come on the game and individual players

"CBA Numbers for Richmond - Preseason 2021 Vs Melb: Richmond 30 - Toby Nankervis 23, Dustin Martin 22, Trent Cotchin 20, Shane Edwards 17, Jack Ross 11, Shai Bolton 8, Jack Graham 5, Mabior Chol 5, Thomson Dow 5, Will Martyn 2 &; Noah Balta 2"

More details to come on the game and individual players

"Practice match notes from Casey Fields Melb Vs Richmond.

Main guys Unavailable from each clubs best 22’s were as follows :

- From Melbourne - Melksham, Hibbered, Viney &; Brayshaw,

- From Richmond - Prestia, Lambert, Houli"

Melbourne had 10 players rotate through their CB’s with the likes of Oliver (23) and Petracca (18) getting the larger share of midfield mins and Racked up possession. Maxy gawn also showed no signs of slowing down attending 20 of the 30 occurrences.

From here its where is gets interesting for fantasy coaches given the new blood and positions that player’s hold.

First up is harmes (13 CBA’s) Ran through the middle and looked solid, who if can hold on to this role is juice given he is listed as a def.

Sparrow (11 CBA’s) is a young gun looking to continue further development of his on-baller prowess. Others likely ahead in the pecking order, but given his history from last year, could be set for more time around the contested ball. One for draft leagues to keep an eye on.

Jackson (10 CBA’s) exhibited why Melbourne rated him so highly, as he looked more than capable around the grounds. He will be the next generation of ruck for Melbourne but in the meantime worth a crack in fantasy classic once DPP changes come through.

The wings mainly belonged to Langdon &; Baker as both players linked up between attack and defense.

"Other players worth noting:

Chandler-started well as a small fwd and managed to bob up for two goals. Likely to be forced out when others fit back into the best 22 and might be a little too expensive for fantasy classic, but great to see melb further develop another solid player."

Jordon – Fantasy coaches who are also Melbourne fans have been trying to hide this guy away from their draft leagues but their cover might have been blown right off when attending the first 2 CB of the game, while also kicking a handy goal.

He showed good run while transitioning the ball thru the middle of the ground and looks like he has a good set of speed at foot. Cheap as chips in Fantasy classic and also a chance for a later pick in draft leagues, especially the deeper ones.

Rivers – Had his hands on the ball a fair bit and looked good. Definitely a def who can win his fair share of the ball and link up on fwd thrusts. Advantage is that he has little risk of losing his def status for a while. These types of players can be worth their weight in gold.

The Tigers had 11 players rotate through their CB’s, but mainly focused on the proven ball winners of Martin (22), Cotchin (20) &; Edwards (17) with only minor opportunities given to others like Bolton (8), Graham (5), Dow (5) and Martyn (2).

Nankervis (23) looked to shoulder the major load of the ruck with Chol (5) and Balta (2) giving him a slight chop out. Nankervis will be forced to do this most of the year with Soldo being out of action through injury.

The Wings with occupied by McIntosh &; Castagna with Caddy also joining in the rotation. History has shown us that these players are not the most fantasy relevant. So moving on….

Martin (Dusty) again showed that he is a class above the rest and that the hardest thing for him would have been the report time given how early the game started.

Likely to play more time fwd this year, but he is one of a handful of players that role doesn’t really matter and he will again be a solid scorer. Fwd status means he is a premium player and you will need him if you’re playing for all of the chocolates at the end of the year.

Martin (Not Dusty) – looks like the tigers have found another small fwd to add to their fleet. He was handy picking up a few CBAs and managed to pick up the pace of the game.

If he is named R1 then he will be in a lot of fantasy classic and Supercoach teams given the Thursday night game placement.

Dow – managed to get a late run and found the footy with a few CBA’s.

 

[Bomber18]

Geelong v Cats

"CBA Numbers for Geel - Preseason 2021 Vs Coll: Geelong 24 - Cameron Guthrie 16, Charlie Constable 14, Joel Selwood 13, Josh Jenkins 11, Brandan Parfitt 11, Rhys Stanley 10, Patrick Dangerfield 7. Jordan Clark 5, Sam Menegola 4, Sam De Koning 3 &; Shaun Higgins 2"

More details to come on the game and individual players

"CBA #'s for Coll - Preseason 2021 Vs Geel : Collingwood 24 - Jamie Elliott 13, Brayden Sier 13, Scott Pendlebury 12, Darcy Cameron 12, Brodie Grundy 11, Trent Bianco 10, Callum Brown 6, Tyler Brown 6, Josh Daicos 5, Steele Sidebottom 4, Josh Thomas 2, Jack Crisp 1 &; Mason Cox 1"

More details to come on the game and individual players

"Practice match notes from Geelong Vs Collingwood at GMHBA Stadium

Notable absentees for Geelong: Ratugolea, Duncan, Smith, Tuohy &; Dahlhaus

Notable absentees for Collingwood: Adams, DeGoey &; Mayne"

Geelong had 12 players rotate through their CB’s but it was really a story of 2 halves as certain players had their game time managed.

Constance attendees were Cam Guthrie (16) &; Constable (14), with Selwood (13) also pitching in. Dangerfield (7) looked super dangerous around the ground and was only used in the first half along with Stanley (10).

This allowed the likes of Clark (5) &; Menegola (4) to be let of the leash later in the game. Jenkins (11) &; De Koning (3) had ruck duties also in the second half.

The wings were mainly shared by three main players in Clark, Menegola &; Zach Guthrie, while Constable was also seen to line up there in-between shifts in the mids.

Clark could be one to have on your watch lists across the fantasy formats, after only playing 3 games last year he is set to play a much bigger role this years.

"Other players of note for fantasy coaches:

Atkins – Playing a much different role this game compared to his normal front end defence pressure. He found himself across the half back line and wasn’t out of place."

Might be worth a monitor this week to see if this continues but you would think that he will be the first out in this role once a Duncan comes back in.

Higgins –Started as a high half fwd and roamed around looking to use his high-end skills. Very similar to Ablett of last year but a little further way from goals. Maybe stay away from in keeper leagues unless his role changes and an opportunity for more mid time presents itself.

"The Pies had 13 players rotate through their CB’s, which was the largest by any club over the weekend.

Pendlebury (12), Daicos (5) &; Grundy (11) weren’t used after ¾ time allowing Cameron (12), Tyler Brown (6) and Bianco (10) better access to the CB’s in the second half."

Both Sier (13) and Elliott (13) were used throughout the game, Sier attack on the ball was a stand-out as he looks to cement a spot in the best 22 moving in the season proper.

Elliott’s spent time both at the centre contest and up forward, which is a great asset for Collingwood to call on again this year.

How much time spent in either of these roles will work out if he is again fantasy relevant. Given the fwd crops in fantasy, a pick in draft leagues isn’t the biggest risk.

Noble &; Tyler Brown were the main stays on the wings with Crisp also being used from time to time. Murphy also found his way in the rotations after the ¾ time break. The Brown boys will be worth throwing on the watch list across the formats as they seem to be set for more action.

"Other players of note for fantasy coaches:

Bianco looked good and showed signs of adjusting to the speed of the game with time on the field during the second half."

He hands under pressure and ability to use his acceleration away from the contest could be something that the pies want to use more and more. Will be cheap in fantasy classic and possibly a later pick in deeper keeper leagues.

Henry – was one of the main shining lights for the pies as far as their new draft crop goes. Several time he showed a clean pair of hands and was able to adjust to the speed of the the game.

Don’t expect huge numbers first up but if names R1 could hold up a rookie spot in fantasy classic and supercoach formats.

Quaynor – found a role down half back with Noble moving up on to the wing, a role that he has been used in over the summer break during internal trial matches that we watched.

Prob outside the best 22 at the moment but the pies will be looking to bloody him at some stage to aid in his development. A stash for keeper leagues or good timing off the waiver wire for this guy could be a nice little treat.

 

[Bomber18]

Syd v GWS

"CBA Numbers for Syd- Preseason 2021 Vs GWS: Sydney 19 - Luke Parker 15, Callum Mills 15, Tom Hickey 15, Josh Kennedy 9, Oliver Florent 8, James Rowbottom 5, Callum Sinclair 4, Chad Warner 3 &; Isaac Heeney 2"

More details to come on the game and individual players

"CBA Numbers for GWS - Preseason 2021 Vs Syd: Greater-Western-Sydney 19 - Matthew Flynn 16, Tim Taranto 15, Stephen Coniglio 13, Tom Green 13, Jacob Hopper 8, Josh Kelly 6, Jeremy Finlayson 3 &; Tanner Bruhn 2"

More details to come on the game and individual players

A couple of questions around the last two games of the weekend... complete cba’s for the freo vs wce will go up this afternoon... we are still hunting the stats for GC vs lions - stay tuned

"Practice game notes from when GWS hosted the Swans on a wet Giant’s Stadium
Notable absentees: Whitfield, Mumford, Preuss &; along with new key forward in Hogan
Notable absentees: Franklin, Cunningham, Rampe, &; Naismith who will likely miss for the majority of the season"

GWS had a fairly tight level of rotations through their CB’s with only 8 players overall given opportunities in and around the contested footy.

The main 4 were Taranto (15), Coniglio (13), Green (13) &; Hopper (8) showing a healthy rotation with Kelly (6) only playing the 1st half before being load managed.

This showed to us that these guys are to be the Giants man men in this position so if you can buy stock in them it’s likely that they can show health returns for fantasy coaches.

Flynn (16) was solid at both the center bounces and around the ground and could be more than just your Ruck 3 position across the formats with Preuss out longer term and Mumford to play more of a backup for ruck duties.

Finlayson (3) was the second option but Ward was also seen rucking around the ground… While some might see value in salary cap here, We are not sure if we would be having high hopes of gaining a ruck DPP in the season proper.

Both Kelly &; Ward were also seen at separate occasions on the wing the two other players to play a larger part of this rotation were Buckley &; Shipley. If they end up being considered best 22, having them in your salary cap league could be very much a point of difference.

"Couple of other players to note:

Cumming – The backline is going to look very difference this year compared to many others for the giants with player turn over with Cumming looking to gain a permanent role back there."

He played a game closer to the last line of defense, which might not be huge for fantasy but enabled him to be the main contributor for kick outs after behinds. He was looking to play on at every opportunity. Not the worse pick of players for you def across the formats.

Ash – 2nd of the 3 players in defense that caught our eye for the Giants. A role running off half looks like it could be juice for him.

Possible he is the one you need to target in draft leagues but might need to go a little earlier than you might want due to the hype of the first round draft pick that has been created around him.

Idun – The last of the 3 “new” options in def and probably the least chance of relevantly for fantasy coaches. Showed good run from half back but we can see the other two mentioned being the areas to invest in.

The Swans are again looking to further transition their midfield reliance away from the club stalwarts in Kennedy (9) &; Parker (15).

Younger guns of Rowbottom (5), Florent (8) &; Warner (3) all had a chance in and under while also rotating through the wings but the stand out was Mills (15) who again teased purely as a and racked up possessions at will.

For us this really could be Mills SZN (season) and needs to make his way into your side across almost all formats.

Heeney (2) looked good as well but had limited mins due to load management, don’t let the smaller number of CBA’s deter you here.

New ruckman Hickey (15) pushed his case for the number one ruck spot is a good display ahead of 2nd option Sinclair. While Hickey is most probable a draft league selection no doubt if you have him you will need Sinclair as the immediate handcuff.

As mentioned Rowbottom, Florent &; Warner along with Kennedy all saw time out on the wings at centre bounces, but it was the former No.3 pick Blakley that could most benefit from an expanded role this year as he parked himself out on the wing and racked up the footy.

Given his age must be a target for draft coaches and in keeper leagues. We found out that he does have a right foot, but only uses it to stand on while kicking with his left.

Warner looked to improve his chance for more game time this year injecting into the game in the second term. He had time in the middle and showed that he is a star for the future. Deeper keeper leagues it time to lock and stash this guy away if you can.

Couple of the younger players to keep an eye on were last year’s draft picks of Campbell , Gulden and McDonald. Both Campbell (in def) &; Gulden (in fwd) look like winners for fantasy coaches with both adapting to the pace of the game and being involve form the get go.

A little more expensive than other rookies but both put their hands up demanding to be picked Round 1. For keeper leagues both are probable to go early, so if they tickle you fancy, be prepared to pay up maybe a little early than you would like.

McDonald will take a little longer to progress and could see more game time later in the season. Typical of a key fwd learning his craft..

The stand out was Mills (15) who again teased purely as a and racked up possessions at will. For us this really could be Mills SZN (season) and needs to make his way into your side across almost all formats.

First half / Second Half CBA's broken out:

Greater-Western-Sydney total 10/9

Matthew Flynn 8/8

Tim Taranto 6/9

Stephen Coniglio 6/7

Jacob Hopper 6/2

Tom Green 5/8

Josh Kelly 6/0

Jeremy Finlayson 2/1

Tanner Bruhn 1/1"

 

[Vicwood]

Just a huge amount of knowledge in these posts by these legends.


Very much appreciated.

 

[wogitalia]

If anyone stumbles across links for the WCE/Freo, NM/STk or Crows/Power games I believe they're the only ones I'm missing Few fantasy relevant guys in each of those so would like to get them done if it's possible!

 

[KLo30]

If anyone stumbles across links for the WCE/Freo, NM/STk or Crows/Power games I believe they're the only ones I'm missing Few fantasy relevant guys in each of those so would like to get them done if it's possible!

NM/STK
1st half

2nd half

ADE/PORT

 

[Bomber18]

A few more from AFLstatsmate on twitter!

Port v Crows
"Practice match notes from the Power Vs Crows at Alberton
Players missing for the Power - Jonas, Powell-Pepper, Gray with Mead &; Woodcock playing in the SANFL game beforehand."
Players missing for the crows: Talia, Doedee, Crouch &; Mackay with younger guns in Thilthorpe, Pedlar, Berry and key position players of Borlase &; Himmelberg.
Port had 11 players run through their midfield rotation with seasoned players like Boak (18), Wines (18) &; Rockliff (16) taking the larger share of center bounce attendances.
The surprise pack of the game was Drew (17) but might be the last in and first out when the injured Powell-Pepper returns.
Other players that were in the rotation more as 2nd tier players were Butters (9), Amon (8), Rozee (3), Houston (3) &; Duursma (1).
Port have two solid rucks in Lycett (19) and Ladhams (12) both sharing the load. Both have shown that they can score together so most coaches won’t need to worry about their scoring when both are in the line-up. Also both are required handcu*** in draft leagues.
Amon and Duursma both spent the majority of their time manning the wings and both had a heap of footy on fwd transitions. Duursma could be one of the finds of the season in draft leagues as his body and running tank continues to improve.
Rozee spent most of his time up forward and showed little signs of the foot injury that has been raging over the summer. He had his fair share of the ball but the player that looked to set himself apart was Butters.
He could be the best of the powers younger brigade and if given the opportunity this year. He is likely already gone in keeper leagues, but worth the extra effort to trade if possible.

"Other players of note –
Jones – put his hand up for round one while not having a huge amount of footy. If you can get him in your salary cap teams be prepared to not have a huge scorer on your hands."
Bergman – Mainly playing up fwd but was also seen running both ways to find the footy back in defense. Will be cheap in salary formats but questions are still present around his connection to the best 22. Watch list for us at the moment.
Houston – used almost completely in defence, but had plenty of the ball. No doubt the power will use his foot skills to clear the ball from defence and to break open the field into attack.
The crows had 10 players rotate through their midfield, concentrating on the more senior players Sloane (19), Keays (15) &; Laird (23).
Laird looks set to continue his late-season mid role from last year again getting plenty of the footy. He is a lock for fantasy classic and will be in many many teams.
Keays is a possible target for keeper leagues given he is likely to have more opportunity again this year. No doubt he must still be in the player pool after being overlooked last year.
New recruit Hately (12) didn’t enter the game until the second quarter, but will likely find his way into more CB as the season progress, especially given the injury to Milera who suffered a suspected ruptured patella tendon putting him out for possible 9 months.
O’Brien (24) showed again will again be responsible for a huge requirement of ruck contests only getting a short sharp chop out from Frampton. Likely to be ranked highly in most formats and the closet player there is to the ruckpigs of Gawn and Grundy.
Jones (3) had limited time in the middle of the ground but was used in tandem with Sholl on corresponding wings for the majority of game. Seedman (8) also rotated on the wing for the 2nd and 3rd quarter before getting the main of opportunities in the middle during the last qrt.

"Other players of note –
Schoenberg – looked solid and used the ball well while attending 8 CB’s. Longer term will find a more permanent spot in the Crows' midfield but could have times where scores are limited."
Hold strong in keeper leagues – his time is coming, remember the kid has only played 8 senior games so far.
Rowe – many are looking at him in salary concepts of the game. Has the ability to do something with the footy each time he gets it, whether feeding his team mates or having a shot on goal. Just a matter of how much the ball gets down there.
Smith – Took many of the kick ins for the Crows and while his partner in crime is up in the mids he could be destined again for more of the footy to transition through his silky skills.
Just a note as well that this will be a year of transition for the crows and that players like Thilthorpe, Berry, Pedlar and Newchurch all showed why there is excitement down at west lakes.
Berry and Pedlar are clearly likely to attract the eye of coaches in dynasty leagues, and while they may not pop this year, should be good additions to deep rosters.

Freo v WCE

"Freo and WCE took to the field over in the west and here are our notes:
Notable Absentees: Taberner &; Darcy with Fife &; Cerra resting at the half
Notable Absentees: Naitanui, Yeo, Kelly &; Kennedy with Shuey and key defenders Barrass and McGovern sitting out the 2nd half."
Freo had 10 players rotate through the mids and their CBA’s. The first half was dominated by Fyfe (10), Brayshaw (19) &; Cerra (9), where there was only 2 CB's that didn’t have the 3 main followers attend.
After the break load management kicked in permitting other to build up numbers like Serong (11), Mundy (9) &; Aish (5). Brayshaw looked to have biggest numbers in this area only missing out on 2 of the Center bounce opportunities.
Both Brayshaw and Serong looked very strong and had plenty of the footy as they further entrenched with roles as inside mids.
Danger signs, bells and flashing lights were all going off for coaches in keeper leagues that own Walters. He spent almost all of his time fwd and while he hit the scoreboard, this will have to become a larger part of his game to continue to be rosterable.
We also saw the rise and rise of Meek (19), who rucked almost all day only gaining a small chop out from Lobb (3). The 4th-year ruckman looks to have put his best foot forward to gain his AFL debut.
He no doubt will be popular in fantasy classic at Rck 3 position given his price if named, he could also be more than just a handy handcuff for Darcy who is forever injured.
Acres was the mainstay on one of the wings with a rotation of Crowden &; Aish in the first half and Colyer &; Frederick in the second. Acres when fit could be more than serviceable in draft leagues as a later pick up.

"Other players of note:
Young - looks to have made a half back flank all his own as he looked great with the footy in hand. Freo shared the kick ins around amox 5 different players, but they will no doubt look for every chance they can to get the ball in his hands."
Treacy – lots of fantasy classic talk around this name. Overall he looked good but will find the going tough to maintain his spot in the best 22. Flag his name to watch over the next couple of week, but don’t expect huge scores next to his name.
West Coast had 11 players rotate through their CBA’s with Redden (14), Sheed (13) &; Gaff (11) accruing their numbers across the whole game, while Shuey (7) only played the first half.
Gaff was his normal self-racking up the footy, while Duggan (8) looked to be a part of the first change into the mids but also spent a large amount of time out on the wing.
Be careful getting to excited around Duggan, there is lots of quality to come back in the midfield and surely he is the one to be the first out.
"Jones (7), O'Neill (4) &; Ainsworth (2) were there to make up the numbers. Vardy (20) was the main man regarding the Rucks with Allen (1) spending most of his time up forward.
Ainsworth, O'Neill along with Cripps joined Duggan as part of the wing rotation."
Another player to flag would be the recruit from Brisbane in Witherden. He was solid in defense with their being a fair bit of footy back there.
There will be a chance for him to take kick-ins at the eagles as he looked to share this responsibly with Hurn. In draft leagues he still has great value later as a late pick.

 

[wogitalia]

Roos vs Saints

General - Thanks to @KLo30 for finding the video! Unfortunately it's a 720p with some pretty awkward angles so was hard to tell what was happening a fair bit of the time and definitely to get a grander read, basically can only see where players were when they were on screen. Was a bit of a thrashing with the Saints coming out of the blocks and then just mostly sustaining the lead. Watched 3/4 and this was the first game the manning the mark rule seemed prominent, didn't have a huge impact on the game but a lot of 50s.

Saints - Smashed the Roos early and would have been happy. From what I could tell they're missing Geary, Hanners, Jones, Gresham, Carlisle and Marshall from the top 22 or close to it, so a fair few outs, several of whom do have positional influence on others. Looked to move it long and quick into their forward line to the advantage of their forwards which are pretty much all either strong marks or ground ball specialists so it makes sense.

Coffield - Half back as per last year and looked really solid, definitely seemed to be the main kick-in man along with Dougal Howard (which was a surprise to me). Definitely looks capable of improving further on last year but they've got a lot of ball users down back and think they'll all struggle to push to premium levels.

Crouch - Solid, same player we know him as, looked pretty fit. Probably more of a DT option than SC.

Ross - Decent role but with all those names to come back he's the obvious one to move out as probably the least talented of the group.

Hill - Looked a lot better than last year when he was, quite honestly, rubbish. Just moving better and using it better.

Steele - Saw what I wanted, role was the same, rested forward a couple of times that I noticed and got it on the lead one of those times. Looks really fit. Still my personal favourite of the 120 group as a starting pick.

Clark - Excellent midfield role and was very good with it. Geary specifically mentioned they expect him to play a lot of midfield but will still play defense at times. He looks a natural midfielder to me and kind of always has so I like the position for him, given his scoring ability in defense it's a good base line. So hard to read with so many out but I think he might actually be the pick of that low 80s group and the one I think is most likely to go towards the 100 mark, I think he's as talented as guys like Berry, Viney, Dumont, Anderson and the likes around that 100 mark. Again though, would need to back up in the same role with a few more names around next week.

King - Not fantasy relevant but boy he's a good one.

Billings - Was absolutely everywhere. He must have been up towards the 110 DT mark at 3/4 time. Don't think he's a SC pick as his role is too outside but he could be a very decent look-in for DT and has the quality to probably translate to SC if he does. Not worth the risk though with other better options at that price, imo.

Higgins - Was really solid early, seemed to fade out (possibly not even playing) in the late 2nd onward. Role was similar to at the Tigers for mine, HF towards the 50 more than high roaming.

Bytel - Did some nice things before hurting a finger that he came back on after. Too expensive to be worth mentioning given role/JS issues but looks a good player.

Frawley - Looked really good. Not fantasy relevant either but will man a KP post if he plays like that.

Webster - HBF, looked solid but not dominant like you'd want at his price with his durability and a few other names floating around. A watch next week but leaning towards no for me, just think Young has more explosive potential in that price.

Wood - Solid but nothing special.

Highmore - Came on about halfway through the third, not a great sign, they talked highly of him in the commentary but he's very similar to so many others that it's going to be hard to break in. Did nothing to demand a spot in the half a quarter I watched.

Sinclair - Playing off HB and looked pretty good doing it. Don't think he'd be high enough volume to matter but hurts Highmore's chances a bit further.

Wilkie - Was really solid but don't think he's fantasy relevant.

Hunter - Was really impressive actually. Could certainly see the Saints going with two rucks to manage Ryder's workload, especially with the hamstring limiting his preseason a bit. Looks capable but would be nothing more than a bench option. I think with a stress fracture at his size that Marshall misses longer than the current estimates, they're not going to risk him so could be a solid option.

Kangas - They got smashed but showed a few good signs, reckon they're going to get beaten most games this year, probably the pick for the spoon if you put a gun to my head right now but that's probably good for their fantasy relevant guys as it means chances for the rookies and supply for the backs. Definitely looked to be taking the game on, wonder how long that lasts given it's how you get thrashed and I'm not sure they have the talent to play that way. Missing so many midfielders it's almost impossible to read anything.

Stephenson - Mostly forward, bit of wing, couple of bursts more inside. Nothing really of note in the way he played.

Corr - Solid down back, dependable as always.

Taylor - Liked his game, really good attack on the ball. Not fantasy relevant though.

Ziebell - Probably the standout, took I believe 3 good intercept marks, took several kick-ins and hit targets on most of the kicks, looked good in the role. Don't see any reason he should be in the 80s in that role with scope for further scoring depending how much supply and how much he focuses into the intercept role but his role was similar to Ridley, Sicily or Howe type roles last year so that's probably the extreme end of the scoring potential. Locked in anyway.

Scott - Few nice things, nothing special.

McDonald - Was everywhere, the other standout for mine, pushing up, working back, taking kick-ins, just doing everything you could want. If you're looking for the perfect storm of terrible team meets backman who loves to sloot, he's probably right up there. I hadn't had him in a draft but I'll be watching very closely next week. My main concern was the new coach trying new things or not wanting him in such a ball heavy role this year but didn't seem the case in this game at the very least. There's definitely some Lloyd comparisons to be made.

Simpkin - I didn't notice him a lot. Still a big fan but seemed to have his angry pills instead of his get the ball pills. Hard when the midfield is getting smashed like that though.

Young - Playing HBF from what I could tell, did a couple of nice things. Not enough volume to be justifying his premium but, broken record mode, the supply looks likely to be there and I reckon in a game with a bit more structure and sting they'll go sideways a bit, he's the classiest of their back 6 by a fair chunk.

Tyson - Mid and wing, role was actually really good. Probably just a bit too expensive given Heppell/Green above and Dow/Campbell below but he's had some big seasons previously. Like Webster I wish he was a solid 50k cheaper as he'd be absolutely in play. Be interesting to see if he can hold the spot when Polec, Cunnington, Anderson and Dumont are all playing, seems unlikely.

Thomas - Does a few nice things, he's a cocktease of a footballer at this point. Can't have had more than about 8 touches in 3 quarters despite a good role. Just not fantasy relevant at this point.

Lazzaro - Did some really nice things. Was definitely among their classiest and showed some nice toughness given he looks like a jockey. Has the toe to play at that size though and he showed more in this game than a guy like Turner has in his career.

Powell - He's another super skinny one who did a couple of nice things. Would have liked a fair bit more volume from him though but they talked up that he's already got elite running patterns at the club. I do worry Polec could push him out though very easily. Going to be a hard role in a bad side but will watch closer next week when I can make out more of what's happening.

Hayden - Glorious role, shocking performance. Just couldn't get near it from what I could tell (again, it was hard), seemed to have a top midfield rotation. It feels like there is a player in there but he was pretty much allergic to the ball off half back and his first outing in the midfield seemed like more of the same. Need to see a heck of a lot more in the next game.

Campbell - Acquitted himself well, Goldy gave the old "yeah, nah" when the commentator mentioned the idea of playing two rucks which I enjoyed. He looks ready to play AFL though.

Hall - Same old with a new terrible hairstyle.

Zurhaar - I love the way he plays, genuinely goes out there to claim souls. He actually had a fairly nice role, pushing through the middle at times but was still mostly forward which if I'm saying the supply is going to likely be great down back then I obviously don't think that's a good thing for guys at the other end. Wouldn't surprise me if he pushes up around the 80 mark though but think he'll rot up forward too much to go much further.

 

[Gruffles]

Amazing work lads.

I kind of miss the days when I had to build my own team via my own research, SC life is too easy now..

 

[Bermi]

Amazing work lads.

I kind of miss the days when I had to build my own team via my own research, SC life is too easy now..

Yeah, really amazing work from the Lads.

I can't do my own research now, as I am spending my time just keeping up with all the impressive reading in this Forum.

 

[Dimmawit]

Thanks again @wogitalia - keep 'em coming!

 

[Impromptu]

@wogitalia efforts & insights on the pre-season matches are too valuable to be lost in the main thread so I've given him his own center stage.

Keep up the fantastic work mate, it is truly the stuff of legends.

Great work @wogitalia

I need all the help I can get as I want to punish the SCS Premier League participants who have me as favourite for the wooden spoon in the SCS Premier League (odds were fair and correct; just friendly banter with the SCS members)

 

[froffershanners]

Amazing stuff @wogitalia

Such invaluable information for those of us who don't have the time.

Does anyone know if there are any stats outside of CBA's available for any of the games anywhere?

 

[wogitalia]

Saints vs Blues

General - What a putrid first quarter, seen more intensity in Auskick training than that game, ironically the only time anyone went near anyone from the other team it's Zac Williams trying to rub himself out for round 1... Game was a bit better for the last couple of minutes and then the first few of the 2nd before devolving into a pretty ordinary overall game with a lot of skill errors and a distinct lack of intensity from either side. Basically St Kilda were less terrible in the 1st quarter and sat on the lead from there. This was a very bruise free game. Honestly, don't know if it's rule changes or a complete lack of intensity but it felt more like the latter as the game tightened up a bit when they tired a little and started to at least pretend to pressure the opponent. Watched 3/4 which was more than enough, also professional commentators again, even with Huddo and Roo who are two of the best it's still hard after some of the "amateurs" on the practice games. Will be in scoring order for games with scores!

Carlton - Pretty strong side from what I would expect is available for them, especially in the midfield. I doubt the coaches would be very happy with the game, hard to understate how soft they were in the first and really lucky the Saints were just as bad.

Silvagni - Was surprisingly good. Realistically he only helps the fantasy relevant guys.

Pittonet - Very solid first half, faded from there. Not against the best comp obviously.

Murphy - Full time HF.

Saad - Surprised to see him this high to be honest, he just didn't seem to do much, lot of his touches probably counted as intercept touches though which in a game with no contest are going to get a lot of extra attention from CD.

Williams - Will be very lucky to not get suspended, late high bump. Picked Clark so has a chance at getting a high/careless/low but hard to argue when you choose to bump after the ball is gone that it's careless rather than intentional which is a week and could easily still grade out at medium which would also make it one. Fingers crossed as he looked good. Only played 3 quarters it would seem and in the 3rd he went forward mostly from what I could tell. Role as advertised, midfield rotating forward. Hard to read how much the 3rd quarter is a sign or meaningless.

Fisher - HF role, not relevant in that to me.

Docherty - Not his best ball use but role was solid and eh played well. Didn't really do anything to encourage or discourage anything I feel on him. He's an option but not sure he's a good one!

McDonald - Actually was solid for them. No idea what he'd get priced at but if he was cheap enough he could be a decent bench rookie as a KPF/R2 as he'd have to be a defender you'd think.

Cripps - Played almost the entire 3rd at FF and was thrashed by Wilkie, once again confirming that just because you can push forward and be dangerous from the midfield doesn't mean you're a good forward. It was terrible for his scoring and like with Williams, not sure how much was about giving others a chance and how much it is an actual sign but it's scary for him as a fantasy pick. Still, he looked good going through the motions, fit is the most important factor and I personally just think it was about giving others some more chances.

Setterfield - Pure wing role, played well.

Fogarty - HF again, solid game.

Walsh - He was everywhere but his bad kicking was still an issue. He's been a terrible kick to date in his career and he had another mare tonight and the SC reflects it. Role was ideal though and he looks in ripping shape. The disposal issue is a very real concern and the question of whether he can quantity his way through it is a genuine one. It was basically a great game if you ignored the kicking but given how badly he's kicked so far in his career it's hard to just write it off as rust or anything and it's becoming a disturbing trend. Still, he's in my side for now but definitely wavering a little.

SPS - Solid off half back, few mistakes but do like him.

Dow - Role wasn't nearly as good as last week, he actually had decent CBA numbers I believe but his role was definitely mostly HF pushing up a bit rather than last week where it was mid pushing forward a bit. Role was better in the 3rd when Cripps went to FF but that's not realistic. This was basically bad Dow, the one who doesn't really know what he's doing when not on the ball and given his premium is a genuine concern. Still, there aren't a lot of midfield rookies and we may be forced. Definitely has me wanting to find the way back up to Heppell though The role wasn't terrible though and he's still very much in play, looked a lot better last week in every way though.

Curnow - Mostly wing, bit more inside in the 3rd when Williams and Cripps essentially left the building. Happy to say he's behind Walsh though for those worried about him.

O'Brien - Made the most of his quarter and a bit, coming on halfway through the 3rd he was everywhere in the 3rd and based on his score he kept going. Shame he's a mid only this year and at 180k I doubt the JS is there to risk it but he was good.

Saints - Coaches would also be really annoyed I imagine with this hitout, just so soft and impossible to even find the positives given witches hats would have given more resistance than the Blues. Didn't even get through unscathed from an injury stand point. Like the Blues this was a very strong team for them, so solid reads with only the oft and always injured Jones/Hanners really missing.

Sinclair - Off half back and was huge. Shame he's not a defender if he's going to score like that.

McKernan - Was really impressive, battle with Hunter will probably come down to whether they want a ruckman or a forward more given Ryder is equally adept at both.

Hill - Was prolific, shocking to all that an insanely outside player who runs like a freak would have a huge game in what was essentially non-contact circle work.

Lonie - Small forward role. Was really good but don't read too much into it, again, this was training drill level intensity and by training drill I still mean Auskick.

Steele - Really built into the game, ratio seems incredibly harsh given several intercept marks and a few goal assists but it was fairly uncontested I guess (hard to get contested touches when both teams are avoiding the contest). Still, he ticked all the boxes and I don't think you could ask much more in a preseason game like this. Rested forward a couple of times but unlike Cripps it was nothing more than that and he again at least looked like he could score in the role.

Ross - Was really solid, could never really work out his position, seemed to be a bit of everything.

Clark - Really solid hitout, almost like he got scaled up for going off a bit in the 1st quarter to get checked up and not being part of that travesty but he's so clean and so adept at creating time in the contest. Mentioned I liked his chances and was great to see the role hold up. Still not sure how I feel about him also playing HBF, that's not a resting position so it's kind of odd but he already looks among their best mids, that said he also looked like that last year after doing basically the same thing and then when everyone was available he was back at HB so proceed with caution. One year he's definitely going into the middle and he looks a very good bet to be a 100+ scorer when he does.

Gresham - Pretty strong midfield role which given his lack of preseason definitely surprised me. A bit like Clark of where does he fit in exactly with all the guys back but they've always liked him for bursts. Still, mid only so not relevant.

Hunter - I was impressed, held his own in the ruck contest, gave a bit around the ground. As mentioned on Smack, tough choice for the coaches of what they prioritise here, gut says McKernan probably edges him though unfortunately.

Wilkie - Was rock solid but think his score is a fair representation.

Webster - Started and played well but wasn't active enough and there are just too many names down there sharing it around to think he goes to the 85+ range he really needs to be hitting.

Billings - Lot more time forward in this game and the scoring suffered as a result. This is the worry with a guy like him.

Howard - Was shocked his SC was so low, felt like he intercepted or spoiled everything and didn't notice him turning it over, was expecting 90+ and to talk up how good he looked, which he absolutely did but if that's what he's scoring when he looks great it's a worry!

Crouch - Didn't notice him much, still butchers it, still finds it plenty. Missing first two so not relevant.

Highmore - Got lucky to come on early thanks to the Frawley injury and he played really well but also did nothing to demand a spot in the team. Will be a question if they go with a tall (where is Carlisle at?), throw Battle back or go undersized and Highmore gets a chance, even if he did, the Frawley hamstring didn't look too bad so could just be holding the spot. We need every back rookie we can get though so watch this space.

Coffield - Was solid but not doing enough to interest me. If he goes boom out of nowhere I'll trade him in!

Higgins - Broken SC score and all but he was everywhere, small forward but pushing high up the ground at times and then working back. Don't love the role, most guys cap out in the low 90s in a similar role and I think they've got so many small forwards who play that role that it's hard to see him being the man every week but wouldn't shock me if he's near the premium mark. Would be nice to have another preseason game to check him out in.

 

[randomcliche]

I've watched most of the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the GWS-Swans game. Wet, scrappy and the the players have been going at it very hard for a practice game. Swans were really on top for most of the 3rd quarter.

Hopper and Green stood out more to me than Taranto, and that's kinda the problem with that GWS midfield. What does Taranto post shoulder injury offer that Hopper/Green/Coniglio/Kelly don't? I saw Greene up around the midfield a bit too. For me Kelly's the only reliable premium scorer of the bunch.

Mills was definitely playing 100% midfield and looked good doing it. Plenty of tackles and taps to advantage when he wasn't getting the ball.
Campbell definitely takes the game on, not sure yet whether he'll get enough of the ball to justify his price.

Watched the first half on replay. Green was okay, but Jelly was perfect, a clear class above everyone else on the field except for Heeney (playing forward). Mills was doing the same as q3. Didn't see anything to make me want Cumming (did take a kick in and sent it), who is better than Iden even accounting for price. Considering it got wet, I didn't feel a need to watch more. Campbell should get a game, which is more than we can say for many rookies, agreed though price makes it tricky.

 

[Drew]

Thankyou! You had me at “Lynch still an asshole on the field” 😂

Top work, keep it up!

 

[wogitalia]

Tigers vs Magpies

General - A much, much, much better game of football. Borderline regular season intensity from the Tigers especially, both teams structured well. Was interesting to see both teams choosing to line up inside 5m on the 45 degree of the mark a few times, definitely something I think we see as teams shield the corridor. Both teams played with extras in defense, which is their natural structures, and as a result it was hard work scoring. 3/4 as usual as the standard was noticeably dropping towards the end of the 3rd.

Pies - Ball use was horrible, intent was good, structure was solid behind the ball if not perhaps a bit overloaded at times. Strong side but the early injury to Sidebottom and no Adams makes the midfield mix a bit hard to interpret. I think they'd be pretty happy with the hitout though the disposal was certainly a talking point.

De Goey - Well that's the gauntlet down for my "no bad preseasons" rule as he was great. As mentioned with no Adams and basically no Sidebottom he had a very strong role, liked that he didn't just take CB and then push forward but actually was allowed to roam a bit, also didn't get anchored deep. Looked to be in really good shape. Ultimately for me he's had two different injuries in the last month which is enough of a reminder, he's capable of going over 100 though so he's worth a punt for those wanting a bit of risk.

Pendles - The Pies kicking was so bad that even he butchered a few. Looked like Pendles, role was great, just waxing basically. Same old with him.

Crisp - Was across half back, I want to say exclusively as I didn't notice him on the wing at all. He looked good and they had plenty of supply thanks to the constant turnovers. His disposal was better than most for them and looks set for another strong season. Hard to find a lot of upside for the Pies boys with so many chefs.

Quaynor - He was very good early, did fade a bit in the 3rd from my eye and based on his final score looks like he might not have bounced back a lot in the 4th (hard to tell as I'm only seeing full time scores and don't want the scores to influence my thoughts). I think there are just too many other options but he's a really good player.

Maynard - Same as Crisp, apparently injured in the 4th though which would certainly make things interesting, take him out and the points probably need to go somewhere early on and a strong start would make Howe/Crisp strong starting picks.

Sier - Was solid but unspectacular. Given Sidey and Adams it's hard to read much into it but his role was solid. TOG given that is a genuine concern though. Ultimately there are just better options for mine.

Grundy - His ruckwork was excellent and his score is hard to argue but he was underwhelming again for mine. Went forward in the first to rest before the Kelly injury derailed their structures but looked pretty useless while there, think he's that rare player you'd rather on the bench freshening up rather than wasting energy at something he's never looked good at. Honestly there wasn't anything to his game to put you off picking him but there definitely wasn't any kind of statement to say you must pick him. Again though, 118 and that ratio is a pretty nice sign.

Noble - He was everywhere, surprised how low his DT score was and thus the SC (which was always a 1:1 type game), I'm guessing he stopped in the 4th. Clearly on a wing and did a great job of holding the shape for the Pies, ball use wasn't as bad as most of the Pies which is not the usual but it wasn't great, I think his kicking issues led him to play it safe which is better than turnovers but kind of just puts the pressure onto the next guy and makes it a bit harder. Still, reckon he's a really strong pickup for draft leagues in that role, think he's just a bit short for SC.

Howe - Looked pretty good. Didn't notice him from about 2/3 through the third and given his TOG I'd say he was done, flashing back to last week where they said he was a fair way behind where they want him to be fitness wise. To me he didn't look quite as explosive as he normally does but to counter that he took a good share of the kick-ins and was actively involved in the rebound. There is definitely an element of him ending up forward that scares me given the depth of options down back and how bad the forwards mostly look but I think he's a safe bet to be 90+ and the question is just how far north of that he can push. Not for me with my preseason rule but definitely an option.

Cameron - I believe came on for Kelly when hurt, assume he kicked his goals in the 4th or the majority as I really only noticed him turning the ball over with back to back kicks and otherwise just being competitive rather than good. Interesting choice between Cox and Cameron, they can't go with the two of them, surely.

Cox - He was solid while I watched, not good but probably did enough to be ahead of Cameron in the time I watched which given he started I think probably holds up.

Moore - Was solid, little too accountable but did take some kick-ins and was just good. Think he's the guy who at another club probably goes close to premium numbers but with all the Pies defenders ends up about where he was last year.

Daicos - Still not sold a more inside role suits him, he does some nice things but I think he ends up getting less of it and he's a really good ball user so that's a net negative. Role was solid though in general terms.

Henry - That ratio seems brutal and I thought he was considerably better than that against the toughest team to be a forward. This is the kind of game that scares people off what is probably one of the stronger rookie picks right now and I don't mind that. Kelly injury should pretty much confirm him in the side I'd think unless they want to go super tall (bad idea). Role is solid, again the Tom Lynch at Adelaide comparison is what I notice, covers ground well, will grow in confidence. Not someone I think you want to start but think he's a good slow burn rookie still. That ratio though is definitely concerning

Kelly - Looked like a collarbone or shoulder injury, didn't look great.

Sidebottom - Calf was what they said, old man injury and not what you want at this time. He was a rollercoaster for me of liking/disliking as a pick, ultimately that decision has been made, even if he plays round 1, he's not passing my test!

Richmond - Reckon they'd be very happy with that hitout on the 3/4 I watched. Their tackling and pressure work was fantastic and they held their structures perfectly. Very strong side in and as much as I hate their dominance watching the back six just work together is great. Looked great.

Short - Umm... yeah. That's back to back monster games by him. Almost needs to dial it back or he's gonna get tagged despite how strong the rest of the backs are as he's just too dangerous to let get 40+ or even 30... He was just everywhere across the back half, pushing all the way up to the 50 and if he ever had a man I don't know who it was. Hard to resist someone who puts on that kind of show, probably his last box has been ticking the "massive scores" box, the GF certainly counts and this one is just an extra bonus. Just scary good, that I like him and have liked him since the start is a bonus!

Caddy - Shame he's a MID only, looks in absolutely ripping shape and has a very nice role, hard to tell if it was pure wing or a very high HF but just roaming everywhere and I'd back it was a pure wing role. Looks to have actually got the body right after battling a lot of injuries the past couple of years. MID only rules him out though for me.

McIntosh - Same story really, strong wing role, played well, not relevant.

Baker - Continues to mature, Houli going to have to work to get back into the side at this rate! Was rock solid, he's kind of where Short was a couple of years ago but I think there are too many guys for him to push to premium levels. Solid draft pick though.

Vlastuin - Same old for him, think he'll be mid to high 80s to low 90s again.

Graham - Seemed to get the main shot at Prestia's spot in this one and didn't really do anything right or wrong with that chance.

Castagna - Looked really solid again but can't pick him.

Martin - Guessing he didn't play the 4th and he had a couple of solid stints on the bench. Role was stronger than previous years with more midfield mix to my eye. He's what he is at this point, disposal a bit iffy as normal but also hits some brilliant kicks, probably a bit uncontested and didn't hit the scoreboard. Looks fit though and that's the main takeaway. I still have honestly no idea if I want to start him or not, I guess if I'm going two forwards right now he's the 2nd.

Coleman-Jones - Did some nice things, mostly forward, not sure he rucked at all to be honest outside a couple of F50 contests. Holding Lynch's spot I'd say right now.

Bolton - Role was considerably better this week, main midfield group. Couldn't get near it though for the most part and that's a concern as he looked very lacklustre last week as well. Not for me but kudos to anyone who grabs him if it works out!

Nankervis - More than held his own while out there, only played the 1st half and was definitely the more active of him and Grundy but was beaten in the actual ruck contest most times but when he got his hand to it he did some damage. Just too much needed from him to be worth starting, if he was low 70s I think he's a viable pick.

Collier-Dawkins - Came on in the 3rd and went to work, based on his score and what I saw he must have basically stopped in the 4th though. Hard to see how he squeezes in though as he did nothing to stand out or really show he should be there in round 1 unfortunately.