2013 Player X v Player Y

[Krujan]

I really don't get the Wright love. Not in his club's best 5 midfielders, plays tagging roles, had a poor finals series, and Adelaide aren't looking much good in the NAB.

Conversely, I'm surprised more people aren't going with Jacobs in their rucks. He's the only premium ruck I can see without a massive question mark over his head. Won't average 100 but should be a safe 85-90. Although I guess you don't win the car by picking safe 85-90's.

Yep, that's pretty much my reasoning. Didn't Wright average something like 95+ after the MBR's last year?

 

[Schulzenfest]

Yep, that's pretty much my reasoning.

Then again, if the question mark over every other ruckman's head comes to fruition, then Jacobs starts to look like a smart pick. I had him last year, and although he didn't improve on his 2011 average, I was still happy to have him as all the other premium ruckmen around him dropped like flies. Gave me an advantage over pretty much everyone who wasn't smart/lucky enough to go with Maric or Minson.

Cox: Will he be nursed through the season when Naitanui comes back? Is 31 too old to keep scoring like a premium?
Maric: Was he a one-season wonder? Will an improved Ty Vickery impact his scoring?
Sandilands: Injured.
Roughead: Will Bailey and Hale play together this year, consigning Roughead to deep forward purgatory?
Ryder: Will this be the year that Bellchambers takes over as #1 ruck?
McEvoy: How will the return of Stanley and the acquisition of Hickey affect his gametime?
Minson: Was he a one-season wonder? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Naitanui: Injured.
Jolly: Is he past it? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Mumford: Will he be fully over his ankle injury by Round 1, and if not will he be rested early against GWS and GC? How will the emergence of Pyke impact his scoring?
Giles: Was he a one-season wonder? Does he have enough scoring potential?
McIntosh: Injured
Hale: Will Bailey return to the side, leaving him to spend more time up forward? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Bellchambers: Can he overtake Ryder as the #1 ruck? Will he develop into a ruckman worthy of fantasy consideration?
Goldstein: Was 2011 an anomaly? Does his terrible NAB cup scoring point to another slow start? Will Daniel Currie make the 22 and have the same effect on him that McIntosh did?
Kreuzer: He's never scored like a premium before, will 2013 be his year or will it be another year of unfulfilled potential? What impact will Warnock and/or Hampson have on his minutes in the ruck?

 

[CaptScott]

How do you expect someone to make an impact when theyve spent their whole career injured and trying to get back to full fitness, just to get injured again? give the kid a break.

In regards to some of the questions here, highly doubt Martin will play HB. Being used forward of centre a lot int he NAB and its working. He's been playing on a wing/HFF and then pushing hard into the 50 to mop up the crumbs and hes been kicking goals. so far he has been very effective in this role.

What few people dont understand, cos they're too busy jumping on the bandwagon and slagging players non stop in an attempt to be funny, is that Tambling is quite good defensively. If people stopped being so tunnel visioned and actually watched him play properly, you will see that Tamlbing actually was quite good aerial strength and is a great tackler, plus applies plenty of pressure along with his pace. It's just that his kicking and decision making lets him down. Therefore, he has been put into a HB role, with an attempt this season to improve his use of the ball and execution under pressure. He has still made a few errors, but for majority of the game, its been working and hes been named in our best 3 in the first 2 games. Defensively, Tambling is a much better player than Martin. Martin would rarely affect the contest and probably isnt as ruthless as Tambling. Both have a bit of pace, and Tambling does manage to find ways to get himself out of trouble, its just his execution that then puts himself back into trouble, where as a player like Martin has decent disposal.

Hang on, that seems like a well though out argument. Thats enough of that arusso.

Conversely, I'm surprised more people aren't going with Jacobs in their rucks. He's the only premium ruck I can see without a massive question mark over his head. Won't average 100 but should be a safe 85-90. Although I guess you don't win the car by picking safe 85-90's.

I think most are going to risk Goldy for the first few rounds to see how he pans out, if it doesn't work then its an easy/cheap upgrade to Jacobs/Giles(?). Well, that's what I'm planning*

* all said plans are subject to change on a bi-daily basis, as per the legal precedent established by nabus neejerkus

 

[Krujan]

Then again, if the question mark over every other ruckman's head comes to fruition, then Jacobs starts to look like a smart pick. I had him last year, and although he didn't improve on his 2011 average, I was still happy to have him as all the other premium ruckmen around him dropped like flies. Gave me an advantage over pretty much everyone who wasn't smart/lucky enough to go with Maric or Minson.

Cox: Will he be nursed through the season when Naitanui comes back? Is 31 too old to keep scoring like a premium?
Maric: Was he a one-season wonder? Will an improved Ty Vickery impact his scoring?
Sandilands: Injured.
Roughead: Will Bailey and Hale play together this year, consigning Roughead to deep forward purgatory?
Ryder: Will this be the year that Bellchambers takes over as #1 ruck?
McEvoy: How will the return of Stanley and the acquisition of Hickey affect his gametime?
Minson: Was he a one-season wonder? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Naitanui: Injured.
Jolly: Is he past it? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Mumford: Will he be fully over his ankle injury by Round 1, and if not will he be rested early against GWS and GC? How will the emergence of Pyke impact his scoring?
Giles: Was he a one-season wonder? Does he have enough scoring potential?
McIntosh: Injured
Hale: Will Bailey return to the side, leaving him to spend more time up forward? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Bellchambers: Can he overtake Ryder as the #1 ruck? Will he develop into a ruckman worthy of fantasy consideration?
Goldstein: Was 2011 an anomaly? Does his terrible NAB cup scoring point to another slow start? Will Daniel Currie make the 22 and have the same effect on him that McIntosh did?
Kreuzer: He's never scored like a premium before, will 2013 be his year or will it be another year of unfulfilled potential? What impact will Warnock and/or Hampson have on his minutes in the ruck?

For sure, Jacobs is a safe as houses pick. I'd be going with him as well, if I thought he had a 95+ average in him. Since I don't I'd punt on half those guys before him, injury permitting...

 

[VSTone]

Duffield Vs Heppell

I've had Heppell all preseason but am beginning to find it difficult to ignore Duffield's late season 2012 and NAB cup performances... right now i have Duffield edging out Heppell...any thoughts?

 

[Krujan]

Duffield Vs Heppell

I've had Heppell all preseason but am beginning to find it difficult to ignore Duffield's late season 2012 and NAB cup performances... right now i have Duffield edging out Heppell...any thoughts?

I have Heppell @ D3 ATM but he's just holding Scotland's place for a couple of rounds (unless he's killing it) Duffman would be more of an upgrade target for me if he's a top 6 mid by rd5-6 and a defined & consistant role. He had a nice purple patch at the end of last year, not sure if he is a 95+ season average player though, especially in a Ross Lyin team. He could be racking up the possies week in week out then out of the blue be playing lockdown or defensive HF. I don't trust Lyin not to do to Duff what he did to GreggyB.

 

[swans4eva]

Duffield Vs Heppell

I've had Heppell all preseason but am beginning to find it difficult to ignore Duffield's late season 2012 and NAB cup performances... right now i have Duffield edging out Heppell...any thoughts?

I still would go with Heppell if I'm honest. Heppell's shown that his durability is very good, even when Essendon had a terrible run with injuries last year. Plus, he's a third year player and he's averaged 83 and 85 the last two seasons, so I would not be surprised at all if he pushes that up to 90-95. Duffield is very up and down and can give you some absolute stinkers which deters me from picking him. As you said though, hard to ignore his NAB form. The most impressive part for me was how he scored 113 from 21 disposals.

I'm still leaning towards Heppell but I think both are very good options.

While on topic, Duffield v Hartlett?

 

[VSTone]

I still would go with Heppell if I'm honest. Heppell's shown that his durability is very good, even when Essendon had a terrible run with injuries last year. Plus, he's a third year player and he's averaged 83 and 85 the last two seasons, so I would not be surprised at all if he pushes that up to 90-95. Duffield is very up and down and can give you some absolute stinkers which deters me from picking him. As you said though, hard to ignore his NAB form. The most impressive part for me was how he scored 113 from 21 disposals.

I'm still leaning towards Heppell but I think both are very good options.

While on topic, Duffield v Hartlett?

thanks guys, good points!

Hartlett isn't as tempting for me, his durability is just horrible, so bare in mind he will likely miss games and his consistency is pretty ordinary off the back of it, decent ceiling though and easy fixture early - he's not on my radar.

 

[TedDougChris]

Just on Hartlett's durability, I know everybody says this about every player but he's had clearly his best pre-season ever. He said in an interview that he's done 95% of the work this pre-season, whereas the highest he's ever gotten in previous years is 75%. This could translate into more H&A games.

We have significant debate on the Bulldogs board about Tom Williams. Higgins is another that springs to mind. People (quite rightly in some respects) argue that Williams missed games are due to random injuries, not recurring or problematic issues. Therefore, in theory, he shouldn't be expected to miss games. But the problem is that he does miss games, year in, year out.

The same applies to Hartlett - until he proves that he can play a full year, there is an element of risk involved. That extra workload in the summer may push him closer to another injury. He may in the next decade not miss a game, but I'll be picking him only if there is no-one else or after he's demonstrated his resiliance... Not before...

But that's just my 2c + GST...

 

[Mattrox]

That applied to Drummond last year. Plagued with injury through several seasons. But then became a legitimate downgrade target and I recall people who were brave enough benefited.

 

[TedDougChris]

That applied to Drummond last year. Plagued with injury through several seasons. But then became a legitimate downgrade target and I recall people who were brave enough benefited.

True, but how many times have people been burnt by Higgins for example..... Hartlett may have a breakout year and I'll regret it. But the smart money often suggests otherwise.

 

[CrozaN]

With 44 trades you can afford to take punt on players with questionable durability.

 

[Jobe3votes]

Then again, if the question mark over every other ruckman's head comes to fruition, then Jacobs starts to look like a smart pick. I had him last year, and although he didn't improve on his 2011 average, I was still happy to have him as all the other premium ruckmen around him dropped like flies. Gave me an advantage over pretty much everyone who wasn't smart/lucky enough to go with Maric or Minson.

Cox: Will he be nursed through the season when Naitanui comes back? Is 31 too old to keep scoring like a premium?
Maric: Was he a one-season wonder? Will an improved Ty Vickery impact his scoring?
Sandilands: Injured.
Roughead: Will Bailey and Hale play together this year, consigning Roughead to deep forward purgatory?
Ryder: Will this be the year that Bellchambers takes over as #1 ruck?
McEvoy: How will the return of Stanley and the acquisition of Hickey affect his gametime?
Minson: Was he a one-season wonder? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Naitanui: Injured.
Jolly: Is he past it? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Mumford: Will he be fully over his ankle injury by Round 1, and if not will he be rested early against GWS and GC? How will the emergence of Pyke impact his scoring?
Giles: Was he a one-season wonder? Does he have enough scoring potential?
McIntosh: Injured
Hale: Will Bailey return to the side, leaving him to spend more time up forward? Does he have enough scoring potential?
Bellchambers: Can he overtake Ryder as the #1 ruck? Will he develop into a ruckman worthy of fantasy consideration?
Goldstein: Was 2011 an anomaly? Does his terrible NAB cup scoring point to another slow start? Will Daniel Currie make the 22 and have the same effect on him that McIntosh did?
Kreuzer: He's never scored like a premium before, will 2013 be his year or will it be another year of unfulfilled potential? What impact will Warnock and/or Hampson have on his minutes in the ruck?

Bellchambers is Essendons #1 ruck, i can assure you of that. I also think it is safe to say Cox, Maric & Goldstein will be big scorers in the ruck this season, most likely the top 3 scoring rucks in 2013.

Look for a fired up Ryder to improve his scoring also. Minson a 1 season wonder? has he ever been a high scorer on a regular basis for 1 whole season?

 

[TedDougChris]

With 44 trades you can afford to take punt on players with questionable durability.

I'd rather be upgrading than swapping out injured players....

 

[Keystone agony]

I'd rather be upgrading than swapping out injured players....

This is true but i still think the pros outway the cons when it comes to Hartlett. Id still like to see him perform against a team that doesnt just have 3 starting best 22 players in it.

Based on your theory you wouldnt have touched Waters or Cotchin last year and look how they turned out.

 

[TedDougChris]

This is true but i still think the pros outway the cons when it comes to Hartlett. Id still like to see him perform against a team that doesnt just have 3 starting best 22 players in it.

Based on your theory you wouldnt have touched Waters or Cotchin last year and look how they turned out.

True enough. I just don't buy the argument 'we have lots more trades now' - whoever gets the starting side right, then upgrades and makes the least mistakes will win. When assessing players I'm starting to use the number of games played as a significant deciding factor....

 

[Keystone agony]

True enough. I just don't buy the argument 'we have lots more trades now' - whoever gets the starting side right, then upgrades and makes the least mistakes will win. When assessing players I'm starting to use the number of games played as a significant deciding factor....

Im with you i just think your under selling Hartlett maybe a little but each to their own opinion. If he gets injured in the first 6 rounds then its probably a win for those that picked him. If it happens between rounds 7-12 it could be a lose as your wasting a trade on sideways trading an injury rather than upgrading (which is what your getting at).

However if the latter happens then and he has already been avg 20 point over his price around 100~ then he will still be a massive win and remember during that time people can either decide to cover with a bench position (continue their upgrade/downgrade). You may have an extra premium that week, but will they necessarily score more than a rookie?

Hartlett has been probably my only back to have stayed in my team the whole time along with probably Goodes and another rookie.

 

[TedDougChris]

Im with you i just think your under selling Hartlett maybe a little but each to their own opinion. If he gets injured in the first 6 rounds then its probably a win for those that picked him. If it happens between rounds 7-12 it could be a lose as your wasting a trade on sideways trading an injury rather than upgrading (which is what your getting at).

However if the latter happens then and he has already been avg 20 point over his price around 100~ then he will still be a massive win and remember during that time people can either decide to cover with a bench position (continue their upgrade/downgrade). You may have an extra premium that week, but will they necessarily score more than a rookie?

Hartlett has been probably my only back to have stayed in my team the whole time along with probably Goodes and another rookie.

Fair comments... As always, there is no guarantee that either of us has the correct strategy...

And to be fair, he may actually be a good selection when you factor in the bye weeks, I haven't got that far in my planning yet....

 

[Keystone agony]

Fair comments... As always, there is no guarantee that either of us has the correct strategy...

And to be fair, he may actually be a good selection when you factor in the bye weeks, I haven't got that far in my planning yet....

Strategy is over rated

Byes aren't factored in for me at all this year

 

[wallcob]

Really unsure whether to go

Ablett + Danger
v
Cotchin + Pendles.

Keep in mind my No 1 Midfielder is already Swan. cheers

 

[Krujan]

Really unsure whether to go

Ablett + Danger
v
Cotchin + Pendles.

Keep in mind my No 1 Midfielder is already Swan. cheers

Ablett & Danger for mine

 

[CaptScott]

Really unsure whether to go

Ablett + Danger
v
Cotchin + Pendles.

Keep in mind my No 1 Midfielder is already Swan. cheers

As above, take a punt on Ablett and Danger. With all the trades you can easily downgrade Ablett if he doesn't maintain super-premo.

 

[Fitzey]

Really unsure whether to go

Ablett + Danger
v
Cotchin + Pendles.

Keep in mind my No 1 Midfielder is already Swan. cheers

Ablett and Dangerield for me. Cotchin may get Tagged this year even more. But Pendles is good.

 

[CaptScott]

Byes aren't factored in for me at all this year

+1

With all the trades available no real point in considering bye weeks in the starting 22, teams will change drastically by mid season and players with bye rounds can easily be traded in/out.

 

[Fitzey]

Mathew Boyd & Mathew Priddis
OR
Brett Deledio & Scott Selwood??