TooSerious

Four rounds into the ORFFA season and it is becoming clearer that many teams' depth is going to be tested in coming weeks as player injuries and poor form continue.
A number of one-sided games this week, but we'll start the review with the close one:

Whitsunday 1235 d Venus Bay 1232
The Warriors hold on for their first win for the ORFFA season, escaping with a three point victory over Venus Bay.
The Warriors built a lead on the back off a consistent midfield effort - Boak (157), Sloane (126), Wines (125) and Gibson (103) all doing the job. Aaron Black (96) and Robbie Warnock (113) were also good.
Coming into the final game, Venus Bay needed 105 points from Melksham and Mundy. Regrettably injury intervened - while Melksham scored 55, Mundy's concussion and red-vesting limited him to 46 and handed the game to the Warriors.
Dayne Beams top scored for the Vultures with 145, with Higgins' 115 up forward very handy. Malceski and Gibbs also exceeded 100.

Cradle Mountain 1270 d Lovely Banks 1134
The magic of Stevie J was on show again as Cradle Mountain scored a comfortable 136-point win over the Lilacs.
In another game marred by red vests and late withdrawals, Steve Johnson (150) pulled out his full bag of tricks to gain five Les W votes. Heppell's 133, Pendles (129) and Liam Shiels (96) were more than handy too.
Nick Smith's 80 as a late call-up for Dustin Fletcher was vital, while an OOP Shaun Grigg scored 26 up forward.
The Lilacs copped the raw end of the sub stick, with both Caddy (24) and Simpkin (38) wearing the red vest for good portions of their games. Late withdrawals from Matt Rosa and Paul Chapman also stung.
Scott Thompson returned to good form with 121 to top score for Lovely Banks, while Swan (111), Duncan (101) and Hunt (100) played well.

Foul Bay 1477 d Nunawading 1268
A high quality game saw the reigning premiers run out deceptively comfortable winners over the Nuffers.
Consistent efforts across the board...

Wow, how bad was this week! Late withdrawals, donuts, green vests and injuries.

So many bullets to dodge, you'd need a matrix level team to have dodged them all this week. Reckon a lot of off-tilt teams will move up the ranks this week.

And man, these Sunday night Bombers games- they kill this review! Damn you Vlad!

So, how did this horror week treat you?

(Also, bah- silly post button saving it as a draft!)

Round 4 is go!
Which of Richmond or Collingwood start the season 1-3? (Or will the fates give them a draw just to screw with my question?
Will Carlton manage to join them after taking on, and I quote, 'One of the worst squads I've ever seen' - Some guy off Big Footy.
Will the Bombers be able to take on the might of Fremantle after their smashing last week?
Arnot and Thomas are the subs for tonight.

Round 4 is it? Letting those Cows continue to Moo, or still madly running through adjustment trades?

I noticed that there are more than 130 players listed on the injury list thus far, and it's only been three games!

Rough year for injuries.
In



Matthew Arnot,

Sam Lloyd,

Shaun Hampson



Out



Jake King (Omitted),

Ricky Petterd (Groin),

Orren Stephenson (Omitted)



In



Jarrod Witts,

Josh Thomas



Out



Taylor Adams (Suspension),

Sam Dwyer (Knee)



In



Cam O'Shea,

Aaron Young,

Sam Gray



Out



Angus Monfries (Hamstring),

Chad Wingard (Ankle),

John Butcher (Omitted)



In



Jackson Paine,

Nick Robertson,

Rohan Bewick,

Ryan Harwood,

Tom Cutler



Out



Ryan Lester (Omitted),

Daniel Merrett (Suspension),

Josh Green (Leg),

Michael Close (Omitted),

Daniel Rich (Knee)



In



Corey Enright,

Taylor Hunt



Out



Jackson Sheringham (Omitted),

Mitch Brown (Ankle)



In



Sharrod Wellingham,

Sam Butler,

Scott Lycett,

Josh Hill,

Dom Sheed



Out



Mark LeCras (Arm),

Darren Glass (Hip),

Chris Masten (Hamstring),

Luke Shuey (Suspension),

Callum Sinclair (Omitted)



In



Jack Hutchins



Out



Brandon Matera (Suspension)



In



Luke Hodge



Out



Angus Litherland (Omitted)



In



Craig Bird,

Toby Nankervis,

Dean Towers



In



Joel Tippett,

Robin Nahas,

Liam Anthony,

Michael Firrito



Out



Jamie Macmillan (Leg)



In



Colin Sylvia,

Josh Simpson,

Zac Clarke,

Clancee Pearce,

Matt Taberner,

Zac Dawson



Out



Garrick Ibbotson (Shoulder),

Michael Walters (Ankle),

Chris Mayne (Ankle)

[span class='Apple-tab-span]

In



Josh Bruce,

Jack Billings,

Jack Steven,

Tom Lee



Out



Sam Gilbert (Foot)



In



Cam Ellis-Yolmen,

Sam...

]
A day late and a dollar short. Time has gotten away from me this week, but here we go.
Initial Team Selection
<p style='text-align: left;]
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<col width='51' style='width: 38pt;[/img] <col width='134' style='width: 150pt;[/img] <col width='37' style='width: 28pt;[/img] <col width='38' style='width: 29pt;[/img] <col width='77' style='width: 58pt;[/img] </colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr height='18' style='height: 13.5pt;' class='telerik-reTableHeaderRow-1]
<td class='telerik-reTableHeaderFirstCol-1]Position
<td class='telerik-reTableHeaderOddCol-1]Player
<td class='telerik-reTableHeaderEvenCol-1]Team
<td class='telerik-reTableHeaderOddCol-1]Score
<td class='telerik-reTableHeaderLastCol-1]Price


<tr height='18' style='height: 13.5pt;' class='telerik-reTableOddRow-1]
<td class='telerik-reTableFirstCol-1' style='height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;]D1
<td class='telerik-reTableOddCol-1' style='text-align: left;]Cale Hooker (D)
<td class='telerik-reTableEvenCol-1' style='text-align: left;]ESS
<td class='telerik-reTableOddCol-1' style='text-align: left;]121
<td class='telerik-reTableLastCol-1' style='text-align: left;]$ 417,500


<tr height='17' style='height: 12.75pt;' class='telerik-reTableEvenRow-1]
<td class='telerik-reTableFirstCol-1' style='height: 12.75pt; text-align: left;]D2
<td class='telerik-reTableOddCol-1' style='text-align: left;]David Swallow (D,M)
<td class='telerik-reTableEvenCol-1' style='text-align: left;]GCS
<td class='telerik-reTableOddCol-1' style='text-align: left;]135
<td...

Shane Mumford. Giants. Sausages. 151 SC average.

Need I say more?

This week Mummy is the Best Buy, our first for the year, and as the top scorer in SC to date he probably won't be a surprise for too many. The Giants have been exceptional over the start to the 2014 season, thanks in no small part to the dominant efforts of their new number one ruck. For those that took the punt on him pre-season he has been rolled gold, but now the rest of the pack have caught up and are starting to eye off the big man his selection numbers are sure to skyrocket. Can he maintain this form? Can the Giants stay competitive? Will he continue to set world sausage eating records? None of these things are certainties, but going by form so far I'd say they're all decent bets.
<div>




DEFENSE
ROOKIES


Jeremy Laidler (SYD) DEF 161.8k 76 +58k

Laidler had a brief sabbatical from senior footy in round 2, before returning to the Sydney back-line for their demolition of the Crows on the weekend. Still in around 82,000 sides his job security may not be quite what it seemed during the pre-season, but for coaches looking for a decent defensive rookie Laidler is still a solid pick. On the bubble and facing a near 60 grand price rise this week.



Kade Kolodjashnij (GCS) DEF 197.3k 60 +27k

KKolo didn't take long to make his AFL debut, coincidentally after a massive game in the reserves he slotted into the Suns team for round 2 and hasn't looked back. A higher priced rookie choice at just under 200 grand, his 60 average will see him with a modest price rise this week.



Angus Litherland (HAW) DEF 123.9k 18 -8k

Angus Litherland shouldn't be considered, but as he's on the bubble I thought I'd at least mention him. With an average of 18, he's looking like losing money this week.

MID-PRICERS





David Swallow (GCS) D/M 476.7k 121

Swallow continued to perform for his almost 90,000 coaches on the weekend, keeping his average up around...

<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]Despite a game high 9 clangers (with four frees against) and despite having the fifth worst disposal efficiency for the Suns at 61%, Ablett was easily best on ground and collected the Marcus Ashcroft Medal with his 38 touches and 182 SC points. Giants Treloar (176) and Mumford (164) were next best whilst Rockliff (155) and Liberatore (154) rounded out the top five. The rest of the pack were Dunstan (143), Mitch Duncan (142), Joel Selwood (138), Heath Hocking (135) and Sidebottom and Luke Parker with 131 each.
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]Here are the numbers for Round 4 &amp;hellip;
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]RICHMOND v. COLLINGWOOD
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]
<p style='margin-bottom: 0pt; background-color: #fcfcfc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;][span style='color: #444444;]Recent game: In Round 4 last year, Cloke and Swan led Collingwood to a 34 point victory over Richmond. Cloke played a blinder and kicked 7 goals (and 2 behinds) and finished with 195 SC points. Swan finished with 168 and Sidebottom finished with 136 (with 4 goals)....

A memorable match-up between Foul Bay and Waikikamoocow took centre stage during ORFFA Round 3 action.

Foul Bay 1508 d Waikikamoocow 1459
What a scoreline. A stunning match between two top flight teams almost saw the teams score 3000 points between them, with the reigning premiers winning by 49 points.
Neither team gave an inch, with consistently good performances across the board from the much heralded - Libba (154), Selwood (138), Dal Santo (119) and Mumford (164) - to the far less celebrated - Griffiths (122), I Smith (130), Jacobs (112), Jaensch (111), Elliott (117).
Ultimately Big Mummy's virtuoso 164 provided Foul Bay with the boost they needed to get over the line in this one. Hibberd's (103) late efforts for Waikikamoocow brought the game close, but Yarran (47) did enough for Foul Bay to maintain its lead.
Well done to both teams for a great game.

Wagga Wagga 1233 d Lovely Banks 1103
The Wombats moved into the top five at the expense of the Lilacs, handing the Purple Ones their first loss for the year.
Consistency across the midfield (all four players scoring 100+) and defence (four players between 71 and 89) helped the Wombats establish a handy lead which the Lilacs were unable to overcome.
Franklin's (130) return to form was a huge boost for Wagga, while the evergreen Cox (122) in the ruck and Prestia (126) were well among the points to help cover for a bench which had a slightly quieter day.
For Lovely Banks, hometown boy Mitch Duncan rattled up 142 points in his best game for the year. But the consistent team-wide scoring that was a feature of the Lilacs' first two wins did not materialise, with Thompson's (28) injury hitting hard.
Chappy (110) again turned back the clock, while Carlisle and Pyke were solid.

Darraweit Guim 1320 d Gundagai 1087
Darraweit Guim remains undefeated after a solid rather than spectacular win over Gundagai.
The Hoppers, appropriately, jumped the Dirigibles early, fuelled by the...

Jump into the comments and let us know how you went for the round and how you're going overall.


[span style='font-size: 16px;]Round 3.

Hawthorn Hawks 21.11.137 def Fremantle Dockers 11.13.79
Grand final rematch. Fremantle did not hide the fact they were planning to hold Hawthorn to less than 12 goals in this match, and they would have been surprised to see the Hawks notch up 6 majors within the first 15 or so minutes. Hawthorn went on with it and were 75 points up early in the last quarter and they were in scintillating form, also winning the disposal count 492 - 311.
Heroes: Sam Mitchell 114, Rioli 108, Suckling 102, Pavlich 97.
Villains: Walters 32.

Western Bulldogs 15.10.100 def Richmond Tigers 15.8.98
Great finish to this game, with the Dogs holding on by 2 points after leading by 37 at half time. Richmond stormed home, kicking 3 goals late in the 3rd quarter and even hitting the front, on a Jack Roo goal, with only a couple of minutes to go, but super-sub Giansiracusa responded with the game winning goal for the Dogs.
Heroes: Libba 154, Cotchin 125.
Villains: Ellis 56, Griffen 49.

Adelaide Crows 9.17.71 lost to Sydney Swans 21.8.134
This was a fairly close game for the first 3 quarters, but following a similar theme to the first two rounds, the Crows capitulated, not scoring a goal in the last quarter, whilst the Swans piled on 7. Buddy finally had his critics happy with him, kicking 4 goals and setting up a few too. Luke Parker also kicked 4 goals in a BoG display. Unfortunately Tom Mitchell was subbed out and we'll have to keep our eye on him during the week.
Heroes: Parker 131, Buddy 130, Jack 123, Jacobs 112, Jaensch 111, Wright 100.
Villains: TMitchell 55, Rohan 21.

Gold Coast Suns 17.12.114 def Brisbane Lions 9.7.61
An important game for the Suns to have won. They had the game under control for the most part, although Rocky tried his darnedest to...

So we're firing into round 3 with all gun blazing right?



Got yourself all those important cows ready to moo?



How about your premiums? Any about to jump off the fiscal cliff? (Cloke, I'm talking to you!)