Yeo will be a rollercoaster but with the way defenders are presenting at the moment you may have to just take the chance on him. At worst he probably ends the season on 85-90 average which is not what you want at his price, but wont be a total write off.

Back in Oz this afternoon, this is the revamp, not as many rookies looking likely as I thought would be at this stage.

Decent side mate though I think there are better options than Libba at that cost, what makes you think we will rebound to the extent he is worth the coin?
I'm not sure Keeffe has Js beyond round 3 or 4, if then.

The fwd line feels like it will lack cash the generation you need, what do you do with the 660k if Denger isn't named?
Hard to rate the team properly with effectively a premium missing tbh

Arimtage needs to be a premium or Coniglio/JOM. Don't like your forward midpricers either. Otherwise good, can't fault premiums chosen, two prems in the back is a risky call but one I like, and out of the rookies the only one I have reservations on at this stage is Keeffe. Think ZGL will have the better job security in that team.

Rich? It feels like 2012 again. Trading Marchbank for Weitering sounds like someone fixing for a Blues mid-pricer. Next you're going to feel the Byrne.

Good side. Don't think some of your rookies are going to be lining up Rd 1, or will only play until an established player comes in (like Fogarty and Tex) but they're never fixed at this stage. Wish I could find the coin for Ryder. Congilio is about the only mid in his price range I would select. Shame Rocky had to move clubs and have such a bad pre-season.

Cheers mate, hopefully won't reach the Byrne report, I have had Marchbank for ages, but numbers are numbers and they indicate Weitering is a better SC prospect for this year
Re Rich I don't think he is any chance of appreciating, but do think he is highly likely to maintain his average, unlike most Def premiums this year..

I preferred your previous version to this one.

I like to pick players that I believe have some upside unless they are permacaptain material. I can't see that in Yeo or Rich or Heeney. If they hold their 2017 form you don't lose I guess, but I'm not sold that they are assured of doing so.

Where is Brayshaw? Lockiest of locks for me this year. I realise that you short of the cash to upgrade Stephenson into Brayshaw.
You have 5 rookies in the 150k - 200k bracket I really think Brayshaw is in the top 5 from that price range.

So did I really, but this has more balance.
Backs are a hot mess for me, Rich will hold value and Yeo shouldn't lose too much, unf that's the best that can be said of them, Heeney I do see improvement in tbh, time will out..
Brayshaw is currently out as a result of me trying to bolster the backline. I genuinely don't like most defence options at the premium level and the rookies are incredibly lacklustre unless spending the coin for Naughton, Coffield and Cole..I fear Savage is pyrite.
I did have a version today where Yeo was Mills, this allowed me to have Brayshaw and another prem rookie, I liked it better but it felt like it might be too weak for the first 6 rounds or so

I think we will have much better rookie options on most lines than 2017, which hopefully gives some flexibility to go a bit more mid-priced from the start. Last year decent rookies were just so thin on the ground, but I am confident we won't have the same problem this year.

If ever there was a year to try some DEF mid-priced madness, I think it is this one - given that the DEF keeper options are shaky at best. These DEF guys with the higher starting price tags would only need a few consecutive poor games and their price could easily drop down to a similar level to a pack of more enticing mid-priced options, and other than Laird I'm not confident that any of them will be particularly consistent in 2018.

cheers mate, will revisit along those lines

Disagree with your Permacapt bit, that's very impractical considering it's really on one player that fits that bill (Danger) and if you apply that to your mids you won't have anyone more expensive than Fyfe. Heeney has the sheer class and upside to either hold his scoring or improve, one of the few there I can see go 100ppg. Far better option than guessing which Bulldog flanker is going to stand out. Yeo is the same, it's unclear how his role will change but he's a proven accumulator and "more mid time" isn't usually seen as a negative.

As for defenders, I think you're selling the line short since it's up forward where we are going to have gamble more. It's not clear down back, but there are options to be had. You're going to have an easier time making the call on a reliable prem to score well and stay up in the top of the defs, than guess which midpricer is going to make a 20ppg jump by the byes.

I think down back you should make a gamble on a cheap premium like the Shaw's/Hanleys or Sicily/McGraths etc to try and roll the dice there, than do that on a cheap player who's price is in "no mans land" and a far greater risk of failure.

Agree about Brayshaw looking the best of the expensive rookies. Going to be intriguing to watch over the years how the top four draft picks match up against each other as they develop.

Nic Nat should be playing but it looks like they're rushing him and he'd have to be managed. Big risk.

I have Sicily but not my most confident pick. He could easily be quite inconsistent but some of his scoring last year makes him an enticing prospect.

You need Fritsch in the forward line, I'd downgrade Hutchings personally to a rookie like Holman, see if you can use the money to improve somewhere else.