Perhaps reading too much into where the players are at, but i thought this sentence from C.Brown was interesting. Well, it doesn't directly quote him, actually, but simply the wording was worth a read. http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/108018/default.aspx <blockquote>Brown says the back half is coming together well, with former SANFL defender Michael Coad and either rugby convert Karmichael Hunt or AIS-AFL Academy graduate Josh Toy making up the set six.</blockquote> http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/108018/default.aspx I'm sure we'll get to see how they line up this weekend, but they way the article implied Coad was in the back six, with only one of Hunt* and Toy likely to be the other. I read that as Coad being ahead of Toy. *Would think Hunt would play all the games baring injury as he'll be used to attract fans to the game. Probably nothing more than article wording, but figured I'd post it if people want to read more into it. Edit: I missed an obvious point - Toy could always be set for a non back 6 role I guess.
Drummond could be a key defender if he can stay on the park. Can easily average 100 and for only 400k
So can Adcock but best of luck with that. Drummond is a big roll of the dice as is any injury prone player imo as since we kick off from round 1 if they break down at say week 6 there's a lot of rookie profit already gone so could leave you with a rookie swap and not a lot of cash left over imo leaves you in the tempting and failing sideways trade. Trade down for not much profit IE he drops to say 330K and rookie comes up to 280K or waste a premium trade having blown $. Just my opinion but this one plays more imo this season.
I think grimes is an excellent choice this season and as Melbourne get better (and Bruce gone), I think Grimes will end up a keeper. I want some opinions on the best position for Heppell/Goddard. Atm I have Goddard in the backline with 4 other premiums. My bench includes Puopuolo, Retzlaf (not sold 100% and Duigan. I have Heppel in the mids with Polec, Harris and I. Smith on the bench. From what I can tell, the only reason to have Goddard in the mids is so (in my case), you can have Polec/Harris on the ground in the mids and have Heppell on instead of Toy. The question then becomes, How much more will Polec score than Toy? Also, Putting Goddard into the mids, means taking out one of my 3 super premiums. Thus, you also have to consider the loss of points from say Pendlebury to (for arguments sake) Fisher/Newman. And then later on you have the problem of swapping Goddard back and then remembering you still have 4 midfield spots to upgrade. Maybe Hibberd into the mids bench and Heppell back at the expense of Retzlaf could be the way to go.
The point of DPP early days is so that you can switch rookies. So you won't necessarily have Polec on the bench for Toy every week, But when Brissy play Sydney, or if Polec isn't performing, you might think about it. It offers a little flexibility.
Cheers walesy, I get that. My point is more to do with why would you start Goddard in the mids? I can't see the advantage.
I dont see the advantage of Goddard in the mids. Lock him in DEF Hes going to end up there anyway. Set and forget.
I found that if you're going a full MPP strategy, putting Goddard in teh mids (or Chappy) gives you a nice feeling of security. Last year I started with him and ROK in there. When Riewoldt went down, I downgraded him to a rookie, swung ROK forward and upgraded Shuey(inj) to Bartel. So wish I'd gone to Juddy - then it might have all worked better Normally I'd say it makes very little difference where you start them. It does stop people from saying that you're crazy for going in with one mid premium though and that's nice This year, with the extra cash, I'm thinking it might be useful though because I have a very strong backline and I think that there may be some more value to come in. For instance, H Shaw is usually a bad starting choice, but take a look at their opening games compared to their last 5 or 6. With a fully stocked backline that MPPs both ways, you can let it overflow to the mids or the forwards. You can also cover byes if you really need to (still think it's largely overblown, but it's probably where I'm going with my squad)
There is actually another reason to start Goddard in the mids and it depends on how many M/B MPPs you have. Consider the setup where you have: D: Goddard, Hibberd M: Heppell Cash cow time comes along and one of those rookies needs to go. You have other rookies but their timing is wrong and they might be about to give you some good coverage. The best downgrade target, as it turns out, is Mitch Wallis(M), who after being held back for 6 rounds is averaging 100 and about to pop. You can switch your rookies around and trade whichever one you like, but you lose some flexibility in doing so because you will have to kill your MPP link. However, the setup: B: Hibberd M: Goddard, Heppell Allows you to trade into that gun mid rookie and keep you structure intact. It's a pretty minor thing but it is likely to happen to you at least once. Back rookies can come up midyear, like Broughton did a couple ago but you would be expecting a mid-year gun to appear in the mids, if anything.
Until you've traded out of the D/M link, there is no such thing as Goddard in the mids. And if you end up leaving him in the mids- you're NUTS!
If you -stupidly- dont start with him. It would prob make sense to bring him into the mids, as the mid rookies may be ready to cash in sooner, and then you could swing him back, and put the MPP rookie on the mid bench. I did that last season, and it worked well. Got Goddard at his cheapest. but anyone would be mad not to start with him this season. so not sure why im bothering to type this. haha although actually, I do know someone who reckons he cant fit him into starting team.
It's official. I'm NUTS. Plead team balance, structure, gastly little Metro Gnomes, etc. Plan to do the old two-step with Heppell down the track, but for the moment HE is resting in the mids. Did a similar thing with Hodgey last year. With MPP, you can fatten a cow on the Def bench then swing him to the Mids in order to trade for a big Mid, with God skulking back to Def. Theory. javascript:void(0);
<blockquote>Quote from Lucas on February 18, 2011, 14:30 That would be someone who can't fit 50k in their bank account... </blockquote> haha must be. I quickly told them, that they have to fit him in. He was my first picked!
I reckon we need a thread on starting Goddard (or Chappy) in the mids. The mpp coverage looks really good but feels like a waste of a valuable mid spot. Theres a lot of implications and different ways to look at it, particularly since we're likely to have at least 1 player on a bye every week. Instead of relying on different rookies across all lines you could have 1 supersub covering everywhere. It worked well towards the end of last year - is it maybe better to trade into it midyear?
My plan will most likely shape up to be two genuine prems an improver prem (probably number 1 on Lucas's yet to be published list) and three gun rookies starting. Then at least two (hopefully three) MPPs on the bench to activate most of the back line and half the forward line. There aren't enough genuine premiums in the forwards yet for the luxury of Chapman in midfield. There's argumnets for Goddard, most already made here. As Walsey points out though, provided you have the link, it doesn't really matter where they start. There are probably too many "premium rookies" who are pure mids, when combined with a few top 10 premiums, you can't really afford dual position midfielders starting on the ground in the midfield.
There are also quite a few rookie defenders that are viable options to have in R1 team, meaning it may be better to have Goddard in mids to start (but definitely not to finish). it all comes down to which rookies one wants to start with. we will have a better idea by the time NAB games are done and dusted. but at the moment, i would think most mid rookies will outscore the def rooks, but I have surplus options on both lines in my shortlist... really keen to see how they all play, and fit in to their respective teams. forward rookie options are not so prevalent for me. maybe ill ask for some tips on f rooks in the correct thread.