Regular TS contributor,[span style='font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;]TigersTooToughtakes a retrospective look at the season so far. Love ya work.



A third of the way through the AFL season and SuperCoach has already provided some obstacles for the serious player. Carnage in defence has struck over the past 3 weeks while our premium midfielders have had some low scores. In an AFL sense, Hawthorn and Geelong have been supreme while GWS and Melbourne have stunk it up. This is accurately reflected in SC scoring too. This isn't the case with all clubs. West Coast has had an indifferent start but have had some solid scorers while the same can be said for North Melbourne. How has each club really fared so far this season SuperCoach wise and which players have reflected their clubs? That's what I'll be trying to work through here.

Part 1 will review Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Fremantle and there will be the rest of the competition spread over the next couple of days. Each club has aSuperCoach SuperStar(not necessarily the leading scorer but the player that has been the most consistent and high scoring), aBolter(player scoring better than most would have thought) and aDisappointment(someone who hasn't come on as well as we would have liked).I'll be doing one of these reviews after every third” of the season to show who is the real deal and who may not be. For now, let's jump in!

Adelaide (4 wins 4 losses)
SuperCoach SuperStar:Scott Thompson (avg 108.63)
Bolter:Richard Douglas (avg 106.63)
Disappointment:Taylor Walker (avg 69.2)

All serious SuperCoaches will have that gut feel on a spread of players they feel may break out. I had about 7 or 8 on my mind. I selected a few of them in my squad. Some have paid off well, while others have just spudded it up. One guy that was about third on my list was Richard Douglas. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't squeeze him into my team. Luckily for the 1375 teams that do have him, he has been fantastic this year. He has returned to his best and fairest form and should continue to dominate. Scott Thompson has been his creative old self just running smoothly under the radar while Patrick Dangerfield (avg 108.38)has been both amazing and poor at times this season. We can't forget the huge impacts of Rory Sloane (avg 104.74)and Brent Reilly (avg 93.38)either.

Sam Jacobs (avg 87.25)is a player who has disappointed many but a 101 on the weekend suggests he may have turned a corner. It is probably unfair to put Taylor Walker as the biggest disappointment so far but a lot of people selected him and he repaid them with some poor scores before he unfortunately injured his knee. Another huge disappointment is Matthew WRIGHT (avg 74.5).It is unclear as to what role he has in the Adelaide team after being great one week, then being sub/subbed the next.

Adelaide has a tough next 8 weeks. I cannot say that they are guaranteed winners in any of the matches. It shouldn't affect their SC scores too much though as the likes ofDangerandSloaneshould continue to burst through packs. I think Brodie SMITH (avg 77.5)is ready to take points ofReillyand come into his own in the coming weeks. He was all the rage in the preseason.


Brisbane Lions (3 wins 5 losses)
SuperCoach SuperStar:Pearce Hanley (Avg: 113.14)
Bolter:Brent Moloney (Avg: 97.38)
Disappointment:Daniel Rich (Avg: 83.25) and Patrick Karnezis (2 games avg: 34)

A great win over Essendon on the weekend doesn't mask the extremely poor start to the year for the Lions. Michael Voss has been under enormous pressure as a result of this underperforming group of players. The poor results have also resulted in the Lions having some poor SC results. In fact, the only Lions to average over 100 are Pearce Hanley and Tom Rockliff (avg: 106.75). Rockliff's consistency this year, along with a return to the midfield, have saved many a team from blushes while the underrated work of Hanley has resulted in three scores of 130+. The engine room has been solid with the likes of Brent Moloney, Jack Redden (avg 94.5), Dayne Zorko (avg 90.38)and Matthew Leuenberger (avg 96)performing well. Consistency has been an issue for these players however, being proven scorers, expect them to continue to perform no matter the result.

On the other hand, there are some players that simply couldn't handle the pressure of being NAB cup premiers while others couldn't keep their spot in the team. Daniel Rich was having an amazing preseason and was a smoky mid-pricer in many teams. The result? 61, 77, 118, 77 and a long term injury to round it off. Barring Round 3 against Gold Coast, he was unable to shake the tag and will have no opportunity to practice while his arm is in a sling. Of course, we wish him a speedy recovery; from both his shoulder injury and his poor SC form. Lift Daniel. Jonathan Brown has continued his fall from grace averaging just 65.88 however no one who is a frequent on TooSerious should have big Browny in their team. I don't think there is any need to mention Patrick KARNEZIS at all.

Looking at the next 8 rounds (including the bye), the Lions draw is incredibly tough. In their 7 games up until Round 16, they play 5 of last year's finalists. Unfortunately, they don't seem a threat in any of these matches which will mean a lower amount of SC points will be given to Brisbane. ExpectRockliffto maintain his form whileHanleywill most likely be shut-down like some of the other exceptional running defenders. A smoky to consider would beJack Reddenwho has started off slowly but will bring a lot of pressure to the line-up.

Carlton (4 wins 4 losses)
SuperCoach SuperStar:Andrew Walker (avg 111.38)
Bolter:Andrew Walker (avg 111.38)


Disappointment:Mitch Robinson (avg 78)

Yes, it's been an up and down season for the Blues this year with mixed results and mixed SuperCoach points. Andrew Walker has been their best SC player and their bolter with a new role off half-back. He seems unstoppable at the moment. One other player that would be a bolter at this early stage would be Jefferey Garlett (avg 103.5)who has been surprisingly consistent for a small forward. He also seems to be their best avenue to goal. An inconsistent start to the captain, Marc Murphy (avg 103.13)has caused a few headaches but it also means that he is a lot cheaper than he once was. Bryce Gibbs (avg 98.2)seemed to be our saviour but his small injury has turned into a 3-weeker and has frustrated everyone in the country.

Even if you hate him, you have to love the way Mitch Robinson attacks the ball. He got knocked out in Round 1 and his SC average has plummeted since then. He would be one of the disappointments but it wouldn't surprise me if he was in the good books of many come later in the year.Andrew Carrazzo (avg 76.2)has only played the 5 games but for a player who was once a lock, albeit in defence, ‘Carrots' seems to have lost his touch.Matthew Kreuzer (avg 75.78)has been slow coming back from injury but looks to be a very good trade-in target should people have poor-performing rucks (like me!)

The next two weeks are where Carlton are going to really need to crush their opponents (Brisbane, GWS) to entrench themselves into the top 8.Gibbswill return this week and along with the other stars, should score well. Look for Brock McLean (avg 88.25)to really turn it on over the next few weeks. I predict he will score 125+ in the next two games and should be averaging 100 by the end of Round 16.

Collingwood (5 wins 3 losses)
SuperCoach SuperStar:Scott Pendlebury (avg 127.63)
Bolter:Harry O'Brien (avg 89)
Disappointment:Brent Macaffer (avg 59)

It's hard to go past, arguably, the best midfielder in the competition as Collingwood's superstar in this early portion of the season. He has dropped below 100 just once and that was a 96 against the best tagger in the competition which isn't terrible. Unfortunately for the Pies, they have had some really inconsistent performers and some injuries to stars that have meant SC scoring has been a little wayward. Obviously, Dane Swan (avg 115.13)is a star but he has dropped below 100 on three occasions this year and his ball use is questionable at best. A couple of other players that have been solid but very inconsistent are Steele Sidebottom (avg 102.75)and Travis Cloke (avg 101.88). Harry O'Brien has really enjoyed a role playing on the wing and, while inconsistent, offers value for money in defence while upgraded rookie Sam Dwyer (avg 75.63)has rewarded those who chose and kept him.

Dayne Beams has been the obvious player missing all games thus far for the Pies which has disappointed SC'ers out there.Brent Macaffer was thought to be a steal at his rookie price at the start of the year however his move to a tagging role has left a sour taste in over 50 000 coaches' mouths. Injuries have also affected Dale Thomas (avg 79.20)who offered value for money before getting injured once again.

Luckily for us, the Pies have a relatively soft draw after their match against Sydney this weekend. This means the likes ofSwan, Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Clokeshould feast on weaker teams.Jarryd Blairhas also impressed me this season and look for him to register some big scores.

Essendon
SuperCoach SuperStar:Brendon Goddard (avg 106.13)
Bolter:Michael Hibberd (avg 98.75)
Disappointment:Patrick Ryder (4 games avg 97)

The Bombers started like a house on fire before their honourable loss to Geelong and their shocking loss to the Lions. I feel Brendon Goddard has been the Superstar for the Bombers with his consistency really rewarding those who have him in defence (not me). Jobe Watson (avg 118.88)is their best player but I couldn't let him be the SuperStar after scores of 66 and 67; especially considering one of those was against GWS. Michael HIBBERD has been amazing and it shows what he can do when he is fully fit. He has dropped off the last couple of weeks with scores of 86 and 71. Dyson HEPPELL (avg 95.71)was viewed as a player to rise this year and we can't complain about his scores after picking him up at $450k.

Patrick Ryder is possibly the most frustrating player in the AFL. Not only is he inconsistent, he gets suspended for a lengthy period almost every year. He started off with 54, 88, 145, 3 week suspension, wasn't selected and 101. I feel sorry for those who continuously select him.

Essendon have an OK draw coming up with some easy games and some very difficult games. In fact, they face their toughest opponent yet this weekend (I suggest not picking any Bombers player as captain this week). Expect more of the same from the guns and some inconsistent scores from others. I really like the look of David Myers (avg 79.5)if he can continue to avoid the subs vest. He has picked up 5 scores of 89 and above and has a devastating left boot. Huge defensive smoky but one that could pay off handsomely.

Fremantle (5 wins 2 losses 1 draw)
SuperCoach SuperStar:Nat Fyfe (avg 109.83)
Bolter:Michael Walters (avg 89.63)
Disappointment:Danyle Pearce (avg 75.75)

Barring his suspension, Nathan FYFE has been brilliant for those who pick him up below $500k. All of his scores have been above 93 and he has been able to notch up over 21 disposals in each of his games this season. Fremantle's successes on the field have translated to SC glory with players like David Mundy (avg 99.5), Michael BARLOW (avg 104.75)and even Garrick Ibbotson (avg 100.25)providing real quality for those who selected them. Michael Walters has really impressed with his average cut down due to injury on the weekend. Paul Duffield (avg 96.71)has also scored consistently as Ross Lyon gives him an extended run in the team.

After an awesome 130+ in the first game, it's all been downhill for Danyle Pearce who has probably been the biggest disappointment from a SC sense. <a href="http://tooserious.net/Player.aspx?id=326&name=Matthew Pavlich">Matthew Pavlich[/url] injured himself early and won't be seen for a while and big Aaron Sandilands has been unsighted. As a POD, Matthew Deboer looked the goods but his average of 69 has really put that to rest. Michael Johnson (avg. 78)has looked a shadow of his former self in these opening rounds.

Fremantle have some games coming up in the next 8 rounds that they can absolutely dominate with the aforementioned trio ofFyfe, MundyandBarlowto run riot. This weekend they have Melbourne. It will be very interesting to see who will bob up and be the bolter in these next lot of games. I guess time will tell.


That's it for part 1 of the Club-by-Club review. Hopefully it provided you with an insight on each club's performers and who will look to improve in the coming 8 games. Feel free to put down your own SuperStar, Bolter and Disappointment in the comments section below. In fact, put down any positives, negatives, agreements or disagreements in the comments below.

Check back tomorrow for reviews on Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Melbourne.

And if you're on Twitter and want to talk footy and SC, give me a follow.

@DemP_9

Don't forget to give Walesy a follow either!

@TSWalesy
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