So, one week down in the lightning round, one more to go. We have three teams that we know are going through in Melbourne, Collingwood and the suprise winner, West Coast. While if Hawthorn dont make it through on a wildcard, Ill be shocked!

The question is, how much can we take away from these games. Two wins by West Coast looks good on paper, but with a Hawthorn seconds squad nearly running them down were it not for some woeful kicks in the last minute- And what the heck happened to Freo!? They had a lot of the ball, they just couldnt do enough with it when they got up forward.

Ah well, it is the NAB cup after all, and teams are known to play a bit of funny buggers, so well take what we can and hopefully ignore all the right things!

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West Coast.
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Dean Cox16262124

Scott Selwood15353106

Quinten Lynch1484896

Matt Priddis28341.583

Sam Butler1404080

Shannon Hurn1353570

Brad Sheppard1343468

Matt Rosa26532.565

Eric MacKenzie1323264

Tom Swift26331.563

Brett Jones1282856

Koby Stevens2562856

Jordan Jones25326.553

Mark Nicoski25326.553

Andrew Embley1262652

Bradd Dalziell25125.551

Brad Ebert1252550

Chris Masten24924.549

Nic Naitanui24924.549

Andrew Strijk1222244

Jack Darling1222244

Josh J. Kennedy1222244

Anton Hamp1191938

Andrew Gaff1171734

Ashton Hams2341734

Tim Houlihan2301530

Will Schofield1151530

Darren Glass1141428

Ashley Smith1131326

J. Oakley-Nicholls1131326

Gerrick Weedon2241224

Lewis Stevenson2241224

Mitchell Brown2241224

Ryan Neates2241224

Callum Wilson216816

Lewis Broome18816



- Dean Cox put in a monster effort. 12 touches, 5 marks and 10 hitout all in half a game. Looked in great form and certainly putting his hand up for a ruck spot.
- Scooter Selwood has made me sad that hes not a defender anymore. I think he would have been worth a punt back there- in the mids though, I cant see the value.
- Jack Darling, he certainly looked a good size out there tonight, Whether that translates to early games or not though is another question.
- A lot of eyes were on Gaff, most of them were let down with 6 touches and then a no-show. Still, hes been looking good all pre-season, so were not gunna stop watching him now.

Hawthorn.
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Shaun Burgoyne2804080

Matt Suckling2723672

Cyril Rioli26532.565

Thomas Schneider26331.563

Ben Stratton2603060

Shane Savage2603060

Will Sierakowski2582958

Paul Puopolo2542754

Liam Shiels2522652

Taylor Duryea2522652

Luke Breust2502550

Kyle Cheney2462346

Brendan Whitecross24321.543

Jordan Williams24321.543

Jordan Lisle2381938

Travis Tuck2381938

Sam Menegola23718.537

Isaac Smith2361836

Riley Milne23517.535

Angus Litherland23316.533

N. Ahmat-Watkins22110.521

Ryan Schoenmakers2199.519

Sam Grimley216816

Brent Renouf212612

Thomas Murphy2000

Jack Mahony2-3-1.5-3



- Hawthorn played a team consisting of their #2 squad, which makes it hard to get a bead on where they are at.
- Rioli played through the middle against West Coast, but came off the HBF against the Dockers.
- Suckling was an interesting case, played through the middle a fair bit and did a decent job of it. (Though with everyone who was missing missing, someone has to play through the middle!)
- Puopolo has put his hand up to be a defender of choice. If he keeps playing like tonight, hell be a walk-up come round 1.
- Smith was alright, Not as good a Puopolo, but certainly did enough to stay on the watchlist.

Fremantle
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Luke McPharlin15353106

Michael Johnson2723672

Adam McPhee26934.569

Jack Anthony2683468

Nick Lower2683468

Tendai Mzungu26733.567

Viv Michie2623162

Greg Broughton25929.559

Zac Clarke25728.557

Paul Duffield2562856

Rhys Palmer25125.551

Ryan Crowley25125.551

Jonathon Griffin2482448

Jay van Berlo24723.547

Byron Schammer24522.545

Clancee Pearce24522.545

Antoni Grover23919.539

Josh Mellington2381938

Kepler Bradley2381938

Justin Bollenhagen23517.535

Nick Suban23316.533

Alex Silvagni23115.531

Jesse Crichton22713.527

Aaron Sandilands22311.523

Peter Faulks218918

Matthew Pavlich294.59

Chris Mayne1224


- Two words. Tendai Mzungu. Most of you have already got him, but if you dont I have four more words for you. Lock him in now. He was freaking awesome tonight. Had great vision, a clean set of hands, quick, did everything you could have asked. If Freos recruiting team dont get a premiership in a couple of years time Im gunna be shocked.
- Broughtons stats here are a little off as his average is down due to him being a non-playing sub in the second game. Tore it up in the first game
- Nick Lower put himself back onto my watchlist with a couple of decent performances. Coming back to the AFL after a dominant season in the SANFL which saw him runner up in the Magarey Medal.
- Viv Michie is another one to keep your eye on. Very quick and played a fair bit through the middle (Which when you consider his forward listing, aint a bad thing). Add him to the watchlist.


Richmond.
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

David Astbury28341.583

Mitch Morton2783978

Alex Rance27537.575

Matt White27135.571

Shane Edwards2703570

Tom Derickx2643264

Daniel Connors25929.559

Dylan Grimes1292958

Kelvin Moore1292958

Shane Tuck1292958

Jake Batchelor25527.555

Pat Contin25527.555

Reece Conca2442244

Jake King2402040

Robin Nahas2402040

Will Thursfield23919.539

Andrew Browne1191938

Ben Nason2341734

James OReilly1141428

Ben Jakobi22311.523

Mitchell Keddell2221122

Troy Taylor2201020

Brad Miller216816

Dean MacDonald2157.515

Jeromey Webberley2157.515

Tyrone Vickery2157.515

Matthew Dea2136.513

Nick Westhoff2115.511

Bradley Helbig1000


- Astbury was the Tigers top scorer, but most of those points we scored in the first game as he followed Waite around. I wouldnt read too much into just yet.
- Mitch Morton certainly did enough to stay on the radar, while he wasnt overly prolific in racking up touches (well, no-one at Richmond were), he did snag a couple of goals and looked alright.
- Derickx looked a bloody good size out there I thought. Im very interested to see how he goes through the rest of the pre-season, to keep it in perspective though, there was no Graham out there though.
- Really though it was tough to get a bead on Richmond in this game as so many of their first 20 were missing from the squad!

Collingwood.
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Dale Thomas1414182

Jarryd Blair27336.573

Steele Sidebottom2723672

Chris Dawes2703570

Jye Bolton2683468

Ben Reid2663366

Scott Pendlebury2643264

Heath Shaw26331.563

Simon Buckley2603060

Dayne Beams25929.559

Ben Johnson1282856

Leigh Brown2562856

Luke Ball1282856

Ben Sinclair1272754

Brent Macaffer1262652

Alex Fasolo1242448

Andrew Krakouer24723.547

Scott Reed2402040

Alan Toovey23919.539

Heritier OBrien23718.537

Sharrod Wellingham23115.531

Tom Hunter22914.529

Jack Perham2281428

Cameron Wood2261326

Chris Tarrant2261326

Lachlan Keeffe2261326

Kirk Ugle2201020

Tom Young2157.515

Darren Jolly2000


- No swan, no Jolly but they still brought it home in a canter. Will be good to see how they go through the rest of the NAB.
- While quiet in the first game, Steele Sidebottom tore it up against the Blues. He looked very dangerous.
- Talking about tearing it up against the Blues, Reid score a 204 in SuperCoach against them. When the averages all come out in the wash at the end of the NAB though, I reckon thats gunna mislead a few.
- Dont see Wood being much of a risk to Jolly next year. Hes good in the ruck, but I dont see him bringing enough around the ground with the sub rule to be much of a threat.
- Krakouer wasnt as prolific as we all hoped, he played on Yarran against the Blues, but went through the middle a bit against the Tigers. Thought he looked alright though, found himself some good space and some good things with the ball. Certainly enough to keep an eye on him.
- Rookie Jye Bolton top scored against the Tigers, but a lot of what he did was once the game was well and truely over. Still, cant turn your back to a top score though!

Carlton.
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Marc Murphy15252104

David Ellard2844284

Andrew Walker26331.563

Jeremy Laidler1303060

Mitch Robinson25728.557

Kane Lucas25527.555

Heath Scotland1272754

Shaun Hampson1262652

Rohan Kerr25125.551

Jarrad Waite1242448

Kade Simpson2482448

Paul Bower2482448

Michael Jamison1232346

Robert Warnock1232346

Dennis Armfield24120.541

Bryce Gibbs1191938

Nicholas Duigan2381938

Jordan Russell2361836

Chris Yarran23517.535

Zach Tuohy1161632

Aaron Joseph2301530

Eddie Betts1151530

Levi Casboult22512.525

Matthew Watson2241224

Bret Thornton1111122

Edward Curnow1101020

Wayde Twomey2201020

Marcus Davies2178.517

Jaryd Cachia216816

Setanta OhAilpin214714

Mitchell Carter210510

Andrew McInnes2636




- First thing to note. No Judd. Rumour 6 week hammy/quad injury. Followed by a club rebuttle and a call of training the house down. His absence though has got to raise question marks though- definitely one to watch out for.
- In his only game, Murphy smashed the tigers doing everything possible to press for selection as a premium mid in our squads.
- David Ellard did some good things, topscoring one game and second in the next. Also managed two 100s in his 6 games last year. Might be one to consider if youre after an absolute left field smokie.
- Andrew Walker did enough for those who are keeping an eye on him. Kicked a goal and got a fair bit of the ball. Its just a shame hes a Mid-Only!
- Gibbs didnt do much and was well beaten by Pendles. Thought it was good seeing two of the golden boys for the 06 draft going head to head though!
- Duigan looked pretty good against the Tigers though he gave away a few silly frees. Still did enough though to be on the watchlists.
- Rohan Kerr was drafted on 09 at pick 59. I thought Id mention him here so that he didnt get covered off by the next statement. He didnt overly impress, but he certainly wasnt a disappointment (And according to SuperCoach scores, scored a 96 against the Tigers!)
- A lot of rookies were given a crack (as youd expect), but sadly, the ones I havent mentioned thus far were fairly disappointing (Watson, Im looking at you!)


Adelaide.
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Brad Symes15757114

Brent Reilly15050100

Scott Thompson15050100

Brad Moran1444488

Patrick Dangerfield27537.575

Richard Douglas1373774

Brodie Martin2723672

Michael Doughty1363672

Jared Petrenko2663366

Brodie Smith2603060

Scott Stevens1303060

Phil Davis2582958

Nathan van Berlo2562856

Shaun McKernan2562856

Ian Callinan25527.555

Rory Sloane25326.553

Andy Otten2502550

Graham Johncock1252550

Taylor Walker2502550

Jason Porplyzia1232346

Richard Tambling24120.541

Ricky Henderson23718.537

Myke Cook23517.535

James Sellar1161632

Matthew Jaensch1161632

Sam Jacobs23115.531

Luke Thompson1131326

Ben Rutten2221122

Ivan Maric1111122

Jack Gunston22110.521

Daniel Talia18816

Tony Armstrong15510

Matthew Wright2636

Kurt Tippett1224


- First thing to note here is that the game that Symes, reilly and Thompson all player in was the Port game- in which they absolutely dominated.
- Dangerfield looked bloody good and will need to be watched closely through the off-season. Could he breakout this year as he promised he would last year?
- Otten got a lot of his points in the first game and looked good enough to make a lot of peoples teams. Particularly at his price!
- Callinan started slowly, but scored a 39 in the second game. Thats the kind of numbers that will get him noticed! Hes to hoping he gets off the rookie list!
- Tambling still didnt look comfortable, even with the change of scenery. Still gunna keep an eye on him, but Im not liking his odds to make the squad!
- Shaun McKernan is now officially on the radar. He dominated in the first game, though the second wasnt so good. Considering the rookie price and D/F eligibility though- hes looking very viable.
- Kurt Tippett really didnt do a lot- But honestly, I wouldnt take too much out of it.
- Brodie Smith looked damn good for a first hitout. He was the Crows first round pick this year so it shouldnt be too suprising. Played through the middle and is definitely one to keep an eye on!

Melbourne
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Jack Grimes28542.585

Aaron Davey27738.577

Rohan Bail2763876

Mark Jamar26733.567

Jack Trengove26532.565

Jack Watts2623162

Colin Sylvia26130.561

Addam Maric25728.557

Colin Garland25527.555

Liam Jurrah2542754

Brad Green25326.553

Michael Evans1262652

Clint Bartram2482448

Brent Moloney2442244

Lucas Cook1222244

Jared Rivers24321.543

Stefan Martin24321.543

Neville Jetta2422142

Joel Macdonald2402040

Matthew Bate2361836

Lynden Dunn22713.527

Jamie Bennell2261326

Dan Nicholson2201020

Jake Spencer2178.517

Sam Blease17714

Tom McDonald16612

James Strauss210510

Jeremy Howe1000

Tom McNamara1000


- First word. Jack Grimes. Ol Grimey. Looked fantastic! If you want to take the bet on him playing more than half a season- GET ON!
- Davey looked to be in some top form, could be worth keeping eye on him as he should improve this year with Melbourne improving.
- Brad Green looked great in the first game, getting a bit of time through the middle. Slowed down a bit in the second, but if he can play that role through the season- should be a decent pickup up forward.
- Jack Watts looked pretty damn good.
- Strauss was a fair flop. He was minding motlop in the second game, which isnt a role thats conducive with big points!
- Tom McNamara scored himself a massive -11 SC, awwww...
- The Jurrahcane looked great, but it sounds like he might be rested for the rest of the pre-season.


Port
PlayerGamesTotalAverageAdjusted Total

Danyle Pearce2723672

Paul Stewart1343468

Brett Ebert1313162

Domenic Cassisi1313162

Matt Thomas2603060

Justin Westhoff25728.557

Daniel Motlop2542754

Jackson Trengove2442244

Mitchell Banner2442244

Jasper Pittard24321.543

Matthew Broadbent2402040

Cameron Hitchcock23517.535

Chad Cornes23316.533

Kane Cornes23115.531

Michael Pettigrew2301530

Nick Salter22914.529

Alipate Carlile2261326

Marlon Motlop2241224

Troy Chaplin2241224

Jarrad Redden22311.523

Tom Logan2201020

Jarrad Irons218918

Danny Meyer2157.515

Callum Hay17714

Cameron OShea214714

Thomas Jonas17714

Daniel Stewart2848

John Butcher2848

Aaron Young1000


- I mentioned in my pre-review that Port didnt have a lot of options. Sadly, I dont think I was overly off with them getting fairly well routed.
- Redden looked alright, but I reckon hes still a fair ways out of making the main squad.
- Jasper Pittard is on the watchlist now, he did a pretty decent job in both games- but with the competition in the mid-rookies, hes gunna have to do more than he did
- Danyle Pearce did a lot in the second game- but hes going to need to bring some consistancy to has game before he gets a lookin.
- Marlon Motlop while on a few watchlists didnt do a lot.