From what i have seen from most people's teams is the cookie-cutter defense setup of Goddard, Gibbs, Deledio, Broughton...Otten, Heppell and rookies. As most teams will start the year this way I am interested to hear people's thoughts regarding a point of difference that could shake up the defense status quo a little. My initial belief is that a Johncock, Malceski or a Grimes could be viable premium POD's. What are your thoughts?
Funnily enough I have all six of those mentioned atm. And then I have Grimes, who Bailey hinted might take up Cam Bruces role. Half back and possibly midfield, is very SC friendly. Only issue is injury concerns, I'm taking the punt this year. Johncock can be very up and down, so that's why I am reluctant to pick him up. Malceski is definately a POD, I think he has been ignored because of the last few games of 2010, when he scored poorly, with some pretty dismal games. He's not a cheap either.
Very true that Stiffy can be very up and down and if you look at his stats: 2010 - 7 games over 100 @ an average of 135; 8 games scored under 100 @ an average of 72. 2009 - 9 games over 100 @ Ave 112; 11 games under 100 @ ave 72 That is a reasonably high standard deviation for a backman, but without the likes of Goodwin, MacLoed and Edwards floating around the Crows backline he should be able to improve his consistency. And if he does improve his consistency then he could well be a Top 3 scoring defender. A big smokey in my opinion.
Or without Goodwin etc he will be forced to be more defensively accountable reducing points. You can put the argument both ways. Stiffy for mine is an interesting POD but I'd probably steer clear. He's also fairly expensive to start at 500k and I would probably send my money elsewhere.
Mine is to not tell everyone who my point of difference is haha but in all seriousness ive got the 3 main guys (BJ, Gibbs & Lids) and then thrown in Hurn, Bock, Eski, Gram for good measure. I reckon theres some value in some the blokes around the 400K mark to spend up big in the backline...
Ive got thoughts on H.Shaw but probably shouldnt say what they are!!!! For mine he is way too inconsistent and seems to get tagged outta the games as easily as anyone in the league. In the past you can normally pick him up during the season for $100K+ cheaper then his initial starting price.. But hell history is there to be broken, could be the POD that your looking for as he can score huge..
Exactly. Completely depends on the team the pies are playing. If they pay him any attention, expect <50 point scoring. If they let him run free he has the tank to go 110+
Obviously Shaw had no attention in the two Grand Finals where his combined SC score beat all comers apart from Goddard. It's got more to do with how Collingwood manages the 'loose' man than anything else. Some days it's Harry, some it's Maxwell, sometime this year it will be Reid, and sometimes it's Shaw. Shaw at the price is decent value, because normally it takes two 40 pt games for him to descend into the 450s.
Another problem with Stiffy is that Otten and Tambling are expected to play as rebounding defenders, meaning i would expect Johncock to play as a small defender, rather than a rebounder. It's ultimately unknown though.
Slightly different strategy. Since it seems uncertain which midfield stars will come out blazing, have opted for Goddard in the mids with Heppell in the backs. Will make the switch when the gun midfielders become a bit clearer. Have hung off Gibbs + Broughton, but have Lids and Otten + Grundy for MPP with forward line. I guess my POD is D. Connor, but really thought more would have him. I originally had Drummond penciled in as my first choice, but with continuing injury concerns have had to plump for Fisher instead. As a value POD, I also have Stratton.
@Terry While i love Strats, he will play as a medium/tall defender. He can play as a rebounding defender, but i doubt he will.
<blockquote>Quote from LiQuiD_SiXx on February 9, 2011, 10:45 Very true that Stiffy can be very up and down and if you look at his stats: 2010 - 7 games over 100 @ an average of 135; 8 games scored under 100 @ an average of 72. 2009 - 9 games over 100 @ Ave 112; 11 games under 100 @ ave 72 That is a reasonably high standard deviation for a backman, but without the likes of Goodwin, MacLoed and Edwards floating around the Crows backline he should be able to improve his consistency. And if he does improve his consistency then he could well be a Top 3 scoring defender. A big smokey in my opinion.</blockquote> I've heard that Tambling is rumoured to take over the attacking half-back role of McLeod, which would leave Johncock to perhaps be more defensive than he has been previously. However, it will depend on what they do with their younger players and Otten etc. to see how the team dynamics will work.
@Ruddy Thanks - just the fact that you love him is reason enough for me to keep him. Have gone through the Hawks backline and I suspect some will have changed roles this year. Strats impresses as one most likely to grab the bull by the horns and have a go. Not exactly Super Coach science, but his price is good and I don't mind if he is a gradual riser, as long as they keep giving him a run. May even end up closer to the middle.
Sorry, my post didn't really get across what it was supposed to. While i love the bloke, i don't think he is fantasy relevant. I reckon he will play shutdown roles all year, rather than creative roles. Means he won't score as well, imo. The smokies from our back line i reckon are Gibson if he plays a rebounding role off half back, Birchall in case he plays on the wing, and Bruce, as he could fit in perfectly.
My backline at the moment is the "cookie cutter" 6 plus Bock AND Hurn/Grimes. I think people are underestimating the byes, with my backline I'll have to start Heppell in 8 of the first 11 rounds, with one of the 3 missed being Essendons bye. Thats before a single injury! Obviously it all depends on what the likes of Toy, Coad, Puopolo etc look like, but I think its worth remembering that having Heppell as D7 means you'll be playing 2 rookies on the ground in defence the majority of weeks, and sometimes 3 if you get an injury/suspension.
^ Good point on Heppell & the byes Banzai. RE: Johncock. Some opposition sides were placing a forward tag on him last season althou I can't remember if Goodwin & McLeod were still in the side at the time. Without McLeod, Goodwin or Bock in the Crows' defense for 2011 it will be difficult to predict any Adelaide defenders' scores without seeing the structure prior to NAB games.
Heard Heath Shaw could play more on the wing this season and thus won't get tagged as much, but then there always the risk that Shaw is good for a sub 50 score