Jase, I will guess that you may not start with gaj. I could be wrong. history tells me that gaj is a supercoach freak and every team that doesn't start with him, will be in trouble if he goes 'bang' early.

sure, there are doubts about injury, vest, forward line etc. I look at gaj as the best player in the modern era. for that he gets the leniency to be the only player I would contemplate with all the clouds above him.

also where there are clouds, it doesn't necessarily rain.

my glass on this occasion is half full and 'gaj will smash the demons for what it's worth'

I am staring to get cold feet about leaving Ablett out.

I had him since the start, in the last week I left him out and now only 2 nights out, I am flip flopping back.

My premiums are Pendles, Fyfe, Selwood, Sloane and Griffen. I can make room for Ablett and my next question would be, who would I take out to fight Ablett it. Selwood, Sloane or Griffen. Or stick to my guns and keep him out.
I really like Sloane, I wonder if contracts will have any unfluence on performances like it does with some if his contract drags out. I like Sloane and like him as a POD.

I have also wondered about bringing Watson in as well as I originally had him but left him out until I heard whether he would be in on round 1.

Always start second guessing yourself as it gets closer haha.

This Gaz talk is amazing. Personally not in my team due to injury concerns and lack of match practice and massive price.
Even if Gaz booms I see it as no dramas getting him in after byes because without his expense, our teams look much stronger as a starting line up less the risk. To me it's too much money to gamble if that is the right term.
Maybe a lot of teams are looking to strengthening starting teams with a mid priced pick instead of rookie with a Rich / Wells/ Selwood/ Stevens etc to Gaz say round 6/7. I am

valid point you make about sideways movement. your advise to TS users is invaluable, hence, I've been sitting back and reading yours and other regular contributor comments to assist in fine tuning my squad.

you are one that has preached having keepers in your team along with having the bye structure in balance. going with your keeper philosophy, we all as coaches know that GAJ will be one - so all I am saying is, why not start with him in the first place.

what I have tried to determine is what is the possible lowest price GAJ will be. my guestimate is about 640 - 660k.

JP has my same level of thinking. whether it be round 4 or a round before round 7, most teams will need to do a double trade to get him in or have bank money sitting there.

I love a bet, as you know, and I will bet GAJ will be a top 3 midfielder at the end of round 7.

the ball gets bounced in 2 days and it's good to see a robust conversation on a man that just may win his third brownlow.

does this mean that TTH has GAJ lining up in his team?

my opinion has it Sloane will go for you to get gary in.
best of luck with your coin toss.

is it fair to say that in the first 3 rounds, 4-6 trades will be used to correct teams with players missed initially.

in saying this, when I start with ablett and he fails in the first two rounds, I have no problem correcting this mistake before round 3.

other coaches might jump on stevens from stk who could fire early, or remove nic nat after he twists an ankle, etc.

by starting with the dearest player in the comp, I can afford to buy anyone I want and end up with cash in the kitty.

so by rolling my dice, I can't see how I can lose. GAJ performs well in the first 2 rounds and he stays - and 2/3 of teams are stuck without his early scores and no initial price drop.

if GAJ fails, I might just bring in Selwood as the prime ball mover he is or jump on the left field player that looks like jumping 50k in price after playing rnd 1 & 2 well.

either way, we now have people second guessing their squads with Rodney Eade saying Gary is good to go.

Thunderbirds are GO

I seriously just need this season to bloody start, I've had enough of the research, trading in, trading out, scratching my head, change him for him but then I can also swap that guy for this other guy, then the byes are all screwed up & you want to poke your eyes out..............

I said approx. costings, Jason , so I might be out by 10k, so hang me from the nearest tree. And I say that, only if your maths are correct.....

I concur Jason. I'm starting without him, the no pre season games is a worry, little to no contact until very recently in training. If he is 'merely' putting out 120, the price will drop very quickly and in essence also brings him back to the pack in terms of scoring capability and thus can be treated as 'any other' elite premium (Pendles, Fyfe, J Selwood etc). The risk in not having him is that he comes out and bangs out 130's and up. Personally, I'm betting he won't, but that's the risk I'm taking. My 2 cents, YMMV etc.