Gday guys, over the next few weeks we will have a season review for each club from a supercoach perspective. They will include The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and will also include a small watchlist of players to keep a eye out for heading into season 2012. Each review will have a big part of them written by fans of each particular club, which will hopefully give you better insight into the year, cos lets be honest who knows the clubs better then the fans. We kick things off with the Saints Season Review.
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The Saints season is a tale of two halves. It started off with off field drama after off field drama. That’s all on top of the heartbreak of losing a Grand Final for second successive year. Every Saints player seemed to have the weight of the world on their shoulders at start of the year. At Round 8 the Saints were sitting on 1 win, a draw &amp; 5 losses and finals looked like just a dream. All the experts were saying it was time to do a full rebuild and just play youth for rest of the year.

At half way mark of season the Saints had managed to get to 4 wins, a draw &amp; 6 losses. They had been playing some terrible football and looked far from the team that had played in the Grand Final the 2 previous seasons. This showed in their players supercoach scores, with most of the gun players all well below par. Only a handful of players had either improved on previous year or played at a consistent level. All of a sudden the Saints found their mojo in second half of the season, winning 8 games and only losing 3 times. This was on the back of some the lesser known players (McEvoy, Steven, Peake) all stepping upto the plate, but also their core group of players started playing like we have grown to know.  As a result all the premium players finally became premium players again.

What are you actually trying to say you may ask? Well basically it means going into next year a lot of the Saints players will be a little bit underpriced and you might be able to snag a bargain.

THE GOOD

Ben McEvoy – At start of the year I predicted a rise of 25-30 points this season on the back of being forced to be number 1 ruck and having no 2nd ruck backup for half the year. Not only did he reach this expected rise, he smashed through it to average 103 for the year, an increase of over 40 points for the year. If you took the gamble from the start you would have been laughing your way through the entire season. His performance has quite possibly changed the way people will approach the ruck combinations next season. Instead of going 2 premiums you’ll probably find people going 1 premium and then 1 mid ranger from a club with only 1 ruck. Not sure McEvoy will be a great pick next year, might be bit over priced, but keep an eye on him if the Saints don’t go recruiting a backup ruck as he will be in same position as this season.

Nick Dal Santo – If Dal hadn’t already been, he must be now be classed as an elite supercoacher. Has managed to raise his ave from 112 to over 120 this year and is in career best form. Will go close to winning the brownlow and probably has the Saints B&amp;F in the bag. In past 7 years he has only once averaged less then 112, that being a 102. You would struggle to find a more consistent player then him.

Sam Fisher – Fisher has been one of the Saints most consistent players this season. This has shown in his supercoach scores by lifting his average above the 100 mark for only the 2nd time in his career. Fisher is a very consistent scorer in supercoach over his career, averaging between 90-101 for the past 6 years. Fisher will come close to winning the Saints B&amp;F after singlehandedly holding up the Saints defence this year. Definitely worth the $540K price tag he will carry next season.

James Gwilt – Before the season Gwilt was named as the player most likely to take over Gilberts role down back due to Ross Lyon saying Gilbo would play up front more often. Gwilt is one the top kicks at the club and before his season ending knee injury was a integral part of the Saints team. He was averaging 82 this year, which was up from his 74 last season. What probably goes unnoticed is his consistency this season. He had 7 scores over 90, a further 4 above 80. The 8 weeks leading into his knee injury he averaged 95.87 and was repaying the faith to those who took the punt on him as a mid-pricer. Gwilt should be priced around 400-$420K next year and depending on his preseason could be a good option again.

Adam Schneider – Must admit at start of the year I expected this could be the Schneidermans year to take a step up. He missed few games early on due to suspension and the improvement from Steven &amp; Armitage probably limited his midfield time that many thought he would get. He averaged around the 83 point mark and set to start next year around the $440K mark. He is remarkably consistent; scoring 80 or more in 15 of his 21 matches with 8 of those he cracked the ton. Since round 15 has only scored under 80 once. Given every other forward having such massive ups &amp; downs &amp; if your after a consistent performer to get you that 80-100 points every week, Schneider could be your man.

THE BAD


Brendon Goddard – You might think why is BJ in “The Bad” column when he is the highest ranked defender. Well the answer is quite simple, his average dropped by 23 points a game this season. He has also dropped 8 points a game from 2009. He isn’t alone at the Saints though as they were clearly hurting from recent Grand Final losses. His early season form was average, compared to the heights that he has sent himself. What does this all mean, he will be cheap as he has ever been for years next season, predicted to be around $575K.

Leigh Montagna – A very average supercoach year for Joey this season. Well below the heights of previous years. Which is strange cos he has actually had a very good year for the Saints, the rise of McEvoy, Dal Santo, Steven might have affected his point scoring.

Jason Gram – Started of the season in horrible fashion, but when the Saints started winning his stats went up aswell. In 7 of last 8 games he only scored less then 88 once and was back to his 09 form. His poor games can be very poor (supercoach wise) but he racks up the possession so always has the ability to consistently score 100. Might be a little underpriced next year at around $400K, so definitely one to keep a eye on.

THE UGLY


Nick Riewoldt – Was tossing up where to put Roo but decided that his season in a supercoach capacity has been pretty damn ugly. Down 20 points a game on last year, which is pretty bad considering last year included his serious hamstring injury score. He is also 25 points down on his previous 6 year average. Whilst his supercoach season has been well below par, his actual season has been underrated. Yes he isn’t kicking goals like he used to but his work off the ball and around the ground has really lifted. Set to be priced at around $470K next season, the cheapest you’ve probably ever been able to pick him up bar his first season.

Sam Gilbert – Its fair to say Gilbert has had a season he would like to wipe from his memory. From the naked photo scandal through to his well below par performances it just never seemed to get any better. Couple all that with the recent GF losses and you could tell he had lost all confidence in his game. I also blame the fact he has been playing out of position. Ross tried him as a forward when he isn’t one. He has been the victim of James Gwilt’s success in the role he made his own only year or two before. All of these things saw his average drop 15 points a game compared to 2 previous seasons. Not sure what the future holds for Gilbo, will he be at Saints next year? Will he ever recapture his best football again? Think there are too many question marks over him to make him a possible pick next year. But maybe keep him on your watchlist for signs he is going back to his old role.

Arryn Siposs – Bit harsh to have  a first year player in the ugly area you may say, well the fact is he played 5 games and only averaged 45. Wasn’t the cash cow that so many people had hoped he would be. Looked like he had secured a spot in Saints team for 2nd half the year but his biggest downfall in his junior days followed him into the AFL. He goes missing for large portions of the game, yes when he gets the ball something will happen as he is one the best kicks at the club. He only averaged a goal a game, which isn’t a great return for a forward. Will be over priced next year at around $210K so wouldn’t have him on your radar at this stage, unless he has a massive preseason, but cant see it happening.


AN EYE TO NEXT SEASON


Jamie Cripps – Crippsy kicked 7 goals in his 4 games and has been dubbed the Saints “supersub” as in those 4 games he started or was subbed in all them, which makes it a more remarkable effort. He only averaged 30 in his 4 games, mainly due to playing less then a half in each game. This is fantastic news for supercoaches as it means his price should remain at rookie price. Predicted to start at only $140K. Was named as a back this year but played all his games forward, but was drafted as a midfielder and is absolutely loved by the coach and will get a lot of game time next season. A must have if rookie priced again.

Tom Ledger – Another young Saint that’s average was reduced due to being the sub in both his games. Average of 20 in his 2 appearances, but had great impact in those games collecting the ball on a fair few occasions and is a tackling machine. Will be rookie priced again and could be a nice option as should get games on regular basis.

Jack Steven – Was going to mention him in the “Good” section but thought this was better suited to young Jack. Has averaged 77 this year, but has had massive improvement this season and possibly a mini breakout year in supercoach terms. He had a stretch this year of scoring over 90 seven times in 9 matches. He is going to be awkwardly priced at around $400K but is set to have a supercoach breakout season. He has been one the best players this season for the Saints and had a stretch of getting of 7 games where he gathered 20+ touches.

Jarryn Geary – A broken leg and couple earlier injuries has cost Gears playing a lot of games this season, but he has found himself a regular over past month since his return. He has been sub a few times which has seen his supercoach scores limited. Only averaging 37 this season but is a much better player then that. Has a predicted starting salary of around $170K and in my opinion is in our best 22 when fit. Definitely one to chuck on your watchlist for season 2012

Lenny Hayes – Predicted starting price is $370K. Lenny will be 32 by the time next season rolls around and coming off a serious knee injury I would be very wary in selecting him. In 3 of his 4 previous season he averaged only 102 and in the other year he averaged 118. Which was mainly due to fact that the Saints only lost 2 games for the year and this saw all the Saints players averages peak in that year. Lenny has probably only got 1 more year left, and will play a integral part in the Saints hopes next year but I cant see that he is fantasy relevant at this time his career. With the likes of Jack Steven &amp; David Armitage stepping up in his absence im not sure the Saints will want to take backward step in their development and play Lenny in midfield as much as he used to.

Tommy Walsh – The attention this bloke gets from a fair portion of the Saints community is quite laughable to be honest. They believe he is the great hope and that missing piece of the jigsaw for this year. This for a bloke that hasn’t even played 40 games of footy in his life. He has improved dramatically this year and has been kicking a fair few goals at the end of year and was knocking on the door to debut. I can see playing a big role next year and should debut round 1. Not sure on his fantasy relevance but going into his 3rd year and fact he can play forward or back keep him in mind. Predicted starting price is $100K