OK now we are past the half way mark of the season, and its time that the old analogy comes out.  Its not a sprint, its a marathon.

The last few rounds have been interesting as some key players have got injuries and suspensions, teams have had to shuffle around, but generally there has been an air of calm.  In the main this year due to a combination of exceptionally reliable substitutes (Maguire, Waters, Nason, Silvagni, Martin, Trengove, Scully, Bastinac, Jetta, Jacobs, Trengove II, Gumbleton, Hitchcock, Podsiadly and Rockliff) and the MPP, we have not seen one of Walesys classic CARNAGE round reviews just yet.

I am not a prophet of doom either.  Most teams through smart strategy should have a combination of trades in the locker, MPP coverage and strong polling substitutes.  And so therefore the marathon is becoming a sprint again!  You might find there are some Afrikaan runners who are just sitting off the leaders ready to strike at the Big Muzungo and smash some 2450s in the finals.

Advice for the week: Back your team if in doubt.  Ive not traded out OBrien, Dangerfield and Waters for that reason, and have enjoyed a few weeks of breathing space conserving trades and scoring well.  Thats a rare daily double if you ask me.

Now onto the rest of the show!

<!--more-->FRESH MEAT

For players under 200k, there were only three players who are in the fresh meat zone who played on the weekend.  Gysberts who many see as being too weak to stay in for a long time (worth a risk though if you ask me...), and the two Cats - Simpson and Hunt - both of whom you would think have limited longer term security.

So in short, its Gysberts.

For players who are under 200k but have popped the bubble slightly, I guess you could still look for something out of Skipper, Watts and Stanley, or take a risk on a player like Hughes or Heath getting back in favour.

To be honest, theres not much in the downgrade options and it makes you think seriously about the MPP rookie listed guys.  McNeil and Weston are their names, Buckleys chance of getting games.
CATCH THE TRAIN

Montagna and Pendlebury look to be the big tooters for this week.  Both looking in exquisite touch, scoring well, and the last piece in many teams midfield puzzle.

I think youd have to say Jarrad Waite is going places, and has started to show why he was in my team (traded out for Gilbert early on) at the start of the year.  Not the worst selection with his MPP capability to plug holes in August.

For those who believe in Connors redemption and dont really think Gysberts is much chop, at the cost of 100k, you can have peace of mind for your M7.

ON THE NOSE

I seriously think that TooSerious people should keep a note of this section, bring it out a few weeks later and go smashbang on the trades.   Because getting the on the nose ranking really seems to inspire players!

Injuries always put people on the Nose, particularly early in matches.  Like many other holders of Shaun Higgins there was a collective groan when before Leigh Brown had a chance to plough the ground properly, Missy fell to the ground like the rose petal he is.  Can we ever see this kid fit and at his rightful place of domination in Supercoach land?

David Hille is a massive loss for those covering the ruck.  More so if you have gone Clark or Seaby or other injured players in that difficult position to get right.  At the moment the Sandi-Kreuz or the Sandi-Nat from the word go again looks to be the best strategy, with Sex on the Beach the option most need to get into if trades permit.

Mooney and Wells were injured in the last week affecting their scores, but unfortunately for Pie fans, Josh Fraser had no excuses other than he has been plugging away for a decade and is past it.  If Cameron Wood can stand up its the end of the career folks (or a trip to Waverley Park).

Chad Cornes, its time for you to also think about giving the game away.  And its so sad to see once proud Supercoach legends look so poor on the weekend.  Giansiracusa once again under real pressure flipped and flopped.  I was most surprised at his lack of intensity against Collingwood and think yep he is on the nose.

Anyway time for the Best Buys:

Defenders: Shaw, Hurn/Duffield and Carazzo appear to offer the best value.  It really is the top bunch and then it all falls away, much like the forwards.  Gilbee and Lake would be good options to seek out in future rounds - Gilbee next week or so, and Lake in about 3.  If you can hold off a defensive upgrade these two might complete your team nicely.  Dont really want to mention Scotland as he really is not great value but in the absence of any consistent scorers, he is a legitmate option.  Same with Crapula, but I tells you, you will end up disappointed!

Midfielders: Gysberts man!  Other than probably the last decent midfield downgrade target for the year...
The best midfielder bar none for value at the moment is Matthew Boyd.  Tore the Pies a new a-hole in the last quarter last week, and is at low 500s.  Do yourself a favour and get him in.
Other good value options if you want to supplement your current midfield are: Montagna, Pendlebury, Cooney, Bartel.
Judd, Swan and Selwood I see as being great players you can bring in if you have a bit of extra coin and want that class edge.

Rucks: What a round for the ruck renaissance.  As the wet weather came in, so did the big hairy brutes.  I would suggest from here that Easy Ryder is now a legitimate Best Buys competitor to Dean Cox to complete Dune Buggy vs Sex on the Beach.  If youre trading out Hille, Id probably go safety into Kreuzer, though Ryder/Mumford given the lack of backup must score points.

Forwards:  And oh my goodness if Dale Thomas isnt the 4th highest scoring forward of the league this year?  Hes another chance for a forward upgrade as he doesnt seem to hit people in the head like Buddy Franklin does.  This year I have to say that Thomas and Didak are basically set and forget 100 ppg players.  If thats what you want, you can get them for a tick under 500k, which is fair value given the Pies run home.  Brown and ROK are at ridiculous value, but I assume you already have them.  Goodes Id steer clear of, even though I have him.  Man he is scrapping his way through the year, a bit like Boomer Harvey, and I must say it is just another great advertisement that the over 30 Fossil rule really kicks in when the speed of the game increases.  Podsiadly is certainly going to get more points this week without possibly Mooney and Hawkins there.  Though Id think that he might cop a triple team of sorts that he may never have experienced back in VFL land.   Youd think the Cats will go small this weekend and the points will go to these "death by a thousand cuts" forwards such as Varcoe, Stokes, Byrnes (and the old firm of Ablett, Chapman).

OK so the decisions of the week revolve probably around the injuries to Maguire and Higgins (I already dealt with Hille in the ruck section).  I would suggest both these two might only be out 2 matches with the split rounds, so the question is, do you downgrade, upgrade or hide on the bench?  Obviously its your own strategy that is key here.  For the sake of a midfield upgrade, and given you already might have a player like Waters in that defensive mix, a downgrade of Maguire is not the worst option.  Higgins on the other hand needs to be either a straight swap out (Rioli and Davis appear the best options at the price, though Brown/ROK are other options if you are mad and dont have them already) or an upgrade (I see Franklin or dare I say it again Daisy)

Thats all from me.  Wow Best Buys comes a day early, a bit like presents on Christmas Eve.  Happy trading everyone