Just taken a quick glance through this week's top 6. Following are the players in every team, followed by popular picks: DEF: Deledio, Gibbs Choice then seems to be Goddard/Shaw, or Enright/Adcock. Most teams have Heppell and Lower. PODS are Fisher, Scotland and Suckling. MID: Pendlebury Only one team does not have Boyd and only one does not have Priddis. An even spread between Judd/Murphy and Ablett/Swan. PODS are Thompson, NDS and Hodge. RUC: Cox Closely followed by Z. Smith. POD is Kreuzer. FWD: Pavlich, ROK, Petrie Closely followed by Harvey, Goodes & NRoo. Even spread between Chappy/Stevie J. PODS are Sylvia, Franklin & Fyfe. JRoo not included. One or two upgrades outstanding for some of the top 6, how many of these players do you have and can you see where you have a potential advantage? Will the absence of Buddy and an over-reliance on NRoo eventually hurt some of these teams?
My main advantage over those at the top is in the backline where having Fisher and Scotland should score more to the end of the year than Gibbs and Heppell/Lower. But mostly for me to pull back the large lead these guys have, I would need Boyd and ROK (who I don't have) to spud it up repeatedly. Here's hoping!
Backs for me as well. Grundy & Martin to outperform Heppell & Lower. Grundy can go sub 90 if given a job but he uses the ball well & has the odd big ton to balance things out. Matrin has been super for weeks & pls may it continue. I don't have Boyd or Priddis & whether Hodge & Pav can counter whilst playing Smith/Mzunga at F7 is a task. Then again I have Buddy
TiB, if I were in Bangkok I would shout you a large bucket of whisky & redbull - many thanks for the analysis and posting this. Funny thing for me is that out of the 10 PODs you mentioned across all positions I have 6 of them (Scotland, Suckling, NDS, Hodge, Franklin & Fyfe).. and will possibly have 7 by the end of the week. Dunno what this means other than if they do well it will be a beautiful thing. The alternative is I will be in the wasteland soon enough. Go PODs!
@Whorks, Sure you have had a peek yourself. Subtle differences are interesting aren't they! I suspect NDS will start to fire up as the business end approaches (Lucas clearly has the faith), but he needs Goddard & NRoo to reward his extra effort. Have doubts about Hodge, no doubt a champion, but perhaps Hawks are carefully managing him to get him chipper at the right time. Also seems to have a roving commission, filling the hole wherever there is a leak. Expect Buddy should be feeling a bit sorry for himself and fire up as a result. Scotland & Suckling cruising (Scotland overdue for one of his annual downs 70-80) and I don't know what all the fuss is about Fyfe's shoulder - he keeps churning it out, only problem for me is Pav is churning out more and I don't have him. Save the whiskey for your PODs mate and I hope they get you over the line. Margin narrows every week.
I have Franklin in all bar one of the top 10. Maybe TiB has been drinking the whiskey. Dirty I see your PODS being your Whorks, which is a real downside unless you trade up in or before R17. Hodge v Swan is the massive duel. Would we call it 50-50 at the moment with Swan the edge with the lack of a bye to come (or will the Seagull get a rest...?) Top team has quite a few PODS which could trip him up I reckon. That said, some pretty decent backup coverage. Smart captain selection and it will be hard to pull back much each week I think. And by the way, beat the best is up: http://tooserious.net/beat-the-best-cheeky-contador-attacked-but-retains-the-yellow#more-3438
Franklin owned by 93 out of top 100 and 924 out of top 1000. Top 10 most owned out of top 1000 teams: COX 996 GODDARD 972 DELEDIO 961 MZUNGU 944 FRANKLIN 924 GIBBS 924 PENDLEBURY 863 GOODES 844 PAVLICH 830 ABLETT 801 Ablett was owned by just 15/1000 teams at the end of round 9, so he's been a huge climber.
Ablett was probably owned by 700 teams at the end of Round 9. Getting him in then was the trade we'd all discussed at the start of the year. No byes to come, likely cheap price, almost a perfect trade.
Thanks TiB and Strikali I'm very surprised fisher isn't in so many top teams. Back in round 9 I bought in hargreave as a POD when I was choosing out of him and fisher. Little did I know, that the latter would have been a POD anyway! And their seasons have been completely different since then - hargreave has only played two games for me, and we all know what fisher has been up to. The team is ranked 201st atm, may have been a lot higher ...
Lucas - apologies. When I said "end of round 9", I meant..the end of the round 9 lockout. At that point he was owned by 15 out of the top 1000 teams. By the end of the round 10 lockout (first game back after the bye), he was owned by 155 of the top 1000 teams.
@Fez, Don't believe it. Was looking at Sylvia/Franklin as either/or and missed that a couple have both. Lucas on the button as always. Yamum likes Cox, but not Buddy apparently. Anthak's point on Fisher spot on as well. While Lucas and Whorks play mind games over Hodgey, you would think to win would require either Swan or Ablett - preferably both. He who dares will have to think long and hard about NRoo and the temptation to turn him into a late flyer. A couple also need to decide on Sandi and whether to up or down, so there are plenty of twists and turns to come before the final straight. Murphy continuing to belt out more than Judd could be crucial.
No mind games.. Swan v Hodge is only a duel if you have one or the other... but if you have both.. well, game on
Come on Whorks take on the Seagull, you know you want to. And you were fairly joyful in trading him out for the General. Surely you are too proud for a change of heart. (Maybe I should call Swanny Son of Seagull after his old man) On N Roo he will smash the opposition in the next few, before a fairly average SC finals. Saints run home: North at Etihad - I tip 100 Port at AAMI - I tip 95 WCE at Etihad - I tip 115 Adel at Etihad - I tip 120 GC at the Gabba - I tip 130 Freo at Etihad - I tip 115 Then... Coll at Etihad - I tip 70 Syd at ANZ - I tip 55 North at Etihad - I tip 95 Carl at MCG - I tip 80 Next 6: 675 @ 112.5 Last 4: 300 @ 75 Overall: 975 @ 97.5 You could do worse than keep the big fella. On getting J Brown, his run looks diabolical for mine as a key forward: Port, Haw, Geel, NM, Bye, Adel, GC, Coll, WC, Syd Not great for finals that's for sure, unless you think you will get the bye 2nd week, and that he will eat Glass for breakfast. I know he's tough, but not that tough.
I reckon Fisher as a POD will change at lockout. Must be coming into most of the teams that don't already have him. Might consider a Rioli to Frenchman next week, but limited on cash. May have to miss Shaw. Alternatively, pick up Kazernis instead of Callinan this week and keep Rioli. Too many decisions. Re: Swan v Hodge, you'd hope to have both at worst because Swan will smash Hodge.
To be honest, it's not Swan vs Hodge (that was a few rounds back). It is now (Swan vs Fisher) vs Heppell. For me, Hodge vs Swan is old news. For those already with Swan, Hodge is a good POD as is NDS... and I am sure Selwood will be when he comes back as most have unloaded him.
That extra week is hurting Ducky, because I'd have considered keeping him if he were back sooner. I've covered him 2 weeks, and another wouldn't be that difficult. It's that extra one he got for not telling the world he snotted Guerra that's the concerning thing. NDS goes OK and has the lovely run the next 5, and no bye. Good enough for me, and I pocket a handful of coins.
<blockquote>Quote from The_General on June 30, 2011, 15:20 Swan will smash Hodge.</blockquote> Where were you a few weeks back when Dirty was trading?
We'd all like to see a tight contest Dirty and the Seagull get the Whorks, but my guess is you are going to be focusing on rucks and what to do with Spud McKernan this week.