Hey Doc. My team was going along well and finished third on the ladder but has now been struck down by six injuries/suspensions. I have three trades left so should I wait and see if my players return next week or should I trade now? I'm missing Paul Chapman, Jack Grimes, Brendon Goddard, Nick Riewoldt, Scott Lucas, Shaun Higgins and Hayden Ballantyne. - Alex (three trades, $23,000)
Just let me begin by getting something off my chest, Alex. It seems those dreaded club doctors are having an influence earlier in the run home than usual.
Now, I always thought what you saw was what you got with Ross Lyon. Sure, he's prone to the odd sideline strut that suggests a more dubious mind at work, but his direct and frank musings in front of the camera have always been prophetic.
Not any more. Let me take you back to round 14, when the Saints held off Geelong in a classic. I'm sure you remember it well, but do you remember this little nugget three days later?
"We won't be resting or rotating players."
It's been a constant message out of Moorabbin and, with Riewoldt, Goddard, Leigh Montagna and Lenny Hayes out this week, I for one feel like a bit of a goose for swallowing Lyon's spoon-fed fibulas.
Concussion, elbow, knee and back are the official reasons, but it's worth pondering how many would have played if a top-two spot was not yet sewn up.
Now, you had a bit of a quandary didn't you? First thing is to weigh up who your opponent will be missing and avoid trading those shared players out of your side.
There's no value in trading out Ballantyne or Lucas, while the Saints players should be back next week.
If Chappy and Higgins are players unique to your side, then I'd pull the trigger on them. Chappy loyalists always get nervous this time of year, and if you fall short this week he's not going to be there in seven days to help you win through to a preliminary.
The Pav ($355,400) and Jonathan Brown ($413,200) are excellent options and that'll leave you with a handy wad for your final trade.
Hey Doc. I have the injured Paul Chapman and on my bench I have Brent Macaffer and Hayden Ballantyne, so I won't have back up this round. I was wondering if I should trade Chapman for another player or risk keeping him in my team? - James (one trade, $35,200)
Right on cue, James. A Chappy loyalist like yourself is surely well versed in the nuggety Cat's end of season track record, but a quick recap for the uninitiated.
Now Chappy has hammies that are not to be trusted and there was a crucial ping on the eve of the DT finals last season that sidelined the star for rounds 18, 19 and 20 – eerie, huh?
Geelong is notorious for putting its stars in cotton wool and taking no risk as the finals draw near and that was the club's approach last season. One week can turn into two, which usually turns into three.
Having said all of that, I'd only trade if you are facing elimination. In that case, Brown would be the man for the job. However, you only have one trade left and the way things are going you will likely be a lame duck if you get through but have zero trades left.
Greetings Doc, I am sitting in a fine position leading into week one of the finals. I can afford to burn trades and my bank balance is healthy. I sneaked into fourth place so I can further rid my team of poor performers regardless of the outcome. I'm looking to trade out pine-warmers Foley and Higgins for a couple of late season bloomers. Who would you recommend? – Justin (six trades, $100,600)
Geez, Justin, anyone tell you there's a crisis going on? Chappy's hammy pinged, Ross Lyon's pulling the strings and you come in here with "trades to burn". Well, thanks for the change of tone actually.
Now the aforementioned Brown and Pav are fine options for you in the forward line as a Higgins replacement, but another guy who hit some magical form last week was Neon Leon ($383,100).
A tasty 118 DT points against the Brisbane Lions made it three centuries from his last four matches and took Davis' average to 101.75 for the season.
Midfield, I reckon Bryce Gibbs is exceptional value at $383,300, and he also found some DT touch last week with 119 points against North Melbourne.
Now, seeing as you're in such a "fine position" there's an added element to these two trades. You can pretty much pencil in the GF, right? So given the recent events at St Kilda its worth considering players that will still have plenty left to play for in round 22.
Gibbs' Blues are up against Adelaide and Neon's Pies are involved in a Docklands blockbuster with the Bulldogs, so there's plenty of finals swapsies that could play out there. I'd tip these two to deliver for you in the big one.
Hey Doc. I need some help with selecting a skipper. I have so many gun players that I don't know who to use. Whoever I throw the captaincy to has a bad week while the player I trusted the week before has a cracker. It can be the difference between winning and losing. Now finals are here what do I do? - Cam (one trade, $110,000)
What do you do? Listen up, son. You've summed up the torture of picking a captain very nicely, but the bad news is it only gets more cutthroat in finals.
Just in case you're curious, Montagna (102), Riewoldt (94) and Hayes (100) all average good scores against the Hawks, while Goddard notched 146 the last time he played the reigning premiers. But they're not options this week, are they, Ross?
Fortunately, some of our old favourites have survived the selection carnage and remain trusty skippers this week.
Swanny has a couple of recent 100s to draw on against Adelaide, but it's his most recent form that makes him a lock for those that have him.
Round eight was Swanny's last sub-100 score, and he's averaged more than 128 in his last four matches.
Last week's 92 was The Little Master's first sub-100 score in his last five matches, but, with a season average of 120, the Geelong star is a reliable skipper for such an important DT week.
He averages 102 against the Blues and has scores of 123, 134, 90 and 131 on the MCG this season.
Where else do you call when finals roll around? Jimmy. He doesn’t average so well against the Blues (88.7), but last week's 121 against the Crows marked a fair return to DT form.
Exotic options include Jonathan Brown and the Pav, but it's the first week of the finals. Play it safe.
This week's top three:
Swan (122 last week)
Ablett (92)
Bartel (121)
Best of luck to you all dream-teamers!
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
