Didn’t pick Daniel Rich in your initial squad? Oops. Loaded up on Hawthorn stars, thinking the best was yet to come from the youthful reigning premier? Oops another 10 or so times.
But as the season progresses, there’s still ample opportunity for coaches to redeem themselves – and for maligned Dream Team performers to pull their socks up, too.
Witness the strong performance by Swans spearhead Barry Hall (83 points) on the weekend. Hall was questioned by media pundits after a five-kick outing against Geelong.
Against old rival West Coast, Hall’s six kicks produced five goals and his defensive efforts reaped a very handy DT points tally.
Similarly, Melbourne’s Matthew Bate has been among the biggest form drop players all season, but he delivered with four goals and 91 points against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
Two of this year’s biggest Dream Team busts – Hawk Lance Franklin and Freo’s Chris Tarrant – went head to head in an absorbing battle on Friday night and Taz more than held his own.
While Buddy took the on-field points with four goals, he still scored below his Dream Team season average of 78. Conversely, Tarrant managed a 47-point game to outstrip his weekly average – albeit narrowly.
But enough of the big blokes. If you want to avoid big losses in the coming weeks, cast a careful eye over your mid-sized forwards and defenders.
Cat Darren Milburn, Eagle David Wirrpanda and Hawthorn’s Brent Guerra were the three biggest losers in round eight, each dropping more than $34,000 in value.
With a three-week rolling average used to determine a player’s worth, that trio is likely to drop even further in price in the next couple of weeks.
If you’re among those who decided to go against the masses and give the likes of Rich, Jack Ziebell and Shaun Higgins a wide berth, now could well be the time to strike.
West Coast’s Adam Cockie looms as good value, averaging a handy 54 points per game for just $113,100. He’s already played three games for a rise of more than $37,000 and another strong performance will send his value soaring even higher.
Young Lion Sam Sheldon, the son of former Carlton and St Kilda player Ken, is another worth considering. A weekly average of 52 points for less than $120,000 is cracking value if you’re in need of some depth in your squad.
Last week, the boffins here at Market Watch recommended Tiger trio Mark Coughlan, Robin Nahas and Andrew Collins as firm ‘buy’ prospects.
DT coaches who heeded their sage advice are doing nicely after Coughlan topped the list of weekly improvers with a $42,100 spike in value.
Collins continues to impress with a 70-point average in his five games to date while nippy forward Nahas has moved into the top 10 overall improvers, leaping more than $128,700 in value this season.
Finally, a word of praise for the talent production line down at Waverley Park.
Injuries might have cruelled the club’s fortunes to date but Hawthorn’s youngsters, led by the season’s biggest DT improvers Brendan Whitecross and Garry Moss, are starring.
One for the watchlist is midfielder Ben McGlynn, who is averaging almost 100 points after two games.
With a price tag of $274,500, he’s not quite in bargain basement territory but there plenty of better-credentialed players out there with weekly averages far below the century.
Toyota AFL Dream Team Round 8
Top 10 movers
1. Brendan Whitecross (Haw) $272,000 (+$185,400)
2. Garry Moss (Haw) $253,300 (+$178,000)
3. Jack Ziebell (NM) $275,800 (+$157,200)
4. Angus Graham (Rich) $241,200 (+$154,600)
5. Sam Gilbert (StK) $357,900 (+$136,000)
6. Andy Otten (Adel) $262,500 (+$136,000)
7. Daniel Rich (BL) $258,800 (+$132,200)
8. Robin Nahas (Rich) $213,000 (+$128,700)
9. Jarryn Geary (StK) $317,100 (+$125,000)
10 Shaun Higgins (WB) $336,100 (+$124,200)
Top 10 losers
1. Chris Tarrant (Freo) $179,900 (-$132,100)
3. Lance Franklin (Haw) $312,300 (-$115,700)
2. Troy Simmonds (Rich) $268,400 (-$102,500)
4. Barry Hall (Syd) $254,200 (-$101,400)
5. Brett Jones (WC) $210,100 (-$101,400)
6. Matthew Bate (Melb) $254,000 (-$100,100)
7. Luke Hodge (Haw) $330,000 (-$98,800)
8. Scott Stevens (Adel) $222,600 (-$98,700)
9. Tom Logan (PA) $233,400 (-$91,200)
10. Campbell Brown (Haw) $211,600 (-$90,500)
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
