THERE has never been a "just say no" campaign for insider trading, which means you can read this article guilt-free! This week, the Doc deals with a crisis in ruckmen, and puts out various other spot-fires causing Dream Team trouble.
Hi Doc. I need a good back-up centre and a cheap backup defender. I also want to get rid of Craig Bolton for either Heath Shaw or Andrew McLeod. What do you recommend? – Jon (nine trades left, $85k in bank)
Jonny, one player can neatly cover your centre or defender needs, and that is Callan Ward of the Bulldogs. He's played two games and has been okay so far. His scores of 59 and 49 are not great but when you need someone to cover an absent gun, that'll do.
The big question here is how many games Ward will play from now on. The Bulldogs have Scott West and Shaun Higgins to come back into their best 22 and you'd reckon Ward will struggle to hold his place. But there is almost no-one else to choose from in the backs, and in the centres you've got Ryley Dunn and Josh Kennedy who both cost more and are equally dicey choices.
Just quickly, there is also Shane Valenti (from Melbourne) who will get matches and I notice Brad Howard has been mentioned by Ross Lyon as a kid with potential. Both these blokes are cheap and could be pretty effective backups ... the only issue, again, is how regularly they'll play. Up to you, Jon.
Doc, I need a replacement for Hamish McIntosh. I already have Cox. Who's your preferred out of Sandilands, White, Ottens and Fraser? – Mark (eight trades left, $102k in bank)
Mark, I assume money is not a problem. We can rule out Ottens – too risky for now after just three games back from injury. White and Fraser have both missed matches through injury, and Fraser's form hasn't been good anyway.
Meanwhile Sandilands is having a good year and is averaging a handy 88, 18 more than McIntosh. He's a good pick, but my choice would be David Hille from Essendon. He dominated Cox last week and kicked three goals – not resting up forward, but in general play. I've got a feeling Hille is ready to really explode, and I'd go with my gut on this one. But if you prefer a more cautious option, Sandilands is your man.
Doc, who's a good captain bet this week? – Carlo (eight trades left, $140k in bank)
Here we go:
* Gary Ablett and Scott Thompson are in dynamite form. If you have either of those two, make them captain and don't even consider anyone else. If you have both, shed tears of joy. Everyone else reading this envies you.
* Nick Riewoldt averages a massive 20 possessions and 10 marks against Fremantle. He has been down in form this year and has frustrated many Dream Team coaches but honestly, this is his week.
* Matthew Pavlich returned to form in a massive way last week against North Melbourne. He'll face Sam Fisher tonight at the Dome and is a smart choice for captain.
* Some footballers (and some coaches) have a funny tendency to play well when a contract is at stake. We all know about Fev's magic eight last week against Collingwood but I haven't heard anything on a contract signing since then and he has an exceptional history against Essendon – he has topped 120-plus three times since 2006. A sneaky pick that could leave your opponent weeping.
* Kane Cornes had a dud week against Geelong but should get far more ball this week against the Tigers.
* Lance Franklin simply has to come under consideration and against a shaky Roos backline, looks pretty good. I cannot see Michael Firrito holding him too long.
* Barry Hall scored a decent 87 last week against St Kilda and is looking okay to follow up this week against Melbourne's backline. He'll probably have Jared Rivers but Rivers has had injury worries and when injury-free, Hall has a good history against the Demons.
Hey Doc, I'm in with a chance this year but I noticed a lot of other squads seem to have all the regulars: Lance Franklin, Gary Ablett, Jon Brown, Dean Cox. I'm trying to beef up my team with unusual players. Any suggestions? Is this a good strategy? – Bob (eight trades left, $47k in bank)
It's a great strategy Bob. As good as those players are, you'll be almost as strong with Matthew Richardson, Joel Corey, Robert Murphy and Jeff White. But the difference in popularity is staggering.
Having more left-field players means your team has an unpredictability about it that can surprise opposition teams and 'fireproof' it against the bad scores everyone else gets. I can remember last year when Bartel copped his head injury. Because he was such a popular captain choice, scores were visibly down that weekend. Going against the grain can give you a big bonus like that.
As for other off-beat choices, it's hard to beat either Scott Thompson or Dane Swan. Adelaide's Thompson is turning into a Dream Team machine while Swan just knows where the ball is, and has done so for years on end. It mystifies me that Thompson is still in so few teams. He is not going away.
Other choices? Stephen Salopek will only get better, Matthew Boyd, Matthew Priddis and Brisbane's powerhouse Simon Black are all favourites. Non-Victorian players tend to be ignored a bit since many Dream Team coaches rely on the Melbourne media who consistently pay less attention to other states.
With this in mind, keep looking and thinking outside the square. For all the love Gazza Ablett gets from Dream Teamers, he's not the number one scorer this year. Thompson has earned that honour and it is no mean feat. Admittedly Gazza has missed one match but even so, it's the points that count.
The next Scott Thompson is out there, running around being ignored by everyone. Keep your Dream Team radar up and you'll be onto him before anyone else. And the bragging rights, I reckon, will be worth more than you could imagine.
Until next week, Dream Teamers!
The views in this story are those of the author and not necesasrily those of the clubs or of the AFL.
