I LOVE a good cliché as much as the next bloke. To be honest, at the end of the day, it's the result that counts.

But sometimes the best Dream Team coaches have to disregard conventional footy wisdom and do something directly opposite to what a cliché says. This is never an easy option but when certain situations arise, a calm head is needed.

Ladies and gents, we've arrived at one of those moments.

Both the Premium and regular competitions are approaching finals. Players are dropping like flies – Chad Cornes, for one, will not play again this season. Neither will Brock McLean.

We are also seeing more players succumbing to niggling injuries. Top teams are anxious to have their stars keen and rested for September while bottom clubs are willing to give kids a go.

It's not just injuries causing weekly Dream Team mayhem. Recently Jeff White, Josh Fraser, Shannon Grant, Nick Dal Santo and Andrew Lovett have all fronted up in the seconds, either for reasons of form or indiscipline.

It's frustrating to record a zero at the best of times, but Dream Team coaches need to accept that it's going to happen.

It's absolutely vital to hold onto your gun players unless their seasons are finished, particularly for the Premium competition where each player can only be listed in one team per league.

Gary Ablett, Peter Burgoyne, Matthew Richardson, James McDonald, Jake King and Joel MacDonald have all been missing recently. If you have one of these players – or if someone similar suffers a niggle – then please, don't trade them.

Premium DT coaches can make three trades per week and it's tempting to off-load the elites to avoid that dreaded zero.

But in every 10-team Premium league, eight squads make the finals. Only two miss out – so if you're reading this, chances are you're guaranteed of a place.

This means coaches should stop worrying about week-to-week wins, and therefore forget about fussing over one- and two-week injuries.

Instead, start thinking ahead to round 19, which is when the finals start. If your gun player is likely to be back then, he's a keeper. If things are in doubt, then you should consider moving him on.

With this in mind, it's also worth checking out the pool of 'undrafted' players in your league. Peter Burgoyne may be back this week and I added him to my 22 yesterday – even if he misses this weekend's match, he's much better than Nick Maxwell when round 19 comes around.

I would also advise checking out the following players who may have been dropped or slipped under the radar. If you can pick them up, they'll also be very handy in a few weeks' time.

Defenders: Andrew Walker (Carlton), Joel MacDonald (Lions), Brad Symes (Adelaide), David Wirrpanda (West Coast), Brent Guerra (Hawthorn)

Midfielders: Steven Salopek (Port), Lenny Hayes (St Kilda), Clinton Young (Hawthorn), Daniel Kerr (West Coast), Brad Green (Melbourne)

Forwards: Barry Hall (Sydney), Scott Welsh (Bulldogs), Leon Davis (Collingwood), Mark Williams (Hawthorn)

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily the AFL