AFTER the carnage created by the raft of changes among the top teams in round 19, Toyota AFL Dream Team coaches will be looking for some stability this weekend.
Happily, it’s been a relatively stable week in the constantly evolving world of Dream Team market watch.
Precious few moves were made among the lists of the top 10 biggest improvers and losers, with most of the current names having featured for several weeks.
Thus, savvy Dream Team mentors must look further afield for the bargain buy that could prove crucial in the finals.
Note that “bargain buy” doesn’t necessarily mean low-priced, although sometimes they are one and the same.
Take North Melbourne youngster Leigh Adams as an example. A highly-rated junior, Adams suffered a setback with a knee injury that wiped out his 2008 campaign.
He’s returned to the Roos side under caretaker coach Darren Crocker and capped a fine three-match run with 89 points against Melbourne on Sunday, lifting his value by more than $50,000 to $137,100.
Port Adelaide’s Nick Salter is in a similar boat, averaging 66 points per game for a low $157,900.
Adams’s North teammate Todd Goldstein is also worth a look at a tick over $210,000.
The young ruckman rose to the occasion against the Demons, finishing with five goals and a 121-point display that boosted his stocks considerably.
At the other end of the price spectrum, a couple of Swans loom as excellent value.
It’s not often that an 82-point game is considered ordinary, but Ryan O’Keefe has paid the price for a stellar two months of football.
The Swan midfielder’s rating dropped by more than $30,000 to $413,800 after Sunday’s game against Richmond. While pricey, O’Keefe has shown he can produce sustained Dream Team excellence and he’s almost 10 per cent cheaper now.
Teammate Brett Kirk is also surprisingly good value at slightly more than $300,000.
The best thing about Kirk is that a Dream Team coach always knows what they’re going to get – 100 per cent.
For a player averaging 90 points per game, he’s exceptionally well priced.
Meanwhile, Geelong’s rollercoaster form is reflected in the Dream Team fortunes of Mathew Stokes, Tom Lonergan and Jimmy Bartel – all of whom feature in the top five biggest losers after round 19.
Collingwood forward Paul Medhurst continues to top the table while Bomber Mark McVeigh is close behind in second place.
Top 10 movers
1. Greg Broughton (Fre) $377,400 (+$302,100)
2. Dayne Beams (Coll) $308,200 (+$221,600)
3. Jason Davenport (PA) $302,900 (+$216,300)
4. Andrew Collins (Rich) $293,600 (+$207,000)
5. Liam Anthony (NM) $288,100 (+$201,500)
6. Mitch Clark (BL) $418,000 (+$200,200)
7. Robin Nahas (Rich) $284,300 (+$200,000)
8. Brendan Whitecross (Haw) $258,700 (+$172,100)
9. Daniel Rich (BL) $292,600 (+$166,000)
10. Garry Moss (Haw) $237,600 (+$162,300)
Top 10 losers
1. Paul Medhurst (Coll) $229,100 (-$159,900)
2. Mark McVeigh (Ess) $250,100 (-$145,100)
3. Mathew Stokes (Geel) $253,700 (-$137,500)
4. Tom Lonergan (Geel) $175,000 (-$124,000)
5. Jimmy Bartel (Geel) $379,700 (-$122,100)
6. Brett Jones (WCE) $190,100 (-$121,400)
7. Kelvin Moore (Rich) $171,400 (-$116,400)
8. Nick Malceski (Syd) $183,200 (-$115,600)
9. Chris Tarrant (Fre) $196,400 (-$115,000)
10. Matthew Whelan (Melb) $216,700 (-$115,000)
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
