It is finals time in 2009 Toyota AFL Dream Team and coaches around the country are crunching the numbers to see how far they can go.
Most coaches would have used up all or most of their trades so every change has to be made after plenty of consideration.
More than 90,000 Dream Team coaches have Bulldog Shaun Higgins in their side, but his hamstring injury may make him a burden for sides looking to win finals. While many coaches may have kept him on the books last week, they might to take heed of the old adage that you never take injured players in to finals.
But just because you are in the Dream Team finals, it doesn’t mean you have to look only for players that are going to make the actual finals. Quite the contrary.
Six sides are now officially no chance of making the finals and they will have an eye on next year. So they will have plenty of young players getting more game time and therefore more Dream Team points at a lower price.
Four the top 10 movers in the Toyota AFL Dream Team are young players playing with teams that now have no chance of making the September action.
Fremantle’s Greg Broughton has gone from strength to strength this year, surging up $232,800 in value since he started the season a virtual unknown.
Richmond youngster Robin Nahas is thriving under new coach Jade Rawlings and although a hip problem has kept his teammate Andrew Collins out for the past few weeks, he is also one of the league’s big risers.
North Melbourne’s Liam Anthony had to wait a while to kick off his AFL career but he has not looked back since getting the nod in round 13.
On the flip side, some of the biggest losers could be a bargain pick-up for the crucial finals points.
Magpie Paul Medhurst has the dubious honour of topping the list but at just over $222,000 he could now be a good recruit. He has shown he is capable of a 90-point game and may just prove the difference in the end.
Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel is another good option at $379,200. He was going for as much as $501,000 at the start of the season and has shown before that he can run a season out and on his day can post a 130-140 point game without a problem.
Round 18
Top 10 movers
1. Greg Broughton (Fre) $352,400 (+$232,800)
2. Jason Davenport (PA) $309,900 (+$223,300)
3. Dayne Beams (Coll) $302,500 (+$215,900)
4. Robin Nahas (Rich) $272,200 (+187,900)
5. Andrew Collins (Rich) $293,600 (+207,000)
6. Brendan Whitecross (Haw) $276,100 (+$189,500)
7. Liam Anthony (NM) $270,600 (+$184,000)
8. Mitch Clark (BL) $400,100 (+182,300)
9. Daniel Rich (BL) $298,100 (+$171,500)
10. Garry Moss (Haw) $237,600 (+$162,300)
Top 10 losers
1. Paul Medhurst (Coll) $222,100 (-$166,900)
2. Mark McVeigh (Ess) $256,200 (-$139,000)
3. Chris Tarrant (Fre) $189,400 (-$122,600)
4. Jimmy Bartel (Gee) $379,200 (-$122,600)
5. Mathew Stokes (Gee) $269,600 (-$121,600)
6. Brett Jones (WCE) $190,100 (-$121,400)
7. Nick Malceski (Syd) $183,200 (-$115,600)
8. Matthew Whelan (Melb) $216,700 (-$115,000)
9. Cameron Stokes (Haw) $123,900 (-$108,500)
10. Heath Scotland (Carl) $291,200 (-$106,000)
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
