Can't do as bad as 2018 surely !!

[Sabretooth Tigers]

Although I like Short as a nice pod who will improve this season Williams is a must!

Sloane will likely score 105+ this season I think which is more than enough for M8 and could even hit 110 but he will have his games where he scores below 70 which is why I’m choosing to avoid him.

Good team though.

Thanks MS, but about Sloane though reckon we'll have to wait and see what this new niggling rule covers. The one brought in to avoid the red card. Because if it negates the hard tag players like Sloane and perhaps Zorko could come right back into calculations. Think the pre season next year will be more enlightening than any before it. Cheers mate.

Could you clarify the new rules for me? I have heard about the niggling rule but don’t really understand it.

Hi MS. I just saw it when I was being hurried by "she who must be obeyed". It did mention blocking and jumper punching but I missed the rest. They appeared to be relating it to the Gaff incident. It is something we'll need real clarification on. I saw it on digitalized H/Sun but very surprised by it not being taken further. Sorry not much help but I didn't get it all,   pete M.

[Sabretooth Tigers]

 ::)

Last shot before Christmas, and honestly I believe the rucks are way overpriced next year V their risk reward V their price ratio. If you take both big "G"s, Grundy and Gawn you are left with the princely sum of $8,570,000 to spend on your remaining 28 players which of course averages out to $306,071 and a little bit for the other 28 per players you have to select to make up your team. Very much doubt that either Grundy or Gawn will will finish anywhere near their starting price even if they finish 1 and 2 highest ruck scorers. So after a great deal of thought, an enormous amount of lack of knowledge, a helluva lot of bad history and an even greater amount of wishful thinking I'm going to risk having to upgrade 1 or two of the favoured rucks, ( at this stage prior to the pre- season) and go with Goldstein and Kreuzer.

DEF   Laird,   Whitfield,   Z Williams,   S Collins,   I Quaynor,   M Hore,             RES   C Wilkie,   C Nutting

MID   T Mitchell,   P Cripps,   C Oliver,  Fyfe,   D Martin,   R Sloane,   L Stocker,   C Wagner,   RES   X Duursma,   J Buckley,   I Mosquito

RUCK   T Goldstein,   M Kreuzer,   RES   D Fort

FOR   P Dangerfield,   I Heeney,   C Wingard,   W Setterfield,   M McHenty,   S McAdam,   RES   S Bolton,   C Burgess

$6,100 left and not a helluva  lot in the way of POD, buy still early days. Cheers. A very merry Christmas and happy New Year to all.. Many apologies, just 20 mins after post realized I left 1 player out. Forgot to include Sloane. Cheers, pete.

::)

[Ricochet]

That's certainly a big gamble there saber. Gawn and Grundy a good 20pts higher than the next best based on last year. Even if they do drop a little, to say 115ish, they're still a good gap on the rest of the comps rucks

[Sabretooth Tigers]

That's certainly a big gamble there saber. Gawn and Grundy a good 20pts higher than the next best based on last year. Even if they do drop a little, to say 115ish, they're still a good gap on the rest of the comps rucks

True Rico, will see how Sloane goes in the pre- season. I've got an enormous gut feeling he'll really fire up in the first half of next season, and the Crows play 8 of their first 13 at home. So I get the extra mid that way and what I lose V what I gain, or look like gaining can determine whether I go this way. It does have some appeal if I'm correct about Sloane and if not back to Grundy and Kreuz. Thanks mate.

[crowls]

st -    for this to pay off you need the following.
1.  sloane to improve scoring
2.  grundy to drop off
3.  gawn to drop off

cf   grundy same as or better than 2018
gawn similar to 2018.         

if you allocate some probabilities to each option and multiply them out your sloane option not starting both prem rucks looks a real outsider.   but best of luck mate.

[Sabretooth Tigers]

st -    for this to pay off you need the following.
1.  sloane to improve scoring
2.  grundy to drop off
3.  gawn to drop off

cf   grundy same as or better than 2018
gawn similar to 2018.         

if you allocate some probabilities to each option and multiply them out your sloane option not starting both prem rucks looks a real outsider.   but best of luck mate.

And I really think Grundy is one high scoring player from this season that can actually improve next year. Was just trying to find a way to fit in another mid. For the moment :-  OUT   Oliver,  Sloane,   Goldstein
                                                                    IN   Neale,   Miles,     Grundy
and still a huge watch on Sloane during the pre-season games. Thanks for the comments Cr

:)

[Sabretooth Tigers]

 ::)

Perhaps the last tweak until pre - season.     $15,600 play money.

DEF   R Laird,  L Whitfield,  C Blakely,  Z Williams,  I Quaynor,  J Scrimshaw
                                                                                          RES   C Nutting,  M Hore

MID   T Mitchell,  N Fyfe,  L Neale,  D Martin,  R Sloane,  S Walsh,  J Hately,  L Stocker
                                                                                          RES   C Constable,  Z Sproule,  L Hill

RUCK  R Grundy,  M Kreuzer
                                                                                          RES   D Fort

FOR   P Dangerfield,   I Heeney,   C Wingard,   W Setterfield,   N McHenry,   S McAdam,
                                                                                          RES   C Burgess,   I Mosquito

Of course anything can happen once this new crop of rookies hit the ground running during the pre-season matches. Sloane could very easily become a rookie if he doesn't show much and have a huge watch on Miles and Jayden Short. A very happy New Year everybody.

[crowls]

Nice team ST.   Like you I have Kruezer down as a high probability of R2.   My hope is Fort but low chance of it happening and cannot cough up the dough for both Gawn and Grundy.  (at the moment)

You thinking Wingard will be mainly an onballer this year?   Not convinced though worth the punt.   All the best.

[Sabretooth Tigers]

Nice team ST.   Like you I have Kruezer down as a high probability of R2.   My hope is Fort but low chance of it happening and cannot cough up the dough for both Gawn and Grundy.  (at the moment)

You thinking Wingard will be mainly an onballer this year?   Not convinced though worth the punt.   All the best.

Thanks cr. Current thinking is that maybe Clarkson can get the best out of Scrimshaw and Wingard but will be interested to see how Wingard is used during the pre-season games. With the way the draft went this year, heaps of midfielders drafted, it could be possible that most of us will go with just 3 to 4 prems in the guts and heavier up forward and down back. It's going to be very interesting this year. Cheers .

:)

[Sabretooth Tigers]

 ::)

Thought I'd copy this one down so I'd still have it when team picker is no more. 1st team with Titchell out, wishing him a successful and speedy recovery.

DEF   R Laird,  L Whitfield,  C Blakely  Z Williams,  S Collins,  L Quaynor,                       RES   M Hore,  H Wigg

MID   P Cripps,  N Fyfe,  D Martin,  Z Merrett, B Crouch,  A Miles,  S Walsh,  L Stocker,   RES   C Constable,  I Mosquito,  B Bewley

RUCK   B Grundy,  M Kreuzer,                                                                                    RES   D Fort

FOR   P Dangerfield,  I Heeney,  C Wingard,  C Rozee,  S McAdam,  C Burgess,               RES         T Stengle,  I Hill

$4,300  left.  Big watch on Nic Newman, Corey Ellis and Libba



An alternate team:-

DEF   R Laird,  L Whitfield,  C Blakely,  Z Williams,  B Smith,  C Burgess,                          RES   M Hore,  H Wigg

MID   J Macrae,  P Cipps,  N Fyfe,  D Martin,  A Miles,  S Walsh,  H Bennell,  L Stocker,     RES    C Constable,  I Mosquito,  B Bewly

RUCK  B Grundy,  M Kreuzer,                                                                                      RES   D Fort

FOR   P Dangerfield,  I Heeney,  C Wingard,  C Rozee,  S McAdam,  T Stengle                  RES   B Cavarra,  I Hill

$2,100 left
Did toy with the idea of filling defence with Z Williams,  N Newman and B Smith as the last three and going a little lighter in the guts. It will be very interesting to see a cross section of selected rookie positions as most were recruited as mids. Cheers.

Perhaps another tweak before the JLT due to some of the injuries reported.

DEF   R Laird,  L Whitfield,  Z Williams,  N Newman, J Scrimshaw,  C Wlikie,                      RES  M Hore,  H Wigg

MID   J Macrae,  P Cripps,  N Fyfe,  D Martin,  A Miles,  S Walsh,  H Bennell,  L Stocker,      RES  W Setterfield,  B Bewely,  N Hind

RUCK         B Grundy,  M Gawn,                                                                                    RES  D Fort

FOR   P Danderfield,  I Heeney,  C Wingard,  S McAdam,  C Burgess,  B Cavarra,                RES  J Corbett,  I Mosquito

$36,700 

:)

[Money Shot]

Both are really good sides.

Think team one is better due to being more balanced.

[SilverLion]

Both are really good sides.

Think team one is better due to being more balanced.

Agreed^

Also have said elsewhere that I think it might be better to wait and see on Macrae, given his price and how he's only had one massive year so far.

[Ringo]

Agree Team 1 better but wait on JLT.

[Sabretooth Tigers]

 ::)

Barring more injuries this may be close to a sitter up til JLT. A mere $300 left in salary cap. No rookies selected as starters at this stage  in defence but doubt Scrimshaw will line up Rd.1 so last three positions still to be JLT'd.
Reckon if Bennell lines up Rd.1 that he's a worthy risk, think Macrae will back up last seasons effort so would rather start with him than chase him. Two probable rookie starters.
Rucks speak for themselves, although if Preuss starts Rd.1 Couldn't that free Gawn up a bit to roam wild as a spare man ? Can't see any reason both can't be on the field at the same time before one rests. An overlap could make things interesting.
Same first three forwards that I picked in team 1, about 3 to 4 hundred teams ago. Probably 2 rookies starting here.

DEF   R Laird,  L Whitfield,   Z Williams,  B Smith,  C Ellis,  J Scrimshaw                         RES  M Hore,  H Wigg

MID   J Macrae,  P Cripps,  N Fyfe,  D Martin,  A Miles,  S Walsh,  H Bennell,  D Bewely,  RES  L Velente,  N Hind,  T Cox

RCK   B Grundy,  M Gawn                                                                                         RES  D Fort

FOR   P Dangerfield,  I Heeney,  C Wingard,  W Setterfield,  S McAdam,  C Burgess        RES  J Corbett,  B Cavarra

Cheers and best of luck to you all.

:)

[Sabretooth Tigers]

 ;)

Perhaps time for something with just a little bit of difference

DEF    Sicily,  Ryan,  Mills,  Z Williams,  G Logue,  C Burgess,                     RES   J Scrimshaw,  M Hore

MID    P Cripps,  N Fyfe,  D Martin,  D Zorko,  A Miles,  S Walsh,  J Hately,  C Constable
                                                                                                            RES   B Bewley,  N Hind,  M Gibbons

RUCK  B Grundy,  M Gawn                                                                       RES   D Firt

FOR   P Dangerfield,  I Heeney,  T McLean,  D Moore,  C Rozee,  W Setterfield,
                                                                                                             RES,  J Corbett,  B Cavarra

$2,300 left for Gatorade. Starting to think it best to fill top echelon of defenders last in order to see what effect the new rules have in real time.Cheers and best of luck everybody.

:)