NAB Round Review

[Football Factory]

Round Review: Our last look

Well, the pre season games are over and we have seen the troops for the last time before the real deal begins. The days of unlimited trades are drawing to a close and real thought needs to go into every decision leading up to our first partial lockout to avoid last minute panic which often ends in regrettable moves. Here are some observations from this weekends games:

Putting their hand up:

Travis Cloke- With all the talk about the large number of DPP’s available in the forward line this year, it has been easy to forget the scoring power of Cloke. In his match against the Saints this week he was at his dominant best scoring 114 from 18 touches and 5 goals.

Sam Mitchell- Mitchell looks like carrying on his outstanding form from last season, dominating his latest hitout with a massive 36 touches and 121 points to consolidate his status as one of the elite midfielders.

Brett Deledio- Returning from injury and playing primarily through the midfield Delidio showed he is a must have as a defender after collecting 33 touches and scoring 140 points vs the GWS Giants.

Jonathan Giles- For coaches that are considering starting 1 premium ruck and a rookie on the ground, Giles put his hand up for that role after a great all round match which included 8 marks, 21 hit outs and 2 goals for 102 points.

Shane Mumford- Although he didn’t have much direct opposition, Mumford showed why he is a viable pick as your number 1 ruck with 42 hit outs and a whopping 133 points playing as the Swans sole big man.

Scott Thompson- Thompson continues to tick all boxes in the lead up to round 1, collecting 27 touches and laying 11 tackles on his way to 135 in the NAB cup final.

David Zaharakis- After a reasonably quiet pre season, Zaharakis stood up vs the Lions which will ensure he is considered as DPP in the forward line. He has 23 touches, 2 goals and 101 points.

Question marks:

Dane Swan- DT superstar Swan has had a less than impressive pre season, but is it enough to leave him out of your team knowing what a superstar he is? In his last pre season game he has 66 points from 21 touches in another uninspiring effort.

Jarrad Redden- No doubt deserving of a position in your team, questions have now been raised about the possibility of starting him on the ground after a quiet match where he managed just 37 points with 18 hit outs.

Nick Malceski- Malceski looks to have put his injury worries from last year behind him after collecting 31 possessions and taking 9 marks for a score of 122. He looms as a bargain pick if he has some luck with injury.

Mid priced Dog Defenders- Making a choice between Brian Lake, Ryan Hargrave and Christian Howard was made no easier by the similar priced Dogs after scoring 63, 59 and 74 respectively.

Mitchell Golby- Little know defender Golby has had an outstanding pre season to date which continued vs the Bombers with 21 touches, 8 marks and 94 points.

Hamish McIntosh- Big Mac was again solid and remains a bargain given his cheap starting price. He split the ruck duties with Todd Goldstein to collect 13 possessions and 15 hit outs for 67.

[Justin Bieber]

I would like to add, Lids only played 65% of game time.

[Grannyboy]

The Swan decision has me thinking hard, I remember back to last year when the Saints - also after a grand final loss (and draw) - had a less than impressive pre season and both God and Rooey looked decidedly average. They fell in a heap early on and struggled the whole year individually and as a group. God picked himself up and had a few more of the games and scores we expect while Rooey continued his patchy form the all year.
I'm not saying the pies will replicate this but there are similarities, not to mention the potential of a midyear vacation to Arizona which may result in 2-3 weeks missed over the bye period when we can least afford to have guns out. All of this leads me to think that maybe Pendles is the clearer choice for no.1 midfielder and the captains role. Anyone agree/disagree? I'd love to hear other opinions on Swanny now the nab games are over.

[ossie85]

Great write up :)

Jack Riewoldt's big score shouldn't fool people that much also. Yes, he's likely underpriced, but he wasn't that impressive against the Giants