Not Considering Embley? Please Read This.

[Nails]

I'm running with 1 premium, 4 mid pricers and 3 rookies in my midfield.

having a stacked midfield offers you no advantage, except through having more back up captaincy options. The only rookies I have on the field are those 3 in the mids, and I've got no issue with my set up. If anything, stacking your midfield gives you a disadvantage, since the best rookies at this stage are all looking like mids, your cash generation is going to be slower, and since you've stacked the midfield, you're going to be running more rookies on field increasing your chances of getting green/ red vested.

Basically, the myth that you have to stack your midfield with premiums is complete bs. The way the pricing and magic number works means that all you need is 1, maybe 2 premium mids for captaincy options, and after that do whatever the flower you want, you've got as much of a chance of winning as anyone else, providing you nail players who don't decrease their average, and snag a couple that increase.

+1 Midfield is where the best rookies are at and therefore where you make your cash. Forward rookies are looking ordinary this year, backs may be ok.

In midfield, the scene was dominated by GWS players, as they loaded up on young ready-to-go midfielders in the draft. First and foremost, well done to those who scrambled to get onto Toby Greene before the first price change. And well done to Toby himself, because nobody has averaged more possessions per game at the age of 18 than him in the last 38 years. What’s more, he achieved that feat in a side that was belted just about every week, so it speaks volumes about his workrate and desire to get to the next contest. He had a ripping season. He might look like he should still be singing along to Wake Up Jeff in the living room, but he is a man amongst men and we will be speaking about him in reverent tones in the years to come.

Also at GWS, Dylan Shiel and Stephen Coniglio started a little slowly but they appreciated in value very quickly once they found their feet and really showed their class. These guys will be hard to stop in the years to come. Old fossil James McDonald did the business for his owners… when he played. It became a raffle each week as to whether he was going to play and he became distinctly unreliable after just a few rounds, but he still made some very decent coin and was a real asset to GWS in the early rounds.

From other clubs, Melbourne’s James Magner justified the early-season hype and earned wads of cash early doors, but his scores tapered off as his role changed from midfield ball-winner to tagger to defensive forward. Those who turfed him early were smart to do so. Fremantle midget Lachie Neale didn’t set the world on fire but made a decent amount of money before he got injured. The Doggies’ Clay Smith started like a bat of hell in his first game, but he ran out of puff very quickly and didn’t rise in value until much later on.

Source: http://www.fantasyfootyclub.com/?p=870

Really there wasn't that many decent rookie mids...

Morris, Ellis, Marty C and Bugg in backline...

In the forwards, the likes of GWS’ Devon Smith and Adam Kennedy (briefly) and St Kilda’s Terry Milera emerged from the early season gloom to make us a few bucks, while the Dogs’ Tory Dickson and Adelaide’s Jason Porplyzia slowly but surely worked their way into their seasons and provided super coverage for most of the year.

Every season the midfield is talked up as the place with all the best rooks, every season the defender and forward line rooks match if not surpass the mid rooks.

[Football Factory]

I'm running with 1 premium, 4 mid pricers and 3 rookies in my midfield.

having a stacked midfield offers you no advantage, except through having more back up captaincy options. The only rookies I have on the field are those 3 in the mids, and I've got no issue with my set up. If anything, stacking your midfield gives you a disadvantage, since the best rookies at this stage are all looking like mids, your cash generation is going to be slower, and since you've stacked the midfield, you're going to be running more rookies on field increasing your chances of getting green/ red vested.

Basically, the myth that you have to stack your midfield with premiums is complete bs. The way the pricing and magic number works means that all you need is 1, maybe 2 premium mids for captaincy options, and after that do whatever the flower you want, you've got as much of a chance of winning as anyone else, providing you nail players who don't decrease their average, and snag a couple that increase.

every year most of the top 100 teams come round 5-6 have a stacked midfield. I always go a stacked midfield and its the only way to come out of the blocks fast but its the most reliable way i have found.

I have 5 premo + embley i still have Wines Omeara Crouch Viney sure im missing out on some good mid rookies. However i plan on trading out my biggest BE mid premo round 3 to the lowest BE mid rokie than trade back the week after. Making 50k in the process. While i still get the premo socres for the first 2 rounds.

Im thinking 2 rounds before you put them back in aslong as the rook is scoring well  :-\

[Bones Bombers]

OK which forward and back rookies are you confident with THIS season?
Morris, Ellis and Bugg where great in the backs last season, think everyone had them.
The forward rookies where more difficult although there were a few dpp m/f which helped.
What about this year?

[Football Factory]

OK which forward and back rookies are you confident with THIS season?
Morris, Ellis and Bugg where great in the backs last season, think everyone had them.
The forward rookies where more difficult although there were a few dpp m/f which helped.
What about this year?

Im going to be boring and say its still too early .. but i like the look of Lee,Staker and Macaffer at the moment

[nrich102]

Even more locked

[Ziplock]

Having a stacked midfield helps heaps...

If you don't have a stacked midfield you can't keep up with the other teams early, you fall too far of the pace.

The best rookies always "look like" mids, but generally never are...

Stacked Midfield = 20-30ppg from each midfielder over your midpricers/rooks... You'll be losing 150-200ppw. I tried a non-stacked midpriced midfield similar to what you're doing this year. It doesn't work.

Are you not getting this? the way the salary cap works, it doesn't matter where you've stacked so long as you have a captaincy option (and haven't just loaded the bench).

I've made 2 teams here, one midpriced with a non stacked mid, one with a stacked mid and more conventional guns and rookies. In the first team I've put embley as M5, which you said wasn't viable. I'm basically assuming premiums maintain their average in this case, that back rookies average 65,60,50, mid rookies 85,80,75,70 and forward rookies 70, 65,60 (in order from best rookie to third best). Players coming off injury or are discounted for whatever reason, get their most recent seasons average, minus 4 points, except for rookie priced players like staker etc. Break out players are basically assumed to have flopped as choices, and only have a max of 5 ppg increase in average (decreasing the addition depending how close to premium they are). I've tried to max out cash in both teams. Obv. these are examples, not necessarily viable (like I have pavlich in one team despite  his surgeries)

Conventional:
Backs: Goddard, Grimes, Gibbs, Heppell, Pittard, Goodes (Pitt, Docherty)
Mids: Swan, Ablett, Beams, Pendlebury, Stanton, Embley, Wines, Crouch(Mitchell, Viney)
Ruc: Cox, Leuenberger (witts, Daw)
Forwards: Franklin, Rockliff, Thomas, Robinson, Staker, Macaffer (Lee, Membrey)

Non stacked mid:
Backs: Goddard, Gibbs, Duffield, Broughton, Pedersen, Bock (Docherty, Heath)
Mids: Ablett, Gaff, Ziebell, Ball, Embley, Crouch, Omeara, Martin (viney, Colquhoun)
R: Cox, Luenberger (Daw, Grundy)
F: Franklin, Rockliff, Robinson, Martin, Higgins, Sylvia (staker, Membrey)

by my count that puts the conventional team in front 2162 to 2106, which would be a clear win... unfortunately, that method doesn't work as well as I'd hope- it's put duffield at 84, pedersen at 75, higgins at 85. sylvia at 87, gaff at 90, ziebell at 84... which is probably a bit harsh on them...

flower it. When it comes down to it, it's personal preference.

I've got to figure a way to get swan in though :/ That's a huge separater...

[Ziplock]

I did say this year nails. Obviously we have to wait for nab, but with no more expansion teams, prelisted forwards/ backs, and considering the majority of the first round (who'll have the best JS), were like midfielders and keybacks...

[Nails]

The thing is...

Hardly any mid rooks average over 75. Only the best 2 or 3 do iirc. Even with GCS and GWS there was hardly many if any who averaged 75+

In past years the back and fwd rooks averaged the same if not nearly more. But really, we have to wait until NAB.

EDIT: I might have forgotten someone... but from what I can see, the 2 best 2012 rookie mids from last year (might miss some who lost mid status) were Treloar - 82 and Adams - 75 and Dylan Shiel 3rd at 73...

Though I might have missed a few...

[Ziplock]

Coniglio. Greene. Gibson, horsely,  (mid season debut though)... shiel was pretty close, as was miles. those are 75+

hardly any forward or back rookies average over 70 either... last year was a bit different, since we had zorko, but then again you can take a zorko and raise him a barlow when it comes down to it. Treloar was fwd eligible, that being said he debuted round 3 and scored average for the first couple of games... a little too early for most people to downgrade. Adams averaged over 70 as a fwd as well.... then just smith/ dickson in highish 60s...

as for backs: bugg at 68, spurr at 66, clarke at 62 were the best.

[Nails]

Guess we'll just have to wait and see... but I reckon you fall too far behind without the premos. You can make enough cash with any rookies, you don't need to make too cash if you're already scoring too many points.

But we'll see how the NAB goes I reckon. Then we can let the season do the talking ;)

[meow meow]

"it's pretty hard to fit 16 blokes into probably 10 spots"

Burns was talking about his DT

[Windigo]

"it's pretty hard to fit 16 blokes into probably 10 spots"

Burns was talking about his DT

A good way to lighten the mood.  8)

[Andrew]

If Embley played anywhere else but in the West, he'd be rated so much higher by people... I can't believe the ignorance going around about this premiership winning/Norm Smith medal winning star. So no more threads like this, Windigo, everyone else can pay $80k more for Luke Ball for similar scores..!

I'd be interested to know if there are Eagles supporters NOT locking him in at the start?

[Nails]

If Embley played anywhere else but in the West, he'd be rated so much higher by people... I can't believe the ignorance going around about this premiership winning/Norm Smith medal winning star. So no more threads like this, Windigo, everyone else can pay $80k more for Luke Ball for similar scores..!

I'd be interested to know if there are Eagles supporters NOT locking him in at the start?

I can pay 150K less and get "similar scores"

[Master Q]

Embley was already a lock for me  :P Haven't read any of the posts in this thread (will now), but he averaged 90-odd in 2011 so definitely has some potential.