Maggie May's Supercoach Team 2014

[Maggie May]

Have been experimenting a little with my side and would love some feedback.

Def: S. Mitchell, P. Hanley, B. Smith, M. Suckling, K. Kolodjashnij, M. Fuller (T. Cutler, J. Battersby)
Mid: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, J. Watson, M. Murphy, D. Beams, C. Young, J. Martin, L. Dunstan (J. O'Rourke, L. Taylor)
Ruc: N. Naitinui, B. Grundy (F. Thurlow, M.King)
Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, C. Wingard, L. Franklin, J. Billings, D. Markworth (D. Garlett, J. Impey)
Cash Left: $6,900
Bye Structure: 11/9/10 - believe it or not despite having 5 round 8 bye players in my midfield, it is sustainable as my other lines are 3/1/2 meaning I could not make a single trade between now and the bye (absolutely not going to happen) and have enough non round 8 bye players to field a full compliment best of 18 side.

[ROSYS BEER NUTS]

Really like this side Maggie..
Obviously Smith is a risk which could reward nicely, but overall the backs are your weakest line.
Mids look very strong, not convinced on Jack Martin being worth the extra coin compared with say Beams/Miche etc..
Im really keen on Clinton Young this year and think he will be a great POD in that value price range in the Midfield.
Rucks great.
Im not a huge fan of Wingard, but we all need to chose our all important our F3 & F4's using our gut feel.
Franklin is a SC stud too and will definately be top 6 scoring fwd IMO.

Good luck

[Maggie May]

Thanks for the feedback Rosys Beer Nuts.  Much appreciated.

Okay my team is just doing my head in, it has literally given me a migraine!  So this is absolutely my last team until the NAB Challenge games.  In honour of that, rather than just post my team, I'm going to give an explanation for it as well.  Sorry if this is a little long winded.  For the record bolded players are my keepers, and italicised players are potential keepers

Def: J. McVeigh, S. Mitchell, B. Smith, S. Atley, M. Suckling, J. Laidler (T. Cutler, M. Fuller)

My defence has given me the most headaches.  Due to the lack of rookie and bargain depth, you really can only go with one starter.  But how to do it with out unbalancing your side?  In the end I've gone with two keepers in McVeigh and Mitchell, and two players that are apparently set to break out this year with more time in the midfield or a running half back role.  Suckling is a must, which leaves me with one starting rookie.  At the moment I've got Laidler, mostly as he is better for the byes given I am heavy round 8 bye in my mids.  However I'm not afraid to go to McDonald and take the bye 8 hit if he looks a better bet.  I want to have a look at them in the NAB cup before I make the call.  Bench is pretty standard I think.

Mids: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, R. Sloane, M. Murphy, D. Beams, C. Young, J. Martin, L. Dunstan (J. O'Rourke, L.Taylor)

It is heavy with round 8 byes this line, but otherwise I think it's strong, and if I manage the round 8 byes in my other lines, it won't hurt too much.  Ablett/Pendlebury/Beams/Murphy are all must haves in my opinion as is Martin.  Sloane and Young I think would be more popular if they weren't on the round 8 bye.  If Sloane keeps improving as he has every year over the last couple he could break into the elite.  In SC gold he is predicted to score only 5 less than Watson who is $30k more expensive.  And Young's price is not much more than a premium rookie, and with him set to spend time on the wing, could average between 80-100 if he gets his body right.  He'll certainly could make plenty of cash, and could turn into a good F7/F8/Bench keeper. Dunstan/O'Rourke/Tayler are purely speculative at this point.

Ruc: B. Grundy, A. Sandilands (F. Thurlow, T. Nankirvis)

I've gone back and forth with what to do with this line, but in the end have decided, this is the line where I cut back to spend elsewhere.  Grundy is set to be the number 1 ruckman in a team that has a first class midfield.  He should get about 90% of ruck time if pies structure up how they have in the past, and given that the Pies get a weeks break after round 1 because of the split round, and then a bye at round 8, if he needs to be managed, he shouldn't miss a match for being rested until mid to late year, by which time he should have either made enough cash to move to a premium, or proven himself a keeper.  Sandilands, proved in last years finals that if he can get his body right he is still very much SC relevant.

Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, L. Franklin, J. Gunstan, J. Billings, D. Markworth (D. Garlett, J. Impey)

For me Dangerfield, Martin & Franklin are locks.  I like Gunstan as a POD, but could change him to Pavlich, or maybe go even further to someone like Caddy if I need cash elsewhere, but I want to get a look at them in the NAB challenge before I make that call.  Again I would lean away from a round 8 player to avoid having donuts in round 8, but if that is who stands out I may select them anyway.  this line will have two starting rookies, but all four rookies in this line are currently speculative.

Cash left: $11,000
Bye structure: 2/3/3, 6/2/2, 1/0/3, 2/3/3 = 11/8/11

Phew!  If you are still here reading, and you have any feedback, please let me know.  I'm happy to return the rate if you like, just let me know if you have a team that you want me to look at.

[Fid]

I really like your side....

But I would not be worrying about "taking a bye hit" on rookie players.  By round 8 they may have been traded out and gained you enough cash to look about your bye structure then.  So if you prefer  McDonald instead of Laidler, just go for it IMO.

[Maggie May]

Here is my latest team after the first 10 games of the pre season:

Def: J. McVeigh, S. Mitchell, J. Grimes, D. Swallow, L. McDonald, B. Martin (W. Langford, M. Fuller)
Mid: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, J. Selwood, M. Murphy, D. Beams, V. Michie, J. Polec, X. Ellis (M. Crouch, D. Wanganeen)
Ruc: B. Grundy, A. Sandilands (T. Derickx, M. King)
Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, C. Wingard, M. Pavlich, B. Kennedy, G. Rohan (L. Taylor, J. Kennedy-Harris)
Cash Left: $5,200

[Maggie May]

Hi guys. I'm to get some uniqueness in my team and would love some feedback on this team.

Def: S. Mitchell, N. Malceski, M. Broadbent, J. Pittard, A. Kennedy, L. McDonald (T. Langdon, A. Georgiou)
Mid: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, R. Griffin, D. Beams, J. Macrae, D. Tyson, J. Kelly, J. Polec (L. Dunstan, H. Cunningham)
Ruc: B. Grundy, A. Sandilands (R. Derickx, F. Thurlow)
Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, M. Walters, M. Wright, J. Elliott, B. Kennedy (J. Kennedy Harris, Z. Merritt)
Cash left: 3,700

Not sure if I have too many mid pricers. With the exception of the midfield there doesn't look like there are many rookies with good job security so I'm trying to limit use of them as starters in my forward and back line. I've also tried getting a few PODs in my side.

With the byes, the only place it's not particularly bye friendly is my forwards for round 8, with 5 starters. However Dangerfield & Martin are the only two certain to still be there come round 8 barring injury. Unless they have become keepers, Wright, Elliott & Kennedy will have likely been traded by then to other premiums.

[JRizzle]

I'm not a fan of Grundy as a starting ruck. Could you do this;

Jack-->Daisy
Bartel-->Birchall
Grundy-->Minson

Would be much much better IMO. Rest looks pretty good.

BIRCHALL = AVOID

[GoLions]

I'm not a fan of Grundy as a starting ruck. Could you do this;

Jack-->Daisy
Bartel-->Birchall
Grundy-->Minson

Would be much much better IMO. Rest looks pretty good.

BIRCHALL = AVOID

May I ask why? Only reason I wouldn't want Birchall is because of the byes (already have Mitchell, Simpson, Suckling).
He scored 100+ in 8 out of 14 games during the H&A season. Averaged 92.1, which included a sub-affected 40. Take out that sub game and he averaged about 96. Also had scores of 117 and 98 in the prelim and GF, which aren't included in his average.

[tor01doc]

Def: S. Mitchell, N. Malceski, M. Broadbent, J. Pittard, A. Kennedy, L. McDonald (T. Langdon, A. Georgiou)
Mid: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, R. Griffin, D. Beams, J. Macrae, D. Tyson, J. Kelly, J. Polec (L. Dunstan, H. Cunningham)
Ruc: B. Grundy, A. Sandilands (R. Derickx, F. Thurlow)
Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, M. Walters, M. Wright, J. Elliott, B. Kennedy (J. Kennedy Harris, Z. Merritt)
Cash left: 3,700

I like the slightly different look to your team. You appear to have a few P's o D without seeming like you've done it just for the sake of being different.

A few worries that I have are

Lack of cash left over. Especially relevant with split round, first round and rookie JS being low this year in particular. Might work out and dollars = points, but just work ahead and have a contingency plan if selections don't go your way.

Broadbent - maybe just my ignorance, but I don't see him as much of a keeper or a cash cow. What role is he playing for you?

Love Eski there.

I think one of the usual suspects - Simpson, Thompson, Hanley, Enright, Taylor, Hurn - at D2 would make it a lot better. Merging 2 'No-man's landers' into a realistic potential keeper and a cheapie is what I would do.

Macrae - yes.

Love your mids.

Grundy worries me for 2 reasons. I think he will score OK but he may be too much for just OK. Maybe Hickey is another option as he will do the same average short term job and save you a bit of all important money.

The other reason I worry about your rucks, is the split round and no wriggle room. I would prefer to see a week 2 premium ruck at R1 so if you need money you can downgrade and spend up to cover rookie roulette.

Walters - love it.

Pav is a good choice I think.

Good luck.

[Maggie May]

Thanks Tor01doc.  Feedback much appreciated.  I have been playing a bit more with my team and would love some feedback.

Def: S. Mitchell, N. Malceski, S. Hurn, J. Pittard, J. Webster, L. McDonald (T. Langdon, A. Georgiou)
Mid: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, R. Griffin, D. Beams, J. Macrae, D. Tyson, V. Michie, J. Polec (L. Dunstan, H. Cunnington)
Ruc: B. Grundy, A. Sandilands (T. Derickx, F. Thurlow)
Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, C. Wingard, J. Elliott, M. Wright, B. Kennedy (J. Kennedy-Harris, Z. Merrett)
Cash: $14,600

Notes:
Fwd/Def Structure:  So I think for my forwards and back I'm trying to minimise the starting rookies, by utilising some cheap/mid-priced players who look set for break out years.  Pittard/Wright/Elliott/Webster/Kennedy have all looked good this year, have great job security and look like they will get all important midfield time which will help their scores.  For each line I have set 3 set & forget players (Mithcell/Malceski/Hurn back, Dangerfield/Martin/Wingard fwd) to give them some stability.

Griffin - I've selected him as the highest rated non-round 8 bye midfielder.  However the back injury is a concern, as is the uncertainty of how he will deal with the captaincy and my instants are telling me that Sloane is set for a breakout year in an improving team.  Sloane isn't bye smart but would save me about $60k.  Would love some suggestions here.

Macrae/Michie/Kelly - Am strongly considering bringing Kelly from GWS in for either Macrae or Michie.  He's more risky because he would be very much a POD, so if he fails it will not be share by many coaches, but he looked good, and with the midfield, especially the midfield rookies, are looking almost identical in most teams, so am looking for some points of difference without weakening it.  This is why I am leaning towards bringing him in for Michie if I can find the cash (perhaps from Griffin to Sloane) just to give it a difference.

Grundy - I think I'm decided on the structure of my rucks, but not necessarily this selection.  With must have rucks changing year to year I want to have a good look at them before bringing one in, so am going for a mid pricer.  However the form of Witts in the Gold Coast game, worries me for Grundy's job security and scoring potential (though as a Pies fan its fantastic).  Other options here for me are Hampson or Hickey, though Hickey is in a similar position thanks to the good form of Longer. 

Fwd Byes - I know I currently have 5 round 8 starting byes in my fwd line, which is not ideal, but in a way I think it comes down to how much the byes influence your selection.  In the end by Round 8 Danger and Martin will definitely be there, whilst Kennedy will almost certainly not be there.  Kennedy is definitely a cash cow, but I don't see him being a keeper.  That brings me to Wright and Elliott.  Both have looked good and look set for more midfield time, whilst being POD which is what interests me about them.  If there form is good enough I will keep them and wear the round 8, however it is entirely possible at least one of them will simply be a good cash cow, but not be a keeper in which case one or both could be gone from my team by round 8.

Walters to Wingard - Walters looks good, but his form against West Coast (the second time) worried me, as does the rough conduct charge.  I do try to at least not start the year with injured/suspended players.  Wingard costs more but I think given he is definitely primarily a midfielder will help his scores.

Loophole - Am considering switching one of Derickx or Thurlow to a $102k ruck for the loophole and the cash.  I will especially do this if Georgiou is not upgraded as I would rather the non playing player be in my rucks than my defence.

Once again, all feedback would be much appreciated.

[Maggie May]

By George I think I've got it  8)  I am still tinkering but I think that I have finally got the balance right.

Def: J. McVeigh, S. Mitchell, S. Hurn, M. Suckling, J. Webster, L. McDonald (W. Langford, T. Langdon)
Mid: G. Ablett, S. Pendlebury, R. Sloane, D. Beams, D. Tyson, J. Aish, V. Michie, J. Polec (L. Dunstan, H. Cunningham)
Ruc: B. McEvoy, A. Sandilands (T. Derickx, F. Thurlow)
Fwd: P. Dangerfield, D. Martin, C. Wingard, J. Darling, J. Caddy, B. Kennedy (J. Kennedy-Harris, J. Impey)
Cash Left: $18,900
Byes: 10/9/11

Couple of notes:
Byes - I know with Sloane I now have my 4 premiums with the same bye.  But Ablett, Pendles & Beams have been locks for me since day 1, and as for Sloane, I just can't shake this gut feeling about him.  So I'm going with it and backing my rookies to either be upgradable by then or being to good and being able to handle a week without them.

Also the 5 round 10 mid byes is of no concern as they are all rookies so at least a couple should be right to be upgradable by then.

Ruc: I've caved and gone and gotten a proven ruckman on the eve of the start of the season.  Did the same thing last year and went Goldstein to Maric which didn't work out so well, so hope it doesn't come back to bite me on the butt this year.