MOST Toyota AFL Dream Team coaches are painfully aware that much like day trading on the stock market, player trading is all about getting a short term win.
If that shiny new midfielder with a price tag to match isn’t pulling his weight, there are plenty more where he came from in the Dream Team talent pool.
However, the market watch analysts have come down with a sudden bout of compassion and they’ve opted to highlight some good news stories this week.
They’ve identified Melbourne forward Matthew Bate as a player with whom a long-term strategy would have paid off.
The redhead had a patchy start to the season and by round seven, he was ranked second on the list of Dream Team’s biggest losers after dropping almost $110,000 in value.
But Bate has gradually come good and after cracking the ton in each of the past three weeks, he’s actually surpassed his original rating of $354,100 by $6000. It is heart-warming stuff.
In fact, there’s plenty of good news coming from the Demons and West Coast – two sides that have had a 2009 to forget.
The round 20 list of players with the biggest weekly jump in value features no less than seven Eagles and Demons in the top 11.
West Coast quartet Tom Swift, Callum Wilson, Patrick McGinnity and Mark LeCras join Demons Bate, Lynden Dunn and James McDonald.
Still over in the west, Fremantle has had more than its share of impressive young Dream Team performers this season.
Midfielder Matthew De Boer is another one who’s rolled off the purple production line.
Since making his debut in round six as an elevated rookie, De Boer has increased his value by more than $170,000, rising into the top 10 overall Dream Team movers.
His teammate Greg Broughton looks to have a mortgage on this year’s top spot, sitting almost $100,000 clear of second-placed Magpie Dayne Beams.
Meanwhile, those Dream Team punters who followed the advice of market watch analysts last week and picked up North Melbourne’s Leigh Adams are laughing.
The nuggetty onballer produced a 92-point game against the Eagles at Subiaco to pump his value up by a further $45,800 to $182,900.
But as always, it’s not all good news in the world of Dream Team market watch.
Geelong forward Mathew Stokes has copped it this week after his quiet night against the Sydney Swans.
Stokes has replaced another small man, Collingwood’s Paul Medhurst, atop the list of overall biggest losers with a total drop of $161,200.
Essendon’s Mark McVeigh and Medhurst round out the top three, but Richmond’s Nathan Brown could be a smokey for the overall biggest Dream Team loser at year’s end.
He has bobbed up in fifth place with an overall drop of almost $125,000.
Who will be wearing the crown of shame when the season ends in two weeks? Only time will tell.
Top 10 movers
1. Greg Broughton (Fre) $386,400 (+$311,100)
2. Dayne Beams (Coll) $315,900 (+$229,300)
3. Liam Anthony (NM) $310,600 (+$224,000)
4. Jason Davenport (PA) $302,900 (+$216,300)
5. Andrew Collins (Rich) $293,600 (+$207,000)
6. Mitch Clark (BL) $421,400 (+$203,600)
7. Robin Nahas (Rich) $279,400 (+$195,100)
8. Brendan Whitecross (Haw) $258,700 (+$172,100)
9. Matthew De Boer (Fre) $246,500 (+$171,200)
9. Daniel Rich (BL) $294,000 (+$167,400)
10. Garry Moss (Haw) $237,600 (+$162,300)
Top 10 losers
1. Mathew Stokes (Geel) $230,700 (-$161,200)
2. Mark McVeigh (Ess) $248,400 (-$146,800)
3. Paul Medhurst (Coll) $244,200 (-$144,800)
4. Tom Lonergan (Geel) $168,200 (-$130,800)
5. Nathan G. Brown (Rich) $282,900 (-$124,600)
6. Brett Jones (WCE) $190,100 (-$121,400)
7. Kelvin Moore (Rich) $171,400 (-$116,400)
8. Nick Malceski (Syd) $183,200 (-$115,600)
9. Jimmy Bartel (Geel) $386.700 (-$115,100)
10. Matthew Whelan (Melb) $216,700 (-$115,000)
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
