Hey Doc, them Cats are looking mighty tired. I loaded up at the start of the season with Ablett, Bartel and Selwood in the midfield and Mackie and Enright down back. How do you rate their seasons and do you think I should let one or two of them go throughout the finals? – Chris (two trades, $34,400)
Firstly, Chris, absolutely not! If they're injured and miss, say, a grand final, trade them out. But this time of year is all about patching up holes with your trades, and I wouldn’t trust anyone who tells you they're not copping some donuts right about now.
It was carnage last week, and I take it by your breezy query you didn't carry too many Saints through the first week of August. Still, that's no reason to discard your Cats. Let's have a look at their seasons.
Now, when assessing the Little Master's year, he suffers for two reasons. He failed in a big game last week, scoring 71 in a final, and he's missed three games. However, based purely on the numbers, he's having his best season on record with an average of 117 – the fourth best in the League. You don’t let him go.
Jimmy, tragically, also failed in a big game last week, scoring 87. However, he's missed just the one game and is averaging 109 DT points per game. You don't get rid of Jimmy.
Mackie and Enright have been solid in defence and they're two guys that definitely don't seem to be fading. You keep them. And Joel? Say a bad thing about Joel. I dare you.
Now I think what we need is some optimism. There's no point speculating on fading scores, injuries and rested stars. There's enough tragedy in the DT world right now and let's face it, we can't spare the trades. Carry on.
Hey Doc, I have a selection dilemma. I face a tough opponent in a do-or-die final and I have a single trade left. Jarryd Roughead is gone for the season – his replacement is Hayden Ballantyne – while down back, Jack Grimes has netted me a huge profit and is also at least another week away. Which one should I trade out? – Steve (one trade, $31,500)
It's time to pull the trigger on Grimey Grimes my friend.
As you rightly pointed out, he's done his job. He's pulled in the wads, saved our hides during some lean weeks and, along with Fremantle defender Greg Broughton, he's more than made up for a shallow defensive talent pool.
He's copped his fair share of injuries as a youngster though, so he's the guy to let go. You're going to benefit more by getting a quality defensive replacement for Grimey ($345,400) than an average forward line inclusion for Roughead ($258,900).
The man to get on is Norm Smith Medallist Andrew Embley. Six of his last seven matches have netted good scores at an average of 104 and his 148 DT points against the Dogs last week were surely match-winning for a number of coaches.
Solid scores aside, the popular Eagle is famous for his grand final celebrations, so he's also worth picking up just to bolster your Mad Monday credentials.
Doc, I'm down to my last trade and I'm playing in an elimination final this weekend. My problem is I have two under-performing midfielders (Hasleby and Griffen) and one injured defender (Grimes). Nic Suban is my cover on the defensive bench, but I'm torn as to whether I should trade Grimes for a gun defender or one of my midfielders for someone like Bartel, who seems affordable. – Ash (one trade, $64,000)
On your last trade and in a do-or-die final, this is one for the number crunchers, Ash. But off the top, I reckon a defensive gun like the aforementioned Embley is going to be the go for Grimey Grimes.
We'll start with the midfield options. They're a couple of frustrating players, Hase and Griffen, and they're both averaging 84. I'd have Griffen just ahead of Hase after last week but I reckon both will score reasonably well this round. Expect 90-100 from each.
Jimmy obviously averages more than this pair (109), but that dips down to 97 across his last five rounds. You'd probably expect around 110 from Jimmy this week, but that's only an extra 10-20 points. Not worth the trade.
Down back, young Suban is an impressive young man, and seen as a future leader out west, but he's yet to have the same impact in DT. His average of 56 jumps up to 62 across his last five games, and against the Dees you'd expect him to match that. Heck, let's put him down for 70.
Embley, the best defensive option as already discussed, averages 88, but that shoots up to 115 in his last three matches. He's hit some brilliant form, and against the Roos on Subiaco Oval expect another big score. Let's say 120. That's 50 more than young Suban and thus 30-40 DT points more than the midfield option.
Grimes to Embley it is.
Captains
After a disappointing round for the big boys, it's time to at least speculate on some niche captain choices.
Past stats are irrelevant with Mitch Clark (he has scores of 25 and 30 against the Bulldogs), but his recent run of form makes him captain material. He has notched eight 100s in his last 11 matches, including a monster 145 against the Bombers last week.
First-year defender Broughton has an even shorter history in the game, but his recent form suggests a captain-worthy score could be on the way. Totals of 128 last week and 129 the week before have contributed to a five-week average of 106.8. The only worry is he might not see the ball enough against Melbourne in the Fremantle back half.
An attacking option like The Pav may be a better option. His last four matches against the Dees have netted scores of 148, 118, 127 and 134 and he's averaging 108 from his last three matches.
Swanny loves the 'G and is playing the Tigers, Jimmy has notched three consecutive 100s against the Swans from Sydney and The Little Master scored 150 and 126 in his two clashes with the Swans last year.
That lot doesn’t tend to have two bad weeks in a row.
This week's top three:
Swan (103 last week)
Clark (145)
Bartel (87)
Best of luck to you all dream-teamers!
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
