Where and When: MCG, Thursday, March 23, 2019, 1:45pm
Last time they met: Adelaide Oval, round 14, 2018: Port Adelaide 11.9 (75) defeated Melbourne 9.11 (65)
Doubts were raised about Melbourne’s finals credentials after it lost its second game on the trot after a run of six previous wins. In a brutal game, the Power gained the ascendancy late in the last quarter thanks to a Sam Gray goal. Despite leading for most of the night, Melbourne’s inefficiency going into attack was highlighted. It became a theme for Simon Goodwin’s side as the year progressed.
What it means for Melbourne: With games to come against Geelong, Essendon and Sydney, starting the season off on a winning note is important. The Demons are one of the legitimate premiership contenders, so if they can flex their muscles early, they will gain great confidence to roll into the rest of the season.
What it means for Port Adelaide: After undergoing a list redevelopment in the off-season, the Power will expose a number of youngsters to the AFL stage. Despite Ollie Wines missing, the Power still have plenty of playmakers on their team and could cause an upset.
How Melbourne wins: Melbourne was the No.1 centre clearance team in the AFL and by a wide margin in 2018, so Max Gawn and co will again be critical in that part of the ground. The Demons’ focus on playing “forward-half football” is borne out of their midfield dominance.
How Port Adelaide wins: Limit Gawn’s influence with Scott Lycett and Paddy Ryder and force Melbourne to defend fast ball movement. The Demons gave up an average of 108.5 points in their two JLT Series games, which goes to show how leaky they can be particularly without the suspended Steven May.
The stat: Port Adelaide has beaten Melbourne just twice in 10 meetings between the sides at the MCG.
The match-up: Max Gawn v Scott Lycett/Paddy Ryder
Gawn is the seventh-ranked player in the competition after a superb 2018 campaign. Ryder is 14th while Lycett is 249th, although that rating does not reflect his influence on games late last season.
Mottsy’s Tip: Dees by 30
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**LATE CHANGE**
IN: Tom SPARROW, MEL (MID) $117k
OUT: Jordan LEWIS
what is Wagner job security like?
Guys would love some advice as I’m still conflicted in my m4 position. Got Brayshaw there right now but have about 170k in the bank.
TU – Keep Brayshaw as he will have a big year and saving you a heap of cash for corrections
TD – Just go a full blown premium and fork out the 600k
Pretty overwhelming here, got any suggestions ?? Have Macrae, Cripps, Oliver
TU – Fyfe
TD – Coniglio
Or any others?
Who to put C on.
Tu: Gawn
Td: Oliver
Need a thumbs sideways option apparently now 🙁
Brayshaw M5 & Dunkley F3
Cogs M4 & Darling F3
Currently:
Cripps Oliver Treloar MCrouch Brayshaw* Libba Walsh Butters
Danger Heeney Dunkley* Greene Setters Drew
40 min to decide :/
TU: Brayshaw & Dunkley
TD: cogs & Darling
On field rookie…
Tu, butters
Td, Scott.
And no Lewis! Start hore on field? A good move, possibly taking kick out’s. As opposed to other rookies?
Yeah I’m down – starting him over the Duurs
Well this is going well
Ah well, wasn’t that terrible difference.
trading out Clayton Oliver for Steven Motlop (C) last minute
thoughts?
Shark move
Gawn as captain
Was tossing up gawn or oliver caprain. Had oliver all week up until today.. looks like it might bite me
I’d back Max to get 120 from here last year but this year it’s lookint different…
For those of you who didn’t see my rant last night and call for Chris Scott to be charged with war crimes (deceiving us about Danger’s role), I had the C on Dangerfield last night. Really need Oliver, Gawn and the Port rookies to pump out some decent scores today.
Like bringing in Tom Sparrow in the midfield last minute , but whats going on with Gawn
Well at least the wife is having a good start to 2019.
No Grawndy but she did pick Christian Salem 😉
My mums my sisters my unborn childs and my dogs team all doing well.
she’s actually a life-long bomber and knows a hell of a lot more about footy than i do. the only thing i help her with is the rookies and explain the maths when it comes to trades. she often ignores me!! i can’t even get invited to her competitive cash league. been the same players for over 8 years.
she was playing SC before we met and reckons the new rules will help elite outside runners who play off HB or wing. she also chose Milera who could also go huge.
sadly being a bomber, she’s got McGrath, Shiel, Stringer and Ridley and will NEVER include Pies or Hawks in her side as it goes against her religion 😉
maybe it is a joint effort, but she makes the decisions. a bit like in life!
Gawn looks like he doesn’t want to be out there.
Just walking around hand on hips he must be very unfit.
Pruess might be in the side sooner than we think
On the flip side, Butters, Drew and Duursma are all killing it. Hore, not to so much unfortunately.
On Gawn…
Copped a knee to the head early.
It seemed to affect him all game.
He will be back, jump off at your peril.
Wow these Port rookies can play, Drew, Butters and Duursma all very impressive.
Yeah, mistakenly fielded Hore over Duursma. Thought Hore would get more TOG. Grr.
Have drew and duursma both on field. Passed on Butters only cause three rookies in one team was too many…so I thought 🙁
Oof! That hurts. Will probably be worth trading him in, I think.
Hore should scramble to 50…
Butters Duursma and Drew 90 apiece
Oliver 120 and Gawn 140+
I’ll back Maxy to have a huge second half
From your lips to the SC God’s ears!
Hore’s only on 13 at HT, need him to get his act together.
I can’t say what Port will do, but if I were them Drew, Duursma, and Butters would be at no risk of being dropped.
Duursma currently sitting on the bench
Is Boak getting screwed by CD or has he had a few clangers?
4 clangers.
A lot of self professed supercoach experts with so much egg on their smug faces this round.
At least 1 of Grundy and Gawn are must haves to start but both is better because you’ll lose too many points – Fail
Rockliff no good – Fail
Boak not a valid forward choice – Fail
Viney will take points off Brayshaw – Fail
Walsh the best bet mid rookie – Fail
Of course they’ll all claim “It’s only round 1” just like they claimed “You can’t evaluate players based on JLT”
Face it you ego maniacs unless you are the reigning Supercoach winner you know no more about the game than 200,000+ rest of us.
At least I’m glad someone on this site will win the 50k. Congratulations mate, spend it wisely!
Coming from someone who selected rockliff, it is only round 1, it’s just a game, and no one says what you should do, just give advise to questions that are asked.
Supercoach is 60% skill and 40% luck (injuries, role changes, scoring changes, coaching decisions, whether rookies play or not), no matter the logical planning there are just some things that are out of your control. There’s no need to roast everyone on the site for sharing tips about their teams, as they are just being logical and trying to help out.
it is only Rd1 mate. i can’t add anything else really.
perhaps consider last year. Billings and Greene massive in Rd1. similar sort of comments emerged. how were their owners feeling six weeks later?!?
it’s a long season, that’s all i’m gonna say.
I can only imagine your statements this time last year, something like
Dustys the new perma captain
Billings will be the top scoring forward
Bonner a must have
West Coast and Collingwood won’t make the 8
3 games in and the heroes are emerging already
Your claim that SCT are no better than the average punter is false. The advice and contributions on SCT are the best of any SC website, and it’s totally up to you what advice you take and what you disregard. You only cherry-picked 5 things out of about a thousand, that’s a pretty good strike rate I’d say.
It’s a game based on the performance of 600 or so humans over 23 weeks, so if your rookie scores a few points less than you hoped, it’s nobody’s fault.
We’re all here because we love footy, don’t forget that.
Very well put Flukey.
Big thumbs up from me 🙂
Reality Check sounds like a Port Adelaide Power fan. Walsh clearly the best mid rookie. Wait & See
Don’t validate the troll, everyone. It thrives off your responses to it’s own negativity and self-loathing.
We can’t be correct 100% of the time and shouldn’t expect to be. Just enjoy SuperCoach for what it is.
Lift Gawn need a 50 point last qrt, wishful thinking I reckon
I had josh Corbett in my team all pre season as a fwd rookie, but he’s injured due back next week or 2. But since he’s just a fwd rookie I’m thinking of putting him in over petrucelle for drews score, who is on my bench. ONLY considering this because he’s a fwd rookie, mature aged and due back in 1-2 weeks. Thoughts?
the Hoff!!
How many had the Captain on Gawn?
Do I dare look at the scores?
Had the Vc on Cripps all pre season but changed it to Danger and now Cap Gawn…
So I’ve lost 92 points. There goes my season
just grateful for Cripps. Locked in Thursday night.
Me too Sainter.
A bird in the hand 😉
Ditto
Grundy actually scared me away from Gawn, wanted to see if it’s a ruck thing this season?
Went macrae instead. Very nervous now(of him going massive) worst case barring injury he gets tagged for a 90, so not so bad.
might be some ruck downgrades after next week
Drew – 102
Duursma – 71
Oliver – 71
Gawn – 87
Butters – 67
G&G looking terrible at the moment.
Westhoff will tempt a few.
I’m happy to hold for now.
Oliver was very average.
Anyone else take a punt on ROCKY?
Looking forward to the Crows v Hawks game, should be a belter!
Think Milera will do what Salem has just done and go huge.
Started with Westoff in R2 so happy, makes up for starting Balta 🙁
**250 SC pts still to be allocated …
FULL TIME
Port surprise Melbourne …
MEL: 9.7.61
Christian Salem 134
James Harmes 99
Angus Brayshaw 85
Jake Melksham 85
Max Gawn 79
Bayley Fritsch 71
Nathan Jones 67
Clayton Oliver 67
Alex Neal-Bullen 65
Michael Hibberd 64
Sam Weideman 63
Tom Sparrow 60
Jayden Hunt 59
Corey Wagner 58
Tom McDonald* 57
Christian Petracca 56
Marty Hore 56
Neville Jetta 41
Sam Frost 41
Jack Viney 38
Charlie Spargo 33
Oscar McDonald 20
PTA: 12.15.87
Justin Westhoff 139
Tom Rockliff 128
Travis Boak 113
Willem Drew 99
Brad Ebert 89
Robbie Gray 88
Dan Houston 88
Jack Watts 85
Riley Bonner 84
Ryan Burton 79
Darcy Byrne-Jones 72
Karl Amon 71
Xavier Duursma 69
Scott Lycett 67
Connor Rozee 65
Zak Butters 65
Patrick Ryder 65
Tom Clurey 63
Steven Motlop 62
Tom Jonas 62
Sam Powell-Pepper 51
Todd Marshall 46
thx allsaints
Great lol, now a heap of people will jump on rocky and break his shoulders again(smily face).
There goes my season capt Gawn, oliver, drew/Duursma on bench
Reckon my season is over with Gawn Cap and Oliver on the field?
Not sure if i’m getting worse at supercoach or it’s getting harder to pick a team but i’m still tinkering with shit up until now 🙁
Why the panic ?? Only r1. Last years winner only got to the front r22. Its not as if Having the c on gawn, and Oliver on the field, will be done by only a handful of people.
FINAL SC SCORES
Melbourne Demons: 9.7.61
Christian Salem 139
James Harmes 103
Angus Brayshaw 89
Jake Melksham 88
Max Gawn 87
Bayley Fritsch 74
Nathan Jones 71
Clayton Oliver 71
Sam Weideman 68
Alex Neal-Bullen 67
Michael Hibberd 67
Tom Sparrow 62
Christian Petracca 62
Jayden Hunt 62
Corey Wagner 61
Tom McDonald* 59
Marty Hore 58
Sam Frost 43
Neville Jetta 42
Jack Viney 41
Charlie Spargo 35
Oscar McDonald 21
Port Adelaide Power: 12.15.87
Justin Westhoff 149
Tom Rockliff 138
Travis Boak 119
Willem Drew 103
Brad Ebert 99
Robbie Gray 91
Dan Houston 91
Jack Watts 90
Riley Bonner 88
Ryan Burton 81
Darcy Byrne-Jones 76
Karl Amon 73
Scott Lycett 69
Patrick Ryder 68
Xavier Duursma 67
Connor Rozee 67
Zak Butters 67
Steven Motlop 66
Tom Clurey 64
Tom Jonas 64
Sam Powell-Pepper 52
Todd Marshall 48
Butters, Duursma and Drew on my bench, Captain on Oliver….. and I’m a Demons supporter.
Be interesting when Wines & Harlett return which could be next week, who misses out from todays team as both are best 22.
I hate to say I told you so…. but I told you so. Sorry!
Perhaps I should have gone Westhoff over Lycett though… still, he won’t kick five goals every week.
So it turns out I should have fielded Drew… and I forgot to put the E on him, so I can’t do a Motts Manoeuvre. Oh well.
Sparrow wasn’t bad by the looks of things. Could be a handy corrective rookie trade if he can hold his spot.