Titling this version of my team “A Farewell to Flanders” as it’s the first draft I’ve had without the Suns super talent. An immense 2024 averaging 119.0 across multiple positions, a brilliant age profile at just 23 and a fixture bordering on pornographic, I was absolutely froffing Flanders. Unfortunately, the latest word is he’s been battling a back issue and is racing to make R0. I’ve been strict with no limited pre-season/injured players and Flanders now comes as the ultimate test of that dictum. With that, I cleared my team and went work. Let’s get into it.
Defenders
A pretty standard 3 and 3 backline. Toyed with maintaining a four deep defence in Flanders’ absence but think the rookies are actually okay. Allan will get a spin, Buss has a spot and my man El-Hawli will be raring to go.
Inclusions
Sheezel I see as a super easy pick and now D1 if Flanders has a delayed start. 99.5 and 118.0 over his first two years is lurid. Not phased by where he plays either. Simply a pill magnet. McKercher too – finds heaps of the ball irrespective of role. 88.5 in his first year, including that notorious sub-injured 6. They’re in. Between them at D2 I’ve gone Holmes. Quite a fan of his and the Cats are really hanging their hat on him as the future of their midfield. A clean pre-season is key, which his had so far, and started to show some really nice scoring in the backend of last year at both HB and OB. Fine to eat his bye.
Omissions
No real howlers or anti-PODs but didn’t squeeze in guys like Sicily or Stewart who are both reasonably priced and can reprise their roles – i.e. Sicily gets key defensive support and plays as a third tall and Holmes OB gives Stewart the half back line again. I like both and suppose they’re more proven than Holmes but I like a bet on his imminent midfield role. The Freo boys, Ryan and Clark, I like and also toyed with but want to see how Freo settle on a playstyle and who it favours more.
Midfielders
A six deep midfield but with just one player priced above 600k. I find the midfield rookies to be a little ambiguous at the moment and think there’s strong cases for, honestly, 10-15 premium midfield options, so a six deep midfield it is.
Inclusions
Starting up top with Butters. Pretty easy one here. Among only three players who averaged 120+ last year. Port’s fixture also alright: Pies, Tigers, Dons, Saints – no OP midfields there. Behind him is Brayshaw, who stormed home in 2024 averaging 125.0 over the last five rounds. He reportedly played in 2024 with some kind of lingering issue (foot or back, I can’t quite remember) but is over it now. He’ll also never get tagged.
Anderson I don’t rate that much as a player per se; he’s a little one way, not super damaging and his trajectory is a little stunted. However, I just, personally, think the Suns’ fixture needs to be tapped into: last year’s bottom three, West Coast, North and Tigers, over the first month and a bit. Think he can punch through to 110~. A midfield reshuffle and some warranted pressure on Nicks should be a boon for Dawson. Still only 27 and Laird banished to half back and Peatling and Rankine contributing should be a much better balanced engine room for him. Crows also get 4/6 at home to start the season.
Capping off the premos are my man Ed Richards, or Edwards, as I’ve somehow started to remember him as, and Ashcroft. Pretty simple propositions here. Edwards is on a stunning trajectory and is jam packed with footballing attributes, ranking as the #1 I50 kick last year from rounds 1-11, and Ashcroft can relish that 4th MID role he reprised late last year building into a successful Lions finals campaign. From there, I can target Bont and Daicos as finishing Top 8 MIDs – now let’s get into why I don’t have either of them.
Omissions
The wheels appear to be falling off at the Dogs before the season has even started. Treloar, Jones, English, JUH all out to varying extents. I just think that’s a brutal way to head into season and that it’s going to expose their lack of depth and force them to reshuffle their 23 into sub-optimal roles (think Lobb, Darcy, etc.). I, regrettably, see them struggling early and enormous load being placed on Bont’s shoulders. Yes, he’s an absolute god and probably punches through but playing the depleted Dogs early, I fear, could just be as simple as ‘cut the head off the snake’ by shutting down Bont and it’s gg. So, yeah, no Bontempelli for me at the moment. Not trying to do any mental ju-jitsu to justify not starting him, he’s a beast and is probably M1, I’m just not sure of things at the Whitten Oval. Now, it’s a bit hypocritical that I’m still hot on Richards but if he can get Treloar’s CBAs and not have to split them from Sanders he’ll have enough economy at 500k to insulate him from the winds of win loss.
Daicos a less galling fade. No objections to starting him and he’s probably got the plantar fasciitis beat but combining it with the Pies poor fixture and early bye I’m okay to fade and grab later. I haven’t piled on with any expensive rookies besides Smith. The Tigers boys are injured/not firming for Round 1, neither is Draper apparently and the little Ashcroft has to break into the strong 22 and was on a managed load in December.
Rucks
Yeah, I know, this team is getting more and more lurid. I swear I had a gorgeous G&R team until the Flanders news lobotomized me!
Inclusions
TDK has been promoted to R1. With his ceiling and fixture that opens up, I think he’s a pretty easy selection for most? Jackson is now set to get a spin solo after the Darcy news (set to miss the “early” rounds). I started him on the same basis last year and while he didn’t capitalize on the opportunity as much as I would’ve liked, the savings and ability to ship him to either FWD or FLX are appealing. Marshall should get up just in time for R1, so it doesn’t look like Boyd will start. He was on a managed load anyway but why not whack him at R3 for when/if he gets a spin.
Omissions
Xerri and Gawn beasts but are eye-wateringly priced when you remind yourself of the pricing change and neither had a fixture that made me go ‘oh, baby!’. They also crash into each other early. Reckon I’ll go with this budget-y, potential upside ruck set up with the plan of shipping Jackson off and grabbing whoever out of Gawn or Xerri is most attainable when the time comes. There were a couple others I liked, but I’ve contained those thoughts to an analytical piece that’ll drop soon.
Forwards
Easily the most filled out forward line I’ve run in years. Feels super secure. Chopping out Bont, Xerri and Flanders in this latest draft afford me depth across the midfield and now forward line. As for rookies, I’m not that opposed to more balanced 3-3 or 4-2 structures with more rookies on field given we’ve got the flex and early B18 byes.
Inclusions
JHF was an auto-pick. I mean, you could fade but he’s so obviously Top 6 I reckon just get it done. Rankine is the most recent addition, capping off the stock I’ve placed into the Crows. Went back and looked at his numbers and really relished that CBA role when he got it. In an ideal world we’d maybe want to see him play some footy first but a clean pre-season and home leaning fixture should do him some good. Explanations for Macrae, Smith and Daniel would be trite but I will say I didn’t have Macrae until this draft. Just think he’ll be kind of flat and has no real upside – one you could go without if you had to. He’ll be OB though, so whatever.
Omissions
I liked Moore but he always floats around the same price, has the early bye and I can see the Hawks getting a little found out early. Should probably have Lynch in there.
Flex & Final Thoughts
I haven’t quite decided how to play the flex position just yet, so for now I’ve just whacked a rookie in there. The sort of pillars my team’s resting on in this draft seem to be:
- No interrupted pre-season/injured players whatsoever
- Fades on big 600k+ price tag players
- Depth extending to M6 and F5
- Heavy bets on trajectory, profile and fixture
- Target Daicos, Bont and Gawn/Xerri
All up it looks like this:
38.2k ITB, 1760 proj.
Nice work GD, looks solid and a lot deeper in midfield than a lot of other teams I’ve seen.
I do have concerns with your rucks though, you could end up giving up a lot of points here. If Pittonet plays then TDK’s scoring is capped, so a watch on rd 1, if he solo rucks though I agree an easy pick (I’m likely to break my no Carlton players rule because he’s so obvious if solo rucking). I also owned Jackson last season for the Ruck/Fwd DPP, and he did save me from a couple of donuts, but such a frustrating own and as you’ve said, didn’t set the world alight without Darcy anyway. The flexibility is nice, but with flex and now best 22 of 23, do you need it as much? Part of the fun working that out with the new position!
Yeah, so TDK only if solo. Pretty sure he will be. I’d be surprised if Pitto sees green again.
Good point about the flexibility maybe being hollow. I haven’t settled on what exactly to make of the new changes, so saw the Darcy news and went for it lol.
Agree Gawn and Xerri can pile on. Scrounge 150k and Xerri’s back in.
I like the structure GD, possibly because it’s not far removed from mine…
Be interested to hear why you have Ashcroft over Oliver.
Trauma from owning him last year I suppose lol.
Nah, I’ve just got no sense of what he can average. I do not see him clicking and going back to 120s though. Heavily stunted on and off field. One I want to see in action before he comes in.
Fair call.
I’ll be keeping an eye on Oliver, Big Ashcroft and Callaghan in the preseason games and may even start two of them.
No Satan or Mills, interesting…
More FWD depth and less DEF depth is also different structure to most, like it.
Love the deep MIDS, very thoughtful, measured reasoning.
Jackson….been in and out of mine at R2 or FLEX so many times he’s probably dizzy, still in FLEX for now.
Very solid FWD’s indeed.
Overall, strong structure I think. Anything you might lose not having Mills in DEF is covered in the deeper FWD’s
Thanks, Steve.
Hmmmmm……………..
Looks like you might have rushed a bit at the end and used the ‘Players I can afford’ filter to fill the benches. 🙂
You don’t seem happy about Macrae so why not turn him into Mills who is currently running riot at sydney?
Lmao. Guilty, David. Piffed any old rookies in on MID bench to finish the team. Doubt I’ll get away with it.
Yeah. Mills. Idk. Just feel like the side has gone past him? Similar to Satan, I want to see him in those pre-season matches.
Gidday GD,
reports from the track watchers in WA from the various podcasts I have listened to are saying that Liam Reidy is the preferred R1 until Darcy is fit to enable Jackson to stay forward as the 3rd tall.
That sucks for Jackson’s scoring. I was looking at him again after my comment above and he is the 4th highest scoring forward remaining from 2024, but if he’s not getting that ruck time it’s a potential problem. His end of season last 5 average was 75ish.
Ugh! Really? Him again?
If that’s the case then cya later.
Great scoop, Willy. Ty.
Fremantle Intraclub Match Report
Fremantle played around 100 minutes of gameplay on Friday, splitting into two evenly matched teams.
“Jackson was a notable presence around the ground in the first two periods. The ruckman was winning hitouts, impacting marking contests, laying several big tackles when the ball was in dispute, and hitting the scoreboard.”
Speaking post-match, Jackson said he was feeling prepared for the coming Toyota AFL Premiership season.
“I feel great. I feel like I’ve kind of worked into the summer a little bit. I’ve worked in nicely, and I feel really good for the season coming up,” Jackson said.
“I loved playing with Sebba (Caleb Serong) in the middle. We know how great of a player he is, and his leadership out there really helps me.
“I was leaning on him a lot today.
“It was the first real hit-out with us forwards together, so we were able to connect. The big boys down there in JT (Josh Treacy) and Jye (Amiss), I love playing with them.”
Love the Rankine pick, GD. A top 3 FWD IMO if he gets a clear run in the MID’s
And doesn’t pull a hamstring. Again!
Yes I was an owner last year, how did you know
I take your hammy and raise you a 5 week suspension. But I’m a sucker for punishment so I’ll go back there!
What’s the new “flex” pick and how does it work?
I assume it covers a player that gets injured/subbed out early but it’s the first I’ve seen of it and idk.
Thanks!
The flex is a 23rd player who you play on field. But your score each week only counts your best 22 on-field scores, i.e. your lowest score drops out and does not count (except for bye rounds which remain best 18 scores).
It’s a nice idea to work around the AFL’s sub rule ruining your score when one of your players cops a vest. I don’t think anyone knows the “right” way to use that extra player just yet, so it definitely makes this season a bit more interesting!
Well thought out GD , with rookies just placeholders for now.
Like the fact you don’t just go with cookie cutter teams and have a few PODS.
Anderson , Mckercher , Jackson .
l know Brayshaw has always been a player you have liked .
Good to be back this season .
Good luck GD and to all this season .
Ayyy! Great to see you around again, P.
Brayshaw’s gotta eventually work for me right!?
Hello! Im stuck between 2 teams at the moment (Night shift has been busy for me)
Hoping to get opinions on these
Team 1:
DEF: Sheezel, Ryan, Wanganeen-Milera, Mills, Schoenmaker, Travaglia
(Smith, Busslinger)
MID: Bont, Laird, Oliver, O Hollands, Smith, Langford, Knevitt, Erasmus
(Allan, Hewett. Marshall)
RUCK: Xerri, Cameron
(Boyd)
FWD: Hornet, Macrae, SMith, Parker, Daniel, Berry
(A Reid, Davidson)
Sanders $151,500 with Profect of 1,835
Or
Team 2:
DEF: Sheezel, Ryan, Mills, Sinn, Smith, Leake
(Smith, Busslinger)
MID: Bont, Butters, Neale, N Dacicos, Oliver, Shiek, Langford,, Allan
(Hustwaite, Hayes. Day-Wicks)
RUCK: Xerri, Witts
(Boyd)
FWD: Macrae, Smith, Parker, Sanders, Daniel, Erasmus
(Hewett, Davidson)
A. Reid $9,600 with Profect of 1,943
I would concur with other comments on Mills. Cox has said publicly he’s predominantly playing midfield.
Brayshaw and Dawson should be excellent picks. I’m happier though with Day over Richards with the only risk I see being his body but both likely to be solid. It would be great for Erasmus to get a run as a cheap DPP.
Rucks for mine are the hardest this year. I feel like that line won’t be settled until Round 1 selection.
We all love a good POD, throwing out some names for comment. The only one I’m definite on is S Darcy but here goes….
S Darcy- Locked for mine with doubts on English and Ulge-Hagan, should hopefully get DPP too
Reidy- As mentioned earlier. Heavily dependent on when Darcy is back (and I have no idea right now) but what if he played the first 6 rounds? Could be enough, seems like doubts on Boyd too. He’s actually 24 years old, mature body
Bryan- If you need a mid price ruckman and not sold on Flynn. Essendon has had him pegged as number 1 ruck for a while and maybe this is the year he breaks out. Have no doubt he’ll play but the balance with Draper is the question
Thilthorpe- Ended 2024 really strongly, great pre season and seems he’s relief ruck too. Probably Charlie Dixon comparison in his prime. Good draw for the Crows too
Fully aware of solid counter arguments against all of them but this is the fun of the game right?
Hi Michael,
Long-time listener, first-time caller.
I was really enjoying the read-through until I saw no Bont. I get your logic with the Dogs looking a bit cooked in preseason, but you’ll be tearing all your hairs out when he scores 150 in Round 1 against a sorry Shinboners outfit under the roof.
Godspeed to you!
Bont is a champion and will be up in the Brownlow / and top SuperCoach player again, started him last year as a must but admit l won’t be starting him this year and wait until he drops some price
i’ve looked everywhere for Oliver and Mills.