Moment’s silence, thoughts and prayers, pour one out. Matt Rowell, we hardly knew ye.
In Dozen Deals, we dive into players worth adding (that are under 65% owned in Ultimate Footy), players you should drop or hold, as well as players you might want to buy or sell in a trade. To keep it semi consistent, a 10 team 22 player format is the standard, but all leagues should be able to find value here.
Let’s get into it.
Matt Rowell HOLD
Hold him close, hold him tight, hope for a short term recovery from the shoulder injury.
David Swallow BUY
Matt Rowell owners, take heart. Swallow has been injected in to replace Rowell in the mids. He hasn’t been performing at his best this year, so he shouldn’t be too expensive unless the Swallow owner is shrewd enough to notice what’s happened this weekend.
Noah Balta ADD
Nice low owned option, and the Tigers are the walking wounded at the moment. Shows plenty of athletic prowess, enthusiasm, and some sort of decision making system that science will figure out in time.
For now, he seems to be settled in defence as an Astbury replacement. Nank going down and thin Richmond list may mean Balta is used wherever a need arises, possibly playing in defence and pitch hitting in the ruck to assist a player like Ivan Soldo. Balta presents as a real high-risk high-reward player.
Matthew Scharenberg ADD
A yearly participant in dozen deals, the ScharenGOAT bobs up any time there is a Collingwood defender injured (and of course, Matt isn’t injured at the same time) as he’s one of those guys good enough to play most weeks, but just can’t break into the side (often returning from one of his aforementioned injuries).
A favourite at the Draft Doctors, Schaz should be free in most leagues and give a nice stopgap in defence. His first game of the year produced 50 in Fantacy and a much nicer 69 in SC. They play Hawthorn Friday, who gave up a bit to the GWS defenders yesterday.
Luke Dunstan DROP
Still owned in a few leagues, he’s not been playing, but owners have likely been hoping for an injury to a Saints mid. Just not this Saints mid. Now Dunstan’s done a pectoral muscle in a scratch match that will keep him out for 2-3 months. Ouch.
Nick Coffield ADD
Finding his feet as the year gets along, the 20 year old defender has been increasing his possessions each game this year. According to Microsoft Excel, this means he’s trending towards over 40 possessions in the last month of the season. That’s just stats.
In reality, you’ll have to ride the highs and lows that a young player go through, but the Saints fixture change after the Victorian exodus has been kind, as they go from facing Geelong and Port Adelaide to the much friendlier Fremantle and Adelaide.
Jack Graham ADD
The Tigers are in need of a midfielder to step up on the inside. Being played on a wing earlier in the year wasn’t ideal for the normally inside mid Graham. With the mounting injury toll alongside Caddy and Kamdyn McIntosh taking the wings, Graham seems a natural entry back into the middle.
Darcy Fort ADD
Another really low owned option, and a forward listed player for fantasy, Fort has played in the ruck for Geelong , facing Gawn and Witts the last Fortnight and performing admirably. Brisbane this week gives him a chance to stretch his long-ass legs before a match against Grundy. Job security is the big issue, so keep an eye on Rhys Stanley’s return, but who knows, maybe Fort keeps his spot if he can stand tall against the opposition.
Andrew Phillips ADD
If you want a ruck that’s listed a ruck, look no further. Phillips szn is finally upon us, as he came in for the Bombers and looked solid against Grundy. It doesn’t get much easier with Goldstein coming up, but if you’ve got Nank it might be a good move to keep the season rolling.
Good Personality Tom Lynch BUY
The Adelaide one – Handsome Tom Lynch is Rich (and plays for Richmond, too).
Picking up Adelaide players seems like the stupidest thing you could do right now, losing the wooden spoon match up against Freo. That said, if you adjust to the reality of the Crows being terrible and that players like Lynch won’t be up to the standard of previous seasons, you may be able to get some value at the likely asking price.
People can go one of two ways with situations like this, either clamming up and refusing to trade at a loss, or they might happy to be rid of him after what is certainly a bad start. Shoot your shot and hope you find the latter.
Dean Kent ADD
A beneficiary of the change to St Kilda’s fixture change (alongside Butler) as the Saints now have Fremantle and Adelaide. Kent kicked one and looked good against the Blues, getting up the ground at times. Dean’s low owned and could provide great value in games where there’s a few goals to be had.
Jamie Cripps ADD
Adelaide this week, then back to WA to play Freo. Liam Ryan is another option here. Basically, you could pick up any West Coast forward, even Jack Darling (who we may have fixed by dropping last week). If West Coast’s woes were as bad as they made out, being back home is the cure – just ask TK, who must be feeling the irony.
Jamie is the type of player who’s up and about when the Eagles are up and about and winning. Shocking for a small foward, I know, but the stats bear that out. In wins last year, Cripps averaged 17 disposals and 2.2 goals a game; in losses that dropped to 7.7 touches and 0.4 goals a game. He’s such a downhill skier, I’m surprised the Dees haven’t made the call.
Hi Sam
Thanks for the article. Look forward to it every week. My dilemma is the Hill brother from Freo. I’ve stashed him but it’s a slow burn. I’m looking at Coffield and thinking, he’s got plenty more upside than Hill. It’s the old adage, “Strike while the iron is hot” Coffield for Over the Hill?
Cheers Jez
Hey Jez,
Firstly, great pun.
The concern is real. I could go either way here, really. It is an interesting look at the case of young vs old. The young players tend to have a lot more highs and lows as they find their feet, where the established players can be a bit more reliable on the scoring front, but (especially with Hill) more prone to injury.
I feel like Coffield might have a few lower scores as there’s still Clark, Wilkie, and Long all around the back line for the Saints, but if they get a good match up he loves to kick and does it well so should be solid in all formats.
They are playing Freo this week, which will really amplify the decision. Hill has just been getting going, if you still can maybe hold on another week. The shorter quarters may mean he gets up to speed faster, and he could be a solid if unspectacular presence in you defence. As always, depends on your needs.
Hill may be a ticking time bomb with his quad, so l wouldn’t blame you for having a look for a young up and comer; in this shortened season, like you said, we don’t have the luxury of patience.
All the best mate,
Sam