ONCE again thought I was in for a big jump in Round 8, only to fall short of 2K by 50 odd points. I still managed to go up ranking, which is a plus, but I’m still waiting for the big leap. Let’s break it down.

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My Team

1952 – The year the first Mr. Potato Head was released.
SPEAKING of potatoes, I made a move with about 37 seconds left before lockout that saved me this round. Swapping the C off Titch and onto Gawn gave me a 53 point, meaning if I didn’t make the move I would have been under 1900. Phew.

Plus 3’s

Tom Rockliff, MID, $526K – 127
THE P.I.G is back to his best with an awesome game in the Showdown. Not only did he amass 31 touches, but he laid nine tackles, a huge plus given his suspect shoulder. His looming bye will scare off some, but don’t rule out Rocky having another big game against the Suns.

Ed Curnow, MID, $776K – 142
SHAKING off the generic ‘taggers can’t score’ label, Ed Curnow continues to get it done. His 142 points were the 3rd most in the round and there might be more big scores to come. Take a bow Curnow.

Ben Ronke, FWD, $303K – 121
SOME had Ronke’s mammoth score on their bench, but for others, Round 8 got off to a bang. The Swans youngster finished with seven goals and an impressive 10 tackles as well. There were fears over his job security with Buddy’s return looming. Safe to say he’s not going anywhere now.

 

Negative 3’s

Jack Billings, FWD, $624K – 58
WHAT a surprise to find Jack Billings among the disappointments of the round. With a three-round average under 65, anyone who is still stuck with the Saint is abandoning ship.

Bryce Gibbs, MID, $692K – 74
I thought a big string of home games would see Gibbs’ scores increase. Instead, he has failed to throw up big time numbers, forcing a lot of owners to consider jumping off. He should be fine, but it’s still discouraging to see from a premo.

Dustin Martin, MID, $638K – 48
SPEAKING of premos these aren’t the numbers that are usually associated with Dustin Martin. He struggled to shake the Jacobs tag and as a result, he only had 16 touches. A matchup against the Eagles should be more fruitful.

Image from heraldsun.com.au

Quickfire Trade Thoughts

IN – THIS week’s biggest target will be Tommy Rockliff (MID, $526K – 127) who seems to be back at his best. The biggest concern is his upcoming Round 10 bye, which will force a few people to reconsider. Personally, I’ll be grabbing him after his trip to China. Other popular targets include Conor Blakely (MID/DEF, $630K – 131) and Jack Macrae (MID, $858K – 155) who are perhaps the form players in the comp. The returning Matthew Kreuzer (RUC, $643K – 129) is also a popular option this week.

A few debutants and cash cows are starting to emerge as downgrade targets. Saints rookie Ed Phillips (MID, $203K – 86) will probably be the most popular one of the bunch after his awesome first showing. Of course, Sydney’s newest hero Ben Ronke (FWD, $308K – 121) will be hot property. We may have missed the boat on Ronke for his price rise, but he is still a fine choice.

OUT – AFTER his average showing on Friday some rumours are swirling surrounding trading Titch. I understand the pain of a low scoring skipper, but there is no way you can deal him. Most of the other top notched guys should be backed in unless you can get the best of the best in return. Once again a moment of silence is necessary for Jack Billings owners (FWD, $524K – 58) after another awful score.

Image from afl.com.au

FREO’S trio of rookies will be the most popular rookies offloaded this week. Mitch Crowden (MID/FWD, $295K – 27) might get dropped and Bailey Banfield (MID, $386K – 47), Adam Cerra (MID, $368K – 60) and Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $399K – 74) will probably be moved in that order. Tom Doedee (DEF, $428K – 53) and/or Jeremy Finlayson (DEF/MID, $413K – 59) are ready to be moved too.

Looking Ahead

• THERE isn’t a lot of news that has surfaced yet, but I’m sure as Monday rolls on the injury report will come out. Marc Murphy should be back for the Blues this week, but the biggest name monitored will be Scott Pendlebury. After being a late out against the Cats, Collingwood’s skipper could burn owners again in Round 9. Watch this space.
• Nat Fyfe and Luke Parker had minor events that the MRP could have deemed an issue. However, it seems like both players are going to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

• MY trades this week are a little bit up in the air. Going Banfield for Phillips gives me enough money to do some stuff with Gibbs, Doedee and Brayshaw on the chopping block. Sauce Jacobs to Matthew Kreuzer to help my bye structure is also on the cards.

Good luck in Round 8!

Peace ✌