Team - Post NAB 1

It's been 21 days since my last post, and in that time a lot has changed, as you'd expect. We've had our first actual look at the majority of our players in the abomination that they call the Triseries. I usually take these games with a bucketful of salt, and this season is no different. However, it has been a case of the straw that broke the camel's back for me, with a few players getting shafted after a lukewarm NAB 1 effort.

Here's a summary of the changed tentatively made since last time:

Yarran OUT - Jacobs IN
Yarran didn't actually score that poorly in the triseries (14 per Q), but he just looked... average. Average and disinterested. So he's going to the naughty corner until he improves his attitude. On the flip-side, Jacobs was sensational in his only game (22 per Q), and is priced almost identically to Yarran. He receives a gold star for effort, but is far from locked.

Tom Mitchell OUT - Moloney IN
I'm sick of waiting to see Mitchell play, and to be honest, it's difficult to see how he fits into Sydney's packed midfield division on a regular basis. I've also been fighting against the lure of a midfield mid-pricer in the Ball/Embley/Moloney range, and I've finally caved. Moloney was super impressive in his two triseries appearances (19 per Q) and outplayed the cheaper Embley (11 per Q) in my eyes. So, two birds with one stone.

Hrovat OUT - Viney IN
Haven't seen Hrovat yet, and I have some faint memory of a pre-season niggle for him, so he's out. Viney's job security makes it very hard for me to keep him out of my side, although Toumpas (21 per Q) has similar JS and is making me revisit my rule of avoiding high draft picks (due to elevated price) after his encouraging display on the weekend.

Sandilands OUT - Cox IN
Sandi getting injured in the NAB cup is possibly a massive blessing in disguise. If he had made it through unscathed, then I probably would have picked him, which means I'll probably have had the dilemma of replacing him mid-season rather than now. The guy is simply too large to stay fit, I accept that now. Meanwhile, I realised today that I've started with Dean Cox every single season that I've participated in DreamTeam. Every single year. As a result, he's the only one I now trust to contest the first bounce for Tbetta Than You. McEvoy, Jacobs and Mumford are all solid options, but they all feel second-rate. Forward DPP is a bonus.

Sinclair OUT - Daw IN
With NicNat and Cox out, Sinclair and Lycett had the chance to impress as first reserve two weekends ago. While Sinclair was solid, Lycett (16 per Q) was simply outstanding, and surely has first drop all locked up. Unfortunately, he's a forward only in DT - explain that Champion Data?! As for Daw, he and Currie dominated (14 and 16 per Q, respectively) while the supposed 'Number 1 Ruckman' in Goldstein managed just 5 points (all hitouts) from his only game. Yuck. The race is wide-open at North if Goldstein keeps this shit up.

Cloke OUT - Wright IN
While I hate jumping on hype players, Wright has dominated every game he has partaken in this off-season, so he's pretty bloody hard to ignore. On the other hand, Cloke reminded me a little too much of the disinterested has-been from last year, so I'm giving him a couple of weeks to decide whether he really wants to be apart of Tbetta Than You going forward...

LeCras OUT - Varcoe IN
Let's be honest, LeCras is more of a SuperCoacher. He could be a DTer on a value basis, but that's only if he hits the midfield at some point - and after a knee reco, it ain't gonna be this year, y'all. Besides, I said he was just a place-holder, and it was for Varcoe in the end. 'Black Juddy' looked side-steppingly good in the triseries, and apparently interested in playing good footy, so he's in based on his price. I'm hoping he can average 70+ and be a nice little stepping stone mid-season.

Staker OUT - Rowe IN
Again, a pre-season injury has turned out to be a blessing, with the tissue-paper Staker getting it out of the way before we have to start wasting trades. Top bloke manoeuvre. Rowe was awesome on the weekend (15 per Q), but earns his stripes more for his DPP link with Coxy. I'm screaming out for a decent playing Mid/Fwd or Ruck/Fwd, but until one comes along, Rowe is my Plan B. I honestly don't see how he can get a gig with the majority of Kreuzer/Warnock/Hampson/Casboult/Waite all fit.

Random thoughts time:

1. Broughton looked deplorable on the weekend, so one more bad experience and he could be on his way. I've only granted him mercy because Duffield was just as piss-weak, and I can't be bothered trying to talk myself into someone else.

2. I still really want to find a way to get Swanny in, because I get the distinct feeling that he's going to rape me from my opponent's Captain slot every week if I don't. If rape is going down, I'd much rather not be the one getting raped, thank you. Problem is, I can't bear to let go of any of Ablett/Pendlebury/Selwood/Murphy, and I don't have enough coin to upgrade from Moloney. To be continued....

3. Greene, Barlow and Fyfe are three more guys that are cheap, killing pre-season and looking very desirable, but we can't have them all apparently. We definitely need two more MID slots.

4. I can't believe I considered picking up Goldstein a month ago.

5. Karnezis was pretty special in the triseries (23 per Q), playing across half-back and through the middle. I have no idea if he's best 22, but as a $239k forward, he's certainly on the Watchlist. Shame that I already has three forward mid-pricers!

6. Rocky's back! Zorko was impressive also - could he be worth the $487k price tag?

That's all the musings I have this time around. I am, however, pretty sick of this fun-size footy, and can't wait for Nab 2 and some lengthier games. We'll get much more useful data out of those games - check back here for an update afterwards!

As always, feel free to abuse my team on Twitter - @Tbetta9.