I'm happy to ride the coaster again, saying that though I think he will step up this year and be a lot more consistent.
Defenders 2016
- Thread starter Fbdonkey
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I'm happy to ride the coaster again, saying that though I think he will step up this year and be a lot more consistent.
I like Salem, too. Love to watch him play: he's tough, gets his own ball, tackles.
Dees value him and plan to use him as HB sweeper.
Only problem from SC viewpoint is his kick rating is pretty poor at -7.5% for short kicks. But DT v SC ratio very good.
Think he can av. at least 90+. If his body holds together.
On my watchlist.
The problem with Doc is that at 473K there is little margin for error. If he comes good you still likely to be able to get him for not much more than his starting price. If he continues his slightly sub par ways you've put yourself in a bind ...
With Swallow going down, does Lonergan move into the midfield permanently.
Could break out in a big way early.
Could break out in a big way early.
I reckon the other lines are starting to make a bit of sense to me but ... aargh! Defence. The more I think about it the more confused I get.
Looking forward
p) to when the boys tackle defence in the podcast. May help to shed a little light on the situation ...
What do people think of Laird? I live in Melbourne and I don't have Foxtel so I've practically never seen the guy play ...
Looking forward
p) to when the boys tackle defence in the podcast. May help to shed a little light on the situation ...What do people think of Laird? I live in Melbourne and I don't have Foxtel so I've practically never seen the guy play ...
I had Laird in my RDT side last year. Had a massive breakout year (went from 59 to 94 average), played 21 games and won a stack of the footy whilst doing so. He stood up in finals too, scoring 90 and 107. The 107 was against the Hawks in a 74 point loss where he had 30 touches (no goals and no tackles). From round 9 onwards, he only dipped below 80 once. Pretty reasonable for a defender.I reckon the other lines are starting to make a bit of sense to me but ... aargh! Defence. The more I think about it the more confused I get.
Looking forward
What do people think of Laird? I live in Melbourne and I don't have Foxtel so I've practically never seen the guy play ...
From an article in June last year:
Having improved kicking in the off season Laird is now ranked No. 1 at Adelaide for disposal efficiency at 81 per cent. By contrast the Crows are ranked No. 17 for disposal efficiency at 69.6 and No. 16 at 62.8 for kicking efficiency.
“I worked a bit on my kicking with a few of the coaches which was an area to improve and it is kind of showing on game day a bit,” said Laird, restricted to 16 games last year by back and hamstring injuries.
“I changed technique a bit with the coaches which is basically what I put it down to.”
Laird wins possession though intercept marks or at ground level — Walsh’s pet focus since arriving at Adelaide.
Laird has recorded 42 ground ball intercepts which is ranked No. 3 in the competition with Walsh providing the confidence to take the game on.
Had Laird in RDT and Draft league last year. Very happy with him as he scored well whether lock-down or free-running role. Rated elite for
both CP and UP so doubt if he'll be as up and down as Jaensch and Smith.
Even tho Adelaide won easily on the w/end it's worth noting Laird had 2CP/19UP at a DE of 95.2%, ie 20 of his 21 disposals were effective.
both CP and UP so doubt if he'll be as up and down as Jaensch and Smith.
Even tho Adelaide won easily on the w/end it's worth noting Laird had 2CP/19UP at a DE of 95.2%, ie 20 of his 21 disposals were effective.
Lowrider
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Lonergan was in the midfield at the end of last year in a tagging role. I think that was Rocket's way of getting him in there. Strong body, highly skilled, contested player, tackles - all the makings of a good midfielder and good SC player too. When they played Port at the end of last year he tagged Boak and ended up with 23 touches to Boak's 19. Can see him having a breakout for sure, regardless of who's injured, and he's locked in my backline even before NAB1.
I reckon the other lines are starting to make a bit of sense to me but ... aargh! Defence. The more I think about it the more confused I get.
Looking forward
What do people think of Laird? I live in Melbourne and I don't have Foxtel so I've practically never seen the guy play ...
I hope the boys do DEF last its the hardest line for mine thus best with max NAB info.
As for Laird gutsy call to pay over 500K for a Back with only 1 year of decent scoring history albeit a good one + possible upside.
This might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but I don't think Laird's price is the issue. I think it's more a matter of whether he will finish in the top 6-10 defenders for the year. If he does, then 506k will be money well spent. Especially if he stays fit. Fitness is a big consideration. Although Matty Boyd has the second best average (behind only Shaw) of the 2016 defenders, if he misses games, then you are going to suffer in that position by either having to spend trades or having to play a rookie in that spot. I actually think there is a lot of risk with a lot of the top defenders this year. Shaw - unlikely to repeat 22 games at 113ppg, Boyd/Enright/Simpson/Murphy/Bartel - old, Tom McDonald - KPDs can struggle in this format (not saying he will, but there's a risk).
Back to Laird though, I reckon many will avoid him as they'll back themselves to find someone a little cheaper who might be able to match Laird. Proven types like Simpson, Murphy, Bartel and Birchall are all (slightly) cheaper.
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Lowrider
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What does everyone think of Heath Shaw? I avoided last year because he hadn't played 20 games in a season since 2007!!! Played every game last year, but can he back that up? I reckon 100-105 is likely to be his average this year and can't justify it myself, but he's just so far in front of the other defenders..
I agree - I have no problem paying 500K or more if there is a good chance they will play 22 games at a premium average - it is just I'm really struggling to pick those players. Laird could be one. Houli could be another but he had a long history of below premo scoring before last year, didn't he? I've crunched a few numbers and ... and it hasn't really helped.
I've had him in every draft and I'll probably start him even though he looks overpriced. Plenty of money saved in the midfield this year so I'm probably happy to overpay a bit for someone who looks like a lick to be top six.
If I drop him down to Laird I could boost Yeo and Bartel up to Houli and ... God, I don't know ... Simpson? I really can't stand Simpson ...
This was exactly my thinking so the defenders show will be at least 2 weeks away. The midfielder show is out now if you want to listen.
I personally won't be touching him. Will grab him when he's cheaper.