I've never finished in the top 10. Or top 100. Or top 1,000. In fact, I've never even been in the top 1,000 full stop. So if you want to leave a comment at the end of this article asking "What the f**k would you know," feel free. For the more open-minded, just enjoy Best Off Ground's look into the world of AFL Dream Team in 2010.
Every year there are players you simply have to get on if you're going to do any damage. Like Missy Higgins at the Western Bulldogs last year, for example. This year, I'm going to put myself out there and name of few of my "must-haves".
You can pay attention or not. It's completely up to you.
Part two will be up tomorrow.
Buddy Franklin (FWD, Hawks, $354,900)
There's some value at Hawthorn this year. And why wouldn't there be? After a shocking year last year, of course certain players will have lower than normal averages, and Buddy Love would have to be one of those players. Needless to say, his 2009 wasn't quite up there with his Coleman Medal-winning 2008.
A rejuvenated Hawks list means more likely than not, the old Buddy will be back. Matthew Lloyd has tipped him to reach triple figures again goal-wise (although he might as well have been talking about his DT average). For the record, last year his average sunk from 96 to 81. All he has to do is get back to that old form and he's made you a lot of money and given you a lot of DT points at a very cheap price.
Of course, some of you might dare to question whether or not he can get back to such form. But I wouldn't be so quick to write off someone like Buddy. Just cross your fingers and hope he doesn't give away too many free kicks.
Mitch Banner (MID, Port, $94,500)
By now you've probably all heard of him. He's been putting up ridiculous numbers in the NAB Cup and he's all the talk on DT sites. For me, that kinda sucks. I had this bloke pencilled in ever since the round 22 team sheets came out last year and he wasn't named, meaning he would keep his ultra-cheap rookie pricing. Why would I get so excited about a virtual unknown, you ask?
Well, his Under-18 numbers weren't just good. They were phenomenal. Crack open last year's Prospectus and look for yourself. At the U-18 Championships, he had a "raw" average of 75 (games at the Championships aren't as long as AFL ones) and a "scaled" average of 113. He was the third-highest DT scorer, behind Mitch Robinson and Jay-Z (Jack Ziebell) but ahead of Daniel Rich, Stephen Hill and basically anyone else who was drafted in '08.
Not only that, he backed it up in the TAC Cup. In that comp, he was the second-highest scorer, behind only Dayne Beams, with an average of 118. Niggling injuries (seemingly nothing serious) kept him in the SANFL last year, but this year he's a "mature age" (sort of) DT slut ready to go off!
Nick Malceski (DEF, Swans, $242,800)
Back in 2007, Malceski averaged an awesome 87 DT points. Prior to the '08 season, though, he had a revolutionary knee surgery and really hasn't looked the same since. His average in the past two years has been 67 and 55. But that trend could seriously reverse this year.
In the NAB Cup, he's looked born again with scores of 83 and 100 in the first two weeks, which was a Swans-high for those two rounds.
And the best part is that he's a defender. Finding cheap defenders with so much upside is not easy. Some DT coaches might be enamoured by Josh Hunt or Tadgh Kennelly, but they have never been huge scorers. They're never going to get their average up to the point where you'd still have them in your team come round 22. Malceski might just be that player.
Chris Mayne (FWD, Freo, $220,800)
His average last year was 62, but due to the fact he only played six games he got a price reduction - meaning he has the same pricetag as players who averaged around 50. For this fact alone, the kid has value written all over him.
But here's the thing. Even without the price reduction, Mayne probably would've found his way into my team. You see, he's basically the second best forward Freo have, behind some guy named Matthew Pavlich. (Although Hayden Ballantyne's form of late has made that statement lose a bit of its punch. Oh well.) Plus, he's entering his third season - the season where players of that size tend to break out when it comes to DT scores.
I'd say there's almost no chance he'll end up with an average below 70, but more than that is a real possibility. Any player that can effectively manage a 20 point rise in average (with every chance it could end up even higher) seems like a bit of a lock to me.
Dustin Martin (MID, Tigers, $149,500)
Of the higher draft picks, you sense that Martin is the one who will make the biggest impact early on. He gets lots of the ball. He has shown his potential in the NAB Cup. He's in a team where he'll get a lot of game time, but not the opposition's best tagger. Everything falls into place with this kid.
That's not to say you should ignore other higher picks like Tom Scully and Jack Trengove, mind you. If you've got the balls to have four rookies in your midfield, then they'd be two names I'd be throwing up alongside Martin, Barlow and Banner. But if you're after a little more bang for your buck, the Tiger shouldn't let you down.
He's quick, can find the footy and has walked straight up to his spot in the team. Don't hesitate in starting him on the field.
Luke Hodge (DEF/MID, Hawks, $366,800)
Speaking of undervalued Hawks, how can you go past Hodgey? Al Clarkson has admitted they made mistakes last year with him (like trying to bulk him up a bit) and, like Buddy, he was one of those Hawks that just seemed to have an "off year".
His average took about a 13-point slip in '09, but if he can reclaim those points this year he'll have served your team well. That sort of value is not bad at all for a defender.
Of course, just like with Buddy, some of you party poopers might ask the inevitable (what if he doesn't get back to form?) To that, I simply respond by pointing to his NAB Cup scores. He played all four pre-season matches for an average of 84.3, the second best for a Hawk behind Sam Mitchell, who went absolutely bloody nuts in the pre-season. So yeah, get Hodgey in your team.
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