Option number one – set and forget with two premiums
Very costly but also potentially very rewarding, the ‘set and forget’ method works well as
long as your big men stay on the park – and who knows how that will pan out? The obvious choices in this category are the proven stars - COX ($662,600 Av 122), GOLDSTEIN ($613,600 Av 113), MUMFORD ($ 610,300 Av 112) SANDILANDS ($600,500 Av 110), MCEVOY ($548,800 Av 101) and LUENBERGER ($554,200 Av 102). The last two are still a touch off the top four, but only by a whisker and, as younger options, could make the jump in 2012. The big danger with this strategy is durability, with Cox and Sandi both having interrupted seasons in recent years. Is 1.1 or 1.2 million too much to pay for the big men, or is it money well spent?
Option number two – premium and cheaper option
Okay, so you’ve have settled on your number one ruckman being the likes of Cox, Sandi or Mumford. You need a solid side-kick in position number two, but are looking to save a little bit of cash. This is where a crystal ball would come in handy, but there is a little bit out there to tempt you. JACOBS ($502,700 Av 93), RYDER ($492,600 Av 91), JAMAR ($467,700 Av 86), and WARNOCK ($467,400 Av 86) are at the higher end of the scale, or to save even more cash you can look at the likes of JOLLY ($450,400 Av 83), SMITH ($423,700 Av 78), KREUZER ($418,300 Av 77), WEST ($373,200 Av 76) and the appealingly-priced McINTOSH ($364,300 Av 96). That 50,000 to 100,000 that you save could come in very handy elsewhere, and if you can jag the right selection, you might not be far off the double-premium ruck scores anyway.
Option number three - premium and rookie combo
The third viable option for SC 2012 ruckmen is the premium/rookie combination, which seems to be gaining a bit of momentum on the back of Zac SMITH’s solid rookie year in 2011. Again, you need to outlay cash for a premium first choice, but the second-stringer saves you oodles. As far as I’m concerned there are only two real chances in this category – GWS big man Jonathan GILES ($126,700) and Cat recruit Oren STEPHENSON ($106,600). GILES should play a similar role to SMITH at Gold Coast last year, with a similar average. STEPHENSON is an intriguing one – at 29 years old, you can’t imagine the Cats not using him, and all the word from G-town is that he is fit, firing and will play, particularly early on with Vardy already injured. Can they hold up their end and score enough to keep you competitive?
So…what’s the right option?
Obviously it’s a personal choice – some like the security of selecting two ruckmen who they can be confident will score a combined total of 200 pts most weeks, others prefer to take a bit of a punt and save some cash for other, possibly more important areas. 2011 was in many ways the year of the ruckmen, with the premiums trotting out those all-important 100s on a fairly regular basis, so going with a second-stringer who may only score 65-75 pts might hurt, especially early on. My preference is the lower end of the two premium strategy, so LEUNBERGER and McEVOY (the McBERGER Combo) have taken the positions at this early stage in my team, saving me a little bit of cash but allowing me to have two very solid ruckmen who are probably entering the prime of their careers, and have very little competition for the main ruck duties at their respective clubs.
Just what is the right option? The big fellas – what are your thoughts?
Comment below!