In 2013 however, the byes will not cause as much pain, with only the top 18 scores of your side counting toward your total therefore trading solely for the bye is not as vital this year. Stick to the golden rule, buy the best available player, and ideally at their cheapest point, this week’s example is Jobe Watson.
Looking at the high scorers of round eight, we saw Josh Kennedy become hot property, with back-to-back 140+ scores. Brandon Ellis, quite a few would have taken the risk on him as a cheap defender after his early season vest run, if so, he rewarded you big time with 39 disposals and 149 points. Likewise was fellow young Tiger, Nick Vlastuin who cut the Demons to shreds on his way to 141 points. Other notable scorers were Jobe Watson (144), Nic Nat who featured in last week’s skippers (142) and Marc Murphy (130).
Round 9 captaincy choices are as follows
Josh Kennedy
As mentioned before, he is in hot form with scores of 151 & 143 over the past fortnight. The contested ball machine is a popular pick and will no doubt be a popular captain choice in tonight’s blockbuster against Collingwood. JPK loves playing the Pies, his last three matches have returned scores of 132, 168 and 124, he is simply a jet.
Buddy has had a slow start to the season as we all know, but don’t be fooled by this he is still a genuine superstar and fantasy must-have. He has shown signs over the last two week of a return to form but hasn’t delivered for four quarters; the MCG versus Gold Coast could be the perfect stage for the “Buddy show”. I’ll back him in to bounce back in a big way this week.
Trent Cotchin
He didn’t miss a beat on his return to the side last week, racking up plenty of the ball as usual. Cotchin is clearly over any leg problem he was suffering through a few weeks back, he loves the big stage and more importantly he loves playing the Bombers. In Cotchin’s last four encounters with Essendon he has averaged 29 disposals and 115 SC points.
It will be a special night for Ryder in the dreamtime clash and I expect him to deliver a strong performance. Ivan Maric will return for the Tiges, but how fit he is we are yet to see. Ryder is capable of huge scores with his ability around the ground and at his best, impact on the scoreboard. There is a lot at stake for both clubs in what is sure to be a massive game and Ryder is my left-field selection for this week.
Nat Fyfe
Fyfe has enormous scoring potential, while he has been great this year we are yet to see his very best. Sundays match-up against the lowly Demons looks to be the perfect opportunity for this young star to truly kick-start his season. Last time the sides met late last year, Fyfe was best afield by a long way, dominating with 151 SC points. In 2013 sides that play Melbourne consistently churn out upward of 90 more possessions than the Dees, there will be plenty of ball on offer at Paterson’s Stadium, in which Fyfe will relish.
'Ablett watch'
Gary has a stunning record against the Hawks, with some unbelievable numbers in recent years. We all know how good he was against the Hawks at Geelong, but as a Sun his numbers (from three matches) are unheard of. The little master averages 40 possessions and 168 SC points! With 189 points in their last meeting.