Every year the Herald Sun releases the little black book giving advice on who to buy and who to avoid. I will point out some of the ones they overlooked and errors they made while also offering my own suggestions. Of course I will praise the decisions that I agree with and why I agree with them.
Geelong
Last years premiers at the start of the season were labelled too old and too slow. Statistically speaking they were correct. Unfortunately they did not count on one thing: This Geelong team was made to win premierships. The strength of the current Geelong setup is that they develop their youngsters over the long term and when they play, they are good to go - think about Allen Christensen. Last season Geelong provided some of the top scorers for their position in Joel Selwood, Steve Johnson and Corey Enright. This season Geelong looks certain to contend for the flag again but also be one of the more relevant supercoach teams with players like those mentioned previously but also players such as Orren Stephenson and Billie Smeldts right in the mix.
The Superstar
Joel Selwood - Last season he averaged 111 but there are a few factors you need to include before thinking it is not that much. Firstly he copped a concussion in round 1 which meant he scored 30, missing the subsequent match and got suspended in very extraordinary circumstances missing four games. Needless to say it was a fairly interrupted season. With all that he still averaged just a tick under 26 touches a game and still attracting the same amount of free kicks (60 for and 26 against). With the extra responsibility of being captain expect Selwood to keep putting his over the ball, getting the ball and racking up the points.
Bank 'Em
Steve Johnson - Can literally do anything. He could do the unexpected and dazzle everyone in attendance with a brilliant piece of play and in the next instance he could do something that makes the same group of people shake their heads in disbelief. In short he is great to watch from a neutral standpoint. From a SuperCoach stand point, if he was in your team you would look away but in recent seasons that has got much better. With more time in the midfield and an ever increasing disposal count expect Johnson to bump his average up to 110 by seasons end. If he fits into your bye plans definitely jump on or after a bad game has gone through his price cycle upgrade to him. He will be worth it.
Corey Enright - Geelong's elite fantasy defender and go to man out of defense for Geelong. Last season he got his fourth All-Australian selection and won the Best and Fairest in their premiership year. Needless to say Geelong rate him highly and the stats back it up. Over the past three years he has averaged 97, 98 and 96. Although he is not as high scoring as a midfielder from a backman perspective he is a top scorer. Consistent, reliable and a key component of the Geelong side expect more of the same from him. He won't improve in terms of scoring but he will give you consistency which at times is worth its weight in gold. Definitely pick him up at some stage during the season if you do not start with him.
Buy 'Em
Orren Stephenson - The most hyped man to have never played an AFL game. Remember Jpod a few years back? Well this is a repeat. Recruited as a mature age player (29 at season start) to fill the ruck void left by Ottens at the end of 2011, Orren is a very big chance to get games. Granted it is unlikely he will be an on-field starter he will go up in price which is all you want from a rookie priced player. Depending on your structure (Giles an R2 or R3) lock him in as either an R3 or R4.
Billie Smeldts - Another hyped up youngster who shows he can belong in the AFL after his first hitout in the NAB cup. Very unique in the sense that he is a Def/Fwd which opens up many possibilities when upgrading and downgrading. Has shown to be capable of playing either end of the ground and looking at how Geelong is going they will want to play youngsters. If he starts in round 1 strongly consider but if he is a downgrade option then jumping on is surely a must.
Bury 'Em
Travis Varcoe - He should be an elite player but just failed to deliver. I thought last year would be the year but he went backwards in terms of SuperCoach output despite playing more in the midfield. He averaged 16 disposals last season, the exact same as 2010 but did score the same amount of goals. If he adds consistency suddenly he is a lock but until then it is very hard to recommend him. If you have guts go for it but it is more than likely you will look very silly putting your faith in him.
Daniel Menzel -Brilliant year last season that was cruelly ended after a knee injury during the first week of the finals. Yes he won't play and yes you should not pick him, but really that is too easy so I will offer a free suggestion.
Free Suggestion Player
James Bartel - Brownlow medalist, elite player and most likely a top bloke (odds are he is). No I have not gone off the deep end yet. But lets think of it this way, come the last round we want all on ground midfielders averaging 115+, and Bartel has not done that in three seasons. At 28 I highly doubt that will change. The second thing that worries me is that while he will have games where he gets cheap possessions he will also have games where he has to play the team game where he has to stop an opposition player. Hard to see him bouncing back to his Brownlow year where he averaged 127 but if anyone can odds are it is James Bartel. This time next year I could be eating crow on this call.
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