Around The Grounds

• Brisbane's $245k ruckman Jamie Charman will have an ankle reconstruction and subsequently has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Charman's been battling the injury since Round 4. "I tried to run on Thursday and it just didn't pull up as we would have liked," Charman said. "It's been eight weeks and I feel now I may have been delaying the inevitable, it is disappointing but at least this way it will be right for next season."

• Adelaide have admitted $374k forward Brett Burton is almost ready for a return to footy after a long layoff with a serious knee injury. Reid said, "Brett's just about ready to go. Given Brett's missed so much football, our preference would be for him to be brought back slowly through the reserves but that's something the club will discuss."

• More news from West Lakes is that it's been reported in the Advertiser that $248k midfielder Brent Reilly will miss just the one match after injuring his hamstring against North in the split-round. It's also believed $122k forward Trent Hentschel will return from a knee injury in three weeks.

• The Australian has reported Brisbane Lions' $227k midfielder Troy Selwood will miss up to 6 weeks with the dislocated shoulder he sustained in Round 12 against Hawthorn. It's also claimed popular $371k forward/ruck Mitch Clark will be available next round after a quad problem against the Hawks
  

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Pendlebury 'Not Too Bad'

Plenty of DreamTeam coaches will be buoyed by news that Collingwood believes star $455k midfielder Scott Pendlebury will miss only 2-3 matches.

Pendlebury hurt his knee early in Saturday night's win over Sydney but the Pies believe it isn't a severe injury.

Collingwood football chief Geoff Walsh said today, "It's not too bad."

"Our docs are pretty confident it's just a strained medial (ligament) and nothing more than that, which isn't too bad.

"He's probably looking at two to three (games out)."

Collingwood will still need to assess scans during the week but that is positive news. Nevertheless it still does throw up a dilemma for many DT coaches.

But they'll be enthused by the fact that because Pendlebury got injured so early in Saturday's match he scored a donut thus his price won't be affected so his sale value will still be strong.

Other injury news for Collingwood is positive, with late withdrawal Nathan Brown likely to be okay for next round despite knee soreness, while forward John Anthony is expected to be cleared to play next week after a corked hip on Saturday night.

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McVeigh Report Worries Knights

Essendon coach Matthew Knights has admitted he's worried about star midfielder Mark McVeigh's availability in the next few weeks after being reported in Friday's win over Melbourne.

McVeigh, a $321k midfielder, was reported in the third term of the Demons clash after striking Melbourne's Jared Rivers.

Knights said after the game, “We’d love to have him available for Carlton and Collingwood [in the next two weeks] … so it would be disappointing if he was rubbed out.

“I must admit I’d just come down from the box just before the break and I saw the scuffle break out.

“I was just preferring that our boys kept themselves out of trouble [but] that wasn’t the case.

“I haven’t seen the incident live yet, so I’ll have a look at that when I go home tonight. I’ve just got to see how it looks.”

McVeigh, a star man at Windy Hill, has only just returned to the AFL after a long layoff with injury. His slow recovery from injury has meant his DT value is sliding into a good price but this latest suspension setback may put off potential suitors.

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DT Round 12 Injury & Suspension News

The split-round, again, means another short edition. But anyway here's where I'll keep track of the injury and suspension news over the course of the weekend.

Fremantle v Geelong; The big worry is Dockers defender Antoni Grover who is on report for striking. Geelong Cameron Ling might be in trouble too after a gut punch on Byron Schammer. Youny Docker Clancee Pearce had a hamstring problem which is a concern too.

Collingwood v Sydney; The Pies' popular $455k midfielder Scott Pendlebury is the big news after a bad knee injury. It's been confirmed as a medial strain to his left knee but the damage will be assessed during the week. Other concerns are defender Nathan Brown who was a late withdrawal after his sore knee didn't come good, while forward John Anthony struggled with a nasty rib injury. For the Swans, Jared McVeigh copped a shoulder injury but played on, while Jared Crouch probably shouldn't have been playing as he struggled with a knee worry.

Essendon v Melbourne; Having just returned from injury Mark McVeigh may spend more time on the sidelines in the next few weeks after being reported for striking. It was a jumper punch which didn't look good. Injury-wise, $293k def/forward Adam McPhee went off early with a calf injury but came back, while Brent Prismall went off after a knee to the ribs but told 3AW after the game he was fine.

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Bailey Unsure About Watts

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey admits he isn't sure about 2008 AFL Draft number one pick Jack Watts' immediate future in the seniors.

Watts, who is a $150k forward, scored 24 on his debut a fortnight ago before a 39 on Friday night against the Bombers.

The youngster managed two goals in the loss but seemed out of his depth at times and Bailey may take him out of the seniors team disappointing many curious DT coaches.

Bailey said after Friday's game, “We just have to be measured with him and manage him well enough.”

“He’s busy with his schooling at the moment so we don’t want to physically and mentally tire him. He’s a real management, week-to-week.”

On the plus side, $126k rookie forward Liam Jurrah had an exciting debut for the Dees with a score of 65 and Bailey was happy with his performance suggesting another game next round.

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DT Round 12 Sunday Teams

Fremantle v Geelong, Sunday, Subiaco Oval

Fremantle
Ins: Antoni Grover, Luke McPharlin
Outs: Josh Head, Brett Peake
As was said yesterday, still no Hayden Ballentyne, while another cheap young forward, Tim Ruffles, misses out on the 22 although he's an emergency. $86k mid/forward Michael Walters is one to watch.

B: Greg Broughton, Antoni Grover, Scott Thornton
HB: Steven Dodd, Luke McPharlin, Steven Hill
C: Nic Suban, Paul Hasleby, Garrick Ibbotson
HF: Paul Duffield, Matthew Pavlich, Andrew Foster
F: Michael Walters, Chris Tarrant, Dean Solomon
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Byron Schammer, David Mundy
I/C: Adam Campbell, Matt de Boer, Clancee Pearce, Kepler Bradley
Emg: Tim Ruffles, Clayton Hinkley, Brett Peake

Geelong
Ins: Harry Taylor, Joel Corey, Max Rooke, David Johnson
Outs: Tom Lonergan, Nathan Djerrkura, Mathew Stokes, David Wojcinski
Stokes and Wojcinski getting the chop is a bit of a surprise meaning plenty of changes for the Cats. Corey's inclusion is huge, while Rooke returning is handy for almost 20,000 DT coaches.

B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Andrew Mackie
HB: Corey Enright, Harry Taylor, James Kelly
C: Gary Ablett, Steve Johnson, Travis Varcoe
HF: Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Mooney, Joel Corey
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Shannon Byrnes
Foll: Mark Blake, Joel Selwood, Cameron Ling
I/C: Ryan Gamble, David Johnson, Shane Mumford, Max Rooke
Emg: Mathew Stokes, David Wojcinski, Simon Hogan

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Anthony Set For Round 13 Debut

According to afl.com.au the long-awaited AFL debut of popular North Melbourne rookie Liam Anthony isn't far away after officially recovering from foot stress fractures.

Anthony, an $86k midfielder owned by just over 13,000 DT coaches, had been expected to be a hit this season but has had his progress curtailed by injury.

Now though, with North Melbourne's injury list growing almost everyweek, it seems Anthony could get set for his AFL debut in Round 13.

In other big injury news for the Kangaroos, captain Brent Harvey has been cleared of injury and will be available to play after the break in Round 13.

Harvey, a $371k forward/midfielder, hasn't played since Round 4 following a dislocated elbow.

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Downgrading Ziebell??

A big question for many DT coaches after the lockout next week will be what to do with North's injured forward/midfield rookie Jack Ziebell?

Plenty of coaches will be looking to upgrade Ziebell, while others might fancy downgrading him so they can bolster their side elsewhere. Most DT coaches have Ziebell in as a forward rather than as a midfielder, so I thought I might assess the downgrading options up near the goals and see which cheap forwards are available.

One thing I should mention though, is if you haven't got suitable cover already and will be using Ziebell's replacement in your 22 then I'd suggest upgrading rather than downgrading. But if you're looking for someone to sit on the bench and improve in value then this should help.

Also, I might note following Ziebell's score of 23 in his injured-affected game against the Crows will see his price drop $26k to $246k, so be aware of that when looking at potential trade options, cos every penny is crucial in DT.

Anyway to the forward options and one to look at is Melbourne's 2008 AFL Draft number 1 pick Jack Watts. Now firstly, Watts's value is quite high for a rookie at $150k. If it wasn't so high, it would almost be decision made.

Anyway Watts posted just 24 in his first AFL game against Collingwood a fortnight ago, but Dees coach Dean Bailey claimed today, "I know deep down Jack was pretty unhappy with the way he played. I know tomorrow, without the extra pressure of his first game, I think Jack is going to show something." If he does impress, he's certainly worth a look, and he's got some job security about him, but again the money-factor could be crucial.

Another Demon to think about is youngster Liam Jurrah who'll make his AFL debut on Friday. Jurrah, the number 1 pick in last year's pre-season draft, is priced at $126k which again is a bit high but he promises something having booted 11 goals in his last 3 outings for Casey Scorpions in the VFL. Bailey said, "Liam Jurrah is also pretty quick and agile. We need a bit of speed in our forward line."

There's question marks about Jurrah, who isn't fully settled in Melbourne as he hails from a remote community in the Northern Territory. Indeed job security is a worry for him, so monitor his progress in his first few games before signing him up. But there's no doubt if he impresses he'll stay in the seniors frame with the struggling Dees.

Heading west to Freo there's a few options with $86k Michael Walters probably the standout. Walters, who is also a DT midfielder, posted 70 in his debut a fortnight ago against Port and looked good. He's been named again to play against Geelong this weekend which is really promising.

Dockers footy admin manager Brent Dawkins said about Walters, "All through the year we've played young guys in the side and all of them, without exception, have shown something and held their own. That was the same over in Adelaide two weeks ago when Clancee Pearce and Michael Walters as a late inclusion both held their own in a fairly hostile environment."

Freo's $86k small forward Hayden Ballentyne is another popular option but he hasn't made his AFL debut yet although he's been in the mix with a back problem preventing him from a senior run. Dawkins said about Ballentyne, "We don't want to take any risks with our up and coming players, so we won't rush him in. Hopefully we'll see him in the next week or two."

Another young Docker forward is $86k Tim Ruffles who has been named in Freo's extended squad for Sunday's match against Geelong. Ruffles booted 5 goals last weekend in the WAFL, but it remains to be seen if he gets a game against the Cats, let alone later in the season.

An exciting option is Richmond's high-draft pick Tyrone Vickery who is a ruck/forward priced at $122k. Vickery made his AFL debut last weekend against the Eagles and did okay booting a goal and scoring 43 DT points. There's mixed opinions on Vickery's debut game, some saying they didn't like the look of him (mainly about his hairstyle) and some saying he looked okay.

Richmond caretaker coach Jade Rawlings said about Vickery, "It's pretty tough to play as a key forward and he had to play on Darren Glass, but he was able to get a few touches up the ground. I thought that he just showed some signs that he belongs. He did some things that I was impressed with but he's going to be a work in progress." Indeed perhaps job security is a concern but then again it seems Richmond want to give youth a chance.

Indeed, Richmond's newfound liking of youth suggests cheaper rookie forwards like $75k pair David Gourdis or Alroy Gilligan could get some games, but the big problem here, and above, is job security as ideally you want someone who's playing if you haven't got better emergencies.

There's pricier options up forward with better job security such as North's currently-injured Sam Wright ($136k), Hawthorn's Ryan Schoenmakers ($122k), Adelaide's returning forward Trent Hentschel ($122k) or even Brisbane's improving youngster Matt Austin ($111k).

Beyond that there are some cheap rookies at $86k including one-gamers Bulldog Brennan Stack and Geelong's Simon Hogan while Adelaide's Shaun McKernan could be a bolter as he continues to push for an AFL debut with good performances in the SANFL.

All in all, there's quite alot to weigh up. But again if you haven't got suitable cover already on your emergency bench up forward, then I'd promote upgrading Ziebell. But I know, I for one, have good cover up forward so assessing the young fellas up there could be crucial in making some big bucks and using that on a top-line midfielder or defender. Tough call, hope that helps.

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