Fremantle Guns Set To Return

Fremantle's gun duo $361k forward Matt Pavlich and $415k ruck Aaron Sandilands look likely to return this weekend to face the Eagles after injuries.

Pavlich spoke to the media today having missed the last three matches with a calf injury.

"I trained really well over the weekend and then again yesterday morning. I'm running at 100 per cent," Pavlich said.

"If it's too much of a risk and I'm going to be a liability then I won't play, but I'm certainly positive that's not going to be the case and once I get through tomorrow afternoon's session we'll definitely know that."

The forward, who is owned by over 53,000 DT coaches, also spoke about Sandilands who has missed the last 2 matches with a minor hamstring strain.

"[Sandilands] trained really well again yesterday. I would say he's certain to play," Pavlich added.

Pavlich also commented that $199k fwd Chris Tarrant should be okay for the Derby despite sustained a leg injury against the Lions on Saturday night.

"[Tarrant] came back with a pretty good scan result and he's been moving pretty well, so we're hoping he'll play," Pavlich said.

It was also revealed Byron Schammer (calf) and Des Headland (hamstring) were unlikely to be fit to face the Eagles.

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News From The Reserves

- In the VFL, Geelong defeated Coburg Tigers by 17 points with axed-Cats ruckman Mark Blake amongst the best for the winners.

For the Tigers, Richmond outcast Joel Bowden was their best afield while Graham Polak, Adam Pattison and Nathan Brown were all named in the best.

Casey Scorpions thumped Collingwood by 62 points this weekend with Melbourne's Matthew Newton booting another haul with 4 goals this week for Casey. Another Demon, Shane Valenti, was good too.

For Collingwood, Chris Bryan was good again with 3 goals, while Steele Sidebottom kicked a goal and was amongst the best. Also Ryan Cook was a star for the Pies.

Port Melbourne got the better of an improved Bendigo Bombers winning by 13 points. For the Bombers brigade, Nathan Lovett-Murray was excellent with 3 goals, while Bachar Houli and David Zaharakis (1 goal) were in the best.

Williamstown knocked off Box Hill by 23 points this weekend. For Williamstown's Bulldogs bunch, Wayde Skipper was very good, while Guy O'Keefe and Andrejs Everitt were in the best too.

For the Hawks, Stuart Dew kicked 3 goals and was in the best despite a reported hamstring problem, while Travis Tuck and Brendan Whitecross were good too.

Frankston grabbed their second win of the year with 23-point triumph over Werribee Tigers, who had North Melbourne's Ben Ross kick 2 goals.

The Northern Bullants produced an upset beating North Ballarat by 4 points. For the Bullants' Carlton brigade, bigman Cameron Cloke was excellent with 5 goals, while Richard Hadley was BOG. Jeff Garlett kicked 2 goals also.

For the Roosters' North Melbourne bunch, Aaron Edwards was pretty good with 2 goals while Matt Campbell booted 2 snags as well.

- In the SANFL, Central District beat the Eagles by 11 points with Adelaide's Jared Petrenko amongst the best for the losers. Adelaide's Trent Hentschel and Jon Griffin both returned in the match, but didn't grab much of a mention in the match reports.

North Adelaide defeated West Adelaide by 5 goals with Adelaide's Phil Davis running amok down back with an excellent game.

Glenelg knocked off Port by a goal in a close one, with Josh Carr serviceable with 2 goals and featuring amongst the best. For Port, Peter Burgoyne was just okay. Another Power player, Danny Meyer was a late withdrawal for the Bays with 'wisdom teeth issues'.

- In the WAFL, Subiaco pushed up towards the top of the ladder again with a 31-point win over East Fremantle. West Coast's Chad Fletcher was excellent with 41 touches.

Perth defeated Claremont by 25 points, with Eagles midfielder Tom Swift good, while another WCE man Beau Wilkes struggled a bit up forward booting just one snag.

East Perth knocked off Swans by 44 points, with Fremantle rookie Hamish Shepheard working the ruck for the Royals and grabbing 2 late goals despite an injury in Q3.

- In the Canberra AFL, Sydney Swans reserves flogged another opponent this weekend with a 120-point victory over Queanbeyan. Matt O'Dwyer was BOG, Amon Buchanan (2 goals) was good and could return to the seniors soon, while Leo Barry returned to fitness up forward with 3 goals and Matthew Laidlaw booted 4 snags too.

- In the QAFL, the Brisbane Lions reserves didn't have a game as Round 14 is the split-round up in Queensland.

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MRP Update: Kosi Faces Week Out

St Kilda's $271k bigman Justin Koschitzke has added to many DT coaches' ruck worries after being charged with a one-match sanction for striking Adelaide's Richie Douglas.

Koschitzke, owned by over 38,000 DT coaches, has a poor record so even with an early plea, his charge will be a one-week suspension. It remains to be seen if St Kilda will challenge the charge.

Another Saint in trouble, is $220k defender Zac Dawson who has been charged with a rough conduct offence on Crow Brad Symes meaning the ex-Hawk could miss 2 matches.

An early plea will reduce the charge by 25% meaning he'll cop just a one-week ban. Again it is unclear if St Kilda will challenge the charge or accept it and offer an early plea.

The only other incident assessed was a collision between Carlton's Aaron Joseph and Sydney's Patrick Veszpremi but no further action was taken.

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Bradshaw Out For 2-3, Brennan Faces Test

Brisbane have revealed mixed news with Jared Brennan a chance to play next week despite an ankle injury while Daniel Bradshaw is out for 2-3 weeks with a hamstring.

Brennan, a $346k mid/fwd, ended Brisbane's clash with Fremantle on crutches after injuring his left ankle, while Bradshaw, a popular $259k fwd, was mothballed after the hamstring strain.

In a press release from the Lions today, it is stated scans revealed only a minor strain in Brennan's ankle and he'll face a fitness test to prove his fitness for the North Melbourne clash later in the week.

After the game Lions coach Michael Voss admitted he felt Brennan's injury wasn't too bad saying, "With Jared, we’re talking more the minor end of the scale.”

But the news is less positive on Bradshaw, who is owned by just over 22,000 DT coaches, with Brisbane saying he'll miss 2-3 weeks.

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Around The Grounds

• There will be scans and tests for a long list of players today with injury concerns. This list includes Brisbane duo Daniel Bradshaw (hamstring) and Jared Brennan (left ankle), Collingwood defender Nathan Brown (hyperextended left knee) and Fremantle's Chris Tarrant (knee).
  

• Ill Adelaide midfield duo Nathan van Berlo ($309k) and Rob Shirley ($263k) are expected to recover in time for next round's Showdown against Port Adelaide. Meanwhile, $381k gun midfielder Tyson Edwards is unlikely to face Port due to a hamstring injury along with $275k midfielder Dave Mackay, who could miss 2 weeks of footy after pulling a hammy on the weekend.

• Injury-riddled Kangaroos $197k defender Jesse Smith has gone down again suffering a hamstring injury in the VFL reserves on the weekend. It almost certainly ends his season. North footy manager Donald McDonald said, "Obviously we’re treating this latest setback very seriously, but we won’t know the extent of the injury until tonight after he has had scans.”
  

• North Melbourne $251k bigman David Hale may miss next week's clash with Brisbane after a copping a nasty blow to the leg on the weekend. McDonald added, “David will also see the club doctor this evening after copping a heavy knock to the leg yesterday, so we’ll have to wait on word from (club doctor) Con Mitropoulos.”

• Hawthorn have listed $299k midfielder Rick Ladson as out for the season with a knee injury. Also $253k fwd Stuart Dew is listed as out indefinitely with a hamstring problem.
  

• Port Adelaide have listed gun $365k midfielder Shaun Burgoyne as facing a test this week, meaning he could return for the Showdown.

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Eagles: Cox Could Play Again This Year

West Coast have confirmed popular $418k ruckman Dean Cox could be back soon after a specialist ruled out osteitis pubis as the reason for his niggling groin problem.

Cox, owned by over 81,000 DT coaches, has serious soft-tissue damage high in his groin and while he won't play in next week's derby, the Eagles think he'll be back before the season ends.

The Eagles ruckman, along with $240k midfielder Daniel Kerr, saw a specialist in Adelaide this week, with the latter confirmed to have severe abdominal strains.

"We're all pretty relieved that the news is encouraging," WCE footy manager Neale Daniher said.

"We can't put a definite playing resumption time on either of them, but it will be a rest for them and then build up program for both of them and we're hoping that they'll play again this year."

Daniher added, "We're definitely not ruling them out for the rest of the season.

"But, they are two separate injuries and they will both have separate rehabilitation programs. How they go with that can determine how quickly they recover."

WCE wouldn't commit to a return date, but it is believed Kerr is closer to resuming than Cox.

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DT Round 16 Movers & Shakers

Okay folks, another weekend is done, so here's where I look at all the price fluctuations and changes so you can assess who's worth trading out or on the other hand, trading in. This week I might also point out a few specific ruck options with Dean Cox's potential season-ending groin injury causing DT coaches problems everywhere. Anyway we'll go through this chronologically with winners first.

For the Western Bulldogs, forward Robert Murphy's value is roaring up and out of sight up $17k to $350k after a score of 88 this week. Maybe it's too late if you're thinking about signing him up as his BE is 62 next week.

Also mid Ryan Griffen (114) cruises up $19k to $360k and mid Nathan Eagleton (51) slides $25k to $278k.

For Essendon, rookie defender Michael Hurley has burst his bubble and is on the up following a good score of 69 taking him up $26k to $160k. Good news for 16,000-odd patient DT coaches.

A tempting one for the future is mid Jobe Watson (38) who is down $37k to $330k following a few injuries of late, while mid Brent Prismall (91) is a bit of a gun and is okay value down $3k to $357k.

For Carlton, midfielder Kade Simpson is a juicy one following a good score of 134 he's up just $8k with a price of $308k.

Other Blues worth a mention are fwd Brendon Fevola (112) up $13k to $346k and mid Heath Scotland (40) down $32k to a risky $306k.

For Sydney, the big focus here is the ruckman Darren Jolly who many DT coaches are sizing up. Jolly scored 93 and is down $6k to a pretty decent price of $342k with a BE of 119 next week.

Fwd Ryan O'Keefe (173) is in ridiculous form up $24k to $464k while young ruck Jesse White (89) is up $10k to $172k.

For Geelong, gun midfielder Joel Corey managed a score of just 75 this week so his value is sliding to a juicy price. He's down $23k to $414k, with a BE of 150 next week, so monitor that one.

Mid Joel Selwood (131) is back up $19k to $368k and if you didn't get him you might have missed the boat. Fwd Simon Hogan (104) is doing good things up a staggering $53k to $184k.

For Melbourne, star forward Aaron Davey produced another average of 69 so his value is down $26k to $337k. He's got a BE of 121 and is okay value if you're up for a punt.

Def Jack Grimes (87) is up $14k to $347k and fwd Liam Jurrah (57) is up $20k to $199k.

For Hawthorn, premium midfielder Sam Mitchell posted a pretty good score of 97 this week yet he slides $30k to $391k after a few tough weeks. With a BE of 138 next week, he's good value right now.

Popular fwd Buddy Franklin (106) is on up $19k to $268k with a minus BE next week, while def Luke Hodge (138) up $26k to $350k.

For Collingwood, popular gun forward Alan Didak produced an ordinary score of 45 and slides $25k to $455k with a BE of 173 next week. He could be worth monitoring.

Other Pies of note are mid Scott Pendlebury (102) down $25k to an affordable $403k and fwd Paul Medhurst (47) down $29k to a worth-a-punt-price of $244k.

For the Brisbane Lions, young ruckman Mitch Clark is the man following a score of 114 his value goes up $13k to $372k. With a BE of 76 next week, it's time to have a look if you're after a ruck replacement.

Mid Luke Power (65) is down $21k to an affordable $402k and def Josh Drummond (42) slides $16k to a cheap $315k.

For Fremantle, popular young forward Hayden Ballentyne posted a score of 47 on the weekend and is up $26k to $140k.

It's all about the rookies at Freo, as ruck Zac Clarke (53) is up $23k to $129k and def Clancee Pearce (83) is up $47k to $123k.

For Port Adelaide, young midfielder Jason Davenport is the talk of the town following a huge score of 133 taking him up $46k to $263k. Big big profit return there.

Also mid Steven Salopek (106) is on the up again up $17k to $335k, while mid Travis Boak (58) slides $16k to an affordable $341k after a few injuries.

For West Coast, star midfielder Matt Priddis managed an ordinary score of 54 on the weekend and drops $29k to $368k which is okay value.

Also young midfielder Adam Cockie is doing good things with 71 he's up $21k to $203k.

For Richmond, forward Brett Deledio represents okay value following a score of 70 he's down $7k to $352k with a BE of 115 next week. Worth a look.

Some youngsters on the up include def Jayden Post (46) up $36k to $122k and def Jarrod Silvester (44) up $34k to $109k.

For North Melbourne, big ruckman Hamish McIntosh is a potential replacement. He scored 120 this week up $4kto an affordable $365k but he's got a BE of 58 next week so time to make a move.

Also at North, another ruck Drew Petrie (65) is good value down $24k to $319k. Fwd/mid Brent Harvey (127) is good value down $10k to $343k and mid Liam Anthony (74) is awsome up $47k to $211k.

For St Kilda, superstar midfielder Lenny Hayes is lurking into great value following a score of 134 he's down $15k to $429k with a BE of 159.

Def Sam Fisher (124) is up $25k to $331k and def Brendon Goddard (121) is down $5k to $399k.

For Adelaide, forward/midfielder/skipper Simon Goodwin is pretty decent value despite a good score of 97 this week. He's down $8k to a cherry-ripe $310k.

Finally from Adelaide, mid Bernie Vince (49) is down $24k to $376k.

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DT Round 16 Injury & Suspension News

Okay, another weekend of football on the cards. As per usual, this is where we keep you updated with the goings on with regard to injuries, suspensions, late withdrawals, partner pregnancy calls, swine flu suspects, etc etc. So stay posted cos the news will be here folks. Have a nice weekend.

St Kilda v Adelaide: For the Saints Michael Gardiner was a late withdrawal and so was Rob Shirley and Nathan van Berlo (illness) for the Crows. Adelaide's Dave Mackay pulled his hammy in Q3 & was mothballed, while Patty Dangerfield copped a heavy hit in Q4 & perhaps hurt his jaw. St Kilda bigman Justin Koschitzke split the webbing in his hand in Q4.

Richmond v North Melbourne: Ben Cousins and Trent Cotchin dropped out late due to illness.

Port Adelaide v West Coast: Tyson Stenglein dropped out late. Justin Westhoff (slight concussion), Travis Boak (knee) Dean Brogan (corked thigh) and Robbie Gray (corked knee) all pick up niggles but should be okay for next week.

Fremantle v Brisbane Lions: No late changes. Daniel Bradshaw pulled a hamstring in Q1 and is gone. Freo's Andrew Foster injured his ankle in Q2 and was mothballed. Jared Brennan twisted his ankle in Q3 & was on crutches post-match. Chris Tarrant limped off with a knee injury too.

Collingwood v Hawthorn: Tyson Goldsack is a late out for Sharrod Wellingham. Simon Prestigiacomo was struggling and then picked up a groin problem. Another Magpie defender, Nathan Brown, had an ankle problem in Q4.

Geelong v Melbourne: Tom Harley was a late change with knee soreness. Paul Wheatley was a late withdrawal due to a thigh injury. Dees forward Russell Robertson copped a nasty one to the guts and struggled.

Carlton v Sydney: Michael Jamison was a late withdrawal due to an adductor problem. For Sydney, Nick Malceski and Mike Pyke dropped out late. Sydney defender Ted Richards looks to have a nasty ribs injury late.

Essendon v Western Bulldogs: No late withdrawals. Essendon's Matty Lloyd dislocated a finger but popped it back in. Bombers midfielder Jobe Watson copped a corkie and struggled a bit while Kyle Reimers went down the race in Q4. Also Bulldogs defender Lindsay Gilbee limped around on that dodgy ankle in Q4 but stayed on. Rob Murphy hurt his elbow late too.

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