The Blues have a number of under-priced premiums up for grabs in 2014.
The biggest lock for the Blues is... Dale Thomas [MID, $346,400]. After injury ruined 2013 for Thomas, he has found a new home at the Blues as well as reuniting with former coach Mick Malthouse.
Last year, Thomas only managed five games due to his troublesome ankle and recorded his worst Fantasy average in six years of 76, following three previous averages of 95, 103 and 93.
In 2011, Thomas showed he has the ability to play at a premium level. During that season he had 11 scores of more than 100 and finished the year with 31 touches and 139 points in the Grand Final against Geelong - evidence that when fit, he is a fantastic Fantasy option.
The question marks over fitness are still there, but Thomas got through his first NAB Challenge game with flying colours. He was outstanding early in the match and finished with 70 points from 66 per cent game time.
For this price, he is very hard to overlook.
A bargain on the radar is… A combination of nagging injuries and inability to cope with a tag saw former premium Marc Murphy [MID, $463,500] drop his average below 100 for the first time in five years during the 2013 season. His 86 points per game were a far cry from the elite 111 he averaged in 2011 where he knocked up 16 100+ scores for the year, as opposed to eight last year.
The season started well for Murphy, with six centuries in his first eight games before going through a horrible drought between round 12 (where he was injured on 24 points) and 22 in which he recorded a top score of 93 and had four scores below 70, which caused a big drop in average and price for 2014.
Murphy top-scored for the Blues in the second NAB Challenge game with 95 points from 30 disposals, however, there was no tag.
A player of difference is... Andrew Walker [DEF, $470,000] who has embraced an attacking role out of the backline for the Blues. Last year he recorded a career-best Fantasy average of 87 points per game, which places him in the elite bracket for this year’s crop of defenders. Ignoring a horrible 37 point game in the elimination final last season, Walker finished the year with an average of 100 over his final six games including an impressive 111 in the semi-final against the Swans where he collected 30 possessions.
The pre-season has taught us... that for the price of an inflated rookie, Tom Bell [MID, $277,600] could be a big enough improver in 2014 to be a cash cow option. Last year he averaged just 56 points which included a 12 when he started in the green vest. Due to only playing seven games, he receives a further discount on that average.
Although he hasn’t set the world on fire this in the NAB Challenge, he has certainly shown improvement from last year and he appears to be pushing for best 22. In the first pre-season game he top scored for the Blues with 87 points from just 67 per cent game time. In the second game, he was solid for a score of 66 from 73 per cent game time.
Twitter question from @DomenicTripodi “@RoyDT: given the price of Gibbs, is he great value?”... . I have always been a big fan of Bryce Gibbs, but as a pure midfielder, it is hard to justify his selection. There is no doubt he has the potential to be an elite Fantasy mid, in fact, he has twice averaged 107 points for the year. Unfortunately, Gibbs has not managed to reach those heights for the past two years and averaged just 89 last year.
There is definitely a valid argument that he is under-priced based on his low average in 2013 compared to what he has done in the past but with just one 100+ score out of the last nine games of the season, it is hard to justify with so many value midfield options.
His form in the first NAB Challenge game was very uninspiring with just 52 points but he bounced back in the second game to score 87 from just 51 per cent game time. Basically this sums up his Fantasy prospects, it looks like it could be a bit of a rollercoaster.
Coach Roy currently has his eye on.... Kade Simpson [DEF, $461,900]. Although a shift to the backline caused Simpson to record his worst Fantasy average in five years, the fact he is now available as a defender is priceless.
What I like the most about Simpson is the way he finished 2013. In his last 10 games including finals, he had an impressive seven scores over 100, including elite games of 119, 120 and 127 in that time.
