Cricket: Best Spinners In Australia

Ever since Shane Warne retired, there has been heated debate about who Australia's next test spinner should be. Now Nathan Hauritz has taken that spot, with some surprisingly decent returns. The Ritz has assembled a decent record with 15 matches, 56 wickets at 31.7 and an economy rate of 2.99. Not too shabby, especially for someone who has to bowl half the time on Australian, non-spinning pitches. I retain the right to dislike him, but he does a servicable job.

What happens if Australia want to play two spinners, like New Zealand are currently with Patel and Vettori? Currently the backup spinner for the NZ tour is Steve "The Golden Boy" Smith. Smith has had opportunities handed to him on a platter for all types of cricket, primarily on the strength of being a good 2020 fielder and a blond leg spinner.

The Australian contracted players list has no other spinners. So who is the best spinner in first class cricket?

My boy Bryce McGain. Yep, old Brycey boy has rebounded from being given a pasting in his only test on a non-spinning South African wicket to again be the leading shield wicket taker, despite only playing 8 of a possible 11 games. McGain took 26 wickets at 32, well ahead of the Golden Boy Steve Smith (21 wickets at 44). Other notable spinners include 3rd placed O'Keefe (NSW) with 15 wickets at 31, Krejza with 14 wickets at 54 and perennial Rushed Behind whipping boy Aaron O'Brien with 14 wickets at 63. Bryce also was the match winner in the Shield final, taking 4/70 in the final innings to win the game for Victoria.

McGain's career first class average is 35. That doesn't seem exceptional at first sight, but look at some other averages and you'll see that it takes an exceptional spinner to succeed in the Sheffield Shield. Nathan Hauritz averages 42 (driven down by the inclusion of his test figures in the first class stats). Steve Smith averages 49 (so at least he improved this season). Jason Krejza averages 49 too. Stuart Macgill only averaged 31. Hell, Brad Hogg averaged 41.

It is blatantly obvious who the best spinner in the Shield is and yet because of one bad game he has seemingly been banished forever. With the Ashes in Australia next summer, do we really want to risk the whole series on the fitness and quality of the Ritz, with the only backup the good fielding but mediocre everywhere else Golden Boy? And then we have the 50 over World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Ritz is a capable one day spinner, but on subcontinental pitches we need another spin option.

And for Fred's sake South Australia, don't pick Aaron O'Brien as a bowler. His first class average is 58 and even getting worse.

First Teams For AFL Round 1

The teams for the first game of the season have been announced:

RICHMOND
B: Newman, Moore, Edwards
HB: Farmer, McGuane, Thursfield
C: Martin, Deledio, Nason
HF: Hislop, Riewoldt, Tambling
F: Roberts, Morton, Nahas
FOLL: Simmonds, Jackson, Cotchin
I/C: Vickery, Cousins, Connors, Thompson
EM: Polo, Polak, White

Martin, Nason, Roberts and Connors have been named.

CARLTON
B: Thornton, Jamison, Joseph
HB: Russell, Waite, Bower
C: Houlihan, Murphy, Scotland
HF: Carrazzo, Henderson, Simpson
F: Betts, Kreuzer, O'hAilpin
FOLL: Warnock, Gibbs, McLean
I/C: Anderson, Robinson, Walker, Yarran
EM: Grigg, Jacobs, Lucas

Warnock named, Lucas is an emergency.

The Footy Show has announced extended teams for the other games. I don’t know where they are sourced from but it should give an indication of who (particularly rookies) will play in this most important of rounds. Full teams will be announced circa 5.00 PM AEDST all over the internet (Sportal for example). Fanfooty has predicted teams.

MELBOURNE
B: Warnock, Frawley, Bennell
HB: Macdonald, Rivers, McDonald
C: Dunn, Green, Grimes
HF: Bruce, Miller, Moloney
F: Bate, Martin, Petterd
FOLL: Jamar, Davey, Jones
I/C: Scully, McKenzie, Trengove, Spencer, Strauss, Bartram, Bail, Maric

Scully and Trengove named with Strauss on an extended bench.

HAWTHORN
B: Guerra, Gibson, Gilham
HB: Brown, Murphy, Birchall
C: Ellis, Lewis, Hodge
HF: Osbourne, Shoenmakers, Morton
F: Moss, Roughead, Hooper
FOLL: Renouf, Ladson, Mitchell
I/C: Duryea, Grimley, Lisle, Suckling, Stratton, Kayler-Thomson, Williams, Shiels, Whitecross, Peterson

Ten man bench has just about every player who isn't injured.

SYDNEY
B: Bevan, Richards, Roberts-Thomson
HB: Shaw, C.Bolton, Kennedy
C: Kennelly, Kirk, Mattner
HF: Rohan, Goodes, O’Keefe
F: Jetta, Bradshaw, J.Bolton
FOLL: Seaby, Jack, McVeigh
I/C: Mumford, Smith, Grundy, McGlynn, Moore, White, Hannebery, Malceski

Rohan and Jetta starting. Malceski on extended bench subject to fitness.

ST KILDA
B: Gilbert, Dawson, Baker
HB: Gram, Blake, Goddard
C: Peake, Hayes, Dal Santo
HF: Armitage, Riewoldt, Schneider
F: Milne, Koschitzke, Gardiner
FOLL: King, Montagna, Jones
I/C: McEvoy, Geary, Clarke, Heyne, Ray, Gwilt, Stanley, McQualter, Eddy, Pattison

McEvoy should get 2nd ruck spot. Peake starts.

PORT ADELAIDE
B: Surjan, Carlile, Salter
HB: Stewart, C.Cornes, Krakouer
C: Salopek, Boak, K.Cornes
HF: J.Westhoff, Schulz, Pearce
F: D.Motlop, Tredrea, Hitchcock
FOLL: Brogan, Cassisi, Gray
I/C: Banner, Davenport, Ebert, Harding, Lobbe, Moore, Nash, Stewart, Thomas

Hitchcock starts. Banner and Lobbe on an extended bench. No sign of Trengove.

NORTH MELBOURNE
B: Firrito, Thompson, Urquhart
HB: Hansen, Pratt, Wells
C: Wright, Swallow, Ziebell
HF: Campbell, Jones, Anthony
F: Thomas, Hale, Edwards
FOLL: McIntosh, Rawlings, Harvey
I/C: Adams, Ross, Grima, Smith, Tarrant, Goldstein, Bastinac, Warren

No sign of Cunnington. Bastinac on the extended bench with Warren.

BRISBANE
B: Drummond, Merrett, Patfull
HB: McGrath, Staker, Adcock
C: Johnstone, Power, Rich
HF: Sherman, Brown, Brennan
F: Buchanan, Fevola, Collier
FOLL: Clark, Black, Rischitelli
I/C: Proud, Austin, Banfield, Hawksley, Stiller, Leuenberger, Raines, Redden, Polkinghorne, Maguire

No sign of Rockliff. Surely he will make it, but TFS can't fit him on a 10 man bench. Maguire is on this bench with Raines.

WEST COAST
B: Mackenzie, Glass, Waters
HB: Nicoski, Brown, Hurn
C: Rosa, Kerr, A.Selwood
HF: Embley, Kennedy, Natanui
F: LeCras, Lynch, McKinley
FOLL: Cox, Priddis, Masten
I/C: S.Selwood, Ebert, Jones, Hansen, Spangher, Swift, Schofield, Dalziell, Butler

No Shuey. Swift, Dalziell and Ebert on the extended bench.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Hargrave, Lake, Giansiracusa
HB: Morris, Williams, Gilbee
C: Higgins, Cross, Cooney
HF: Murphy, Hahn, Akermanis
F: Hill, Hall, Johnson
FOLL: Hudson, Boyd, Griffen
I/C: Grant, Ward, Addison, Roughead, Minson, Wood, Everitt, Harbrow, Picken, Moles

Moles on the 10 man bench.

COLLINGWOOD
B: Shaw, Prestigiacomo, Johnson
HB: Lockyer, Maxwell, O’Brien
C: Didak, Pendlebury, Davis
HF: Fraser, Cloke, Swan
F: D.Thomas, Anthony, Medhurst
FOLL: Jolly, O’Bree, Ball
I/C: McCarthy, Corrie, Brown, Beams, Cook, Macaffer, Sidebottom, Dawes, Wellingham, Toovey

10 man bench. No sign of Rusling.

FREMANTLE
B: Hayden, McPharlin, Dodd
HB: Mayne, Tarrant, Crowley
C: Headland, Suban, Ibbotson
HF: Duffield, McPhee, Schammer
F: Hill, Pavlich, Murphy
FOLL: Sandilands, Hasleby, Broughton
I/C: Johnson, Bradley, Clarke, Pearce, Van Berlo, Walters, Hinkley

Whoa! No Barlow? That has to be a mistake. Also no Morabito or Silvagni.

ADELAIDE
B: Johncock, Rutten, Doughty
HB: McLeod, Bock, Douglas
C: Reilly, Thompson, Edwards
HF: Dangerfield, Walker, Goodwin
F: Hentschel, Tippett, Porplyzia
FOLL: Griffin, Vince, Van Berlo
I/C: Cook, Maric, Mackay, Sloane, Petrenko, Stevens, Armstrong, Young

No Davis or McKernan. Young is some chance for the Otten role, but Stevens will probably take it.

I missed the teams for Geelong vs Essendon. Take these with a grain of salt (No Barlow, WTF!), but have a backup plan ready in the case of players who aren’t named.

AFL Dream Team 2010: Lock and Load

With only 2 days until the start of the 2010 AFL season, you should have your Dream Team locked in by now. If you haven't started your research, then you will be saying goodbye to Mr. Finals this year. Even so, The Rushed Behind is here to help, by giving you some lockable options in each position which most serious players will have.

Backs:

Luke Hodge ($366,800): Absolute gun and underpriced.

One of Josh Hunt ($164,100), Beau Waters ($152,800) or Tadgh Kennelly ($204,700): Quality improvers who will fill the 7th backline position (Waters or Hunt could be used on the bench if you feel rich).

Matt Maguire ($101,700):Solid bench cover who should play 22 games.

Mids:

One of Gary Ablett ($522,000), Dane Swan ($523,500) or Jimmy Bartel ($480,200): Lock in captain.

Dustin Martin ($149,500): Will play 22 and score highly. The Rich of 2010.

Michael Barlow ($105,800): Elevated off rookie list and will score highly, playing most if not all games.

Rucs:

Robbie Warnock ($101,800): Should play quite a bit as your 3rd ruck

A $77,800 Ruckman: None of them will play, but you won't need them to. Consider Lobbe at $94,500 for dual positioning if you have Tippett in your Fwds.

Fwds:

Daniel Giansiracusa ($378,500): Gun who is killing it in preseason and was down last year on historical numbers

Lance Franklin ($354,900): Suspended for round 1, but will improve back towards his 2008 form with more supply this year.

Tom Rockliff ($101,100): By far the best performing bench forward in the NAB Cup

To help pick your bench players, Dream Team Talk has put together a guide to rooks for round 1. As for the rest of the team, best of luck and may the Virtualsports servers hold up long enough that you can get in to fix your team during the partial lockout. There are still a few spots left in the Rushed Behind league, so enter the code 192161 if you want a challenge. If you don't know what Dream Team is, check out N00bteam.

Cycling: Freire Too Strong At Milan-Sanremo

The 101st running of monument classic Milan-Sanremo looked set to provide an exciting race. With Cavendish way below his best form, the title was wide open. Gilbert, Pozzato and Boassen Hagen were genuine chances to blow the race to pieces with attacks on the Poggio, while a bunch sprint could go to any of Boonen, Bennati, Petacchi or Freire. Many others were set to try their luck with a rare breakaway win or a devastating attack on the short sharp climbs that are key to the Milan-Sanremo.

A three man breakaway tried their luck with unknown Italian riders Piemontesi (Androni Giacatolli), Ratti (Carmiooro NGC) and Caccia (ISD-Neri) breaking away 3km from the start. In a race of almost 300km, this was a suicidal move with zero chance of success. They gained a maximum of 22 minutes on the peloton before they were slowly reeled in. However, for these riders a little coverage for their sponsors was their only goal for the day.

A crash on the descent of the Turchino lead to a 30 man group splitting from the rest of the peloton but by the 60km to go mark these groups were back together and had caught the breakaway. Caccia, clearly not satisfied with setting the pace for the breakaway over 230km set the pace for the lead of these two groups for another 5 kms after being caught. A roleur to watch?

There were several attacks on the flat before the Cipressa, with Bouet and Grabovskyy the strongest, getting each getting gaps of up to a minute. But no solo attack would work this early, with Liquigas feeling good about their chances and forcing the pace. As they started the ascent of the Cipressa, Katusha started to fancy their chances and set about helping Liquigas with their pacemaking.

Once they neared the top, and Petacchi's had shown he had good climbing legs on the day, Lampre set about dropping the other sprinters, with Cavendish one of the first to go. On the descent, the race situation started to become clear. There was a group of around 30 clear at the front from which the winner would come.

Yoann Offredo (FdJ) launched an audacious attack on the descent, but could only get 20 seconds on the group of the favourites. Once the peloton hit the Poggio, Tirreno-Adriatico winner Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone) hit the front and pushed with all his might, making sure no one could launch a race changing attack and helping his teammate Luca Paolini. But Garzelli couldn't maintain the rage all the way up, allowing a brief window of opportunity for attackers near the top of the Poggio.

Surprisingly, the first significant attack came from Columbia's Rogers, who had obviously been given the freedom to ride his own race with Cav out of the picture. Gilbert and Nibali both tried attacks, but neither could pull clear far enough before the descent. Pozzato was ever present, following every attack hoping one would go clear, but today was not to be for the puncheurs. Nibali and Pozzato both tried desperate, Cancellara style attacks in the final two kilometres, but the chasing pack was too strong.

Liquigas rider Oss lead the bunch leadout from 1.5km to 500m from the line, where he eventually had no more to give. Bennati came off his wheel and tried to kick like his life depended on it, but Freire came from behind him to win by more than a bike length.

Boonen tried hard to out-do Freire, but one suggests that he is more desperate for the cobbled classics and he had to settle for second place. Petacchi managed to grab the final spot on the podium and special mention must go to Sacha Modolo (Colnago) who came from a long way back in the sprint to get 4th. Modolo has definately marked himself as one to watch for the future, given he is only 22 and in his first year as a pro.

Congratulations must go first and foremost though to Oscar Freire who wins his 3rd Milan-Sanremo as well as 3 World Championships, marking himself as one of the great riders of this generation. Notably, it has been 11 years since his first World Championship win in 1999 showing exceptional longevity. And it seems he is well liked in the peloton (especially by Andy Schleck after a bet with Baden Cooke).

Fun Facts: The tunnel at the top of the climb near Genova was not lit, meaning riders had to ride in the pitch black. Unsurprisingly there was a crash.

Youtube Highlights (With Italian Commentary):

Part 1:

Part 2:

Cycling: Peter Sagan Wins Again in Paris-Nice, Contador Retains Yellow

Contador blew the field to pieces in stage 4, with Sagan finishing well down in 20th, 58 seconds behind Contador. Only Valverde, Sammy Sanchez and Rodriguez were near the same level as Contador, but Rodriguez pushed himself too hard and dropped 18 seconds, with the other two only dropping ten seconds.

But come stage 5 the stage was set for another Peter Sagan special, with a short sharp climb just before the finish. When Le Mevel attacked, Sagan just followed his wheel presuming that from this attack a collection of contenders would form. To his surprise, when he looked around for the others they were nowhere to be seen.

So Sagan kicked and blasted clear of the lead group. Then came a response from the main contenders who swept up Le Mevel on the descent. Sagan was clearly suffering trying to hold an advantage. He was alternating his time between gritting his teeth looking down suffering and looking backwards to see when he would be swept up. But he somehow managed to hold on before collapsing once he crossed the line.

This is a man who desperately wants to win and won't let his body tell him not to. In the words of Jens Voigt, "I say, Shut up, legs! Do what I tell you to do."

Contador still holds the overall lead by 20 seconds over Alejandro Valverde, with Sagan 8th, 42 seconds behind.

Cycling: Peter Sagan Wins Stage 3 of Paris-Nice

The day after I started the Peter Sagan bandwagon following his 2nd place in yesterday's disrupted sprint, Sagan has gone one better pulling off the biggest win of his career. Sagan followed an attack up a 1km hill 5kms from the finish by Nicholas Roche and was being joined by Rodriguez, Contador, Martin and Voight. He then managed to hold off Rodriguez (2nd) and Roche (3rd) in the sprint and take 2nd overall (6 seconds behind Voight). So much for being a real star in a year or so, Peter Sagan is there already.

Cycling: The Peter Sagan Bandwagon Starts Here

In the admittedly limited cycle racing so far this year, there has been one rider who has stood out. Not Theo Bos although anyone who beats Cavendish in a bunch sprint gets my respect. Not Jose Rujano despite his win in the Tour de Langkawi on the road to energizing the Giro later in the year. Not even Bobbie Traksel who survived brutal conditions in which only 26 of the 198 starters of Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne finished. This man even pipped Arthur Vichot.

This man is the Slovakian 20 year old riding with Liquigas Peter Sagan. A former junior mountain bike world champion who has also won the Slovak junior cyclocross championships, Sagan started his road career with Slovak team Dukla Trencin Merida. In 2010 Sagan has been lighting it up for Liquigas, starting by joining Evans, Valverde and Luis Leon Sanchez in the defining move up Willunga hill in the Tour Down Under. That is pretty elite company, but in a race that early in the season he could have just been in better condition than his contemporaries. Still, it established that he can climb hills and gave him a top 5 finish in the Queen stage to go with his 4th place on the punishing stage into Stirling. He managed this despite being involved in a stage 2 crash which left him with 18 stitches and out of contention for the overall.

Sagan has since been showing off his abilities at Paris-Nice, starting with a 5th place in the prologue time trial. This placed him ahead of time-trialling luminaries such as David Millar, Luis Leon Sanchez and Roman Kreuziger. He then found himself near the front in a disrupted sprint in stage 2 and showed he has quite a kick when necessary, being just touched out on the line by William Bonnet. His Paris-Nice form has shown that the TDU was not a fluke and that he can time-trial as well.

He can do everything already (except genuine mountains, but the later stages of Paris-Nice should clear that up) and he only turned 20 this year. Thats 3 years younger than "so hot right now" prodigy Edvald Boasson Hagen. Remember the name Peter Sagan, because in a year's time he will be a serious player.

AFL Dream Team NAB Cup Rd 2-Who is Running Hot?

The first half of the NAB Cup has been run and won, giving a good indicator of Dream Team potentials. Who has stood up?

Burning up like a space shuttle on re-entry:

Tom Rockliff (Bris FWD, $101,100): Second year player who played 1 game last year has scored 87 and 89 playing in the Lions midfield. Lock in the Rock.

Michael Barlow (Freo MID, $105,800): Mature age rookie recruited from the VFL. Has scored 94 and 96 and is an effective certainty to be promoted to the senior list.

Nick Natanui (WCE RUC, $232,400): Went from a player only any serious DTer should avoid to a 2nd ruck option with an eye catching 115 in his 1st game. Expect an average closer to the 66 he scored in the 2nd game with Cox in the side.

Nick Malceski (Syd DEF, $242,800): Returned to his '07 form with scores of 83 and 100. Definitely consider, depending on your team structure.

Justin Westhoff (Por FWD, $283,600): The one trick pony has added another to his bow, with strong scores (72,106) as an around the ground ruckman ala Mitch Clark. Watch further before even thinking about putting him in your team.

Mitchell Banner (Por MID, $94,500): Has shown himself to be a hard in-and-under midfielder who can push forward. Scored 87 and 82 to make a play for your midfield bench.

Hayden Ballantyne (Freo FWD, $232,800): After struggling to make a significant mark as a mature age recruit last year, Ballantyne has scored 79 and 97 this year and shown great improvement.

Jarrod Kayler-Thomson (Haw MID, $77,800): The mature age rookie scored 98 in the 2nd game, showing his potential. A spot in the Hawks midfield is far from secure however, so there are probably better options.

Matt Campbell (Nth FWD, $223,400): An ex-North Adelaide Rooster who was previously known as a small forward has pushed up the ground in the Aaron Davey mould this year, scoring 88 and 71.

Dustin Martin (Ric MID, $149,500): Looks like he is ready to step in and lead the Tigers midfield. Has scored 88 and 78. Just get him.

Daniel Connors (Ric MID, $156,000): Is playing the Joel Bowden DT-whore role at Richmond. Has scored 98 and 64. Definately consider as a near-rookie onfield.

Warm like a cup of coffee:

Matt Maguire (Bris DEF, $101,700): Priced like a rookie, he should be solid but not spectacular scoring. Scored 70 in his single NAB game so far.

Amon Buchanan (Bris FWD, $268,400): Has played as an in and under midfielder and produced solid numbers . Watch with interest.

Matthew Leuenberger (Bris RUC, $201,100): Will play as Mitch Clark's understudy after Jamie Charman suffered a major ankle injury. Only scored 49 in his sole game so far, but is capable of more, with the increased game time expected.

Eddie Betts (Car FWD, $274,300): Scored 110 in his sole game so far, could be on the verge of a breakout year without Fev taking his supply.

Robert Warnock (Car RUC, $101,800): Has played both games so far without getting injured. Has only scored 23 and 51, but any game Warnock gets to the end of is a good game.

Luke Ball (Col MID, $366,500): Showed what he could do this year with a score of 105 in the first game before being rested for the 2nd. Injuries are the worry here.

Heath Shaw (Col DEF, $365,400): Expect a more consistent year from Heath, with sides opting to tag Swan and Didak instead. Scored 109 and 64.

Brent Stanton (Ess MID, $443,600): Scored 130 in his sole game and may be able to improve again this year.

Courtenay Dempsey (Ess DEF, $266,000): Scored 105 in his sole game in the NAB, should be able to improve again on his average of 61 last year, but don't expect him to punch out 105s with regularity.

Mark McVeigh (Ess MID, $268,400): Showed that he still has good footy left in him and paid off the DT-hype with scores of 82 and 85. Strongly consider despite Rd 1 suspension.

David Hille (Ess RUC, $237,300): A definite option for your 2nd ruck proved his fitness by playing the 2nd NAB game. Scored 65, which is serviceable but this should improve with a bit of footy under his belt.

Clancee Pearce (Fre BAC, $246,600): Looks to be a DT-whore in the vein of Duffield or Broughton, scoring 97 and 88. Is on the rookie list without a rookie price and will have to fight for promotion.

Chris Mayne (Fre FWD, $220,800): Has been injury prone in the past, but showed his potential with a 94 following a 54 in the first game. Doesn't seem a natural DTer, as he needed 5 goals for his 94.

Corey Enright (Gee DEF, $394,300): Scored 121 and 106, making him the clear standout gun defender. However, this was helped by 2 Geelong losses giving him more ball to rebound. Can he keep it up in the real season?

James Podsiadly (Gee FWD, $77,800): Should make a nice cashcow, being penciled in as Geelong's 3rd tall forward. Scored 35 and 73.

James Hunt (Gee DEF, $164,100): Showed what he will deliver the tens of thousands of probable owners for this year, with a good score of 72 and a spud score of 35. Still, at least hes not injured.

Sam Mitchell (Haw MID, $449,200): Is raring to go this season, blasting out scores of 139 and 97.

Jack Grimes (Mel DEF, $392,300): A risky selection, with an already high price and an injury prone history. But Grimes showed why he is still being considered by the brave and the foolish with a score of 136 in the midfield following a limited first game of 48.

Tom Scully (Mel MID, $157,500): Written off before the season as a project player by many DTers, Scully scored 49 and 67 to outpoint Trengove and put his hand up for a spot in the side.

Ben Warren (Nor FWD, $234,800): Warren showed he has the potential to up his average, with scores of 72 and 67. This may not be enough to justify his inclusion.

Jay Schulz (Por FWD, $199,500): Another player who was destined for the Richmond scrapheap looks like reinventing himself at Port. Jay has scored 82 and 51 and looks like being given a solid run in the side.

Cameron Hitchcock (Por FWD, $97,800): A livewire small forward, Hitchcock scored 48 and 65. He is on the rookie list, but looks like being promoted and could be a solid bench player.

Ben McEvoy (StK RUC, $194,100): Scored 90 in the 2nd game after 44 in the first. Could squeeze his way into the Saints retirement home ruck setup.

Matthew O'Dwyer (Syd MID, $212,000): Has struggled to cement a spot in the senior side for the past 2 years. A score of 90 in the 2nd NAB game will help his chances following a 53 in the first.

Mark Seaby (Syd RUC, $226,700): Scored 46 and 79 leading the Swans rucks. Could be a solid 2nd ruck option, but TOG isn't certain yet.

Lewis Jetta (Syd MID, $105,500): A near certainty to play round 1, the quick half forward won't be a big DT scorer but could be a solid bench contributor. Scores of 56 and 60 underline this.

Chris Masten (WCE MID, $293,900): A ball winning midfielder entering his third year, Masten scored 93 and 74. However, he had enough stats to have made a lot more points. Nervous starter or poor DTer?

Luke Shuey (WCE MID, 94,500): Scores of 49 and 74 don't tell the full story for Shuey. He started as a substitute in the first game and had limited TOG in the second. This shows his DT potential, but also that he isn't certain of a game.

Daniel Giansiracusa (WBD FWD, $378,500): Gia is a player who seems to be able to pull DT points from nowhere. Even when you hardly see him for the game, he gets 80. So when he is in good form, scoring 85 and 118, you know you want him.

Brodie Moles (WBD MID, $83,800): A mature age rookie, Moles scored 42 and 75, showing he may be a handy option. His problem will be breaking off the rookie list and then into the powerful Bulldogs midfield.

Jordan Roughead (WBD RUC, $94,500): Roughead looks certain of the number 3 ruck at the doggies, scoring 54 and 45 to be a good option for your ruck bench

Cycling: The Landis Case Gets Even Stranger

It seems that pro cyclists are using the computer skills gained from the ubiquitous twitter profiles and putting them to nefarious deeds in a case that has echoes of the Dale Begg-Smith (who has added a silver in 2010 to his 2006 Moguls gold medal) affair.

An arrest warrant has been put out for disgraced doper Floyd Landis after he allegedly hacked into the computer system of a French drug testing laboratory. Landis tested positive for testosterone in the 2006 Tour De France which was odd in itself, as testosterone is easily detected compared to other methods available at the time (such as EPO). When presenting his defense against these allegations, Landis allegedly used documents which belonged to the French anti doping authorities (obtained through these hacks). An email with a trojan horse virus was allegedly sent from the computer of Landis' coach Arnie Baker, who is also sought by the French authorities. The trojan horse also provided for the removal and change of some documents in an attempt to show incorrect testing procedures.

Landis has fought hard in an attempt to clear his name, appealing to the Court for Arbitration in Sport and spending around $2 million in legal fees. He has had no success, except eating up most of WADA's legal budget. Landis has been unrepentant, and although the ban from his Tour De France doping has expired (in January 2009), he has only been able to get rides with minor teams such as OUCH and Cyclingnzshop.com. This arrest warrant is only valid in France, so with Landis recently only racing minor events, primarily in the US he may choose to simply avoid France and trial. I for one, hope that he faces the judgement, if only for the media circus that would result. For more details, check out cyclingnews or SBS cycling central.

N00bTeam - AFL Dream Team 101

So you've never played Dream Team before, but your mates at school/work/family are always banging on about donuts and cash cows so you've decided to take up their challenge. What is this Dream Team stuff anyway?

The Very Basics

Dream Team is a game where you (the DT player) select a virtual team of 30 players. Each week you select 22 players from that 30 to score points based on their real life performances. These 30 players must be selected in positions (backs, midfielders, rucks and forwards) with each player having a defined position (or occasionally multiple positions, but we'll get to multipositioning later). The playing 22 will be 7 backs, 6 mids, 2 rucks and 7 forwards and there are 2 reserves in each position. Each player has a price which is based on their average point score from the previous year. The total price of all your 30 players must be below the salary cap of $7,962,500. Sounds simple, right?

Simple Strategy

You also get to select a captain who scores double points and a vice captain who fills the captain's role if your designated captain doesn't play. The easiest thing to do for captaincy is to just pick the player with the highest average. If you want to get more involved, read Calvin's Captains on DTTalk. There is no point spending much money on your reserve players. However, you will want a reserve in each of the main positions (back, mid, fwd) selected as an emergency who will cover any starting players who do not play. Unless one of your on-field players is injured, they will not be in your 22, scoring points. A general rule is to not pick anyone on the bench who is more than $150K. This allows you to spend more money on your point scoring players.

However, you do want your bench players to be playing in order to provide cover for injuries or to improve your trading prospects. Look at young players, especially high draft picks. A player who isn't playing cannot score you any points. Thus, make sure that the players you pick are (1) At least on the fringe of their team's best 22, (2) Not injured (3) Not suspended. You can substitute in a reserve if one of your players has a short term injury or suspension (or is just dropped, because they are shit), but if they are out for more than a few weeks you will need to trade them out.

Trading

Trading well is what separates great from good dream teamers. Sometimes you need to use a trade to replace an injured or non-selected player. But other times, trading can significantly improve your team. First rule of trading: Don't trade before the teams are announced. Teams for the coming weekend of matches are announced at around 5pm on every Thursday. It really screws your team if you trade a player in to cover an injury, and he is immediately dropped.

Player prices vary through the season based on their form.

A young player who started off as a cheap reserve who gets regular game time will increase in price. You can use this to your advantage by trading him out for a different cheap reserve who is yet to go up in price, netting you a cash profit. You can then spend this cash profit to upgrade a mid-range starter into a premium player who has had a few weeks out of form. Player prices change based on their last 3 (non-zero) scores. So when a rookie debuts, you have 2 weeks where he will remain at base price in which to determine whether he is good enough to trade in.

Initial Team Selection

Don't just pick a player because he is your favourite player or plays for a team you like. Every player you select should have the potential to be either (1) a "keeper" who you do not need to trade out at any stage and will knock out consistently high scores or (2) a "cash cow" who will increase significantly in price and be traded out during the season.

A simple way to determine whether a player is worth picking, is to use the "Raines Rule". With the RR you balance the possible risks inherent in picking the player (is he injury prone, old or on the fringe of his team's best side?) with the rewards (what type of average can he achieve if everything goes right, is he going to make a stack of money for you or be a keeper?). If a player is injury prone and on the fringes of his team's 22, with an average short of being a keeper then even if he is severely underpriced, he may not be worth it.

Even with your keepers, look for players who are going to improve their average. This means you will be buying them for less than they are worth, and consequently can have a better team.

This year, if players are selectable in multiple positions you can swap them between those positions if you have another dual position player who is in the other position. This can help you cover donuts or potentially improve your trading prospects. However, a spud who is dual positioned is still a spud. Only use dual positioning as the reason to pick a player when deciding between two otherwise equal options.

Terminology

DT=Dream Team

donut= a score of zero points

cash cow= a player who will go up significantly in price

spud= a dud player who will never score decent points

FF=fanfooty

SC=supercoach (the inferior version of DT)

gun= one of the top players in his position, a superstar of DT

keeper= one of the better players in his position, a player you would be happy to have from Rd1-Rd22

lock= a player who you are certain to have in your team (referring to preseason discussions)

on the bubble= a young player who has played 2 games and whose price will go up after he plays another game. If you want to get him in, do it now

junk time= the last few minutes of a game after the result is decided (a player who scores good DT points in this period is referred to as junking it up)

abc= Ablett, Bartel, Corey. Not in widespread use since Corey dropped his output, but these 3 were 3 of the biggest guns of the past few years

Leagues

If this is your first year, you probably won't beat the 200,000 or so likely players overall. But you can still win something by beating your mates in your league. You can have 3 leagues, which run in a head to head format, where each week (from Rd 4 to 18) you play against a different player. At the end of this, there will be a finals series in the same format as the actual AFL series for both the top 8 and bottom 8 (as separate competitions).

You can use the 'coaches box' chat to exchange jibes with your mates to psyche them out, or for general whining. There is nothing more dull than a quiet coaches box in a league. The Rushed Behind is running a league which is free to join for readers of this blog (or those invited by readers) with the code 192161. Enter this as the code when you join your second league. If you make your own league for your mates, then make sure they all get the code to enter.

Most Important Advice

Have fun!

AFL Dream Team 2010 is Now Open!

And only 52 days, 17 hours until the first lockout! Click here for the Dream Team site, where you can enter.

The Rushed Behind has a league so enter the code 192161 to compete with the best DT minds in the business. There have been some significant changes to the game this year. In no particular order they are:

-Multiposition players can be swapped between their positions (swap the B/M in your backs for the B/M in your mids)

-Partial lockout for round 1 and split round, where you can make changes after the first Thursday game to your selections who aren't involved in said game

-If you register your team before the NAB Cup, you will be able to see how your team performs in these trial games

-Trading via the watchlist (quicker trading)

-See who is online in your league (code 192161)

Unfortunately, the discounts (given to some players from the standard formula of Magic number*last year's average=price) seem entirely arbitrary.

Having a quick glance gives you examples which just don't add up.

For example, Brent Staker played 6 games at an average of 53.5. He doesn't get a discount.

Adam Cockie played 7 games at an average of 58.7. He gets a 10% discount.

Clinton Young played 5 games at an average of 65.8. He gets a 20% discount.

Danny Meyer played 3 games at an average of 49. He gets no discount.

Ryan Cook played 2 games at an average of 62. He gets a 30% discount.

Brodie Martin played 2 games at an average of 71.5. He gets a 40% discount.

Jaxson Barham played 6 games at 71.3. No discount here.

Shaun Burgoyne played 9 games at 79.6. 10% discount.

Finally, Graham Polak played 2 games after recovering from serious head injuries after being hit by a tram at 34. No discount.

I can only presume that Virtualsports have made an arbitrary decision about which players were out because of injury and who was out simply because they didn't get picked. Or maybe they've made decisions based on making the game 'even'. The only general rule I can determine is that if a player played more than 10 games, they definitely don't get a discount, but below this it is undeterminable.

And finally, Goddard is still eligible as a Back, but is now dual positioned as a Mid also. Thats handy.

Cycling: Danilo Diluca Imageblog

AFL Dream Team 2010 From Left Field - Matthew Wright

Matthew (Matt) Wright is midfielder drafted from North Adelaide to the Crows. He should be listed as a dual position mid/fwd, though he is solely a midfielder. He is on Adelaide's rookie list, but this should not prove a barrier to selection, with both Otten and Martin likely to miss most of the year on the long term injury list, opening up places for rookie listed players. Wright is mature aged at 21 and a proven ballwinner at SANFL level. Chris Schmidt (2 games for Brisbane) is the obvious first choice from the rookie list, but has had an interrupted pre-season and is unlikely to play in the NAB so Wrighty should be the first cab off the ranks.

Wright was 3rd in the NAFC best and fairest last year, represented SA in the state competition and won North's best young player award. He unfortunately did his PCL late in the season for North, but this shouldn't have affected his preseason too much. He has a history of getting injured at the wrong time, most famously getting his skull cracked in by some party gatecrashers when he was first in line to be drafted a couple of years ago. Nothing special DTwise in there, so why would you pick him?

Last year in the SANFL, he averaged 93 DT points (96 if you ignore his 38 when he was playing injured in Rd 21). He is an inside midfielder who clocks up almost 3 tackles per game, has a positive k:h ratio (around 1.3) and gets near 2 frees for per game because he gets his head over the ball. He averaged 23 touches per game in the next best comp to the AFL last year and added a half dozen marks, despite his small stature. He only scored less than 70 twice in 17 games with 8 scores 100+. Matt also averaged .7 goals per game and will probably spend more time forward at AFL level.

Wrighty should be able to step in straight away and average 70-75. The only problem for Matt is that he needs to break into a Crows side that is historically reluctant to play youth. Take a punt if he gets gametime in the NAB or is named later in the year and you will have a unique pick that could make the difference.

Cycling: Tour Down Under 2010 Preview

It seems like the World Championships were just a short time ago, but the first ProTour event of the year is almost upon us. The Tour Down Under has traditionally been a Tour De Sprinters, and this year should be no exception.

The Key Contenders:

Allan Davis (Astana): Defending champion and the only rider to have participated in every TDU so far, Davis is a very good sprinter who has the climbing capacity to survive Willunga hill. He

has strong support in the likes of Pereiro and Grivko to shepherd him up the climbs. Will be right up there for the win.

Andre Greipel (Columbia-HTC): Probably the 2nd fastest sprinter in the world at the moment (behind his Columbia team mate Cavendish) but also capable of climbing. Dominated the sprints at the Vuelta Espana last year. Probably not quite as accomplished a climber as Davis, but also a better sprinter. Has a traditionally powerful Columbia lead out train featuring Grabsch and Eisel as well as Rogers for climbing support. Should win the sprinter's jersey and may be able to

fight his way up Willunga Hill to win the overall.

Robbie McEwen (Katusha): A real wild card for the sprinter's jersey, McEwen has struggled with injuries since joining the Russian team Katusha. Is getting on in years, but still packs a punch and has the nous to disrupt the Columbia sprint train. Has no shot of getting up Willunga Hill with the peloton so will not contend for overall.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse D'Epagne): Valverde will be racing every race as if it is his last with an impending doping hearing threatening to suspend him for 2 years for his role in Operation Puerto. He has a strong climbing team to support him featuring Luis Leon Sanchez and Ivan Gutierrez. Won't contend in the sprints, but may make a move to split from the bunch up Willunga Hill.

Stages:

Stage 1:

Stage 1 will decide who is here for real and who is using it as preseason training. Not tough enough that it will be decided outside the usual TDU sprint finish, but the hills n

ear the end, including Mengler's Hill should be enough to shed those who aren't prepared for this race.

Stage 3:

Stage 3, like Stage 1, will not be serious enough to avoid a sprinter's victory. However, the hilly terrain around the Stirling circuit will cause another cull of the pack, and the uphill finish will favour a climbing sprinter like Davis more than a McEwen.

Stage 5:

The traditional Queen Stage of the TDU will climb Willunga Hill twice, giving the best opportunity for a non-sprinter to breakaway for victory. Willunga Hill is 3kms at around 8% gradient, providing enough of a challenge that non-climbers will fall back. A decent climber, with a strong team around him may be able to hang onto the back and catch up on the descent, much as Davis did last year. However, expect a non-sprinter to win the stage from an elite bunch. This is the stage where Alberto Contador got what he deemed the most important win of his career coming back from cerebral cavernoma in 2005.

After all that, I will tip an Allan Davis win again, with Greipel winning the sprinter's jersey but being dropped up Willunga Hill.