Supercoach 2018 – The Bull, Pre JLT Team Reveal

We aren’t even in January yet and we are already talking teams. Such a sad life we all live.
Nonetheless I am flashing my side. I have chopped and changed across all lines, however at
the moment I’m content going into the JLT series. There are several players I am looking to
watch including premiums, rookies and mid pricers coming off injuries. As always when
Supercoach pages post their teams, don’t just copy it. This is my team, and where is the fun
if you just copy it? But one thing’s for sure. You won’t have seen a more complete and sexier
midfield than The Bull’s. Enjoy!

Defenders

In 2018, my defensive structure is 3-1-4, and I plan on going in heavy down back with 3
premiums for one reason. DEFENDERS ARE ALWAYS RELIABLE. I can only think of a couple of
instances where I have been burnt by premium defenders, one being last year with Heath
Shaw, and the other being Nick Malceski in his GCS era. Boy what a ride that was.
At D1 I have the Uber consistent Rory Laird. I started him last year and I was happy all season.
He is the crows go to off half back and will score 90+ most weeks. Brodie Smith is still injured
and they just lost Jake Lever, meaning Gibbs may play off the half back, however don’t let this
sway you from Laird. He will still be the go to man down back for the Crows in 2018.
Kade Simpson is at D2 for me currently. I’m not a huge fan, but I am a believer. Boris Enright
did it so why can’t Simmo? He hasn’t gone under 90 since he was born in the 1800s, and with
Docherty going down it only strengthens his case. Carlton love piss farting around the half
back, so look for Simpson to get in on the action. Always a strong starter vs Richmond!
At D3 I have gone with Jake Lloyd. He was on my watch list last pre-season after finishing
strong in 2016, and he took his game up a notch in 2017. I jumped on board post-concussion
and was very happy with my decision. He is under-priced for mine, and should be around
500K. McVeigh is getting older, so guys like Newman and Lloyd are the future across the half
back for Sydney. Sydney have a tough draw to start, but they have proven time and time again
they are one of the best teams under pressure.
D4 I have gone with Grant Birchall. Many years ago, Grant was somewhat of a Premium and
you could grab him for around 450K at D5 or D6 to round out your side. Look for him to come
back stronger than ever in 2018. I think a lot of people wrote the hawks off quite early last
year, but remember they lost Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis, two guns. With several key
players coming back into the fold I think the Hawks will be more competitive in 2018!
I sign off down back with 4 stock standard rookies. They may change slightly, but for now The
Bull will wait and see. Ballenden privides a Key DPP link to the Forward Line.
 Rucks

Pretty stock standard ruck set up in 2018 for The Bull. I am currently going into the JLT with
Gawn at R1 and Nic Nat at R2. I think they both pick themselves. So I won’t go into too much
depth here. The only other options worth considering in 2018 are Kreuzer, Ryder, Jacobs and
Goldstein. No one else really tickles my fancy. If a 200k ruckman can get up round 1 and play
minutes, it may be worth having look. Using Witts 2017 for example, he actually was a decent
scorer and taught us all a valuable lesson. Don’t underestimate the importance of the
Ruckman!

Forwards

Probably the line I am most nervous about in 2018, as no one really jumps out at me! I have
gone with my gut here and selected a 2-2-4 set up, which I believe will be popular heading
into 2018.
F1 is currently Isaac Heeney. He has just had minor surgery, but if you follow his Instagram he
is doing backflips off a boat at sea. Looks alright to me. Will only get better as he ages, and in
2018 he turns 11! (Come on Bull… You’re better than that). He is the 3rd most expensive
forward available, but one to consider given he will play mid and rotate up forward.
F2 I have gone with Luke Dahlhaus. His 2017 was one to forget, but if he can find his 2016
form again he picks himself. I feel he will be overlooked because of how poor the Doggies
were in 2017, but I forsee him being at worst a top 8 forward so I am going to slot him in for
now. Toby Green is a close second, but he needs to pull his head out from his ass.
F3 and F4 are both popular picks from what I have gathered. Christensen and Bennell are both
coming on 2 seasons of injuries, but all reports say they are tracking well. We saw glimpses of
Bennell at the end of 2017, and I think both will average 85+, meaning they are perfect
stepping stones to someone like Robbie Gray or Michael Barlow in Round 11 (Go and read
my Buyer Beware article which discussed the Round 10 Bye in more depth).
I finish with 4 rookies, of which I would like to highlight 2 have DPP swing into the Midfield.
Having DPP links is useful, and you can utilise no playing players across multipe lines to get
the best posssible score.
 Midfield

The Bulls Midfield is probably getting you sweaty just thinking about it. Don’t worry, that’s
normal. The Bull has opted to go hard in the Midfield in 2018, selecting 6 Elite Midfielders
with no mid pricers and 5 rookies. It’s a risky strategy, but one which I am prepared for.
M1 and M2 speak for themselves, both should be locked away in 50% of teams coming into
2018. If you don’t own them RD 1 you’re gonna have a bad time, so don’t fall behind the pack!
M3 I have selected Tom Mitchell, after what proved to be a strong 1st season at Hawthorn.
He was a ball magnet, however I see his output dipping slightly in 2018. The return of other
key payers will mean the Hawks are pushing more teams for 4 quarters. Titch will be a top 8
mid, and it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
M4 & M5 I am predicting a changing of the guard, and I have selected Matt Crouch and Zach
Merrett. Both accumulators of the pill, and both in sides pushing for finals glory. They were
both pretty consistent in 2017, and I look at them now and feel they can be trusted as starting
midfielders. I also like Zorko as a POD, and may swap one out for Zorko, but for now I am
sitting with the pair.
M6 Is none other than Nat Fyfe. Not even gonna bother here just pick the bloody jet!
My 5 rookies are stock standard. Only one which I may change out is Wigg, but for now he is
on my bench purely begause he hides my baldness… (Again Bull… You’re better than that!)

Overall Team
Well There you have it. The Bull’s 2018 Pre JLT side. There are 13 premium keepers in total,
and 3 mid pricers, all of which have the potential to be cheap upgrades to premiums come
the byes. The only thing left to nail is the rookies, however in time they will appear before us.
We can pencil in a couple of names already, but for now we wait until the JLT series
commences. If we can get 2 102K rookies we are laughing as we will have an extra 30-40K to
strengthen our teams, so fingers crossed we can get some luck.

I only have $3,700 left in the bank. Should I be concerned? Probably, but for the time being I
am content. It has taken a lot of planning, reading and reasearch to create what is probably
my 500th draft, but so far I feel I am well equipped for 2018.

Anyone that wishes to have their team reviewed, make sure you DM The Bull or Tweet
The Bull a picture of your side! The Bull is happy to answer any questions you may have.