Dream Team farmers, it's time to go to market.
Two of this season's best cash cows, Melbourne middie
Ricky Petterd and turbo-boosted Essendon forward
Alwyn Davey, are on their respective clubs' long-term injury lists after serious ouchness struck in round 14.
Dees doctors reckon Petterd was only minutes away from death after he suffered a collapsed lung in Sunday's match against Carlton. They say he's a slight chance to play again this year, but I wouldn't be holding your breath (ED: unassailable leader for worst pun of the year). If you got on him before his third game (and subsequent price rises), Petterd would have made you about $120,000.
Davey, meanwhile, would've netted you a nifty $150,000 if you had him from week one to last weekend, when he snapped his arm. He's due to miss 8-10 weeks.
Trades will be dictated by the needs of each team, of course, but there'll be a fair buch out there looking to upgrade Petterd to one of the bevy of prime-movers currently at bargain-basement prices.
Scottie West has dropped to $330k (but wait for his injury verdict first),
Nick Dal Santo's still around the $300k-mark,
Kane Cornes is at $375k with a breakeven of 200-plus,
Heath Scotland costs about $325k and
Simon Black's a steal at $275k (just don't tell Chopper you brought him in).
Even DT points leader
Jimmy Bartel has dropped under $400,000 for the first time in yonks after injury cruelled his efforts in the past two weeks. He needs a Jason Dunstall-like score of 226 to breakeven this week, though, so it'll pay to bide our time.
Finally, you'll need to bench
Daniel Kerr,
Dustin Fletcher and
Mark McVeigh this week after the tribunal tonight handed them all one-game bans.
Merv Gray.