Week Four: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $657,500
FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - $1,247,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,220,000
LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - $1,172,500

LF Rocky Elsom (AUS) - $1,237,500
LF David Pocock (AUS) - $1,042,500

HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,177,500
HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - $1,332,500

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,335,000
CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,242,500

OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,220,000
OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - $1,250,000

Team Value: $14,135,000
Cash in Bank: $845,850

Bloody disaster! Those are the words that best describe my situation this week. I only had enough trades to sell my Springboks leaving my team still carrying Cooper (suspended) and Faingaa (benched). After a promising beginning to the competition, this week is going to be very, very painful...

I made the obvious replacement by drafting in Mealamu for Steenkamp. I have my fingers firmly crossed for an injury to Stephen Moore and an early introduction for Faingaa... but I'm not hopeful.

In the locks, I have an all-Wallaby pairing after swapping Matfield for Mumm. It's hard to make a call after just one game, but both Sharpe and Mumm seem to have the scoring edge over their All Black counterparts.

Carter seemed like the natural replacement for Steyn but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gone for Genia as the scrum-halves are having an amazing tournament thus far and the Wallaby number nine is the competition's best scorer. Too late now. Again, I can only pray for an injury to Genia that might level the playing field for me (heartless, I know).

I made the obvious changes among the backs, bringing in the reliable Nonu and Muliaina. I gambled and bought all my ABs as soon as the last round locked so my only hope, and it's a very faint one, is that maybe some of my competitors weren't able to afford all the 'big guns' once their price began to rise.

Good luck everyone!