Week Seven: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Bismarck du Plessis (SHK) - $1,445,000
FR Keven Mealamu (BLU) - $1,362,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (FOR) - $1,195,000
LK Andries Bekker (STM) - $1,245,000

LF Willem Alberts (SHK) - $1,087,500
LF Adam Thomson (HGH) - $1,302,500

HV Michael Harris (RED) - $492,500
HV Quade Cooper (RED) - $1,250,000

CT Matt Giteau (BRM) - $1,287,500

CT James O'Connor (FOR) - $1,347,500

OB Kade Poki (HGH) - $885,000
OB Isaia Toe'ava (BLU) - $1,260,000

Team Value: $14,160,000
Cash in Bank: $848,750

Another bad round for me last week with usually trustworthy players like Toe'ava and Spies making only double figures. My league and world rankings have never been so grim so I've taken a couple of gambles this week.

The reinstatement of Adam Thomson is most definitely not a gamble. He's one of the "must have" players of this year's comp. Luckily I bought him as soon as the round locked last week and before his price sky-rocketed.

One of my risky moves in the halves where I'm fielding an all-Reds combination. Cooper's been performing reasonably well in the last couple of rounds and I've paired him with newcomer Mike Harris, who has been absolutely electric in his cameos thus far. I'm banking on him having a blinder in his first start and despite the Lions showing a lot of heart this season in theory this Reds team could and should rip them apart.

In the centres I picked Matt Giteau. It's quite sad to see the aimless Brumbies in action these days but their wounds are self-inflicted so I don't feel too bad. Despite their woes, Giteau has consistently earned great points and I'm counting on him to do so again against a determined Highlanders outfit.

In the backs I replaced Cory Jane (who stood out as particularly awful in a generally awful team, which is some kind of achievement I suppose) with Kade Poki. The Highlanders' flyer had a couple of sensational rounds before his injury so I'm gambling on him repeating his heroic feats this weekend.

Lots of teams on byes next weekend - Blues, Chiefs and Rebels - so remember to sell any of these players as soon as the round locks. Next week will also see the return of the all-conquering Crusaders so buy SBW and his buddies while their price is low.

Good luck everyone!

Best Players After Round Six

With the first few rounds of the competition over, now seems like a good time to look at the best performing players in each position, based on the only stat that really matters - a player's average score.

TOP 5 FRONT ROWS

Keven Mealamu (BLU) - 368

Bismarck du Plessis (SHK) - 352

Deon Fourie (STM) - 309

Ged Robinson (REB) - 307

Stephen Moore (BRM) - 278

It's no surprise for seasoned Test Rugby competitors to see Mealamu and du Plessis battling out at the top of the front rows but the prominence of Fourie and Robinson and the absence of the usual suspects like Polatu-Nau, Faingaa, Hore, etc. is a surprise.

TOP 5 LOCKS

Franco van der Merwe (LIO) - 219

Sam Whitelock (CRU) - 218

Nathan Sharpe (FOR) - 217

Victor Matfield (BUL) - 205

Andries Bekker (STM) - 200

There's only a point separating the top three performers here. Van der Merwe is the unexpected name among this bunch. As the competition progresses I'd expect to see Bekker climb the rankings in the coming weeks but he's a pretty subdued point scoring start to the season by his normally high standard.

TOP 5 LOOSIES

Adam Thomson (HGH) - 419

Willem Alberts (SHK) - 302

Victor Vito (HUR) - 299

Nasi Manu (HGH) - 296

Joshua Strauss (LIO) - 273

Adam Thomson is in a class of his own among the loosies. Again, it's surprising to see the names that are missing (Read, Spies, Vermeulen, etc.) allowing the unheralded but hard-working likes of Alberts, Vito, Nanu and Strauss to make their presence felt.

TOP 5 HALVES

Patrick Lambie (SHK) - 348

Daniel Carter (CRU) - 334

Peter Grant (STM) - 312

Will Genia (RED) - 310

Quade Cooper (RED) - 280

It's been a funny season for the halves. Usually one of the highest scoring positions they've been lagging behind of late, getting outscored by everyone except the lowly locks. Lambie's the standout so far but the leaders are grouped pretty tightly so that could change very quickly.

TOP 5 CENTRES

Sonny Bill Williams (CRU) - 482

Matt Giteau (BRM) - 391

James O'Connor (FOR) - 370

Robert Fruean (CRU) - 358

Doppies la Grange (LIO) - 271

In the centres, there's Sonny Bill Williams and then there's everyone else as he leads the position by a huge margin. Giteau and O'Connor are fighting it out behind him - and interestingly if these players were listed as halves (where they play) they'd both be at the top of the pile there. Fruean's proved to be one of the best bargain TR buys of all time and the hard grafting la Grange brings up the rear.

TOP 5 OUTSIDE BACKS

Kade Poki (HGH) - 485

Sean Maitland (CRU) - 387

Israel Dagg (CRU) - 367

Pat McCabe (BRM) - 350

Zac Guildford (CRU) - 315

A couple of outstanding rounds sees Kade Poki dominate the backs. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep it up once he returns to the fray. Maitland, Guildford and Dagg make their presence felt and Test Rugby players could do a lot worse than field an entire Crusaders backline.