Former Demon Brent Moloney will be looking for a fresh start - and better form - at Brisbane
Photo: Getty Images
2013 position: midfielder
2013 price: $309,800*
Bye: round 11
Last year's average: 60.3
Last year's high score: 90
Four reasons to have him in your team
1) Moloney is very good value for what he can potentially provide to your Dream Team line-up. For example, your midfield options around a similar price point include fellow Lions James Polkinghorne and Andrew Raines, Essendon's Heath Hocking and Carlton's Tom Bell. Moloney is far more likely to deliver than any of that quartet.
2) At 29, he is a mature recruit who should play 22 games barring injury. Having been specifically targeted by the Lions under free agency, he will fit more easily into Michael Voss's plans than he did in Mark Neeld's revamped vision for the struggling Demons.
3) He is capable of big scores. In 2011, Moloney averaged a solid 88 from 22 games, with nine scores over 100 and a top score of 136. Also keep in mind that the 2011 Demons only won 8.5 games and the improving Lions should exceed that tally this year, providing more opportunities for midfielders to fill their boots.
4) While Moloney is coming off a poor final year at the Demons, he is fit, strong and most importantly, an inside midfielder who will earn a lot of points from tackling. While his teammates in the engine room, Jack Redden and Simon Black, will likely score more heavily, Moloney's style of play ensures he will remain in the game even if he's not winning heaps of the footy.
The downside?
As footy gets quicker and quicker, Moloney remains one-paced - and that pace isn't terribly quick. One of the knocks on his last season at Melbourne was his inability to get to enough midfield contests as the game wore on and it will be interesting to see if Brisbane's game style suits him better.
Although Moloney has been relatively robust in recent years, memories of his injury blighted 2006-08 seasons linger. He managed just 25 of a possible 66 games in those three years as groin problems and related complaints hampered his fitness. He isn't getting any younger and soft tissue injuries can become more of a risk for those approaching 30.
Risk rating: Beamer isn't a Dream Team star by any stretch and he is an unknown quantity at his new club. However, as a medium risk-high reward proposition, there are few more attractive midfielders in this moderate price band. Unlike most of the run-with players commonly found around the $300k mark, Moloney has the potential to deliver big scores and big profits. If you are happy to potentially burn a trade after the first months should Moloney prove a bust in Brisbane, he's worth the risk. Three Alan Didaks.