Who Comes In for Rozee? Dan Houston, Tom Stewart, or Hold

Another one. Round 2 was brutal.

Petracca hamstring. Gulden soft tissue. Marshall ankle. Phillipou. And now Rozee — soft tissue, timeline unclear but trending multi-week. The coaches who finished Round 2 unscathed were the exception, not the rule.

The Rozee replacement debate has 25+ comments on Reddit alone and no clean consensus. Here's where things actually land.

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The Three Options

Option 1: Dan Houston (~$431k, DEF)

Houston is the most-talked-about replacement. He's a Collingwood defender who, at his best, is a top-3 scorer at the position. The attraction:

The case for Houston:

• Cash-positive trade vs Rozee — frees ~$137k that you can stack toward Bont or another upgrade
• DEF eligibility gives defensive line depth
• At $431k, he's priced as a mid-ranger, not a premium — if he scores like a premium, he rises fast
• Collingwood reportedly working to get him more involved in distribution, not less

The case against:

• Role uncertainty is real. He's coming off a year where his scoring was inconsistent. "Is Dan Houston back or is it likely a trap?" is a legitimate question, not a strawman.
• His scoring can disappear in games where Collingwood's defensive structure is dominant — that makes him more matchup-dependent than a true set-and-forget premium
• One coach: "I wouldn't — Moore and Howe will be back and his role might go back to last year"

Verdict: Houston is the right trade if you need the cash differential for another upgrade. He's speculative, but the price justifies the risk. If he scores 90+ in Round 3, the conversation ends.

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Option 2: Tom Stewart (~$500k, DEF)

Stewart is the conservative pick. Geelong's defensive stalwart. Known scorer. Had his bye already — that's the key detail.

The case for Stewart:

• Breakeven of ~50 after his bye. His price should rise
• No bye concerns — he's available immediately and for the medium term
• More proven premium DEF than Houston — lower variance scorer
• Multiple coaches specifically flagged him as the better option: "Tom Stewart has a break even of 50-odd and has just had his bye. No brainer at $500k imo"

The case against:

• More expensive than Houston — frees less cash vs Rozee (~$68k)
• If your cash situation is tight and you need that extra $68k for another trade, Stewart is the wrong choice
• His ceiling is lower than Houston's — if Houston fires, he's more cash-gen. Stewart is safer but less exciting

Verdict: Stewart is the right trade if you're happy paying up for certainty and don't need the extra cash differential. Lower risk, lower upside, still a solid pick.

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Option 3: Zorko / Mid-rangere (~$350-450k)

A number of coaches went sideways to Zorko or other mid-range options. The logic: trade Rozee's cash into something cheap, bank the rest, use the savings to fund Bont in a fortnight.

The case for this:

• If you're targeting Bont and need every dollar to make it work, a partial downgrade + savings can unlock a premium trade in 1-2 weeks
• Zorko is a genuine DPP option with recent form

The case against:

• You're using a trade for a player who's not a keeper — that trade could come back to haunt you by Round 10
• Rozee cash → Zorko then Zorko → something else is two trades for one outcome

Verdict: Only makes sense if you have a clear plan for what those savings fund, and you're executing that plan within 1-2 rounds.

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Option 4: Hold

When holding makes sense:

• Timeline is genuinely unclear (1-2 weeks vs 4+ weeks — a massive difference)
• You've already burned trades this round on Gulden/Trac/others
• You have a rookie or mid-pricer covering the forward spot adequately
• Your trade count is under 20 and you can't afford to trade back later

When holding doesn't make sense:

• Timeline is confirmed as 4+ weeks
• Rozee's spot is producing zero or emergency scores
• You have a clear trade target and the cash to execute

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The Cash Equation: Why Houston Before Bont Works

Several coaches mapped this out explicitly, and it's worth showing the logic:

1. Trade Rozee ($568k) → Houston ($431k) = free $137k cash
2. Stack rookies for 2-3 rounds = another $50-80k generated
3. Trade a low-value mid-priced player → Bont ($706,800)

The Rozee cash doesn't directly buy Bont. But it's the domino that makes Bont possible without sacrificing your team structure. Houston holds value in DEF while your cash pool grows.

Coaches who went Trac → Xerri AND Rozee → Houston are now sitting on a solved ruck spot plus growing cash reserves. That's a strong position heading into the bye rounds.

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The Decision

Go Houston if: You need the cash differential, you're targeting Bont, and you accept the role risk.

Go Stewart if: You want certainty, you don't need the extra $68k, and you want a set-and-forget DEF premium.

Hold if: The timeline is genuinely unclear, your trade count is stretched, or you have no compelling target.

Go mid-ranger if: You have a specific plan that requires the cash in 1-2 rounds. Not otherwise.

The coaches who make the right call here aren't guessing — they're running the numbers on their specific cash position, trade count, and upgrade targets. Do the same.