ElijahCraigHyde
OzCardTrader
Common cards:
Must say I really do think it's a good design for a common base set - the paint brush spill is effective and predominant white background makes it useful for you to acquire IP signatures. Overall top design considering live background shots are now something of the past.
Holifoils:
Yes an excellent concept to use as the parallel for series I - like the way Select have used different players from the commons and hereby that technically disqualifies this subset from being a parallel however most collectors I'm assuming would still treat this as a para concept lol and the rainbow design is certaily original and certainly different from the same old same old from previous years.
Now I just hope for sereis II this year, Select will adapt the same concept by using different players on the paras to the commons but instead vise-versa - low profiles players on commons and high profiles on the paras and perhaps just 9 players per club making incoming concept known as Certified 700
Footy stand-ups:
This back end concept is clearly for the kids and adults collectors like me only find them handy to add to IP sub PCs of ya collection and it's fair to say un-popped cards of this subset might hold a little bit of value lol in future should this concept be just a 1-off
A-Graders:
Wow! Not a bad design for an animated concept! Unlike the Starbursts and Firepower from the past, this design is actually appealing to a mature age collector though not to say a mighty winner of course! IMO this concept would not go down that bad in series II should it correspond to this subset by adding another 3 player per club thus replacing Team Leaders or even replacing All-Australian concept by relocating that subset to an outside-pack complementary 1:box inset like they now do in NRL series II releases
Milestones:
Master set collectors would surely be sick to death of this concept continuing into its sixth consecutive running however as an IP sub PC collector they are a highly handy concept to watch upon their progress since making their draft debut. That being there is no reason to ax this traditional concept any time soon IMO
Starbursts:
Can't disagree more this animation concept is not the sexiest card design and is very repelling to many collectors out there. Only credibility this concept has continuing again is the two different variants - different colours to last year also - therefore at the end of the day are some tough and cheek to have in your sub PCs and should this concept correspond for one more years in 2018 Footy Stars, multi-pack search cards should be yellow/gold whilst starter pack comp variant be black
Platinum Stand-ups
On one level the back end variant of this same concept was lame enough but now used as a front-end? C'mon! Main credibility this front end subset has, is that at least cards are individually numbered - otherwise it be a distinct stinker plus not to mention if the Brownlow predictors did not make a return lol.
Bottom line is, I am happy for a second box-search #IN card was a great initiative from Select however for 2018 series I I do hope a Platinum concept like this one will be a stand-alone middle ground card!
Brownlow Predictors:
This release would have been an absolute stinker if it was not for a repeat of this concept however bottom line is I am not extremely impressed - there could have been fewer player - say 3 per team @1:108 packs or even just 2 @1:144 packs if of course the wild card number remained! Secondly instead of 8 player per team, 4 could have been replaced to replacing a Coleman predictive concept.
Overall verdict:
6.5/10 - Yes in hindsight the release is clearly for the kids and those older collecters alike who don't care about the value side of their collections however on the other hand Select could have thrown in a little more tricks of the trade to make this release more appealing to the mature age collector like me but without too much to retract away for the incoming series II release. Had it not been for the return of the Brownlow Predictors, Select would have been very lucky for me to induct the overall rating a five lol.