Wowee! What a contest we were treated to on a Friday night with these two highly fancied teams. I think both see themselves as genuine premiership contenders and will be around the mark come September. The game was played at a breakneck pace and by the end of the night it was the Lions who got up by a straight kick.
Final Score
Bulldogs 11.14 80
Lions 12.14 86
Let’s get in to the all important fantasy review!
Bulldogs
Macrae (143) – Gun. The man just knows how to fantasy! Disposals, cheap +6’s, tackles, does it all. Walk up captain option each week and will be firmly entrenched in many squads at M1/M2.
Treloar (108) – The big question mark hanging over Treloar is the uncertainty around his role when Libba is in the team… There’s little doubt Libba (who didn’t play Friday night) walks straight back in to the dogs midfield – they clearly rate his inside grunt work and defensive work ethic! At times tonight, we were treated to vintage Treloar, breaking away from stoppages and hitting the scoreboard with 2 goals. He had 18/28 (69%) CBA’s. I’m still so torn… clearly if the midfield role is there, he will score well! Can be snapped up as a forward for $731K.
Bont (107) – Just the Bont doing Bont things. Will be great again this season. Can he elevate again and push for a top 8-10 midfield position?
Dunkley (105) – A team high 21/26 (81%) CBA’s bodes well for a predominant midfield role for Dunkley. He cracked in hard around the contest and got on the outside with a couple cheeky +6’s. I think the midfield role is safer than his mate Treloar’s. We know what he is capable of when playing that pure mid role – he averaged a monstrous 115.5 points in his first six games prior to injury in round 6 last season. Can be selected as a forward at $767K.
McComb (34) – $190K mid who came on in the second half, playing 39% time on ground. Found a bit of the footy but looked a little off the pace and turned it over a few times. Not sure if he has done enough to play round 1.
Notable Omissions: Tom Liberatore, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Josh Baroooose
Lions
Neale (106) – Put to bed any concern of a role change with a team high 23 CBAs (88%). Not sure we can get him much cheaper at $792K. As a fantasy fanatic, watching his cheap +12 in the last minute of the game bought a tear to my eye :’). The same cannot be said for his mate Jarryd Lyons. He still managed to find his way to 81 from 75% time on ground but the lack of CBAs (only 8/26 or 30%) has to be a concern for a guy priced at 117 ($982K). This was even with Rayner out of the side. His time in the middle of the ground may suffer as a result of coach Chris Fagan looking to the next wave of young Lions to take their engine room to the next level.
McLuggage (94) – Speaking of young gun Lions… another solid outing from McLuggage who managed 54% CBA’s and played 81% time on ground. I don’t think Luggage has the ceiling yet to complete for a top 8-10 midfield spot, but would love to be proven wrong! For the record McLuggage managed only two 120+ scores in 2021.
Berry (86) – Another who looks set to benefit from more midfield time. Managed 16/26 (62%) CBA’s. At $725K however, I can’t justify it… he has not averaged over 80 in any of his five seasons in the AFL. No doubt someone will take the punt, however! Also keep in mind Rayner was missing from the squad, who is primed to take on more midfield minutes.
Rich (69) – Standard Rich, 18 disposals of which 17 were kicks. Racked up some easy points with bulk kick-ins and unsurprisingly they love the ball in his hands with that lethal left boot. This is music to Fantasy coaches ears! Called it a night at 3-qtr time with 62% time on ground.
Bailey (63) – No doubt this kid is a gun, but does he have the fantasy game to justify selection in your squad? Based on last night’s performance, I think he is wayyy too dangerous forward of centre to be used predominantly as a midfielder. He snagged two elite goals in Q3 and had a heap of score involvements, showing off his attacking prowess. I see him as that 15-20 disposal impact player more so than an accumulator of 25-30 disposals. He’ll be great for the Lions this year but this may not necessarily translate into elite fantasy scoring… He still managed 16/26 (62%) CBA’s and 80% time on ground so the intention is there from coach Chris Fagan to inject Bailey into the midfield.
Coleman (34) – Was looking good playing off half-back until a hamstring injury bought his night to a premature end, only playing 30% time on ground. Took a couple of kick-ins and linked up with a lot of handball receives. I don’t think he would be afforded this sort of freedom come the season proper. However, they seem to like the ball in his hands with his composure and clean disposal. This injury is a real setback for Coleman who had put together a good preseason (then again, who hasn’t!). At this point, coach Chris Fagan has stated it is “too early to assess…” the severity of the injury but I’d say he’d be struggling to get up for round 1 in a couple weeks time.
Notable Omissions: Cam Rayner, Zayne Dorko
Who else was on your watchlist in this game? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Cheers legends,
Fantasy Fanatic #70
Fantasy Fanatic 
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