Coaches will be buoyed by a generally high-scoring round off the back of the byes! We still had plenty of carnage to deal with and as always, studs and duds to pump up and tear shreds off. Astute coaches will be down to 0-2 rooks left on the field and pulling away from the pack!

15 down, 8 to go… Time for the Weekend That Was!

Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions

Studs

McCluggage (136) – Bang! Takes Hugh’s 3 round average to a huuuughhhe 123. Finally coaches are starting to get some reward for holding the man.

Jackson (125) –

Rich (112) – 21 points from the opposition tells you everything you need to know… bulk kick-ins = bulk cheap points!

Petracca (107) – Ah, thats better Christian! Patience is a virtue for Tracca owners as he notched his first ton in four outings. Could be the catalyst for some massive scores to come!

Duds

Neale (79) – Wow… Imagine that! Sending a player (Harmes) to the most damaging opposing midfielder actually worked – what are the chances?! Has been awesome this season but surely this is the blueprint!

Salem (61) – Some coaches would have looked at Salem given his “discounted” price and Zorko out… Hopefully you didn’t go through with it! Did come off with a knee complaint early in Q2 which most likely hindered him as he battled on.

Tunstill (31) – Hopefully no one jumped on…

Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn

Studs

Bont (118) – Vintage Bont. When the game was there for the taking and the momentum swung the dogs way, the Bont stood out like dogs balls! Ludicrous to think coaches can select him as a forward!

Libba (110) – More contested possessions than he has tattoos! Incredible effort given all the eye sores tacked to his body!

Moore (105) – Criminally under-rated season Dyl Moore is putting together! Takes his season average to 90 after averaging 70 last season. You suspect he will be a fan-favourite for years to come.

MacDonald (67) – Top score of the season… Of course he just happens to be a unique in one of my match-ups. Go figure!

Duds

Mitchell (81) – In pig-terms, certainly not the premium bacon we were once accustomed to… More like your cheap ‘Woolworths Select’ knock off at present! You can see why coaches were enticed but fair to say he is now some way back in that midfield pecking order…

Treloar (77) –

Blonck Blanck (35) – Shoots a Blanck on debut for coaches brainless enough to run with him.

Weightman (6) – 1 kick, 1 mark, 1 properly functioning elbow. Doggies virtually playing with 17 on the field for 76% of the game…

West Coast vs Essendon

Studs

Merrett (118) – That’s better Zac! Beefed up his 28 touches with 6 marks and 6 tackles! Patient coaches will be well pleased – anyone go the sneaky VC loop?

Alpha Martin (89) – Incredible to think this man had been overlooked in multiple national drafts… He just keeps getting it done and from a fantasy perspective, is a big challenger to Daicos for rook of the year!

Duds

Kelly (54) – Kelly did his very best once again to follow the “#1 draft pick at all costs” gameplan… A pity his team mates showed some semblance of ticker!

Hobbs (29) – Was awesome during the byes but gee, this performance was as cold as the nude swimmers’ bits at the winter solstice swim… Time to say thank you and part ways with Benny, he has well and truly done his job!

Carlton vs Freo

Studs

Doch (121) – This is most probably the easiest 121 I have ever seen in my life… Multiple times Doch buttered up for the easiest of +12’s… I’d even back Plowman to not f*ck it up! What coaches dream of!

Walsh (120) –

Brodie (117) – Fully extracting piss. Just another lazy 36 disposals for W.Brodie in a losing effort. Those who didn’t start with him will be kicking the cat!

Duds

Cripps (86) – Meh. 5 game average of 92 – Meh. At this stage it’s not a must trade but 38% of the comp will be expecting more!

Brayshaw (80) – Bahahaha! To the fantasy community, I sincerely apologise. I traded Bray in this week (about 14 weeks too late!) and he proceeds to dish up a season worst performance… Standard stuff from yours truly!

Durdin (25) – Please tell me that no one owns him anymore… Small forward is a tough gig from a Fantasy perspective and it has shown in multiple sub-40 scores!

Geelong vs Richmond

Studs

Guthrie (111) – Now here’s a guy who has lifted in recent times… Takes his 5 round average to a sweet 115! Those who jumped on a few weeks ago would be cock-a-hoop!

Stewart (106) – Probably won the game for Geelong with his elite last quarter… Not to mention when he ran past the ball to send Prestia into next week! Nice score but ta-da for 4-6 weeks Tommy.

Short (104) – Better Shorty! Fun fact: In the last two weeks, Shorty has had 46 disposals. 42 of those were kicks! High kick:handball ratio is a recipe for success.

Duncan (103) – ayyyyyyy *bronx cheer*, finally converts his usual elite start (30 pts halfway through Q1) into a ton! Must have jumped on the Revitive at HT with Alf Stewart!

Baker (92) – Not hugely fantasy relevant but deserves a shoutout – anyone watching the game can appreciate how good he was! Really sets the standard for the Tiges and got them going with some brilliant defensive acts (unfortunately for 0 fantasy points!) when the chips were down…

Duds

Clarke (23) – Gee whiz. Barely covered his breakeven (14) did the kid named Judson! Utility at best… not even commanding a spot at F8 at this point!

Gibcus (10) –

Sydney vs St Kilda

Studs

Lloyd (141) – Thank f*ck for that Jakey! Looked up for it tonight and when it was all said and done had racked up a monstrous 39 touches and 9 marks. Incredibly, only takes his season average to 89… Patient coaches will be looking for more of the same.

Steele (124) – Back like he never left. Legend in every sense of the word!

Windhager (72) – This was reeeeaaalllly handy for those coaches who have held on to Windy and even nicer for those still fielding… Borderline kissed you’d say!

Duds

Sinclair (72) – Had some crackpot named Clarke running around with him for most of the game… rumour is Sincs was followed to the shitters at HT! I’d say a little worrying for coaches given how influential Sincs has been for the Saints – could it be the blueprint for rivals?

Heeney (71) – Needed 3 goals to get to 71… Mid-time is nowhere near what it needs to be! It’d be a luxury but you can understand why coaches may be looking to pull the trigger.

Gresham (69) – Uncharacteristically quiet from the pint sized mid/fwd… could probably say the same for another 15-18 Saints on the night!

Norf vs Crom

Studs

Laird (129) – Had opponents hanging off him left, right and centre all day so what does Laird do? Tackle them to death. 11 tackles to go with the usual 34 touches. Gun. Top-8 mid, no question.

Hall (124) – 30 kicks?! Junked up all day taking kick-ins and just launching the ball as far away as possible from Crom’s goal. Heavily under-priced and a definite upgrade target from Daicos!

Dawson (120) – Soft match-up and didn’t Daws cash in?! 29 touches and 7 marks – borderline essential now with the soft draw to come!

Keays (110) – Much better Benny! Could this score be the turning point for Keays (pardon the pun!)? Crom still have another game vs Norf and West Coast… Tempting at <$800K!

ROB (104) – ROB roulette continues with a second ton in four weeks… Not bad for those who ordered Tim English on wish and got this bloke!

Duds

Anderson (57) – Ran around for 120 minutes and did the equivalent of point at clouds… Was always around the footy but never actually did anything of substance! Fair to say this experiment is unravelling for coaches who jumped on a few weeks ago!

Parnell (24) –

Thomas (17) – Hopefully is doing okay following the passing of his Nan but Taz looked completely disinterested out there. I’d be to if the game plan was to tank to the #1 draft pick. Dare I say it, back to the magoos again for Tarryn. Any of the 12 Norf fans worldwide disagree?

Collingwood vs GWS

Studs

Cogs (129) – Wowee. Cogs either really hates Leon Cameron or really loves Mark McVeigh… or both! Since McVeigh has taken the reigns, Cogs averages a bonkers 118! In all seriousness, it comes to down Cogs being played in his preferred position, he is a natural midfielder and coaches are reaping the rewards!

Himmelberg (117) –

Kelly (116) – The message was simple for coaches: Keep calm and back him in. Viola!

Big Cammo (111) – The writing was on the wall for Cammo to go big with both Flynn and Goose out for GWS… His marking has been a real feature since taking on that #1 ruck role. Grundy who?

Duds

Crisp (69) – Yeah so pretty sh*t score from Crisp… but given he had a run of 7 straight tons we can’t be throwing the baby out of the bathwater here!

Daicos (66) – Whisper has been nothing short of outstanding for coaches but I think now is the time to say our thanks and move on! At $655K, it won’t take much to get him to a premo.

Taranto (56) – Looked every bit like he had missed the past month… borderline butterfingers with his ball handling and was clearly frustrated playing most of the game at half-forward! We know what he is capable of and you can’t deny the value is there at $746K!

Port Adelaide vs Gold Coast Suns

Studs

Miller (127) – Stud in every sense of the word. Even had Ed Sheeran (Willem Drew) for company in Q3 and Q4 which slowed him a little… Could’ve been 140+!

Witts (122) – Who would’ve thought? Rucking against a GWS reject and a macho clown with texta scribbled all over his rig… Doubled Port’s hitouts alone!

Houston (116) – Classic Dan. Backs up a 70 with a big ton! Part and parcel of owning the guy… Takes his season average to 96 so if you’re one that can take the good with the utterly crud, you could do it?

Duds

Wines (85) – Okay so it’s not panic stations but coaches didn’t recruit you to deliver mediocrity, Ollie! Be better.

Graham (21) – Big yikes… If you are still in a position where you are fielding a spud like this, I have 0 sympathy!

The Juggernaut Review

2243. Contrary to popular (and logical!) belief, that is not a typo! Finally got some guys who’ve decided they’ve had enough taking the piss and actually pulled their fingers out… Nice to see a couple of my UNIQUES get amongst it!

• Lloyd – 141 (10% ownership)
• Merrett – 118 (9% ownership)
• Duncan – 103 (9% ownership)

The only thing that could’ve made Lllllloooooyd’s 141 better is if BT was calling it!

It is usually about this point in the season where the good are separated from the best! If you are playing any rooks (other than Daicos and Alpha Martin) you will be struggling to keep up. This is where picking value can bridge that gap! Think guys like Aaron Hall ($761K), Benny Keays ($778K) and even a Tim Taranto (currently $746K) when he decides to lift. If you are in a position where you can start luxury trading, make sure you keep a close eye on the fixture and don’t dick around – get players who are in the top 6-10 in their position!

Thanks again legends and share how you went in the comments!

Yours in Fantasy,

Fantasy Fanatic #70