Year: 2019

Breakeven: Round One
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Read Time:3 Minute, 39 Second

Buy low, Sell high! It’s the age old motto to succeed in Fantasy football of all formats. Every week we discuss the players with the lowest and the highest breakevens.

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Bailey Scott (MID) -20

His JLT series matches showed he was a serious fantasy footballer and he more than delivered on that this week. If you don’t have him in your side, which a surprisingly large amount of coaches don’t, then this is your #1 priority. Plenty of more cash to be made from this cow.

Willem Drew (MID/FWD) -14

Looked awesome through the Power midfield over the weekend attending thirteen centre bounces. With plenty of speculation that Ollie Wines may return as early as this week, we may see a decrease in his midfield moments, but I still expect him to score well. If he wasn’t on your field last week don’t make that mistake again, he’s good enough to be on the ground.

Charlie Constable (MID) -12

For his limited time on the ground, he was still one of the best for the Cats in the midfield. He more than belongs in the Cats best 22 and looks like he’ll be sticking around for many weeks to come. You can place him on the field with confidence.

Lachlan Schultz (FWD) -12

The surprise packet of the round for cash cows given his strong debut efforts. If you’ve nailed the cash cows above and don’t have any midprice picks that need correcting, then you need to be actively looking to find ways to get Schultz into your fantasy side.

Matthew Parker (FWD) -11

Small and key positions forwards will always have a considerable variation in their scoring, especially kids. That said, Parker was fantastic and provided the spark and XFactor the Saints have lacked for many seasons. If he was on the well-done field bank the points if you owned him the good news is you can pocket the cash generation.

Will Powell (FWD) -2

As a junior Will showed, he was a more than a capable midfielder who is capable of winning the ball on the inside but also impacting outside as a midfielder. This week he was allowed to play less of a forward presence and much more time in the middle of the ground. Powell does have a great breakeven given his the price is just over $300K, but I’d think that with only two games in the AFL before this that he’s scored over 50 I wouldn’t have supreme confidence he’d go this well again. I’d instead go right down to a sub $220k option that has a better breakeven.

Corey Wagner (MID) -1

Surprised me that he got named, Corey is just fringe 22 player. With some changes likely after a poor performance against Port Wagner may well be one of the players that makes way.

Sam Walsh (MID) 9

Scored well with an 87 but given the hefty price tag is unlikely to match the cash generation of Scott, Drew, Constable etc. over the next month. That said if you own him you’ll be delighted with the round one returns and Walsh showed just glimpses of just how good a fantasy player and footballer he’ll be for a very long time.

Callum Wilkie (DEF) 10

Has generated $13k for the 12% of coaches that currently own him. Did some nice things in the game and looked to be getting the first crack at replacing Dylan Roberton as the intercepting defender who can also play tall. As a cheap defender with a relatively low breakeven, he could be the move coaches look to use for moving on Sam Collins if they have nothing else to do.

Jack Petruccelle (FWD) 10

Did what was required as a small forward. Has already made coaches $13k, but another few sub 50 games in the next two weeks and he’ll struggle to get his cash generation near $100,000 and his total value over $300,000. If you down have him, I suggest looking for a better option higher on this list.

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While Breakevens are available, given that prices change after three rounds we won’t be publishing the players with the highest or lowest breakevens.

While Breakevens are available, given that prices change after three rounds we won’t be publishing the players with the highest or lowest breakevens.

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Koel Kings: Captains Round One
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Read Time:3 Minute, 18 Second

In season 2019 we thought we’d approach our weekly captaincy articles from a different perspective. Rather than just giving a ‘top 5’ for the formats and explaining reasoning (which we have done previously) we decided to have all past winners (and the person the competition was inspired by of the Nobel Koel (our coach of the year award) to share with you a captaincy and vice-captaincy option for each week.

The difference here with this year’s captaincy advice is they won’t be telling you who is the best captain selections overall or even ranking them, but instead explaining given the players they have available who’ll they will be selecting and why!

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DreamTeam

Tex Huston

Our first year with the rolling lockout gives us some overdue opportunities to get the captaincy right. Round one I’m running with Adam Treloar as my Vice Captain and rolling into Stephen Coniglio as C. I’m running R3 to open up the loophole, so hopefully, I can get my year started with a 120+ score.

Troy Hallam

VC: Patrick Cripps, last year in round one he scored 130 in both scoring formats, but I’ll be happy with 120+. C: I’ve put the armband on the rabbit, Stephen Coniglio. Pumped out 123 against the Bombers last year in a losing side. I think he can take it to the next level this year.

Rus Wit Knee

VC – Starting with Cogs he is a beast inside and will go 30+ disposals first up with a 125+ Captain – Fyfe will start the season with a bang and will enjoy the space in the centre clearances going 140+

Rainman

Macrae had an amazing year last year, and I think 666 suits him. Averaged 115 at Marvel last year and think he starts with a bang. Cogs form and scoring potential through last year and the start of JLT has been nothing short of phenomenal. A worthy back up

Bakas

VC – Brayshaw gets the nod here on the back of a couple of big JLT games. Another that will feature in all 3 formats for the guy that stormed home to finish 3rd in the Brownlow. Captain – Cogs here again to the rescue if required. Will be a popular captain choice for anyone that rolls with him this year.

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SuperCoach

Tex Huston

I am not getting fancy here, playing it simple. Giving Patrick Dangerfield the VC responsibility and will run him into Stephen Coniglio if he falls short. I’m taking on the rucks in week one to see what transpires.

Troy Hallam

VC: I can’t go past Patrick Cripps, as I’m without Dusty in my team. I’ll be looking for 120+ to deploy the loophole. As a captain, I’m expecting Nat Fyfe to be well-rested and to burst out of the blocks against North Sunday night. Fyfe averages 143 against the Roos in his last three.

Rus Wit Knee

Grundy may be a little left of the field as most are looking to go Cripps. But I feel Grundy will start the season with a 140+ against a luck lustre Cats ruck Captain – Gawn up against Port should smash them especially with great kids under his feet. Last year against the Power he got a 140. This year he will start with a 130+

Rainman

Cripps is a beast and is in unbelievable shape. Gotta back him in for the season opener Fyfe will dominate under 666 rules.. has an amazing record against North. Averages 134 over his last 8

Bakas

VC – Can’t go pass Cripps here to start the season off with a bang. Will be a popular VC selection for the potential Brownlow winner. Will lock in 120+ C – Backing Coniglio to continue his JLT form and take his game to another level this year. So much so that he’s a fixture in all 3 formats for the Bakas this year.

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Team Reveal: Rids
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Read Time:56 Second

So after revealing my AFLFantasy side earlier today, plenty of people asked to see my SuperCoach side. So here it is!

The Strategy

I am going super value in the backs until I get a good look at the first month of football with the new rules. I will then start upgrading from there to the guys that impress me the most.

I wanted to go deep again in the mids with guys who are contested focus. Rockliff at m7 does that precisely for me and will give me some scope for flexibility.

I wanted to take on one of Grundy or Gawn. Grundy ended up being the one as he was worth more. It allowed me to get a little deeper in the other lines

Love my forward line. I think all these guys will go well in 2019 in SC. Greene at f5 allows me to focus on the backs to start with. Hopefully, I get a good ride from the mid-price selections.

So! What do you think of the team? Have your say on Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram

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Vital Deadlines
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Read Time:3 Minute, 26 Second

This article is your one-stop shop of the last-minute lockout and key dates leading into the first round of AFL. Please note, All times are in AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

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Wednesday, March 20th

6:30pm (approx.): Carlton & Richmond release their Round 1 teams (22 + 4 emergencies)

You’ll want your AFL Fantasy (AF), Real Dream Team (RDT) SuperCoach (SC) & Ultimate Footy (UF) draft teams all set up and ready to go as best as you can guess at this point, just in case of server/freezing issues closer to Round 1 starting.

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Thursday, March 21st

5:50pm: Carlton & Richmond name any late changes

6:30pm (approx.): Round 1 teams are named for the remaining matches. Sunday games will only be extended benches (St Kilda v Gold Coast, GWS v Essendon, Fremantle v North).

You’ll now have about 50 minutes to update all of your various teams across formats, however most things should only be partial lockout at this point so have a list ready to go of any vital changes you’d have to make before Carlton v Richmond begins (eg if certain rookies are/aren’t selected, if any Carlton or Richmond players are your backups to plug into your team or onto your field etc). Beware of certain formats freezing at this point (UF has been the worst for this in recent years, however people have also had their seasons ruined due to glitches in AF’s programming as well so be careful attempting to change things very close to lockout in that format).

7:20pm: Carlton v Richmond begins:

  1. Partial lockout begins for AF, RDT & SC. All Carlton & Richmond players are now locked. You cannot put the ‘C’, the ‘VC’ or an ‘E’mergency designation onto or off them now. You can’t trade any of them in nor out of your teams. You cannot move them to a new position if they are DPP.
  2. If you’re using the VC or Emergency loophole in AF, you must use players from this game as AF fully locks out from the Friday game (eg put Dusty/Cripps as VC).
  3. Any Ultimate Footy (UF) draft leagues that are locked as of the first game of the round are now fully locked for Round 1.
  4. Any UF leagues that are not locked as of the first game of the round will nonetheless have their Carlton & Richmond players locked.
  5. Beware that in UF there are separate settings for ‘Weekly lineup lockout’ and ‘Weekly signing lockout’. Even if your league has a full/partial rolling lockout for lineups, if its signing lockout is the first game of the round you can’t pick any free agents up at this point (if you do they’ll only be available for Round 2+).

Once the first game has begun, you still have partial lockout in all salary cap formats and still have unlimited trades among the remaining 16 teams’ players.

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Friday, March 22nd

5pm: Final 22’s & emergencies are named for the Sunday games

6:20pm: Collingwood & Geelong announce any late changes

At this point you should be finalising your AF team as it has Round 1, and thus season lockout, once the Friday game starts (at least, according to the AF website).

7:50pm: Collingwood v Geelong starts:

  1. AF is now fully locked out
  2. RDT & SC are full rolling lockout all year (RDT is new to this, SC has long had this) so unlimited trades continue for Round 1, minus Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood & Geelong teams

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Saturday, March 23rd

1:45pm: Melbourne v Port Adelaide starts (the first Saturday game)

  1. This is the important time and date for any UF leagues that have lineup or player signing deadlines as of the first Saturday game

The rest of the rounds’ games will continue on from here, with RDT & SC (and some UF leagues) slowly locking out incrementally as each AFL game begins

Your season is now fully underway – Good luck!

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Team Reveal: Jimmy
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Read Time:1 Minute, 17 Second

While I love drafts more than anything else I wanted to have a crack at SuperCoach and let you have a look at it

Defense

This appears to be the year of the backline cash cow, so I’ve loaded up a bit here. Lloyd anchors the line while Sicily is a high risk / high reward option, but it feels right for me – check the excellent discussion by Benny & MJ in the 50 Most Relevant article on him earlier this preseason if you haven’t already.

Midfield

This seems relatively vanilla as a whole honestly, but I’m comfortable with that and will add some more interesting flavours as the season unfolds. Fyfe breaks the usual rule on not selecting players who didn’t play JLT, but in this format, at that price, I can’t say no. I’ll be nervously awaiting final teams on Sunday afternoon.

Rucks

Debated long and hard on which of the two big rucks to take on and eventually dumped Gawn to keep Grundy. Witts has a dream run to start the season and a late by so his 13 games will – hopefully – limit the damage against Gawn’s 12 before pulling that trigger.

Forward

Danger & Heeney are easy choices at the top end while Greene just represents too much value to ignore. We all know what he’s capable of doing on the field, and it’s not just random acts of violence. As mentioned above I like the backline cows a lot more than the forwards so Darcy Moore gets a run at this end instead.

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Team Reveal: MJ
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Read Time:1 Minute, 55 Second

After months of tweaks, I feel like I’m finally happy with the balance of my side and ready to launch into the 2019 SuperCoach season.

Defenders

I’m anchoring my side with likely one of the best defensive options for the year in Adelaide’s Rory Laird. Both Brodie Smith and Pearce Hanley present value too good to pass on, and with both players having the final bye round I get the opportunity to get 13 games (injury pending of course) from them before deciding whether or not to hold or upgrade them. Jordan Ridley had a strong JLT series and looks like he’ll get an extended shot at it while Marsh and Collins who both have previous AFL experience round out the on-field side. Jordan Clark is still very likely to come in for me but will wait on final teams before locking in my cash cows

Midfield

Locking in the big three midfielders in Fyfe, Macrae and Oliver all are legitimate captaincy options most weeks. Not starting with Cripps could well hurt me but to chase the value of Sloane, Dusty, Crouch & Libba something had to give and sadly it was him.

It’s more midprice selections than I’ve entered the year before, but with my lack of cash cows with job security at a lower price range, I’m looking for innovative ways to generate cash while also score on field points.

Rucks

I think Gawn is more likely to average closer to his 2018 numbers than Grundy, so for me, he gets the R1 position while Sauce Jacobs is the value ruck that gets me to Grundy at some point in the season.

Forward

The Patrick Dangerfield selection needs no explanation, but the pairing of him with Tim Kelly is a recent addition to the side for me. His midfield time in the JLT gave me the confidence that he’s got more growth in him and should be a top 6-8 forward player by seasons end. Toby Greene presents too much value to ignore, while Darcy Moore is one of the biggest steals of the year. In terms of cash cows, the on-field rookies resemble that of most sides.

So! What do you think of the team? Have your say on Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram

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Team Reveal: Rids
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Read Time:1 Minute, 38 Second

I wanted to take a different strategy into AFL Fantasy this year. It is the first time I will be taking this format seriously.

Point One

I wanted to have a deep midfield but also mix it up with guys who have an excellent early draw – Seb Ross (Gold Coast, Ess, Freo and Hawks first 4) as well as guys who I think represent value just under the true premium price tags – Rockliff, B.Crouch and Taranto.

Point 2

I see zero value in Gawn and Grundy from the start, so I wanted to select two guys who I think will minimise the point damage early but also who have the bye after round 13. This way I can upgrade through the byes one if not both of the rucks to make sure I get the best playing 18 I can. I think Jacobs and Witts could match Gawn and Grundy for total points playing an extra game through 13 rounds.

Point 3

The backline is very thin this year. The new rules are a total unknown, and it is an utter guess trying to work out who it favours and doesn’t favour. So instead of guessing, I have decided to load up on the value guys and rookies. I will try and upgrade one by one through the season proper when the draw dictates which premium to select.

Point 4

Because I am taking a risk in the backline, it is crucial for me to select the three best premium options available in the forward line. I think Danger, Dunkley and Billings represent that for this year. Then I wanted to go unique with f4 so I could push Parker to the bench. There aren’t heaps of scoring depth across the rookies in 2019, so I will try and select the cheaper ones and hope for the best.

So! What do you think of the team? Have your say on Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram

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Team Reveal: Rainman
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Read Time:3 Minute, 57 Second

A very different world this year in DT with the introduction of the rolling lockout as well as the new rules that have been talked about extensively. We particularly need to keep rolling lockout in mind and cognisant of that, I have made sure that my side has sufficient DPP flexibility to take advantage of that.

Defence:

I know that he will likely drop but I cannot start a season without Rory Laird. He is a Midfielder that we can choose as a defender, isn’t reliant on the kick ins to get his points and is just always around the ball. 14 times last year he had over 30 possessions and 4 of those were over 40. I will take that every day.

I have then gone for value. Zac Williams at price is too good to pass up. I don’t love Brodie Smith at D3, but he is undeniable value, I will just make sure I jump off before he starts to drop too much as I believe he will receive negative attention early and that will hamstring him.

Rounding out defence with Darcy Moore, who I think has too much upside at price and love his DPP and filling out on field and bench with the rookies that most will have. I think most have good JS and I am happy to back them in. Duursma also a must for that added DEF/MID DPP

Midfield:

In the mids I have looked for 2 things, Players that can run and spread and have an enormous tank, complemented with accumulators. I think the 666 rule does 2 things, supports those that can spread from a stoppage well… Macrae, Coniglio, Zerrett and Sidebottom and means that because of that spread players will need greater endurance particularly late in quarters. These 4 all have that in spades. I have complimented this with 2 of the best under-priced accumulators in Brayshaw and crouch. They will tackle, handball and work their way to 30+ touches every day of the week.

The nice thing I like about those 6 mids is that it is an even split for Bye structure, 2 in each week.

Walsh picks himself, and I like what I have seen of Drew, and his DPP is good to swap with Setterfield. I like the look of Atkins, and I think he could become a bit of a cult hero down at the cattery. Gibbons is too cheap not to have, and Constable is 22/23 man in the Cats side so hopefully can string some early games together

Rucks:

Yep… No Grundy. Personally, I think there is a decline in scoring in rucks this year with the 666 rule as well as less of a reliance in link up play, as per my note above around spread, so I am happy to take the chance that he drops. The slight delay to his preseason plus the knock in JLT 2, give me enough reason to wait. Big Maxy is so dominant I need to pick him, he will dominate centre bounces with the improving Dees midfield but also see him floating forward, and can cluck a mark and kick a goal or two (unless it’s against the cats)

I have brought in Scotty Lycett at R2… I really like this guy and he will ruck solo for the first 6-8 games with Dixon out and Ryder playing forward. Has a good ability to build a score and given his DPP flexibility will move him to F6 but will give me great cover through the byes and doesn’t “lock” my R2 spot with a second-choice ruck. Bines DPP at R3 for floating loophole and donut

Forwards:

Danger… nuff said. Dunkley at F2, I think with recent news about McLean that he is locked into that midfield unit and we have seen the numbers that he can produce. Even playing forward last year he can produce reasonable numbers. Worth the risk for me. Similar with Tim Kelly at F3, all the upside in the world this kid. With Selwood patrolling the wing, Duncan floating across half-back and Ablett and Menegola fwd, he plays perm mid. Toby “Punchable Face” Greene at F4 has too much upside to ignore. Can go 90’s easily and the Giants will slaughter some teams this year, he will be very much in the thick of it. Setterfield pick himself and a rotation of Balta, Petreculle (This year’s Liam Ryan) and Burgess (for added DPP swap with Moore) round out the team.

So, there you have it

So! What do you think of the team? Have your say on Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram

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Round Table: Sydney
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Read Time:4 Minute, 22 Second

It’s hard to know how the perennial ‘there or thereabouts’ Swans will perform for 2019. Some new faces in the engine room appear likely and assessing the potential relevance for each always makes for an interesting debate.

So to help you with that, we’ve assembled the Panel yet again and pitched a few categories to see who we’ve been keeping an eye on this preseason – a player to lock in now, an expected breakout contender, the best cash cow, an interesting left-field option, and a sneaky name to file away for a value draft pick.

These are the Sydney players on each Panelist’s watchlist right now:

The Lock:

Jimmy: I really do think that Jake Lloyd is the safest of the defender premiums likely to maintain their scoring this year. Load up.

MJ: It’s vanilla, it’s boring but when you talk locks at some point in then year you’ll want to have Jake Lloyd in your side.

Rids: Jake Lloyd. Top 2 defender in DT/AF. Great bye round. Just start with him and solve all other issues.

Tim: Isaac Heeney. Talk of increased mid minutes for both Heeney & Mills in 2019 among the Swans and he’s already a premium fwd.

Fox: Jake Lloyd, no need to explain just lock him in and throw away the key

The Breakout

Jimmy: George Hewett has definite shades of JPK about him and I expect that sooner or later he’ll be unleashed to hunt the ball instead of just the man.

MJ: It probably won’t be to land him as a keeper by seasons end, but he doesn’t need to be. Oli Florent was spoken about by Luke Parker in our most recent podcast as someone to watch & I agree with him. Skill, poise, class and pace! The kid has it all.

Rids: Ollie Florent Saw this kid play at Punt Road as an 18 year old and was super impressed at the time. Nothing I have seen since has made me have a rethink. Will break out big time in 2019. I am expecting 85+ across all the formats as his development continues.

Tim: Callum Mills Talk of increased mid minutes for both Heeney & Mills in 2019 among the Swans and he was an absolute ball magnet in juniors so a change of role here would interest a lot of fantasy coaches.

Fox: Callum Mills finally after 3 long years we may get to see what this young star has to offer on ball and in the clinches

The Cash Cow

Jimmy: Honestly, look elsewhere to start the season but keep an eye out for Matthew Ling on the bubble if/when his time comes.

MJ: If you need a throwaway R3 that has some potential to play then consider Darcy Cameron. Won’t be a massive scorer, but the club loves him.

Rids: Matthew Ling. High draft pick from the year before last. Quick and smart with ball in hand.

Tim: Nick Blakey. Hard to pick one so just defaulted to top ten draftee. Should get some exposure at some stage.

Fox: Nick Blakey knows his way around the club and surely gets a feed from his young mates

The Unique

Jimmy: Callum Sinclair shares the same bye round as Gawn & Grundy but does have the advantage of being significantly cheaper with that gap likely to close somewhat this year if you’re looking to take on one of the big men early. Navigating round 13 will still be tricky, though.

MJ: Even in his debut season we saw some strong indications that Tom Papley can score. Will he go enough to be a hold for the season? Unlikely, but if your looking for a unique stepping stone then he could be your guy.

Rids: Luke Parker. History tells us he is a 10 pt a game better player across all formats than what he averaged in 2018. He will definitely be unique in 2019. His ceiling is huge and could be a serious premium breakout candidate if he gets the mid minutes required.

Tim: Jarrad McVeigh Hard to pick a good unique so just went for a guy who finished the season very well (barring injury).

Fox: Lance Franklin, although he’s 32, still a 95 point averaging Super Coach Star

The Draft Smokey

Jimmy: Jackson Thurlow is almost a certainty to gain defender status in the first update of DPP this year and appears to be settling well into the old Mills role.

MJ: Ryan Clarke looks t have secured a running defender role and certainly should provide an upside of 10 points to his current average if not maybe more. Worth a late round pick up for sure.

Rids: JPK. Saw some pictures of this man last week. Wowsers he looks fit. Will definitely slide in drafts this year but is right in the mix for a 100+ avg across the formats.

Tim: Zak Jones. Def status again so keep him in mind.

Fox: Tom Papley, could get a fair bit more of it through the midfield in 2019 and you’re picking him as a forward

So! Who makes the cut for you in each category? Have your say on Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram

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Round Table: St Kilda
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Read Time:5 Minute, 30 Second

The Saints have a fantastic early draw on paper with games against the Gold Coast, Essendon, Fremantle & Hawthorn. Is there opportunity for clever coaches to capitalise on this for a handy head start on the competition?

So to help you with that, we’ve assembled the Panel yet again and pitched a few categories to see who we’ve been keeping an eye on this preseason – a player to lock in now, an expected breakout contender, the best cash cow, an interesting left-field option, and a sneaky name to file away for a value draft pick.

These are the St Kilda players on each Panelist’s watchlist right now:

The Lock:

Jimmy: “Lock” might be a bit strong but there’s a fair case to argue that Jack Steele could end up in the top bracket of Fantasy midfielders this year. Finished the 2018 season with scores of 101, 124, 120 & 145. Loves a cuddle and is the type of contested animal that should seriously thrive under the new rules.

MJ: If you were big on Jack Billings last year I still believe you need to consider him this year seriously. Round one match against the Suns should help get away actively on the fantasy scoreboard

Rids: Seb Ross. Bloody frustrating to own! He will dominate a qtr then not been seen again the next qtr (Richo at fault here as he has been pushed deep backline etc). One thing is for sure though! When Ross plays on the ball, he does not stop finding the it. Lock him in if you are looking for a ‘real’ unique.

Tim: Jack Billings. No locks at the Saints, Billings the best of a bad lot.

Fox: Seb Ross is a ball winning beast with great durability, expecting him to push into 110 territory, will burn the turf early at Marvel Stadium

The Breakout

Jimmy: Hunter Clark is one of those forgotten top ten draftees from recent seasons with immense talent and minimal opportunity to date. Will flourish sooner or later and this could well be his year.

MJ: This feels like I’m dodging the system, but I think Jack Newnes looks sets for a bounce-back season. After being used predominantly off the wing and halfback most of his career in 2018, he for some reason got used as a pressure forward. The JLT role suggests he’s playing back higher up the ground which should see him returning to his more regular scoring form of 2014-2017.

Rids: Jade Gresham. I hope this actually evenuates for Saint supporters. Kid is a ball magnet. Has played as a small fwd the last couple of years but the time is now for the midfield!

Tim: Rowan Marshall. Saints really have only Longer Pierce and Marshall as ruckmen. Sounds like they want to play at least two of the three when fit but if Marshall beats out the others for that spot then he’ll be a massive breakout & cash cow.

Fox: Jade Gresham is likely to launch in 2019, in 2018 we saw 7 games under 60 points in SC and 4 of his best scores were against Richmond x 2, Melbourne and GWS, he’s sure to get hold of a few weak teams in 2019 with a bigger tank, more mid time and 666

The Cash Cow

Jimmy: Matt Parker appears to be set for a round one debut (touch wood) and has done all the right things throughout the preseason to give us confidence in picking him.

MJ: The best option here and I use the word ‘best’ loosely is a mature-age recruit, Matt Parker. Has some XFactor about him, something the Saints forward line has lacked for years. Don’t expect 60-70 scores, instead count any time he goes over 50 as a bonus.

Rids: Nick Hind. Mature aged running defender. Likes to run and carry which is something the Saints really do need. Could easily be 2019’s version of 2018’s Sam Murray. One to watch.

Tim: Billy Longer. Following on from above, the same logic could apply here as for Marshall above but assuming Longer becomes the solo ruck.

Fox: Nick Hind poached from Essendon, this mature ager with lightning speed and a K/HB ratio of 2.2 is almost a must have

The Unique

Jimmy: If Jack Steven lines up for round one as reported, you’d be one of only a handful in the competition picking him. Not a bad thing at all given his ceiling and first few opponents.

MJ: Starting with Jack Steele would be ballsy given the number of other options that are more proven like Dusty and Sloane priced near him, but he’s shown the scoring potential late last year and again in the JLT.

Rids: Jack Billings. His 2018 was one to forget yet his overall average was salvaged late in the season. Burned many to the point they wont be back. He will still be popular with those price tags but not as popular as this time 2018.

Tim: Blake Acres. Fwd status, quality player, wins a lot of the ball on his day.

Fox: Jack Billings showed us his value in the second half of last year averaging 97 DT and 93 SC in his last 10, we get him to the equivalent of 10 points cheaper this year

The Draft Smokey

Jimmy: There’s a strong chance that if you’ve finished your draft already, Tim Membrey is still sitting on the waiver wire untouched. Check out the Saints’ early draw and consider for your last forward spot if perhaps otherwise a little light there. And if he does perform early, don’t hesitate to trade for anything better than a half-eaten packet of chips should you get the opportunity.

MJ: I spoke about Jack Newnes earlier, but you should be able to grab him super late and get returns of 80+ scores. Massive win!

Rids: Dan Hannebery. It was only 2 years ago that Hanners was a first rd selection. Fast fwd to 2019 and suddenly he becomes a m7/m8 in one of the greatest slides I can remember. Keep an eye on him. Cheap for me is round 15 onwards.

Tim: Will tip in for Blake Acres again here.

Fox: Billy Longer will be sitting there for most of your draft, but could be anything if he sole rucks, his last 7 games in 2017 netted him a whopping average of 99 SC points

So! Who makes the cut for you in each category? Have your say on Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram

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