Month: July 2021

MJ’s Top 10 Keeper Ranks from the 2020 Draft Class

As we head towards the end of an AFL season, every year, keeper league coaches out of contention start to look towards the coming season. To help with list management, MJ ranks his top 10 keeper league prospects from the 2020 AFL draft class.

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ONE | Tom Powell

Heading into this season, he was my #1 ranked player from this draft class, and he leaves it holding onto the same possession. He does everything we want from a future premium midfielder. He wins plenty of contested ball, does the defensive stuff and knows how to find space and get the uncontested pill too. Additionally, he’s not so damaging with the football by foot that you must tag him. Between rounds 4-7, we saw glimpses of his potential. During this month, he scored 91, 73, 102 & 104. Not a bad effort to deliver two tons in your first seven games, not many current premiums can boast that pedigree. There is also a chance that he’ll have MID/FWD DPP in 2022. But, even if he doesn’t, he’s a future fantasy gun and someone I’d love to own!

TWO | Errol Gulden

One of the key metrics I track with projecting potential fantasy stars is how many games it takes to register a ton. For Errol, it didn’t take long as he did this in his first game. While it took another 12 games before he delivered another, his start as a player has been outstanding. 2 tons, a 98, a 93 + an 88. Not a bad top 5 scores from your first 13 games. What I also like is his positional security. He looks far too damaging and crafty to depart the Sydney forward line. If you can’t get your hands on Powell, then Gulden is the next best target.

THREE | Braeden Campbell

Maybe a little high for some, but Campbell boasts all the weapons you want from a fantasy player. Damaging skills, high footy IQ and, in my opinion, is the heir apparent Jake Lloyd in a few seasons. Rewind the tape to round 2 against the Crows. He racked up 25 touches across half-back, took 6 marks, had 2 tackles and delivered a 96. If you could get a decade of scores like that on your keeper side, you’d be stoked!

FOUR | Finlay Macrae

Several things are safe predictions in fantasy football. Rucks scoring well against Gold Coast, Mason Cox performing against Richmond and a player with the surname Macrae being a ball magnet. Across his junior days, Finaly showed a high possession count that mirrored the brilliance of his brother. While he’s had minimal opportunities to play through the midfield at AFL level, he’s shown the same traits to be a fantasy jet in the moments he’s had. Go back at his first half against his last quarter against West Coast and his first half last week against Port. This is a ball magnet who just needs to build his tank over the next few seasons before he can explode and be a future star comparable to his brother.

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FIVE | Caleb Poulter

When you watch them play, certain players can see their fantasy footy pedigree on display. And with Caleb Poulter, it was obvious from game one. ‘CP’ just knows where to find the footy and is your perfect wingman. Not only does he get into space to become an outlet. But he also looks composed in traffic. In his fourth AFL game, he tonned up and a fortnightly later followed it up with a second. I see him as a future Andrew Gaff style performer. So grab him if you can! The kid can go.

SIX | Will Phillips

Depending on the calibre of coaches in your keeper leagues, there is a chance that Will Phillips was the first midfielder taken on draft night that he was the #1 draftee taken in your keeper league this year. Regardless of where you get drafted, players can develop at different rates. Not everyone is going to have debut seasons like Sam Walsh. I believe Phillips has the clear potential to be a long term 90+ midfielder for coaches, but I’m not convinced he’ll ever become a ‘franchise’ style fantasy player. Why? Look at the other midfielders north have. Jed Anderson, Jy Simpkin, Luke Davies Uniacke, Trent Dumont, Tarryn Thomas, Jaidyn Stephenson, and Tom Powell. That’s a lot of midfielders that are at their best as ball winners. You can only have so many of that type with a pure midfield role. And this isn’t even factoring in Ben Cunnington, who is only 30. He’s yet to crack a score over 70, but he’s also yet to get a good run at holding down serious midfield minutes. He might be a slower burn than owners might like, but I still rate him as a prospect.

SEVEN | Nik Cox

The Bombers nailed this selection at the draft last year with Cox, the leader for the rising star with many bookmakers. For his height, he does so many things exceptionally well. Nik covers the ground with a good turn of speed. He has clean hands below his knees and then has the elite foot skills and intercept marking to make him a handful for anyone. It took him 12 games before he registered his first fantasy ton, but given he’s played various positions for Essendon this year, his scores fluctuation doesn’t surprise me. I won’t be shocked if he becomes the next Marcus Bontempelli. And just like Bont, he could break out as early as his second season.

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EIGHT | Luke Pedlar

Of all players in this list, I think Luke could be the one that is either still in the player pool, or if owned, is the one that’d cost you the least to trade for. The Crows do take their time with developing midfielders. Look at how they are using Berry and, to a lesser extent Pedlar. Giving them high midfield minutes at SANFL level, but building their craft at the elite level more as a forward who then slots into the middle. Pedlar is exactly the type of midfielder the Crows have been crying out for and is perfect for fantasy. He’s a contested bull, but he has a turn of speed over the first 5 seconds that makes him pull away from opposition quickly at a stoppage. He’s also a goal kicker. With guys like Crouch, Sloane & Laird in that midfield to speed up that development, I think we could see a future fantasy jet in the making.

NINE | Archie Perkins

He’s a hard one to place, but the upside with Perkins is certainly there. If he stays as a primary forward, he’ll probably drop out of relevance for keeper leagues. Not because he’s not talented, but rather he’s such a high impact & low volume ball winner. Think of your favourite crafty half forward over the past decade. Not many become consistent 80+ averaging players. Equally, I don’t think Essendon want to lose him from that forward line, and so his midfield minutes may be minimised, especially if the Bombers go after Josh Dunkley again. With low midfield minutes, his scoring will have a ceiling. 5 of his 16 games have been over 60, it’s not great, but it’s also not horrible. There’s room for him on your keeper list for sure, given the possibilities.

TEN | Elijah Hollands

For many seeing a kid who’s yet to debut inside the top 10 is too much of a reach. And in most scenarios, I’d be right there with you. If you ask any draft watchers of this crop, they’d all tell you that Elijah has the potential to be the clear best player from this group. And had an ACL injury not ruin his season, he might’ve been selected #1. Instead, Hollands is a classy ball user, boasts footy smarts and is damaging inside forward 50 and through the midfielder. He reminds me a lot of Christian Petracca for what it’s worth.

A Final Thought

Every year a few players are unlucky to miss this list, none more so than Lachie Bramble. However, given he wasn’t drafted (rather was an SPP addition), he doesn’t make the 10 on a technicality. However, his speed and class have been so important to the Hawks over the last month. His three round average of 84 is just the beginnings of his potential. He should also pick up defensive eligibility for 2022 based on his current role. The other is Lachie Jones. Injuries have created a frustrating start/stop season for him. But he’s an important part of the Power backline when he’s fit. Getting players in the defensive or forward lines that hold that position across their careers is challenging in keepers. But he looks like a player that will hold it. So he misses my top 10, but still worth having.  
Do you agree or disagree? Who’d be in your top 10? Comment below and let me know.

Ultimate Footy | Free Agency Pick Ups | Round 20

We’re getting to the pointy end of the season and that means the talent pool is drying up, so we must continue to get creative in how we look for surprise packets in the waiver wires. This week’s list looks at a versatile young Giant and a Tiger champion in the twilight of his glittered career. Also, on the list is a Docker with the unenvied record of being named the medical sub more times than any other player.


BACK/FWD:

Kieran Briggs – GWS
% owned – 11%
2021 average – 55.7

A player with just 3 senior career games next to his name is an odd choice for this article but some opportunities lay ahead that could result in a better fantasy output. The ruckmen stocks at the Giants continue to drop with young gun Matthew Flynn recently joining Brayden Preuss on the sidelines long term. That leaves the aging wonder that is Shane Mumford and young Briggs as ruck options.

Mumford has been remarkable this season considering his age but it has been well documented that he cannot play more than 2 or 3 games in a row which has seen Flynn get games as well as Briggs.
In his 3 games this season, Briggs has shown he can put together reasonable scores playing as a ruck/forward, sharing with Flynn. His best score was a 62 thanks to an impressive 6 tackles against Carlton followed by a 60 the week after against Hawthorn.


With Mumford carrying a sore back, and needing weeks off at times, Briggs is the last man standing and could see himself playing as the sole ruck in some games. That should be enough to add an extra 20 points to his scoring.

CENTRE:

Trent Cotchin – Richmond
% owned – 70%
2021 average – 72.6

A Brownlow medallist and three time premiership captain, Cotchin has been a giant of the game but has not been much of a fantasy option for years now with 2017 being the last time he averaged over 90 in a season. Even though his disposals average has declined in recent years, Cotchin can still score thanks to his tackling, averaging just under 4 a game this year.
Richmond have been hit hard by injuries to senior players this season and in recent times, the midfield, in particular, has been hit hard. This could explain a slight spike in Cotchin’s centre bounce attendances in the last few weeks.
With Martin out for the season, and question marks around the fitness of Prestia and Edwards, Cotchin will be leading the midfield charge hoping to teach the young Tiger cubs around him.
In wins this season, Cotchin has averaged 85 with that number dropping to 64 in losses so with Richmond’s season hanging by a thread, he’ll be doing everything he can to keep the season alive.

Connor Blakely – Fremantle
% owned – 14%
2021 average – 33.6

In his 7th season in the AFL, Blakely has endured what one can only imagine has been an incredibly frustrating season in 2021. He been named as the medical substitute 8 times this year (the most of any player in the league), getting onto the ground 6 times. On top of that, he has played just two games as part of the starting 22 with a very poor output.

It’s a big fall from grace for a guy who averaged 90+ across the 2017-18 seasons but also does make sense when you consider he has been out of favour at the Dockers since coach Justin Longmuir took over at the start of 2020. He was nearly traded last year but decided to stay and fight for his spot.

So why pick him? There should be an opportunity for Blakely in the final rounds of the season as captain Nat Fyfe is now out for the season and Michael Walters is at long odds to return from his hamstring injury before the end of the season. This could open a spot for Blakely as the 25-year-old is now one of their most experienced midfielders and the likes of young guns Brayshaw and Cerra will develop quicker with experience around them. It’s a long shot, but if Blakely gets a go at it, he has a history of scoring well with a high ceiling. In the earlier mentioned seasons when he averaged over 90, he scored 130+ on four occasions.



SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 19

A quiet lockdown weekend here in Melbourne didn’t necessarily mean a quiet weekend in front of the flat screen. This round of footy may have been one thing, but how good is it that we’ve got the Olympics for the first time in five years!? While there’s a certain oddity to it all without spectators and other pandemic adjustments it’s still the Olympics and can’t not be watched. 

So with this in mind, this weekend’s wrap gives gold, silver, and bronze medals to teams and individuals from the round.

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The Gold Medals

The performances of the weekend surely went to North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, and Geelong. I may be biased, and I know Carlton really isn’t much chop right now, but North winning gives them a chance of moving off the bottom of the ladder and allowing another to take the wooden spoon. But really, the Bulldogs beating Melbourne was the game of the round as they helped themselves to the top of the ladder. A great coaching effort by Luke Beveridge and some terrific performances by names we’re familiar with all worked their magic together. Geelong also beat Richmond for the second time this year, which is the first time the Tigers have lost twice to the same team for over 5 years. 

In terms of players relevant to us as coaches, the gold medals go to Rory Laird (178), Patrick Dangerfield (165), and Josh P Kennedy (154). While Laird and Dangerfield are well owned by coaches Kennedy provided something unique (0.9% ownership) given the need to trade out Dusty this week, well done if you were one of the few who took him into your team. If you missed out of any of the VC options on Saturday, Dangerfield provided an excellent captain option, Laird obviously did too but it takes a certain kind of risk taker to make that choice. 

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The Silver Medals

Brisbane completed an expected win over Gold Coast, and kicked the highest score for the weekend. Adelaide did what they needed to over Hawthorn. And Sydney were comprehensive against Fremantle. All had solid but expected wins, with Brisbane and Sydney solidifying their top eight positions. 

Oscar McInerney was the standout player on-field for Brisbane with a 148 so takes out the first silver medal for an individual this round. Jackson Macrae (146) did what he does and it is rather surprising there are 48% of coaches without him. Lachie Whitfield also scored a 146 after his week off due to concussion, rewarding those who have him or held him. 

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The Bronze Medals

I might be a tough judge but Port Adelaide have also solidified their top eight position while defeating Collingwood on Friday night. GWS and West Coast were also winners for the round, but didn’t do anything overly convincing. 

To round out the individual awards this week we saw Caleb Daniel do what all his coaches wish he’d do most weeks and give us a 145. Clayton Oliver, in the same game, was excellent for Melbourne with a 144. And then a third Bulldog medallist, Bailey Smith (140) takes the final medal on offer. It was certainly a game of high scores, and plenty of VC or C scores on offer. I hope you managed to at least get one of these scores yourself. 

Some honourable mentions for the round include Jack Crisp (140), Tarryn Thomas (135), Brayden Fiorini (139), Zac Jones (140), and Isaac Heeney (128) with a possible mark of the year to go with it.

As we turn to league finals now, and no doubt you’ve got minimal to no trades available, it’s time to find out the place of our teams against our mates, colleagues, and other randoms. All the best for the first round this weekend, I hope you grab some gold yourself.

Ultimate Footy | Free Agency Pick Ups | Round 19

This week’s list looks at a couple of hard nuts from the Crows, plus a son of a gun Swan whose recent role change could make him a late season breakout candidate.

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BACKS:

Jake Kelly – Adelaide
% owned – 63%
2021 average – 66.4

In his 6 years at AFL level, Kelly’s best fantasy average has been 67, making him an unlikely selection for a fantasy squad. Despite that, Kelly has actually had a decent year thanks in part to Adelaide’s desire to possess the footy in the back half and, of course, the ball being down that end of the ground often.


Kelly’s best scoring asset is his marking, averaging 5 a game this year and taking an equal career high 12 a couple of weeks ago against Essendon. Also in his favour, is his kick to handball ratio as he has opted to kick the ball over twice as many times as he has handballed.


It’s certainly not an exciting pick, but Kelly is averaging 99 from his last two games, and has only scored under 60 four times this year (if you exclude round 1 when he was knocked out in an infamous clash with Patrick Dangerfield).

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FORWARD:

Nick Blakey – Sydney
% owned – 63%
2021 average – 56.5

Some astute fantasy coaches would have had Blakey on their watchlist for season 2021 as the highly touted young Swan had a taste of the midfield in 2020 and was a 3rd year breakout candidate. With the likes of Gulden, Warner and Campbell emerging and starring for Sydney in the early rounds, Blakey struggled to impact as a midfielder and eventually lost his place in the side.


After various stints in the VFL and as the medical sub, Blakey was brought back into the senior 22 a few weeks ago and given a new role, playing off half back. The role change had an instant impact as Blakey recorded season high numbers for disposals and marks (19 and 6) and the Swans had a massive win over the Eagles.


Blakey continued in the same role the next week in another impressive victory over the Bulldogs, recording similar numbers and then again on the weekend in the come from behind win over the Giants.
Sydney are 3 from 3 with Blakey in this role and he is averaging 74 in that time, making him an appealing option for the run home.

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Harry Schoenberg – Adelaide
% owned – 69%
2021 average – 65.2

Since debuting in round 10 last season, Schoenberg has played every game available for the Crows which shows he has taken to the big time well, albeit, playing for a bottom side. Playing forward of the ball with stints in the midfield, his fantasy scores have been reasonable for a second year player averaging 17 disposals but not good enough to be in our sides.

The last two weeks have made me take notice, however, as the future star has added tagging to his skill set. Two weeks ago, Essendon’s Darcy Parish was doing as he pleased against the Crows collecting the footy 16 times in the first half.  Schoenberg was moved onto Parish for the second half and completely shut him down restricting him to just 3 touches in the second half whilst collecting 8 himself.


This role didn’t necessarily mean more midfield time for Schoenberg but was a likely confidence booster as he went on to post his career best score the next week against West Coast scoring 113 thanks to 24 touches and 6 tackles. He is averaging 98 in his last two games and looks set for a big finish to the year.

The 5 Top Trade Targets For Dustin Martin

It was a horrible sight last round! The triple Norm Smith Medal Winner writhing in pain on the ground at Metricon stadium. Later, the club confirmed that he would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a kidney injury. Before this injury, Dusty was one of the most popular forwards in fantasy football. This season ending injury means he’s a must trade!

Each side is different and will have different trade priorities; I’ve decided to focus this article on like for like forward line only replacements. So here are my 5 Top Trade Targets For Dustin Martin.

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Shai Bolton

At his best, Dusty is the games most dynamic game breaker. While ‘replacing’ him as a player is impossible, Shai Bolton does possess some similar game breaking dynamics. Bolton, currently not ‘banging the door down with his scoring, but he’s been far from poor.

Between rounds 4 – 13 in AFLFantasy and DreamTeam averaged 98.7, including 4 tons, while in SuperCoach, he averaged 108 and had a scoring range between 96 -121 during this 8 game stretch. If Richmond is any chance of putting themselves deep into finals, I personally believe it’ll come off the back of a dynamic month of footy from Bolton. With no Dusty, he becomes the match-winner for Richmond. In my eyes, he’s the standout replacement if you own Martin.

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Jordan De Goey

JDG5 is one of the form forwards across the competition. In AFLFantasy/DreamTeam, he’s averaging 109 in his last 5 and a monstrous 120 in the past three. In the last few rounds, he’s among the top 10 of total points performers and given Dusty’s quieter scoring patch, moving to the ‘hot hand’ forward could be a nice late season boost for your side.

In SuperCoach, it costs you about $50k to trade into him, and surprisingly his ownership is still at 10%. This is ridiculously low, considering his lowest score in the past four games is 114.

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Matthew Kennedy

You shouldn’t be surprised to see Matt Kennedy here. Ever since Carlton played him in his preferred role as a midfielder from round 14 he’s been sensational for his owners. A five game average of 93 in SuperCoach and 97 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam is a supreme return. Equally encouraging is that he’s shown moments of a ceiling with a season high score of 116.

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Patrick Dangerfield

His ownership numbers aren’t low and neither is his pricetag. But for those without Patrick Dangerfield he’s probably one of a handful of matchups you feel nervous being against. Already this year Danger has shown the ‘monster’ ceiling game is still within reach.

The injury to Jeremy Cameron did result (as expected) with Danger increasing his forward 50 minutes. However, if the Cats dominate opponents over the coming five weeks like they did last week then it won’t matter. What he might lack in disposals, he’ll likely make up with goals scored. This week they take on the injury riddled Tigers, the following week it’s the bottom of the table Kangaroos. Winning these games might all but stitch up a Cats top 4 spot, so I can’t see them taking the foot off the pedal.

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Tarryn Thomas

Recency bias after a monster game last weekend? Perhaps! But if you’ve watched North over the course of the season, to see the scoring ‘pop’ from Tarryn Thomas is of no surprise. Last weekends 126 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 108 in SuperCoach is off the back and 88 (SC) and 84 (AF). The week before that, he scored an 86 in (AF) and 96 (SC). Yes, the scoring isn’t ‘insane’ but if you need a unique then ‘TT’ isn’t the worst idea out there.

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Any others?

Ultimately, many of these guys above are the ‘value options.’ But, of course, the likes of Aaron Hall, Dayne Zorko or Jack Ziebell can be considered too if the salary isn’t a restriction for you.

In AFLFantasy, we do have a few additional options, Josh Kelly would’ve been the obvious top tier option, but given he’s got some question marks around availability, you can’t go near him. So possibly Scott Pendlebury is the next best available for you, or if you’re looking for a smokey, then Harry Schoenberg is coming off the back of a 113 & 83 and is priced at $481,000.

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap Up | Round 18

I don’t really want to write this. 

I’m still fuming. 

I’m still trying to recover from the SuperCoach weekend that was. Not that I expect you to care about my team at all, but my last seven days in Supercoach-land has hurt big time. 

Down goes Hugh Greenwood. Down goes Lachie Whitfield. Down goes Dustin Martin. Out goes Callum Mills. Out goes Toby Greene. Down goes Josh Kelly. 

I think I’m still in shock. 

I’m more in shock about my team and the sudden turn of events than I am that Melbourne is back in it’s fifth lockdown. Perhaps that’s what is getting to me, another lockdown. I’m comfortable coping the injuries. That’s going to happen. All the injuries happened on the field too, so no worries, I’ll deal with that. What’s tipped me over the edge is losing two players an hour before a match started because of state governments having different policies in relation to isolating. Gee, it’s a hard one to cop. 

I know I need to get over it. I will. Eventually.

As for what happened in the wider SuperCoach landscape, let’s have a look at a few winners from this week. 

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Sam Walsh

With the top score of 193 this weekend, Walsh led the Blues to a win over the Pies. His rolling average for the last three rounds is now an impressive 163. And each of his 55,569 coaches would be well pleased to have him. For those without, it looks like we’ll need to wait until 2022. 

Tom Mitchell

Mitchell led the Hawks this week with an ‘impressive’ draw to Melbourne. This is the kind of score all owners have been waiting for and it’s coming at the right time of the season. His last six outings have all been tons and it will be interesting to see how the fixture falls for him over the coming weeks. 

Sean Darcy

Has there been a more impressive breakout ruck performance than Darcy? His last three weeks have been phenomenal and with only 2.8% ownership it means there are plenty of us missing out on these monster scores. While this week was a sultry 156, he was over the ton at the half and was heading toward somewhere near the 200 mark before having a spell due to injury. Could he be a Gawn or Grundy replacement in 2022? It’s worth pondering. 

Ollie Wines

With a 154 Wines was the fourth highest scorer across the competition. In his last eight matches he’s only been under the ton once, yet I always feel it could go either way with him. He’s certainly a POD option going into finals and the end of the season with 5.7% ownership, but he is $100k more than Dustin Martin so it will take some maneuvering to get him. 

Jamie Cripps

Cripps scored 150 to round out the top five for this week. He’s probably not someone you’d be considering to move in at this stage, he does average 73 and this one looks like one of those out-of-the-box weeks. 

That’s the top five for the week, but the big issues for us centre around two main questions.

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First, who are we going to bring in for Dustin Martin? 

The confirmation that Martin will be out for the rest of the season makes the decision to move him out a no-brainer. And depending on how many trades you have and what kind of cash you’ve got in the bank will depend on who you can go for. 

If you’ve got no cash then you’re probably looking to the likes of Shai Bolton, Sam Menegola, Andrew Gaff, Tim Kelly, Steele Sidebottom, Brayden Fiorini, Jack Viney, or Jaidyn Stephenson. Each of them comes with risk, but could also give good reward depending on the way things go. Some are more midfielders than forwards, so if you can make a DPP move through the Martin trade you also open up a few more options. 

If you have some cash to play with, and for the sake of this scenario let’s go with an extra $50k, then the likes of Cameron Guthrie, David Muncy, Nat Fyfe, Joel Selwood, Hugh McCulggage, Tim Taranto, Rory Sloane, and Nick Hind come into play. 

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Second, and your decision about Dusty is most likely impacted because of this, is how to deal with the moving fixture over the coming rounds? 

As we saw at the end of last week and over the weekend the whole fixture is a moving beast. It’s a little hard to plan more than a week in advance at the moment, perhaps in life as in Supercoach. But to me it doesn’t make much sense worrying about our team until at least Thursday and possibly as late as Friday this week. Every day there is new news about what the AFL are having to deal with and so until things are sorted for the coming weekend let’s hold things loosely. 

Well, that was somewhat cathartic. Rant over. Hope it all goes well for you this coming week!

Patreon Exclusive | Trading Lachie Whitfield

Another week & another premium injury to deal with, huh? It’s been one of those seasons. Due to suffering a concussion last weekend, Lachie Whitfield will miss round 18 of AFL with the mandatory 12-day absence. If you own him in AFLFantasy, you may be tempted to hold. And with the right plan and execution of coverage, it may well be for your team. But, equally, it may be in your best interest to me him on.

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Some of the reasons to trade can include:

  • Chasing the total points leader and need to maximize points on the field
  • Have no coverage and avoid the donut score.
  • Convinced he’ll miss 2 games or more
  • Can make your total team scoring better over the course of the 6 weeks.

Rather than looking at players in other lines, here’s a look at some defensive options.

Jake Lloyd |- Makes $48k – Only 5 of the top 50 own him, and coming off his second best score of the year

Tom Stewart | Makes $28k – Mr Consistency. He won’t hurt you with the ceiling, but he won’t bury you with a stinker.

Shannon Hurn | Makes $31k – OK, I had to mention him. Hasn’t put a foot wrong all year. He plays the Crows this week, who butcher the ball inside attacking 50. Defenders against the Crows is a growing trend! Just see what Ridley & Hind did last week 😉

Caleb Daniel | Makes $72k – I’m a big fan of this move. He’s one of 3 options as a Whitfield owner I’m seriously considering.

Daniel Rich | Makes $43k – Owned in 5% of teams. On recent podcasts, you’ve heard as talk up the Lions great run home.

Christian Salem | Makes $23k – 2.4% ownership. If you want a point of difference that’s in form, he’s right in the mix.

Jordan Ridley | Makes $132k – He won’t make you as much cash as the next option, but he probably offers a greater ceiling and greater selection comfort. I’m a fan.

Jack Bowes | Makes $169k – I’m a big wrap on this move. Back to back solid games that reflect his early season form. It opens up some cash to get an upgrade in another line if needed.

Jack Crisp | Costs $28k (10%) – He’s an improvement on the consistency of Tom Stewart.

Callum Mills | Costs $78k (16%) – One score under 90 all year (Round 2). The lowest score in the last 4 is 111.

Rory Laird | Costs $103k – If you don’t have him by now, you need to let him go. Too expensive to justify

Jack Ziebell | Costs $19k. – He’s been great this year, but given the value we have available, he’s a ‘no’ from me to pay up for—additionally, only one score over 110 in the past 10.

Aaron Hall | Costs $81k – Much like laird, it’s too much $ to justify it if you don’t have him now. Make the best of the value options we have. He won’t create any separation for you.

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 17

Moments. There are moments in life when things suddenly change. Perhaps it’s love at first sight while at the pub with a few mates. Perhaps it’s resigning from a job you just hate. Perhaps it’s when that first child arrives and you never imagined you could love more than you already do. Whatever it might be, there are moments. And for those of us invested in the world of SuperCoach there are moments too. Moments whereby an injury, a poor performance, or even a great performance can change the course of a round and even a season. Of course, let’s not equate these Supercoach moments to the realities of life and living, but in the life of season 2021, Round 17 may well be a moment for our teams and even for the teams we support.  

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It all started on Thursday night when Melbourne defeated Port Adelaide quite convincingly in the end. Christian Petracca had a monster with 173 points, followed by Tom McDonald (132), and Clayton Oliver (118). Their win solidified their top spot and if you had the VC on Petracca I suspect it would’ve done wonders for your overall rank or your leagues. For Port the usuals of Travis Boak and Ollie Wines topped the ton, while poor Zac Butters looks like he’ll be out after succumbing to injury again.

In what has been labelled the worst Friday night game in a long time the Bombers smashed the Crows who gave nothing for us as coaches or for their fans. Well, Rory Laird is the exception. Zac Merrett (143), Nick Hind (134), and Jordan Ridley (120), did what was needed for their teams. However, Kyle Langford did get subbed off with a suspected hammy so there will be 9308 coaches having to deal with that this week. 

Fremantle did Hawthorn by 10 goals and with Sean Darcy (183) romping it in for the second week in a row. How he still has only 2.5% ownership is beyond me. Rory Lobb (132) got in on the action and David Mundy (121) was again amongst it. With Jai Newcombe out, Lachlan Bramble (120) was a terrific consolation prize for those still needing to play a rookie or two in the midfield. For those of us who had him on the pine I only hope you were able to get him onto the field. Tom Mitchell was the main man again for the Hawks with a 131. 

Geelong did what was expected of them over Carlton, but Sam Walsh (158) is clearly the best player for the Blues and will be again highly sought after in 2022 by coaches who missed him this year. Tom Stewart (127), Zac Touhy (126), and Cam Guthrie (111) all helped themselves to tons for the Cats. 

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The debatable upset of the round this week was St Kilda defeating the Lions by a good 32 points. And I won’t dwell on poor old Eric Hipwood, but this match was a moment for Saints supporters as hopes are still alive for a possible finals run. Daniel Rich (128), Lachie Neale (118), and Dayne Zorko (109) all notched up tons. Any of these guys would be worth having in your team. But it was Jack Steele with a 149 that took the cookies on the night. His performance was stellar once again and he is rewarding his coaches big time. It’s hard to believe Tommy Highmore (97) is still performing nearly as well as many of our premium defenders, not to mention the POD of Rowan Marshall (95) for our forward lines. 

Talking about moments. The Suns kicked two goals in the final four minutes to take the points against the Giants, and more likely changed the course of GWS’s season than their own. However it was the first half of football that may have impacted many of us. First, Hugh Greenwood went down with a an ACL meaning he got a donut for the round and will need to be traded. Second, Lachie Whitfield was done with a confirmed concussion and subbed out with only 32 on the board. Again, a likely trade out depending on structure and trades left. He may miss up to two games depending on the fixture over the next 12 days. A big blow for 16% of teams. 

Another moment was the Swans beating the Dogs and in doing so are looking good for a run into finals. Jake Lloyd was back to his best (114) and Callum Mills (127) hasn’t stopped giving his coaches tons for a while now, but it was Jordan Dawson (141) and Tom McCartin (134) who were the big scorers for them this week. All the usual suspects from the Dogs performed well enough for our teams but couldn’t get the job done for their own. Jackson Macrae, for the first time in 30 games, had under 30 touches. It’s been a great run. 

Collingwood was another who had a big turnaround with a seven goal run to clinch it by 16-points against Richmond. None other than Jordan De Goey helped himself to a handy 29 disposals and a 124. But in that run of goals it was Brodie Grundy who ended up blasting to 140 alongside teammate Taylor Adams. While the Pies had eight tons in the end the only Richmond ton came from none other than Jayden Short with another solid 129. 

On Monday night the final match of the round saw West Coast continue to show they’ve fallen off the rails and North Melbourne were hard and skillful enough in the contest to take the points. Nic Naitinui scored a solid 134 despite their efforts, and Tim Kelly also a decent 115. For North, Jaidyn Stephenson had a terrific game with 38 touches and 153 points. His 6000 coaches would’ve been pleased. Ben Cunnington, Todd Goldstein, and Jy Simpkin all had solid tons too. This could be a defining moment for either of these teams. 

AFLFantasy | Possible DPP Additions | Round 18

Before round 6, 12 and 18, the gang at AFLFantasy team up with Champion Data to add some new DPP into the game. After round 5, the first list of names and positions will be released. Historically, AFLFantasy has said that players need a minimum of 35% to be considered for a new allocation in a new position. So let’s see which players are locks, close or no chance of getting DPP.

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Darcy Tucker | ADD DEFENDER

With just one game over 80 (111) all season, many would be forgiven for looking past Darcy Tucker. And in classic, I totally advocate for it. In a draft, depending on how deep your league is Tucker could be a handy in. Darcy’s spending an increasing amount of time off the wings and across half back. It’s not a highly relevant gain, but its a fair one.

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Jordan De Goey | ADD MIDFIELD

The preseason role of Jordan De Goey has finally started to be seen! For those who started him and held your patience is finally being rewarded. For those looking to jump onto a value forward capable of going 90 for the next seven weeks ‘JDG5’ has shown his potential in the past month. With 3 tons in his last 4, he’s proving to be a popular ‘trade in’ for many. The reason for the scoring spike is the exact same reason he’ll pick up Midfield status, he’s playing almost exclusively in that role.

Jake Stringer | ADD MIDFIELD

I could probably ‘copy & paste’ the reasoning from Degoey for Jake Stringer. Over the last month or so his club has upped his centre bounce attendance. Clearly, Ben Rutten loves his centre clearance work and burst from stoppage. More often than not, Stringer then pushes forward and allows another Bomber into the midfield mix. Like any midfield addition, it is only versatility to awards you rather than a scoring relevance boost.

Tristan Xerri | ADD RUCK

For the 1.4% of owners (which I am one of), this likely gain will come as a small boost to go with his 34 weekly points. At the very least he’ll provide a small pulse for coaches running with no ruck cover.

Luke Jackson | ADD RUCK

Over the past few weeks, the Demons have started to equalise the ruck usage between Max Gawn and Luke Jackson. Just last week they had an even split of ruck contests attended. As a result, his RUC/FWD gain should be a simple formality for the gatekeepers of AFLFantasy. He’s not classic relevant, but in deeper draft leagues especially if you have two rucks on field this could be a huge boost for owners.

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Mitch Duncan | ADD FORWARD

OK, at first, it feels like a stretch. And to some extent, I agree but hear me out. On Wednesday morning, SuperFooty released a forecast of potential names that may be DPP’s in 2022 for SuperCoach. Now, if you don’t play SC, that’s fine, but it’s still relevant. AFLFantasy, along with SuperCoach and DreamTeam, all take their initial squad allocations from Champion Data. So they were cited as a reference point in this article where (you guessed it) Mitch Duncan was listed as a MID/FWD.

If he’s passed CD’s threshold to be an option in 2022, then he’s certainly a consideration to be a huge acquisition in this final batch of DPP’s.

Ultimate Footy | Draft Day Wins

You rarely will ‘win the draft’ in the opening handful of rounds. Rather, it’s the mid to late draft day selections that can really take your team from good to great. So here’s a look at some of the late draft day selections that have been winning selections for their owners.

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Ben Keays | AVG: 108.9 | ADP: 206

18 months ago, Ben Keays wasn’t even on an AFL list, let alone a genuine top tier performing fantasy midfielder. With the loss of Matt Crouch through injury and his brother Brad Crouch at the trade table, the Crows needed someone to stand up and support ‘the Rory’s.’

Keays has been a picture of consistency this year. With his scoring ranging between 91-156 across this season, he dropped beneath 100 in only six of his fifteen matches and nothing under 90. To put his season into contrast, he’s currently scored the same amount of points as Christian Petracca. CP5 had an ADP of 27; that’s almost 180 spots on draft day, the difference between the two.

Jack Ziebell | AVG: 106.6 | ADP: 121

Jack Ziebell is not in the unfamiliar territory of delivering premium scores for us. For a better part of a decade, he was a bankable 90’s centre and even had a season where he was a top tier forward. This year his move into the backline has seen him pop to become one of the best backs or forwards (his DPP allows both) of the season.

Across the season, he’s only dipped his scoring under 82 once, had four scores between 90-99 plus seven scores over 100, including a 139, 140 & 170. The question over Jack was never scoring potential (OK, nobody thought this big) but rather over durability. He’s seemingly put that doubt now to bed too.

We did write about Ziebell in our preseason 50 most relevant series here.

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Karl Amon | AVG: 94.7 | ADP: 199

When Port Adelaide get on top of their opponent, more often than not, Karl Amon is enjoying plenty of freedom and space outside the contest. As a result, the Power wingman has delivered a ton in nearly 50% of the games played this season. That might not sound like much, but to get a 90+ centre that’s capable of delivering multiple tons is huge at any point of the draft. Let alone at an ADP where you’re picking a bloke as a bench option at best.

Touk Miller | AVG: 120.2 | ADP: 81

It’s earlier than everyone else on the list. In fact, he’s the only player drafted inside the top 100 that finds a home. But Touk Miller deserves his spot on. While this is a draft selection on average in the 8th-9th round, he’s delivering at an M1 level, not the likely M3 or M4 that he was selected.

Miller is currently the highest ranked player in the game by averages and ranked 8th by total points. He’s scored 11 tons from his 14 games and has only one score under 88 for the season. Well done if you drafted Touk in 2021.

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Aaron Hall | AVG: 103.5 | ADP: 167

Much like his teammate above, Aaron Hall is no stranger to delivering top tier seasons. In 2016 & 2017, at his former club Gold Coast, he delivered seasonal averages of 105 & 98. But it’s been a long time since he’d scored like that. The 89% of coaches that drafted him were all hopeful of a scoring boost, but with him missing round one and a subbed in a score of 11 in round 1, things didn’t look good.

Since that point, Aaron has been superb, scoring eight tons, with all except one being over 120. Bravo if you drafted him, even better if you snagged him from the player pool. Pickups like that make your UltimateFooty season.

Paul Seedsman | AVG: 94.6 | ADP: 262

The last time Paul Seedsman was draft relevant was several seasons ago when he was eligible as a back. There he delivered his regular mid to high 70’s season. Before 2021, ‘The Seed’ had never averaged over 80. Enter this season; he’s become an unstoppable running force for the Crows. He’s ranked 5th in the AFL for inside ’50s ahead of big name players like Dayne Zorko, Clayton Oliver, Jackson Macrae and Dustin Martin.

With his 70 tons for the season and 5 additional 80+ scores, he’s been a huge win for the 52% of coaches who drafted him. He’s gone from being a bench option to a genuine M5, if not higher.

David Mundy | AVG: 94.3 | ADP: 222

David Mundy isn’t the only player on this list to use the keys to the time machine. You’ve got to go back to 2015 for the last time, averaged over 90. His five tons have certainly elevated his average to respectable levels, but given that he was potentially someones last pick on draft day, it’s a huge bonus!

Mundy is yet to hit his early season scoring form, but given the fact he hasn’t dipped below 72 all season, he’s certainly overachieved for the 73% of coaches who drafted him.

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Sean Darcy | AVG: 94.7 | ADP: 223

If you play in a keeper league, then you’ll be familiar with Sean Darcy. He’s long showed promise of his scoring. However, before this season, he couldn’t seemingly sting more than a handful of games together. Thankfully for 63% of coaches that drafted him, he’s been exceptional this season.

He’s scored six tons plus an additional five scores between 80-99. He’s ranked third amongst the rucks but points and averages. Not a bad return for his owners that likely selected him with either the final on field spot or as a bench option for someone they picked earlier.

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Isaac Cumming | AVG: 87.4 | ADP: 241

Have you ever jumped on a player 12 months too early? I know I have and did with Isaac Cumming. He’s taken the opportunity to cement himself inside the Giants with the departure of Zac Williams. Just a mere 42% of coaches picked him on draft day, but he’s delivered massive dividends to owners.

Of his 15 games, he’s only dipped his scoring beneath 70 in just three matches, had six scores between 80-99 and pumped out four tons. Bravo if you picked up Isaac this year either in the draft or off the player pool. He’s been immense this season.

Bailey Dale | AVG: 82.9 | ADP: 249

Where the heck did this come from? Yet again, ‘Bevo’ strikes again with redeploying the bits and pieces forward into a prime ball move across halfback. Bailey Dale is currently ranked 16th for total points among all backs. While he hasn’t had the frequency of big tons as others on this list, he’s become a perfect reliable option for his owners. From his 15 games, he’s had just 3 scores under 77. Not bad for a bloke drafted in only 8% of leagues.

Nick Hind | AVG: 85.1 | ADP: 209

Following on the ‘where the heck’ is Essendon recruit Nick Hind. His addition to the side has made everyone forget that Adam Saad was among the top 3 best players (according to their B&F) last season. Hind has been electric this year also for coaches who drafted him. Over the opening 10 rounds of the season, he scored three tons, three additional scores over 90 and didn’t drop his scoring below 70. In fact, he’s dipped below that marker just once across the entire season.

While his scoring may have slowed over the last five weeks with zero scores over 80, the benefits have far outway and decline in recent scoring. Well played to the 51% of coaches who drafted him.

Taylor Walker | AVG: 79.9 | ADP: 210

We’ve had some surprises on this list so far, but I don’t think anyone believed Taylor Walker could wind back the clock and deliver his strong 2021 season. Instead, his season opened up with 105, 120, 136 & 99 leaving him as the #2 forward behind Josh Dunkley at the time. Not a bad return for the 5% of coaches that picked him on draft day.

Over the previous 3 months, we’ve had some patchy low scores, a bunch of ’80s and ’90s, plus last weeks game where he was subbed out of the game. Regardless, it’s been a massive success for his owners if you look at his season as a totality.

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Tom McDonald | AVG: 77.9 | ADP: 273

The latest pick of all players picked on my list with an average draft selection of 273. In fact, on the draft day, only 43% of leagues drafted him. Yet now, by averages, he’s ranked 25th for the season. Of course, like all key forwards, his scoring fluctuates, but with 9 scores over 80, he’s been a more than help addition for his coaches.

Jarman Impey | AVG: 85.7| ADP: 240

A season ending injury a few weeks back has certainly soured the celebrations. But those who picked up Jarman Impey were given a flying start to the 2021 season. As a reference point, before this year, he’d never averaged over 72.

However, from his 13 matches, he delivered four tons, three more scores between 94-98, plus an additional three scores of 74+. Throw in the fact he’s been forward eligible, and just 35% of coaches drafted him. It’s a steal in a line that’s lacked genuine, reliable performances.

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Darcy Parish | AVG: 113 | ADP: 145

Four scores over 80, including a 117, is hardly a poor start to the season for someone you likely drafted in the vicinity of round 14. However, injuries create opportunities, and when Dylan Shiel went down, the Bombers were forced to permanently release Darcy Parish into the midfield. Since round six, he’s scored 9 tons from 10 games, including four over 140.

This sort of performance is the kind you dream about getting from a mid-range draft pick. For those lucky coaches who struck across this scoring goldmine, they’re laughing to the bank with his performances every single week.

Chris Mayne | AVG: 94.1 | ADP: 210

This is clearly Chris Mayne’s best season in UltimateFooty. Before this season, his best year was back in 2013, where at Fremantle, he averaged 86. Unfortunately, not many have improved their scoring at Collingwood this season, with Steele Sidebottom, Jordan DeGoey, Scott Pendlebury and Braydan Maynard all regressing. But, promisingly for his owners, Mayne has! Since round 8, Chris has scored five tons and has the lowest score of 97.

Ranked 13th for average amongst all backs, those held onto him after an indifferent start has reaped massive rewards over the last few months.