0 0

Last night Rids sat down to run his eyes over the efforts of the reigning premiers and Geelong. Here are his observations of the game from a fantasy football perspective.

Embed from Getty Images

Geelong

Patrick Dangerfield
If you were going to not pick Dangerfield then a reassessment is required. He is odds on to be the number one forward in all formats for 2019, if not the number one ranked player. Not sure if it was the jumper the Cats were wearing, but Dangerfield looked slim and very fit. He played mostly as a mid in this game which is all we need to know really. Locked and loaded.

Charlie Constable
Prior to this game we were desperately in need of a mid rookie that was priced below $200,000 to stand up and show his wares. Constable did exactly that. He scored 90’s across the formats from 26 disposals. He won’t do that week in week out but he showed plenty tonight to suggest that he should crack a debut very very early in the season. Let’s hope it is round 1!

Darcy Fort
I dont want to be too hard on this guy as it was his first crack at it. But he disappointed greatly. What had become a dream first choice ruck possibility at the Cats has now become a pipe dream. If he is your ruck cover, it might not be worth spending the extra $$$ from someone not playing. I don’t see how Fort plays ahead of Stanley after this game.

Jordan Clark
Geelong’s first draft pick in last year’s draft. Got tired of hearing about how Freo had pick 17 and this is why he was still available for the Cats in the draft. Anyways, what I saw I liked! He played the general off half back in the absence of Tuohy. Even took one of the marks of the night in the second quarter. He looked to have time and poise with ball in hand. Definitely one to add to the watchlist.

Mitch Duncan
Looked to start behind the ball a little in this game. He had 29 touches and 10 marks yet I hated the role. Maybe it is because he reminds me too much of seagull Stanton from a few years back where he racks it up but never really influences the game or result. Maybe too harsh? Maybe…

Brandan Parfitt
The most interesting role of the whole game. Played mostly as a pure mid and attended many centre bounces in the contest. One to monitor although I am unsure the answer of “How many Cats can fit into a forward line?”.

Gryan Miers
I like this kid. He has x factor and really adds a new dimension to the Cats forward line. Monitor JLT2 as he is every chance to play many games in 2019! Has a little bit of Tom Papley about him from a few years back.

Tom Atkins
I am unsure why players are going for stupid looking staches! Atkins is one of these guys. The reality however is that he is a tackling machine! Just ask the commentators who repeatedly told us he was one. We even got to hear about the VFL record of 23 in a game. Almost made me want to put a line through him. No idea where he sits with JS but he is mature aged. And yes…. he is a tackling machine. Something the Cats are not known for in previous years.

Embed from Getty Images

West Coast

Dom Sheed
Let’s get this out of the way quickly. Fox’s boy was easily best on ground. He is an accumulator and is the type of player I usually like in DT as he will never get a tag. But the reality is he is priced very awkwardly in all the formats and is not really in the ‘consideration section’. Outstanding game nonetheless! Draft option? Definitely has potential to be a smokey mid option.

Francis Watson
Simply wow! This kid did everything he could to catch the eye. I love how he moves and reads the play. He oozes class and adds a lot to the Eagles half back line. With Gaff out early, he could easily get an early season game as well. The other thing to note here was that he went 90+ in DT and AF and from only 17 disposals. Everyone knows I love a player who enjoys his cuddling! Watson was very affectionate and distributed 10 hugs in this game. Just what the doctor needed! A defensive rookie that is well priced and has scoring potential. I would like fries with that thanks!
Note: his SC numbers were down in contrast to his DT/AF numbers. Keep an eye on this moving into JLT2.

Jack Darling
Kicked 5 goals and really looked to relish the number 1 forward spot. He started 2018 on fire as well and could reproduce. Just need to be aware of when to jump off the ship but could be set for another blistering start to the season proper.

Elliot Yeo
Had a very intriguing battle in the midfield with Dangerfield. He doesn’t really lockdown on players but rather makes them accountable for their touches while finding plenty of it himself. Doesn’t appear to be any change with the Yeo role for 2019. If you liked him before, then you still like him after this game!

Oscar Allen
Took a couple of good marks and kicked 3 goals. Very nice footballer to watch. I cannot go near him however due to 2 reasons. 1. JJK will be back at some stage which will definitely impact Allen. 2. Kicked 3 goals and impacted the game a lot yet his scoring was around the 70 mark. I would suggest that is his ceiling for the time being. Which means he could easily pump out some 20’s and 30’s when he doesn’t kick those goals. Very good talent coming through however and very much the JJK replacement in the next year or 2.

Tom Hickey
I thought he improved as the game went on which is positive signs. The problem however is time spent in the ruck role. If the split is 50/50 then it won’t be enough for him to average what is required as we try working out the best rucks for 2019.

Andrew Gaff
Ran around and did Andrew Gaff things. Remember though he misses rounds 1 and 2 through suspension (just in case you didn’t have the sound up on the commentary last night and were not reminded every time he touches the ball – 27 times to be exact).

Jack Petruccelle
Fwd rookie who just doesn’t score enough to be relevant unfortunately. The club apparently love him and his quickness. If the formats paid you to start him I would probably decline.

Which players caught your eye? Have your say at our Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram. 

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

0 0

It’s here today we get out first proper look at how sides may structure up, which cash cows may be in round one contention and if any players have a notable role change with the JLT Community Series commencing.

Here’s how you can maximise the returns and get the best fantasy footy return from the games you watch.

Embed from Getty Images

The Points Don’t Matter

When it comes to the full-blown season what a players fantasy output determines your success as a fantasy coach. However, nothing could be further from the truth in the JLT community series. When watching these games don’t check the scores and then determine whether a player should stay within your side or not.

Instead, look at the player’s role that they are functioning in the side. Are they getting the desired position that is optimal to in season scoring? Is this role the primary function in the team or are they spending a majority of time in another part?

A players role is more important to observe during the match rather than their end of game fantasy score.

For example, Jade Gresham has been mooted as a potential breakout candidate in the forward line, however, to have confidence in his selection you’ll be wanting to see him spending a primary role as a midfielder across the JLT series matches he plays. Without seeing it, he cannot be considered.

Who’s Missing

It may feel like a contrary point to that’s which is above; however, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this is an enhancement point of the above. While we track the role/functions of players in the match, we need to be aware of which clear best 22 players are not taking part in the game.

For example, continuing with using Jade Gresham as our illustrator he may come out and play a predominant midfield role. However, it is of little relevance given key midfielders like Jack Steven & Dan Hannebery both will likely not play and would walk straight into the midfield of the football club.

If a player is playing a potentially fantasy-friendly role take note, but don’t forget to factor in, which clear best 22 and prominent players regularly in the side are missing (if any at all.)

Embed from Getty Images

Opportunities Available

Not to be confused with the question of ‘who’s missing’ from the sides best 22, but rather this is about what opportunities are there for a player to break into the round one side and beyond. Which vacancies either because of list turnover, retirements, longer-term injuries or trades that have credit a gap that is required to be filled in teams ideal best 22.

A classic example would be to look at the Dockers who are without Lachie Neale (trade) or Connor Blakely (Injury) and so someone is required to take some extra midfield load. Observe which players are taking on greater midfield minutes and start to clarify who is in contention for that spot.

Embed from Getty Images

If They Don’t Play

If a player is coming back from injury and hasn’t been seen in the JLT Series or played in any practice matches throughout February, I run a line through them quickly as a starting squad option. Eliminate the unnecessary risk of selecting someone you haven’t seen a play and choose to target them as an upgrade if relevant.

Do Your Own Work

While it’s good to listen to fantasy podcasts, websites, fellow coaches and ‘experts’ for advice and insight there’s sometimes a moment where their opinion of a player contradicts your current view. If you come across one of these moments, do not throw the ‘baby out with the bathwater’ and disregard the player you’ve been bullish on just because someone else has an opinion different to yours.

Use this moment to double check your research, challenge your existing confirmation bias (if any) in the process and redetermine for yourself why this player is no longer a ‘starter’ for you.

As long as your reasoning is logical, clear and holds the weight it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else says, back yourself in. It’s always better to back your pick in and be wrong than to go against it and be proven right.

What lessons and rules do you have when it comes to watching the JLT? Join the conversation via our social media channels.

Have your say at our Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram. 

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

0 0

We’re now just mere days away from the AFL preseason going into full throttle with fantasy coaches finally getting a proper look at how sides may structure up, which cash cows may be in round one contention and if any players have a notable role change. However, at this time every preseason, there is always one thing I do, and that is…

Embed from Getty Images

Delete My Team And Start Again

Clear the decks, don’t save any remnant of it, do whatever you can and delete the team from existence. I know it feels like you’ve struck upon fantasy utopia and eliminating the team now will undo months of hard work but nothing could be further from the truth, right now your team is stuck in fantasy purgatory and what you’ve got right now will be the undoing of your season if you do not make this change.

Since first creating your team, potentially as early as December when the team pickers opened up so much has changed between now and then. Whether it be injuries to premiums, key rookies emerging, role changes within sides and that’s all before seeing any ‘competitive’ games of football with the JLT Series to start this week.

By deleting your side the fear of ‘losing’ everything is great, but rather what this exercise does is it does is empowers you to look at every player, every line and maximise the information and resources you’ve consumed to create a side based on all the absorbed data.

No longer are you trying to squeeze players ‘in and out’ around a particular player or look for reasons to keep a person in, but letting the data and knowledge determine your direction.

So try it out, see what happens you may find players, structures and strategies you’ve been battling with for weeks all find a natural way of landing smoothly. I know when I did it this week it changed everything and I was able to see a structure that is now barring injury I’ll use entering into the season.

Good luck! Step out and take a risk. I can’t wait to hear the results of what happens for you.

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

0 0

I’m prone to exaggerations and at first, glance to say these preseason matches are the ‘most important’ ever probably is a stretch, but it certainly bears more importance for SuperCoach & AFLFantasy coaches than any of recent times. It’s for one major reason…

The rule changes!

While I’ve seen plenty of speculation about how these roles ‘could’ or ‘might’ impact the game of AFL, due to the fact that some of these rules have only been trialled in a small sample size at the state level we do not know in full what this will do to the game. How will these new rules affect the role of certain players, clubs game styles and as such the impact for Fantasy Footy coaches?

Does the new ruck rule drastically diminish the number of hitouts a ruck wins around the ground? Conversely, if rucks grab the ball out of the air more will we see more ruckman tackling? Do ‘kick outs’ count as a possession? Will the hands in the back rule for forwards mean more marks? Does the starting structure at every centre bounce of 6-6-6 open up the game and reward more outside and link up players for fantasy?

We can make an educated guess and come up with a countless number of the hypothesis of what may happen, but the end of the day until we see it we just don’t fully know. This is why these games will be crucial, this will be our first chance to see how clubs have adapted and evolved around these new rules and what impact this will have on our fantasy players.

This will be especially critical in selecting not just potential breakout players but also with our premiums, whom early on their scoring success will either halt or kick start your scoring season. You could build a case that these rules will create fewer stoppages at players who’s fantasy numbers are based on either tackles or winning high volume of contested possesions will see a scoring decline?

Fantasy coaches who do the research and back their gut (plus get a dose of luck) will prevail, hopefully for your sake, it’s you!  What potential impact do you see the new rule changes having? Get in touch with us and have your say at our Facebook,  Twitter or Instagram. 

If you haven’t seen the preseason fixture yet, we’ve added it for you here.

2019 JLT Community Series Fixture

Week one

Thursday, February 28 Carlton v Essendon at Ikon Park, 6.40pm EDT

Friday, March 1 West Coast v Geelong at Leederville Oval, 4.10pm WST

Saturday, March 2 North Melbourne v St Kilda at Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee, 1.10pm EDT Adelaide v Port Adelaide at the Memorial Oval, Port Pirie, 3.40pm CDT GWS Giants v Sydney at Blacktown International Sportspark, 7.10pm EDT

Sunday, March 3 Brisbane v Hawthorn at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex, 12.40pm EST Richmond v Melbourne at Deakin Reserve, Shepparton, 4.40pm EDT Gold Coast v Western Bulldogs at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 6.40pm EST

Monday, March 4 Fremantle v Collingwood at HBF Arena, Joondalup, 3.40pm WST 

Week two

Thursday, March 7 Geelong v Essendon at GMHBA Stadium, 7.10pm EDT

Friday, March 8 GWS Giants v Adelaide at UNSW Canberra Oval, 7.10pm EDT

Saturday, March 9 Port Adelaide v North Melbourne at Alberton Oval, 12.40pm CDT Melbourne v Brisbane at Casey Fields, Cranbourne, 4.10pm EDT Hawthorn v Richmond at UTAS Stadium, 7.10pm EDT

Sunday, March 10 Sydney v Gold Coast at Oakes Oval, Lismore, 1.10pm EDT Western Bulldogs v St Kilda at Mars Stadium, Ballarat, 4.10pm EDT Fremantle v West Coast at Rushton Park, Mandurah, 4.10pm WST

Monday, March 11 Collingwood v Carlton at Morwell Recreation Reserve, 2.10pm EDT

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %