THE DOUBLE weeks are over! The longest round in Fantasy footy is thankfully behind us, with coaches now back on a level playing field when it comes to how many and how often their players take to the field in week eight.

Let's take stock of where our Fantasy teams are right now. How many rookies are you still fielding, or are you in a position to start luxury trading? Who on your team do you trust to score well this week, and who are you feeling a bit shaky on? There are only three weeks (and nine trades) left this AFLW Fantasy season and it is time to leave it all on the field.

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Hopefully your team includes Fantasy superstar Ebony Marinoff (152-point average), who is having a season for the ages right now. Her combined week seven score of 331 was the highest of any double week player by nearly 100 points, and meant those who captained her could take home a whopping 662 points from one player!

With very few rookie-priced players emerging as scorers over the last few weeks, coaches need to be thinking about getting these poor scorers upgraded as fast as possible. There are no double week scores to hide behind anymore…

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Top five price rises

1. Georgia Clarke (DEF, $807,000): +$183,000
2. Jessica Allan (RUC, $879,000): +$169,000
3. Laura Pugh (DEF, $567,000): +$145,000
4. Simone Nalder (RUC, $469,000): +$140,000
5. Tyla Hanks (MID, $958,000): +$139,000

Top five price falls

1. Kate Shierlaw (FWD, $567,000): -$197,000
2. Tamara Smith (DEF, $555,000): -$155,000
3. Alison Drennan (MID, $854,000): -$145,000
4. Kaitlyn Srhoj (MID, $619,000): -$141,000
5. Tahlia Gillard (DEF, $402,000): -$140,000

Treat

Aisling McCarthy (MID, $1,199,000)
With Fremantle and West Coast set to play a massive Western Derby this weekend, few players will be more pivotal than McCarthy. Up against her former side, I'm expecting big things from Freo's form midfielder before a juicy finish to the season against easier match-ups Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs. If you're looking for a cheaper midfielder to round out your team, McCarthy has the chops to match the best of the best.

Sofia Hurley (MID, $1,218,000)
If you are looking for a more unique option, Hurley has been tearing it up recently for her two per cent of Fantasy coaches. Her last four include scores of 118, 101, 100 and 97 in a breakout patch of form for 2024. The fixture looks a little challenging with reigning premier Brisbane on the horizon, but with increased midfield responsibility thanks to Laura Gardiner's injury and impressive form against North Melbourne last weekend, Hurley looks more than up to the challenge.

Greta Bodey (FWD, $791,000)
The Hawks are flying at the moment, in no small part due to a dangerous forward mix that is hard to contain. After some early-season injuries and close lockdown defending thanks to her six-goal effort against St Kilda, Bodey is finding more and more space to be a consistent forward scorer for our Fantasy sides. Going above 60 in each of her last three games and a ceiling of 120-plus, there are very few forward-listed players going around that can match that ability. Watch for a pop score against the Giants this weekend.

Trap

Georgia Clarke (DEF, $802,000)
Not only has Clarke been the highest price riser each of the last two weeks, she has also managed to improve her Fantasy score on the game before every game this season – a monumental effort! But the limits of this run are surely being tested, with a 95 against the Bulldogs (who give up plenty of points to defenders) unlikely to be topped against the irrepressible North Melbourne this weekend. With the price now matching the best premium defenders in the competition, look elsewhere for the run home.

Bonnie Toogood (FWD, $623,000)
Toogood has now lost an incredible $700,000 from her starting price, a price that more than half of Fantasy coaches were prepared to pay given her extraordinary talent. But despite this bargain opportunity, we need to be wary – the Bombers play North this weekend and Toogood no longer seems to be swinging behind the ball to support the defence as she did in 2023. Hold off one more week before you jump on board.

Jess Allan (RUC, $879,000)
With the double games now behind us, plenty of coaches are looking to upgrade Eilish O'Dowd to a more established ruck premium. While Allan impressed with a 93 and an 85 last week, her finish to the season looks far more difficult – Sabrina Frederick (Collingwood) and the combination of Emma King and Kim Rennie (North Melbourne) are incredibly tough opponents. If possible, find the cash to grab Mim Strom or Lucy Wales who both have incredible runs to finish the year. 

Trade

Zali Friswell (FWD, $602,000)
I think we can now admit that our ride on the Friswell rollercoaster has not been an overly enjoyable one. Geelong has not been utilising the young wing as much as it had earlier in the season, and Friswell seems extremely adept at running to close down space only to see the ball handpassed over her head. With the extremely restrictive Lions on the horizon, it's time to jump off.

Lucy McEvoy (DEF, $752,000)
Whilst McEvoy had previously been discussed (by Free Kick no less) as a potential No.1 defender in the competition. Sadly, her expansive role on the wing which had seen her drift deep inside 50 has taken a back seat to a role in D50, and that's resulted in a drop in scoring. With only one score above 60 in her last five games, and one of the toughest runs for defenders, I don't see McEvoy being within much of a sniff of the top defenders.

Zarlie Goldsworthy (MID, $942,000)
GWS is really struggling this season, and one of the players who has been most affected by this is Zarlie Goldsworthy. Her role often sees her spending 5-10 minute patches sitting inside the forward line or 1.5 kicks away from the ball. If you made the choice to trade/hold Goldsworthy for the DGW, it's time to rectify, as we can't be having midfielders capable of scoring below 60 at this stage of the season.

Eilish O'Dowd (RUC, $805,000)
O'Dowd currently sits in over 36 per cent of AFLW Fantasy teams. With her DGW now finished, all of those questions need to ask if they can find the approximately $200k needed to upgrade the Irish rookie to a top three ruck (L.Wales, Matilda Scholz), or splurge for this year's superstar ruck MIm Strom. O'Dowd has needed a 25-plus point final quarter to get to a score in the mid 60s in the past three weeks. If you are no longer carrying a rookie at D5 or F5, now is the time to upgrade.

Top rookies

• Taya Oliver (DEF, $438,000)
• Alice Burke (DEF, $395,000)
• Georgie Cleaver (RUC, $372,000)
• Sophie Locke (FWD, $399,000)
• Kerryn Peterson (DEF, $499,000)

Captains' Corner

Praise be to Emperor Noffy after 331 points in one weekend of football – a feat that we will likely never see repeated. Unsurprisingly, Ebony Marinoff sits atop the rankings for another week of Captains' Corner, with the North duo of Jas Garner and Ash Riddell also sitting highly before a match-up against the surging Bombers, who will likely play a game style which suits the stoppage dominant Kangaroos.

No.1: Ebony Marinoff (v Collingwood)
No.2: Jasmine Garner (v Essendon)
No.3: Monique Conti* (v Melbourne)
No.4: Ash Riddell (v Essendon)
No.5: Mim Strom* (v West Coast)

Other options to consider: Keeley Sherar* (vs. Western Bulldogs), Anne Hatchard (vs. Collingwood), Lucy Wales* (vs. GWS), Ally Anderson (vs. Geelong), Sofia Hurley* (vs. Gold Coast), Ella Roberts (vs. Fremantle)

* Able to be used as a VC

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