TALK about an unlikely hero! With just three triple-figure scores to his name this season and a three-game average of 51, it was GWS power forward Jesse Hogan (FWD, $617,000) who stepped up on the Preliminary Final stage to record a thumping round-high score of 188 from 24 possessions, 17 marks and nine goals.
It was hard to miss a good captain last week after many of our popular choices stood up. Star Saint Rowan Marshall (RUC, $1.02M) didn't disappoint as a popular VC, taking full advantage of the Cats' depleted ruck stocks with a mammoth performance that consisted of 24 possessions, 10 marks, 28 hitouts and a goal for 141.
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For those who missed him, Bulldogs stars Tim English (RUC, $1.03M) and Marcus Bontempelli (MID, $1.03M) took care of business in a Fantasy-friendly match-up with the Eagles. The Bont overcame a slow start to amass an impressive 103 in the second half following a swift response to 'Roy's Rocket' at the long break.
GF week … Depending on your team, there are lots of different ways to spend your last two trades for the year. Whether chasing a car, cash, hat or more importantly a GF cup, a common theme this week is to hit a six and target a match-up/ceiling with Crow powerhouse Taylor Walker (FWD, $704,000) becoming the poster child. He is currently the most traded-in player given his match-up with the Eagles, who he had a field day on earlier in the year with 166 which included 11 marks and 10 goals. For those thinking lightning can't strike twice, Charlie Curnow scored 151 and 146 on them this year from nine and 10 goals, respectively. Having said that, it's not a move I would make unless you are looping a 23rd player.
It's at a point where you have to trade out a player Finn Maginness is targeting. He smashed superstar Clayton Oliver (MID, $955,000), holding him to just nine possessions in the first three quarters before letting him off the hook, eventually scoring a season-low 66. This week he will have a couple of young Dockers stars in his sights and you don't want to be the victim in your Grand Final, that's for sure!
MOST TRADED IN
- Taylor Walker (FWD, $704,000)
- Tom Green (MID, $910,000)
- Rory Laird (MID, $963,000)
- Nic Newman (DEF, $943,000)
- Sam Flanders (FWD/MID, $805,000)
MOST TRADED OUT
- Jack Ziebell (FWD/MID, $653,000)
- Luke Davies-Uniacke (MID, $871,000)
- Jack Macrae (MID/FWD, $694,000)
- Luke Nankervis (MID/FWD, $368,000)
- Luke Jackson (FWD/RUC, $795,000)
TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
- Jesse Hogan (FWD, $617,000) +$71,000
- George Hewett (MID, $665,000) +$61,000
- Paddy Dow (MID, $498,000) +$59,000
- Karl Amon (MID, $835,000) +$55,000
- Callan Ward (MID/FWD, $693,000) +$46,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
- Luke McDonald (DEF, $571,000) -$63,000
- Jaeger O'Meara (MID, $580,000) -$61,000
- Sam Taylor (DEF, $488,000) -$52,000
- Ben Keays (FWD/MID, $636,000) -$49,000
- Jack Macrae (FWD/MID, $694,000) -$48,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
- James O'Donnell (DEF, $280,000) -9
- Henry Hustwaite (MID, $261,000) -2
- Josh Fahey (DEF/MID, $268,000) -1
- Zaine Cordy (FWD/DEF, $312,000) 2
- Tom Emmett (FWD, $243,000) 6
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
- Clayton Oliver (MID, $955,000) 146
- Jordan Dawson (DEF/MID, $954,000) 146
- Christian Petracca (MID, $892,000) 137
- James Sicily (DEF, $921,000) 135
- Errol Gulden (FWD/MID, $984,000) 135
STOCKS UP
Tom Green (MID, $910,000): Some players are so good they don't care about tough match-ups and the midfield bull is one of them. Since returning from injury he has scored 141, 118 and 120 leading into his match with the Blues, who he scored 110 on in round three. He has been filling the stat lines and should have no problems producing a good score as he tries to keep the Giants' finals hopes alive.
Rory Laird (MID, $963,000): A star player who is in form and has a soft match-up has to be at the forefront of trade plans and the hard-working Crows midfielder certainly ticks all boxes. This week he faces the Eagles on the back of a six-week ton run where he is averaging 118 and he has form against his opponent after racking up 124 on them earlier this year.
Nic Newman (DEF, $943,000): I wrote about the Blues' ball-winning defender a few weeks ago when he was priced at about $700K, now at a significantly more expensive price he remains the pick of the defenders given his career-best form. On paper, the Giants aren't a great match-up for defenders but Newman can't be stopped at the moment, and his numbers reflect that with a low score of 93 in the last seven games which includes a hot month returning elites scores of 123, 139, 138 and 125 in his last four.
Sam Flanders (MID/FWD, $805,000): The 22-year-old continues to flourish under Steven King with a five-game average of 104 which includes a season-high 125 in his latest outing against the Blues where he racked up 36 possessions, five marks and five tackles to record his season high. He has a soft match-up against the Roos to finish the season and remains a great price to bring in for an under-performing premium with a touch fixture.
Zak Butters (FWD/MID, $873,000): I flagged a couple of weeks ago that Butters was back to his best, and we saw through the middle of the season just how damaging that is! He has a three-game average of 121 leading into a nice match-up for midfielders against the Tigers who sit among the top five easiest to score against in recent times. He will be big again at sits at a price well below his worth.
STOCKS DOWN
Jack Macrae (FWD/MID, $694,000): Just when it looked like it couldn't get much worse than the 45 the former ball magnet scored against the Hawks, his faithful coaches didn't quite get the reward they were after in another soft match-up with the Eagles where he managed just 13 possessions and a score of 51 before getting subbed out. Unheard of, he has to go.
Callum Mills (MID, $670,000): Officially on the 2024 watch list as the former uber premium continues to score dramatically below expectation. He was finally back to a predominant midfield role, attending over 80 per cent CBA but his scoring didn't reflect that, collecting just 11 possessions and scoring just 51 which happens to be his second sub 60 score in four weeks.
Luke Jackson (RUC/FWD, $795,000): The athletic big man has made the most of his No.1 ruck responsibilities the last three weeks with an impressive average of 112 in that time. Given we are in luxury trade mode however, he has a tough match-up with the Hawks who have been the equal fifth hardest to score against in that position despite facing Tim English and Max Gawn in the last two weeks. If you have him as a forward, it's an easy trade to Sam Flanders.
Caleb Serong (MID, $886,000) or Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $910,000): On paper, the Hawks look like the perfect match-up for the Dockers stars to round out impressive seasons given they are the second easiest midfield to rack up against. There is a big problem however … one of their seasons is as good as Finnished. Yeah, I'll see myself out, but the Finn Maginness tag is real and he is as good as we have seen in a long time in that role. He smashed Clayton Oliver for three quarters, holding him to just nine possessions in that time, so if you have either of the ball winners in your team and you think Finn is going to them, trade them out!
Jaiden Short (DEF/MID, $723,000): The Tiger became a popular target straight off injury with an elite run of match-ups against the Dogs, Saints and Roos. He averaged just 89 in that time and it's about to get a whole lot tougher against the Power who have been the second hardest for defenders to score against in the last five weeks.
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