• After the siren: Where it's going wrong for the Swans
THEY say a week is a long time in footy and that has certainly been true this week in NAB AFL Fantasy.
After a high scoring start to the season in round one, this round threw up plenty of surprises that brought a few Fantasy coaches back to earth.
RICHMOND v CARLTON – MCG
As the game began, another partial lockout greeted Fantasy coaches as Tigers and Blues players were locked into our squads as the ball was bounced.
FWD/MID Dustin Martin (89) appears in more than a third of teams, and he kicked two goals, including the last of the match to seal victory for the Tigers. He managed 21 disposals but pleasingly 18 of them were kicks; good for Fantasy.
Both Trent Cotchin (79) and Brett Deledio (74) were among the leading scorers at the main break, but quiet second halves saw the midfielders score well below what they’re priced at.
Former Port Adelaide player Matt Thomas, (107) at just $271,100, backed up very well from his round one score of 108. The midfielder again rewarded coaches who selected him after a positive pre-season.
Midfielders Ed Curnow (117), Marc Murphy (103) and forward Chris Yarran (103) were the best for the Blues. Last time the two sides played, Brock McLean (19) was the top scorer. On Thursday night, the midfielder struggled with just two kicks and six handballs and was subbed out in the third term.
ESSENDON v HAWTHORN – Etihad Stadium
Ninety minutes before the bounce, Hawk Sam Mitchell was a late withdrawal from the game due to a calf injury. With unlimited trades, the DEF/MID’s ownership dropped significantly before full lockout was in effect.
The Hawks won the trilling encounter and DEF/MID Shaun Burgoyne (123) finished with 30 disposals to be the star of the match.
Essendon midfielders Brent Stanton (121) and Jobe Watson (120) were busy all night finishing with 25 and 30 disposals respectively.
FWD/MID Paul Chapman (110) was again fantastic for his new club as were underrated first-year players forward Patrick Ambrose (77) and midfielder Martin Gleeson (73).
A groin injury saw DEF/MID Luke Hodge (45) subbed out in the third quarter while fellow defenders Grant Birchall (47) and Will Langford (46) didn’t match their scores from round one.
Five goals, 24 disposals and 14 marks saw forward Nick Riewoldt (148) the best in the afternoon game at Etihad Stadium.
Tom Hickey (119) kicked three goals resting forward while shouldering most of the ruck responsibility. Shane Mumford (132) won the battle at the stoppages with 46 hit-outs to Hickey’s 20.
Twenty-eight disposals to midfielder Callan Ward (110) and five goals to FWD/MID Devon Smith (109) saw them the only other Giants to score three figures.
In just over a quarter, midfielder Josh Kelly (41) made an impressive debut with 11 disposals and three tackles.
PORT ADELAIDE v ADELAIDE – Adelaide Oval
In the Showdown at the new home of football in South Australia, midfielder Kane Cornes (136) racked up 33 disposals and 10 marks.
Brad Ebert (127) wasn’t far behind with 21 disposals, 10 marks, nine tackles and one goal.
For the Crows, defenders Brodie Smith (123) and Matthew Jaensch (119) were the unlikely top scorers. The latter could be a smokey for your Fantasy backline after posting 89 in round one. He’ll have a decent price rise over the coming weeks if his form continues.
Unfortunately midfielder Brad Crouch (96) will miss about six weeks with a fractured fibula.
More than 30,000 coaches went into round two with FWD/MID Matthew Wright (52) after an impressive 108 against Geelong last week. He spent the majority of his time up forward playing a defensive role, limiting his Fantasy scoring.
In wet conditions in Perth, Aaron Sandilands (104) scored more than half of his points from hit-outs. With plenty of ball-ups around the ground, he won 58 hit-outs for the night.
Midfielders Michael Barlow (130) and David Mundy (123) had 65 disposals between them, with the majority by foot, boosting their Fantasy scores.
As expected, Ryan Crowley (38) went to Gary Ablett (80) and held the Gold Coast captain to 24 disposals. Ablett was one of five players to not take a mark in the match.
DEF/MID David Swallow (89) was top scorer for the Suns, spending most of his time running through the midfield.
On debut, defender Kade Kolodjashnij (72) showed some excellent signs. As one of the best Fantasy prospects from the NAB Under 18 Championships last year, his 19 disposals was hopefully a sign of things to come for the future Fantasy star.
SYDNEY SWANS v COLLINGWOOD – ANZ Stadium
In the other Saturday night game, Scott Pendlebury (152) was by far the best performer on the ground with 33 disposals and a massive 10 tackles. The Collingwood midfielder made 48,879 coaches very happy about his selection.
Bargain midfielder Dayne Beams (113) will see his first price rise this week. Calvin’s number one captain choice for the round didn’t let his supporters down collecting 30 disposals, six tackles and kicking a goal.
FWD/MID Lewis Jetta (104) was surprisingly the only Swan to score a Fantasy ton.
One of the first picked for many sides over the last few years, Dane Swan (68), was far from his dominant best. The midfielder had registered just 25 points at half-time.