• Nine things we learned from round 18
• Forecast the final eight with the 2014 ladder predictor
IN WHAT feels like the longest fortnight in NAB AFL Fantasy history, the split round is finally over. Round 18 may have been long in duration, but it also brought us the highest scoring Fantasy round of the year to date.
Coaches taking the massive 380 points from their captain Tom Rockliff had a jump on their opponents. With a whopping 54 players cracking the ton over the last two weekends, a score of 2300 was considered as par for the round - that is, if you were smart enough (or lucky in some cases) to be onthe right side of the big scores.
West Coast v Richmond, Patersons Stadium
Kicking off the second weekend of the split round, the Tigers travelled to a wet and windy Patersons Stadium and claimed the win over the Eagles.While it wasn't West Coast's night, tough midfielder Matt Priddis (147) enjoyed the conditions to collect 30 disposals and lay 18 tackles, the second-most in any AFL game since the stat was first recorded, just one fewer than Jude Bolton's record.
Luke Shuey (117), Shannon Hurn (105) and Mark Hutchings (99) finished with 11, 13 and 13 tackles respectively in the fierce contest.
Midfielder Nathan Foley (103) was the best of the Tigers with 25 disposals and 10 tackles. FWD/MID Dustin Martin (101) kicked two goals from his 22 kicks to take his average to exactly 100 for the season.
With so many stoppages, Nic Naitanui (101) boosted his score by winning 50 hit-outs. He was supported by Jeremy McGovern (36) after Dean Cox (36) was substituted out of the game due to concussion. Cox copped a roundhouse from Ty Vickery (53) that ended his night in the second quarter.
WATCH: Vickery on report for Cox KORichmond's first-choice ruck, Ivan Maric (95) is starting to string together the Fantasy games that made him one of the best picks in 2012. He has averaged 95.7 points over his last three matches and priced at just over $400K, Maric could be a unique choice for your finals campaign.
Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast, Gabba
It rained cats and dogs and plenty of Fantasy points were racked up as the Lions ran out nine-goal winners.Fantasy coaches who were able to take advantage of the vice-captaincy loophole and double Steve Johnson's 145 from the week before would have been reasonably happy banking those points. That was until Tom Rockliff (190) had a day out. Returning from a week's suspension, Rockliff racked up 47 disposals, five marks, 10 tackles and a goal to please the 45,164 coaches who locked him in as captain.
Twitter was abuzz with Rocky's score, the highest for the year, and many crowned him the new King of Fantasy.
Rockliff's score overshadowed an awesome performance by Pearce Hanley (182). The DEF/MID won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for best on ground with a career-high 45 disposals, nine marks five tackles and two goals.
Popular FWD/MID Dayne Zorko (136) finished with 32 touches, seven tackles and two goals as his price will creep up over $400K again this week.
Week in, week out I review the Lions' games and pump up Stefan Martin's (122) tyres. A dominant ruck display that consisted of 37 hit-outs and a further 19 disposals and eight marks took his five game average to over 111 and his price increase from his seven games to more than $250K. There is always the worry about what happens to his scoring when Matthew Leuenberger returns, but at the moment, the RUC/FWD isn't missing a beat.
Apart from the tackle count, the Suns were beaten in all of the major stat categories and this was also reflected on the Fantasy scoreboard.
While tagging the unstoppable Rockliff, Danny Stanley (107) was able to lay nine tackles and collect 23 disposals to be the sole Sun to score a ton.
WATCH: Match highlights - Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast
Hawthorn v Sydney Swans, MCG
In an entertaining battle, the Hawks turned the tables on the Swans from their round eight encounter to hold on for a 10-point win.Jordan Lewis (119) was Hawthorn's best performer, finishing with 19 kicks, 16 handballs, six marks, two tackles and even five hit-outs for an excellent all-round game. DEF/MID Luke Hodge (106) scored his eighth ton of the year while his former captain, Sam Mitchell (97) will start to see his price increase after bottoming out this week.
Milestone man Jarryd Roughead (108) kicked four goals in his 200th game. With 4.4, the forward could have added a few more points if he had kicked straight.
Lance Franklin (106) could have also boosted his score had he kicked accurately. The forward kicked 3.5 against his former side.
Another ex-Hawk, FWD/MID Ben McGlynn (130) was the top scorer in the match with an impressive 23 disposals, seven marks, nine tackles and three goals. Son and grandson of Hawthorn legends, Josh Kennedy (101) continued his outstanding run against his old club, his favourite team to play when it comes to Fantasy.
In the finals-like match that ended the Sydney Swans' 12-game winning streak, popular dual-position players Kieren Jack (88), Jarrad McVeigh (86) and Luke Parker (77) scored below their season averages.
WATCH: Match highlights - Hawthorn v Sydney Swans
Collingwood v Adelaide, MCG
Completing the split round, the Crows propelled themselves into the eight with a 16-point win over the Magpies, who drop to ninth.Bucking the trend of the high scoring round, just two players reached triple figures in the match.
Steele Sidebottom (126) has been in stellar form, averaging 114 since Collingwood's bye in round eight. The midfielder collected 33 disposals and took 10 marks. Dayne Beams (113) has been quiet of late, scoring just one ton in his last five games. He found the ball 29 times and kicked two goals to gain some respect back from some of his coaches who were keen to swing the axe.
Scott Pendlebury (97) managed 25 disposals despite being tagged by Richard Douglas (91).
WATCH: Brilliant Talia keeps Cloke quietCrow Brad Crouch (92) will be a staple member of our Fantasy teams for years to come. The ball-magnet racked up 25 possessions and laid nine tackles to top score for his team. Brodie Martin (90) spent time forward and back to equal his best score of the year.
Patrick Dangerfield (89) is currently the most popular player in the competition. The FWD/MID avoided the Brent Macaffer (44) tag, who went to Rory Sloane (62). Dangerfield finished with 26 touches before a knee complaint saw him hobble off late in the last quarter. We will need to keep an eye on how he recovers during the week ahead of Saturday’s game against West Coast.
How did the Traders go in round 18?
It took a long time to get there, but my Warne Dawgs top scored out of our trio with a monster 2510. Unbelievable! Tom Rockliff as captain helped as did fantastic scores from the relatively unique Matt Priddis and Pearce Hanley. In saying that, 10 players in my starting 22 scored below their season average so the huge scores were well received on this end!Roy enjoyed a great round, too. His boy Rocky helped his team notch up 2424. Unfortunately for Calvin, his 2302, whilst a good score for the week, wasn't enough to beat Roy in their important match-up and has been knocked out of the final eight in our mates' league.
Round 19 is the last weekend of roster matches for regular 18-team Fantasy Classic leagues. There will be a partial lockout due to the 8:10pm AEST Fremantle v Carlton game. Full lockout will go into effect at 7.50pm AEST on Friday night.
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