FIRST and foremost, how good is it to have footy back? Yes, there is plenty of talk about rusty skills and short quarters but footy is back and most importantly, so is AFL Fantasy! Part of the fun for coaches at the moment is trying to get a read on what the ‘new’ game means for their players and potential trade prospects in order to make the most of their trades this week.
Fantasy Pig
Todd Goldstein turned back the clock and absolutely dominated Sam Jacobs to become the round top scorer. The Roo big man took sole responsibility of the ruck department to a whole new level, playing 100 per cent of the game for 51 hitouts, 19 disposals and a goal for 127. He is a genuine option as a trade target during Corona Ball due to the time on ground and fact he is hitting up basically every stoppage for the match.
BARRETT Keep your 'club-killing' ideas to yourself, Jeff
Honourable mention: Max Gawn was another big man putting on a clinic albeit against a less experienced opponent in Marc Pittonet. The newly appointed skipper not only led from the front but he dragged his team over the line with 34 hitouts, 21 possessions and five tackles for 123. Like Goldy, the excessive time on ground is priceless, playing 95 per cent of the game and basically covering every stoppage.
Pig Watch: His Royal Swineness Tom ‘Pig’ Rockliff raised his snout for his hundredth career hundred on the weekend against the arch-rival Crows. Yet another outstanding display of over indulgence.
Rage trades
After a shocking week one, we gave Brodie Smith a free pass given he copped an injury, but this will now be the week many of his coaches pack his bags. Unfortunately he has not looked a shadow of the player that finished 2019 on fire and his second sub-50 return for the season with a score of 45 from 10 touches. He was identified as a bargain at the start of the year but is bleeding cash fast. Right your wrong on this one.
NINE THINGS WE LEARNED The Crows are a bottom-four team
Honourable mention: Last year Toby Greene finished the season as the best midfielder in the competition. Unfortunately for his owners, the return of gun midfielders from injury have caused the versatile star to move back to the forward line and his scoring rate has dropped considerably as a result. He received minimal opportunities in the forward 50 against the Roos and scored just 39 with two behinds.
Other players worth chopping before it’s too late and their price plummets further: Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Josh Kelly, Lachie Whitfiled and Hugh McCluggage.
Piglet
With many of the stars of the game struggling to cope with the transition to Corona Ball, youngster Matthew Rowell showed them how it is done. He looked like a man among kids when it should be the other way around, doing what he pleased against a hardened Eagles midfield. The superstar in the making finished with 26 touches, seven tackles and two goals for 108.
The top five
- Todd Goldstein: 127
- Max Gawn: 123
- Zak Butters: 114
- Jack Billings: 112
- Jake Lloyd: 111
Trade targets
- Lachie Neale
- Taylor Adams
- Bailey Smith
- Jeremy Howe
- Christian Petracca
We have three more trades this week to assist coaches with getting their team back on track … and don’t I need them. At this stage I will be trading out McCluggage, Whitfield and Brodie Smith to stop the bleeding and start generating some cash. Of course I will have to reverse them when teams are announced and all my rookies are dropped, but that’s part of the fun. Good luck.
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