IT WAS the final dress rehearsal for the players ahead of the first round of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season start on March 16 and a huge opportunity for AFL Fantasy coaches to take a look at their possible recruits.
Televised games, live Fantasy scores and plenty of information was on hand as thousands of Fantasy coaches lapped up every second of the coverage.
PRE-SEASON FANTASY WRAP Locks, bargains, surprise packets, more
Roy, Calvin and Warnie covered the Hawks v Magpies game in Launceston from the stands. They also timed their weekend away for their Bacon Cup Draft as they were able to watch every game of footy with laptops, phones and notepads in hand.
Centre bounce attendances, kick-ins, time on ground and other stat categories were the focus for their research.
The Traders ran through the key Fantasy names from the nine pre-season games as they piece together their teams with just 10 days to go until the first lockout of 2023.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
In this week's episode …
1:30 - Thanks to Jaiden Popowski, we have some of the big ownership movers from the weekend.
4:00 - It was a big weekend with all the praccy games and the Bacon Cup Draft.
7:00 - How the first round played out of the Bacon Cup with the big surprise coming with Stephen Coniglio at pick four.
10:15 - Hawthorn v Collingwood saw Cam Mackenzie become the first rookie lock of the weekend.
12:20 - What more could James Worpel have done, asks Roy.
14:45 - Tom Mitchell was handball happy, but his role as an inside midfielder was there. Will he get enough on the outside?
16:30 - Fremantle v Port Adelaide had Will Brodie rack up in a tight midfield unit for the Dockers.
19:20 - You're not chucking Hayden Young out based on pre-season says Calvin.
21:45 - It's time to forget Scott Lycett.
22:50 - Brisbane v Geelong was headlined by new Lions Josh Dunkley and Will Ashcroft.
24:20 - Who will make the round one team out of Darcy Wilmot and Conor McKenna.
26:00 - St Kilda v Essendon had a Fantasy relevant injury early in the game with tagger Marcus Windhager going down with a hand injury.
29:40 - Are there any concerns on picking Jack Steele?
31:20 - Andrew McGrath took 10 marks.
35:15 - Sydney v Carlton was all about Errol Gulden. Is he a must-have after 177?
38:00 - Can you slot in Matt Roberts on your bench?
38:45 - It is Sam Docherty at D1 and then daylight to second AND third according to Roy.
41:30 - Is Alex Cincotta good enough to have at D6?
44:00 - West Coast v Adelaide told Calvin that if you don't have Rory Laird in, you're playing the wrong game.
47:30 - Lock in Elliot Yeo.
49:00 - GWS Giants v Gold Coast told us one thing, Adam Kingsley brought some weights with him.
52:05 - Finn Callaghan looked good on the wing as a cheaper mid-priced option.
56:45 - Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne saw the Dogs collect the most Fantasy points for the weekend.
59:15 - Warnie suggests you set and forget your rucks with Marshall and Tim English.
1:01:30 - Roy offers some food for thought throwing up Liam Jones.
1:06:45 - Melbourne v Richmond had Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy combine for six goals.
1:09:30 - The biggest forward lock for Warnie is Tim Taranto at F2.
1:11:30 - Questions from social media - follow @AFLFantasy on Twitter, @aflfantasy on Instagram and like the Official AFL Fantasy facebook page.
1:15:00 - Which $200k players can you comfortably play on field?
1:21:10 - Is Will Setterfield an option?
Get AFL Fantasy updates from The Traders in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on Twitter and Instagram and 'like' the Facebook page to join in the conversation.