THOUSANDS OF AFL Fantasy Drafts were held ahead of round one and some AFL players have been among those taking part in the exciting Fantasy format that puts mate against mate … or even teammate against teammate!
Alex Witherden has taken part in Fantasy Drafts across his career. Before he became an Eagle, he was part of the Brisbane Lions’ Draft league which was made up of players, led by commissioner Harris Andrews.
Now at West Coast, he’s part of a tight-knit group of eight coaches who draft teams of four defenders, five midfielders, two rucks and four forwards, with plenty of bragging rights on the line.
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Witherden won the league last year and is stoked with his start to the season, based on his first two picks of Clayton Oliver and Zach Merrett. He went with the theory of taking the best players available and he couldn’t pass up the midfield ball-magnets early on.
While he was happy with how he drafted, the two-ruck set-up was challenging, even with just eight teams. His strategy was to not jump too quickly on the big men, ending up with Mark Blicavs and Peter Ladhams as his combo.
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They held their draft on the Friday before round one as they got together with their laptops, ordered in some pizzas and let the banter fly.
Jack Petruccelle walked away from the draft the most happy with his side, but time will tell whether he can stop Witherden from achieving back-to-back premierships. Petruccelle drafted Witherden and suggested he went too early. He also admitted he hasn’t started the season too well and will miss this week due to concussion protocols.
As for the players who take it the most seriously, Jake Waterman and Harry Edwards were named up by Witherden.
Edwards has the most Fantasy pedigree off-field, finishing eighth in AFL Fantasy Classic in 2021. The defender enjoyed a stellar season, becoming the highest-ranked AFL-listed player ever in the Official Fantasy game of the AFL.
Waterman and Edwards are keeping an eye on the dual-position player updates that are set to be added to the game after round five. Waterman has Taylor Adams on his bench and is hoping he’ll be able to switch him forward in a couple of weeks’ time.
While Fantasy Draft is Witherden’s favourite format, he’s having a dabble at Fantasy Classic this season. Although he’s still learning a lot and has a bit of work to do to try to be the best Fantasy player at the club, he’s trying his best with trades week-to-week to improve his side… even at the expense of his teammates.
Dom Sheed has been great for West Coast after a year on the sidelines, but was chopped from Withingtons Warriors. Playing Fantasy footy is a ruthless game.
You can take on Witherden in his Fantasy Classic league with league code: PLTPZKS7.
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