• Nine things we learned from round 17
• Forecast the final eight with the 2014 ladder predictor
• Around the state leagues: Reid unscathed in VFL hit-out
OUR FIRST Gary Ablett-less weekend wasn't as bad as it could have been with plenty of coaches putting together scores of over 2100 and moving up the ranks.
It was tough to nail a great captain with our regular go-to guy injured and his deputy, Tom Rockliff suspended. Most coaches opted for Scott Pendlebury who struggled in Collinwood's loss to just 84 points. The second most popular skipper was Steve Johnson who managed 130 points to reapy the coaches who chose him.
Adelaide v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval
It was a classic team effort for the Hawks which saw just one player, Sam Mitchell (103), score a Fantasy century but impressively, 13 players scored over 80 points.In Mitchell's second game back after injuring his hamstring, he has now bottomed out in price and should be on your radar to bring in as an under-priced premium defender this week. With some quiet games of late, Grant Birchall (95) or Matt Suckling (85) were likely options to trade out for their former captain, but a strong showing for the duo may see them low priority trade options.
DEF/MID Will Langford (73) played his first game since round 11 gathering 20 disposals before being subbed out in the last quarter. Smashing through his breakeven of 31, he will increase in value this week and reignite himself as a cash cow or at the very least, handy bench cover over the next six rounds.
It has been quite a few weeks since we have seen Patrick Dangerfield (132) at his dominant best, but on Friday night the FWD/MID racked up a game high 41 disposals to post his best score since round nine. Midfielder Brad Crouch (101) finished with 40 disposals for the match.
Defender Brodie Smith (112) and midfielder Rory Sloane (109) also had big nights collecting 34 and 33 disposals respectively.
Melbourne v Geelong, MCG
We are reminded each week that it's a different Melbourne this year and it's not that easy to score against them. Someone should have told Steve Johnson (130) and his teammates with the Cats cruising to a comfortable victory.Johnson kicked two goals to go with his 27 disposals, eight marks and seven tackles to be a worthy captain for those taking the punt on the midfielder who has scored well on the Demons in the past.
Midfielder Joel Selwood (121) had 31 touches and returning from his late withdrawal last week, DEF/MID James Kelly (118), had 27 to be among the best for the Cats. Ruckman Hamish McIntosh (118) collected 26 hit-outs.
Popular DEF/MID Jimmy Bartel (74) and newly named FWD/MID Mitch Duncan (65) failed to reach their projected scores for the round.
Midfielder Nathan Jones (94) and DEF/FWD Jeremy Howe (88) topped the table for the Demons.
North Melbourne v St Kilda, Blundstone Arena
A best-on-ground performance from Todd Goldstein (130) helped the Kangaroos to a 10-goal win in their home game in Hobart. The ruckman finished with 39 hit-outs and two goals to take his six-game average to 104.Ryan Bastinac (124), Sam Wright (115) and the evergreen Brent Harvey (109) excelled in the cold conditions.
Playing his first match against his old club, Nick Dal Santo (90) was a solid performer with 22 disposals and in his second week as a DEF/MID, pleased coaches who brought him in due to his added DPP status.
11 tackles, 29 disposals and two goals helped David Armitage (153) to the top score at Blundstone Arena. Stalwarts Lenny Hayes (93) and Nick Riewoldt (89) battled hard for the Saints.
Western Bulldogs v Gold Coast, Cazalys Stadium
What a massive week it has been for Jack Macrae (168)! The Bulldog controversially started in the green vest last week and in 40 per cent time on ground scored 69 Fantasy points. He played a full game to collect 43 disposals and kick two goals, including 114 points in the second half. This took his tally to a 'Ma-crazy' 237 points in the last six-quarters of football he's played.WATCH: Showreel - Macrae's monster gameMidfielders Nathan Hrovat (110) and Matthew Boyd (109) found plenty of the ball and were important players in the Bulldogs' 28-point win.
Ryan Griffen was withdrawn prior to the game due to illness and some pundits had doubts over Tom Liberatore's (101) output. The young Dog has struggled when the skipper is out of the side, but he collected 28 touches and kicked a goal to put the doubters at bay.
In the first match without Gary Ablett, second-year player Jaeger O'Meara (116) stood up in the midfield, laying nine tackles and kicking two goals to go with his 22 disposals. Dion Prestia (81) also had 22 touches and was the next best for the luckless Suns.
On track for a big score, Kade Kolodjashnij (69) injured his hamstring in the third quarter and was subsequently handed the red vest and took no further part in the game.
Brisbane Lions v West Coast, Gabba
The Eagles held on to win the Saturday night game in an uninspiring clash at the Gabba. Luke Shuey (106) was the leading possession winner for the night with 30 and the only West Coast player to crack triple figures in the Fantasy stakes. With Dean Cox resting, Scott Lycett (98) supported Nic Naitanui (83) in the ruck as the Eagles pair had 51 hit-outs to the Lions' 33.Stefan Martin (113) shouldered the majority of the ruck load for the Lions but was damaging around the ground with 24 disposals and seven marks. We sing his praises every week, but the last six matches have been nothing short of amazing for the former Demon.
Four tons and a low of 97 has made the RUC/FWD a mid-season must-have.
FWD/MID's Dayne Zorko (105) and Sam Mayes (105) along with first year midfielder James Aish (102) were the other leading Lions.
Sydney Swans v Carlton, SCG
The Swans turned it on in the third quarter to run out 71-point winners thanks in part to a six-goal haul from Lance Franklin (114). Buddy went into the first quarter break on -4 points and only added 20 in the second. His third term included five goals and 68 Fantasy points to help him to his eighth 100+ score of the year.A popular Ablett replacement, Josh Kennedy (130) finished with 41 disposals and five tackles, while teammates Jarrad McVeigh (124) and Kieren Jack (119) pleased their coaches with 29 and 27 touches respectively.
FWD/MID's Ben McGlynn (111) and Luke Parker (107) continued their stellar seasons. A Fantasy forward-line that included Franklin, Jack, McGlynn and Parker as four of the six players required up front wouldn't be a bad thing at all!
WATCH: Showreel - Swans' sizzling third termIt seems that despite their team's form, Bryce Gibbs (118) and Marc Murphy (113) keep getting the job done. Whilst not quite posting the numbers required of a top-eight midfielder, the two Blues are averaging over 100 points per game. A good effort considering Carlton has won just the five games this season.
Richmond v Port Adelaide, Etihad Stadium
The Tigers are a tipster's nightmare and they have been equally as frustrating in Fantasy this year.DEF/FWD Ricky Petterd (122) kicked two goals to top score for Richmond, while captain Trent Cotchin (100) continued his mid-season resurgence to average 112 across the past five. Jack Riewoldt (99) kicked three goals in his best Fantasy game since booting 11 against the Giants in round 10.
Former Giant Anthony Miles (95) attracted the Kane Cornes (104) tag which is testament to how well he has played since being upgraded from the rookie list. In his six games this year, Miles has averaged 98.67 points and has just about reached his peak price.
Midfielder Travis Boak (132) racked up a huge 39 disposals as the best for the Power.
Ruckman Matthew Lobbe (113) has to be considered as a point of difference if he can keep up his tackling. He finished with 12 for the day.
Robbie Gray (76), Brad Ebert (55) and Justin Westhoff (49) all scored well below their season average.
WATCH: Match highlights - Richmond v Port Adelaide
Essendon v Collingwood, MCG
Collingwood fans, look away… and anyone stacked with Collingwood players, well, it wasn’t your afternoon.Top scorer for the match, DEF/FWD Jake Carlisle (163), had a day out booting four goals from his 22 kicks and enormous 19 marks. Also with a high mark count of 14, Brent Stanton (150) racked up 32 disposals as he linked up all over the ground.
WATCH: Record-breaking Jake demolishes PiesPaul Chapman (114) put in another fantastic performance in his new colours kicking three goals while Dustin Fletcher (106) saw plenty of the ball after a week out of the senior side. Jason Winderlich (105) was subbed out at three-quarter time but not before posting his second Fantasy ton on the trot since a role change that has seen him spend a lot of time in the back 50.
A total of 14 Bombers scored over 80 in their 64-point win.
A unique trade-in option for Ablett was Steele Sidebottom (109) who saw his ownership increase this week. The midfielder has averaged over 105 this season and he was the sole Pie to crack the Fantasy ton on Sunday.
The next best was Dayne Beams (98) who kicked two goals followed by the most popular captain choice in Ablett’s absence, Scott Pendlebury (84).
Dane Swan (57) is far from his best, spending extended periods in the forward line. Coach Nathan Buckley revealed that Travis Cloke (39) was struggling with a bout of gastro.
Fremantle v Greater Western Sydney, Patersons Stadium
The Dockers were clinical in the last game of the round as they defeated the Giants by 76 points.Defender Lee Spurr (113) had a game out of the box taking nine marks playing on Devon Smith (108) and even managing to kick a goal.Tendai Mzungu (110) enjoyed running out of half-back taking 11 marks to go with his 26 disposals.
Midfielder Nat Fyfe (109) kicked two goals to be named as best on ground for the victors.
Despite the large margin on the scoreboard, the Giants were able to rack up sizeable Fantasy scores, combining for 1503.
Callan Ward (125) has been a consistent performer since the club’s inception and round 17 was no different. Twenty-nine disposals and nine tackles was a highlight of his game. Toby Greene (118) has always been regarded as a Fantasy ball-magnet and in his second game back after serving his club suspension, the midfielder gathered 35 disposals – the most of any player on the ground.
The Dockers won the ruck battle as Shane Mumford (75) went solo against the intimidating pairing of Zac Clarke (92) and Aaron Sandilands (76). With a five-game average of under 80 points for Sandilands, if you have a luxury trade, it might be worth jumping off the 211cm ruckman.
How did the Traders go in round 17?
There has been a Monday morning crisis meeting called at Warne Dawgs HQ. For a second week in a row, my boys were smashed by the other two Traders and my overall ranking has plummeted to 3164. It’s a dark, dark time for this coach as the hopes of a top four finish is hanging by a thread. Poor scores from Dane Swan (57), Brad Ebert (55) and Travis Cloke (39) made Sunday a day to forget as I finished on 2066 for the round.Calvin went into the round wearing an on-field zero due to the suspensions to Brendon Goddard and Tom Rockliff. His Calvinator’s scored 2160 which was a very decent effort playing one man down. Goes to show how bad my score was!
Golden boy Roy keeps marching on his merry way, scoring 2197. He will be looking to cement himself a top four spot in our main league on the back of a second-half-of-the-season comeback. Bringing in Sam Mitchell (103) a week early was a masterstroke and he got a lot out of his unique players in Brodie Smith (112), Anthony Miles (95) and his captain Steve Johnson (130).
Round 18 is split, meaning a few different things to think about for Fantasy coaches. This Friday night’s lockout will see players from the 10 teams playing on the first weekend locked out. Players from the remaining eight teams will be locked on the following Friday night. As it is still treated as one round, we will only have two trades to use.
Stay tuned for more on trading strategy and how to navigate your side through the split round during the week on the podcast and Roy’s Trade Talk.
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