AVOIDING the floor scores of round four was the avenue to success for plenty of coaches, with many popular rookies posting their lowest scores of the season. Finding ways to get ahead in the upgrade season for AFLW Fantasy will be crucial in separating your team from the pack.
The elite premium scorers of AFLW Fantasy got the job done in round four, but the true separator was the variant scoring of mid-priced players. The few coaches who held Nina Morrison (153) and Tyla Hanks (141) were thrilled by their massive scores, eagerly joined by owners of Daisy D'Arcy, who top-scored in defence with 98.
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On the other hand, plenty of midfield options around the $800k mark had incredibly poor rounds - owners of Anne Hatchard (72), Abbie McKay (67), Abbey Dowrick (54), Ash Woodland (50), and Dayna Finn (49) were left scratching their heads for trades this week. Moreover, 23 per cent of coaches now wait for news on whether Mim Strom will be able to play this weekend, lest they have to find the $200,000 to upgrade to another premium ruck.
Looking at our benches for cash generation options, some trade-outs are getting more and more urgent. With plenty of rookies facing high breakevens last week, upgrade season had well and truly begun and those who waited were unfortunately punished - Ava Usher (19), Lauren Young (40), Alannah Welsh (17), Maddie Quinn (26) and Imogen Brown (40) all posted season lows and dropped cash for the first time this season. But with plenty of high breakevens still circling our crop of rookie players, prioritising who needs to be traded out will be just as difficult a decision this week as who to bring in. Even with all the mid-priced player madness happening across our squads, it's time to get these rookies off field.
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Top five price rises
1. Emma Murray (GEE ,DEF, $556,000): +$163,000
2. Nina Morrison (GEE, MID, $1,053,000): +$159,000
3. Mikayla Bowen (GEE, MID, $1,166,000): +$144,000
4. Isabel Bacon (RIC, DEF, $575,000): +$141,000
5. Eliza McNamara (MEL, MID, $945,000): +$126,000
Top five price falls
1. Mim Strom (FRE, RUC, $868,000): -$156,000
2. Emily Pease (GWS, DEF, $412,000): -$150,000
3. Tyanna Smith (STK, MID, $750,000): -$130,000
4. Dayna Finn (CAR, MID, $826,000): -$127,000
5. Georgia Patrikios (STK, MID, $762,000): -$116,000
Top targets
Charlie Mullins (BL, FWD, $707,000) - 93 Fantasy points
Another year, another slow start for Mullins - this time, thanks to a tough match-up against the Kangaroos in round two. But with the Lions now past their difficult early fixture, Mullins is set to be among the best forwards from this point forward. Against the Giants on Saturday, she flexed what she can do with 20 disposals, six marks, five tackles and a goal for a handy 93 Fantasy points. Her wing/midfield role has proven fruitful in the past, and could be the best match-up of the round - her opponents this week, the Eagles, gave up a massive score to Eliza McNamara last week in a similar role. Add to that the fact that the Lions only face up against three teams currently in the top eight for the rest of the season, now is a great time to jump on if you are not already.
Isabel Bacon (RIC, DEF, $575,000) - 94 Fantasy points
Coach Jarrad Donders must have liked what he saw in the second half against the Bombers, because he threw Bacon into the heart of the contest against Fremantle. Playing as the predominant midfielder in the absence of Mon Conti and Ellie McKenzie, Bacon put up career-best numbers of 24 disposals, five marks, four tackles, six clearances and three inside 50s. Moreover, the Tigers won the clearance count for the first time since round one, and for the first time without superstar Conti in the side (albeit a limited sample size). With Conti's Achilles soreness placing her in some doubt for the next few games, Bacon could be a handy pick-up for those strapped for cash. A breakeven of just 31 will see her price rocketing upwards over the coming weeks if the role persists.
Ella Roberts (WCE, MID, $959,000) - 118 Fantasy points
Early-season concerns that Roberts would be unable to deal with the incoming tags this season have become somewhat allayed, following back-to-back tons against the Crows and the Demons. Notably, her tackling pressure has lifted dramatically, laying 20 tackles over the past fortnight. At her best, Roberts is among the elite Fantasy scorers of the competition - she can regularly post 115+ scores when left unchecked. For a price under $1M at a time when so many mid-priced midfielders are failing, Roberts is an absolute bargain. The only hesitation is a difficult match-up against the Lions this coming weekend.
Georgia Stubs (RIC, DEF, $288,000) - 67 Fantasy points
Freed from a tagging role that limited her scoring in round three, Stubs took big strides against Fremantle - collecting 13 disposals, five tackles and a goal for 67 Fantasy points. Defensive rookies have been a struggle since the season started, with few downgrade options popping up for us. But with a breakeven of just eight, Stubs could make some decent cash in the coming weeks if she manages to hold her spot. Watch closely to see when the returns of Mon Conti and Fina Dethlefson will be, and whether Stubs can hold her role.
Sell
Claudia Whitfort (CAR, MID, $794,000) - 84.5 avg
In all our timing playing Fantasy, no match-up looms more ominously than North Melbourne for any opposition midfielders and forwards. With Carlton facing off against the most dominant team in AFLW history, Whitfort owners should be looking to find a midfield premium they like and find the cash upgrade. The only reason that Carlton's other relevant Fantasy option, Erone Fitzpatrick, is not considered a trade priority is down to her likely spot in the top two or three forwards, whereas Whitfort, with her low time on ground, will not reach anywhere near the same heights.
Violet Patterson (COL, DEF, $536,000) - 61 avg
After round one, Patterson looked like the bolter in defence for 2026. Unfortunately, after only scoring a 33 vs Fremantle and a 50 vs Carlton in her next two match-ups, it appears that her 100 to start the year was a flash in the pan and not the sign of a breakout from the second-year defensive utility. All signs now point towards cash loss in the coming weeks, meaning owners need to find another option for the back end of their on-field defenders.
Ava Usher (GCS, MID, $502,000) - 54.8 avg
Two steps forward, one step back - that is the tale of Usher's cash generation in the past fortnight. An extremely solid 75 vs Geelong was followed up by a disappointing 19 against Port Adelaide in round four, which saw her lose $66k for the week. A sub-20 score makes it extremely difficult for any coaches to have Usher on field at M8, at which point her value in our sides is severely diminished. With owners able to generate $300k for an upgrade by downgrading Usher, most should look to do so this week.
Mim Strom (FRE, RUC, $868,000) - 83 avg
Five minutes into the second quarter vs Richmond, sitting on 33 points, 25 per cent of AFLW Fantasy coaches who owned Strom were sitting pretty. Sadly, a bad shoulder injury shortly thereafter spelled the end of Strom's day, and signs pointed towards an extended stint on the sidelines for the premium ruck. Now listed as only a test on the injury report, owners need to decide if they trust Strom to be fully healthy and scoring at her best. Given the high likelihood that Strom will be seeing less time in the ruck and on the ground as the Dockers manage her injury for the next couple of weeks, owners could be left sorely lacking in both the scoring and cash departments if they don't upgrade this week. While the $200k gap to Lucy Wales and Matilda Scholz is painful, a low ruck contest and ToG% Strom will be substantially further away next week.
Top rookie targets (under $350,000)
We have arrived at upgrade season, meaning that rookie targets should be getting a spot on your bench and not a spot on field. We have now burnt through a majority of the top 30 picks from the 2025 draft, so rookies who will debut from here on out will likely lack in the draft pedigree that we so often rely on to predict role and job security. If you are struggling to choose between the top rookie options, make sure you listen to the weekly Free Kick On Air episode, which can help to decode the week's team sheets and identify the cream of the crop.
Defenders:
1. Georgia Stubs (RIC, $288,000)
2. Natalie Entwhistle (WCE, $335,000)
3. Indi Strom (FRE, $304,000) - if named in the ruck
Midfielders:
1. Renee Morgan (GEE, $237,000)
2. Carys D'Addario (STK, $210,000)
3. Noa McNaughton (FRE, $261,000)
Rucks:
1. Sabrina Frederick (COL, $333,000)
Forwards:
1. Georgia Clark (GWS, $240,000)
2. Fina Dethlefsen (RIC, $246,000)
3. Lucy Waye (ADE, $208,000)
Captains
The round four highest scorers were dominated the second tier premium midfielders (Morrison, Bowen, and Hanks). With Bowen being the only decently highly owned option of those three, I think she can be added to the captaincy calculations going forwards (at least until Amy McDonald returns from injury). Unfortunately, with Bowen's Geelong playing against Ebony Marinoff in round five, it will take an extremely brave coach to pick Bowen when ‘Noffy' is there as the preferred C target. Riddell was the better North midfielder vs St Kilda, and looms as the better option vs Carlton given they just allowed a similarly operating midfielder, Britt Bonnici, to score 107 against them.
No.1: Ebony Marinoff (vs Geelong, Saturday 3:05 pm AEST)
No.2: Ash Riddell (vs Carlton, Sunday 3:05pm AEST)
No.3: Jasmine Garner (vs Carlton, Sunday 3:05pm AEST)
No.4: Mikayla Bowen (vs Adelaide, Saturday 3:05pm AEST)
No.5: Kiara Bowers (vs Essendon, Sunday 5:05pm AEST)
Other options to consider: Charlie Rowbottom (vs Collingwood), Britt Bonnici (vs Gold Coast), Gabby Newton (vs Essendon), Georgie Prespakis (vs Adelaide), Nina Morrison (vs Adelaide), Laura Gardiner (vs GWS)
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