Gold Coast young gun Matt Rowell. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos

THE NO.1 pick in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft put on a show in round two. Matthew Rowell finished with a game-high 108 Fantasy points as he led the Suns to an emphatic victory over the Eagles. 

Following the score that was equivalent to 135 in full-length games, Rowell increased his value by a further $65,000 to be the highest-earning player in Fantasy Classic after two rounds. 

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The greatest Fantasy rookie of all time, Michael Barlow, scored 127 and 128 in his first two career matches. However, this was the highest (equivalent) score posted by an 18-year-old in their first five games, beating Luke Ball’s 127 in his fifth game in 2003 and Ollie Wines’ 126 in his third game in 2013. 

It is no surprise that Rowell has the second highest ownership in the game, proving that his $270,000 starting price was super-value. 

Nailing the rookies is the key to Fantasy Classic success. That is, cash generation is the most important piece of the puzzle to continually improve your team via downgrades and upgrades. 

We’ve already seen some of the players whose starting price was under-$300,000 see their value increase in the opening two rounds. 

Marlion Pickett is the most selected player in Fantasy Classic and the midfielder has added $56,000 in value. The most popular rookie defender Brandon Starcevich and forward Curtis Taylor scored 79 and 69 respectively. The pair will not only be profitable cash cows over the next few rounds, but appear to be viable options to play on field each week.

02:06

TOP 10 CASH COWS ROUNDS 1-2

(Starting price under $300k)

Player

CLUB

R1

SCORE

R2

SCORE

PRICE

INCREASE

BREAKEVEN

Matthew Rowell (MID, $357,000)

GCS

64

108

+$87,000

-36

Curtis Taylor (FWD, $233,000)

NM

47

69

+$63,000

-25

Marlion Pickett (MID, $226,000)

Rich

60

37

+$56,000

-9

Jarrod Brander (DEF/FWD, $271,000)

WCE

61

46

+$54,000

-6

Brandon Starcevich (DEF/MID, $241,000)

BL

34

79

+$52,000

-23

Justin McInerney (MID, $215,000)

Syd

48

40

+$45,000

-7

Connor Budarick (MID/FWD, 213,000)

GCS

32

63

+$43,000

-16

Max King (FWD, $204,000)

StK

32

50

+$34,000

-9

Ryan Gardner (FWD, $203,000)

WB

49

20

+$33,000

5

Noah Anderson (MID, $300,000)

GCS

33

73

+$32,000

-4

 

06:21

 

BUY

Christian Petracca (FWD/MID, $622,000) - The highly touted Demon is two games into his long awaited breakout and only 21 per cent of coaches are on board. Following his epic round two score of 108, he has a breakeven of just 13 and is a prime target. 

Lachie Neale (MID, $815,000) - The Lion ball-magnet is one of the few players who haven’t missed a beat despite the shortened quarters. In fact he is going at his second best average of all time. 

Taylor Adams (MID, $749,000) - The Pie hard nut has hit the ground running and like Neale, his numbers suggest shortened quarters are a myth. He knocked up his second hundred of the season against the Tigers and has a BE of 43.

Also consider: Max Gawn, Matthew Rowell, Bailey Smith

HOLD

Darcy Parish (FWD/MID, $553,000) - After a horrible start to the season where he basically split his time between the bench and the forward line, he was finally given a quarter in the middle and won the Bombers the game.  

Brett Bewley (FWD, $426,000) - Although the hard-running Docker couldn’t recapture his round one form, he battled to scrape together a 52. He still has plenty of growth with a BE of just 11. 

Shannon Hurn (DEF, $684,000) - Like his teammates, the usually reliable skipper was out of sorts on the weekend, recording a score of just 53 against the Suns. Expect a swift response by the big fella who never stays down for long.  

Also consider: Toby Greene, Dan Houston, Marlion Pickett

00:55

SELL

Lachie Whitfield (FWD/MID, $800,000) - The Giant running machine is an undeniable star of the game, but he just isn’t getting it done for the price tag. He has already dropped $44K and is carrying a BE of 104. Chase value. 

Jack Macrae (MID, $827,000) - Talk about a lost dog … Macrae didn’t attend a centre bounce in the first half and appeared to roam around the wing without purpose as a result. He scored just 65 and has a BE of 102.  

Brodie Smith (DEF, $590,000) - After an injury excused his lack of scoring in round one, the highly touted pre-season bargain backed it up with a 40 from just 10 touches. He has dropped $55K and has a BE of 89. 

Also consider: Hugh McCluggage, Darcy MacPherson, Marcus Bontempelli

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