YOU WOULD think by round 17 there would be some predictability in the game, but no, it's still the same old rollercoaster.
Hopefully you were able to hit more highs than lows with many of the form stars of the competition like Andrew Brayshaw and Rory Laird doing their thing while popular captain selection Lachie Neale and Lachie Whitfield obviously didn't get the memo, scoring 67 and 40 respectively… I mean 40?! In the words of John McEnroe, 'you can't be serious'. As an owner of both players – and who skippered Neale – if I had a tennis racquet in my hand right now I would wrap it around my laptop.
NEW DPPs REVEALED Giant, Saint add extra flexibility
It's time to get ruthless with your trades. The time for accepting 'mediocre' in your team is long gone as you aim to get your team into finals contention, or even better a hat or a car.
If I was to put a number on expectations per line, it would look like this: any defender not pushing 100 each week, gone. Midfielders not scoring 110 with a high ceiling being hit every couple of weeks, gone. You want rucks hitting a ton and forwards triple figures or else chop, chop, gone. For teams like mine, it leaves everyone in the barrel, but for good teams, this is where you are at.
Fantasy Pig of the week
After an absolute shocker last week, Callum Mills rewarded the patience of his owners and tackled his way to a round-high 148. It was nervous times early on when the tough Swan lined up on the wing rather than his more fruitful inside midfield position but it wasn't an issue as Mills laid a season-high 16 tackles to complement his 23 possessions, resulting in a lazy 94-point turnaround from last week.
Honourable mentions
Luke Davies-Uniacke is quietly getting the job done the last eight weeks, scoring six hundreds in that time including 127 and a season-high 145 in his last two. The ever-reliable young star Andrew Brayshaw had a massive last quarter to once again post computer-game numbers with 36 possessions, six marks, ten tackles and a goal for 144 – his second 140-plus score in his last four games. Jed and Noah Anderson capped the 140-club with 142 and 141 respectively from 33 and 26 disposals, while they both stuffed the remainder of the stat sheet.
TOP ROUND SCORERS
TOP ROUND SCORERS
- Callum Mills MID 148
- Luke Davies-Uniacke MID 145
- Andrew Brayshaw MID 144
- Jed Anderson FWD/MID 142
- Noah Anderson MID 141
- Mitch Duncan FWD/MID 138
- Rory Laird MID 132
- Ben Ainsworth FWD 130
- Dylan Moore FWD 129
- Zach Merrett MID 127
Cash cows of the round
The best player with a starting price under $300k will be awarded the Michael Barlow Medal as the best cash cow of the year.
The votes for round 17:
5 – Paddy McCartin Sydney, FWD/DEF - 102
The Swans' good news story and popular cash cow managed to hit triple figures for the first time this year after taking an impressive 14 marks in a dominant game against the Dogs.
4 – Nick Daicos Collingwood, MID/DEF - 88
The Pie magnet just kept doing what he does… dominate. He collected 21 possessions and kicked an important goal to extend his lead for the medal.
3 – Tyson Stengle Geelong, FWD - 72
The exciting Cat had another four scoring shots and although he only converted one, his 15 possessions and five tackles ensured he was among the votes.
2 – Hugo Ralphsmith Richmond, FWD/MID- 64
A solid effort by the Tiger, racking up 20 possessions and taking four marks against the Suns.
1 – Josh Ward Hawthorn, MID- 64
The Hawk posted his second-best score of the year after collecting 16 possessions and taking four marks.
LEADERBOARD: Nick Daicos 44, Nic Martin 35, Tyson Stengle 26, Tristan Xerri 22, Willie Rioli 14, Ben Hobbs 12.
Rage trades
Lachie Whitfield GWS, DEF/MID
Where do I start with the 2012 No.1 pick. The hard-running Giant has been in great form following an interrupted season, returning from injury in round 13 and scoring of 130, 99, 92 and 114. On Saturday night, against the Power, he gathered 10 possessions, took two marks and laid two tackles for 40 points. As bad as it gets.
Lachie Neale BRISBANE, MID
Thought to be one of the safest premiums in the competition, the Brisbane ball-magnet was anything but, following his worst performance of the year. He was given plenty of close attention from the Bombers and his stats reflected that with just 20 possessions, two marks and three tackles for a season-low 67.
Josh Dunkley WESTERN BULLDOGS, FWD/MID
The hard-working Dog dropped under triple figures for just the third time this year and unfortunately, he did it with flying colours. Playing predominantly through the midfield, he couldn't get amongst it at all, collecting just 17 possessions, two marks and laying five tackles for 68, his second worst return of the year.
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