EVERY year we celebrate the winners. Whether that is the team that holds up the premiership cup, the Brownlow medallist or the coach that gets the keys to the Toyota for being the overall winner of AFL Fantasy Classic.
In most cases, there was someone who almost enjoyed the spoils of winning.
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The runners-up in AFL Fantasy Classic all have a story.
Last year, James English almost ran down Matt Mottram in the final round after Matt held the lead since round nine, falling just 17 points short. Back in 2021, a Nick Hind kick saw Kyle Holmes fall agonisingly close to the ultimate bragging rights while Jon Harmey was leading for 10 rounds and if it wasn't for some Jeremy Cameron heroics, he would have held onto top spot.
One of the most famous finishes in Fantasy was the 2018 tie. If Dayne Beams had the ball kicked to him on the full in the dying stages of the round 23 game, Statesman would have been the solo winner.
Joining Warnie for the first episode of the Coaches' Corner podcast for this season, the four stellar coaches, who share seven top 100 AFL Fantasy hats between them, give some key advice for coaches picking their squads.
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From Harmey's advice on avoiding players with injury history, Holmes' thoughts on how many mid-priced players you should consider, English's strategy of not being afraid to change his team right up until the first lockout and Statesman's key things to look out for in the pre-season games, there is something for all levels of Fantasy coach to learn from.
Find out who is starting with Darcy Cameron, whether Sam Docherty is a good pick at his high price and where the value lies in the midfield. James, Kyle, Jon and Statesman offer a lot of key advice for season 2023.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
In this week's episode …
1:00 - James discusses how he almost ran down last year's winner.
3:30 - Jon recalls how 2019's eventual winner traded in Jeremy Cameron, relegating him to second.
5:00 - Statesman was two points away from winning the major prize.
7:05 - Keys to rankings highly.
10:20 - Getting bye structure right helps Statesman increase his ranking each year.
11:30 - Trust your eye, says Kyle.
13:00 - Rookies dictate your structure, so don't get too set on your team right now.
15:15 - Pre-season games are about watching for roles.
18:20 - Josh Dunkley hasn't left James' team this pre-season.
20:40 - Jon is keen on Darcy Cameron as a member of his squad.
22:45 - "I think he can do 105-plus" - Jy Simpkin is a player with low ownership who could be a competition-winning pick.
26:15 - Statesman has Tom Green as the player who may make way for James Worpel who he's getting more keen on.
28:00 - If we see the role changes continue, there are a lot of forwards who offer value as under-priced premiums.
31:00 - Rowan Marshall is in everyone's side, but the other ruck varies.
34:30 - Recency bias may tell us that multiple mid-priced players may be the way to go.
36:20 - Do the extra trades suggest we can be more aggressive in 2023?
40:00 - Can you roll with a non-playing bench player this year?
42:20 - Kyle says you can justify starting with Sam Docherty if you think he is 10-15 points better than the next defender.
45:45 - What is the best structure for your backline?
50:00 - Who will be the better pick of Connor Rozee and Zak Butters?
53:00 - Final tips for coaches this pre-season.