ESSENDON'S midfield was decimated but as we like to say in Fantasy Land, crisis creates opportunity and a couple of popular trade targets made the most of the increased responsibilities.
Skipper Zach Merrett (MID, $921,000) led the charge in what was one of the best performances of the year, completely dominating the game from start to finish with 39 possessions, eight marks and seven tackles for a round-high 158.
Teammate Ben Hobbs' (FWD, $559,000) stocks rise whenever midfield time becomes available on the back of his sensational form in the middle during his time in the VFL to begin the season. The mid-priced trade target attended nine CBA’s and made the most of it with a well-rounded performance consisting of 23 possessions, seven marks and six tackles for 92.
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A couple of young Yartapuulti stars are powering up in the midfield with Zak Butters (FWD/MID, $842,000) and Connor Rozee (FWD/MID, $835,000) embracing the keys for one of the form teams of the competition. They were both dominant with Butters leading the way after playing the game of his career for 148, while his teammate wasn't far behind on 120. Both have the added value of forward eligibility despite their prominent roles in the midfield.
Remove the rookies off the field! This is usually a hard rule at this time of year but there are currently a couple of exceptions to the rule. Lion youngster Will Ashcroft (MID, $723,000) is in some sort of form with a three-game average of 99 and scores of 115, 109 and 127 within his last four. Fellow cash cow, turned potential keeper Harry Sheezel (DEF/FWD, $795,000) is averaging 104 in his last four games and scored 112 on the weekend despite a role change, demonstrating his versatility with two goals, 25 possessions, five marks and five tackles for 112.
Moving forward strategically, removing rookies from our ground while allowing bye structure to influence trade targets is the play to ensure our teams continue to improve and generate cash while also allowing us to get a minimum for 18 players per weeks on the ground over that period.
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TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
- Bailey Humphrey (FWD/MID, $423,000) +$63,000
- Josh Weddle (DEF, $395,000) +$62,000
- Zak Butters (MID/FWD, $842,000) +$58,000
- Seamus Mitchell (DEF/FWD, $470,000) +$56,000
- Dom Sheed (MID, $721,000) +$55,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
- Nat Fyfe (FWD/MID, $480,000) -$61,000
- Callan Ward (FWD/MID, $489,000) -$58,000
- Jack Ginnivan (FWD, $373,000) -$51,000
- Seb Ross (MID, $631,000) -$47,000
- Rhett Bazzo (DEF, $292,000) -$44,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
- Josh Weddle (DEF, $395,000) -4
- Bailey Humphrey (FWD/MID, $423,0000) -3
- Lachie McAndrew (RUCFWD, $230,000) -2
- Kaine Baldwin (FWD, $317,000) 2
- Harry Sharp (MID, $332,000) 5
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
- Nick Daicos (DEF, $923,000) 146
- Noah Anderson (MID, $925,000) 138
- Tim English (RUC, $1.02M) 133
- Sam Walsh (MID, $967,000) 132
- Christian Petracca (MID, $899,000) 132
STOCKS RISING
Ben Hobbs (FWD, $559,000) After making his season debut in round six following some hot VFL form, the young Bomber has turned it up a notch in the last two weeks following a torrid run of injuries to his midfield teammates, and he has retuned his two best scores for the year with 85 and 92. His most recent score came with a nice increase in CBA and he now has a BE of just 35 leading into a nice run of games against the Eagles, Roos and Blues.
Zak Butters (FWD/MID, $842,000) After a slow start to the season following an injury interrupted pre season, Butters has been thrown the keys to the midfield and his numbers are reflective of that. He is averaging 109 in his last five and 126 in his last three which leaves him with a BE of just 53 which reiterates he is well under priced. He doesn't have the bye until round 15, so it's nice to get a run of four games out of him before his break. He is still quite unique at 13 per cent ownership.
Bailey Smith (FWD/MID, $836,000) Following a move back to the midfield, the Dogs star is hitting his straps with a three-game average of 109 and he is averaging triple figures in his last five. He is a great unique selection, currently sitting at just six per cent ownership and he has a BE of 82 which suggests he won't get any cheaper this season. He had 15 CBA on the weekend and scored a season-high 121 from 37 possessions and seven tackles.
George Wardlaw (MID, $327,000) The highly touted Roo is already owned by 16 per cent of the competition and he more than passed the eye test on debut against the Swans. Coach Brett Ratten was happy to throw him straight in the midfield where he attended 18 CBA and tackled like a beast with nine to go with his 16 possessions. He is tough as nails, bouncing back from some big knocks, eventually scoring 82 from 63 per cent TOG which gives him a BE of 6.
Lachlan McAndrew (FWD/RUC, $230,000) Cash cows with job security are hard to come by at the moment and the unlikely Swan ruck has put his hand up as an option following the injury crisis in the Swans' big man department. He made his debut on the weekend with 20 hitouts, nine possessions, one mark and five tackles for 66 from 66 per cent TOG. He has a BE of -2 and would be very handy through the byes if he can hang around.
STOCKS FALLING
Clayton Oliver (MID, $990,000) The hard working ball magnet has had an outstanding season to date with an average of 119 with a low score of 104. Selecting him from the start of the season was an absolute master stroke from his coaches who got off to a great start thanks to Oliver's scores of 124, 149, 111 and 129 in his first four games to be the clear leader in the competition. Unfortunately he strained his hamstring in the third quarter against the Power but in typical Oliver fashion, he played the game out registering 86 per cent TOG and a score of 108 the ensure his ton-run continued for his owners. He is set to miss a couple of weeks meaning a trade is the best option.
Jason Johannisen (DEF/FWD, $645,000) Since returning to half back, JJ has been outstanding and once again, well done to coaches who jumped on at a bargain price who have enjoyed his outstanding return to form which included three scores in the 90s in the five weeks prior to his hamstring injury on the weekend. It will see him miss a significant amount of time and he will need to be traded.
Luke Pedlar (FWD, $493,000) The young Crow has served as a great Cash Cow and more importantly, one that has spent a lot of time on our grounds. His season has been highlighted by his ability to contribute 65+ scores for a basement-priced player, reaching that mark on five occasions highlighted by a score of 80 in round nine. He is now at a nice price for an upgrade for his 25 per cent of remaining coaches and his BE of 59 suggests he will have minimal price movement next week.
Ollie Hollands (MID, $515,000) The Blues' running machine has made an outstanding start to his career, averaging 60 over the first 10 games in his debut season. He was subbed out of the game at half-time of the Pies match-up which halts his cash generation which now serves as the perfect time to trade. It leaves him with a BE of 76 and a great price to be upgraded to a premium, or an easy swap across to a cash generator like Hobbs.
Reuben Ginbey (DEF/MID, $499,000) The tough Eagle youngster showed why we need to get our rookies off the ground as soon as possible, despite their talent. Consistency is difficult for first year players, especially in a rebuilding team and scoring often reflects that. We saw it first hand with the physical Ginbey who laid 16 tackles in round nine against the Suns for 96 and backed it up with just three tackles and a score of 24 against the Hawks. He has a BE of 68 and should be moved on.
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