It’s hard not to tinker with your AFL Fantasy squad after the practice games and sometimes that’s an over-exaggeration so we called on the experts to help make sense of it all.
Indeed, we’ve assembled an Expert Panel to caste their eyes over the practice games which concluded on Saturday, with one player who has bolted into their starting squad plans and one who has fallen out.
Our AFL Fantasy Expert Panel is;
- Ben Lamont @Lamontstars, 255th in 2021 AFL Fantasy,
- Nick Boxhall @MuxleyPFS, top 300 in 2022 AFL Fantasy,
- Max Phillips @MaxiPhillips, top 1000 finisher in AFL Fantasy and finished 80th in 2022 AFLW Fantasy,
- Gary Flynn @Flyer_66, 54th in 2022 AFL Fantasy,
Ben Lamont @Lamontstars
It would be remiss of me not to mention Errol Gulden ($735k M/F), but I will let someone else handle that… wow. One who has really caught my eye though is Finn Callaghan ($406k MID). The Giants definitely had it their own way after quarter time against the Suns, but Callaghan was great from the outset. He hits every statline, looks to have that fourth mid/wing role locked down and can impact on the scoreboard. Priced around 46 he presents enormous value. There are lots of guys around this mark, but a young up and coming player, fully fit with great reports out of pre-season…? Sounds better than a Worpel/Culley/Sheed to me (and cheaper!).
I am big on trying to stay strong during the pre-season, but I cannot accept that from Darcy Parish ($888k MID). Not only was he putrid, but his role was not there and he was seen icing a calf after the game. For a guy that is supposed to be one of your premiums, there is just too much risk there. Don’t get me wrong, I think he will have a great patch at some point this year, just too many unknowns and a straight swap to Josh Kelly ($899k MID) seems the better play.
Nick Boxhall @MuxleyPFS
Not to mention the blatantly obvious of THE Errol Gulden ($735k M/F). Everyone’s seen it, we don’t have to talk about it! Anyway, the game style which the Giants play and the role plus kick-in monopoly for Isaac Cumming ($802k DEF) has me very interested, showed thirst to get the pill back to him and really excels at his intercept marking numbers. Always looking to put it on the boot. Can he be ran at D2!
(Editor’s note: It’s worth noting Lachie Whitfield (3 of 5), returning to half-back, had more kick-ins than Cumming (1 of 5) in the last pre-season game)
The early talk was a possible must have, but the role Toby McLean ($401k FWD) has is really turning me off. Barely coming outside forward 50, not obtaining many wing minutes nor CBAs, has me looking elsewhere.
Max Phillips @MaxiPhillips
There’s been minimal fanfare surrounding GWS star Lachie Whitfield ($804K MID) after several injury-affected and uninspiring seasons. The smooth-moving 28-year-old put in an eye-catching display against Gold Coast however and seemed settled in an ideal Fantasy-friendly role across half-back, racking up 25 touches and 82 points while acting as the Giants’ preferred avenue out of defence – inclusive of kick-in duties. Whitfield has averaged triple figures twice back in seasons 2018 and 2019 and could rally as a top-six defender if this role persists and he acquires DPP flexibility. Flags remain on Whitfield’s durability and how GWS will line up structurally under new coach Adam Kingsley, but he has all the tools to be a handy POD currently sitting in just 1% of teams.
Rucks have been a big talking point all pre-season and many hoped Port Adelaide’s Scott Lycett ($622k RUC) could be a value on-field option to start the year. Returning from a shoulder reconstruction which ruined his 2022 campaign, Lycett proved too powerful for the inexperienced duo of Bailey Williams and Callum Jamieson in the Power’s match simulation clash against West Coast. But expectations were quickly dampened after he was well-beaten by Fremantle’s Sean Darcy last Thursday, notching just 45 points despite attending the second-most centre bounces of any Power player. With the athletic Brynn Teakle waiting in the wings for Port, it would take a brave Fantasy coach to include Lycett in your starting squad this season.
Gary Flynn @Flyer_66
I have been waiting all pre-season for a mid-price ruck to stand up and that player may be Peter Ladhams ($595k RUCK). In my opinion R2 has been the hardest position to lock in and I am comfortable that Ladhams will be the sole ruck for Sydney, with a chop out coming from Sam Reid. Ladhams has previously demonstrated he can score well, with a VFL average of 102 last season. He is usually a high possession ruckman who doesn’t rely on hit outs to score, however, I would like to see him average 5-6 marks a game to make this a safer pick. With Tom Hickey slated to miss several games early in the season with a calf injury, Ladhams who is priced at 67 could score in the mid 80s before he is traded out during upgrade season. He is currently owned by less than 1% of teams.
After two uninspiring practice games, Hayden Young ($776k DEF) has found his way out of my side heading into round one. After averaging 90 in his last 5 games of the 2022 season and 110 in finals, I headed into this season anticipating a breakout season from the smooth moving defender who is arguably the best field kick in the league. Fantasy coaches are often critical of Young for not demanding the football from his team mates more often and this was on show again against the Power, where he only scored 55 Fantasy points in 79% game time. I am prepared to look elsewhere in my starting squad and look to upgrade to Young if the breakout eventually comes.
