The penultimate round saw many twists and turns for teams battling it out in prelims and grand finals. Hopefully you were on the right side of the coin with many match-ups now full of similar players.
With plenty of easy captain options, if you made a mistake there you were likely knocked out. So what can we learn ready for the final round of the season…?
- Old dog, same tricks
Not a great game for the Pies, however Scott Pendlebury (122) took on the extra responsibility in the midfield and thrived. Has the man even aged in the last 20 years!? Other popular players were prominent throughout without setting the world on fire. Strangely, all the rucks scored well and considering how rucks went in other games, perhaps it is the time of year?
- Farewell for now
Although taking the unique path and hoping for big retirement games from the players finishing up, it was a different group who showed up. Although not retiring, the old legs got going for his teammates with Dusty (127) going to town on the Roos. Sheez (129) did not let Ziebell (88) have his big farewell and now that Jack is out, could be a big target this week (especially if the Roos chip the ball around a lot without much intent of going forward to score… why would they do that?).
- Warning Signs
The Blues have been on a massive hot streak, and they just got their noses in front in this one. Obviously the first quarter showed some significant cracks, but from a fantasy perspective, they were also much easier to score against than they have been. Four of the top five scorers were Suns, led by Sam Flanders (125) who has been an excellent late season F6. Do not be afraid of holding or getting Giants players for the last round. Also Nick Newman (125), take a bow sir.
- If only we knew
Everyone this time of year is looking for a unique to win that match-up or get a jump on the competition. Many saw retiring players as a way to do this, but I am yet to see a classic player who thought, “maybe I should jump on Jesse Hogan (192)?”. What a performance, that would have been amazing if you managed to field him in draft… Of course this was all on the back of Essendon looking like an absolute rabble. The Giants had their way with the Dons and the Pies are up next. Mihocek? Mcstay? Hill?
- Trend continues with the rucks
Geelong is generally a tasty match-up for rucks, but a ruckless Geelong? It did not take a genius to see Ro Mar (141) going off in this one, although his slow start would have had many nervous. The scores absolutely rolled in for this game with 10 tonnes and 6 at 115 or over! The news is that Geelong have all but put the cue in the rack this week with players off for surgery and being rested. Could there be plenty on offer for the Dogs this week? Hello captain options!
- Heartbreak for some
The result in this one would have been very hard to take for the Crows supporters, but for fantasy players there were at least a few positives to take out. Lairdy (118) did plenty, Gulden (107) got going and the value of Matt Crouch (101) continued to prove fruitful. The big watch was on Tex (65) as he only managed 2 goals and now sits 8 behind Charlie Curnow. Will the Crows feed the Texan against the Eagles this week?
- Ignore the score
While the Bulldogs fans would be livid with the result of this game, the fantasy scores took a familiar pattern. Tim English (146) topped the lot and was a very popular captain choice, The Bont (140) also went to town after half time and Adam Treloar (143) tackled his way to a monster. So the Eagles are still easy to score against, and the big dogs still go big. Cats this week looks tasty, particularly for English, and will the big Crows go off in the west?
- Beware the Hawks
The Hawks have been restrictive and Finn (47) is locking players down big time. This was totally flagged and guess what? Trac (75) was poor and Clarry (66) wow… Big worries for Brayshaw and Serong next week and could be the perfect move to jump off for the final round. Mind you, Jack Viney (105) didn’t find it too hard, so does that mean the 3rd member gets off the chain? Pity Will Brodie has fallen off the face of the planet hey…
- Chippy chippy
If anyone else watched this game, it was one of weird, yet slightly effective tactics by Freo. They held on to the ball at all costs and chipped it around down back and through the middle. Luke Ryan (122) was the main beneficiary of this, but it also allowed hard workers like Brayshaw (119) and Liam Henry (107) to find plenty of it. It kept the scoring down, but Port were just too efficient with Zak Butters (113) maintaining his excellent form and Connor Rozee (89) sadly ending his 12-game streak of tonnes with a quiet last quarter.
So there it is, Round 23 in the bag. Looking to the final round of the season and what do we see? Freo vs Hawks presents plenty of fear, Dogs and Cats seems a nice one and the Crows get the Weagles. I hope you can find your very own Jesse Hogan this week and not a Jack Reiwoldt. Best of luck to the grand finalists, unless of course you are playing me!
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