Prior to the match, Lance Franklin was a late withdrawal due to knee soreness. The reverse trades button copped a workout as coaches scrambled to trade out the Swans’ forward before full lockout came into effect.
Despite Franklin missing the game against his favourite Fantasy opponent, the Swans won by 22 points.
Swans ruckman Mike Pyke (119) was the star of the night, racking up 49 hit-outs and kicking one goal. The Canadian had a great battle with Essendon’s Patrick Ryder (106) who finished with 15 touches and 28 hit-outs.
Continuing his stellar season, Ben McGlynn (115) kicked two goals and is now the most expensive forward in the competition. Fellow FWD/MID Luke Parker (114) was right behind him collecting a career-high 35 disposals.
With Dyson Heppell (101) and Michael Hurley (100) the only other Bombers to join Ryder in triple figures. Essendon was beaten 1716 to 1349 in the total Fantasy scores. As a result David Zaharakis (80), Paul Chapman (77), Brendon Goddard (68) and Brent Stanton (65) scored below their average.
On the back of 163 and 165 in the past two rounds, Jake Carlisle’s (53) ownership increased significantly as coaches cashed in on his low breakeven. He took just two marks and kicked one goal, a far cry from his excellent form of the last fortnight.
