This season, sydneyswans.com.au will delve into the world of AFL Fantasy with the help of our in-house Fantasy ‘gurus’.
Every round, Fantasy team captains ‘Lotts’ and ‘Sub-elite Legends’ will debate it out and provide their best tips on who to buy, keep and trade each week.
This week, the Swans' round two clash against the Pies is up for discussion.
What did you take out of our round one match, Fantasy wise?
Lotts: While the match was clearly a disappointing result for the team, it also marked a pretty bad day for Fantasy scores as well with no Swans players cracking 100 points. It was encouraging to see Rhyce Shaw return 90 points after overcoming his injury issues from last year, but on a whole the usual guns were down on their 2013 averages.
Sub-elite Legends: Agree Lotts, it was a disappointing start to the year but I’m sure the team can bounce back. Looking ahead, I’m interested to see if the likes of Parker ($459,000), Mitchell ($488,700) and especially Cunningham ($135,500) considering his price, continue to get big minutes in the midfield this year. Mitchell showed last season that shifting from the forward line to the midfield can have a big impact on his scoring, so coaches keep that factor in mind.
Who was your Swans player of the week?
Lotts: It wasn’t an easy match to pick a player of the week but for me it would have to be Luke Parker. Parker’s score of 90 Fantasy points was pretty impressive considering he missed the last two pre-season matches with an eye injury. He can be picked as a forward as well this year, which makes him a valuable inclusion in any team.
Sub-elite Legends: Parker was definitely good but it was Tom Mitchell for me. I know 93 points isn’t mind-blowing but the kid is a certified Fantasy performer. He looked at home in the contest on the weekend winning plenty of his own ball and laying six tackles. He also had his best pre-season to date, despite injuring his ankle in the finals last year, so I expect his output to increase in coming weeks.
Who was the biggest surprise performer?
Lotts: I was particularly impressed with Harry Cunningham. While he scored a reasonable 69 Fantasy points, I think as the season goes on he’s going to improve on that so there’s plenty of room for improvement for the lad from Wagga.
Sub-elite Legends: Cunningham is one of my favourite youngsters on the list so it’s hard to disagree with you there, I agree he should only keep improving with more experience and game time through the midfield. Rhyce Shaw was another one who really impressed me. His run and carry, and work rate across the half back line was great to see in his first senior game after his ACL injury last year.
Which Swans player would you choose as your captain for the next game?
Lotts: The last time Jarrad McVeigh played at ANZ Stadium he racked up 42 disposals for 168 Fantasy points against Carlton in the semi-final. He’ll be keen to bounce back after being tagged against GWS, scoring 83 points, so he’d be my best bet for the captaincy. He’s also scored 124 and 108 in the last two matches against the Pies.
Sub-elite Legends: With McVeigh’s 168-point score on the CV, and history against the Pies, it’s very hard to disagree. Macca has been in scintillating form on the track this pre-season and it is either him or Tom Mitchell for the captaincy for me this week. Mitchell is more of a point of difference than an absolute certainty but when he isn’t winning his own ball, he lays plenty of tackles, often sneaks a goal and works hard to get uncontested marks out in space, so in Fantasy terms there are many avenues for him to score and he isn’t at risk of a tag.
Next up is Collingwood at ANZ Stadium, who are the form players to look out for from the Pies?
Lotts: It’s pretty hard to go past their captain Scott Pendlebury. He’s one of the most consistent players in the competition and his round one match was no exception scoring 122 Fantasy points in the loss to Fremantle. The last time he played the Swans he scored 117 points so it would be safe to expect much of the same from Pendles this week.
Sub-elite Legends: Pendles and Swanny are well established Fantasy superstars but Dayne Beams ($498,800) has been equally prolific in past years before his injury troubles. He equalled Pendlebury’s 122 points in a fairly one-sided affair against the Dockers last round and is well over $100,000 cheaper.
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