Injuries and suspensions cost fantasy coaches some big scores this week but some stars showed their class. The likes of Shaun Burgoyne, Travis Tuck, Darren Milburn and Barry Hall all pulled out after lockout, but how many of you have big bad Barry?
To make matters worse Mitch Robinson and Patrick Dangerfield, who may have been some of your emergencies, didn’t do a lot. It was a fairly low scoring week in comparison to the bumper scores many produced last week, but would most be happy with their scores?
Some key injuries, in particular, to fantasy favourite Hayden Skipworth may force coaches to use yet another trade. Justin Koschitzke may be out for a few weeks and Brent Guerra also tweaked his hammy. Jamie Charman has fallen to the Brisbane ruck curse, he now becomes the second key ruckman injured this year. Who will replace him?
There were quite a few major upsets, namely Port Adelaide leaving the reigning premiers at 1-3, North Melbourne beating Essendon, Richmond falling to new lows against Melbourne and West Coast beating the rampant Doggies by five goals. Simon Black and Matt Thomas have both been sent straight to the tribunal for making contact with umpires, just as Heath Shaw was last week and Jason Akermanis can accept a one-match ban for tripping.
Collingwood 13.12.90 def Brisbane 10.13.73
Collingwood made the most of their extra three-day break to defeat a Lions outfit that looked lost at times. Mick Malthouse showed he still has it, making some key moves that Voss had no answers for.
The Pies were a lot harder at the footy, and it started in the midfield with Scott Pendlebury (135 DT/147 SC), Tarkyn Lockyer (131/146) and Jaxson Barham (122/77) all playing their part in the win. Leon Davis (104/131) kicked three important goals and Josh Fraser (117/128) was again dominant against weaker opposition. Fraser will face tougher competition next week in David Hille, as the Pies take on Essendon.
Bradd Dalziell (123/120) showed his worth with his best performance of the year, with two goals. Simon Black (92/118) went someway to repaying the faith of his coaches with his best game yet, and Jed Adcock (82/96) picked up 25 touches in three quarters of footy.
Star Man: Scott Pendlebury. Had 35 disposals, which included 13 contested. Also had 10 clearances and had six tackles.
Shocker: Daniel Bradshaw (34/18). Played 100% TOG for just seven disposals (efficiency of 43%) and just one shot on goal.
One to watch: Jaxson Barham. Many fantasy coaches and Collingwood fans are getting on him straight away, and rightly so. He played a fantastic game but had nine clangers. Wait one more week for this one.
Sydney 12.12.84 def Carlton 9.13.67
Sydney kept their extraordinary record against Carlton intact with a 17-point victory at the SCG. The Swans have now won the last 12 matches head-to-head.
Jarrad McVeigh (59/105) kicked three for the Swans who were without much of its key forward line (Hall,O’Loughlin). He has recently stepped out his brother Mark’s shadow and made a name for himself. Rhyce Shaw (106/130) played well for 29 touches, only three of which were contested so I presume he got them cheaply. Brett Kirk (96/113) and Martin Mattner (75/108) were also good for the Swans.
For the Blues Jarrad Waite (127/116), Paul Bower (94/154) and Bret Thornton (109/125) got some kick-to-kick action going due to Sydney’s game plan. Bryce Gibbs (103/87) got the job of tagging Adam Goodes (37/76) and he did it well, limiting the dual Brownlow medalist 12 touches and racking up 24 himself. Chris Judd had 30 disposals but he gave away three free kicks, which curbed his fantasy scores a tad.
Star Man: Jude Bolton (95/123). Had just the 19 disposals but laid a game high eight tackles which resulted in some decent fantasy scores.
Shocker: Brendan Fevola (76/26). Had a shocker, just the one fairly decent goal early and then four behinds to have 5.11 in the past two weeks. Had five clangers and a possession efficiency of 43%.
One to watch: Paul Bower. If the Blues continue to kick to kick like they did against Sydney he could be a handy pick-up… or he could return to the wilderness and we may never see him reach these heights again.
Port Adelaide 17.13.115 def Hawthorn 12.13.85
Port Adelaide continued their rise as Hawthorn looked like they could be well have been still on their end of season trip from last year. Port Adelaide had all the answers, as they strode to a comfortable 30-point win at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Travis Boak (133/120) and Danyle Pearce (130/92) had 32 and 33 disposals plus 10 and 11 marks respectively, to be the top two Dream Team players on the ground. Warren Tredrea (105/139) continued his awesome purple patch again kicking six goals straight, to prove he can do it against decent opposition. The Cornes pair of Chad (129/124) and Kane (103/68) were also influential, while the Burgoyne pair were absent.
Lance Franklin (92/77) kicked three but didn’t have a great bearing on the
match, well held by Carlile. Garry Moss (120/101) continued his rise as he grabbed 25 possessions plus a goal and 10 marks. Despite getting six kicked on him, Thomas Murphy (88/123) got some decent fantasy scores and Brad Sewell (108/117) played wide of Chad Cornes to have 28 disposals in his return match.
Star Man: Warren Tredrea. Kicked six important goals when the game was on the line, he was the catalyst for the win.
Shocker: Jarryd Roughead (34/31). Hawthorn will need more than that from him if they are to challenge for the flag again, just the seven disposals and no shots on goal.
One to watch: Hamish Hartlett (95/61). Picked up 23 touches in his debut match, proving that the Power taking him at pick number four wasn’t so bad after all.
St Kilda 17.9.111 def Fremantle 4.4.28
If people in Melbourne are calling for Terry Wallace’s head, those on the West Coast will be screaming for Mark Harvey’s. This was an absolute massacre, an 83-point whipping, St Kilda’s second consecutive domination of a Western Australian club. A grand total of four goals is what you would expect from an under-9 match.
Nick Dal Santo (116/136), Leigh Montagna (119/125), Brendon Goddard (104/113) and Clinton Jones (92/121) continued their impressive form, while Farren Ray (102/102) and Sam Gilbert (99/112) got plenty of cheap touches across half back. The only bad news for the Saints was the injury of Justin Koschitzke (8/17), which will have him out for a week.
For Fremantle, Michael Johnson (113/110) and Byron Schammer (108/107) toiled hard and Matthew Pavlich (72/92) cannot be blamed for another average match, the opportunities he was given from the midfield were few and far.
Star Man: Nick Riewoldt (114/146). One week he kicks inaccurately, the next he kicks five straight. Very much a confidence player, this outing should hold him in good stead for the rest of the season.
Shocker: Fremantle. For a side that were listed as a chance for the top eight, to only score a solitary 28 points is ridiculous. The lowest AFL score I can remember for a long time, I’m sure someone will give me an answer in the comments.
One to watch: Kepler Bradley (43/42). If Mark Harvey had any sense he would be the one to watch in the WAFL next week, unless that is what he expects from Bradley.
Geelong 21.8.134 def Adelaide 13.8.86
A Gary Ablett led Geelong and they were too good for a determined Adelaide outfit on Saturday night, winning by 48 points.
The ever reliable fantasy trio of Ablett (155/197), Jimmy Bartel (111/122) and Joel Corey (115/124) were again awesome setting up the win for the Cats. Particularly Ablett, 46 disposals with an efficiency of 85%. Bartel and Corey had 30 and 34 each, while Joel Selwood played well after an early knock to the face.
Tyson Edwards (108/102) was good for the Crows with 25 touches, while Simon Goodwin (85/90) and Scott Thompson (97/106) would have impressed Neil Craig with their run. Andrew McLeod (46/46) was quiet, while Taylor Walker (51/30) and Patrick Dangerfield (39/38) didn’t follow up their performances form last week.
Star Man: G. Ablett. Enough said.
Shocker: Patrick Dangerfield. Largely unsighted and he was filling in for some midfields due to the absences of Tuck and Burgoyne.
One to watch: Tom Lonergan (90/72). He looked good in defence, coming in as the late replacement for Darren Milburn. Will he keep his spot for the game against Brisbane?
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,301,916623,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()North Melbourne 10.9.69 def Essendon 7.15.57
North Melbourne look to be back to their fighting best with a good win against Essendon. The Bombers had 22-19 scoring shots but were unable to convert when it needed.
Brent Harvey (131/169) looks to have found some form after a horrid opening three weeks. He kicked three goals and had 33 possessions. Lachie Hansen (114/122) looked a lot more comfortable across the back line, Daniel Pratt (113/139) looks to have overcome a fortnight he would rather forget and David Hale (112/127) was good up front, kicking 4.3. Jack Ziebell (87/94) played his best game for North Melbourne with 22 disposals.
Brent Stanton (103/134) was great for the Bombers, but they lacked run and carry through the midfield. Matthew Lloyd (92/98) kicked 3.2, just one short of his 900th milestone and Jobe Watson (91/91) was good but lacked efficiency. David Zaharakis (62/61) had 20 touches and looked good at times.
Star Man: Brent Harvey. Looked in ominous form and the Roos players look to be blocking and playing for him more, a good sign for his fantasy coaches.
Shocker: Michael Quinn (25/26). Didn’t look anywhere near as good as his first match.
One to watch: Ben Warren (64/67). He looked good especially early, one to watch for sure.
Melbourne 14.16.100 def Richmond 13.14.92
Melbourne added a nail into the coffin, getting over the top of the woeful Tigers by eight points in a scrappy contest.
Brad Miller (107/132) booted three in his best for the season, if not his career. Aaron Davey (111/115) continued his great form with 25 meaningful possessions. Brock McLean (102/100) had six tackles and 25 disposals and bad boy Colin Sylvia (96/111) also had his best game for the year, with 19 touches and two majors.
Nathan Foley (90/106) got the better of his match-up with Nathan Jones (55/46), the Tiger had 32 disposals. Joel Bowden (155/176) picked up an easy 44 possessions and Matthew Richardson (125/121) gave his all kicking 4.5. If Richo had kicked truly, could the scoreboard have read differently? We will never know.
Star Man: Joel Bowden. Although he was allowed to roam free and collect 44 disposals, his fantasy coaches wouldn’t have minded one bit.
Shocker: Troy Simmonds (45/33). One of the older players at Richmond, he needs to step up and not get beaten by youngsters such as John Meesen.
One to watch: Andrew Collins (84/54). In just his first game he had 20 touches and booted two goals. Should wait one more week.
West Coast 17.14.116 def Western Bulldogs 12.11.83
West Coast showed that they can perform at home, yet not on the road. The bounced back from a 93 point hammering last week to defeat the previously unbeaten Bulldogs by 33 points.
David Wirrpanda (153/117) returned and had am immediate impact, kicking one goal plus 28 touches, 15 marks and seven tackles. Dean Cox (119/102) is widely regarded as just another on-baller, and he showed that against Sunday with 25 disposals plus 31 hit outs. Andrew Embley (110/115) finally gave his owners something to cheer about and Daniel Kerr (93/143) was again good with 29 possessions.
Shaun Higgins (116/109) proved he will be a keeper with another stellar performance where he kicked four goals. Matthew Boyd (114/126) got the better of Kerr early and finished with 30 disposals and two goals himself. Daniel Cross (94/104), Nathan Eagleton (96/37) and Akermanis (97/102) all did their bit but couldn’t get the Dogs over the line.
Star Man: David Wirrpanda. Read above.
Shocker: Mitch Hahn (44/49). Very quiet, just the 11 disposals.
One to watch: Liam Picken (82/70). Looks like he has consolidated his spot and still has a major upside to make you some cash.
What are your thoughts after Round 4?
Who are you happy with?
Who will you be trading?
What are you doing with Skippy?
How many trades are you using this week?
Is Terry Wallace done?
Can Freo win a game?
All welcome to have your say in the comments below.
Browse the Kmart Catalogue sports wear.
Chad
April 21, 2009 at 9:05 am
What are your thoughts after Round 4?
Should have backed in gablett even with his poor form against adelaide.
What are you doing with Skippy?
Possibly going to bring in the voldt. It doesn’t appear that he is doing his normal slow start to the year (probably because the saints are up and about). Although he scores poorly against Port normally, he is a premium investment.
How many trades are you using this week?
1. skippy to voldt.
Is Terry Wallace done?
He was 5 years ago 🙂 Richmond still top 4 material Monty? 🙂
Can Freo win a game?
Western Derby’s in theory are 50/50 games, so one of those 2 is their best chance. I am sure they will have a good game at some point.
Frank
April 21, 2009 at 9:19 am
Great article again pal. Am keen to know anyones early thoughts on replacements for Skipworth? Ben Warren and Andrew Collins (both forwards)had promising early games but we all know that doesn’t mean much…
Which 400-450k forward is the likely trade-up for Skippy?
Severian
April 21, 2009 at 9:29 am
Who tipped Dockers for finals? It was only morons like Walls who did that.
korza
April 21, 2009 at 9:44 am
Thx for the wrap.
Had problems with game day on Sunday,will this be rectified this week.
Pierce (Environment) Brosnan
April 21, 2009 at 9:51 am
Good read Mitch.
Skippy’s hammy twanged about 1-2 weeks too short for my liking, but don’t think there is a need to rush in to an immediate trade.
My thoughts are Mitch and Skippy both sit on the pine. Downgrade Mitch to Hartlett/Barham next week and upgrade Skippy.
The way the likes of Pav, Buddy and Gia are dropping, the options are vast.
Foxo
April 21, 2009 at 9:57 am
Woooohooooo mighty eagles are back!
Foxo
April 21, 2009 at 10:19 am
Unfortunately i have both Skippy and Kossi in my supercoach forward line. I’ll be playing both my bench players in Ziebell and M.Brown. Hoping that the scans on Justin’s hamstring will confirm a lesser grade of injury for ~2 weeks.
In the meantime i’ll be sitting tight on injury reports and lower scoring forwards.
Richmond won’t be able to listen to what Terry Wallace has to say. The man doesn’t want to put in his resignation, instead he will hold onto the mast of his burning ship.
The dockers will lose to the swans and then the eagles and continue to barrate their one true star in Pavlich. Mark Harvey’s head might breath his last breath just before they pull off a miracle upset against Carlton.
Jimma
April 21, 2009 at 10:47 am
Essendon website has Skippy out for 3-4 and they are usually fairly generous. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t back for quite a number of weeks. Looking at a either a straight swap with Ziebell as a single trade to free up 90K or tempt fate and swap for Lucas????? A known slow starter, not particulary playing well but starting to get the ball, at 300k averaging nearly 60 and playing awful football I think he may be a decent pickup if he pulls his finger out and gets a bit of confidence.
Grammarpolice
April 21, 2009 at 10:48 am
How do you ‘score a solitary 28 points’?
Spazman
April 21, 2009 at 10:54 am
Traded out B.Harvey for the “IN form” chapman. bad move this is why you shouldnt trade like a mad man at the start of the season. lesson learn t. Is skippy going to be injury prone this year monty????
hilly
April 21, 2009 at 11:19 am
Hey monty
It seems the breakevens on your site are not accurate, is this going to be rectified.
For example last week you had Reiwoldt listed as 131 BE and he got about 114 and went up. This means you were about 20 off with his BE and have noticed you have had others a lot higher than they should be
azzadoggies
April 21, 2009 at 11:39 am
If mitch robinson gets dropped this week do we trade him out or wait for him to get back in and make more money?
fishtaylor
April 21, 2009 at 11:52 am
just make more money i reckon. sounds like a good plan.
croc187
April 21, 2009 at 12:06 pm
“Shocker: Patrick Dangerfield. Largely unsited and he was filling in for some midfield’s due to the absences of Tuck and Burgoyne”.
?? what does this mean? Are you saying that Tuck/Burgoyne and Dangerfield play on the same Team? WTF? Did your Girlfriend write this “wrap” or what?
Gerry01
April 21, 2009 at 12:10 pm
he means that because s burgoyne and t tuck were late withdrawls lots of people were relying on dangerfield to cover there donuts
chris
April 21, 2009 at 12:17 pm
anybody have the inside word on whats happened to Greg Broughton from Freo? I read he’d hurt his ankle, but cant find how many weeks he’s out for, or how bad he did it?
jake
April 21, 2009 at 12:21 pm
croc187…lol
think before you criticise
Dr Faust
April 21, 2009 at 12:23 pm
@ Spazman….umm skippy just twanged his hammy, as you are well aware! To the casual observer you would think that would suggest he is injury prone.
hilly
April 21, 2009 at 12:24 pm
croc187 is not a smart man
Beau
April 21, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Sorry mate, but this is a poorly written article. Simple mistakes like spelling and grammar are really unforgivable.
All you’ve really done is recite the scores, you haven’t really added much analysis apart from one or two statements about players.
crazycrowsfan
April 21, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Ironic that skippy pulled his hammy when playing against the kangaroos!! Guess he is rooted now.
hilly
April 21, 2009 at 12:49 pm
@ Beau
Give him a break man, judging by the photo he couldn’t be more than about 8 or 9 years old
Brady
April 21, 2009 at 12:49 pm
went from Skippy to Higgins,
good move?
croc187
April 21, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Re. Earlier post. My bad, sry to criticize. The sentence didn’t didn’t read well.
S/C 328th
April 21, 2009 at 1:00 pm
@ Beau
So the kid can’t spell,big deal.So the above mentioned wrap had limited information,big deal.
GO and suck your middle finger, and taste your own feces.
leroy
April 21, 2009 at 1:25 pm
so mr. robert murphy will get a go this week?
gecko
April 21, 2009 at 1:45 pm
@Beau
So have you got further analysis that you would like to add?
Thanks for the wrap, Mitch…
Brad
April 21, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I have thoughts to cover Skippy but would appreciate opinions from the educated in this caper.
Option 1)
Otten to Barham
Skippy to Gia
Option 2)
Skippy to Warren
S Burgoyne to Judd/Bartel
I have some real concerns about Burgoynes roll or should i say lack thereof this year.
He is struggling to settle and doesnt seem to be making good use of the pill when he has it.
I know everyone preaches against sideways trades but i think in the long term Judd/Bartel will be a better option.
addicted2tradebutton
April 21, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Don’t get it – “Patrick Dangerfield. Largely unsited and he was filling in for some midfield’s due to the absences of Tuck and Burgoyne”. Didn’t the Crows play Gazza et al?
Pat
April 21, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Good article Mitch. Don’t listen to the others, you are doing this for free i am sure and many people appreciate it.
@Criticisers- Get off his back, the idea is a high level review with key players scores, injuries and possible future direction for the clubs.
Dicko
April 21, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I’ve got Skipworth, but I think I’ll keep him and might trade Henschel instead (also got Ballentyne sitting on the pine,….. seemed like a good idea at the time). Zeibell looks like a good in, as he will still go up in price.
Thanks for the wrap Mitch, but I’ve got to say it’s “unsighted” not “unsited” 😉
Brad
April 21, 2009 at 2:08 pm
@ Guys,
Mitch was saying that Danger was filling in, in fantasy terms, for Burgoyne & Tuck, for those that had Tuck and Burgoyne on the ground and Danger on the bench he simply came in to cover a doughnut.
It is really quite simple to understand.
Dippa
April 21, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Why do you feel the need to sledge and nitpick the writer about spelling.
You are so petty and have no flowering life. who cares what you think jackass.
You use this site, watch the live scores and use other peoples advice/opinions on players etc so be thankful that the site even exists.
Rather than try and make yourself look like a hero (you should know no-one else here thinks you serve any purpose) offer something constructive or spend your time elsewhere.
Moron.
Dicko
April 21, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Thanks for your constructive comment Dippa
Dicko
April 21, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Collingwood supporters. What’s the word on Jaxson Barham? Will he stay in the side and how far off is Sidebottom from getting a game?
Pat
April 21, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Dicko-
Sidebottom could be a inclusion this week, has been getting plenty of it in the magoo’s.
Barham will be going head to head with the likes of beams and toovey for a spot.
Brad
April 21, 2009 at 2:44 pm
@ Dippa,
Well said mate.
No doubt the people sledging the author are the same worthless tools that bag the absolute flower out of every single AFL listed player on the game day blogs if they dont score 100 plus points, and then blue with each other over who called what score in the “color” game, flowering pathetic.
The only critisicm i have of this site is that it is not very well moderated and allows too much freedom to the unwashed and uneducated to voice their opinions.
I have real concerns that Fantasy Football is really going to devalue true football passion amongst the youth.
Anyone that can take pleasure in hearing that a certain player has gone down with a serious injury is just a tool who sees football as nothing more than a computer game!
Daniel
April 21, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Monty, How long untill Henchell from adelaide is back in? having him and skip on the bench doesnt look promising
dan
Bo
April 21, 2009 at 2:55 pm
For all those complaining about the article, he’s doing it for free, and if you dont like it dont read it. Simple.
Bo
April 21, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Oh, and whilst im here, since when has anyone cared about spelling with regards to football ? I’ve seen people write Peter Bourgoyne and all kinds of similar spelling mistakes. Its footy, surely the sport is more interesting than the spelling and grammar.
Listen to Ricky Olarenshaw if you want to see the english language butchered. Ignore these tools mitch.
Maybe get a new profile pic with a fake moustache and a bowler cap so they leave you alone.
Daniel
April 21, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Mitch, How long untill Henchell from adelaide is back in? having him and skip on the bench doesnt look promising
dan
Ben
April 21, 2009 at 3:00 pm
@ Brad
If you haven’t already noticed, Monty markets this site to the great unwashed (BigFooty regulars, basically), with his cute little symbols he makes for some players and the silly colour game. Get used to it – Monty will never get rid of them – just have to ignore it.
It’s a great site for up-to-date scores, but if you want decent analysis, there are far superior websites for that.
Chris
April 21, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Haha Bo, nice. Since when has age ever been a credible indicator for fantasy football acumen anyway?
Mighty
April 21, 2009 at 3:08 pm
@ Brad
If you want out trade out Skippy, then I’d wait till next week. You will know more about Barham by then and Otten will have made you another $20-30k. It also gives you another look at Burgoyne to be sure if you want to trade him. Sideways trades are bad but if they have a lingering injury its not the worst idea.
Brad
April 21, 2009 at 3:53 pm
@ Mighty,
Appreciate your comments.
I will have another look at Burgoyne this weekend before i make my decision.
I am averaging close to 2200, s/c, but i just think i am lacking the killer punch i need to win my league matches, missing out on the likes of Rich & Gilbert from the start are killing me, having Hurn and Beams in place of those two is costing me 80-100 points each week.
Burgoyne’s 70’s & 80’s seem to be the fly in my ointment at the moment.
Brady
April 21, 2009 at 3:59 pm
So?
why does no one want to go with higgins to relace skippy?
seems a good move for me.
montyfan
April 21, 2009 at 4:04 pm
why isnt monty writing up these? mitch here just askes questions and doesnt really analyse the games. if ur gonna keep doing this after each week, stop stating the obvisous and try give us more insight.
Brad
April 21, 2009 at 4:19 pm
@ Brady,
Bcoz 99% of coaches had Skippy and Higgins to start with!
Captain Fantasy
April 21, 2009 at 4:26 pm
It is a great move Brady, but most of us would have had both already!
The Fone
April 21, 2009 at 4:35 pm
any news on Liam Anthony yet?
Thoughts