With the home and away season finished, the AFL Fantasy Classic competition has drawn to a close for the year. However, for those who simply can't get enough, the AFL Fantasy Match Day game continues into the finals series.
When it comes to AFL Fantasy Match Day, the aim of the game is quite simple’ to pick the players who will be getting the highest scores for the match. When it comes to North's Elimination Final with Essendon on Saturday night, there are a number of key Kangaroos to consider.
After being rested against Melbourne, Todd Goldstein returns to the side and will aim to be the dominant ruckman on the ground against Essendon's combination of Patrick Ryder and Tom Bellchambers. Goldstein was quiet in his last match against Essendon, in Round 1, but he spent much of that match playing through a shoulder injury suffered early on.
Goldstein has averaged just a little under 100 fantasy points per game across his last 11 matches and looks likely to continue this good form when it matters most.
Also returning to the side this week are Luke McDonald, Michael Firrito, Lindsay Thomas and Levi Greenwood.
Of these, Greenwood is the most likely to make a big fantasy impact. The born-again midfielder was North Melbourne's leading fantasy player in the home and away season, with a club-high average of 101 fantasy points per game across the 19 he played for the year.
Greenwood didn't play in the last meeting between North and Essendon. His most recent outing against the Bombers was in Round 21, 2013, when he returned a tidy 109 fantasy points.
Also set to make a big fantasy play is Nick Dal Santo, who now has dual position status (defender/midfielder) in AFL Fantasy. His fantasy scoring has been a little quiet in recent weeks, but he was impressive against Adelaide in Round 22, and played a solid half of football against Melbourne last week.
Worth considering is North's trio of ball-winning midfielders in Andrew Swallow, Jack Ziebell and Ben Cunnington. All three will be striving to have a big impact at finals time, and both Cunnington and Ziebell have shown the ability to boost their scoring when swung forward in recent weeks.
Around the Grounds
September is when every team strives to perform, knowing that their entire season rides on the outcome of a single game. Only the best of the best are left, including the biggest stars in fantasy.
One of the game’s most prolific collectors of fantasy points, Steve Johnson, is back in for Geelong after missing the last three weeks of the home and away season. The talented Cat finished the season with an average of 108 points per game, the seventh highest in the competition.
Steven Motlop and former Roo Hamish McIntosh also return to Geelong's side, joining fantasy guns Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel, Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell on field in Friday night's qualifying final.
Lance Franklin, Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn all return to Sydney's side this week, while Nathan Fyfe is back in for Fremantle after missing the last two weeks of the year due to suspension.
