AFL Fantasy is back for another season, and the team at Footy Prophet will again be supplying NMFC.com.au with premium fantasy analysis and tips for the 2015 season.
North Melbourne’s two games against Sydney last year were dramatically different. One was a much-celebrated win, while the other was a disappointing loss that ended the Kangaroos’ season.
North will be missing some of the best fantasy scorers from the victory this time around, with Leigh Adams (127), Daniel Wells (113) and Nick Dal Santo (110) all watching from the sidelines.
However Ben Cunnington, who played nearly the finest game of his career in that match, is in the side and ready for another bout with the Swans’ much-celebrated on-ball brigade.
Scott Thompson also produced one of the best games of his career in the win, holding Lance Franklin goalless while recording 24 disposals and seven marks for 98 points.
The second time around in 2014 was a very different story. North was badly beaten on the night and had only a few individual performances worth remembering.
Cunnington was again one of them with 28 disposals, but Drew Petrie was probably the stand out of that night for North, kicking three goals.
Petrie has been in great fantasy form lately for North, with scores of 110, 114, 93, 87 and 87 from his last five, culminating in a last-five average of more than 98 points.
Although his goals per game count is a little down on previous years, he has lifted his marking and tackling almost to career best levels, which is seriously benefiting his fantasy scores.
Keep an eye on him this week to see if his hot streak continues.
Another player in great form for North at the moment is Jack Ziebell. Don’t let his season average of 89 fool you; if you ignore the injury-effected seven he scored against Port Adelaide, he’s running at an average of 98 points per game.
He was arguably best on ground in North’s win over West Coast last week with 24 disposals, eight tackles and an important final-quarter goal.
Ziebell is recording career best tackle numbers and while his disposal numbers haven’t risen too much, he’s shown a preference to kick rather than handball and this is lifting his fantasy scores.
Last year he chose to kick 67 per cent of the time. However in 2015 the number has increased to 77 per cent.
Finally, we couldn’t talk about players in great fantasy form without mentioning Shaun Higgins. The former Bulldog recorded his third consecutive score in triple digits last week, the first time in his 139-game career that he has done so.
For him, the obvious stat to highlight is goals-per-game. He’s averaging 1.8 which is a career best for him while also putting up close to the best tackling numbers of his career.
Around the Grounds
Adelaide, Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Brisbane, Carlton and Hawthorn are all taking a rest this week, which means a number of popular fantasy players are unavailable.
Hawthorn pair Jordan Lewis and Luke Hodge, two of the most valuable fantasy players in the game so far this year, are probably the ones who will do the most damage to your fantasy teams.
However the thing to remember about they bye rounds is that while they may be painful, everyone else is going through them too – you’re not at any disadvantage.
A few players returning to the game this week worth keeping an eye on would be Gold Coast’s Nick Malceski, Essendon’s Jobe Watson, Melbourne’s Dom Tyson, Collingwood’s Taylor Adams, and West Coast’s Jack Darling.
