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Some second and third quarter heroics from the Kangaroos’ midfielders were rewarded in AFL Fantasy this weekend, with some impressive totals despite a disappointing result on the scoreboard.  

Gold Coast got the early jump, but North fought back in the middle stages of the game, controlling the footy for large patches. Jack Ziebell (135 points) and Ben Cunnington (102) worked hard in the clinches, extracting the ball and setting up the likes of Sam Gibson (117) on the outside.

It was Ziebell’s best game for the season, in real and fantasy terms, and he’s averaged 112 points over the last two weeks compared to 56 over his first two games. At $436,777 in AFL Fantasy Classic it might be time to consider trading him in.

Meanwhile Gibson is quietly enjoying the best season of his short career. He’s averaging 106 points per game, and has already increased $82,000. If you started the year with him, well done.

Levi Greenwood had the unenviable task of curbing Gary Ablett’s influence and did an outstanding job for much of the game.

It was only late that Ablett broke the shackles, but Greenwood won the battle for three quarters, accumulating plenty of the footy and 120 fantasy points.

Lachlan Hansen was arguably North’s best player. He dominated early, racking up 91 first-half points, and finished on a game-high 138. He took 17 marks and worked tirelessly to keep his team in it. So too Todd Goldstein, who had the better of the duel with Tom Nicholls and later Charlie Dixon to score 108 points.

Luke McDonald wore the substitute’s vest for the first time this year and was restricted to 21 points in limited game-time. With North on the bye next weekend, fantasy coaches may look at moving the classy youngster on. At $320,890 he’s increased $77,000 over his starting price, but dropped a bit this round.  

ET: Around the grounds

In a week where a number of fantasy guns failed to fire, there were still some impressive totals. Callan Ward managed 162 against the Power, while Leigh Montagna defied the Hawks and the odds to record back-to-back 150s.

Ward is still priced at under $500,000 so if you’re looking for a durable midfielder that can punch out big scores, he might be your man.

Hawthorn’s forwards had a day out, with Jarryd Roughead, Jack Gunston, Luke Breust and Cyril Rioli all topping 110 points.

It wasn’t all good news, however. Sam Mitchell suffered an early hamstring injury and was substituted on just seven points, while Adelaide forward Tom Lynch didn’t even manage that – subbed out of the Melbourne game without scoring.

Lynch is expected to miss four to six weeks and his absence may see the accelerated return of Taylor Walker in Round 9, who should have three SANFL games under his belt by that time. Watch this space.

The best rookies this week included Sydney’s Jake Lloyd (109 points), Hawthorn’s Billy Hartung (105 points) and Brisbane’s Nick Robertson (90 points), but these were few and far between.

Hartung would be the pick of the bunch, but job security may be a concern there. Still, he made the most of his early opportunity after starting as the substitute. He’s already shot up to $218,414 but it looks like he’ll increase further.

Finally, Steve Johnson retained his title as the number 1 fantasy performer, keeping him nose in front of Ablett. He’ll set you back $639,989 but if you want to lock away monster scores each week, the Cats’ star is your guy.