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 35 point victory against Richmond yielded only a few large fantasy scores.
Drew Petrie ($395,000) was the only Kangaroo to crack the ton. Despite only kicking one goal, Petrie was influential in North’s forward half, playing further up the ground than normal.
Even though the key forward had Alex Rance as a matchup, he managed to drive North’s attacks and saw plenty of the ball, finishing on 21 touches, 10 marks and 110 AFL Fantasy points.
The performance is a reminder of how potent Petrie can be when on song. While there are other big forwards like Jarrad Waite ($424,000) and Ben Brown ($335,000), Petrie remains North’s spearhead.
Lindsay Thomas ($355,000) was the recipient of much of the North delivery and his creativity was a key reason North won the day. He kicked five goals straight and strung together 13 disposals for 80 points.
In defence, Ben Jacobs ($343,000) had a strong game off half-back. He collected 23 possessions, five marks and five tackles. He also appears to have worked hard on his disposal and hopefully his efforts will be rewarded with a more permanent spot on the team.
A defender who also got on the scoreboard this week was Sam Wright ($408,000), who has played forward in previous years. He kicked a much-needed major late in the third quarter thanks to a 50-meter penalty.
Wright also contributed 21 possessions, eight marks and three tackles, and came tantalisingly close to the fantasy ton with 99 points. The 24 year old is having a good year and is firming as one of North’s most improved fantasy players this season.
In the middle, Brent Harvey ($446,000) and Jack Ziebell ($443,000) both played strongly, Harvey’s 94 points coming off the back of 22 disposals and two goals, while Ziebell’s 92 points included nine tackles. It was also great to see Lachlan Hansen ($382,000) running around again. In his first game for 2015, Hansen only had 12 disposals, but he found space to net 11 marks.
Around the Grounds
In a round full of upsets, it’s hard not to focus on St Kilda’s amazing come-from-behind victory.
A number of their younger players had fantasy blinders, but David Armitage ($614,000) deserves special mention. 45 disposals, five marks, five tackles and a goal is fantastic in anyone’s books, and to get the win as well is icing on the cake. After six rounds, the Saint now averages 121.5 AFL fantasy points. He would average far more if not for a Round 1 score of 89 points against Greater Western Sydney.
Also pivotal were the pair of Jack Steven ($583,000) with 142 points and Jack Billings ($433,000) with 122 points. Billings in particular stormed home, his three goals in the fourth quarter the nail in the Bulldog’s coffin.
