ONE down, 22 to go.

THE first weekend of AFL Fantasy action went according to plan for a lot of coaches. Points were flowing throughout the weekend with a lot of mid-priced gambles paying off handsomely for a lot of the competition. It wasn’t all good news though with some (myself included) constantly hitting refresh and wondering why no more points were being added to their totals. Don’t fret if you failed to fire in the first week of action though, there’s still a LOTTT of footy left to be played.

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MY TEAM

2052 – The number of coaches that tried to trade Tom Rockliff into their sides during the Port/Demons game. Ok I’m lying it was way more than that
IT wasn’t exactly the start I wanted from the Large Fry’s & Coke, but I’ll take it. Not starting a lot of mid-pricers saw me struggle to breach 2000 with a handful of premium options failing to fire. Shoutout to the rookies across the field who kept me afloat though. You’re all invited to the end of season trip already, except for you Sam Collins. GTFO here.

FRY’S FAVOURITE FIVE

Honourable Mentions: Rory Sloane (144), Jake Lloyd (126), Matthew Parker (83), Matt Crouch (132), Tim Taranto (137)

+5. Tom Rockliff, Power (MID, $650K – 166)
TO the 16% of coaches who took a chance on starting Rocky, well done. They were justly rewarded with the highest score of the round and now get to kick back while the rest of us flounder to bring him in. Oink.

+4. Stephen Coniglio, Giants (MID, $831K – 161)
A popular captain pick, Coniglio looked like a man possessed against the Dons. He did it all putting forth a Fantasy masterclass and emerging as a candidate to be the top scoring player in 2019.

+3. Travis Boak, Power (FWD, $667K – 144)
HIS pure midfield role was on full display for the coaches lucky enough to own Travis Boak this weekend. A catalyst in Port’s upset victory, Boak helped himself 34 touches, eight tackles and nine marks in a complete display. Great unique option.

+2. Bailey Scott, Power (MID, $218K – 97)
WE were treated to some awesome rookie scores from debutants this week, but Bailey Scott deserves special recognition. Not only did his near ton help some coaches climb further up the ranks on Sunday arvo, he may or may not have won me my league with his last disposal. Get him in.

Image from thechronicle.com.au

+1. Dom Sheed, Eagles (MID, $574K – 133)
CONTINUING his JLT (and 2018 Finals) form, Dom Sheed was the lone, bright spot from West Coast’s trip to the Gabba. Not only did Sheed gather 38 touches, but his seven marks were a team beat as well.

FRY’S FRUSTRATING FIVE

Dishonourable Mentions: Dustin Martin (81), Clayton Oliver (73), Stefan Martin (63), Alex Witherden (83)

-5. Max Gawn, Demons (RUC, $781K – 68)
WTF Max. Not only did he score poorly, but he was belted in the Port Adelaide game. It’s been a long time since big Maximus had just 21 hitouts and while holding onto him seems like the smart option, owners are now presented with a difficult task. Not want you want after paying top dollar for Gawn.

-4. Zach Merrett, Bombers (MID, $704K – 50)
WE saw all the signs and were expecting a lowish score. And yet, Zach Merrett still found a way to let down the Fantasy community. A -1, yes you read that right, a NEGATIVE ONE in the third quarter is enough to rage trade him out, the other three quarters only sealed his fate.

-3. Josh Dunkley, Bulldogs (MID/FWD, $684K – 79)
SIGH. Dunkley was travelling well at quarter time, registering 10 touches and 37 points over the first period. Unfortunately, he failed to fire in the other three frames of the game, resulting in a disappointing 79. With most coaches in a position to luxury trade this week, he’ll be lucky to survive the axe.

Image from westernbulldogs.com.au

-2. Brodie Grundy, Magpies (RUC, $848K – 84)
NO need to panic, just yet. Grundy dished up a very similar score in his Round 1 performance from 2018, but after a lacklustre preseason, some are starting to sweat. You couldn’t possibly move him on, but he had better return to his usual self ASAP!

-1. Sam Collins, Suns (DEF, $238K – 21)
PUTTING it bluntly Sam Collins flat out sucked this weekend. I mean I understand you’re a key defender, but 21 points. Really!? He’ll probably survive another week for me, but a lot of other coaches won’t be so kind.

TRADE TACTICS

IN – LET’S not get pretty here, it’s all about ‘Operation Get Rocky’. Tom Rockliff (MID, $650K – 166) was the star of the first weekend of footy and at this rate, every man, woman and child will be doing their best to bring him in this weekend. There is a lot to like aside from Rockliff’s numbers, with popular mid-priced players like  Dom Sheed, Eagles (MID, $574K – 133), Rory Sloane (MID, $685K – 144), Brad Crouch (MID, $546K – 109) and Tom Liberatore (MID, $412 – 87) all producing for their coaches. Popular D1 choice Jake Lloyd (DEF, $752K – 126) was as good as advertised marshalling nearly half the competition’s defense as well.

IT was a rare weekend of production from the popular on-field rookies with Sam Walsh (MID, $300K – 87), Xavier Duursma (DEF/MID, $259K – 71), Bailey Scott (MID, $214K – 97), Willem Drew (MID/FWD, $208K – 86), Charlie Constable (MID, $205K – 82), Will Setterfield (MID/FWD, $273K – 71) and Matthew Parker (FWD, $213K – 83) all providing coaches with a stable source of production. While all are viable starters next week, don’t expect this balanced level of production every round.

OUT – AFTER just one week of action it’s easy to get sucked into the idea of chopping and changing your premium players, but try not to overreact too much. The likes of Brodie Grundy (RUC, $848K – 84) and Max Gawn (RUC, $781K – 68) don’t need to be omitted at this stage, but there are a few who need to be sent a warning. Isaac Heeney (MID/FWD, $654K – 85), Clayton Oliver (MID, $769K – 73), Dustin Martin (MID, $666K – 81) and Josh Dunkley (MID/FWD, $684K – 79) are all on thin ice and if you have nothing better to do this week, I couldn’t blame you for dealing them. Don’t blame me when they go 120 next week though.

Image from foxsports.com.au

THERE isn’t a lot of alarm with popular bench cash cows, even though there are a bunch of 40’s littered across the board. Team selections will dictate a lot with our rookie selections, but with no pressing needs Callum Burgess (DEF/FWD, $171K – 25), Sam Collins (DEF, $238K – 21) and Noah Balta, Tigers (FWD, $173K – 29) could face the axe.

WAIVER WIRE MOVES

SIMILAR to Classic fantasy, it’s important to not overreact to one week of fixtures. That being said, there are some players who could be left on the scrap heap that are right for thr picking. In defense Jamie Macmillan (Kangaroos, DEF – 118) continued his hot JLT form and will likely be sitting on waiver wire’s out there. Failing that don’t sleep on Zak Jones (Swans, DEF – 94) who could be an option in deeper leagues. For the midfield Jack Graham (Tigers, MID – 106), Darcy Tucker (Dockers, MID – 110) and James Cousins (Hawks, MID – 94) all shape up as solid pickups, with Tucker especially interesting given his heavy midfield time as Freo’s lockdown player. In the rucks, Andrew Phillips (Blues, RUC – 83) is a fine option if you are waiting for Kreuzer to return or struggling to find a starting ruck while up forward duo Brandan Parfitt (Cats, FWD – 84) and Zach Fisher (Blues, FWD – 84) are options to chase if you’re in need.

MY MOVES

I don’t really want to cut ties with Dusty after one showing as I think he can boast a triple figure average this year, but I don’t want to miss this opportunity in front of me. Tom Rockliff needs to be in our teams after what he did, I mean which player do I really think is going to score more points over the rest of the season? There’s no argument. Team selection may force me to use my second trade for some rookie shuffling and I’m going to give Collins another chance based on his job security.

Rage Trades
Rookie Shuffling: G.Miers → M. Parker?
D.Martin → T.Rockliff

Peace ✌