The Fantasy King: Round 15
By Mick Adams
And so ends another funny old round of fantasy football. No Gallen, no Parker and the most unlikely top 5 point scorers you could imagine, with the unheralded Manly pair Dean Whare and Jorge Taufua taking out the quinella. It was a round which produced many questions and few answers, so let’s get stuck in:
The return of Scott Prince: a flash in the pan?
It seems odd to think that only two seasons ago Prince was knocking on the door of Origin and was the number one halfback in fantasy. In fact, he began the 2011 season with a higher price tag than Jonathan Thurston, only to have his stocks drop sharply in both fantasy and real life. He returned to form in a big way on the weekend with the round’s third highest score. Is dirt cheap for the quality of player he has been in the past, and the Titans have been on the improve of late, which could help his cause. Looking at his weekly tallies for 2012 makes for pretty grim reading however, so he presents a sizeable risk.
Isaac Luke: the new Feleti?
A big call at this stage, as while Luke has been one of the best fantasy players over the last few seasons; Feleti Mateo is far and away the most frustratingly inconsistent. This year however Luke’s scores have been erratic. In a weekend of football not featuring Gallen, Parker or Fensom and with Origin back-up clouds hanging over a number of other fantasy guns, many would have been inclined to select the Rabbitohs hooker as captain. As a result, such players were rewarded with Luke’s lowest score for the year. He received only 51 minutes of game time, which is a very worrying statistic for Luke owners.
Mitchell Pearce: not completely useless?
Given that he has been invisible in practically every Origin he has played in, it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that Pearce topped the points count amongst players backing up from Wednesday night. And as the halfback in a Roosters side which put on 40 points against a Tigers side with far more important matters on their minds, it would have been an indictment on his abilities if he didn’t rack up a big score. Anyone looking for a halfback should take this into consideration and look elsewhere. Pearce is not your man.
Aaron Woods: best prop in fantasy?
In a word, yes. He has been sensational this year, and is a big factor in the Tigers turning their season around. There has been no better front rower than Woods week to week, and he put in another strong showing against the Roosters. Given that this is probably the last year we will be able to play him every week (as I think he’ll look pretty good in a blue jumper), Woods owners should savour it. Honourable mention to Josh McGuire, who has been killing it for a couple of seasons now in Brisbane, and had a great game against the Cowboys.
Adam Reynolds: is the party over?
It looks like it might be the case for the Rabbitohs halfback, who seems to have peaked a few weeks ago. His scores and price have been steadily declining since, and although he has been a useful back up it might be time to cash in. Adrian Sezer is the obvious replacement, given he had a massive score on the weekend and is still quite a bit cheaper. Corey Norman is probably in the same boat as Reynolds, having dipped considerably after a run of great scores.
Can we get through one round without a fantasy gun getting injured?
It seems unlikely. Injuries are a fact of life in any sport but they have hit fantasy hard this year. Guns such as Burgess, Parker, Fulton, Fensom and Gordon have all gone down at various stages, and the mounting toll shows no signs of abating. Billy Slater’s out, Luke Bailey, Glenn Stewart… the list goes on. Will Chambers is the latest to fall, and it sounds like he might be done for the year. Very disappointing for him as he was absolutely carving up.
Successfully navigating the hazards brought by injuries takes risk management skills. One strategy might be to ignore injury prone players altogether. I baulked on buying Sam Burgess at the start of the year for this reason, but finally caved and have been left to rue the decision. Same story for Tony Williams, who is vulnerable to suspensions as well as injuries. Greg Inglis is another who I have reluctantly conceded I must avoid, despite his undoubted class and potential for big points hauls. As good as he is he never seems too far from getting hurt, as proven in his elbow scare against the Eels. At this time of the year, there is nothing worse than burning a trade on a player who goes down a week later.
