The Fantasy King: Round 23
Fantasy finals are here, and this year they come with a twist. Usually by this stage of the season, most teams are made up of the same core players, meaning that fixtures are decided not by the big scoring fantasy stars in the forwards, but by those other battles: will my Jamie Lyon out score your Brett Morris?; will my Keith Galloway trump your Josh McGuire?; and so forth.
But this year is different. The ever-present turmoil created by injuries and suspensions has hit the big end of fantasy this year, making for an intriguing finale to fantasy 2012. With the news Corey Parker will be out for at least a fortnight, and possibly even longer, the finals race has opened right up for fantasy players. There is a school of thought to hold him if possible, but I think you need a pretty strong squad to risk this. After all, your head to head opponent in week one of the finals has more than likely used Corey Parker cash to pimp his/her squad, can you afford to take a chance? Replacement contenders are numerous, so let's start right at the top:
Paul Gallen
Can you afford Gallen? Then the decision requires no more tactical nous than Steve Waugh throwing the ball to Shane Warne after Glenn McGrath has failed to get a wicket. For myself and I’m guessing many others though, the temptation to splurge after he went down injured proved too much and he is priced out of reach. Gallen owners will be at a significant advantage for this finals series. His successful return on the weekend saw him record a score in 60 minutes what most struggle to get in 80. An ominous sign.
Feleti Mateo
Has been in extraordinary form lately, after an erratic start to the season. My only worry at this stage is morale. With the Warriors' season all but over, it remains to be seen whether he will have a dig for the final games of the year. This weekend should give some indication. If he can get motivated and rip in for a Saturday night match in Townsville, it may be evidence he's turned a corner effort-wise. If he doesn't get a good score, it might be a sign he has put his cue on the rack for 2012, and time therefore time to look elsewhere.
Dave Taylor
Sam Burgess is another one of course, but I've just been burned too many times by his injuries to give him any serious consideration. Souths are playing with a whole lot of swagger at the moment, and Taylor has really stepped it up. He has had a great year of fantasy, and for mine is the next best option to Gallen. What was most impressive in his last start was that the majority of his points came from work, with 30-plus tackles and a bunch of hit ups too. Not a try or assist in sight, and we all know he's capable of plenty of those too. Very reasonably priced considering his season average.
Ben Te’o
This is a controversial one, but I'm calling Te’o the buy of the round. Lost in the wash of CP13's injury was the fact that Alex Glenn's fantasy season is also over, as he is not scheduled to return until the NRL finals. This means that the bottleneck in the forwards at the Broncos is no longer a factor. Sam Thaiday comes into this mix obviously, and after a disappointing year of fantasy Thaiday owners will be hoping he can capitalise. I like Te’o though, predominantly due to his availability in the centres. I was able to cast off Dene Halatau and further bolster my backline with Te’o, who will be starting at lock against the Dogs on Sunday. Matt Gillett had a pretty good score, and must also enter the conversation, but I’d be looking at Te’o or Thaiday first.
Nate Myles
Has been quietly going about his business for most of the season, never really getting a top notch score but seldom failing. He’s always been a couple of rungs below the top tier of fantasy players, but you can count on 60+ Supercoach points most weeks. In a year that’s been as inconsistent as this one, it’s good to be able to take that to the bank each weekend. Same goes (to a lesser extent) with Anthony Watmough. He’s been quite disappointing on the whole, significantly down on other years, but over the last few weeks has shown some promising signs. He got a great score on Saturday night, and like Myles, can usually be depended on for a score in that 65-85 range. Certainly nothing to sneeze at. Just don’t count on either to get any more than that in an average week.
Chris Heighington
It seems a long time ago now but there was a time when Heighno was right up there with Parker and Gallen. With the Tigers’ persistent injury woes, he has come into his own as a fantasy player again of late, so the news that Liam Fulton will again be lining up at 5/8 is welcome for anybody thinking of bringing in Heighington. It’s a move I will endorse, although I think there is less of a risk with some of the other names mentioned.
So that’s about it. By this time next week my head to head fantasy season could be over. After pleading with Todd Carney to come good, he came out and blitzed the Warriors. The only trouble was I ended up leaving him out of my 17. Ouch. Never a good feeling when you leave a century sitting on the bench. As a result I narrowly lost my final round match and dropped out of the top four. I now face an elimination final for which I was forced to burn up my last remaining trades. Why do I do it year after year?
Mick Adams
