The Fantasy King: Round 24
By Mick Adams
Hope everybody survived the first week of the finals. That’s more than I can say for myself, having been heartbreakingly knocked out. It’s the first time I’ve found myself in a one-and-done scenario, and it’s not an experience I want to repeat. All throughout the season I’ve ignored my own advice regarding panic trading, ignoring long term form and gambling on injury-prone players. Now I’ve paid the price. In the end it was the captaincy issue which decided it. I’ve spoken of the importance of the captaincy choice in this post-Parker new world order. My guy, Shaun Fensom, halved his previous total while Cam Smith, my opponent’s captain, almost doubled his. That’s the way it goes I guess, and I’ll be watching the rest of the fantasy action from the sidelines. That doesn’t mean I’ve lost interest however, so here’s this week’s talking points:
Come Back Simon
I say it was the captaincy issue which did me in, but Simon Mannering’s continued absence was a big factor as well. For one, it forced me to play his teammate Shaun Johnson, who scored an abysmal 4 Supercoach points. Last week I wondered if the Warriors’ dire semi-final prospects might affect Feleti Mateo’s output. It turns out Feleti was in fact the only Warrior who turned up at all, notching his sixth Supercoach century this season, and his third in four weeks. Incredible.
Mannering’s absence again this week is not only really annoying, but is possible confirmation we won’t see him again this season, and it might be time to sell if you have trades left. With the Warriors now having literally nothing to play for, it seems pointless to bring back Mannering for one or two meaningless games. Luckily, there is a ready-made replacement available on the cheap.
Michael Gordon
He’s back. The undisputed king of the backline in fantasy, Michael Gordon made a big return in his second game back from a long-term leg injury. As a result of starting the year on the wing and having a quiet game in his first game back, Gordon’s price plummeted, and he is about as cheap as you’ll ever see him. Buy of the week by some distance. Available at fullback and wing/centre, I don’t think there’s many fantasy players who couldn’t use him in their squad.
Vindication
You should take heed when I name Gordon as my buy of the week, as my pick last week, the Broncos’ Ben Te’o, delivered in a big way, with one of the weekend’s highest scores. Especially with Mannering remaining on the bench, I do not regret my Te’o purchase one bit. Unfortunately, with Corey Parker seemingly certain to return for Friday night’s must win clash with the Storm, the party might be over already for Te’o. Disappointing, but mitigated by the continued unavailability of Alex Glenn. Even with Parker back Te’o should get some decent minutes.
Mitch Rein
I’ve given him props before this year, but I’ve got to single him out for praise yet again after a great haul against the Tigers. On form and average he is only a couple of notches below the top hookers in fantasy, and I think he’ll be right up there with them next season. I had planned to sell him off for cash a few months ago, but he became just too reliable. His Supercoach average, affected by his slow start to the year, is only 52, but I think he’s at least 10 points better than that.
Corey Norman
Although it looked like his bubble had burst some time ago, that might change with him now playing fullback. He is at a juicy price too. But of course, at this stage of the year trading for someone like Norman is a luxury few of us can afford. There are way better fullback candidates available, but as a back-up half he is certainly an attractive option. If I had the trades I’d be bringing him in for Shaun Johnson, who I should have kicked to the curb months ago. Honestly, what was I thinking?
Nathan Smith
I’m not too happy with the Parramatta hooker. If I put him in my team he burns me with a bad score. If I leave him out he burns me with a good score. Two weeks running his inclusion/exclusion has cost me victory, so it’s hard to give him a rap. Overall though, he’s been great in his debut year, and if he had got a start earlier in the season you would have to think he’d be right there with the top contenders for fantasy rookie of the year. I’ll be putting him in my squad this weekend, so we’ll just see how that pans out.
