The Fantasy King: Round 7
By Mick Adams
Well, this past weekend of footy has confirmed the suspicions I’ve been harbouring for the last few weeks: I’m officially cursed. The Warriors ran rampant over Souths but big useless Feleti barely broke single digits. In that same game Isaac Luke only managed half his average despite playing the full 80. Later that afternoon Robbie Farah was ambushed by an early concussion and played no further part in the Tigers’ demolition of the increasingly ordinary Panthers. It all points to one obvious conclusion: this whole fantasy thing has been set up as an elaborate way to mess with my head and crush my spirits. Mission accomplished fantasy, now can I please have my sanity back?
The one silver lining is the temporary reprieve granted by the upcoming representative weekend, which gives us all a chance to take stock and regather our faculties. With that in mind, let’s see how some of my tips this year have been going.
Feleti Mateo
I know it was only a week ago that I promoted him as a genuine second row option, but he has fallen well short of the mark yet again. This latest failure is particularly troubling. The Warriors score eight tries and he can’t even manage ONE try assist? Twelve offloads for the Warriors and not a single one came from the big mitts of the supposed offload king. Two runs for a total of sixteen metres and zero line breaks. Three missed tackles. These are not the stats of a fantasy gun, not even close. Even more troubling than any of this is the fact that he only played 44 minutes. He is due for a price drop, so I’ll be holding off on selling in the hope he can put on a score and rise in value, but I think he’s got to go. Massive disappointment.
Jonathon Thurston
Overpriced and underperforming I said, and for much of the season to date I’ve been vindicated. Those who hung on were rewarded on Saturday night however with one of the highest scores in fantasy history, produced in a vintage JT performance. Note that at no stage did I ever question his undeniable quality, merely his fantasy worth, and if the Cowboys can string some wins together he will definitely be putting some scores on the board. However, despite his relative cheapness at the moment it would be silly to bring him into your squad now. With Origin on the horizon his availability will be limited, and the increased workload for representative players over the period tends to affect their output and playing time. Post-Origin however he could be a great buy.
Boyd Cordner
Did I mention I’m cursed? Before I gave him the Fantasy King seal of approval the young Rooster was on fire, and presented some great value. Since then he has been decidedly average, and with a massive price drop after another poor showing is now only slightly more expensive than his opening market price. He played just over a half of footy in the Roosters’ loss in Darwin, and with the impressive young Jack Bosden having a big impact in his Tri-Colours debut, Cordner’s looking like a sell. Bosden could be a good replacement at a cheap price. I loved what I saw from him in the limited opportunities he got at the Dragons last year, and I think he has a real future. Fantasy-wise he scored well first-up, and could be one that earns you some quick coin.
Morris vs. Morris
After Brett’s sensational debut at fullback for the Dragons in Round 3, I claimed to slightly favour Josh due to the positional uncertainty of Brett and the good form of the Dogs. Since then, Brett has made the fullback jersey his own, and has been one of the form backs of the competition. That he was beaten to an Australian wing jersey by the lacklustre Darius Boyd is a joke. Also since then, the wheels have come off at Belmore, with the Bulldogs now in the midst of a slump, losing three of their last four matches (although to be fair, they aimed up against Melbourne, and there’s no shame in losing to that outfit). As a result, Brett’s scores have been by far the better. Also as a result however, his break even for his next start is quite high, and he will probably have a price drop on the cards. Both are likely for Origin though, so it’s a bit of a moot point.
Travis Burns
As predicted, his early season purple patch looks to be an anomaly rather than a late-career blossoming, and Burns has come back to the field big time. He only lasted 22 minutes against the Tigers before copping a head knock and heading to the sheds, and as a result had one of the lowest scores of the round. Owners who ignored my advice to sell last week should rectify this before his price goes into free fall.
James Graham
Prior to Round One, I advised against picking up the blonde import, feeling that his starting price tag was a little high for an NRL-untested prop. I immediately recanted following a powerhouse display in his first match and drafted him into my team, thinking that he was this year’s Sam Burgess. This has proved far from the mark, and rather than watching his value skyrocket, he is actually cheaper now than he was originally. Since that first match he hasn’t had anywhere near the same impact, and on a week to week basis is only getting half the points as he did in his debut. His game time has been well below what you would want it to be, so perhaps the “Bupa” nickname he has picked up is justified. Only Dessie knows, but you can pretty much rule a line through all of the Bulldog forwards, who are all competing for work and minutes and suffering sub-par scores as a consequence.
