AFL $20,000+ Crows v Hawks Line-Up
How good is Thursday night footy? Less days to wait for it to start, another Draftstars contest, but oh. It is Adelaide vs Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval. Christ. Will need some Draftstars vested interests to get through this one, I reckon.
Here is a team you may consider for the AFL $20,000+ Crows v Hawks competition
Forward
Taylor Walker ($10,350)
I really like the look of Taylor Walker for this one. The Crows skipper is coming off 18 disposals, seven marks, three goals and 92 Draftstars points against the Saints, and is facing a Gibson-less Hawks on Thursday night. Oh, did I mention that the game is at Adelaide Oval? Walker has his two biggest scores/bags of the season at the venue (121 and 5 vs Dons and 110 and 4 vs Port) and I expect him to go large against the Hawthorn defence. Note: Dixon scored 128 against them in their thumping at Adelaide Oval.
Eddie Betts ($9,950)
Draftstars is a difficult caper for small forwards, as it is arguably the most difficult position on the ground to consistently perform at. Betts has averaged the 75 Draftstars points this season despite averaging 2.8 goals per game. However with the likely event being a Hawthorn drubbing, Eddie should be able to be well worth his $9.55k price tag. His highest total came in his sixth goal display against the Bombers (115 points) and this certainly isn’t beyond him for this contest.
Midfield
Brad Crouch ($14,250)
Brad Crouch is a ball-magnet, plain and simple. This bloke is getting his money’s worth having been in my side for the past few weeks. Crouch had hit three straight tons last week before breaking it with a total of 95 against the Sainters. There isn’t really much midfield pedigree in this ones besides Mitchell and Sloane, and I think Crouch should be amongst the major ball-winners again and deliver a worthy score.
Rory Atkins ($12,550)
Rory Atkins is a specialist when the Crows are hot. When they are up and about, he generally comes to the fore and produces the goods. Take this – Atkins has posted scores of 130 and 99 in big wins at Adelaide Stadium in his past three games. His 60-point effort against the Cats a fortnight ago has kept him at a discount price that we really can’t ignore.
Hugh Greenwood ($9,550)
I have opted for two rookies to complete the midfield, but I wouldn’t classify this lad as one of those. Greenwood is a bona-fide ball-winner, who hunts the footy and the man with intent. The mature ager had a whopping 11 tackles in their matchup against Geelong on his way to 94 Draftstars points, with his meagre score of 49 forcing his price to take a dip. Will be a popular selection in this one I suspect.
Jonathon Beech ($9,000)
Jonathon Beech made his long-awaited AFL debut a fortnight ago and fared well, scoring 72 Draftstars points from 15 disposals and four tackles. He also booted a late goal, selling candy to bring up the first major of his career in style. Beech was playing mostly forward on the weekend and I can see the Crows getting the ball in there quite a bit on Thursday night. Expect him to get on the end of a few.
Defence
Brodie Smith ($10,650)
Like teammate Rory Atkins, Brodie Smith thrives when the Crows are winning comfortably. Smith’s three 90+ totals for the season have all been in big wins at Adelaide Oval against St Kilda (90), Richmond (96) and Essendon (110). Surprisingly, Smith has averaged just the 72.6 Draftstars points per game this season but he will be getting well over this mark against the Hawks.
Jake Lever ($10,650)
Jake Lever has emerged into a somewhat Draftstars relevant defender. The 21-year old has showed off his marking prowess in defence, averaging 6 marks for the season. Lever’s effort against the Dockers was particularly interesting, amassing a Draftstars ton from 29 disposals including 11 marks. Hawks don’t exactly boast an amazing forward line, so Lever could prove to be an interesting selection that pays dividends.
Ruck
Ben McEvoy ($12,400)
Big Boooy McEvoooy is the cheapest ruckman in this contest and I feel like he is capable of neutralising Sauce Jacobs. He is also the sole Hawthorn player in this line-up which is no coincidence. McEvoy has touted by some as the All-Australian ruckman to date, which I feel is a touch generous, but it shows his season has been impressive. Averaging 94.5 Draftstars points per game along with 33 hitouts, and I reckon he is value considering he should have Jacobs covered around the ground.
The Line Up
FWD: Taylor Walker ($10,350)
FWD: Eddie Betts ($9,950)
MID: Brad Crouch ($14,250)
MID: Rory Atkins ($12,550)
MID: Hugh Greenwood ($9,550)
MID: Jonathon Beech ($9,000)
DEF: Brodie Smith ($10,650)
DEF: Jake Lever ($10,650)
RUCK: Ben McEvoy ($12,400)
Salary Remaining: $650
AFL SCORING SYSTEM
Kick = 3 points
Mark = 3 points
Handball = 2 points
Goal = 6 points
Behind = 1 point
Tackle = 4 points
Free Kick For = 1 point
Free Kick Against = -3 points
Hitout = 1 point