THE HANGOVER: DRAFTSTARS WEEKLY WRAP

Well, we have a second consecutive term of a Liberal government. Whether you like it or not. If you like it, congratulations, you can head to a Cronulla game with ScoMo or have a kick of the footy with Josh Frydenberg. And if you hate it? Draftstars is here to soften the blow and offer a range of contest and tonnes of cold hard cash.

And regardless of your political affiliation, nothing could transcend the ecstasy of the news of Draftstars $200 thousand AFL Live Final. If you haven’t heard, Draftstars is hosting another live final just like the Big Bash one in February. Except bigger. This one is presented by Kayo and Colonial Brewing and there are 100+ tickets up for grabs. If you miss out, you will feel worse than Bill Shorten did late on Saturday evening.

If you get a ticket? You will probably feel like Andrew Redmayne who was the hero as Sydney FC won their record equalling A-League title 4-1 on penalties.

Or maybe you’ll feel like the Geelong Cats who sit a game clear atop the AFL ladder after a five game win streak. Or perhaps like the Rabbidohs who reign supreme in the NRL after a gritty victory over Canberra and a shock loss by the Roosters.

Then again, if you are a basketball fan, perhaps you have more of a Golden State vibe going. 3-0 up against the Blazers… Put it in the book. You are off to your fifth straight NBA Finals.

Or, possibly the happiest man in the world is Brooks Koepka who finished eight under par, despite a four over fourth round, to take out his second straight PGA Championship and its $11 million purse.

AFL ROUND EIGHT

The Demons on-again-off-again season is back off-again after failing to convert early against the Eagles on Friday. West Coast will be thankful for Elliot Yeo who battled hard early in the game to keep them within touching distance. He was manful in gaining 26 touches but his 16 tackles are what propelled him to 140 DS points.

And how about that Liam Ryan mark?!

The Pies are rolling. No doubt about it. They coasted to victory over the Saints and seem to be cake-walking to a second straight Grand Final. Brodie Grundy was predictably immense. Have him in your sides. But value could be found in Brodie Mihocek whose 14 touches and four goals led him to 93 DS points.

Match of the round came on Saturday afternoon when the Lions overcame Adelaide by the slimmest of margins. An incredibly exciting game came down to the line with some late goals from the Crows but Charles Cameron put his old club to the sword with 3.5 and 90 DS points.

The battle of the domestic animals saw the Cats purr to victory over the Dogs, despite a spirited challenge. Mitch Duncan had another day out with 25 touches, three majors and 125 DS points. But great value could be found in first-gamer Darcy Fort who booted three goals and accumulated 77 DS points.

And the cherry on top from Tom Stewart.

Another nail biter came on Saturday night when Essendon barely overcame a fast finishing Freo. Lacking the pizazz of Brisbane/Adelaide, fans were forced to wait until th end for any excitement. The usual suspects were among the DS points for the most part, but Dockers youngster, Taylin Duman, provided a low priced 99 points for his selectors.

Not to be outdone, North and Sydney kept viewers on the edge of their seat as just five points separated the sides. Sydney got the spoils, their second nail-biting victory in as many weeks. Despite the loss, Jack Ziebell had his best match in two years with 35 disposals and 155 DS points.

Port hosted the Suns in a wet and sloppy affair. As expected, the Power won but Brayden Fiorini had the biggest DS impact by some way. His 38 touches and a goal led him to 144 DS points and his selectors reaped the rewards.

Bad kicking was bad football for Hawthorn in the first half as they failed to convert opportunities to make this a tight fight. But it was not to be as the Tigers cream rose to the top and carried them to victory. Dusty was back to his 2017 best with 37 disposals, a couple of goals and 135 DS points. Let us hope he stays in form like this.

And GWS made light work of the Blues. Carlton looked like witches hats for large parts of the Sunday afternoon fizzer and the Giants made them pay. The Giants’ midfielders annihilated their Blue counterparts but none more so than Lachie Whitfield. He had 40 touches, took 18 marks and booted three goals as he racked up an eye popping 190 DS points.

NBA PLAYOFFS

The Warriors, as predicted, have amped up their pursuit of a three-peat this series. Question marks hovered over them as Durant was injured but Steph and Klay have stepped up in his place to propel their side to a probably insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Blazers.

Steph has been THE man, but only in second halves. So if you have him and he isn’t scoring by half-time fret not. His three games this series have yielded 36, 37 and 36 points and 19 threes in total, including 9/15 in game one.

Andrew Bogut has been logging vital minutes and snatching in boards while Kevon Looney has also seen up upshot in minutes and DS points in KD’s absence.

The Bucks/Raptors series has gone some way to living up to expectations, particularly after the Raps made it 2-1 in game three.

Marc Gasol proved the difference maker in the latest instalment limiting Giannis to 12 points while putting up a DS friendly box score of 16 points, 12 boards, seven assists, five blocks and four triples- that gave him 56.75 DS points.

Oh and Kyle Lowry actually put up some points in game one (30 points, eight assists), so keep an eye on that as Giannis locks down Kawhi.

But, while Giannis only managed 12 points, his staggering 23 boards got him in the game and carried him to 55.25 DS points. And his previous two games have been huge- 30 points and 17 boards in game two and 24 points, 14 boards, two steals and three blocks in game one.

Malcolm Brogdon, George Hill and Eric Bledsoe will all have their chances in the series too, picking them at the right time will go a long way to winning a contest.

Written by Brin Duggan

By AFL, Latest, NBA, NRL