AFL Saturday $50,000 Cheat Sheet
According to recent history, round seven is the stage where the vast majority of finals participants are decided. In the last four seasons, there have been a total of six teams who have played finals after not being in the eight after round seven. There are a few teams this year who are sitting outside that expected to play finals this year, including Geelong, Essendon and Melbourne. History would suggest that they are going to struggle to make it, unless they win this week. There are five big games on today with the highlights including Essendon v Hawthorn at the MCG and the high-flying Eagles taking on the out of form Port Adelaide. There is a huge $50,000 up for grabs with a cool $5,000 for first place.
Here is a team you may consider for the AFL $50,000+ Saturday competition
Forward
Mitch McGovern ($10,850)
After a slow start to the year, McGovern has found his feet and is showing glimpses of the massive promise he showed last season. McGovern is an excellent third or fourth option at this stage of his career, he is a brilliant pack mark and hits the scoreboard regularly. The Crows should be able to stretch the Blues backline and be in for a big night. Expect a big win and McGovern to get a decent score.
Jayden Laverde ($9,400)
Laverde played his first game for the year against the Demons and was one of Essendon’s shining lights. Laverde played in a half forward role but won plenty of the ball up the ground finishing with 21 touches and ten marks. A similar performance here against the Hawks would see a great return for his salary. Laverde is a great value choice for today’s contest.
Midfield
Zach Merrett ($15,000)
Merrett had a rocky start tot the season by his normal high standards, but he has rallied in the past three weeks to return to his usual output. Merrett averaged 69 DS points in his first two full matches but has lifted that to a healthy 117 Ds points is his past three matches. Expect more of the same from the ball magnet as he tries to lift the Bombers to their third win of the year.
Lin Jong ($10,850)
Jong was quiet last week, but his substandard game could be explained by a huge hit he copped from the footy. Jong received a massive falcon during the game against the Blues and never looked the same after that. His tenacity around the ball and contested work should see him flourish up in Ballarat where conditions will most likely be windy and damp. Jong looks well priced to bounce back and return a good score.
Matthew Kennedy ($8,800)
After missing a couple of weeks earlier in the year, Kennedy has found his feet at the Blues and turned into a productive midfielder for the struggling team. Kennedy ha averaged 84 DS points in his last two games playing as a hard nosed inside midfielder. He will be up against one of the best inside midfield combinations against the Crows but should still return a good score for his cheap price. Kennedy looks like a nice value pick.
Kobe Mutch ($8,800)
After an impressive debut last week Mutch kept his spot in the Bombers 22. Mutch has been a prolific ball winner at VFL level and showed what he could do last week, racking up 20 disposals on his way to 71 DS points. Mutch should find plenty of space on the MCG to do his work and look like a nice cheap option.
Defence
James Sicily ($12,800)
Back from suspension for another thuggish act, Sicily gets another shot at redemption when he lines up against the Bombers. On his day, Sicily is a talented footballer who suits the modern attacking role that defenders have, but he makes selfish decisions with his cheap acts and headline grabbing antics. Fortunately, there is no penalty for those on Draftstars, and he should get plenty of ball with the Bombers forward line dysfunction. If he can keep focused on the game, Sicily looks like a good pick.
Thomas Cole ($10,000)
Cole is a consistent defender who is adept at taking intercept marks across half back. He has averaged 78 DS points in the two games he has played this year and can easily continue that against the Power. The Eagles have a goo record at Adelaide Oval, which is partly due to their ability to pressure opponents and get them to kick long and high down the line to the backline. Cole can expect plenty of opportunity to take marks and rebound the footy, making him a good pick for this week’s contest.
Ruck
Jarrod Witts ($12,750)
Witts should be able to dominate the ruck against the inexperienced Tom English from the Bulldogs, in what looks like the most one-sided ruck matchup of the weekend. Witts is a brute around the stoppage, who is very good at following up his ruck work with tackles and disposals. The Bulldogs v Suns game should be quite contests in Ballarat, which should se plenty of ball ups and throw in for Witts to contest. Looks for a big score from his big man.
The Line Up
FWD: Mitch McGovern ($10,850)
FWD: Jayden Laverde ($9,400)
MID: Zach Merrett ($15,000)
MID: Lin Jong ($10,850)
MID: Matthew Kennedy ($9,350)
MID: Kobe Mutch ($8,800)
DEF: James Sicily ($12,800)
DEF: Thomas Cole ($10,000)
RUCK: Jarrod Witts ($12,750)
Salary Remaining: $200
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