THE HANGOVER: Draftstars Weekly Wrap
A stunning weekend of sport gave us our grand finalists in both the AFL and NRL. The Magpies and Eagles were both dominant in the AFL and in the NRL, the Storm breezed into yet another Grand Final, with the Roosters proving stoic in their blue collar victory. The NFL proved once again that there are no easy beats with the Cleveland Browns winning their first game in two seasons as well as the Buffalo Bills shocking the Minnesota Vikings.
Thought the games over the weekend were exciting enough? Imagine what it could have been if you took advantage of one of Draftstars several contests and snatched some of the $115K prize pool on offer across five contests!
In the Tigers v Magpies contest user Rubbsta cakewalked his way to $4,881 and, across the Nullarbor, Codzy took $5,190 to the bank in the Eagles v Demons contest. In the NRL, Zecas snuck home to win $734. DBAssault took home the choccies in the NFL, pocketing a cool $1907.
Congratulations to star Hawk, Tom Mitchell, on taking out the 2018 Brownlow Medal. Mitchell was the first player this season to cost more than $20,000 on Draftstars, he was a ball winning machine who could have easily received a lot more votes.
AFL $40,000+ TIGERS V MAGPIES
In an underdog victory for the ages, the Pies walked away with a grand final berth while the Tigers comprehensively failed after being the best side all year. Leading by four goals at quarter-time and extending it to eight at the main break, the Pies never looked like losing.
As a consequence of their dominance, Collingwood had the five top scoring DS players on the field, three of which we slotted into our cheat sheet team on Friday.
If you squeezed Steele Sidebottom and Brodie Grundy in your team, despite their lofty salaries, you would’ve been a third of the way to winning the contest already. But the real story of the game was big Mason Cox. Not only did he light up the MCG and set social media alight with the best game of his career and general G.O.A.T behaviour, he was the fifth highest scoring DS player. Priced at $8,640, Cox proved to be undeniably good value.
AFL $40,000+ EAGLES V DEMONS
In the most emphatic preliminary final win for some time, the Eagles took all of 30 minutes to stifle the Demons grand final fairy tale. Then, in the second quarter, they staked their impressive claims by holding the Demons goalless and building a 60-point lead. Running out eventual 66-point victors, the Eagles put the AFL on notice for underestimating their supreme credentials.
Dictating terms all game meant the Eagles had eight of the 10 top scoring players on the field, with Jack Redden impressing with a final tally of 162 DS points. Despite his price tag of $15,560, he was also the best value player on the field.
A combination of Redden and Jamie Cripps would’ve had you in the box seat for a competition victory, and that’s what the top two entrants figured out. The performance of the day went to Josh Kennedy (96 DS points) as he hit form at the perfect time, booting four goals and combining with Jack Darling (95 DS points) to form an unstoppable forward duo.
NRL $4,000+ STORM V SHARKS
In a dominant display on Friday night, the Storm overcame the Sharks to ensure a third successive grand final appearance and a compelling final stanza in the Billy Slater/Cam Smith dynasty. Scoring their first try after 19 minutes, the Storm never looked back. They increased their lead to 20 points before half time, while holding Cronulla scoreless, and ran out eventual 16-point winners.
Despite missing out on a storybook finish to his career, Luke Lewis bows out a legend after 324 games across 18 seasons. And, rather than relish their preliminary final victory, the Storm sit in anguish awaiting the shoulder charge verdict Billy Slater faces.
Ironically, Billy Slater was the main catalyst for the Storm’s comprehensive victory. He “charged” his way to two tries and 190 metres gained in a typically herculean performance. His efforts nabbed him 77.96 DS points to be not only the top scoring player in the game, but the best value pick as well, costing just $10,300.
NFL $15,000+ MONDAY
The top four scorers came from the shootout between the Saints and the Falcons. as we all predicted pre-game, 39 year old QB Drew Brees ran for two touchdowns on his way to a contest high 40.54 points. Rookie Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley justified the hype with a monster game, finshining with 149 receiving yards and 3 TDs. He was clearly the best value player. Well done to the 3% of entries who chose him.
The most remarkable result of the day was the Buffalo Bills shocking the league with a 27-6 smashing of the Vikings. Rookie QB Josh Allen finished with 27.74 points to be the best value QB of the week.
Don’t forget to join us throughout the week for the several contests on offer and then load up again come the weekend. With a $100,000+ contest for the AFL Grand Final already available, there will be no shortage of excitement and big calls to make come selection time. Download the app or login online to join in!
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