In this blog we will have a brief look at the previous and upcoming rounds of the AFL. In round 16, who's performances stood out for the right or wrong reasons and which players made the GDS Squad of the round. With round 17 not too far away, who should coaches consider starting and which players have positive matchups. Have a read below and gain an edge over your competition in GameDay Squad Aussie Rules! Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
GDS Squad of the week for round 16
Def- Lachie Whitfield – 190 - GWS
Def- Nic Newman – 166 - Carl
Def- Jack Sinclair – 158 – St K
Def- Liam Duggan – 158 - WC
Def- Nick Blakey – 148 - Syd
Def- Nick Daicos – 144 - Coll
Def- Jake Bowes – 144 - Geel
Mid- Josh Dunkley – 178 - Bris
Mid- Noah Anderson – 158 - GC
Mid- Patrick Cripps – 153 - Carl
Mid- Sam Walsh – 149 - Carl
Mid- Marcus Bontempelli – 146 - WB
Mid- Jason Horne-Francis – 140 - PA
Ruck- Rowan Marshall – 141 – St K
Ruck- Tristan Xerri – 141 - NM
Fwd- Jye Caldwell – 164 - Ess
Fwd -Dylan Moore – 148 - Haw
Fwd- Dayne Zorko – 141 - Bris
Fwd- Izak Rankine – 137 - Ade
Fwd- Ben Ainsworth – 133 - GC
Fwd- Kysaiah Pickett – 124 - Mel
Fwd- Connor MacDonald – 121 - Haw
Squad Base Total – 3282 GDS points
The performance of the week
Lachie Whitfield vs Adelaide
Lachie Whitfield was this week's GameDay Squad player of the round, delivering an outstanding performance that earned him 190 GDS points—the sixth-highest score of the season by any player. Whitfield had a huge game, accumulating 41 disposals, including 27 kicks to go with 12 marks. He started the game matched up on Izak Rankine, but quickly dropped off as the free player allowing him to rack up almost exclusively uncontested possessions. Thankfully in GDS, it doesn’t matter whether a possession is contested or not so all those cheap touches were just as valuable.
Whitfield's heat map revealed he spent most of his time on the right wing, though he still found the ball in almost every part of the field. His game awareness meant he was able to take advantage of his lack of accountability and drift into the space the ball was heading to.
Whitfield will have a harder time this week against Carlton who concede the least amount of points to defenders by a considerable distance but it will be pretty hard to leave him out after such an outstanding performance.
The flop of the week
Hayden Young vs Sydney
Hayden Young was this rounds flop of the week, delivering a disappointing performance in what was a season-defining win for his side. Despite the victory, Young's individual output was significantly below what we have come to expect from the young gun. Although Sydney is one of the harder teams to score against, his performance still fell short of what we needed from him and I’m certain he burnt a lot of coaches.
He managed just 17 touches, 1 mark and no tackles resulting in just 49 GDS points. Young's contribution was further marred by giving away three free kicks, which negatively impacted his final score. This performance marked a significant drop from his previous lowest score of 88 points this season. With a previous low off 88, we have been able to rely on Young with a certain degree of confidence but we might have to reassess that going forward.
I’m expecting Young to bounce back strongly this round against Richmond who are typically an easy team to score against for someone in his position. If you back him in again you might be able to get ahead of some coaches who dropped him out of spite.
Round 17 Team to Beat
Def-Lachie Whitfield (GWS)–GDS average of 127.87 and positional ranking of 3rd
Def-Harry Sheezel– (NM) – GDS average of 130 and positional ranking of 1st
Def—Hayden Young (Fre) – GDS average of 113.13 and positional ranking of 11th
Def-Nick Blakey– (Syd) – GDS average of 99.87 and positional ranking of 19th
Def—Liam Duggan(WC) – GDS average of 117.80 and positional ranking of 8th
Def-Nick Daicos– (Coll) – GDS average of 125.93 and positional ranking of 4th
Def—Luke Ryan (Fre) – GDS average of 127.87 and positional ranking of 2nd
Mid-Caleb Serong– (Fre) – GDS average of 124.87 and positional ranking of 9th
Mid-Errol Gulden– (Syd) – GDS average of 134.60 and positional ranking of 1st
Mid—Josh Dunkley (Bris) – GDS average of 125.93 and positional ranking of 7th
Mid-Marcus Bontempelli - (WB) – GDS average of 126.20 and positional ranking of 6th
Mid—Zach Merrett(Ess) – GDS average of 126.33 and positional ranking of 4th
Mid—Noah Anderson (GC) – GDS average of 122.80 and positional ranking of 10th
Ruck—Max Gawn (Mel) – GDS average of 132.53 and positional ranking of 1st
Ruck—Tristan Xerri (NM) – GDS average of 118.87 and positional ranking of 3rd
Fwd—Sam Flanders(GC) – GDS average of 134.43 and positional ranking of 2nd
Fwd-Isaac Heeney– (Syd) – GDS average of 127.47 and positional ranking of 3rd
Fwd -Jye Caldwell— (Ess) – GDS average of 105.87 and positional ranking of 5th
Fwd-Dayne Zorko– (Bris) – GDS average of 134.87 and positional ranking of 1st
Fwd—Gryan Miers (Geel) – GDS average of 103.53 and positional ranking of 7th
Fwd-Jake Waterman– (WC) – GDS average of 96.15 and positional ranking of 14th
Fwd-Dylan Moore– (Haw) – GDS average of 102.33 and positional ranking of 10th
Good week to START…
Jye Caldwell vs Collingwood
Jye Caldwell is a player you must bringing in for round 17. Surprisingly, he is the highest averaging player in the competition since his bye, with an impressive 158 points. Caldwell has been running through the midfield quite freely in recent weeks, finding plenty of the ball and making significant contributions to his team's performance. His tackling game has also been exceptional, with 12 tackles last week and 11 the week before, showcasing his ability to accumulate fantasy points through multiple avenues.
Caldwell's upcoming match against Collingwood presents a favourable opportunity, as data suggests that Collingwood is surprisingly a good match-up for players operating through the midfield. Given his recent form, Caldwell is poised to have another massive game.
His current trajectory is reminiscent of Nic Martin's surge around the same time last year, where Martin began posting similarly high numbers and became a fantasy must-have.
Considering Caldwell's recent consistent output and the favourable match-up, he is a prime candidate for your GameDay Squad. Bringing him in this week could provide a significant boost to your fantasy team as he continues to deliver outstanding performances on the field.
Expected GDS Score: 150 GDS fantasy points
Good week to DROP…
Rowan Marshall vs Sydney
Rowan Marshall has solidified his reputation as one of the premier rucks in both fantasy and real-life AFL, yet surprisingly, he only ranks 11th in the league for hit outs. While this stat is less than impressive, Marshall's fantasy value lies in his versatility and knack for exploiting slower, less mobile opponents. This week, however, he faces a formidable challenge in Brodie Grundy, who matches, if not beats Marshall's mobility and skill set. I expect a great contest between the two superstars but think that the fantasy points will be spread evenly, making it unlikely for Marshall to post one of his trademark massive scores.
Sydney is notoriously tough on rucks, making it a smart move to consider benching Marshall for this round. Out of all the positions, the match up for rucks is the most important because we know who our player will be going up against for 90% of the game with some certainty. We saw this with Max Gawn’s struggle last round. Instead, why not roll the dice with someone like Tristan Xerri? This switch could give you a strategic edge over the Gawn/Marshall set and forgetters. Xerri's match-up looks more favourable, and he could deliver the points you need to stay ahead.
Expected GDS Score: 90 GDS fantasy points