In this blog we will have a brief look at the previous and upcoming rounds of the AFL. In round 10, who's performances stood out for the right or wrong reasons and which players made the GDS Squad of the round. With round 11 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 10
Def- Jordan Clark– 168 - Frem
Def- Blake Hardwick – 164 - Haw
Def- Dan Houston – 160 - Port
Def- Luke Ryan – 149 - Frem
Def- Harry Himmelberg – 146 – GWS
Def- Nic Newman – 144 - Carl
Def- Nick Daicos – 141 - Coll
Mid- Noah Anderson – 165 - GC
Mid- Matt Rowell – 154 - GC
Mid- Errol Gulden – 142 - Syd
Mid- Jason Horne-Francis – 142 - Port
Mid- Lachie Neale – 141 – Bris
Mid- Josh Daicos – 139 - Coll
Ruck- Rowan Marshall – 198 – St K
Ruck- Brodie Grundy – 117 - Syd
Fwd- Dayne Zorko – 177 - Bris
Fwd- Jake Waterman – 149 - WC
Fwd- Isaac Heeney – 148 - Syd
Fwd- Alex Sexton – 146 - GC
Fwd- Sam Flanders – 145 - GC
Fwd- Joe Daniher – 143 - Ess
Fwd- Zac Fisher – 143 - NM
Squad Base Total – 3321 GDS points
The performance of the week
Rowan Marshall vs Fremantle Dockers
Marshall's performance in the clash against Fremantle was undoubtedly the standout performance of the round. It doesn’t seem fair to give the award to the same player two weeks in a row but I don’t think anyone will disagree.
Marshall was instrumental in every facet of the game, recording 31 disposals, 7 marks, 9 tackles, and 39 hitouts. All this came in what was another disappointing result for his side.
Marshall's ability to combine high disposal numbers with significant ruck work is what sets him apart from the rest. His new tactic of taking the ball out of the ruck and kicking it forward has been incredibly fruitful from a fantasy perspective.
He is quickly becoming the must have player in any GameDay squad position and I’d be looking to play him in whatever rarity you have while this form continues!
The flop of the week
Tim English vs Greater Western Sydney Giants
Unfortunately for many coaches, it was the tale of two ruckmen this week and if you got it wrong you had no chance of competing.
While English’s numbers weren't catastrophic, they fell well short of the high standards he typically sets. He scored 91 GameDay Squad points, a decent tally for many players but a dip from his average and even further from where he was in 2023.
Its difficult to put a finger on what has changed this season because his numbers look very similar. Every stat is just ever so slightly lower which is obviously added up to a significant overall decrease in GameDay Squad output. I guess the question we have to ask ourselves is was 2023 an overperformance or is 2024 an underperformance?
English is obviously still a top 3 ruckman so he will be an important asset throughout the season, but for now, Marshall/Gawn seems to be the safe option.
Round 11 Team to Beat
Def-Harry Sheezel (NM)–GDS average of 134.6 and positional ranking of 1st
Def- Dan Houston – (Port) – GDS average of 114.1 and positional ranking of 8th
Def- Nick Daicos – (Coll) – GDS average of 125.5 and positional ranking of 3rd
Def- Lachie Whitefield – (GWS) – GDS average of 119 and positional ranking of 6th
Def- Luke Ryan – (Fre) – GDS average of 129.2 and positional ranking of 2nd
Def- Liam Duggan – (WC) – GDS average of 120.6 and positional ranking of 4th
Def- Mason Redman– (Ess) – GDS average of 98 and positional ranking of 19th
Mid- Zach Merrett – (Ess) – GDS average of 128.1 and positional ranking of 5th
Mid- Zak Butters – (Port) – GDS average of 127.2 and positional ranking of 8th
Mid- Tom Green – (GWS) – GDS average of 110.3 and positional ranking of 28th
Mid- Jordon Dawson - (Ade) – GDS average of 131.1 and positional ranking of 3rd
Mid- Nic Martin – (Ess) – GDS average of 133.3 and positional ranking of 2nd
Mid- Josh Dunkley– (Bris) – GDS average of 127.7 and positional ranking of 7th
Ruck- Max Gawn – (Mel) – GDS average of 131.8 and positional ranking of 2nd
Ruck- Rowan Marshall – (St K) – GDS average of 136.9 and positional ranking of 1st
Fwd- Bradley Hill– (St K) – GDS average of 104.7 and positional ranking of 7th
Fwd- Dayne Zorko – (Bris) – GDS average of 139.9 and positional ranking of 1st
Fwd- Zac Fisher – (NM) – GDS average of 98.5 and positional ranking of 12th
Fwd- Jye Caldwell – (Ess) – GDS average of 97 and positional ranking of 18th
Fwd- Sam Flanders – (GC) – GDS average of 130.1 and positional ranking of 3rd
Fwd- Luke Jackson – (Fre) – GDS average of 93.6 and positional ranking of 21st
Fwd- Jake Waterman– (WC) – GDS average of 106.56 and positional ranking of 6th
Good week to start…
Jye Caldwell (Essendon Bombers)
With the Essendon midfield dropping like flies, Jye Caldwell has been given the opportunity to play on ball which has been lucrative for those who have been brave enough to start him.
Last week he scored a respectable 117 GDS points from 25 disposals, 7 marks and 5 tackles. His heat map showed him playing heavily through the middle which is very handy for someone listed as a forward in the game.
With Parish and Setterfield out for the foreseeable future, Caldwell should continue to hold midfield time. He comes up against a struggling Richmond side who have given up the most points on average to midfielders all season. 40 players have already scored 120 points or more against them this season and I don’t see that number slowing down any time soon.
In a season where there isn’t a clear forward line to select each week you have to make changes based on the match ups, and this week it’s Caldwell’s time to shine.
Expected GDS Score: 130 GDS fantasy points
Good week to drop…
Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans)
Hear me out! Its undeniable that Heeney is in Brownlow medal winning form this season so this might seem like a crazy idea. He’s one of a select few GameDay Squad forwards who are actually reliable but this week might be a tough one for Heeney. If the round plays out how I think it will, it could be a good opportunity to get ahead of the competition who have long since set and forgot the superstar.
Heeney comes up against the Western Bulldogs this week which might not seem like the most daunting match up, but it actually might be. The dogs are a surprisingly good shut down team from a fantasy perspective. They concede the second least points to opposition midfielders, only slightly edged out by Brisbane. In fact, they have only conceded 5 scores above 120 all season. I know Heeney is listed as a forward, but I think the midfielder statistics are more applicable.
Secondly, Heeney has a lower average when he plays away from the SCG compared to when he’s at home. Although its not a huge difference the combination of factors could result in a surprise slump.
Given his current form, this “slump” could still be a decent score compared to other forward options so I would only be dropping him if you have the an alternative that you think will score big in his place. It’s a high risk high reward strategy but I wouldn’t blame you for passing up on it.
Expected GDS Score: 110 GDS fantasy points
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