Weekend Forecast – Round 2

***Live stream of the Weekend Forecast will be on my YouTube channel. Make sure to tune in as I will be answering your questions during the live stream. Also, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a like on the video. Would be very much appreciated.***

 

And just like that, we are already in round 2 of the 2022 AFL season, and many of our premiums need to step up this week, and hopefully our rookies keep pumping out nice scores so we can continue to make cash to upgrade our teams. We have a few selection dramas this week though, with round 1’s NAB Rising Star nomination, and sort after player Nic Martin entering Health and Safety Protocols, so he won’t be available this week and potenitally next week. We also had popular names in defence with Justin McInerney out injured and Wayne Milera also out managed, with some other rookies out after only 1 round that could dictate many peoples trades this week.

 

We had the game last night, so lets recap what happened:

Western Bulldogs vs Carlton @ Marvel Stadium

Patrick Cripps (123) – Crippa was huge again last night, going with a bigger score of 123. Multiple goals and 30+ disposals in 2 straight games and doesn’t look like slowing down.

Adam Treloar (117) – Covered the ground really well last night and he was everywhere. Could have been higher but was handball happy with 21 handballs and only 11 kicks, but a great score.

Matt Kennedy (114) – Just keeps getting it done. I am still unsure about him maintaining his scoring when the whole Carlton midfield plays.

Josh Dunkley (112) – Huge 53 point last quarter to go from around a 70-80 score, to a 112! We know Dunks can do that. Also had lots of CBA’s which we love to see.

Sam Docherty (106) – Backed up last week with his first ton of the year. Looks to be a top 6 defender and one of the more reliable ones.

Jack Macrae (103) – If it wasn’t for a quiet 2nd quarter, would have been another 120+ score, but you still take a ton.

Tim English (101) – Back to back tons for Speakano to start the year. If Martin stays out of the team, he could easily be a top 6 forward.

George Hewett (85) – Very handball happy with 27 handballs and only 5 kicks! Good thing is he is getting the ball and looks like being a great underpriced option that we started with and will continue to make cash.

Corey Durdin (22) – Some people had to field him due to the likes Nic Martin and Kaine Baldwin out, not exactly the score you were hoping for.

 

So, after looking at those last nights game, let’s get into the rest of the Weekend Forecast.

Sydney vs Geelong @ SCG

Weather Forecast

Around 21°C, light rain (65% chance of rain)

Team Lineups

Sydney

IN

Jake Lloyd, Chad Warner

OUT

Colin O’Riordan (Medi-Sub), Justin McInerney (Injured), Angus Sheldrick (Omitted)

Geelong

IN

Jed Bews, Mitch Duncan

OUT

Sam De Koning (Injured), Shaun Higgins (Rested), Francis Evans (Medi-Sub)

 

Players to Watch

Paddy McCartin

Had a solid first score of 59, hopefully he can continue with 50+ scores as many of us will need/are fielding him this week.

Tyson Stengle

Can he follow up from his ton last week? I am not so sure as small forwards are inconsistent, but does play in a good team and will make some more cash regardless.

Mitch Duncan

Duncan is back from injury and it will be interesting to see how he goes as he will be an upgrade target for us at some point this season.

Luke Parker

Played forward for parts last week and looked good, kicking 5 goals. Watch his role as we could have him add FWD status at round 6 if he can continue with some sort of forward role.

Isaac Heeney

Attended 9 of 13 CBA’s in the 2nd half last week and looked good as he filled the stats sheet. Hopefully he can continue that mid role but who knows with Horse.

Other players to watch: Callum Mills, Patrick Dangerfield, Jake Lloyd

Collingwood vs Adelaide @ MCG

Weather Forecast

Around 24°C, mostly sunny

Team Lineups

Collingwood

IN

Will Hoskin-Elliot, Nathan Kreuger

OUT

Tom Wilson (Omitted), Mason Cox (Injured), Trent Bianco (Omitted)

Adelaide

IN

Brayden Cook, Luke Pedlar, Lachlan Gollant

OUT

Wayne Milera (Omitted), Riley Thilthorpe (Omitted), Jake Soligo (Omitted), Andrew McPherson (Injured)

 

Players to Watch

Jack Crisp

Very underwhelming last week with only 51! Started in many teams as he is normally so consistent and durable, so lets hope he can get back on track this week with a favourable matchup against Adelaide.

Jordan De Goey

Atteneded 20 CBA’s last week which was more than I thought or predicted he would get. If he is getting this much mid time, he will be a top 6 forward and a great player to bring in as he isn’t too expensive yet.

Jordan Dawson

Started slow but really got going in the 2nd half last week, scoring 52 points. Watch to see what his role is this week.

Patrick Lipinski

Looked great in his Collingwood debut, and really caught my eye. Attended 16 of 31 CBA’s, but coming off an ankle injury in the practice game, I expect him to get a higher percentage of CBA’s over the next few weeks. We all had him in our teams at some point in preseason, and for me is a great target to bring in over the next couple of weeks.

Matt Crouch

Only played 66% game time and still scored a decent 83. I expect him to keep improving on his game time over the next few weeks to the 75-80% he normally plays, therefore his points should increase as a result.

Other players to watch: Josh Rachele, Nick Daicos, Brodie Grundy, Reilly O’Brien, Ben Keays, Nathan Kreuger, Luke Pedlar

 

Essendon vs Brisbane @ Marvel Stadium

Weather Forecast

***Roof Closed***

Team Lineups

Essendon

IN

Jake Stringer, Aaron Francis, Sam Durham

OUT

Kyle Langford (Injured), Nic Martin (HS Protocols), Brayden Ham (Omitted), Kaine Baldwin (Omitted)

Brisbane

IN

 

OUT

Mitch Robinson (Suspension)

 

Players to Watch

Cam Rayner

Attended 8 CBA’s last week, but you probably want to see a few more this week with a better score for him to be an option.

Zac Bailey

Scored well last week but has been good in the past without really turning it into good fantasy numbers for a sustained period. Can he back up last week with another 90+ score?

Zach Merrett

Played well and racked up 39 touches for a 119 when Essendon were poor. Brisbane is another tough matchup, but is there such a thing for Zach?

Jye Caldwell

103 last week was great, but Stringer is back this week so it will be interesting to see how much mid time he gets. Still value at just over 500k if he can still get a decent amount of CBA’s.

Lachie Neale

Has a great track record against Esssendon, averaging a whopping 118.5 in his career 10 games against them. A solid captain option this week.

Other players to watch: Andrew McGrath, Dayne Zorko, Jake Stringer, Daniel Rich, Jarryd Lyons, Harry Sharp

 

Port Adelaide vs Hawthorn @ Adelaide Oval

Weather Forecast

Around 22°C, clear

Team Lineups

Port Adelaide

IN

Sam Skinner, Josh Sinn

OUT

Robbie Gray (Injured), Jackson Mead (Omitted), Aliir Aliir (Injured)

Hawthorn

IN

Ben McEvoy, Luke Breust

OUT

Max Lynch (Injured), Liam Shiels (Omitted), Tom Phillips (Medi-Sub)

 

Players to Watch

Dan Houston

Went bonkers last week with a 150 and looks a decent option in defence. I have owned Houston in the past and he has done this before, so be prepared if he doesn’t back it up, but he does have Hawthorn.

Josh Ward

Only played 62% game time last week which surprised me. Should see more this week if his ankle isn’t too much of an issue.

Zak Butters

Had that midfield role Ken Hinkley spoke about in the preseason, and scored a 96 first up. Looks like the breakout is real, and should be great again against the Hawks.

Tom Mitchell

An underwhelming 89 to start the season for Titch, but coming off the groin issue, I didn’t exactly expect a 150. Will be better for the run and should be back to his 100+ best this week. Good track record for him against Port as well.

Josh Sinn

Sinn finally gets his debut, and a great week to get it with many issues for coaches in defence. I think he can be a decent field option this week and hopefully can get us a 60+.

Other players to watch: Sam Skinner, Ollie Wines, James Sicily, Connor Macdonald

 

Gold Coast vs Melbourne @ Metricon Stadium

Weather Forecast

Around 21°C, cloudy and occasional rain showers (44% chance of rain)

Team Lineups

Gold Coast

IN

 

OUT

Darcy Macpherson (Omitted)

Melbourne

IN

Trent Rivers

OUT

Toby Bedford (Medi-Sub), Christian Salem (Injured)

 

Players to Watch

Touk Miller

With Rowell looking as good as he ever has, it could mean we don’t necassarily see the 120+ Touk every week and may mean he averages closer to 115, maybe 110. Melbourne do give up points to midfielders, and it is one week of data so I could be jumping the gun a bit, and could be in for a big one.

Clayton Oliver

Always goes big against Gold Coast, averaging 117.3 in his career 7 games against them, along with averaging 116.4 at Metricon Stadium. One of the top captain options this week and should be big.

Matt Rowell

Looked as good as he ever has last week against the Eagles, but a tougher task against Melbourne awaits, even though they do give up points to midfielders. If you don’t have him, you should make it a priority to get him.

Max Gawn

Only scored 79 last week, but dropped multiple marks and gave away 6 free kicks so could have been a 120. No dramas with big Max and he should bounce back this week.

Christian Petracca

Started off with a bang last week and that should continue this week. If you have him, another great captain option.

Other players to watch: Joel Smith, Jarrod Witts, Noah Anderson

 

North Melbourne vs West Coast @ Marvel Stadium

Weather Forecast

***Roof Closed***

Team Lineups

North Melbourne

IN

Josh Walker, Jared Polec, Aiden Bonar, Paul Curtis, Kyron Hayden

OUT

Ben McKay (Injured), Jaidyn Stephenson (Omitted)

West Coast

IN

Stefan Giro, Tim Kelly, Jack Williams, Liam Ryan, Jack Darling, Alex Witherden, Luke Shuey, Declan Mountford

OUT

Tom Barrass (HS Protocols), Isiah Winder (HS Protocols), Josh Kennedy (HS Protocols), Zac Langdon (HS Protocols), Jack Redden (HS Protocols)

 

Players to Watch

Aaron Hall

“Hamstring injury, unlikely to play round 1.” “Playing round 1, but too expensive coming off an interrupted preseason.” Hall completely ignored that and served up a 125. With all the defenders struggling, Hall didn’t even look at his best and still got a 120+. Another great matchup this week, and if you own him, enjoy.

Tarryn Thomas

Really struggled to get into the game last week, but I expect a bounce back from Tarryn this week.

Tim Kelly

Underpriced on what he can do and was discussed a bit in preseason, but I would want to watch him this week first before looking at bringing him in.

Jy Simpkin

Attended every CBA for North Melbourne last week, and played 91% game time for a 116 which is exactly what owners wanted to see. He is the main guy for North and looks like he can average 105+ this season.

Luke Foley

Scored 100 last week, priced at 404k and has a breakeven of just 11. I worry that with all the troops coming back for West Coast that he can hold his spot and maintain his scoring.

Other players to watch: Jason Horne-Francis, Tristan Xerri, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Patrick Naish, Brady Hough

 

Richmond vs GWS @ MCG

Weather Forecast

Around 28°C, sunny skies

Team Lineups

Richmond

IN

Maurice Rioli, Matthew Parker, Rhyan Mansall, Kamdyn McIntosh, Thomson Dow

OUT

Jack Riewoldt (Injured), Dion Prestia (Injured)

GWS

IN

James Peatling, Nick Haynes, Braydon Preuss, Jesse Hogan

OUT

Jacop Hopper (Managed)

 

Players to Watch

Jayden Short

If it wasn’t for the kick ins last week, it would have been even worse for Short last week, but Richmond’s highest scorer last week was Marlion Pickett with 84, so no one for Richmond got their hands on the ball. Should bounce back this week.

Tim Taranto

Didn’t play as much midfield time, but we expected that with Toby Greene out (attended 10 of 34 CBA’s). But that didn’t matter as he went bang with a 128 and filled the stats sheet as he rewarded his owners. Maybe he won’t get as cheap as we thought he would get by round 6.

Tom Green

Very impressive last week against Sydney and a breakout could be on the cards. So many mouths to feed at the Giants, can he keep up his scoring? I still think he is a good option with a breakeven of only 39.

Lachie Whitfield

Richmond are Whitfield’s favorite team to play against, as he averages 105.1 in his career 10 games against them. On the wide open spaces at the MCG, I expect a big score and bounce back from last week.

Dustin Martin

Not sure on whether he will play or not so keep an eye on any late changes over the weekend.

 

Other players to watch: Josh Gibcus, Daniel Rioli, Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly, Hugo Ralphsmith, Braydon Preuss

 

Fremantle vs St Kilda @ Optus Stadium

Weather Forecast

Around 27°C, cloudy

Team Lineups

Fremantle

IN

Joel Hamling, James Aish, Sean Darcy, Nathan O’Driscoll, Brandon Walker

OUT

David Mundy (HS Protocols), Brennan Cox (HS Protocols)

St Kilda

IN

Cooper Sharman, Tom Highmore, Ben Long, Jarrod Lienert, Tom Campbell

OUT

Dean Kent (Omitted), Mitch Owens (Omitted)

 

Players to Watch

Jack Hayes

Not quite sure how he didn’t get a game at AFL level before this. Looked amazing last week, in partiular that 3rd quarter where he kicked 2 goals and had 45 points. I don’t expect another 100+ score this week, but will continue to make heaps of coin while he is playing.

Jade Gresham

Went into the midfield in the 2nd half last week and helped get St Kilda back into the game. Scored 77 points after half time and attended 17 CBA’s for the game. Hopefully he gets a similar role from last weeks 2nd half, and I would watch him again before bringing him in.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera

Making his proper debut this week, and named on a wing. His junior numbers weren’t great, but did score 36 from 33% game time against Essendon in the AAMI Series game.

Caleb Serong

Didn’t score what owners had predicted and hoped for last week in a good matchup. Still attended 17 CBA’s and with no Fyfe for the next 3-6 weeks, along with no Mundy this week, I would hold for at least one more week.

Will Brodie

As I said above, no Fyfe for 3-6 weeks should mean plenty of opportunity for Brodie. Only played 65% game time which is a concern, but still scored well with a 77. Hopefully he can just get more game time this week and beyond.

Other players to watch: Darcy Tucker, Ben Paton, Andrew Brayshaw, Brad Hill, Jack Sinclair, Sean Darcy, Jack Steele, Rowan Marshall

 

My Trades

McInerney -> Sinn/Wanganeen-Milera/Skinner

Baldwin -> Lipinski

These are the trades I have been pretty set on all week. McInerney was probably going to go for me, but the injury and him being out made the decision easier. I really liked the look of Lipinski last week, and I expect him to get better with more games at Collingwood, and hopefully more CBA’s after his ankle injury in the preseason. I am still not sure if I will go Sinn or Wanganeen-Milera. I think Sinn should score more, but I like Wanganeen-Milera’s job security a bit better, as I worry Sinn could be out next week with Bergman playing Port reserves this week, and Dumont an emergency. I could even go and get Skinner and just play him on my field this week and save a little extra money, which I am leaning towards the more I think about it, and he probably has the best job security of the 3. My trades will likely change if Naish doesn’t play for the Eagles. I would then need to get a forward or defender as I don’t want to take Durdin’s 22 from last night. I would most likely look at bringing in Heeney or De Goey, but could also get Houston or Dawson. I could also get Xerri and have nearly 450k to evaluate this week and see exactly who I want next week which could be a solid idea. Lets hope Naish gets named and I don’t need to stress about that.

 

Anyway, thanks again everyone for reading the Weekend Forecast. If you have any questions about your starting teams, or anything else, leave your questions in the comments section below or hit me up at my Twitter or Instagram (links provided below).

Good luck for round 2!

Instagram: @baileyirrgang

Twitter: @baileyirrgang