Warnie from The Traders, AFL.com.au’s NAB AFL Fantasy experts, will be taking a look at the Hawks each week exclusive to hawthornfc.com.au.
Last Week
In an upset at Etihad Stadium, the Power were too good for the Hawks running out 22 point winners.
A big takeaway for Fantasy coaches from the match was that only one Hawk scored over 100 - Isaac Smith with 107. Seven Port Adelaide players managed to crack triple figures as they won the Fantasy battle 1675 to 1536. This hasn’t been seen too often in 2015 as the Hawks have been one of the highest scoring teams and give up minimal points, being the second hardest club to score against over the first 20 rounds.
As a late inclusion for David Hale, defender Taylor Duryea (99) enjoyed a high kick to handball ratio racking up 18 kicks to just two handballs. He also took 10 marks. Jack Gunston (98) continued his stellar season that has seen him average over 90 points thanks to his three goals on Friday night.
The big news out of the game was the two game suspension Luke Hodge (73) received from the Match Review Panel on Monday.
Top 5 Scorers v Port Adelaide
- 107 – Isaac Smith (MID, $491,000)
- 99 – Taylor Duryea (DEF, $372,000)
- 98 – Jack Gunston (FWD, $478,000)
- 95 – Josh Gibson (DEF, $416,000)
- 94 – Jordan Lewis (MID, $555,000)
On The Radar
Owned by over 42 per cent of the competition, Luke Hodge must be traded out this week as he won’t suit up in another Fantasy game for the home-and-away season. With do-or-die preliminary finals this round, picking the right player is a must to help get the edge over your opponent.
Personally, I would be looking at one of the big defenders available such as Liam Picken, David Mundy, Matthew Boyd or Jarrad McVeigh.
But if it is a Hawk that you want, some good coin can be banked in what will be a downgrade. Josh Gibson ($416,000), Grant Birchall ($434,000) and Taylor Duryea ($372,000) will put a few dollars in your pocket and they all have the potential to score well in the final two weeks.
The Hawks take on Brisbane Lions this week at Aurora Stadium and then back up with a game against Carlton in round 23. Both teams give up plenty of Fantasy points and don’t be surprised if we see a lot of Hawks in the top scorers for the round for the next two weeks.
What's Coming Up
The Hawks took on the Lions at Aurora Stadium in round one last year. A 40 point victory was the result along with some impressive Fantasy performances.
Midfielder Jordan Lewis (111) top scored thanks to laying seven tackles to go with his 22 disposals while Luke Breust (110) started the season with a bang botting five goals straight.
Liam Shiels (109), Isaac Smith (106) and Grant Birchall (103) were among the other top performers.
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