After four weeks of competition, the 2015 NAB Challenge is done and dusted, and real AFL football is just a fortnight away. Our last chance to see our favourite fantasy players in action before the real thing, this weekend promised to be interesting and didn't disappoint.
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Right
Geelong's decision to recruit Mitch Clark in last year's trade period set tongues wagging.
Was he ready to play? Could he fit in the Cats forward line? But following 11 goals from his three NAB Challenge appearances so far, it seems clear that Clark the Cat is very happy in his new home.
Although his six-goal bag against the Crows last week was undoubtedly his own personal highlight, his three-goal performance working in tandem with Tom Hawkins this week showed just how well he and Hawkins can work together. Hawkins booted a bag of five himself.
Fantasy scores of 48, 108 and 74 from Clark's three NAB Challenge appearances give a good example of what his scores in year will be – like most key forwards he will have his good days and his bad days. His ability to play through the ruck should net him a few extra points here and there, making him a handy fantasy commodity in Ultimate Footy.
Wrong
When you spend a first round pick on a mature age player you would be hoping they can step right into the side – that'd certainly be the case for Carlton and Blaine Boekhorst.
By the same logic, you'd hope that player could put in some strong pre-season performances to really cement that spot, but after fantasy scores of 31, 63 and 22 from his three NAB Challenge appearances, the jury is still out on Boekhorst.
Despite playing a full game against Geelong on Sunday, Boekhorst managed to accrue just seven disposals – a performance that is just plain wrong for a player in his position.
Ridiculous
If you'd said two me a few years ago that one day I would be watching Clint Jones and Mitch Brown celebrating a win while wearing Essendon guernseys with numbers in the 70s, I would probably have recommended you consult a doctor.
Still, that's what we saw on Friday night and wasn't it strange. By far the most ridiculous moment was Lachlan Dalgleish's incredible four-bounce run from defensive to offensive 50, which he capped off with a goal.
Little did we know that Dalgleish would also provide the sealer, cutting off a defensive kick from Jack Viney in the dying moments of the game to wheel around and snap through the goal that put Essendon up with just minutes to go. Ridiculous indeed.
Regrettable
No one likes to see players get injured, but it's even worse when it happens in a pre-season game. In the regular season at least players can know they were giving it all in the hopes of earning some premiership points, but at this time of year there's nothing more frustrating than to go down in practice match.
To see the likes of Leigh Montagna, Luke Breust, Jack Ziebell, Brad Crouch, Levi Greenwood, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Lance Franklin and Kieren Jack among others wind up with their names in the injury report this week was about as regrettable as it gets.
Luckily for fantasy coaches most of the injuries sustained were minor, and most of these players should be back soon, if not in time for Round 1.
Article supplied by Footy Prophet – football analysis and opinion with a fantasy focus. Footy Prophet is fantasy football. Be a part of the game.
