AFL Saturday fantasy trio tips

I'll be away from the computer, but here's a few selections for Saturday:

Collingwood vs Hawthorn

Swan vs Mitchell vs Hodge
Tip: Luke Hodge. Form of more than 100 points in three games is terrific, and he's a big game player.

Davis vs Rioli vs Ellis
Tip: Cyril Rioli: Scored 130 points last week and should be even better for the run.

Pendlebury vs Didak vs Ball
Tip: Luke Ball: Seems to have finally found his feet in the Magpies midfield.

Adelaide vs Carlton

Gibbs vs Murphy vs Vince
Tip: Bryce Gibbs: Had a shocker last week and will be out for redemption.

Simpson vs Judd vs Thompson
Tip: Chris Judd: No form in first game back, but hard to tip against a champion who'll be hungry for the ball.

Scotland vs Edwards vs Goodwin
Tip: Heath Scotland: Has form in a high-possession team.

Brisbane vs Bulldogs

Boyd vs Brown vs Cross
Tip: Matt Boyd: Hard to go against the man who should dominate the midfield.

Power vs Cooney vs Higgins
Tip: Higgins: While others are marked, Higgins usually gets a fair whack of the ball.

Sherman vs Drummond vs Giansiracusa
Tip: Justin Sherman: I don't have great confidence here, but his scores have been the best of the 3.

AFL preview North Melbourne vs Sydney

The Kangaroos lifted last week, largely led by Boomer Harvey but the Swans are in terrific form and play well as a team - they should be far too tough for North Melbourne in this one. Swans by 32.

Fantasy trios on Sportsbet:

Anthony vs O'Keefe vs Goodes

Tip: Liam Anthony

If the Kangaroos are to be at all competitive in this game, Anthony has to get plenty of the ball. And he has to be as intense as he was in the first game, when he registered 9 tackles. O'Keefe is a premier player, as is Goodes, but I'm working on the theory that Anthony consistently gets big fantasy scores, and that the Swans will share it around moreso than the Roos.

Harvey vs Swallow vs Jude Bolton

Tip: Swallow

Each of these three lifted last week, but the consisent performer has been Swallow, who has 99 and 119 points over the past fortnight. One would think that after 44 possessions last week, Harvey will cop a hard tag, and that's something Sydney do well. Bolton ran loose last week with 115 points, but Swallow is the one for mine.

Kennedy vs Kennelly vs Ziebell

Tip: Josh Kennedy

On the surface, the midfielder here (Ziebell) might seem the logical pick, but Kennedy is getting plenty of run off half back and scored 92 and 101 points the previous two weeks. Ziebell lifted last week but still only managed 85 points after a dismall 34 the week before. Irishman Kennelly has been good with 108, 59 and 82 over the past three weeks, but we'll tip Kennedy on current form.

AFL preview West Coast vs Essendon

Essendon is the form side. Some pundits are tipping the West Coast for the reason they're at home, and that they're "due". Not good enough for mine: Bombers by 12.

Fantasy options with Sportsbet:

Le Cras vs Kerr vs Kennedy

Tip: Kerr

Occasionally the bookies throw in a curly one which basically equates to which player will find form first. Le Cras has kicked some goals, but his possession count is low and his intensity is also in question. Kerr has been, by his lofty standards, terrible. Kennedy has defeated Kerr all three weeks so far, but with fantasy scores of 78, 73 and 63. I'd expect Kerr to lift for a must-win game.

Embley vs Ebert vs Rosa

Tip: Embley

Rosa blasted into the team last week with a mountain of possessions, and 120 points, but Embley has been gathering momentum and must continue to perform. He scored 83 points in round 1, but followed up with 102 and 111 last week. Ebert has also been good, but if the Eagles are to improve, I believe a lot of responsibility will be on the shoulders of Embley to lead the charge.

Winderlich vs Reimers vs Dalziell

Tip: Reimers

Reimers at forward has scored 80 in Round 1 and 114 last week. He's getting plenty of the ball and kicking goals. Winderlich had a good pre-season, but scores of 58, 82 and 73 are nothing to write home about. Dalziell had his first game for the year last week with 61 points and is hard to consider. Reimers is the special for mine.

Fantasy winners Friday night AFL

Winners: Nick Dal Santo; Dane Swan; Alan Didak
Aussiepunt tipped Dal Santo.
Based on a $10 bet for each, we were behind by $4 total.

AFL North Melbourne vs West Coast preview

If form is any indicator, the West Coast should notch their first win of the season over a Kangaroos outfit shattered after a 100-point loss last week. This is not only a test of character for the Roos to see whether they'll bounce back (so to speak) but also a test of character for new coach Brad Scott.

Sportingbet fantasy trios are as follows:

Anthony vs Selwood vs Priddis

Tip: Adam Selwood

Liam Anthony was well held last week, but so were most of the Roos' midfield, including Boomer Harvey who had only 5 disposals. If Anthony bounces back to his absolute best, expect him to score around 120-130 points, the same score Selwood managed last week. If that's par for this group, Priddis has been well below it in his two opening rounds. We'll tip Selwood on form and consistency.

Embley vs Swallow vs McIntosh

Tip: Embley

This is tough. A man who consistently gets 20-odd touches (Embley) against a Swallow who barely touched the ball in Round 1 but bounced back in a well-beaten side, against an out-of-form ruckman who is likely to be outclassed in the middle. Again, we'll tip Embley on the basis of consistency.

Ebert vs Ziebell vs Masten

Tip: Brad Ebert

Ebert managed 95 and 96 points in his last two matches, and is against the promising Ziebell who did nothing against the Saints. Yes, he was in good company, but we'd rather go with someone who is already getting their hands on the ball. Masten hasn't done much in the first two rounds.

AFL Collingwood vs St Kilda preview

Given Collingwood's form last week against Melbourne, St Kilda is rightfully favourite for this game. They should win by about 4-6 goals. But it will be interesting to see how the two midfields match up, how Ball lifts against his old team, and how youngsters Wellingham and Sidebottom stand up to the big-game pressure.

Here are Sportingbet's fantasy match ups and tips:

Reiwoldt vs Swan vs Montagna

Tip: Leigh Montagna

This for mine is not so much a battle of how the stars stand up; rather a battle of who manages to get loose. Assuming Maxwell can hold Reiwoldt better than other defenders, and that Swan will get the Clint Jones hard tag, that will leave Montagna in a position to repeat his 35 disposals and 134 points of last week.

Dal Santo vs Goddard vs Hayes

Tip: Nick Dal Santo

This is a coin flip. Goddard could well fall loose of an opponent and go wild with possessions, but to score as he did last week with 137, he must also kick goals. Dal Santo lifted significantly last week with 33 disposals and is in far better form than Hayes.

Pendlebury vs Didak vs Davis

Tip: Scott Pendlebury

Pendlebury needed to lift last week and he did - in intensity - with 7 tackles compared to the week before when he stood off and managed only 2 tackles. With that as a benchmark, he's the model of consistency against the two razzle dazzle players.

Geelong vs Hawthorn fantasy results

Just the one game to end the round:

Winners: Jimmy Bartel; Sam Mitchell; Luke Hodge.
Aussiepunt tipped Mitchell and Hodge.
Based on a $10 wager on each, that means we're up $22 on the game.

So, for the week, Aussiepunt tipped 14/24. Based on an average $2.50 return for each, and a $10 wager on each, we're up $110.

If anybody wants to give it a crack next week, take a look at the Sportingbet site. Click on AFL and scroll down to the Superstars link. It's all explained there.

AFL Hawthorn vs Geelong preview

This is set to be a cracking game, with the Hawks finding some form and Geelong not quite the same side of old. Both teams will be remembering the 2008 grand final, so intensity should be at a terrific high.

Sportingbet again has some fantasy trio betting options:

Ablett vs Bartel vs Chapman

All three were keys in their victory last week, with Ablett out to prove his loyalty to the club, he scored 129 points, including 13 kicks, 24 handballs and a couple of goals. Bartel scored 114 points and Chapman 105, but Chapman is the wildcard this week for mine. Ablett is likely to get a hard tag which means Chapman will be in a position to take up some of the slack.

Tip: While Chapman is a real chance in probably the toughest of fantasy trios, it's hard to tip against Ablett.

Joel Selwood vs Mitchell vs Corey

By his own high standards, Mitchell was just on par last week, but still managed 27 touches and 112 points, while Selwood is caught in a team with extremely high possession counts and managed 107 points, including 23 disposals and 9 tackles. Corey's intensity wasn't up to his usual standard with 80 points, but expect that to lift against the Hawks. Note the last time Geelong played the Hawks, Selwood had 42 disposals.

Tip: We'll expect Mitchell to take a leading role today to narrowly pip Selwood.

Hodge vs Lewis vs Enright

Hodge was outstanding in the first week with 34 disposals, 9 marks and 5 tackles. Throw in a goal and he racked up 142 points. Lewis had 27 disposals for 109 points and Enright 17 disposals for 90 points.

Tip: It's hard to go against form, so we'll tip Hodge to repeat his 2008 grand final dose on the Cats.

AFL Fantasy tipping results Sunday

Three games on Sunday:

Adelaide vs Sydney:
Winners: Ryan O'Keefe; Scott Thompson; Bock.
Aussiepunt tipped O'Keefe to win for a narrow overall loss.
Based on a $10 bet on each, we're down $6 on that game.

Essendon vs Fremantle:
Winners: Aaron Sandilands; Greg Broughton; Michael Barlow.
Aussiepunt tipped Broughton and Barlow for a good result.
Based on a $10 bet on each, we're up $20 on that game.

Bulldogs vs Richmond:
Winners: Lindsay Gilbee; Matthew Boyd; Cooney.
Aussiepunt tipped Boyd and Cooney for a good result.
Based on a $10 bet on each, we're up $20 on that game.

AFL Bulldogs vs Richmond preview

The Bulldogs should win this game easy, but Sportingbet's fantasy markets are interesting. There are some potentially tight ones among them.

Giansiracusa vs Murphy vs Gilbee

Giansiracusa had a great pre-season but wasn't up to it last week against Collingwood with just 63 fantasy points, including 13 touches, 6 marks and 3 tackles. Murphy, however, showed that he's prepared to make space with 12 marks and 23 touches. Gilbee was also ordinary against the Pies with 17 touches, but just 1 mark and 3 tackles.

Tip: Murphy seems to be finding his old form, leading into space and running all day. He should outdo his opponents (or should we say team mates) again.

Boyd vs Cross vs Delidio

Boyd is one of the most skilled players in the AFL and despite the loss last week, still managed 38 touches, racking up 128 fantasy points. Cross seemed to be everywhere and out-tackled Boyd, but 29 possessions meant he reached 107 points. It's hard to judge a man who is part of a well defeated team, but Brett Delidio picked up 21 touches, 5 marks and 6 tackles in his 94 points.

Tip: Boyd is the class player and has terrific form.

Higgins vs Cooney vs Hargrave

On pure form, this is a tough one to pick. Cooney seems stuck on doing the extraordinary, rather than concentrating on perfecting the basics as he can, and seems to be constantly over-running the ball. His 26 touches seem good, but only 4 marks was out of character. Higgins was quiet for a half last week, but bounced back in the second to finish with 23 possessions, 5 marks and a couple of tackles, finishing just 3 fantasy points ahead of Cooney. On form, we can forget Hargrave, but needless to say the coach has probably had a few words after just 14 touches last week.

Tip: We'd expect Cooney's butter fingers to disappear this week against weaker opposition. He could have a field day.

AFL Bombers vs Fremantle preview

Essendon should bounce back after last week, but Freo are on a high after their win against Adelaide at home last week. The Bombers home ground advantage should be enough to see them win.

Fantasy markets on Sportingbet follow:

Stanton vs Sandilands vs Prismall

Stanton was sensational last week with 33 touches, 7 marks and 8 tackles for 145 fantasy points, well ahead of Sandilands who managed 97 - 33 of them hitouts. Prismall was solid with 22 touches and 8 tackles for 98 points. These are three class players.

Tip: It's hard to tip against form, so Stanton should prevail here.

Broughton vs Watson vs Pavlich

Broughton should play more on the ball than Pavlich which gives him the edge when it comes to fantasy points. The difference will be whether Pavlich can do a Jonathan Brown or Riewoldt and dominate the half forward line. But he must also kick a bag of goals. Broughton racked up 32 touches in the win last week, adding 7 marks and 4 tackles. Pavlich was also good with 22 touches and 3 goals. Jobe Watson, by his standards, was ordinary with 18 touches, only 1 mark, 3 tackles and 2 goals.

Tip: Again, form is a good indicator, so we'll go with Broughton.

Barlow vs Winderlich vs Welsh

Barlow kicked some serious butt against Adelaide with 33 touches, 6 marks, 4 tackles and 2 goals for a score of 128. Welsh for the Bombers will need to lift considerably this week to make his team and coach happy. 22 touches, just the 1 mark and 5 tackles is not enough, nor is his 75 points. Winderlich had a great pre-season, but didn't take that form with him to the first round - just 17 possessions, 3 marks and 2 tackles.

Tip: If form is a true guide, we must favour Barlow to outscore these two opponents, although Winderlich must lift.

AFL Adelaide vs Sydney preview

Sydney was terrific against the Saints last week on their home turf, but this week they travel away to Adelaide who were woeful against Fremantle. Expect Adelaide to improve considerably on their 157 possessions last week. Sydney was also low with 171, but have a high tackle count.

O'Keefe vs Vince vs Goodes

The temptation here is to look towards Vince and Goodes as the class midfielders, but O'Keefe's work-rate is a sign of his form - 123 points last week, including 18 kicks and 15 handballs, 7 tackles and a goal. Vince was poor with 22 touches (69 points) in a poor side and should lift. Goodes is an impact player and can do some freakish things, but he's not one to mount up extraordinary numbers of possessions due to his tag. He kicked three goals last week for 86 points (16 touches).

Tip: It's hard to argue against form, and O'Keefe's role on the ball should help him win this.

Thompson vs Edwards vs Bolton

Form here is tough. Expect Adelaide to lift its possession rate, and one person who should help do that is Tyson Edwards. His 99 points last week included 16 kicks, 9 handballs and 8 marks. Thompson played towards the forward line and kicked two goals, and racked up 23 possessions in his 85 points, while Bolton scored 94 (23 possessions) but was more inclined to handball (16).

Tip: Based on the theory that Adelaide needs to lift its workrate, we'll go with Edwards, but this trio is a tough call.

Goodwin vs Bock vs Rhyce Shaw

If we're to go purely on form, this trio is sadly out of form. Simon Goodwin scored 70 points from his 24 touches (17 handballs) last week, Bock had 17 touches, 3 goals and 3 tackles, and a goal for his 76 points, while Shaw was ordinary with 10 kicks and 10 handballs for 64 points. Shaw will normally take more than 5 marks at half back, so if he's more of a go-to man from the kickouts, that could improve his score. Just one tackle was a let-down for him.

Tip: I'm nervous to tip anyone here, but I'd expect the Swans to look for more run out of halfback from Shaw. On the larger ground, he should lift, but Goodwin's a real threat here.

AFL West Coast vs Port Adelaide preview

This is a tough game to call, particularly given that West Coast will have the home ground advantage. Both put in decent performances last week, albeit in a fashion one could expect from round 1, ie a little scratchy.

Kane Cornes vs Priddis vs Cassisi

Cassisi's 19 touches and 5 tackles last week was okay (72 points), but Kane Cornes has been everywhere this year. His 131 points last week was made up of 16 kicks, 23 handballs, 6 marks and 5 tackles. He's prepared to make space, but equally willing to tough it out in the packs. Priddis had 11 kicks, 18 handballs, 3 marks and 4 tackles (95 points) and is a key for the Eagles, but the question will be whether he can out-run Kornes and whether he'll be more of a go-to man this week without Ben Cousins in the side.

Tip: Kornes should win this, but expect Priddis to score more than 100 points as he takes some of the ground left by Cousins.

Boak vs Adam Selwood vs Embley

This is tricky. Boak's 98 points was made up of 17 kicks and 6 tackles last week, but Selwood will be expected to lead the way for the Eagles in this contest. His 16 kicks and 15 handballs last week (108 points) was good, and his club will be hoping it's average by his standards. Embley plays more in the forward line and can be boosted with a goal or two, but he'd have to lift his tackle count to upset the other two.

Tip: On form and expectation, we'll go with Selwood to pip Boak in this one.

Banner vs Swift vs Natanui

The bookies have put the new boys together, and each of them performed okay last week. But Banner is the class outfit with 18 touches and notably 1 goal 3 behinds. His 79 points was average by his pre-season standards, so he has room to improve. Swift would have to improved considerably upon his 11 touches last week (32 points) and Natanui - while doing some outstanding things with the ball - is not one to rack up high fantasy numbers (54 last week, including 16 hitouts and a goal)

Tip: Banner is more inclined to be near the ball, and should get enough points here.

AFL St Kilda vs North Melbourne preview

St Kilda should win this game, but that doesn't mean the Kangaroos' key forwards won't touch the ball. It'll be interesting to see whether the Saints put a hard tag on Liam Anthony.

Anthony vs Goddard vs Dal Santo

Anthony has been a ball magnet throughout the pre-season, and that form continued last week with 14 kicks, 12 handballs and 10 marks. Goddard is generally used as an impact player for the Saints, while Dal Santo's strength is the hard ball gets. Despite being on a losing side, Liam Anthony's fantasy score of 132 was well ahead of Goddard (88) and Dal Santo (77).

Tip: Liam Anthony is likely to be on a losing side, but his work-rate is outstanding. He should win this on form.

Montagna vs Riewoldt vs Hayes
This is a tough one. Montagna (100 points last week) is consistently the highest ball-winner for the Saints, while Riewoldt (111 points last week) will score high due to his leading and marking ability, combined with goal-kicking power - a bit like Jonathan Brown for Brisbane. Hayes (99 points last week) is consistent, but it would surprise if he was the leader of this contest.

Tip: The Saints spread the ball around a lot among their high class midfield. If Riewoldt can kick 6 goals, he should win this match-up.

Harvey vs Ray vs Armitage

Harvey consistently proves why he's a champion, and last week added three goals to his 23 possessions (16 kicks), driving his fantasy score to 93. Farren Ray plays a role for the Saints and can at times rack up plenty of possessions - 76 fantasy points last week was below par for him. David Armitage only managed 10 possessions and 49 fantasy points. He'd have to lift considerably to challenge the other two.

Tip: Harvey should have more time in the midfield which should help him rack up enough points to win, but expect Ray to lift.

AFL Collingwood vs Melbourne preview

It's interesting to note that the bookies are unwilling to pit Melbourne players against the Melbourne boys, based on the theory that the Pies will well out-possess the Demons.

But that doesn't mean there's not some value to be had in the fantasy challenge.

Trengove vs Scully vs McKenzie

Trengove and Scully both had creditable debuts last week with 23 and 20 possessions respectively. But they were both outscored comprehensively by Jordie McKenzie. Notably, McKenzie had only 15 possessions, 9 of them kicks. But his tackling (11) was what tipped his fantasy score over the 100 mark. Anybody who's willing to get amongst it like that is worth following again.

Tip: McKenzie outscored both opponents by 40 points last week due to his ferocious tackling. We'll expect him to do similar again, although Trengove should lift against a torrid opponent.

Bruce vs Moloney vs Aaron Davey

Each of these three returned similar results last week. Bruce (23 possessions) was more successful with marks, but wanted to handball more often (16). Moloney kicked on 14 occasions (22 possessions), while Davey will continue to be more of an impact player closer to goal. He would have scored better had his two behinds been goals.

Tip: Cameron Bruce is the experienced player of this trio and was a couple of years ago tipped to be a strong chance at the Brownlow. While he hasn't lived up to that, we'd expect him to lift against the stronger opponent this week.

Swan vs Didak vs Davis

While this contest is more in the hands of Pies coach Mick Malthouse than the players themselves - Didak and Davis could be pushed more into the midfield against a weaker opponent - Swan is pure class and will be a hot chance for the Brownlow this year.

Tip: Dane Swan should again mount up the possessions. Last week's 31 possessions was average by his high standards. He should have his nose ahead of the two utility forwards.

AFL fantasy team scoring system

For those having a punt on the new Sportingbet fantasy challenge, the scoring system goes thus:

Kick 3 points

Handball 2 points

Mark 3 points

Tackle 4 points

Free Kick For 1 point

Free Kick Against 3 points

Hitout 1 point

Goal 6 points

Behind 1 point