Newcastle Jets striker Sarah Griffith and Western United’s Hannah Keane had a weekend to remember both on the pitch, and in Official A-Leagues Fantasy.
The two forwards played integral roles in Round 2 wins for their respective sides whilst breaking through the 30-point fantasy barrier – a feat no player in the Liberty A-League or Isuzu UTE A-League had achieved prior to the weekend’s action.
These are the key fantasy takeaways from Round 2 in the Liberty A-League.
Griffith and Keane setting the bar
Prior to the Liberty A-League season kicking off, Adelaide United’s Craig Goodwin had bagged the most points in a single round of A-Leagues action: 27. That haul came in Round 6 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season; with the men’s competition pausing for the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, the Liberty A-League season has begun with a bang – and the stars of the ALW have broken through the fantasy ceiling as a result.
Rhianna Pollicina set the tone in Round 1, scoring 29 fantasy points for Melbourne City in a 4-1 win over Wellington Phoenix. It was the closest any player had come to the 30-point mark in the A-Leagues in 2022-23 – until Round 2 of the ALW when Keane (32 points) and Griffith (34 points) both breached that figure on the same weekend.
The top five A-Leagues Fantasy scorers in 2022-23 now reads as follows:
Midfielders boss the Team of the Week
In Round 2 of the ALW season midfielders reigned supreme.
Melissa Caceres, Murphy Agnew, Dylan Holmes, Grace Jale and Amy Harrison all made the Round 2 Team of the Week in the middle of the park, in behind a front three of Griffith, Keane and Tara Andrews.
The strongest possible formation for fantasy managers in Round 2 was the 2-5-3, with just Tyla-Jay Vlajnic and Sydney Cummings making up the backline in the Team of the Week.
A special mention goes to goalkeeper Annalee Grove, who at just 21 years of age is sparkling for Adelaide United after two rounds.
Grove kept her second clean sheet in as many games in a 1-0 win over Perth, scoring 16 points to make the Team of the Week in consecutive rounds.
Grove has made 11 saves in a significant contribution to the Reds’ bright start, with the South Australians sitting second on the Liberty A-League table after Round 2.
Watch out for price rises after Round 3
This is a vital week for all fantasy managers, with player prices set to start fluctuating after Round 3.
Player prices which had previously remained stagnant will begin to rise and fall as each player ticks over three appearances for the season; players must have featured in at least three games in order for their value to increase or decrease, and that process will be in full swing at the conclusion of next weekend’s action.
This is the point in the season in which each fantasy manager’s base squad value of $4,000,000 will begin to vary.
Take a look through the current top scorers and take note of their respective values; Newcastle Jets midfielder Murphy Agnew tops the charts with 45 points – and she’s priced at just $150K. Hannah Keane (second) is just $209K. Jessica McDonald (ninth) is a measly $234K – and the Western forward has scored in back-to-back games.
Should you bring some of the highest scorers from the opening rounds into your squad prior to Round 3, your squad value could balloon at the conclusion of next round. You will then have more cash in the bank to trade for higher-priced players in the game should you choose.
But be warned: delay past Round 3 in your decision making, and those players you have had your eye on early doors may be out of your price range in the blink of an eye.
