A new fantasy front-runner has emerged over the past three rounds – and it’s Adelaide United captain Craig Goodwin jumping past Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren as the Socceroos pair pull clear of the pack.
The Reds winger has spent the last three rounds of the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League season ruthlessly campaigning for a spot in the Socceroos World Cup squad – and his fantasy output has skyrocketed in the process.
He now possesses the best rolling average over the past three rounds (19.7) – moving ahead of Jamie Maclaren who has averaged 17.0 in the same time span – an impressive feat considering Maclaren has bagged four goals across those three games.
While Goodwin and Maclaren jostle for position at the top of the fantasy pecking order, together they’re pulling clear of the chasing pack. Goodwin’s points total of 75 puts him second behind Maclaren (86) for the season – third-best is Filip Kurto on 56. The drop-off between the top two and the rest is substantial – and both Goodwin and Maclaren are seeing their respective prices rise each week as a result.
Maclaren’s total value has risen a staggering $209K since Round 1. Goodwin’s value has risen $82K to a total of $627K. The latter is only just beginning to prove his worth after a pre-season truncated by a bout of osteitis pubis; Goodwin made a bench cameo in Round 1 and lasted just over an hour in Round 2, before three 90-minute displays in succession solidified his status as a genuine fantasy gun.
Goodwin has scored 15, 21 and 23 in three starts in the A-League Men this season.
Brimmer back to his best to lead Team of the Week
It was a slow start to the season for reigning Johnny Warren Medallist Jake Brimmer – but the Melbourne Victory creator was back to his brilliant best in his side’s rout of Newcastle Jets on Friday night.
Brimmer opened his account for the season with what he described as “a terrible penalty”, which slipped under the body of Jets keeper Michael Weier in the first half of the 4-0 win. In the second stanza he added an assist to his name with a sublime, bending pass off the outside of his boot for Nick D’Agostino to finish.
It was surprisingly Brimmer’s first assist for a D’Agostino goal in a Victory shirt in the A-League Men.
The 24-year-old ended the round on 23 fantasy points – equal-top with Goodwin – in a fine return to form by the Victory creator.
Brimmer is joined in the Team of the Week by players from eight of the 12 clubs in the league, with Maclaren, Marco Tilio and Jordan Bos seeing Melbourne City boast the most representatives for Round 5.
Substitutes set incredible goalscoring record in Round 5
Across the past two rounds, 15 goals have been scored by substitutes. nine of those hit the back of the net in Round 5, breaking the Australian national league record of seven set in Round 3 of the 2003-04 National Soccer League season.
Historian Andrew Howe identified the record-breaking goal when Western United’s Nicholas Milanovic appeared off the bench to become the eighth substitute scorer of the weekend.
Western substitute Dylan Pierias then made it nine, joining Central Coast’s Michael Ruhs (two goals) and Sam Silvera, Wellington’s Ben Waine, Victory’s Bruno Fornaroli, Brisbane Roar’s Josh Brindell-South and Macarthur’s Lachlan Rose in combining to topple the long-standing record.
Pierias, Brindell-South and Ruhs all made the Team of the Week for Round 5 as a result of their goalscoring escapades off the pine.
With over 30% of all goals scored in Rounds 4 and 5 coming from benches across the A-League Men, the super-substitutes are reminding their fantasy owners not to make reactionary moves when the team news lands; should one of your players not make the starting XI, they could go on to repay your faith.
