If you are faced with many absences, now may be the right time to play your wildcard – and in the process you can move out a few cheaper players who are no longer starting for their teams or are on the verge of being replaced. If not, then you need to weigh up whether the 3-point hit for each additional transfer is worth it. Keeping in mind that whoever you bring in will need to score at least 3 points just for you to break even means you will be wanting to make these moves as part of a long term strategy, rather than a one-week fix. Otherwise, you may be better off just copping a zero. Regardless of what you do, make sure you have thoroughly thought it out before pulling the trigger.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me on Twitter or by using the comments section at the bottom of the page. There’s also our weekly Fantasy A-League chat in Zeebox’s A-League Chat Room, which you are more than welcome to join and talk fantasy with myself and other coaches, held Fridays at 2pm Eastern. You can find the official squad lists for Round 6 here.
Melbourne Heart v Sydney FC
Sydney unavailable: Ivan Necevski, Terry Antonis, Corey Gameiro, Rhyan Grant, Peter Triantis (injured), Tiago, Marc Warren (suspended), Ranko Despotovic (yet to arrive), Matt Thompson (omitted)
Captaincy options: Alessandro Del Piero, Richard Garcia
The Heart are struggling for relevance in fantasy land. Top scorer David Williams sits in that position thanks to his 12-point haul against the Mariners in Round 2; every other round, he has notched only 2 points. Marquee striker Michael Mifsud is yet to find the net after 3 starts, while the ridiculously overpriced Harry Kewell can’t even get on the park. Given the lack of cheap starting forward options, Mifsud may be worth consideration, but while the Heart are failing to find the net he remains a big gamble. As Kate Cohen points out in this excellent analysis, the Heart have only had 2 shots at goal less than league leaders Brisbane, so perhaps a change in fortune is not too far off. Perhaps the visit of a Sydney side who can’t keep goals out is exactly what the Heart needs (followed by the visit of a similarly leaky Adelaide defence two weeks later).
Meanwhile, Sydney’s shift to a 4-2-3-1 may improve the chances of Sky Blues in entering your fantasy team. Richard Garcia may now look a tasty OOP prospect, however he is unlikely to continue to lead the line once new signing Ranko Despotovic arrives (next week) and Corey Gameiro is fit again. The fact that Garcia was picked ahead of Yairo Yau and Joel Chianese suggests you should move these players on if you have them. Tiago’s looming long-term suspension for touching an official on Saturday may open the door for Matt Jurman to be another cheapie defender option – and hopefully a more stable one than Marc Warren. For the time being, however, Alessandro Del Piero is the only reliable point scorer among the Sydney ranks – and his lack of durability combined with a high price tag may put many coaches off.
Last season saw the teams split the points evenly, with a 0-0 draw in Sydney followed up by a 2-1 win for the Sky Blues at the same venue, thanks to two late goals from Brett Emerton and Rhyan Grant, cancelling out Richard Garcia’s opener. The Heart then took the points at AAMI Park in a 3-1 win, with goals from Nick Kalmar, Jonatan Germano and a David Williams penalty, while Joel Griffiths netted for Sydney. For your captain, I can only recommend Sydney players – namely Del Piero and Garcia, who may be good for a goal against his former side if he once again takes the #9 position.
Perth Glory v Adelaide United
United unavailable: Nigel Boogaard, Cameron Watson (suspended), Daniel Bowles (injured), Michael Zullo (international duty)
Captaincy options: Sidnei, Ryo Nagai
The return of Shane Smeltz and arrival of William Gallas looms to threaten the prospects of Perth’s popular cheapies, including Steve Pantelidis, Jamie Maclaren and Ryan Edwards. It’s clear that Smeltz is the #1 striker at the club, so after this week expect Maclaren to be restricted to roles off the Bunnings for the rest of the season, unless Smeltz is injured or suspended. Gallas’ arrival may see Pantelidis shifted to right back in place of young Matthew Davies, however Ali Edwards is also contemplating moving one of Pantelidis and Michael Thwaite into midfield as a #6 – meaning Jacob Burns will shift to #8 and Steven McGarry to #10, resulting in Ryan Edwards losing his spot in the side. Panta’s possible move into midfield makes him a weak OOP, however he was already reliant on clean sheet points anyway. He may be worth holding onto for the time being, but at the first sign of him being pushed out of the side I’d move him on. McGarry’s move to #10 will probably improve his output slightly, however once Smeltz is back next week he may lose his penalty duties. Perth have shown they like to attack down the flanks, so wingers Sidnei and Ryo Nagai are both worth consideration – especially Sidnei at the very nice price.
Adelaide meanwhile are struggling for fantasy relevance, with only Fabio Ferreira and Jeronimo scoring over 15 points so far. With 3 away games coming up, followed by visits from the Roar and the Mariners, it’s hard to justify bringing in any Adelaide players right now. Jeronimo is still yet to score away from Coopers in the A-League, while 22 of Ferriera’s 26 points have come at home. Marcelo Carrusca remains one of the best creative midfielders in the league, however this is yet to translate into fantasy points. At $340k, he’s just not worth the money at the moment. Livewire winger Awer Mabil’s chances have taken a further hit with the return of Cassio, which means more competition for Mabil at left wing. Brent McGrath’s short-term deal has expired, so if you have him for some reason he needs to be moved on.
Adelaide’s only win of the season came in Round 1 against Perth, where Jeronimo netted a brace and Ferreira the other (and two assists), while Nagai registered for the Glory. Last season saw a 1-1 draw in each city and a 3-2 home win for Adelaide. For captaincy options, given Adelaide’s failure to keep a clean sheet so far I’d recommend either of Perth’s dangerous wingers, Sidnei or Nagai.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory
Victory unavailable: Kosta Barbarouses, Mark Milligan (international duty)
Captaincy options: Shinji Ono, Archie Thompson, James Troisi
Despite the Wanderers only keeping 2 clean sheets in their first five fixtures, Jerome Polenz has emerged as one of the best fantasy defenders to have. Polenz has scored a goal, notched an assist and picked up 4 bonus points to be the Wanderers leading fantasy scorer with 28. At just $211k, he’s a gun defender for a mid-range price. The Wanderers other defenders are solid, but all come with ridiculous price tags. Tomi Juric with 22 points at $244k is a forward available at a decent price. However, his knee injury may mean you have to move him on if you have him. If you have cover then I’d hold onto him until we know the severity of his injury – otherwise, you may have to trade him out, at least temporarily. Labinot Haliti will likely lead the line while Juric is out, but by bringing him in you are committing to making another transfer once Juric is right to go again. Shinji Ono has shown us glimpses of his brilliance this season, however at $325k he’s not lived up to that price given the bulk of his points came against Sydney. Both Mark Bridge and Brendon Santalab have been disappointing so far, fantasy-wise, and could probably be moved on at this stage. Meanwhile, injury has hurt Youssouf Hersi’s start to the season, however given how reliant the Wanderers’ game plan is on his drive on the right wing means he will undoubtedly find himself among the points once he’s back.
With 6 goals and 41 points, James Troisi is an early contender for buy of the season. His price and form are probably too tempting to stop you from bringing him in or even thinking about moving him on. That said, the goals are going to dry up eventually, and there is strong competition at his position from Gui Finkler. Against Sydney, he managed just one shot on target (the goal), and he will surely find it more difficult against the Wanderers, especially with Mark Milligan out, given how important he is to Victory’s midfield structure. We’ve already seen in Round 1 against the Heart how Victory lacked his input in a creative sense, so it may be the case again against the Wanderers. Archie Thompson notched his second goal in two weeks against the Sky Blues, suggesting that he is on the verge of a streak of goal scoring, though the Wanderers will be a strong test of this. At the premium price of $324k, he may be too difficult to accommodate in your side, but if you have someone like Mark Bridge a swap to Archie may pay dividends. Kosta Barbarouses, who will be absent again this round, has been a disappointment so far and I wouldn’t make him a priority until he shows some signs of settling in Melbourne. He was also very poor in New Zealand’s 5-1 hammering at the hands of Mexico. Jason Geira was another poor performer for the Victory last week, and may soon be benched for Scott Galloway – so if you have Geira, I would not be relying on him for points this weekend.
Last season the Victory scored first blood against the Wanderers, seeing them off 2-0 at Pirtek with a Michael Beauchamp own goal and a strike from Thompson. The Wanderers then picked up the points in Melbourne with a brace from Ono leading them to a 2-1 win, followed by another 2-1 win in Parramatta. Ono scored again in that game, along with Iacopo La Rocca and Connor Pain. For captaincy, Ono has the form against the Victory, while Troisi and Thompson are both in form.
Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar
Roar unavailable: George Lambadaridis, Liam Miller, Shane Stefanutto, Besart Berisha (injured), Matt McKay, Ivan Franjic (international duty)
Captaincy options: Andrew Hoole, Thomas Broich, Henrique
After looking very ordinary early on in the season, the Jets are starting to come into some real form. Sam Gallaway has firmed as a cheap defensive option, while Andrew Hoole provides coaches with a bargain OOP pick so long as he can keep his spot in the team. The slightly more expensive but still cheap Scott Neville is yet another Jets defender worth considering. However, despite the change in fortunes there really isn’t much else the Jets can provide fantasy managers with. None of their midfielders loom as serious options, while up forward cheapie Adam Taggart is under threat of being replaced by Emile Heskey. So for the time being, I would just recommend the defenders when considering Jets players.
After seeing off the champions while undermanned, the Roar will now look to back that feat up on the road against the Jets, but with even more players out. The absences of Besart Berisha, Ivan Franjic and Shane Stefanutto mean owners of Corey Brown, Kwame Yeboah and Henrique all get a reprieve, however I fully expect them to make way once the big guns return – so ensure you have factored this into your trading strategies if you have any of them. Matt Smith added another 7 points to his scintillating start to the season, making him a cheap alternative to Ivan Franjic should you not be able to afford him. However, in no way should you expect Smith to come anywhere near Franjic’s point tally at season’s end – ultimately, Franjic is playing OOP on the wing, while Smith is a centre back, limiting his ability to get goals despite present form suggesting otherwise. Thomas Broich meanwhile has started the season slowly aside from a burst in Round 2, picking up only 8 points since then. He remains a key player for the Roar however, especially with so many of their other senior players out this week.
Last season the sides split the points, with each side earning a 1-0 home win, while the final game at Hunter Stadium ended 0-0. Berisha scored a penalty in Brisbane’s win, while Ryan Griffiths was the difference maker for the Jets. We may again see a close contest, considering Brisbane are missing so many key players while the Jets have come into some form. Hoole may be worth a punt as captain if you think the Jets can hold on for a clean sheet, while for the Roar Broich should never be ruled out and Henrique may profit from playing forward once again.