Rowan Marshall during the round 18 match between St Kilda and Sydney at Marvel Stadium, July 13, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
THE BIG men continued to dominate and it was none other than the Ruck Pig himself, Brodie Grundy (RUCK, $1.24M) once again displaying his snout on top of the podium.
He continued to show he is the number one ruckman in the game and his scoring once again reflected that with a whopping 150 which included a ridiculous 39 possessions and eight marks. He now boasts a 10-game average of 130 which is a good reminder to those who ever questioned his Pig Status.
Make sure you listen to this weeks Podcast to hear from his legend of a brother, Kyerin who is the current No.1 coach in the game.
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Rowan Marshall (RUCK, $1.05M) wasn’t far behind after taking advantage of the X-less Roos with 142 from 24 disposals, six marks, five tackles, 32 hitouts and a goal in a well-rounded performance to set him up for a big run home with games against the Tigers, Bombers and Giants.
Speaking of nice runs home, Max Holmes (DEF/MID, $1/08M) and Lachie Ash (DEF, $1.01M) have one and they are also hitting it in fine form coming off scores of 136 and 135, respectively. That is Holmes’ third big score in a row to average 125 in that time, while Ash bounced back well from a rare blip to set himself up for a big finish to the season.
After some smooth sailing and big scores leading into Sunday’s games, things certainly became chaotic with Jack Steele (MID, $951,000) named sub, closely followed by the ‘surprise’ late withdrawal of Connor Rozee (DEF/MID, $989,000) who, as it turns out didn’t even make the flight to Melbourne.
As if that wasn’t enough, Zak Butters (MID, $946,000) put the icing on the cake with an unfathomable score of 34 from 25 CBA’s and 77 per cent game time.
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MOST TRADED IN
Jayden Nguyen (DEF/MID, $231,000)
Max Holmes (DEF/MID, $1.08M)
Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $967,000)
Jeremy Cameron (FWD, $852,000)
Noah Anderson (MID, $1.02M)
MOST TRADED OUT
Connor Rozee (MID/DEF, $989,000)
Tom McCarthy (DEF/MID, $685,000)
Harry Rowston (MID, $425,000)
Archer May (FWD, $458,000)
Mani Liddy (MID, $459,000)
TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
Jy Farrar (DEF, $374,000) +$73,000
Jordon Sweet (RUCK, $845,000) +$64,000
Alex Neal-Bullen (MID/FWD, $774,000) +$59,000
Max Heath (RUCK/FWD, $340,000) +$55,000
Shannon Neale (FWD, $683,000) +$55,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
Jack Steele (MID, $951,000) -$83,000
Hayden Young (MID, $681,000) -$69,000
Jesse Hogan (FWD, $591,000) -$63,000
Chase Jones (MID, $444,000) -$63,000
Nick Holman (MID/FWD, $324,000) -$56,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
Jy Farrar (DEF, $374,000) -20
Max Heath (RUCK/FWD, $340,000) -5
Will Lorenz (MID, $325,000) -4
Flynn Young (FWD, $293,000) 2
Oscar Adams (DEF, $241,000) 6
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
Jack Steele (MID, $951,000) 178
Zak Butters (MID, $946,000) 141
Dayne Zorko (DEF, $931,000) 129
Tom Green (MID, $918,000) 128
Connor Rozee (MID/DEF, $989,000) 127
Dayne Zorko kicks the ball during the match between Collingwood and Brisbane at the MCG in round 21, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
STOCKS UP
Max Holmes (DEF/MID, $1.08M)
The hard running Cat struggled to string premium level scores together earlier in the year, but that is a thing of the past. In his last three games he has pumped out 121, 118 and 136 leading into this week’s game against the witches hats, otherwise known as the Bombers, before finishing the season with the Swans and Tigers. Get him in!
Gryan Miers (FWD, $960,000)
The 26-year-old obviously shares the same favourable draw as Holmes and looks set for a big finish to the season, something that can’t be said for many forwards. He broke a three week drought of triple figure scores against the Power with an impressive 122 and will have a field day at the Cattery this week against the Bombers.
Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $967,000)
The hard running half-backer has to remain at the top of the priority list for an absolute bargain price. He has put together four hundreds on the trot since his return from injury and he has a great run home with games against the Roos, Suns and Saints.
Jeremy Cameron (FWD, $852,000)
Within reach of 100 goals, a team good enough to feed you the ball for fun and a match-up with the Bombers at the Cattery. A ceiling score is certainly on the cards for the superstar who is every chance to push 10+ again this week after scoring 157 from 11 goals in round 20 against the Roos.
Jeremy Cameron celebrates a goal during the match between Geelong and Port Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium in round 21, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Lachie Ash (DEF, $1.01M)
Following a rare blip in round 20, Ash was cash once again, racking up 36 disposals and taking 12 marks against the Dogs for a season high 136 from a whopping 96 per cent TOG. Like his partner in crime Whitfield, he will have it on a string against the Roos this week.
STOCKS DOWN
Connor Rozee (MID/DEF, $989,000)
There has been more drama than Bailey Smith could dream of over the last couple of weeks, but none bigger than the late withdrawal from the skipper who didn’t even get on the flight. If the club isn’t going to be transparent, maybe a little more media focus on actual stories and events like the skipper of a club not making a flight or captains run would be appreciated by the fans as opposed to the alternative stories.
Zak Butters (MID, $946,000)
If you backed in the talented midfielder to have learned from his round 10 effort against the Cats where he was held to 46 with 20 possessions and no marks, you were wrong. Microwave Mullin made Butters melt again, trapping him on the turntable for 10 possessions and no marks for 34. Id like to think he has a huge response this week, but I thought that would be the case last round. The Dockers tagged him to 85 in round 11.
Christian Petracca (MID/FWD, $846,000)
The star Dee looks to have checked out with three scores under 100 on the trot and three scores in the 70s in his last five games. Maybe a new coach this week will reignite some kind of spark but his match ups aren’t overly appealing with games against the Dogs, Hawks and Pies to come.
Christian Petracca and Simon Goodwin celebrate after Melbourne’s win over West Coast at Marvel Stadium in round 21, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Jack Steele (MID, $951,000)
From No.1 trade target to ‘sore’ and a sub. After scores of 130, 136 and 119, the skipper managed just 46 in an easy match up with the Dees before copping the vest as part of his management for just 25. He has two easy games ahead but continued management is a big concern.
Zach Merrett (MID, $988,000)
Mullin appeared to enjoy himself shutting Butters down last week, so you can only assume the Bomber skipper cops it this week. Merrett has already failed to reach triple figures in his last four match ups with the Cats, so a hard tag and minimal support from teammates are big concerns for a player holding a key midfield position in Fantasy Finals.
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