Ultimate A-League Blog » Blog Archive » Fantasy week 12 wrap-up

Fantasy week 12 wrap-up

December 28, 2011 by Justin Tickner

Week 12 of the 2011/12 A-League season was packed full of action, with 21 goals across the 5 fixtures at an average of over 4 goals per game. Add to that the fact that only one goalkeeper managed to keep a clean sheet, toss in a couple of red cards, and you’re left with a round where fantasy managers had plenty of possible ways to score points.

Just so you know (and knowing is half the battle), a quick note on the upcoming week 13 of the A-League; FoxSports are treating week 13 as two separate rounds of fantasy football. The first round will be the 5 games from Thursday until New Years Eve. The second round will be the 5 games back-to-back on Wednesday 4th January. Now, back to week 12…

In terms of goalkeepers, as we already mentioned there was only one who managed to keep the opposition at bay. That man was Glen Moss’s replacement Jerrad Tyson, who kept the Roar out and secured himself a handy 6 points. As we mentioned last week, if you need a cheap goalkeeper, Tyson is a great pickup at just over $75,000 due to the fact that Moss is likely to be out of action for the next few months. Heart’s Clint Bolton also posted 6 points, thanks largely to the 5 points he earned for denying Carlos Hernandez from the penalty spot in last Friday’s Melbourne derby.

Byun Sung-Hwan topped the points scoring for defenders this week, totting up 9 points thanks primarily to his one goal and one assist. At $178k and having scored 40 points so far this season, Byun could be a handy pickup for any fantasy manager looking for a relatively low cost defender who is guaranteed to get game time. The Mariners’ Pedj Bojic continued his high scoring ways with a handy 8 points this week as well, taking his season total to 53. With the form the Mariners are in at the moment, if you have the cash ($214k) to afford him, Bojic will likely continue to net good results as the clean sheets rack up and he continues to get forward into goal scoring and assist earning positions.

Across the midfield this week, Heart vice-captain Matt Thompson was back to his best, netting two goals, an assist, and a week 12 fantasy high of 15 points. In the bargain bin for fantasy managers this week sits Wellington’s Dani Sanchez, a steal at $105k after scoring a brace against Newcastle which earned him 12 points. Phoenix teammate Daniel scored a respectable 11 points this week too, and with 2 of the next 3 games at home for Wellington where the ‘Nix are a formidable opponent, he might be another player worth considering trading for. Ben Halloran is still the best value midfielder ($81k) on the fantasy market after another 6 points this week. Get him into your team ASAP!

Up front, points were fairly even across the striker pool this week, with the Central Coast duo of Matt Simon and Bernie Ibini scoring 9 points alongside Phoenix youngster Mirjan Pavlovic. Pavlovic may seem like a good investment at $121k, but his game time thus far has been limited, and were it not for a few goals against an already battered Newcastle Jets, he wouldn’t have scored well. Bernie Ibini, at $147k, is the man of the moment the last few rounds, and with the Mariners in blistering form, he could be a very fortuitous pickup for most fantasy managers.

But onto the weekly winner of the Pelé Sports prize, which this week was the Pelada Shorts. And the winner this week, with an impressive total of 66 points, is Matt Salgo. Matt’s team was headlined by big scores from Pedj Bojic (captain), Dani Sanchez, Daniel and Bernie Ibini. To claim your prize, Matt, please send an email to enquiries@ultimatealeague.com.

You can always be a part of our fantasy competition and have a chance to win weekly and grand prizes courtesy of Pelé Sports. To enter our fantasy competition, just navigate to our homepage, and use the fantasy link from the right hand side of the page.

Next week’s Pelé Sports prize for the weekly fantasy winner is the Star Board Shorts (see below). So, make sure you pick and trade well this week, check in with the A-League injury list before the first game of the week on Thursday night, and good luck with your team in week 13! Oh, and a happy new year to all our UAL readers, fans and followers!