With six teams vying for three places in the final eight, both Geelong and the Western Bulldogs were in need of the four points to achieve their aspirations for September football. The Bulldogs, who the week before dismantled the Gold Coast in Cairns, were coming off of a four game winning streak. Geelong suffered one of its crippling defeats of the season to North Melbourne. Fortunately, Geelong did win, but not without a fight from the Bulldogs. 

The match brought upon copious fantasy benefits, with eighteen players from the two teams combined reaching the 80 points mark. The Cats, were of course without Joel Selwood, yet it was Josh Caddy who dominated play. He was the top fantasy scorer for the day with 145, followed by Steven Motlop (139), Luke Dahlhaus (132), Mark Blicavs (123) and Jimmy Bartel (122) rounding out the top five.

Key matchups such as Steve Johnson (62) on Matthew Boyd (49) at one end were costly for their owners while others such as Jimmy Bartel (122) on Luke Dahlhaus (132) were a gold mine of fantasy points. The return of Mitch Duncan – his first game since breaking his foot in Round 7 – paid dividends for Geelong as he and Steven Motlop spurred the home side to victory.

Injuries were aplenty in proceedings as Cory Gregson (foot) was substituted out of the game and Mitch Wallis (back) and Easton Wood (stomach region) battled on through the soreness.

With Geelong Captain Joel Selwood suspended, Josh Caddy was the man Chris Scott looked to step up in his absence and the former first round pick did not disappoint. Carrying a strong vein of form heading into the game, Caddy shouldered much of the Cats’ midfield workload, with a game high 37 disposals 23 of which were contested. Statistically, it was Caddy’s best game of his career, reaching 145 fantasy points in the process. In the midfield he reached new heights, recording 12 clearances which guided the Cats within one of the Bulldogs in that facet – one of which Geelong have struggled in 2015. Caddy now has a rolling average of 105 across his past eight appearances, hallmarking his breakout season in the Geelong midfield. 

Following a subdued outing against North Melbourne, Steven Motlop was the spark for Geelong against the Bulldogs. He has become a true barometer for Geelong, kicking three crucial goals to see his side eight points the better. All of his goals came in the second half – the raw difference between the two teams. He gathered 23 disposals and 11 tackles – elite for a small forward, culminating in 139 AFL Fantasy points. Motlop was behind Caddy for tackles, highlighting the importance and relevance of the stat in fantasy platforms. His 139 points was also a career high and the sixth 100+ score for the season.

It was a long layoff for Mitch Duncan, but his return yielded instant impact both for his team and for his fantasy score. While Mark Blicavs’ 123 was the third highest score for the hoops, Duncan’s 94 on return oozed composure and was a main contributor in his side’s victory. Operating at 88% efficiency, Duncan returned with 23 disposals playing through the midfield and outside on the wing. His 94, while dwarfed in comparison to Blicavs’ 123, was conjured from only 73% game time, suggesting Duncan was eased back into the grind and is bound to see his workload and subsequent fantasy output increase over the coming weeks.

Jackson Thurlow was in no way fantasy relevant against the Bulldogs. His downward spiral of form since Andrew Mackie’s return continued and was only able to manage 16 touches and 51 fantasy points. A shining light in his performance was his ability to operate at 100% efficiency despite the feat not correlating into fantasy. He was given the matchup on the much taller Jack Redpath and had his hands full all day. Thurlow has now dipped approximately $40k since Mackie’s return to the first team.

Steve Johnson was Geelong’s 13th highest fantasy scorer, with a below par 64. The Round 16 preview alluded to Motlop as the main target of the Bulldogs’ medium sized defenders however it was Johnson who was targeted. Matthew Boyd was given the task of manning Johnson, regardless of Johnson playing mainly down forward and was unable to boot any majors, only two behinds. While he wasn’t able to impact the scoreboard first hand, Johnson contributed with a game-high four score assists.

Chris Scott continued his latest fad of handing the green substitutes vest to his aging veterans and on Saturday, he again gave it to Matthew Stokes. Stokes was activated in the third quarter following an injury to Cory Gregson, mustering only 27% game time. He has now donned a vest three times this year, including both the green and red over the past fortnight and appears to have fallen out of favour in the Geelong midfield. His 30 points from the limited game time does show he still has a fantasy relevant game although his rapidly declining price and break even score of 118 may and should warrant warning signs for his owners.

•Mark Blicavs (3rd) continued his midfield domination with thirteen touches, 31 hitouts and 123 fantasy points.

•Josh Caddy (1st) went head to head with Mitch Wallis and was best afield. The main workhorse in the Geelong midfield which generated 37 disposals, one goal, twelve clearances, seven tackles and 145 fantasy points.

•Jimmy Bartel (4th) played mainly in defence on Luke Dahlhaus. He managed eleven tackles, 23 disposals and 122 fantasy points.

•Corey Enright (6th) managed another fantasy ton via 23 disposals – 17 of which were kicks.

•Steve Johnson (13th) was bettered by Matthew Boyd in the forward line. He was unable to impact the scoreboard and managed a mere 62 fantasy points.

Geelong will hit the road in Round 17, heading north to Canberra where they’ll face the finals bound GWS Giants at Startrek Oval. The game looms large for both teams’ finals aspirations and a loss for either side could simply mean game over. Geelong is likely to recall Joel Selwood after enduring his one match suspension. The Giants are coming off a two game winning streak with Devon Smith and Callan Ward looming as dangerous threats for the home side.