In 2015, the Cats are thrilled to be partnering with fantasy experts footyprophet.com to bring you all the insight you need about AFL Fantasy and the Cats’ fantasy value. Every week Footy Prophet will rank their ‘Footy Prophet Fantasy Five’, ranking the top 5 players predicted to score the highest and then will review the results in the review!

THE WRAP UP

Chris Scott pulled the first surprise of the day electing to hand the green substitute vest to experienced campaigner, Mathew Stokes.

After kicking the first two goals of the game it seemed to be a good move but Geelong were never really on top in the contest against West Coast. The Eagles outfit was strong at their home ground on a sunny Sunday afternoon but despite their dominance around the ground, the margin remained within three goals up to three quarter time.

Poor kicking from West Coast kept Geelong in the contest, at least on the scoreboard, but although Tom Hawkins ($354,000 FWD) was clearly winning his matchup, the Cats couldn't get it to him enough. Pressure on the ball carrier and poor kicking allowed Jeremy McGovern ($365,000 DEF/FWD) to drop back and intercept throughout the day.

Nic Naitanui ($421,000 RUCK) was one of the Eagles best, with 36 hit-outs, seven clearances and two goals while it was Josh Kennedy ($505,000 FWD) who did the damage on the scoreboard, kicking six goals himself. Chris Masten ($517,000 MID) was outstanding for West Coast in the first half, playing behind the ball, as was Corey Enright (478,000 DEF) for Geelong.

It was always going to be a challenge for Geelong to travel west and face the Eagles who not only have a good record at home, but a good win loss record this year. Geelong now sit twelfth on the AFL ladder with four wins and five losses and are forced to face the media’s questions of a rebuild.

Rhys Stanley ($354,000 FWD) was substituted out of the match at half time with an apparent knee injury while Mitch Clark ($289,000 FWD/RUCK) took no further part in the match after coming off with a sore ankle shortly after half time.

THE STANDOUTS

Corey Enright ($478,000 DEF) bounced back from a quiet game in round eight, registering an above average 93 AFL Fantasy points and redeeming himself with fantasy coaches. Against the Eagles his effort could not be questioned, 21 disposals and ten marks is a valiant effort in a backline that was truly under fire.

Tom Hawkins ($354,000 FWD) has had a good start to the season in terms of form, effort and team work. Despite missing two games he is still top two at the club for goals and will have enjoyed getting on the end of a few on Sunday. Six contested marks inside forward 50 and four tackles led to an above average AFL Fantasy score of 88 and a price increase of $15,000.

Josh Caddy ($414,000 MID) backed up his near best on ground performance in round eight with another strong effort against West Coast. The breakout contender has had trouble stringing good games together thus far and will be pleased to do so this week. He led the match for clearances on Sunday and was one of Geelong's driving forces forward. An AFL Fantasy score of 89 is good value for money from Caddy.

WHO FELL SHORT

Jackson Thurlow ($394,000 DEF/MID) was one of Geelong's best on field in their loss to Sydney and tallied 30 disposals in their win over Collingwood but he has had two lean weeks since. There's a lot of pressure on the 21 year old to deliver the ball well from the back half. He was given the responsibility of taking the kick outs for Geelong on Sunday, and there were a lot of them. Geelong as a team struggled to get the ball outside of defensive 50 but the problem was, more often than not, the second or third kick. Thurlow has just the 13 possessions for Geelong, he simply couldn't find the ball when the Cats didn't have it. An AFL Fantasy score of 55 is below his form of recent weeks and now may be a time for coaches to trade in the “cash cow”.

Jordan Murdoch ($393,000 FWD) was another Cat who failed to back up a best on field performance. Ten disposals and one goal is a far cry from his performance of round eight but his intention to move the ball at pace was admirable. Murdoch's effort should not be doubted in what a tough day at the office for the majority of Geelong players.

Joel Selwood ($502,000 MID) wasn't tagged this week although his AFL Fantasy coaches could be forgiven for thinking Ed Curnow had followed him to Domain Stadium. Selwood hasn't been prolific in 2015, and Sunday's match against West Coast was no exception. He never really got going and in true Selwood style he continue to give 100% until the final siren, but for fantasy coaches it's all about the numbers. Those numbers being 19 disposals, one mark and three tackles for a disappointing score of 61.

FOOTY PROPHET'S FANTASY FIVE

Last week we predicted who Geelong's top 5 AFL Fantasy players would be. Some of them we got right, a couple we got wrong. Let’s take a look.

• Joel Selwood (10^th) went head to head with Matt Priddis for much of the match. As usual he worked hard but just couldn't find his way into the game. 61 AFL Fantasy points is not what his coaches wanted.
• Tom Hawkins (5^th) was dominant in the forward line. He had the better of his matchup and when the ball came in, he was threatening. Three goals and 88 AFL Fantasy points is a good return and could have been more if he had kicked truly on a couple of occasions.
• Steve Johnson (3^rd) found plenty of the football between the arcs and led Geelong for inside 50s, although his disposal let him down at times. Regardless, 27 possessions nets a reasonable 89 AFL Fantasy points for Johnson.
• Mathew Stokes (17^th) started as the substitute and was injected into the game at half time. 13 disposals isn't a bad effort in half a game of football and he was particularly influential early in the third quarter when Geelong looked to fight back. Stokes tallied 52 AFL Fantasy points.
• Mark Blicavs (2^nd) had another solid game, both for Geelong and for his AFL Fantasy coaches, registering 91 points. He was less influential around the ground this week but made a larger contribution in the ruck after Stanley went down.

NEXT WEEK

Geelong have a six day turn around before they face Essendon on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium. The two clubs have traditionally close matchups with Paul Chapman providing some extra feeling to the matches over the past year. Geelong will need to find replacements for rucking options Rhys Stanley and Mitch Clark should they fail to recover from their injuries over the course of the week. The matchup looms as a crucial one for each side and both teams sit outside of the top eight on four wins.