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

Although the teams hadn't faced each other at ANZ Stadium since 2010, Saturday night's matchup was a typically hard fought contest.

Geelong continued on with the form they found in the previous week against Collingwood and took a one point lead into quarter time. The midfield generated some good run between the arcs, driven by Cameron Guthrie ($383,000 MID) who had six possessions and a goal in the opening term. The Cats pressure remained strong in the second term, as youngsters Darcy Lang ($274,000 MID) and NAB Rising Star nominee, Cory Gregson ($319,000 MID) showed maturity in slotting goals.

Tom Hawkins was a late withdrawal from the team due to a glute complaint. Josh Walker ($249,000 FWD) came in to the side, but along with Mitch Clark and Shane Kersten, he had a quiet night. The trio of talls could manage just five behinds between them.

In the second half, Sydney came out on fire. An early goal to Kieren Jack ($510,000 MID) and increased pressure around the ball was enough to keep Geelong to a single goal for the quarter. On top of this, Mitch Duncan ($483,000 MID), who was arguably the Cats best midfielder on the day, suffered a foot injury midway through the third term and was substituted out of the match. He looks set to miss 10-12 weeks, as reported on the club website.

Free Agent recruit, Sam Blease ($177,000 FWD/MID) made his debut in the hoops when he was substituted into the match for Duncan and made good use of his pace. The final term however was all Sydney. Seven goals to one, including two each to Lance Franklin ($504,000 FWD) and Tom Mitchell ($491,000 FWD/MID) put the final nails in the coffin. Luke Parker ($530,000 MID) was the best performed on the night both on the field and in AFL Fantasy terms, scoring 166 points.

THE STANDOUTS

Jackson Thurlow ($364,000 DEF/MID) had another fine game in defense for Geelong. The first round draft pick is playing like a man with more than 15 games under his belt. A 25 disposal game, with 7 marks, 7 rebound 50s and a goal was enough to earn Thurlow 100 AFL Fantasy points and a $37,000 price rise. The 21 year old used the football well when he got the chance against Sydney, with a disposal efficiency of 80% is a very solid return from 25 touches. Thurlow’s relevance in fantasy land is still yet to be seen when playing alongside Andrew Mackie.

Josh Caddy ($389,000 MID) played a solid game. His AFL Fantasy score of 57 doesn't reflect it, but when Geelong needed strength at the contest, Caddy was their man. Only 12 disposals to the recruit from Gold Coast but eight clearances and seven tackles were game high numbers. Geelong matched Sydney in the tackle count on Saturday night, largely thanks to Josh Caddy. If he can carry his good work around the ball into round eight and find the football a little bit more, his AFL Fantasy coaches will reap the rewards.

The mercurial Steve Johnson ($453,000 MID) showed both sides of the coin against Sydney, the good and the bad. Johnson played end to end football a little bit more this week than he has in previous weeks. At times he followed the ball deep into defense to help the beleaguered backline. Johnson looks like his is manufacturing good form. He didn't find the football as much as usual but things happen when 'Stevie J' gets the ball, so 5 inside 50s and 2 goals for 92 AFL Fantasy points is a decent return from him. He's building and is using the ball with greater efficiency as the weeks go by. His AFL Fantasy price is reasonable and his coaches could see a real uptick in his output in the coming weeks.

WHO FELL SHORT

Joel Selwood ($548,000 MID) was tagged by Ben McGlynn, and well beaten in the matchup. He still managed to have 8 clearances and a goal but his influence on the game was quelled and his disposal was largely ineffective. McGlynn on the other hand had 21 disposals, two goal assists and ten tackles.

Harry Taylor ($421,000 DEF) matched up against the veteran Swan in Adam Goodes, and although he managed to keep Goodes to just the one goal, Taylor couldn't influence the game himself. One of the better players in the competition at intercept marks; Taylor managed only 3 marks for the match and was unable to help Tom Lonergan nullify Lance Franklin.

It doesn't seem fair to have Mitch Duncan ($483,000 MID) in this category given he was substituted out of the match during the third quarter with a foot injury, but 63 AFL Fantasy points definitely fell short of his output from the previous two weeks. To his credit, Duncan was one of Geelong's better midfielders in the first half and was on track to once again top 100 AFL Fantasy points. While Duncan's score may have hurt his coaches on the weekend, his price will not. Previous high scores have seen him still manage to gain $14,000 this week.

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.

• Steve Johnson (2^nd) was the second highest scoring Cat in round seven with 92 AFL Fantasy points. We tipped him to continue improving in form and he has. A solid but not amazing performance.
• Josh Caddy (13^th) had an AFL Fantasy score of 57. He needed to bring his contested game to Sydney and he did, eight clearances and seven tackles were team highs. Unfortunately for Geelong, he just couldn't find enough of the ball.
• Steve Motlop (8^th) put in another mediocre performance. He was good when he got the ball, he took the right options and he finished well, but he could work harder when he doesn't have it. 79 AFL Fantasy points is spot on.
• Joel Selwood (7^th) was tagged out of the game by Ben McGlynn. He had little influence on the game and delivered poorly with the ball. His AFL Fantasy score of 80 is flattering.
• Jackson Thurlow (1^st) was good again for Geelong. Found plenty of the football in a backline that struggled to contain a raft of Sydney midfielders pushing forward. Used the ball really well, including a game high seven rebound 50s and kicked a goal to boot. A well-deserved 100 AFL Fantasy points.

NEXT WEEK

Geelong have a six day break before they get a chance to right their wrongs against Carlton on Friday night at Etihad Stadium. With both teams suffering losses in round seven, the match is set up to be season defining. Geelong sit 13^th on the ladder, well below where their expectations had them placed after seven rounds, and their rivals Carlton sit last with just the one win to their name. This matchup has seen a few close games in recent times and it may not be as one sided as many believe.