After a week getting working in his tan, The Scout returns to get your official Hyundai A-League fantasy football team firing. Buy Magic Mike and sell Kiwi Messi!
No column last week because The Scout was taking a well-earned break, and while I was enjoying the beach and getting away from the Mrs and her nagging it gave me time to reflect.
Time to reflect on a season I never saw coming and let-s be honest, who did?
If someone said at the start of the season that Daniel McBreen would become a fantasy God and the Wanderers would be the goods in their first season off a short preparation you would have shoved them in a straight jacket, then a van and then into a room with padded walls.
Sometimes it takes stepping easy to see what-s really going on and what-s really going on right now is this. Sydney, Western Sydney, Central Coast and the Jets are strong, everyone else is on the wane.
Especially the Victory. I can hear the howls from Mexico now, it-s just a blip on the radar they will say.
Adrian Leijer even went so far as to proclaim they don-t need Archie Thompson, perhaps he should have looked in the mirror, because lazy Leijer is hardly inspiring his team to heroic heights of late.
But the truth is Victory do need Archie, because without him they have been somewhat impotent and Marco Rojas has been a shadow of his former self.
Which brings me to this week-s point. Ever since teams started standing up to the Victory physically they have struggled and #kiwimessi has been hammered from pillar to post.
Rojas himself jokes about his meagre stature all the time, but the ease in which he can be marked when an opponent stays tight and physically imposes themselves has to be worrying.
A big reason that they can do that is the lack of one Archie Thompson and with Archie hamstrung the striking stocks are severely depleted.
What-s the conclusion? With no Archie to take the pressure off him as an attacking weapon and just a few rounds to go with no return date for Thompson set, it might be time to cash in your considerable earnings on Rojas and buy another more in-form midfielder.
Buy Michael McGlinchey
The Mariner is in rare form and has taken to his new role of creative fulcrum like a duck to water. He-s quick loves an assist and a free-kick. And is purchasable at $282,000
SellMarco Rojas
As I said before it might be time. You-ve made money on him and with no Archie he is less effective. Sell him now before the market crashes
Team of the Week: The highest scoring, cheapest team in a valid formation; It may not actually be possible to select this team.
Formation 3-4-3 | Total points 232
Michael Theo (BR 16) Adam Griffiths (SFC 16), Iacopo La Rocca (WSW 20)Shane Steffanutto (BR 22), Steven Lustica (BR 22), Shinji Ono (WSW 18), Terry Antonis (SFC 18), Luke Brattan (BR 18), Ryan Griffiths (c) (NJ 48), Blake Powell (SFC 18), Adam Taggart (NJ 16)
Finally a huge congratulations to KRwizard, managed by Tamio, whose unwavering faith in Brisbane Roar earned them 172 points and a $100 VISA Moneycard. The team to catch though is still the Eungai Eels who are at the top and not showing any signs of slowing up.
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