Catch up with the latest Official A-Leagues Fantasy talking points from the weekend, brought to you by Liberty.
Another weekend of Official A-Leagues Fantasy action is in the books, and a number of high-scorers caught the eye in 12 games across both competitions.
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These are the key takeaways from the fifth round of fantasy football in the Isuzu UTE A-League, and Round 6 of the Liberty A-League, thanks to Liberty.
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A Matilda’s return leads to ridiculous fantasy numbers
Emily van Egmond is just two games into her four-game guest stint at Newcastle Jets, and the Matildas star has already climbed into 30th place on the list of individual fantasy scorers for the whole Liberty A-League season.
The star Jets recruit is surrounded on the leaderboard with players who have five or six appearances to their name for the season to date – but after a 24-point haul in a 4-3 win over Canberra United, the midfielder has taken her overall points tally to 46 after just two games in the competition this season.
Van Egmond is a tantalising prospect for fantasy managers, with the free-scoring Jets bolstered by the arrival of Philippines international Sarina Bolden who scored two goals on debut and slotted seamlessly into a Newcastle attack firing on all cylinders. But, to bring Van Egmond into your team now only means you’ll be looking for a replacement after two rounds when her guest contract comes to an end.
Van Egmond has an extraordinary 23-point average after just two appearances. Coming closely behind, however, is Vesna Milivojevic. The second of two Liberty A-League outliers after Round 6, the Canberra United star has played just four games but has 86 points on the board.
Milivojevic is your “set and forget” captain for 2023-24. There’s no debating her status as the ruler of Liberty A-League Fantasy moving forward; Canberra have had two games postponed early in the season meaning there are catch-up games to be played, and the potential for double points. And every team the Serbia international steps onto the pitch, she’s scoring big.
Milivojevic hasn’t scored under 15 points in a single round to date, posting two scores of 20+. A 28-point haul in Round 6 is her highest of the season, making the Canberra star the highest-scoring player of the round and the leader of the Team of the Week.
‘Nix penalty king reigns supreme
Behold, the rise of Alex Paulsen.
The Wellington Phoenix gloveman is having an extraordinary season in the Isuzu UTE A-League; the departure of Oli Sail to Perth Glory might have had Phoenix fans concerned in the off-season, but no longer. Paulsen has stepped up to become Wellington’s No.1, and is dominating both on the pitch, and from a fantasy perspective.
The 21-year-old leads the Isuzu UTE A-League Fantasy Team of the Week in Round 5, with his 23-point haul earned off a clean sheet and a penalty save in a 1-0 win over Melbourne City.
It was his second match-winning penalty save in just five rounds to start the season, after a late stop to deny Perth Glory’s Adam Taggart in a 2-1 win in late October.
From a fantasy perspective, Paulsen has become a revelation.
His starting value of $150k has been blitzed after five rounds; Paulsen now sits at $305k, rewarding his early owners with a dramatic price increase.
Paulsen’s fantasy value is expected to rise by another $100k after Round 6.
The Phoenix keeper leads the Round 5 Team of the Week, which is dominated by defenders. Alexandar Popović, Aleksandar Šušnjar, Storm Roux and Matt Millar all bagged goals as defenders in Round 5, with Jacob Farrell assisting Roux in Central Coast’s F3 Derby win over Newcastle to join the goalscoring defenders in a back five.
Jay O’Shea continued his brilliant fantasy season with a 20-point haul, while Mariners star Marco Tulio continues his welcome return to form. Tulio had a rough start to the season but has posted consecutive scores of 10+, with his 15-point haul in Round 5 just reward for his best performance of the season to date.
