For fans of AFL Fantasy, the NAB Cup is more than just a pre-season football competition.
It also presents an opportunity for prospective Dream Team coaches to closely monitor the talent from across all 18 AFL teams and ultimately decide which players are worthy of selection in their own 2013 Dream Team.
And those fantasy ‘scouts’ watching the action at Metricon Stadium last Saturday night would have witnessed a number of fine scoring performances from Brisbane Lions players.
Daniel Rich proved the Lions’ highest scorer with a combined total of 81 Dream Team points across his games against Hawthorn and Gold Coast.
Rich enjoyed a personal best season in 2012 and seems to be relishing the extra responsibility of being appointed Vice-Captain.
At $439,000, last year's Club Champion Runner-Up is not cheap, but presents great value given he looks set to take his game to even greater heights in 2013.
Another popular Dream Team selection, Tom Rockliff, would have all but sewn up a place in most Fantasy teams following typically productive performances against the Hawks and Suns.
Rockliff, who can be selected as either a midfielder or forward this season, racked up 79 points from two games.
Mitch Golby rounded out the Lions’ top three with 78 points – which is enough to warrant serious consideration when selecting your backline.
Golby had a breakout season in 2012 before a foot injury sidelined him for the second half of the season.
His return on Saturday night showed that he’s no ‘one year wonder’. In fact, it looks as though the Kilcunda-Bass product will perform more of a ‘mopping up’ role across half-back, meaning he’s likely to find plenty of the ball.
The Club’s two off-season recruits from Melbourne – Brent Moloney and Stefan Martin – also did their Dream Team chances no harm, with promising scores.
Despite only playing in one match, Patrick Karnezis deserves a mention for his 45-point effort against the Hawks.
Karnezis is dirt cheap at just $238,500, particularly if he plays more minutes in the midfield which looks likely this season.
Meanwhile, don’t be alarmed by relatively modest returns from the Club’s two highest-priced Dream Team players – Jack Redden and Dayne Zorko.
The pair might have only scored 46 and 51 points respectively from their two matches, but both looked all class and probably won’t reach the peak of their prowess until Round One of the season proper.
Please find below a list of the top 10 Dream Team scorers from the Lions’ first two NAB Cup matches.
81 – Daniel Rich ($439,000) MID
79 – Tom Rockliff ($481,700) MID/FWD
78 – Mitch Golby ($379,700) DEF
70 – Brent Moloney ($309,800) MID
65 – Stefan Martin ($356,400) RUC/FWD
61 – James Polkinghorne ($293,900) MID
56 – Todd Banfield ($197,100) FWD
51 – Dayne Zorko ($487,800) MID/FWD
50 – Rohan Bewick ($293,300) FWD
46 – Jack Redden ($531,100) MID
Check out a full preview of the Lions’ Fantasy prospects.
Early Fantasy form
Mitch Golby was one of the early AFL Dream Team standouts for the Lions