While more than 1,100 people are currently battling it out for the honour of Lions Dream Team group champion, each team is probably also focussed on winning their own private league.
Player injuries suddenly become critical and trades are worth their weight in gold as teams avoid being eliminated in the cut-through top-eight style Dream Team Finals Series.
While Lions players Jed Adcock, Justin Sherman and Ash McGrath have performed admirably in the Lions’ Dream Team group, one will be eliminated this week in their private league.
Adcock - who has the highest score of the three - remarkably finished 9th in their private league while Sherman and McGrath snuck into the top eight in 5th and 9th position respectively despite scoring considerably less than the Lions Vice-Captain throughout the season.
Sherman and McGrath will now face off in a doe-or-die match-up to see who advances to the Semis.
McGrath will be hoping his first-choice ruckman - team-mate Mitch Clark - can continue his point scoring form from last week.
Clark scored a team-high 118 Dream Team points against Melbourne last weekend from his 28-disposal and 12-mark performance. It was the first time in 2010 that the Lions ruckman had surpassed the 100-point mark.
Regular Dream Team point accumulators Tom Rockliff (107 points) and Michael Rischitelli (102 points) were also among the top Lions for Round 18.
The race for the off-field championship may have bolted with CheyneB Brooke’s ‘Cloke’n’mirrors’ scoring the highest total for the round (2,304) and taking a 357-point lead from Stephen Linton’s ‘TruthOrConsequence’.
Only four matches remain in the 2010 AFL home-and-away season, so there is not much time left for teams to make bold moves…
DREAM TEAM RANKINGS (ROUND 18)
1. Cloke’n’mirrors (CheyneB Brooke) - 2,304
2. Team Aagh (Harry Lord) - 2,282
3. Burwood Lions (Brad Phillips) - 2,257
4. Plastic Vikings (Peter Gunders) - 2,243
=5. lions93 (Michael Johnston) - 2,241
=5. JDs Friends of Fev (Jess Distefano) - 2,241
DREAM TEAM LEAGUE RANKINGS (OVERALL)
1. Cloke’n’mirrors (CheyneB Brooke) - 39,099
2. TruthOrConsequence (Stephen Linton) - 38,642
3. Troy Cavanagh - 38,347
4. Barry’s (Grace Lord) - 38,061
5. The Trask Can (Chris Walkley) - 38,053
LIONS PLAYERS/STAFF DREAM TEAM RANKINGS
57. Stat Rats (Jarrod Harkness) - 37,037 (↓12)
84. Media Mafia (Sam Lord) - 36,729 (↑3)
256. Jed’s Juggernaut (Jed Adcock) - 35,144 (↓5)
282. Web Warriors (Miss Lions) - 34,943 (↑12)
382. Property Pirates (Ian Hawke) - 34,183 (↑5)
421. Boonj’s Bandits (Ash McGrath) - 33,828 (↑17)
438. Worm’s Weasels (Justin Sherman) - 33,687 (↑7)
LIONS MOST POINTS (ROUND 18)
1. Mitch Clark - 118
2. Tom Rockliff - 107
3. Michael Rischitelli - 102
4. Justin Sherman - 100
5. Simon Black - 99
LIONS MOST POINTS (OVERALL)
1. Michael Rischitelli - 1,738
2. Luke Power - 1,481
3. Jack Redden - 1,427
4. Matthew Leuenberger - 1,356
5. Daniel Rich - 1,338
TOP LIONS FORWARD
Tom Rockliff - 1,291
TOP LIONS MIDFIELDER
Michael Rischitelli - 1,738
TOP LIONS RUCKMAN
Matthew Leuenberger - 1,356
TOP LIONS DEFENDER
Ash McGrath - 927
