Tom Mitchell may have smashed the AFL record for disposals in a season and won his first Brownlow Medal this year, but he’s far from the highest-paid footballer in the league.
However, in fantasy land the Hawks’ ball-winning midfielder is raking in the big bucks against his contemporaries and closing in quick on the million-dollar mark.
The league’s official website released the names of the most expensive players in 2019’s AFL Fantasy Classic game with Mitchell sitting comfortably atop the list on an opening value of $938,000.
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Western Bulldog Jack Macrae was a big mover after a season that saw him pushing Mitchell through the first 12 rounds, before missing three weeks with a hamstring injury.
In real life ruckmen seem to be heading onto the endangered-species list, but in fantasy they’ve still got the ability to be game changers, with Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn slotting into the third and fourth-most expensive slots respectively, while re-signed Eagles midfielder Andrew Gaff rounds out the top five.
The GWS Giants have three players in the top 20, grand finallists West Coast and Collingwood have two each as do fellow top eight sides Melbourne and Geelong, while the dominant team of this year, Richmond, fails to get a player amongst the big-earners list.
AFL Fantasy Classic 2019 top 10
| Player | Club | Position | 2018 points ave. | 2019 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Mitchell | Hawthorn | Midfielder | 129.2 | $938,000 |
| Jack Macrae | Bulldogs | Midfielder | 122.6 | $890,000 |
| Brodie Grundy | Collingwood | Ruck | 120 | $871,000 |
| Max Gawn | Melbourne | Ruck | 111.3 | $808,000 |
| Andrew Gaff | West Coast | Midfielder | 110.7 | $803,000 |
| Stephen Coniglio | GWS Giants | Midfielder | 110.4 | $801,000 |
| Patrick Cripps | CAR MID | Midfielder | 109.3 | $793,000 |
| Clayton Oliver | Melbourne | Midfielder | 109.1 | $792,000 |
| Adam Treloar | Collingwood | Midfielder | 108.4 | $787,000 |
| Josh Kelly | GWS Giants | Midfielder | 108.4 | $787,000 |
| Rory Laird | Adelaide | Defender | 107.8 | $782,000 |
| Sebastian Ross | St Kilda | Midfielder | 107.3 | $779,000 |
| Elliot Yeo | West Coast | Midfielder | 106.7 | $775,000 |
| Devon Smith | Essendon | Mid/Fwd | 106.6 | $774,000 |
| Patrick Dangerfield | Geelong | Mid/Fwd | 106.2 | $771,000 |
| Justin Westhoff | Port Adelaide | Ruck/Fwd | 101.9 | $740,000 |
| Jake Lloyd | Sydney | Defender | 101.6 | $738,000 |
| Stefan Martin | Brisbane | Ruck | 101.3 | $735,000 |
| Lachie Whitfield | GWS Giants | Defender | 100.1 | $726,000 |
| Sam Menegola | Geelong | Mid/Fwd | 98.6 | $716,000 |