AFL GameDay Squad Round 1 Preview | Best Matchups, PODs & Key Trends
- The Goal Practitioner
- Mar 11
- 6 min read
AFL GameDay Squad Round 1 Preview
The AFL GameDay Squad Round 1 Preview is here, bringing you the latest insights to help you dominate this week’s matchups. Join us for Round 1 as we break down the best positional matchups, highlight the top PODs, analyze key AFL trends, and keep an eye on noteworthy venues and weather conditions. Plus, we’ll check in on BOBS' team results and reveal our early starter squad for the round.
If you haven’t signed up for AFL GameDay Squad yet, now’s the time! Use our exclusive code BOBAFL at sign-up to unlock free packs and kickstart your squad.
Let’s get into the AFL GameDay Squad Round 1 Preview and identify the must-have players for the week!
Round 1 Matchups – Best Plays by Position
Each round presents fresh opportunities for AFL GameDay Squad coaches to exploit matchups. Here are the top positional matchups for Round 1:
Richmond is a good matchup for every position in 2024, and I think this will continue in 2025. As a result, I won’t include them here. But think about them every week.
Defenders
Early in the season, St Kilda will be our go-to team to pick defenders against—until we see otherwise. In the trial game, the Port defenders all scored massively. I also think St Kilda will be a bottom-four side in 2025 and a great team to stream against.
A team to watch is Collingwood—they allowed some great scores against the Giants.
Midfielders
In 2024, a lackluster Melbourne provided great scoring opportunities, especially at the end of the year. However, Petracca is back, Clarry looks fitter than I remember, and Gawn is, well, still Gawn. For me, I won’t back them as a great matchup.
The team I’m going in hard against this week is West Coast. Their midfield has been decimated by injuries, with ACLs and players under injury clouds. They will be a great team to stream against this year and as the season goes on.
Rucks
This week, thanks to Sam Taylor folding Kieran Briggs like a lawn chair, Max Gawn is the man. GWS has no real ruck backup for Briggs, so I expect this to be the best possible ruck matchup.
I don’t like players coming off injuries and interrupted preseasons, so I’m cool on the R1 of 2024 in Rowan Marshall.
I’m ice cold on Boyd—he’s been named to debut for St Kilda.
Forwards
Picking the right forwards each week will be massive for us in 2025. In 2024, the data trend (unsurprisingly) strongly supported playing key forwards and general forwards against the bottom four teams and Carlton.
It’s hard not to mention Harry McKay as an F1 option against Richmond.
West Coast is another team that provides an amazing matchup, based on 2024 data.
This will be a huge space to watch, and we will continue to review matchups and form, as it will be key to GameDay Squad success in 2025.
Top 5 PODs for Round 1
Every round, unique point-of-difference (POD) players can separate the best squads from the pack. Here are five left-field picks to consider:
Tom Liberatore – No Adam Treloar, no Marcus Bontempelli. Libba showed us exactly what he’s capable of as the Dogs’ M1 in their trial match with 155 GDS. He rolls into a great matchup against North. He may get some attention from Will Phillips, but tagging often takes time to get into full swing (unless you’re Nick Daicos).
Patrick Cripps – It may sound odd talking about the reigning Brownlow Medallist as a POD, but as a fantasy option, he sits in the second tier. He plays Richmond and dropped 40 disposals against them in Round 16, 2024. He will dominate them again. If you’re looking for a POD, this guy is safe as houses.
Jarrod Witts or Tom De Koning – If you’re looking to swing away from the top rucks, both of these guys have the ability to score and come up against ideal ruck matchups from 2024 data.
Will Day – Can we back him in two weeks in a row? He was electric in Round 0 and comes up against a Bombers team that allowed plenty of midfield points at +6 on average in 2024.
Rory Laird – Playing in defense against St Kilda, he provides a huge opportunity for a massive score. The risk is that if he’s not taking kick-ins, he’ll need a lot of marks to pad his stats. He’s also listed as a midfielder for GameDay Squad 2025 (remember, there is no DPP).
AFL Trends Noticed by BOBS
BOBS keeps an eye on emerging trends to help GameDay Squad coaches get ahead. Here are key observations from recent rounds:
Defenders vs. Collingwood were great in Round 0, but a one-game sample size is small—so we’ll watch this closely.
Nic Martin played HFF rather than HBF, where he dominated in 2024. He showed plenty in bruise-free preseason footy, but for me, he’s a huge watch and potential fade option.
Ryley Sanders looks to be the beneficiary of the Dogs’ injury crisis ahead of Kennedy. This could see him shoot into contention as a forward option in 2025. A close watch in Round 1.
Weather & Venue Watch – Key Conditions for Round 1
Before locking in your squad, consider these weather and venue factors that could impact fantasy scoring:
We love games under the roof at Marvel Stadium—fast track and no classic late Melbourne weather changes, especially as the season progresses.
After Cyclone Alfred ruined Round 0, the early weather review for WA, SA, NSW, and VIC looks great.
Thursday, March 13
Richmond vs. Carlton
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Time: 7:30 PM AEDT
Forecast: Cloudy with a high of 23°C and a low of 17°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Friday, March 14
Hawthorn vs. Essendon
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Time: 7:40 PM AEDT
Forecast: Mostly sunny with a high of 33°C and a low of 16°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Saturday, March 15
Geelong vs. Fremantle
Venue: GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Time: 1:20 PM AEDT
Forecast: Mostly sunny with a high of 33°C and a low of 16°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Sydney vs. Brisbane
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney
Time: 4:15 PM AEDT
Forecast: Sunny to partly cloudy, very warm and humid, with a high of 30°C and a low of 20°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Western Bulldogs vs. North Melbourne
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Time: 7:35 PM AEDT
Forecast: Mostly cloudy with a high of 33°C and a low of 20°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Collingwood vs. Port Adelaide
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Time: 7:35 PM AEDT
Forecast: Mostly cloudy with a high of 33°C and a low of 20°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Sunday, March 16
Adelaide vs. St Kilda
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Time: 12:35 PM AEDT
Forecast: Mostly sunny with a high of 35°C and a low of 21°C.
Chance of Rain: 20%
Expected Rainfall: 0 mm
Melbourne vs. GWS
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Time: 3:20 PM AEDT
Forecast: Windy and cooler with a thick cloud cover; a couple of showers in the morning followed by a little rain in the afternoon. High of 23°C and low of 12°C.
Chance of Rain: 80%
Expected Rainfall: 2-5 mm
West Coast Eagles vs. Gold Coast Suns
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth
Time: 3:10 PM AWST
Forecast: Partly cloudy with a high of 27°C and a low of 18°C.
Chance of Rain: 60%
Expected Rainfall: 0 to 4 mm
(source BOM 12/03/2024)
Teams and Their Taggers
This will be an evolving area as we see trends develop. We’ve covered which teams employed taggers in 2024 here.
In Round 0, Toby Bedford provided a hard tag on Nick Daicos to great effect.
In Round 1, I think he’ll go to Petracca and potentially follow him into defense, where he’ll be at a significant disadvantage. Clayton Oliver is his other likely target.
BOBS League & Team Results
The Goal Practitioner
Starter – 17th
Classic – 27th
Challenger – 3rd
Champion – 5th
Fading Meek cost me big time, as well as my lack of Will Day respect.
Cash Money
Starter – 79th
Classic – 26th
Challenger – 26th
Champion – 18th
Tough round—fading Meek and injuries hurt.
Beast Mode
Starter – 6th
Classic – 18th
Challenger – 11th
Champion – DNQ
BOBS Early Starter – Team of the Round
Based on matchups, form, and GameDay Squad strategy, here’s an early look at a high-upside squad for Round 1:
Final Thoughts
Round 1 presents juicy matchups, high-upside PODs, and key trends to watch. Stay tuned for more insights from Blokes on the Ball, and good luck in GameDay Squad Round 1!
Cheers,
The Goal Practitioner
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