AFL GameDay Squad Round 4 Preview | Best Matchups, PODs & Key Trends
- blokesontheball
- Apr 4
- 5 min read
The AFL GameDay Squad Round 4 Preview is here!
As always, summarising the latest insights to help you pick your squads for this week's games.
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Let’s get into the AFL GameDay Squad Round 4 Preview and identify the must-have players for the week!
Top 5 PODs for the Round – How Did We Go Last Week?
Jayden Short – 128 GDS – ✅
Tom Liberatore – 166 GDS – ✅ MASSIVE
Matthew Kennedy – 115 GDS – ✅
Oscar McInerny – ❌ LATE OUT
Riley Thilthorpe – 116 GDS – ✅
PODs for Round 4
Clayton Oliver – Unlikely to be tagged and Geelong are giving up scores to midfielders. Expecting Oliver to be very solid this week. Don’t be surprised to see a 130+ GDS score.
Jesse Hogan – West Coast can’t keep the forwards down and Hogan should dominate.
Jase Burgoyne – Killing it in his defensive role and St Kilda are giving up points in that area.
Kieren Briggs – Was okay in his return last week but should dominate at home this week against West Coast.
Jayden Short – Is he a POD if he’s in here two weeks in a row? Still averaging below the top defenders and should get plenty of ball against Brisbane this week.
The AFL GameDay Squad Round 4 Preview – Best Plays by Position
In General:
West Coast are getting decimated at the moment and giving up a lot of points. You can’t go wrong with loading up on GWS players this week!
Defenders:
In the early stages of the season, defenders have scored best against Richmond and St Kilda. The Lions play Richmond this week. Outside of Zorko, there aren’t many high-scoring defenders. Darcy Wilmot is a value POD, but I’d take caution. St Kilda come up against Port, who don’t have many current premium defenders for GDS scoring. Jase Burgoyne, however, has been playing at half-back and could be a huge option as a midfielder this week.
Midfielders:
It’s still a mixed bag in terms of which teams are giving up the most points to midfielders (outside of West Coast). GWS come up against the Eagles, meaning midfielders like Tom Green, Finn Callaghan, and Josh Kelly are likely to perform well. Richmond are also giving up points, so Dunkley and Neale will feature in many sides this week. Another option is McCluggage, who was massive last week and is flying under the radar. Geelong are conceding slightly more points than others to midfielders. With Oliver finding form, he could be an excellent POD option this week.
Rucks:
Geelong has been a bit of a target opponent lately, with Sam De Koning conceding heavy points. If Stanley doesn’t come in, everything points to Gawn having a strong performance against the Cats this week. Even if Stanley does return, Gawn is still a great option. Briggs could also be a great POD as West Coast have struggled to contain rucks. Any POD pick requires caution due to the amazing form of Tom De Koning.
Forwards:
Melbourne have been conceding lots of scores to forwards. After a quiet game in the wet last week, Jeremy Cameron should bounce back. Also hard to ignore how good Gryan Miers has been lately. As with every line, West Coast have been getting smashed by forwards too. Toby Greene is likely to feature in many lineups. A more spicy POD option with big score potential is Jesse Hogan, who’s known to kick bags against poor sides. If you’re feeling really spicy, Jake Stringer could be an option (just kidding – don’t do it… or at least don’t blame me if you do!).
Weather & Venue Watch – Key Conditions for Round 4
Before locking in your squad, consider these weather and venue factors that could impact fantasy scoring:
The AFL GameDay Squad Round 4 Preview – Weather Forecast (Rain Focus)
Thursday, April 3
Collingwood vs. Carlton
Venue: MCG, Melbourne
Time: 7:30 PM AEDT
Forecast: Showers increasing (0–5mm), 80% chance of rain
Wish I generated this last night and avoided Nick Daicos...
Friday, April 4
Geelong Cats vs. Melbourne
Venue: GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Time: 7:40 PM AEDT
Forecast: Cloudy, no significant rain expected
Saturday, April 5
Gold Coast Suns vs. Adelaide Crows
Venue: People First Stadium, Gold Coast
Time: 12:20 PM AEST
Forecast: Possible shower (0–1mm), 40% chance of rain
Richmond vs. Brisbane Lions
Venue: MCG, Melbourne
Time: 4:15 PM AEDT
Forecast: Possible shower (0–1mm), 40% chance of rain
North Melbourne vs. Sydney Swans
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Time: 7:35 PM AEDT
Forecast: Possible shower (0–1mm), 40% chance of rain
Sunday, April 6
GWS Giants vs. West Coast Eagles
Venue: Engie Stadium, Sydney
Time: 1:10 PM AEST
Forecast: Sunny, no rain expected
Port Adelaide vs. St Kilda
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Time: 2:50 PM ACST
Forecast: Shower or two (0–1mm), 50% chance of rain
Fremantle vs. Western Bulldogs
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth
Time: 3:10 PM AWST
Forecast: Partly cloudy, no significant rain expected
Teams and Their Taggers
This will be an evolving area as we see trends develop. We’ve covered which teams employed taggers.
For Round 4, there are a few taggers I’m keeping an eye on:
Toby Bedford – One of the few weeks I won’t even consider this guy. We aren’t playing any real West Coast options anyway.
James Jordan – Hugely relevant this week. Who is he going to tag? Historically, Sydney haven’t tagged a North player — and why would you? However, North are finally looking like they can play football. From a football point of view, I feel LDU is the key to their midfield — hold him, and North folds. The other two I wouldn’t be surprised to see get the tag are Harry Sheezel or Caleb Daniel. It would be a brave coach who fades Daniel in his current form.
Marcus Windhager – Ross has this man working for a living. He’s done some great work and the Saints are coming off two wins. Rozee torched them in the trial game, and I expect they’ll try to shut him down. JHF is currently shutting himself down, and Butters is in for his first game, so Rozee feels like the obvious choice.
BOB’s 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 4:
Final Thoughts
Round 4 presents some juicy matchups, high-upside PODs, and key trends to watch. Keep an eye on final team selections and late changes before locking in your squad. Stay tuned for more insights from Blokes on the Ball, and good luck in GameDay Squad Round 4!
Cheers
The Goal Practitioner and Beast Mode
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