FootyBets.aiFriday Night Fireworks at the 'G: Bombers vs Hawks DraftStars Preview
The Friday night lights are shining bright on the M.C.G. this 13th of March as traditional rivals Essendon and Hawthorn lock horns to kick off the footy weekend. Expect a fast-paced, high-intensity clash with plenty of fantasy gold on offer. Both sides boast midfield ball magnets and dangerous targets inside 50, making this a mouth-watering slate for DraftStars coaches.
Our FootyBets.ai algorithm has crunched the numbers, and a few key names are absolutely dominating the optimal builds:
Darcy Parish (Essendon, MID) Appearing in 100% of our optimal lineups, Parish is an absolute ball magnet. Expect him to dominate the centre clearances, rack up the inside-midfield disposals, and lay enough tackles to give you a rock-solid scoring floor.
Zach Merrett (Essendon, MID) Projected for a massive slate-high 97.2 points, the Dons skipper is featured in 8 out of 10 builds. Merrett will be everywhere, finding cheap outside ball, delivering lace-out passes inside 50, and padding his score with pure disposal volume.
Mabior Chol (Hawthorn, FWD) Our AI loves Chol tonight, locking him into all 10 lineups. With his elite athleticism, look for Chol to clunk some big contested marks and kick a couple of snags to comfortably smash his 67.7 projected points.
Ned Reeves (Hawthorn, RUC) Another undisputed 100% lock. Reeves has the height advantage to completely command the ruck contests tonight. He’s going to tap his way to a mountain of hit-out points and chip in with enough around-the-ground work to anchor your squad.
Positional Quick Tips
- RUC: Ned Reeves is the clear top dog tonight—plug him in, set, and forget as he racks up the hit-outs.
- DEF: Look for elite rebounders. Pair the intercept-marking and long-kicking of Bomber Mason Redman with Hawk Karl Amon’s lethal left boot out of defensive 50.
- MID: Stack the Essendon engine room with Merrett and Parish, but don't sleep on Archie Roberts (projected 90.3) who is popping up in 80% of builds as a massive point-scoring machine.
- FWD: Mabior Chol is the core anchor, but consider sneaking in Archie Perkins or Sam Butler to harvest some cheap forward-half tackle pressure points.
Check out the FootyBets.ai AI-generated Top 10 optimal lineups below and get ready to climb the leaderboards!