AFL GameDay Squad Round 8 Preview | Best Matchups, PODs & Key Trends

The AFL GameDay Squad Round 8 Preview is here, bringing you the latest insights to help you dominate this week’s matchups. Join us for Round 8 as we break down the best positional matchups, highlight the top PODs, analyse 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 8 Preview and identify the must-have players for the week!

AFL GameDay Squad Round 8 Preview – Best Players by Position

WEST COAST

The poor West Coast Eagles, struggling every week and giving up plenty of scores (both GDS and AFL) to opposition. Last week Lloyd Meek (139 GDS) had an absolute day out against them and some lesser relevant names like Mabiol Chol (134 GDS) , Josh Battle (123 GDS)  and Jack Ginnivan (120 GDS) were also great. Premiums like Jai Newcombe (101 GDS) and Dylan Moore (99 GDS) were a bit of a letdown but the Eagles showed they are still easy to score against. Unfortunately, Karl Amon (76 GDS) who I locked in this week barely played the last quarter with a concussion – harden up! (Just kidding…).

This week Eagles come up against the Melbourne Demons on Saturday night. If Max Gawn (119 GDS Av) doesn’t go absolutely bananas then I will be shocked. Fade at your own risk. There are plenty of other options who I am all confident in such as Christian Salem (119 GDS Av), Jack Bowey (117 GDS Av) and Kysiah Pickett (111 GDS Av). With late news that Clayton Oliver (109 GDS Av) is OUT, I expect Christian Petracca (109 GDS Av) to be a very reliable midfield pick this week. Whilst not ranked in the top 20 midfielders, his last 3 weeks have been sensational and I expect he will go 130+ against the Eagles. If you are after a sneaky POD, then Trent Rivers (97 GDS) is an option! Anyone below his average for Melbourne starts getting a bit risky but there are plenty of Dees to choose from this week.

AFL GameDay Squad Round 8 Preview

Defenders

For matchups, St Kilda and Richmond continue to be teams who concede points against attacking defenders. This week, Fremantle take on St Kilda on Friday night at Marvel. To actually make the game watchable, it might be worth taking some Freo defenders. It’s fair to say Jordan Clark (105 GDS Avg) and Luke Ryan (97 GDS Avg) have not performed to expectations so far this year. They appear to not be chipping around as much as last year, meaning fewer easy points. I expect they will bounce back this week and loom as cheap options in the Challenger and Champion.

Hawthorn come up against Richmond on Sunday afternoon at the MCG. I assume Karl Amon will miss with concussion. James Sicily (100 GDS Avg) has also been down this year due to a frequently changing role but could go big. Josh Battle (85 GDS Avg) could be playable, but I can’t justify him over some other premiums.

MIDFIELDERS

Similar to the above, Richmond and St Kilda have been the easiest to score against for inside midfielders. Andrew Brayshaw (124 GDS Avg) should be amazing this week. Hopefully his partner in crime, Caleb Serong (108 GDS Avg), can pump out a big score, as he has struggled lately—not going past 100 GDS in his last two games.

For the Hawks, despite being a bit of a letdown last week, surely Jai Newcombe (117 GDS Avg) can have a big one?! Lock and load. Other midfielders like Cam Mackenzie (88 GDS Avg) and Josh Ward (86 GDS Avg) are risky picks given their averages but could easily go 120+ GDS.  

RUCKS

We finally had a great week for rucks last round. I was happy with my Darcy Cameron pick for 117 GDS on ANZAC Day, but it ended up being an average pick with Rowan Marshall and Tim English reminding everyone how good they are with 127 and 140 GDS respectively.

I expect that most coaches will lock in Max Gawn this week, but the other ruck option will vary across coaches. Lloyd Meek (106 GDS Avg) has a good matchup against Richmond; however, I really like Rowan Marshall (103 GDS Avg) this week against Fremantle. After looking sore in recent weeks, he was incredible against the Lions last game and is carrying nearly all the ruck contests for the Saints. Tristan Xerri (108 GDS) should also be solid rucking against Todd Goldstein.

FORWARDS

Most of the top forwards are playing midfield roles for their respective sides. Actual forwards have been good against North Melbourne; brave coaches could give Peter Wright (113 GDS Avg – inflated) a go tonight. Essendon have been one of the easier sides for inside midfielders to score against, and I really like Luke Parker (100 GDS Avg) tonight at Marvel. If you’re after a risky pick, Zac Bailey (96 GDS) has had some big scores in his last three with a 141 and 121—however, the other game was a 44 – boom or bust!

POD Review – Round 7 Picks

1. Karl Amon – 76 GDS – Was concussed so that didn’t help but a slight thumbs down as he still was on track for a slight sub-par score

2. Lloyd Meek – 139 GDS – Big tick! Highest ruck score of the round

3. Jack Bowey – 147 GDS – Big tick again! 4th best defender for the round

4. Darcy Wilmot - 127 GDS – Big tick….smashed it

5. Matt Rowell - 80 GDS – Bringing me back down to earth this one. 6 free kicks against?!

Here’s this week’s BOBs picks:

1.        Christian Petracca – Outside top 20 averages

2.        Caleb Serong – Outside top 20 averages

3.        Jordan Clark – 16th ranked on average

4.        Luke Parker – 16th ranked on average

5.        Jai Newcombe – 13th ranked on average

As a reminder, these are match up based picks who are outside the top averages for their respective positions! E.g. you won’t see Nick Daicos in this list anytime soon as he is great regardless of matchups.

AFL Trends Noticed by BOBSBOBS keeps an eye on emerging trends to help GameDay Squad coaches get ahead. Here are the key observations from recent rounds:

1. Jy Simpkin – A lot of people don’t love what Cornes has to say, but he's not far off here. Wardlaw being back in the last two weeks has hurt him from a fantasy perspective. Watch closely what happens with Phillips tonight, as Wardlaw is out but Phillips is in—this could see him continue to decline.

2. Value in defence – Never before have I seen so much value in defence. The top end is still amazing, but then Salem, Ash, Bowey and others are all providing headaches for selection.

3. Nick Daicos is now must-play – He’s transcended the tag and is a set-and-forget player.

4. Fremantle defenders – With the game style shift away from slow play and chipping it around to the longest-kicking team, their defenders are no longer options even in great matchups.

Weather & Venue Watch – Key Conditions for Round [X]Before locking in your squad, consider these weather and venue factors that could impact fantasy scoring:

Here’s the AFL Round 8 weather forecast based on BOM data, with a focus on rain during game time:

Thursday, May 1

Essendon vs. North Melbourne

• Venue: Marvel Stadium (indoor)

• Rain Risk: None – Indoor venue, no weather impact.

Friday, May 2St Kilda vs. Fremantle

• Venue: Marvel Stadium (indoor)

• Rain Risk: None – Indoor venue, no weather impact.

Saturday, May 3

Western Bulldogs vs. Port Adelaide

• Venue: Mars Stadium, Ballarat

• Forecast: Partly cloudy, 18°C max

• Rain Risk: Low – Slight chance of light showers.

Adelaide Crows vs. Carlton

• Venue: Adelaide Oval

• Forecast: Partly cloudy, 20°C max

• Rain Risk: Low – Minimal chance of rain.

West Coast Eagles vs. Melbourne

• Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth

• Forecast: Mostly clear, 22°C max•

Rain Risk: None – Dry conditions expected.

Collingwood vs. Geelong Cats

• Venue: MCG, Melbourne

• Forecast: Mostly sunny, 21°C max

• Rain Risk: None – Dry conditions anticipated.

Sunday, May 4

Sydney Swans vs. GWS Giants

• Venue: SCG, Sydney

• Forecast: Partly cloudy, 23°C max

• Rain Risk: Low – Slight chance of afternoon showers.

Hawthorn vs. Richmond

• Venue: MCG, Melbourne

• Forecast: Mostly sunny, 21°C max

• Rain Risk: None – Dry conditions expected.

Brisbane Lions vs. Gold Coast Suns

• Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane

• Forecast: Partly cloudy, 25°C max

• Rain Risk: Low – Minimal chance of rain in the evening.

Summary:Round 8 is shaping up to be mostly dry, with low rain risk across Ballarat and Sydney. All indoor games are unaffected, and no matches are facing heavy rain threats.

Teams and Their Taggers

1. James Jordan was back in Round 7 and shut down Anderson – despite the fact the Swans still capitulated the game. Lachie Whitfield has been the Swans' favourite target. It’s a new coach; however, he was in their system a long time, and my money is on Whitfield again. They went 50/50 in 2024 shutting him down. His taking kick-outs helps to protect his downside, but I expect some attention for sure. Could mean Ash runs free.

2. Toby Bedford had no real tagging target in Round 7. I find it very odd; however, I feel that he will continue to tag. Heeney or Chad Warner would be the obvious choice vs Sydney, though neither are a legit option currently anyway.

3. Marcus Windhager – I feel he will go to Serong, who tends to be the target for Fremantle. Based on his form and the very likely tag, he would be a player I fade completely this week – despite the POD option for Beast Mode.

Round 8 Starter Team

Based on matchups, form, and GameDay Squad strategy, here’s an early look at a high-upside squad for Round 8: