With AFL Dream Team finals run and won, we identify the outstanding fantasy football performers of 2012 from the Western Bulldogs camp.

Most Valuable Player

Matthew Boyd (Total Dream Team Points: 2,535, Average per round: 115.23)
 
There was never really any doubt as to who would win the Western Bulldogs Dream Team Most Valuable Player Award in Season 2012, with captain Matthew Boyd seemingly destined from the beginning to dominate.
 
Not only did Boyd score highest in the Bulldogs ranks, he also led the entire league in most cumulative Dream Team points scored.
 
Only missing  the Dream Team ton on five occasions, consistency was one of his key attributes this year, while a high round score in round seven this year against North Melbourne saw him amass a sensational 162 points.
 
The midfielder’s prolific ball winning ability (averaging 32.8 disposals a game) is the main contributor to his impressive scores week in and week out, while his average of 6.3 clearances and 5.1 marks strengthen them further.

Around The Ground

Best Defender: Brian Lake (Total: 1,525, Ave: 76.25)
Best Forward: Shaun Higgins (Total: 1,461, Ave: 76.89)
Best Ruckman: Will Minson (Total: 1,815, Ave: 86.46)
 
While Boyd’s win automatically qualifies him for the ‘Best Midfielder’ category, westernbulldogs.com.au takes a look at some of our other high achieving players by position.
 
Taking stock of the year end Dream Team rankings, Brian Lake, Shaun Higgins and Will Minson claimed the positional awards as best fantasy sport performers.
 
Minson’s emergence as the Dogs first choice ruck has been a highlight of the season, stepping-up into the the league’s upper echelon of big men in 2012 and toping the hit-out count across all 18 clubs. Meanwhile Higgins’ season in the forward line has seen him assume more on-field responsibility and begin to flourish as a dependable mid-sized forward.
 
Regaining some of his best form across the season, Lake’s efforts in defence have been amongst the best, keeping the oppositions best forwards in check as well playing his trademark rebounding role.

Total Points Top-Five
 
1.       Matthew Boyd (Total: 2,535, Ave: 115.23)

2.       Ryan Griffen (Total: 1,943, Ave: 97.15)

3.       Will Minson (Total: 1,815, Ave: 86.46)

4.       Liam Picken (Total: 1,670, Ave: 75.91)

5.       Mitch Wallis (Total: 1,577, Ave: 83.00)

With the ball won in the middle of the ground, it comes as little surprise that the top five ranked Bulldogs in the Dream Team competition were midfielders, with Ryan Griffen, Liam Picken and Mitch Wallis joining Boyd and Minson at the top of the table.
 
With scintillating early and late season form, Griffen was regularly amongst the Clubs’ chief ball winners reflected by his second placed ranking to Boyd in the Dream Team stakes, while tagger Liam Picken ultimately became one of the most dependable players at Whitten Oval not missing a game in Season 2012. Playing his role for the team nullifying the opposition’s prime playmaker, Picken also found no shortage of the ball reflected by his Dream Team average of 75.91 for the season.
 
Rising Star nominee Mitch Wallis rounds out the Top 5 in just his second AFL season averaging 83 points per game, an increase of nearly 28 points per game more than his debut season.

Young Guns - Under 50 games

1.       Mitch Wallis (Total: 1,577, Ave: 83.00)

2.       Tom Liberatore (Total: 1324, Ave: 77.88)

3.       Luke Dahlhaus (Total: 1,268, Ave: 74.59)

4.       Tory Dickson (Total: 1,153, Ave: 67.82)

5.       Clay Smith (Total: 1,028, Ave: 64.25)

Blooding eight debutants this season, the Bulldogs saw plenty of youth coming through the ranks, so it is only appropriate to look at which of the young pups dominated in Dream Team.
 
While Wallis, Liberatore and Luke Dahlhaus shook off any notion of the second year blues, first year recruits Clay Smith and Tory Dickson worked hard to impress playing out the season in the seniors.
 
Rounding out the top ten are a number of players who are poised to rise up the Dream Team ladder next season as they continue to develop and get more game time under their belt. Special mentions go to Christian Howard, Easton Wood, Lin Jong, Jason Johannisen and Michael Talia who are set to challenge for a spot in the top five next season.
 
Price Movers

1.       Clay Smith (+$245,000)

2.       Tory Dickson (+$205,100)

3.       Mitch Wallis (+$126,300)

4.       Lin Jong (+$79,000)

5.       Tom Campbell (+$72,300)

Four debutants and second year player Wallis head the players with the largest price inflations this year at the Bulldogs. What’s more impressive is that Jong saw his price tag sky rocket by $79,000 in the mere four games he played for the Bulldogs while Tom Campbell’s stocks rose by $72,300 in just seven games.
 
Popular Picks

1.       Matthew Boyd (92,818)

2.       Brian Lake (67,012)

3.       Tom Campbell (49,689)

4.       Ryan Hargrave (32,233)

5.       Tory Dickson (21,744)

There are a number of popular Bulldog options for Dream Team coaches with Boyd being the obvious choice. All Australian defender Lake also was high up in people’s calculations when looking for a reliable key defender. Retiree Ryan Hargrave was also highly regarded by Dream Team coaches in his final year on the field. Both Hargrave and Lake were also popular choices for coaches looking for price rises as the duo returned from injury riddled 2011 seasons.

At the other end of the spectrum Campbell and Dickson made an impact early, earning thousands of fans on the back of eye-catching NAB Cup performances. Another interesting inclusion in 11,148 teams is burly key forward Jack Redpath, who while listed on the rookie list for the entire season, was never even eligible to make his debut.