Round 15 of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season continues on Friday night with another huge daily fantasy contest on offer from Draftstars with over $50,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament for the battle between the Suns and the Hawks!
This is one of the more evenly rated games of the round and the market reflects it — Hawthorn are narrow favourites but multiple models have this sitting close to a coin flip. Gold Coast have lost three straight, including a heavy 45 point defeat to Geelong last week and a 31 point home loss to Brisbane before that, with their midfield rotation slipping to the competition's worst for clearance differential over the past month. Hawthorn arrive off the bye looking refreshed after a disrupted block of football, but have shown a tendency to generate enough opportunity through clearance dominance without always converting it on the scoreboard.
Confirmed team news sees Nick Holman and Jarrod Witts come into the Gold Coast side. For Hawthorn, the big news is positive — Tom Barrass and Harry Morrison both return, with the Hawks boosted by two important inclusions across both ends of the ground. Barrass slots back into a key defensive post and Morrison strengthens an already deep midfield rotation, giving Hawthorn close to their strongest available side for Friday night.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $50,000+ Suns vs Hawks
AFL $5,000+ Suns vs Hawks High Roller ($150 Entry)
AFL $3,000+ Suns vs Hawks Mini ($2 Entry)
AFL $2,000+ Suns vs Hawks Micro (50c Entry)
Also this season the AFL Star is back for 2026 with a massive $1 million prize pool! Win your way into the Final by winning a Golden Ticket in a range of qualifiers running every weekend!
If you're new to the Daily Fantasy Sports scene and want to join in on the fun, simply join Draftstars via this link!
AFL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 15 Gold Coast vs Hawthorn
AFL Fantasy Round 15 Friday: Where to Attack?
The matchup data on this slate is genuinely two-sided, befitting a game this tightly rated, but there are still some clear avenues to target on both ends of the ground.
The Suns are the team to target in the midfield. They have been giving up over 3 points above league average to the position over the last ten games and this is surprisingly the third most points in the competition during this stretch. After you get away from the position things become much more tight, which is no real shock from the 9th placed and 5th placed sides in the league.
The only other areas across the two teams where they give up above average scoring is general forwards and attacking half backs/wings for the Suns. Then for the Hawks it is general forwards and general defenders, both of which are just sitting on league average rather than above. The Hawks have consistently been one of the hardest teams to score fantasy points against over the last two years and even with this game on the Gold Coast, they sit as 4.5-point favourites and the team I’d lead to stack.
Game Script – Hawks midfielders, forwards and attacking half backs
AFL Fantasy Round 15 Friday – Our Value Fantasy Picks
Jai Murray ($7,650) is one of the most attractive value plays on the slate after a breakout performance last week. He posted 79 points in his most recent AFL outing — comfortably clearing 70 and confirming that when given midfield minutes, his ceiling is well above what his minimal AFL sample suggests. That follows a string of strong VFL form that has been building toward exactly this kind of performance, and at $7,650, the price has not yet caught up to what he showed last week. With Gold Coast's midfield rotation under pressure following three straight losses, there is scope for Murray to retain an expanded role rather than be wound back, and any continuation of his recent output makes him outstanding value relative to price. He is exactly the type of cheap, in-form inclusion that allows you to fund the premium players elsewhere in your lineup.
Josh Weddle ($9,990) is the Hawthorn half-back to watch for those wanting a cheaper defensive option in this matchup. He has posted 87, 70, 61, 80 and 52 in his last five for a last-three average of 72.7 points — comfortably above his season average of 65.4 and confirming his role off the back line has continued to grow in recent weeks. His matchup with the Suns giving up above average scores to attacking half backs open up a stacking combination with Weddle as the value play.
AFL Fantasy Round 15 Friday – Our Mid-Priced Fantasy Picks
Will Day ($12,720) is the Hawthorn mid-price midfielder to target as the direct beneficiary of Gold Coast's leaky inside midfield concession. He has returned from injury on managed minutes the last two weeks but still posted 115 last week in just 67% game time. After a bye last week to freshen up, Day should be right to go to play unrestricted minutes this week. Gold Coast are giving up points above league average to inside midfielders, and with the Hawks side is close to full strength and well placed to control the contest through the midfield, Day should continue his good form. At $12,720 he is the value-for-quality mid-price lock in the Hawthorn engine room.
Karl Amon ($13,620) is the standout value play in the designated kicker matchup. Hawthorn's wing concession against them is tight, but Amon's role is primarily as a half-back kick-in distributor and Gold Coast have been giving up above average to attacking half back. He has posted 94, 86, 67, 105 and 114 in his last five for a last-three average of 88.7, with that 114 the most recent score and confirming his current ceiling. His opponent scores against Gold Coast read 119 and 92 — both strong numbers in this exact matchup. At $13,620 he is underpriced relative to his recent run of form.
AFL Fantasy Round 15 Friday – Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Jai Newcombe ($14,090) is the premium to consider and pairs naturally with Will Day in a Hawthorn-leaning build. He has posted 114, 85, 66, 59 and 72 in his last five — a quieter stretch than his season norm of 89.7, suggesting his price reflects recent form rather than his true ceiling. His season-high of 159 and his scores against Gold Coast of 103, 123 and 40 show genuine volatility but also confirm a ceiling that towers above almost every other midfielder on the slate. Gold Coast are giving up above average to inside midfielders.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Friday
Weather Report for Friday 19th June
People First Stadium (Gold Coast) — 22 degrees, clear. Mild Queensland winter evening, no weather concerns.
AFL Betting Markets Round 15 Friday
Gold Coast ($2.05) vs Hawthorn ($1.78)
Points: 178.5
Line: Hawthorn -4.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Friday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down the game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
