AFL Round 17 kicks off this Thursday night at GMHBA Stadium with one of the genuine blockbusters of the season as Geelong host Brisbane in a Grand Final rematch with top-four implications for both sides. Draftstars are offering $50,000 in guaranteed prize money in their main daily fantasy tournament.
With eight rounds remaining in the home-and-away season, Geelong sit fourth and Brisbane fifth on the ladder and both desperately need a win to consolidate their finals position. The stakes could not be higher on a Thursday night that has all the hallmarks of a September preview. Geelong return from their bye having dropped three of their last four prior to the break — narrow defeats to Carlton and Adelaide were painful given how competitive they were in both — but the Cats are a genuinely different proposition at Kardinia Park and the bye has allowed them to welcome back their two biggest stars. Bailey Smith and Tom Stewart are both confirmed back in the lineup, transforming Geelong from a side that has been competitive but inconsistent to one that suddenly looks like a genuine top-four contender again. Brisbane arrive in form having won three straight including a stunning dismantling of Sydney last week at the Gabba, where they held the competition’s highest-scoring team to just 28 points in the first half before running away to a decisive victory. Geelong won the Round 10 meeting at the Gabba by 41 points with Shaun Mannagh collecting 30 disposals and kicking five goals in a dominant display, but Brisbane’s form since then has been significantly better.
Draftstars are offering a number of different contests to suit your style, some of these include:
AFL $50,000+ Thursday
AFL $5,000+ Thursday High Roller ($150 Entry)
AFL $3,000+ Thursday Mini ($2 Entry)
AFL $2,000+ Thursday 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 17 Cats vs Lions
AFL Fantasy Round 17 Thursday: Where to Attack?
Typically with two teams at this level identying areas of attack can be tough. But both sides offer up a few solid angles to play on this slate.
Geelong go in as favourites at home and at GHMBA it's hard to not always lean to stacking their side. The areas that stand out against Brisbane this year are the wings and attacking half backs where the Lions are giving up the most points in the league at a massive 11 points above league average over the last 10 games. Geelong love to play the possession game across that area of the ground, especially down at Geelong where they take advantage of the grounds shape. The Lions are also giving up above average points to inside mdifielders and key forwards. This is music to my ears in this matchup as the Cats are well stocked at all positions and down at the Cattery I absolutely love these plays.
The primary angle against Geelong the other way is the ruck position — Geelong have been giving up +16.78 above league average — the highest ruck concession in the competition over the last 10 games. That is an extraordinary number and despite the Lions splitting ruck duties I will still be going straight to their team in the role.
Game Script – Geelong half backs, midfielders and key forwards, Brisbane backs
AFL Fantasy Round 17 Thursday – Our Value Fantasy Picks
Darcy Fort ($8,810) is the value ruck play of the slate and the case has two pillars that rarely align this cleanly. The first is the matchup, Geelong have been giving up 16.78 points above league average to rucks over the last 10 games, the highest ruck concession in the competition, and Fort as the Lions' primary hitout option in a shared arrangement with Sam Draper steps directly into that extraordinary concession. The second is his opponent history against Geelong, which is remarkable — scores of 68, 98 and 125 in his last three meetings with the Cats, averaging 97 in this exact matchup with a 125-point ceiling that confirms his upside when the role and the matchup align simultaneously. His recent scoring of 81, 65, 65, 41 and 68 has been solid in the context of a shared ruck rotation with Draper, and his last-three average of 70.3 represents his floor when splitting duties.
Shaun Mannagh ($9,020) is a standout value differential of the slate and his recent form dip has created a pricing opportunity that the opponent history makes very difficult to ignore. His last five scores of 39, 57, 58, 82 and 57 have been modest and his price reflects that, but his opponent scores against Brisbane tell an entirely different story — 129, 74 and 87 across his last three meetings, averaging 97 in this exact matchup. That 129 was just eight rounds ago in the Round 10 meeting between these sides when Mannagh collected 30 disposals and kicked five goals in the most dominant individual forward performance of the round — a score that confirmed his ceiling against Brisbane's defensive structure is elite when he finds space. Brisbane have been giving up above average to general forwards and Mannagh's combination of goal-kicking, contested forward-half work and occasional midfield drift generates scoring that can compound quickly when his disposal count lifts. His GMHBA Stadium venue history includes multiple scores above 80 at this exact ground.
AFL Fantasy Round 17 Thursday – Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Jeremy Cameron ($10,410) is one of the most compelling mid-price forward plays on the slate and the venue data is the headline. His GMHBA Stadium scores of 73, 111, 94, 141, and 64 across his last five appearances at this ground — two scores of 111 or above and a ceiling of 141 that is one of the highest venue-specific scores posted by any forward in the competition this season. Kardinia Park simply suits his game, and the combination of the ground dimensions, his aerial marking ability and Geelong's ball movement into their forward half generates the supply he needs to produce those ceiling scores consistently. Brisbane have been giving up 4.35 points above league average to key forwards over the last 10 games, and Cameron as Geelong's primary marking forward is the direct beneficiary of that concession in a game where the Cats are expected to generate substantial forward entries.
AFL Fantasy Round 17 Thursday – Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Josh Dunkley ($13,830) is the Brisbane premium to pair with Ashcroft and his opponent history against Geelong makes an exceptionally compelling case. He has posted 97, 132, 62, 93 and 91 in his last five for a last-three average of 94.7, with that 132 and 97 bookending the stretch. His opponent scores against Geelong of 108, 132 and 130 across his last three meetings average 123.3 in this exact matchup — three consecutive scores all above 108, one of the most outstanding opponent-specific records on the slate. Geelong are giving up above average to inside midfielders and Dunkley’s contested ball work at the coalface generates his scoring regardless of game state. At $14,790 with an average of 123.3 against this opponent, he is a near-lock.
Max Holmes ($15,650) is the Geelong wing premium to lock in alongside Stewart and Smith. He has posted 91, 114, 110, 88 and 110 in his last five for a last-three average of 104 — five scores all between 88 and 114, one of the most consistent scoring floors in the competition. Brisbane have been giving up 11.85 above average to wings at 56% frequency and Holmes’ running half-back role directly benefits from that concession. His opponent scores against Brisbane of 134, 105 and 91 average 110 in this matchup with that 134 the ceiling reference. His GMHBA venue scores of 91, 114, 110 and 107 average 105.5 at this exact ground. At $15,650 he is the wing premium lock.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup for AFL Fantasy Round 17 Thursday
Weather Report for Thursday 2nd July
GMHBA Stadium (Geelong) — 11 degrees, clear. Cold Geelong winter evening, no weather concerns. Excellent scoring conditions under lights.
AFL Betting Markets Round 17 Thursday
Geelong ($1.44) vs Brisbane ($2.80)
Points: 171.5
Line: Geelong -13.5
Also, be sure to check out our full AFL Thursday Preview and Betting Tips. Our experts break down the game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
