SuperCoach AFL 2024: Champion Data round 3 formguide, round 2 scores explained
The inside numbers from Champion Data’s SuperCoach guru Fantasy Freako to get your trades right and pick the right captain for round 3.
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Our defence took another hit last round as Nick Coffield suffered a long-term injury with just three points to his name.
Thankfully for coaches who had him on field, round 2 was a Best 18 round. With Charlie Dean dropped and Marty Hore handed the starting sub vest, there aren’t too many names putting their hand up for selection at the basement low price.
With Steven May (ribs) already confirmed as an out this week, you’d expect Hore to come into the back six. The Demons also have the option of moving Harrison Petty to the backline. Toby Pink (Break Even -32) is the only other bottom-priced player worth picking up in defence.
If funds aren’t an issue, then Massimo D’Ambrosio is a no-brainer trade target with a Break Even of -82. He could even be considered as a downgrade if you own Connor Budarick, who’s on the bye. D’Ambrosio ranks second at the Hawks for disposals and uncontested possessions over the first two rounds and fourth for handball-receives. He also ranks inside the top 15 in the AFL for intercept possessions.
If you don’t own one of Colby McKercher (BE -68) and Ryley Sanders (BE -37) then they are a priority!
Carlton midfielder Jack Carroll (BE -69) should also be a target this round. Coming off the bye, the Blues have declared that Sam Walsh is still around 2-3 weeks away, so you should get at least three games from Carroll. Carroll was fourth in line at the Blues for centre bounce attendances in Round 1.
Oliver Dempsey (BE -71) is also a worthy pick-up. One the bubble just like Carroll, Dempsey leads the Cats for scoreboard impact and ranks third at the Cats for score involvements and his job security looks assured. If it’s a choice between the two, I’d be going down the Dempsey path.
There is a plethora of players on the bubble this week led by Jeremy Sharp (BE -63), Darcy Wilson (BE -52) and Buku Khamis (BE -46) just to name a few. Jarryd Lyons (BE -41) was also poised for a price rise but he has been omitted for Brisbane’s Thursday night clash.
One player to put on the watch list for next week is Sam Darcy. He shared the ruck duties with Tim English in round 1 and attended 42 ruck contests compared to 65 for English. Darcy won three hitouts to advantage and grabbed two contested marks to go with two goals. A score of 109 points is huge.
In terms of trading, Sam Berry is an experiment that hasn’t worked. After scoring a solid 80 in round 1, he had little impact against the Cats and was even subbed out. There are reports that he trained with the B team earlier in the week, so the writing could be on the wall.
The shine of Alex Sexton has also worn off. He moved to the forward line last week after Rory Atkins come onto the ground and had little impact. With a bye this week, his time could already be up.
Make sure you trade wisely and best of luck for the round ahead!
CAPTAINS CORNER
The Western Bulldogs’ clash against the Eagles on Sunday is the game to target with the captaincy in round 3.
Rucks have put up big scores against West Coast so far this season (Ivan Soldo 125 in round 1 and Kieren Briggs 139 in round 2) and Tim English could go even bigger.
Meanwhile, Marcus Bontempelli has an imposing record against West Coast – in their past two clashes at Marvel Stadium he has scored 162 and 145 points.
The almost 5000 coaches trading out Jordan Dawson this week might think twice after being reminded the Crows skipper scored 173 in his last game against Fremantle, while Zak Butters went even bigger – scoring 184 – the last time he faced Melbourne, in round 10 last year.
Richmond has given up some huge scores to midfielders already this year, including Butters’ 175 last week and Patrick Cripps’ 135 in round 1. With the Tigers’ injury list growing again this week, Isaac Heeney and Errol Gulden could have a day out at the MCG on Easter Sunday.
Most coaches should get two cracks at the captaincy this week with players on the bye available to use for loopholes until the final game of the round.
Revealed: Mistakes killing Hayden Young’s SuperCoach scores
The SuperCoach scoring system has been refined over many years by Champion Data to best reflect the impact players have on real games of footy.
Kicks, marks and handballs all score points, but there is a lot more to it than that.
Champion Data’s SuperCoach guru Fantasy Freako will be here every week to explain key scoring trends and moments from the round just gone.
This intel is crucial to gaining a deeper understanding of the game and how players score – info you can use to make the best trade and selection decisions every week.
Here are eight key stats you need to know from round 2.
YOUNG OFF TARGET
Hayden Young is clearly the most traded out player in SuperCoach this round after scores of 70 and 62 in the opening two rounds. Young hasn’t lost the midfield role SuperCoaches were hoping for, attending 59 per cent of centre bounces in round 1, and 72 per cent in round 2. He has collected 24 and 21 disposals but his usually sure-fire left boot has deserted him. Young lost 37 points from negative acts in round 1 and another 24 in round 2. Those acts included six clanger kicks, one clanger handball, two no-pressure errors, one dropped mark and six frees against. He also lost points for a debit, which is an act that costs a player’s team that doesn’t fit into the above categories, like spoiling a teammate who is going to take a mark.
RYAN ON TARGET
Young’s teammate Luke Ryan presented a stark contrast last round, recording a disposal efficiency of 100 per cent against North Melbourne from his 19 kicks and four handballs. Ryan was also listed as having one turnover on the stats sheet, but not all turnovers are equal. In this case a Ryan kick spilt from a contest to Harry Sheezel. With the Dockers losing possession a turnover was recorded, but Ryan didn’t lose any points in SuperCoach.
BUTTERS UP
In the second quarter at the MCG on Sunday Zak Butters delivered a kick into the Port Adelaide forward line that missed his intended target, Jeremy Finlayson. But Butters was pushed after the kick resulting in a downfield free kick to Finlayson and a shot at goal. As a result Butters’ kick was recorded as effective because the Power retained possession. He could have gained extra points for a score assist but Finlayson sprayed the kick out on the full.
POSSESSION TEN TENTHS OF THE LAW
Retaining possession is the key factor to keep in mind when judging if a disposal is effective. Kicks or handballs can be classed as effective if they are taken by a teammate on the bounce or if the umpire calls play-on because the ball hasn’t travelled 15m – as long as the team retains possession. This rule also covers ground kicks.
PETRACCA’S EPIC ONE-POINT PLAY
Christian Petracca earned applause from Melbourne fans and high-fives from his teammates after sprinting to the defensive goalsquare in the final minutes of the Demons’ big win against Hawthorn to spoil what looked like a certain mark for Mitch Lewis. Petracca scored 1.2 SuperCoach points for the spoil.
HTA TWIST
In exceptional circumstances, a ruckman can be awarded a hitout to advantage to himself if the hitout clears all other players and doesn’t bounce around among other players. If the ruckman takes possession he will be awarded a gather, which generates the hitout to advantage. Luke Jackson grabbed one of his own hitouts on Saturday but it didn’t fit the Champion Data criteria for a hitout to advantage – it didn’t hurt his score though, as he went on to post a round-high 178 points.
BAD BOY BRODIE
One easy way for Brodie Grundy to post bigger SuperCoach scores is to stop giving away free kicks. His 14 frees against is the most in the competition and by a big margin – Mason Cox and Hayden McLean are next with eight. Max Gawn and Kieren Briggs are among a group of players with seven frees against, highlight the attention rucks get from umpires. Grundy has won nine frees in his three matches, three fewer than equal competition leaders Gawn and Matt Rowell.
BAD BOY ALEX
Alex Sexton’s 107,000 SuperCoach owners weren’t enjoying Gold Coast’s performance against the Bulldogs on Sunday, and it appears the Suns veteran was feeling similar frustration. In the third quarter was involved in a scuffle with Laitham Vandermeer near the Bulldogs’ goal. His undisciplined act resulted in a 50m penalty and goal to Sam Darcy. Sexton lost 6.9 points for the 50m penalty while Darcy completed a 13-point play made up of an intercept mark, effective short kick and goal.
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Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2024: Champion Data round 3 formguide, round 2 scores explained
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