SuperCoach Round 5 trade guide: Every bubble boy and upgrade option assessed, plus players on the chopping block
GWS Giants are flush with quality midfielders and one looms as a bargain pick with an average of 104 and a price tag of less than $500,000. FULL TRADE GUIDE
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The first round of bubble boys have come and gone and four rounds into the season the first crop of fallen premiums are starting to emerge.
Richmond rookie Sydney Stack will be one of the most popular trade-ins ahead of Round 5 after scores of 108 and 40, while West Coast’s two-game defender Josh Rotham stated his case with 98 after he was a late call-up for the western derby.
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While not a traditional bubble boy, this will be the last chance to bring in GWS comeback kid Shane Mumford before his price starts to climb from $320,200.
On current form, Mumford could be one of the topscoring ruckmen of the year.
Two other ruckmen are on the bubble in Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien and Essendon’s Zac Clarke, although their job security is a concern.
The price of premium starting picks such as Joel Selwood, Justin Westhoff and Josh Dunkley has plummeted in the past two weeks, presenting their owners with an issue.
Do you accept their stocks have dropped and jump off at a low point, or cross your fingers and hope for a resurgence? The latter is generally the option which pays off.
TRADE TARGETS
Rowan Marshall $406,100 Fwd, Avg 114.7 BE: 7
Marshall has claimed St Kilda’s No. 1 ruck role and pumped out scores of 111, 114 and 119 in the opening three rounds. You’ll have to pay $65,000 more than his starting price but early signs suggest he’ll be worth it. Only Travis Boak has a better average of the SuperCoach forwards.
Zach Merrett $565,400 Mid, Avg 112.5 BE: 56
After an injury-interrupted pre-season, Merrett has hit his straps in the past three weeks. Scores of 108, 120 and 155 are more like the Merrett we know as opposed to the player who was limited to 67 in Round 1.
Travis Boak $561,300 Fwd, Avg 128, BE: 58
The No. 1 forward after four rounds, Boak shows no signs of slowing down. Either Boak or Tom Rockliff will likely come under close watch from Mark Hutchings this week, but with such a low breakeven you can’t lose bringing Boak in now. He’ll be a set and forget forward for the rest of 2019.
Shannon Hurn $536,700 Def, Avg 111.3 BE: 66
Three hundreds in four rounds for the ever-reliable Eagles captain and a low score of 89. Phil Davis said on Sunday Hurn was getting better with age and it’s hard to disagree with the GWS co-captain. His consistency suggests he’ll be a top-six defender come season’s end.
Tim Taranto $497,500 Mid, Avg 103.8 BE: 66
The absence of co-captain Callan Ward for the rest of the year presents a golden opportunity for Taranto and Jacob Hopper to take the next step. Taranto has two scores of 112 and managed 113 against Geelong, numbers which would have him in contention to be a premium midfielder by the end of 2019. A breakout season looms and he’s still in less than five per cent of teams.
Tom Rockliff $447,500 Mid, Avg 107.5 BE: 86
Due to his concussion against Brisbane Lions, Rockliff is still underpriced for his scoring ability. As with Boak, he could run into the Mark Hutchings trade this week. He has three scores of 116 or better already and is too cheap to keep ignoring.
Tom Stewart $516,400 Def, Avg 111.8 BE: 70
A product of Geelong’s VFL system, Stewart has emerged as a legitimate SuperCoach option in the early rounds. His average of 85 last year put him at the top end of the mid-price range but he’s gone to another level in 2019. The Cats gun is only in 4.3% of sides.
Dylan Shiel $511,700 Mid, Avg 106, BE: 92
If you’re strapped for cash but desperate to upgrade, Shiel could be the man to help you make that leap. His break even isn’t ideal, But he’s averaging 106 and has scored 115 and 116 already this year. You can afford to wait another week if you’re keen on the new Bomber as he’ll need a monster score to surge in price.
CHOPPING BLOCK
Joel Selwood $496,100 Mid, Avg 82, BE: 168
The Cats captain has not averaged below 100 since 2008, but his points in the opening month this season have been chewed up by rising teammates such as Tim Kelly. He’ll be available for about $450,000 in a few weeks’ time but even then it’d take a brave coach to consider him, especially when he shares a bye with so many other top picks.
Justin Westhoff $436,500 Fwd-Ruc, Avg 71, BE 167
Westhoff was the best player of Round 1 but has fallen off the perch since. He started with 149 but hasn’t scored above 50 since, managing 47, 39 and 49 in the past three rounds. He’s also fallen $113,000 from his starting price and will tumble further. He’s playing a bit-parts role with the Power which doesn’t translate well to SuperCoach.
Jordan Ridley $265,900 Def, Avg 69.7, BE: 17
Stiff to be on this list and you could get away with holding him for another few weeks. But if you want to make the jump to a premium player soon, players with value need to be sacrificed.
James Cousins $297,200 Mid, Avg 75.3, BE: 37
Cousins’ average will meet his break even in the next two weeks as it’s time to start assessing which top midfielders you can turn the Hawks rookie into. We can’t afford to be carrying a player averaging below 80 for too long as you’ll be missing out on at least 20 midfield points other coaches are banking.
Zac Butters $242,400 Mid, Avg 62.3, BE: 48
After such a promising start, Butters crashed back to earth with 23 against Richmond. His 48 break even is a worry and he could be axed if Ken Hinkley swings the axe after struggling to make an impact against the Tigers. Port Adelaide playing on Good Friday means he won’t be much use as a midfield loophole either.
Josh Dunkley $467,100 Fwd-Mid, Avg 81.8 BE: 120
Coaches desperate for Luke Beveridge to inject Dunkley back into the midfield were left tearing their hair out when he barely featured in the middle against Collingwood. Much like Westhoff, he’s being thrown around the ground and his scoring is suffering as a result. An average of 80 is serviceable but hardly what you wanted from a player you parted with more than $500,000 to start. Jump off this week or be prepared to back him in to rebound.
HOLD
Will Setterfield $193,600 Fwd-Mid Avg 52.5 BE: 22
Willem Drew $227,100 Fwd-Mid, Avg 72.5 BE: 36
Jordan Clark $227,300 Def, Avg 63.3, BE: 15
Tim Kelly $497,100 Fwd-Mid, Avg 90.8, BE: 145
Dom Sheed $455,500, Mid, Avg 105, BE: 90
Nat Fyfe $604,900 Mid, Avg 111.3, BE: 167
Clayton Oliver $584,600 Mid, Avg 98.5, BE: 160
— Willem Drew and Jordan Clark will meet their break evens in Round 5, while Tim Kelly won’t score less than he did against GWS again this year. Sheed has only had one bad game in four, while Fyfe is a chance to return from concussion and Oliver will burn you if you trade him at some stage. Setterfield has been rubbed out for two weeks for a sling tackle on Gold Coast’s Wil Powell, but use his absence to loophole a forward rookie and have two shots at a better score.
BUBBLE BOYS
Sydney Stack $102,400 Mid, Avg 74, BE: -88
Marty Hore $117,300 Def, Avg 72 BE: -75
Riley O’Brien $136,800 Ruc, Avg 84.5 BE: -89
Josh Rotham $123,900 Def, Avg 77 BE: -82
Zac Clarke $142,600 Ruc, Avg 56.5 BE: -30
Jay Lockhart $102,400 Def-Mid, Avg 44.5 BE: -29
Shane Mumford $320,200 Ruc, Avg 101 BE: -15
— Mumford clearly has the highest ceiling of the two-game players but he also costs an extra $200,000. More than 40 per cent of coaches started Marty Hore and are sitting pretty ahead of his price rise this week, while Stack was already in 21,000 teams after his triple-figure debut. Rotham scored brilliantly as a late inclusion against Fremantle but his job security is a worry.
WAIT ANOTHER WEEK
Jack Ross $117,300 Mid, Avg 87 BE: -105
Darragh Joyce $123,900 Def, Avg 67 BE: -62
Braydon Preuss $239,900 Ruc, Avg 76 BE: -12
— There will always be temptation to jump on a player like Ross after is stellar debut against the Power, but the last thing you want to do is be left with a player who is dropped after two games. Joyce has only featured once despite being in St Kilda’s extended squad most weeks. There’s better rookie options than Preuss if you want to downgrade in your ruck stocks.
Originally published as SuperCoach Round 5 trade guide: Every bubble boy and upgrade option assessed, plus players on the chopping block
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