SuperCoach: Traded players worth considering for your team in 2019
AFL players switch clubs for many reasons and often with a change of scenery comes improved form, which is great for SuperCoaches. From Beams to Shiel to Miles to Wingard, which traded players should you considering for your SuperCoach side in 2019?
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AFL players move clubs for a variety of reasons but often the search for more senior opportunities is the most common, which is good news for SuperCoaches.
During the October trade and free agency period, 42 players swapped clubs which means there are plenty of options out there for us to find some value and players who have the ability to become integral parts of our teams next year.
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Devon Smith is the prime example. He was traded from GWS to Essendon at the end of 2017 because he wanted to spend more time in the midfield.
He was granted that opportunity in his first season with the Bombers and quickly became a set and forget player in most SuperCoach forward lines, averaging 97.9 points per game — ranked No.7 for forwards.
Who will be the Devon Smith of 2019?
While Dayne Beams, Dylan Shiel and Tom Lynch were the most high-profile movers, it’s often in the lesser lights that SuperCoach gold is found.
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Look at the likes of Anthony Miles (Richmond to Gold Coast), Will Setterfield (GWS to Carlton), Nic Newman (Sydney to Carlton) and even Aaron Hall (Gold Coast to North Melbourne) — each of those players have moved clubs looking for more senior opportunities, which means they should be on our SuperCoach radar.
But they’re not the only ones.
Here are the traded players worth considering for your SuperCoach team in 2019.
COREY ELLIS (GOLD COAST) $233,300 DEF/MID
In theory Gold Coast should provide us with plenty of SuperCoach gold next year given they’ll be forced to trial a number of young players and former Tiger Ellis will be one of those. He’s a good ball user and should be given plenty of opportunity to cement his spot across halfback or on the wing at the Suns. The only issue is his price tag — at $233,300 he’s more expensive than we hoped given he played only four games in 2018 for a career total of 27 in four seasons. His dual position status is a big tick but he might be one to watch over pre-season rather than locking him into your side for Round 1 at this stage.
SAM COLLINS (GOLD COAST) $188,900 DEF
Collins technically isn’t a traded player but he was a pre-listed selection by the Suns out of the VFL so we thought we’d include him. He should slot into a key defensive post following the departure of Steven May to Melbourne, with his intercept marking a feature of his game. At just $188,900 he’s too good to pass up. If fit, he should play 22 games in 2019.
NIC NEWMAN (CARLTON) $394,100 DEF
The second ACL injury to Sam Docherty makes the acquisition of Newman a smart one. The former Swan can fill the Docherty role across halfback, with his speed and ball use key features of his game. The Blues play a high-possession brand of footy and that should mean good things for Newman’s disposal numbers given he’s the type of player who can set up play across halfback and use his skill to create. He averaged 82.7 SuperCoach points per game in 2017 before 72.6 last year. He’s awkwardly priced but there’s definite upside here if you’re willing to take the risk.
LACHIE NEALE (BRISBANE LIONS) $607,300 MID
Neale isn’t the cheapest option but it’s impossible to ignore his SuperCoach record. He’s averaged 109 points or more per game in his last three seasons and last year had the 11th-best average of any player (111.9). He will step into the Lions midfield and probably be the No.1 man, a role he has relished in the past, when former teammate Nat Fyfe was injured. At $607,300 he’s a cheaper alternative to the likes of Tom Mitchell, Patrick Cripps and Clayton Oliver and is a proven performer. Neale was ranked top five in the AFL in 2018 for total disposals (30.3 per game) and clearances (7.1 per game) and top six for contested possessions (15 per game) and centre clearances (2.8 per game). He’s also extremely durable, having played 21 or more games in his past five seasons, so you can pick him with confidence.
DAYNE BEAMS (COLLINGWOOD) $557,600 MID
Collingwood’s star-studded midfield got even stronger during the trade period with the addition of Beams but just how he fits in alongside he likes of Pendlebury, Treloar, Sidebottom and Adams remains to be seen. What we do know is Beams has averaged 122.9 points per game before — back in 2012 with the Magpies — as well as season averages of 115.5 (2014) and 113.4 (2015). It will be impossible for opposition clubs to restrict all of Collingwood’s gun midfielders and Beams could be the one that gets off the chain given his ability to push forward and kick goals — an aspect the Magpies have lacked from their midfielders. With the likes of Tom Mitchell, Dustin Martin, Jack Macrae, Nat Fyfe and Josh Kelly likely to be more popular premium picks in the midfield, Beams could be a nice point of difference.
DYLAN SHIEL (ESSENDON) $487,000 MID
Essendon’s new gun midfielder has always threatened to be a SuperCoach star, hovering at an average between 94-103 between 2014-17 before dropping back to 89.7 in 2018. Is 2019 the year Shiel finally explodes and gets up to that 110+ average we’ve been waiting for? His price is very tempting but he’s probably more a wait and see option.
AARON HALL (NORTH MELBOURNE) $389,200 MID
SuperCoaches have a love-hate relationship with the former Sun. At his best he’s a line-breaking midfielder who can kick goals but the gap between his best and worst is too great. He’s had his injury problems but when fit we’ve seen him average 95.5 and 92.3 points per game while playing in a poor side. Is the change of scenery exactly what he needs? Hall is one for the SuperCoaches who love a high risk/high reward mid-pricer. His midfield only status will hurt his ownership numbers.
SAM LLOYD (WESTERN BULLDOGS) $386,000 MID
When Lloyd found his way from Richmond to Western Bulldogs during the trade period the immediate thought was he should be SuperCoach gold but his high price tag and midfield-only status means he’ll be overlooked by most. He averaged 79 points in seven games in 2018 — the best average of his career — but we can’t pick him with any confidence.
ANTHONY MILES (GOLD COAST) $342,000 MID
Miles will be a very popular choice in 2019. While he’s a mid-pricer at $342,000 his potential is far too good to ignore given he’s averaged 98.9 points or more in three seasons, including a personal best of 99.9 in 2014. He’s a ball magnet, works hard and wins his own footy, which he’ll need to do when playing in an inexperienced Gold Coast midfield. He should make us money and be a nice stepping stone to a premium.
DAN HANNEBERY (ST KILDA) $326,100 MID
Hannebery has had his injury problems over the last two seasons, which has season his output fall under the level we’ve come to expect from him but at his best, he’s a damaging midfielder who can be that star the Saints are looking for. The former Swan is confident his body will stand up and at $326,100 he’s a prospect far too good to overlook quickly. He averaged 113.4 in 2016 and 114.5 in 2015, while even his 97.3 average of 2017 would see his price rise sharply for us if he can find anywhere near that form. He’s one to watch over the pre-season to see how his body is tracking. He could be one of the bargains of the year.
GEORGE HORLIN-SMITH (GOLD COAST) $270,300 MID
The former Cat is another who has joined Gold Coast looking for more senior opportunities after playing just 51 games in seven seasons at Geelong. He’s never been a big SuperCoach scorer, with most of his season averages hovering in the 60s and below but his 75.7 average in 2017 is intriguing. The downside is he’s not a rookie price — at $270,300 it’s more than we’d want to spend on a player who, on exposed form, might not make us the kind of money we’re looking for. He’s another to watch over pre-season before making a call either way.
CHAD WINGARD (HAWTHORN) $481,100 FWD/MID
Wingard is an elite talent but he’s never really become the SuperCoach star we expected him to become after his breakout season in 2013 when he averaged 98.6 points per game. He’s averaged over 90 points three times in his career — in 2013, 2015 (97.8) and 2017 (93.0) — while he’s twice averaged 80 or more (2016 and 2018). Can he find that next level at Hawthorn? We know the Hawks have a history of targeting players from rival clubs and turning them into stars and Wingard could be the next player in a long list of success stories. He’s definitely one to consider strongly. The change of scenery and working under master coach Alastair Clarkson could be just what he needs to find that next level.
LUKE DAHLHAUS (GEELONG) $418,300 FWD/MID
Dahlhaus is hoping to reignite his career at Geelong after a disappointing season. At his best he’s one of the best small forwards/midfielders in the competition because he’s a pressure player with good skills who kicks goals — all aspects that equal SuperCoach success. He averaged a career-high 104.5 points per game in 2015 before 95.7 in the premiership year of 2016, before dropping back to 90.7 in 2017 and 77.1 this year — the second-lowest average of his career. At $418,300 the former Bulldog presents some serious value given we know he can average between 90-105 and should slot in well alongside the likes of Dangerfield, Selwood, Ablett and Hawkins.
WILL SETTERFIELD (CARLTON) $144,900 FWD/MID
He’s coming off a knee reconstruction but new Blue Setterfield should be one of the first picked in your team — probably on the bench at this stage as you track his progress over the remainder of the pre-season. At just $144,900 and with dual position status, he’s an easy pick given he’s already done a couple of pre-seasons and isn’t a draftee coming in fresh. Setterfield is a highly-rated youngster who should get plenty of opportunities to shine, if fit, in the Carlton midfield in 2019. Lock him in.
TOM LYNCH (RICHMOND) $425,600 FWD
The former Suns co-captain will partner Jack Riewoldt in a new-look Richmond forward line next season but just how that impacts the SuperCoach scores of both players remains to be seen. Lynch averaged a career-best 93.2 points per game in 2016 and has averaged more than 80 points per game three times — in 2014, 2015 and 2017 — despite playing in a poor side. So how good can he be playing for the premiership favourites? The Lynch-Riewoldt partnership might take some getting used to, so monitor his scores over the pre-season. At this stage he’s a no given he’s priced awkwardly.
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Originally published as SuperCoach: Traded players worth considering for your team in 2019