Why you should wait before adding Richmond rookie Sydney Stack to your SuperCoach team

Every SuperCoach has a story of the time they traded in a debutant, only for them to be dropped a week later. Here’s why you should use caution when bringing in Sydney Stack for Round 4.

Sydney Stack pulls down a high mark at Richmond training. Picture: Michael Dodge.

SuperCoaches are prone to temptation.

It may exist in the form of a point-of-difference selection or a dicey mid-pricer who you’re convinced is ‘ready to break out’.

But perhaps the biggest SuperCoach temptation of them all is a cash cow going bananas in his first game.

Enter Sydney Stack ($102,400, MID).

The Tigers debutant — who was passed on by every club in the 2018 AFL Draft due to off-field concerns — starred in his side’s thumping loss at GIANTS Stadium, collecting 17 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency, eight marks and booting a goal.

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And most importantly for SuperCoaches, he raised the bat for a SuperCoach ton.

His 108-point effort was Richmond’s second-highest total for the day behind Kane Lambert (140).

When many saw this eye-catching display last weekend, their minds cast instantly to our struggling midfield rookies.

Mature-age Blue Michael Gibbons registered just 17 points on Saturday and his average of 36 meant he only increased $21,500 in value.

Fellow mature-ager Tom Atkins posted a dismal 33 on Friday night, while North Melbourne youngster Bailey Scott’s 72 points over the past two weeks have hardly been a vote of confidence.

It made thousands think — why don’t we jump on the Tiger a week early?

Currently, just under 8,000 (7.1 per cent) teams have acted on this, trading in Stack on the back of his eye-catching debut.

As we know, SuperCoach prices remain ‘on the bubble’ until they’ve played their third game. It couldn’t hurt to get him after one game, right?

Wrong.

Sydney Stack handballs for Western Australian in last year’s Under-18 National Championships. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media.

Trading in a cash cow after one game is fraught with danger and is one of the forbidden acts in SuperCoach.

Let’s take a look at what can happen to SuperCoaches who break this golden rule — or as SuperCoaches know it, the ‘Josh Glenn rule.’

Former Gold Coast midfielder Josh Glenn debuted for the Suns on Round 5, 2015 — a day that changed SuperCoach forever.

Glenn starred in the Suns’ ten-goal win, collecting 21 disposals, five inside 50s and 103 SuperCoach points.

Sydney Stack pulls down a high mark at Richmond training. Picture: Michael Dodge.

SuperCoaches across the country traded in the youngster without hesitation, expecting similar returns for the rest of the season and plenty of cash in their pockets.

How wrong they were.

The next week Glenn struggled, tallying just seven disposals on his way to a grand total of 36 points. Owners were left shattered and confused after he failed to live up to the high standards he’d set in his debut game.

Sure enough, he was dropped the next week — not rising in value until Round 16.

SuperCoaches learned the hard way, as Glenn failed to make his way back into the Suns’ side until Round 16.

Those who held him weren’t rewarded either, with Glenn posting scores of 32, 44 and 45 after his return.

Josh Glenn was a prime example of why you don’t trade rookies in after one game. Photo: Tom Huntley.

Those who had traded in Glenn were forced to make another trade to another rookie before his price rises. Two trades burnt for absolutely no gain.

There lies an important lesson: don’t go a week early on rookies.

While Sydney Stack showed plenty of promise on debut, he could follow it up with a stinker. Or even worse, he could sustain an injury in his second match (touch wood!).

Hold your horses — wait until next week to ensure you don’t waste two trades. As SuperCoach has taught us over the years, nothing is guaranteed.

Originally published as Why you should wait before adding Richmond rookie Sydney Stack to your SuperCoach team