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SuperCoach stars who slipped under the radar after the JLT Series

Is your SuperCoach team looking a lot like everyone else’s? Gain an edge by picking one of these JLT Series guns that everybody else is ignoring.

Who is a lock in your SuperCoach team

Another week of pre-season games are done and dusted and we are still left as confused as ever.

Options are popping up left, right and centre, and SuperCoach sides are set to change approximately 100 times before the season begins next Thursday night.

There seems to be more point-of-difference (POD) picks popping up than ever before. These are players that appear in fewer than 10 per cent of teams and have the potential to set your side apart from the rest.

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Check out the PODs who flourished in the second week of the JLT Series, with some receiving some healthy ownership boosts on the back of eye-catching displays.

GEELONG v ESSENDON

Joel Selwood $570,500 MID

2018 avg: 105.1 (22 games)

Ownership: 2 per cent

The Cats skipper pulled off one of the standout performances of JLT2, amassing 38 touches, 11 marks, seven tackles and 153 SuperCoach points. He appeared to be playing off a wing at times and was very effective. This may not bode so well for his scoring on a consistent level, but a player who has averaged 100-plus since the dawn of time is worth consideration.

Jordan Ridley $233,100 DEF

2018 avg: 53.7 (3 games)

Ownership: 4 per cent

The smooth-moving tall has impressed in both JLT outings, backing up his 97 points in JLT1 with a 94-point return against the Cats. Ridley is known for his efficiency by foot, winning the kicking test at the draft combine in 2016, and the Bombers looked to get the ball in his hands throughout the JLT Series. Entering his third year, Ridley looms as an expensive rookie who can produce the goods (think Caleb Marchbank).

ADELAIDE v GWS GIANTS

Rory Sloane $524,300 MID

2018 avg: 96.6 (12 games)

Ownership: 7 per cent

The Crouch brothers’ dominance has allowed Sloane to slip under the radar despite posting 115 SuperCoach points. We know what the 28-year-old can produce at his best, and an injury-affected 2018 sees him at a massive discount.

Wayne Milera $433,100 DEF

2018 avg: 79.8 (19 games)

Ownership: 3 per cent

Milera is a classy ball user, but to gather 29 disposals without missing a target is simply ridiculous. That’s what the 21-year-old did on Friday night on his way to 123 SuperCoach points. He shares the backline with popular options Rory Laird and Brodie Smith, but the talented youngster remains a breakout contender.

Wayne Milera is primed for a breakout season.
Wayne Milera is primed for a breakout season.

PORT ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE

Travis Boak $478,800 MID

2018 avg: 88 (22 games)

Ownership: 2 per cent

Boak frustrated his owners last year and he is tempting us yet again, finishing with 28 touches, 11 marks and 101 points at Alberton. The Power have promised him more midfield time in 2019, and he is free of the captaincy responsibilities. The question is whether he will stay in this role once Ollie Wines returns.

Tom Rockliff $405,900 MID

2018 avg: 74.8 (18 games)

Ownership: 9 per cent

Speaking of frustrating owners… Rockliff has jumped to 9 per cent ownership after a flawless 41 possessions, 15 marks, two goals and 170 SuperCoach points against the Roos. He gave SuperCoachers third degree burns last year that they are still recovering from, but it’s difficult to ignore a dominant display like that.

Travis Boak is enjoying a return to the midfield. Picture: Sarah Reed
Travis Boak is enjoying a return to the midfield. Picture: Sarah Reed

MELBOURNE v BRISBANE LIONS

Jarryd Lyons $502,000 MID

2018 avg: 92.5 (19 games)

Ownership: 1.6 per cent

A sad day at POD HQ — Lyons has officially risen from under 1 per cent ownership. The underrated ball-winner turned heads at Casey, racking up 26 touches, 15 contested possessions and booting four goals in a best-on-ground performance. Proved he has another string to his bow.

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Harris Andrews $480,100 DEF

2018 avg: 88.4 (18 games)

Ownership: 2 per cent

Andrews was another Lion POD to impress, collecting 21 touches, eight marks and 106 points. Gets plenty of points for one percenters, and is a strong interceptor. Tall defenders are generally forbidden in this game, but Andrews is the exception.

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HAWTHORN v RICHMOND

Jack Higgins $392,100 FWD

2018 avg: 72.3 (18 games)

Ownership: 3 per cent

Higgins picked up 19 disposals (10 contested) and booted three goals against the Hawks, finishing with a solid 99 points. A capable ball-winner and goalsneak, Higgins will definitely improve on his 2018 average, but by how much?

Jack Higgins broke SuperCoach records as a junior. Picture: Michael Klein
Jack Higgins broke SuperCoach records as a junior. Picture: Michael Klein

SYDNEY v GOLD COAST

Tom Papley $383,400 FWD

2018 avg: 70.6 (19 games)

Ownership: 1 per cent

Papley was thrown into the middle on Sunday and was one of the Swans’ best, collecting 27 disposals, seven tackles and top-scoring with 140 SuperCoach points. It is unlikely John Longmire will stick with this in the regular season, but he is one to monitor.

Ryan Clarke $355,100 DEF

2018 avg: 65.5 (19 games)

Ownership: 1 per cent

He played mostly as a defender at the Roos, but Clarke joined Papley in the middle against the Suns and excelled, posting 109 points from 29 touches. It’s hard to justify his selection with the multitude of mid-priced defenders on offer, but an interesting proposition nonetheless.

Sydney recruit Ryan Clarke. Picture: Phil Hillyard
Sydney recruit Ryan Clarke. Picture: Phil Hillyard
Emerging Saint Jack Steele. Picture: Michael Klein
Emerging Saint Jack Steele. Picture: Michael Klein

WESTERN BULLDOGS v ST KILDA

Josh Dunkley $516,300 FWD/MID

2018 avg: 95.1 (19 games)

Ownership: 9 per cent

Dunkley has returned to POD territory after a disappointing JLT1, and he proved the doubters wrong over the weekend. Dunkley top-scored for the Bulldogs with 29 disposals, eight tackles, seven clearances and 107 SuperCoach points. If Luke Beveridge plays him as a midfielder, he is bound to flourish. But as we know, that is a big if.

Jack Steele $512,600 MID

2018 avg: 94.4 (21 games)

Ownership: 1 per cent

Steele continues to go from strength to strength, putting on another complete SuperCoach performance with 25 touches (13 contested), 10 tackles and 115 points against the Bulldogs. The only question mark on the Saints ball-winner was his tank, and he seems to have improved that in spades over the off-season, averaging over 80 per cent time-on-ground across the JLT. If you are looking for a POD midfielder, he is your man.

Jack Darling is in ominous form.
Jack Darling is in ominous form.

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST

Jack Darling $471,100, FWD

2018 avg: 86.4 (18 games)

Ownership: 3 per cent

Darling shot out of the blocks in 2018 and he might just do the same this season. The mobile forward backed up his 101-point effort in JLT1 with another 96 points against the Dockers. The Eagles will have some big wins this year and expect Darling to reap the rewards — especially with Josh Kennedy out.

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David Mundy $520,900 FWD/MID

2018 avg: 96 (22 games)

Ownership: 2 per cent

Like Boak, Mundy has been promised a return to the midfield and so far Ross Lyon has delivered on that promise. The veteran posted his second 90-plus total of the JLT Series playing as an inside midfielder. Having missed just six games in the past five seasons, the durable Docker looms as a reliable POD option.

Adam Treloar is an underpriced midfield jet.
Adam Treloar is an underpriced midfield jet.

COLLINGWOOD v CARLTON

Adam Treloar $594,200 MID

2018 avg: 109.5 (13 games)

Ownership: 5 per cent

Treloar led the possession count, as he often does, against the Blues, racking up 42 touches and booting a goal on his way to a game-high 128 points. The Pies gun was one of the top-ranked midfielders before he went down with injury last year, and is extremely undervalued.

Kade Simpson $570,400 DEF

2018 avg: 105 (21 games)

Ownership: 7 per cent

Remember this guy, who ranked second for total points for defenders in 2018? He may be turning 35 in May, but the veteran managed to punch out a ton in Morwell. Looked to be the Blues’ main man out of defence with Nic Newman unable to replicate his promising JLT1. Could prove us all wrong in 2019 and produce another formidable SuperCoach year.

Originally published as SuperCoach stars who slipped under the radar after the JLT Series

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/supercoach-news/supercoach-stars-who-slipped-under-the-radar-after-the-jlt-series/news-story/6082fac68a6739efd556601430754240