We pick the SuperCoach players you need to watch in the second week of the JLT Series

It’s the final chance to impress ahead of Round 1 and there’s some big names getting their first hitout of the pre-season. We’ve previewed every game this weekend and named the SuperCoach stars to watch.

It’s the final week of pre-season games and Round 1 spots are on the line.

It’s also the final chance to impress SuperCoaches with some crucial names having their first hitouts.

On Thursday night Geelong’s big names produced big games while question marks have been raised over Essendon’s SuperCoach value.

We’ve looked at the weekend’s games and the SuperCoach relevant players to watch.

JLT: GEELONG v ESSENDON SUPERCOACH SCORES

TACTICS: SIX MIDFIELD SELECTION STRATEGIES

YOU PICK: HOW TO PLAY SUPERCOACH DRAFT

GWS GIANTS v ADELAIDE

Friday, March 8 at UNSW Oval (Canberra), 7.10pm (EDT)

GIANT TO WATCH: Toby Greene ($354,600, Fwd)

After missing JLT 1, Greene will be on many SuperCoaches’ watchlists given his price and SuperCoach scoring potential. While he’s battled injury during the pre-season he would be hard to ignore if he impresses on Friday night. Worryingly Josh Kelly has now missed both JLT matches and must be in doubt for Round 1.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Stephen Coniglio ($588,600, Mid), Heath Shaw ($492,400, Def), Jye Caldwell ($162,300, Mid), Jackson Hately ($148,800, Mid), Matt Flynn ($123,900, Ruck)

Toby Greene gets his first game of the JLT Series.

Brodie Smith was excellent in JLT 1. Picture: Simon Cross.

CROW TO WATCH: Brodie Smith ($332,500, Def)

We named Brad Crouch the player to watch last week and he didn’t let us down. Smith was equally impressive in JLT 1 but given he’s a mid-price risk, we’d like to see him do it again. Smith will be taking the vast majority of kick-ins for the Crows this season and if he kicks it to Rory Laird the majority of the time, thousands of SuperCoaches will be very happy.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Bryce Gibbs ($523,900, Mid), Sam Jacobs ($455,700, Ruck), Wayne Milera ($433,100, Def), Brad Crouch ($418,000, Mid), Chayce Jones ($171,300, Mid)

PORT ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE

Saturday, March 9 at Alberton Oval, 1.10pm (EDT)

POWER TO WATCH: Zak Butters ($157,800, Mid)

The first-round draft pick announced himself against Adelaide last week and his SuperCoach popularity skyrocketed as a result. Another big game in JLT 2 will not only lock him in for a Round 1 debut but also cement him as a must-have cash cow. Yes, he’s a little expensive but Sam Walsh is in more than 60 per cent of teams and he’s $200k.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Justin Westhoff ($549,500, Ruck-Fwd), Travis Boak ($478,000, Fwd), Connor Rozee ($189,300, Def-Fwd), Xavier Duursma ($130,800, Def-Mid), Willem Drew ($123,900, Mid-Fwd)

KANGAROO TO WATCH: Ben McKay ($123,900, Def)

The young tall looks to be in the box seat for Round 1 with Robbie Tarrant under a fitness cloud and Majak Daw out indefinitely. If McKay can move into a key defender intercept marking role, he’ll be SuperCoach gold at a bargain price. If he’s a stay-at-home shutdown defender, then cross him off your list.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Jared Polec ($513,500, Mid), Paul Ahern ($375,100, Mid), Luke Davies-Uniacke ($197,500, Mid), Tarryn Thomas ($175,800, Mid), Bailey Scott ($117,300, Mid)

Zak Butters excelled in his first showing for Port Adelaide. Picture: Michael Klein

MELBOURNE v BRISBANE

Saturday, March 9 at Casey Fields, 4.10pm (EDT)

DEMON TO WATCH: Marty Hore ($117,300, Def)

Melbourne have plenty of depth in defence so Hore is no sure thing to line up in Round 1. Despite this, his ownership is a team-high 33 per cent. The former VFL Magpie was impressive in a scratch match against Collingwood and last week’s JLT 1 performance against Richmond but will need to star again to force Simon Goodwin’s hand.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Max Gawn ($692,100, Ruck), Angus Brayshaw ($526,900, Mid), Michael Hibberd ($398, 700, Def), Corey Wagner ($123,900, Mid), Aaron vandenBerg ($283,400, Mid-Fwd),

LION TO WATCH: Jarryd Lyons ($502,000, Mid)

The former Sun comes with an awkward price tag but he ability to win the ball is undisputed. Lyons was arguably mishandled by Gold Coast last year but was unleashed last week against Brisbane and scored 110 SuperCoach points. The Hawks were under strength in JLT 1 but a clash against the Melbourne midfield should give us a better idea of his potential.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Stef Martin ($573,700, Ruck), Mitch Robinson ($496,600, Mid-Fwd), Lincoln McCarthy ($247,500, Fwd), Archie Smith ($172,300, Ruck), Tom Berry ($117,300, Mid)

HAWTHORN v RICHMOND

Saturday, March 9 at UTAS Stadium (Launceston), 7.10pm (EDT)

HAWK TO WATCH: James Sicily ($570,400, Def)

There were some nervous SuperCoaches last week after seeing Sicily play almost exclusively as a forward in JLT 1 against Brisbane. Will Alastair Clarkson revert to type in the final pre-season game and put his intercept-marking star back in defence? If he is deployed as a forward or swingman, Sicily’s scoring will become very hard to predict.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Jaeger O’Meara ($503,200, Mid), James Worpel ($395,700, Mid-Fwd), James Cousins ($219,900, Mid), Jack Scrimshaw ($149,800, Def), Dylan Moore ($123,900, Fwd)

TIGER TO WATCH: Noah Balta ($123,900, Fwd)

Announced himself in style last week with a huge JLT 1 against Melbourne. Balta looms as a possible key forward, pinch-hitting ruckman in Round 1 and only enhanced his chances with a 104-SuperCoach-point game last week. However, the return of Tom Lynch could put Balta’s debut in extreme doubt.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Toby Nankervis ($533,000, Ruck), Jayden Short ($465,600, Def), Bachar Houli ($399,600, Def), Oleg Markov ($158,000), Jack Ross ($117,300, Mid)

Luke Parker in action during AFLX training.

SYDNEY v GOLD COAST

Sunday, March 10 at Oakes Oval (Lismore), 1.10pm (EDT)

SWAN TO WATCH: Luke Parker ($561,700, Mid)

The star midfielder continues to fly under the radar and is a massive point-of-difference (POD) in 2019. Parker pumped out 84 against GWS last week but has averaged 99-plus for five straight years. He’s arguably Sydney’s No.1 midfielder now with Dan Hannebery gone and Josh Kennedy declining over the past two years.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Isaac Heeney ($529,200, Mid-Fwd), Callum Mills ($428,900, Def), Ryan Clarke ($355,400, Def), Nick Blakey ($166,800, Fwd), James Rowbottom ($117,300, Mid)

SUN TO WATCH: Chris Burgess ($123,900, Def-Fwd)

All eyes were on Izak Rankine from a SuperCoach perspective last week but it was Burgess that cemented his place as a must-have cash cow. Obviously being $70k cheaper helps but the former SANFL star took several strong marks and finished the game with 68 SuperCoach points. Forward rookies are looking thin on the ground, so its crucial he steps up.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Jarrod Witts ($480,900, Ruck), Lachie Weller ($403,900, Def-Mid), Pearce Hanley ($296,400, Def), Izak Rankine ($198,300, Fwd), Sam Collins ($188,900, Def)

WESTERN BULLDOGS v ST KILDA

Sunday, March 10 at Mars Stadium (Ballarat), 4.10pm (EDT)

BULLDOG TO WATCH: Will Hayes ($117,300, Mid)

Luke Beveridge doesn’t mind rewarding his VFL recruits with Billy Gowers playing 20 games last year. Hayes won the Footscray VFL best-and-fairest last year and impressed against Gold Coast in tricky conditions. Now he has the chance to press his claims further for a Round 1 debut and if he does, he’ll become a very popular forward line cash cow.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Josh Dunkley ($516,300, Mid-Fwd), Caleb Daniel ($418,500, Fwd), Tim English ($310,600, Ruck), Tom Liberatore ($300,400, Mid), Ben Cavarra ($117,300, Fwd)

SAINT TO WATCH: Jack Billings ($437,600, Fwd)

The notorious “burn man” scored an even 100 SuperCoach points in the opening JLT Series game against North Melbourne and is all of a sudden back on the SuperCoach radar. Are you brave enough to pick him again? Billings has been named on the wing and with the new 6-6-6 rules seems to be enjoying the extra space.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Jack Steele ($512,600, Mid), Callum Wilkie ($124,900, Def), Nick Hind ($117,300, Mid), Darragh Joyce ($123,900, Def), Matt Parker ($117,300, Fwd)

Are you brave enough to pick Jack Billings? Picture: Michael Klein

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST

Sunday, March 10 at Rushton Park (Mandurah), 7.10pm (EDT)

DOCKER TO WATCH: Sean Darcy ($361,500, Ruck)

Looking for a cheap ruckman? Darcy could be your man with Aaron Sandilands looking at a long stint on the sidelines. He’ll likely split time with Rory Lobb, which could ruin both players’ SuperCoach relevance. He’ll get a tough test against West Coast with Tom Hickey and Nathan Vardy to again team up.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Liam Ryan ($489,900, Def), Rory Lobb ($411,600, Ruck-Fwd), Reece Conca ($392,900, Mid), Sam Sturt ($135,300, Fwd), Lachie Schultz ($117,300, Fwd)

EAGLE TO WATCH: Jack Petrucelle ($123,900, Fwd)

Didn’t see much of it in the opening JLT Series match - 43 points in fact - but he’s in line to replace Mark LeCras in the Eagles Round 1 team and we need as many forward cash cows as possible. With West Coast facing arch-rivals Fremantle you’d expect the heat to be on in Mandurah, which is an ideal Round 1 audition.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Shannon Hurn ($523,400, Def), Tom Hickey ($485,600, Ruck), Dom Sheed ($394,100, Mid), Francis Watson ($123,900, Def), Jarrod Cameron ($117,300, Mid-Fwd)

COLLINGWOOD v CARLTON

Monday, March 11 at Morwell Reserve, 2.10pm (EDT)

MAGPIE TO WATCH: Adam Treloar ($594,200, Mid)

We get our first look at the star midfielder on Monday night, who shapes as a true point-of-difference this season. He’s currently in 3.6 per cent of teams. It will be interesting to see how he combines with Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and new recruit Dayne Beams in the Magpies midfield.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Dayne Beams ($557,600, Mid), Jeremy Howe ($497,200, Def), Darcy Moore ($239,600, Def-Fwd), Rupert Wills ($166,100, Mid), Isaac Quaynor ($153,300, Def)

BLUE TO WATCH: Will Setterfield ($144,900, Mid-Fwd)

Last week we named Sam Walsh as the man to watch and he turned it on against Essendon, scoring a SuperCoach ton. So did Setterfield and his form is just as important for SuperCoaches. The ex-Giant is $60k cheaper than his teammate and also has Mid-Fwd status.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Nic Newman ($394,100, Def), Paddy Dow ($323,500, Mid-Fwd), Alex Fasolo ($250,000, Fwd), Liam Stocker ($126,300, Mid), Michael Gibbons ($102,400, Mid)

Originally published as We pick the SuperCoach players you need to watch in the second week of the JLT Series