SuperCoach AFL 2025: Top trade targets for round 13
Fresh off the bye, Marcus Bontempelli is target No.1 in SuperCoach this week. But how do you get there? Plus the best value picks for round 13.
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SuperCoach bye strategy 101 is to trade gun players in fresh off their bye – ideally at the best possible price.
Marcus Bontempelli ticks all the boxes this week, available for $37k under his starting value and for every game until round 24 – helping cover for other players who have a bye in the next four weeks.
The one sticking point is he’s still $643,300. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. And if there’s not a way, there are other players who could deliver similar bang for buck this week and beyond.
Here are the top trade targets for round 13 – the easiest of the mid-season byes with just Fremantle and St Kilda having a week off.
ROOKIES
Couldn’t back up his amazing 97-point debut, which wasn’t a big shock, scoring 44 points from 11 disposals against Brisbane. The key is he wasn’t subbed off and his spot in the Bombers’ side appears safe, at least in the short term. Clearly the standout bubble boy this week with a projected price rise of $50,000 after his next game.
Costs a bit more than Clarke but also on the bubble and will make well over $100,000 if he can average 70 over his next three games. Scores of 79 and 67 in the past two rounds are promising, the worry is Pedlar spent the first 10 rounds out of the Crows side (he averaged 92 SuperCoach points in the SANFL). Pedlar has hit the scoreboard and recorded eight tackles across the past two rounds to keep himself in the coaches’ good books.
The No.1 pick in the mid-season draft is yet to make a debut but it might not be far away after he starred in his first game in the WAFL at the weekend with 26 disposals and seven intercepts. The Eagles escaped without any injuries from their fighting loss to Geelong – could he take the spot of Ryan Maric, who was subbed off with 15 disposals to his name? Coaches might be tempted to pick McCarthy even if he isn’t named this week to generate desperately needed cash, just be careful it doesn’t leave you short over the tougher bye rounds to come.
VALUE PICKS
Firmly on the trade table after backing up his 119 against Richmond with 123 points against Brisbane – well played to the 1500 coaches who banked those points after jumping on before round 12. The good news for the rest of us is Caldwell isn’t much more expensive this week, but with a Break Even of 21 his price is about to skyrocket. One of the SuperCoach finds of the back end of last season, Caldwell missed five games this year with a hamstring strain and has ramped up his midfield time since returning in round 9, attending over 70 per cent of centre bounces over the past two games. A history of soft-tissue injuries is a red flag, but with cash generation tougher than any season in recent memory, his price and potential output is too good to ignore.
Have to include Stewart again after he appeared here last week, then scored 103 and only increased in price by $6800. Looks back in form, taking three intercept marks against the Eagles to frank his 98-point game the week before. If you need a value defender, he’s still an option.
Can we go back there? More than 25,000 coaches jumped ship in the past three weeks but they may now be having seller’s remorse after Daniel posted back-to-back scores of 97 in his past two games. Harry Sheezel’s move out of the North Melbourne defence has helped Daniel resume his playmaking role, taking 16 kick-ins in those games. He’s bye-free, very affordable and has a good match-up against the Eagles this week. If only we’d known about Ryan Maric’s impending role change three weeks ago ...
What’s that saying about desperate times? Atkins was seen as purely a depth player when he landed at the Power in the trade period, but he put himself in the SuperCoach frame with a 104-point game before Port Adelaide’s bye. After one appearance earlier in the year he’s on the bubble this week, and some coaches will be hoping history can repeat itself – in 2023 Atkins broke into the Gold Coast side in round 7, averaged 70 over the next six games and made $110k. Opportunity opened up this season with injuries to Port defenders Kane Farrell (knee) and Lachie Jones (hamstring), and while we won’t see Jones for a while Farrell is reportedly pushing for a return this week. Wait for teams before committing.
BYE-FREE PREMIUMS
It’s been a funny feeling having the modern SuperCoach great in so few teams this season (currently 19 per cent), but that could change this week. It’s the perfect time to get him fresh off the Bulldogs’ bye and with a price unlikely to fall much further, if at all – his most recent scores against his next three opponents are 142 (Hawthorn), 159 (St Kilda) and 135 (Richmond). Finding the funds to grab him won’t be easy but cashing in Ryan Maric and/or Matt Flynn (Break Even 111) could get you there, while some coaches are cutting ties with cashed up rookies Levi Ashcroft or Xavier Lindsay.
The most expensive player in the game has the best ruck match-up in the comp this week. I don’t know how non-owners can get him this week but it might be a good weekend to switch off the SuperCoach scores and go camping.
Can’t quite get to Bont? His teammate could match him point for point in the run home. Libba is having a career-best season at age 33, averaging 119 for the year with just one score under 100 and a three-round average of 133.7. Attends bulk centre bounces every week and never gets tagged. Still a hefty price tag, though.
Now we’re looking for some value. Cripps is down $66k on his starting price despite hitting some recent form – five-round average 109. The Blues have a favourable fixture ahead with Essendon, West Coast, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide over their next four games, and they have to find form as a team at some point. If it’s now, he could be a great POD over the bye rounds and beyond. If you like the Blues’ run, George Hewett is $75k down on his peak price and has scored under 94 once for the year.
The No.9 defender in SuperCoach this year on averages, the Port Adelaide skipper is still good buying at $531k, less than $2k above his round 1 price. He is capable of a spike game – four scores this year of 128 or better – and is safe for 90-plus most weeks in his new role at half-back.
WAIT
Zak Butters ($585k) and Jason Horne-Francis ($499k) are two of the most enticing trade targets off the round 12 bye, but if you’re playing the cash game it makes sense to hold off on bringing in the Power pair.
Butters’ price is down from $704k a month ago, but he’s going to be even cheaper in the next few weeks. He has a Break Even of 197 this week and could run straight into a Toby Bedford tag that would result in a big price drop and another high BE next round. He could be the perfect player to finish your team at the end of the byes.
Horne-Francis is in a similar boat when he returns from injury, which could be as early as this week. His BE is 158 and he is projected to lose over $60k after his next two matches. Wait and pounce at the perfect price – potentially as the ideal player for the Flex position for the run home.
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Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2025: Top trade targets for round 13
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