SuperCoach AFL 2024: Top trade targets for round 22
Who will be the difference-makers in knockout SuperCoach finals? And who can you afford to cut loose? See how the experts rate the most traded players for round 22.
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Don’t die wondering.
If you have trades left and you’re playing in a knockout final – or looking for a final push up the overall rankings – now is the time to use them.
Every team’s needs will be different, but there are some common moves emerging leading into round 22.
See the experts’ verdict on the most traded players this week, and scroll down for the full trade guide.
MOST TRADED IN
1. IZAK RANKINE $569,500 FWD
Al Paton: CONSIDER. The Crows’ fixture makes me nervous – Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide, Sydney – but he has scored well against good opposition this year (121 v GWS, 142 v Brisbane, 121 v Carlton). Durability is another potential red flag after missing seven of the Crows’ last 10 games through suspension or injury. But I’m probably over-thinking it. He’s good!
Tim Michell: BUY. His ownership has dropped to 4 per cent while he was out suspended and he could be the difference in a make-or-break SuperCoach final. Had a five-round average of 116 before collecting Brandon Starcevich.
Tarquin Oakley: BUY. Could be a great POD given he is back from suspension if you have a spare trade.
2. HARVEY JOHNSTON $121,500 MID/FWD
AP: BUY. Played his first game last weekend and scored 48. If a bench downgrade helps you make another trade, why not.
TM: BUY. No offence to Harvey, but I’ve never actually seen him play so this advice is coming purely from a SuperCoach perspective. He’s DPP and cheap – that’s enough for me to say yes.
TO: CONSIDER. Has DPP status, so if you’re desperate for cover then I suppose he’s an option. If not, you’re better off bringing in a non-playing $102k cheapie to use for loops with just three games left.
3. JYE CALDWELL $548,000 MID/FWD
AP: BUY. Think he’s more of a 110 guy now after a purple patch but that’s still a great return in the forward line. His CBAs dipped in Darcy Parish’s first week back but were back up against the Dockers.
TM: BUY. And enjoy the last few weeks where we can pick him as a FWD before he becomes MID only next year. Hasn’t scored less than 92 since round 12.
TO: BUY. He’s having a breakout season for the Bombers. Picking Rankine over Caldwell for round 17 hurts bad.
4. DYLAN MOORE $504,300 FWD
AP: CONSIDER. Fixture looks great but he only scored 74 against Richmond a month ago. Needs one spike game to justify the pick.
TM: BUY. Hawks have a great fixture with Richmond and North Melbourne in the last two rounds, games Moore could go large in. I’m talking 125-plus levels of large.
TO: CONSIDER. Is a top-six forward but I would be getting Rankine or Caldwell first if you are missing one of them.
5. CLAY HALL $117,300 MID
AP: PASS. Slightly cheaper than teammate Johnston but without DPP. What does Jarrad Schofield have against cheap 2025 rookies?
TM: BUY. On November 21 last year I tweeted that Clay Hall was going to be a good cash cow in 2024. That was wrong, but he can still fill a bench spot for you – or even M8 if you’re desperate. He scored 35 points in less than a half, which is promising.
TO: AVOID. Like Johnston, why do you need him? If he’s just going to clog the bench pick a cheaper non-playing rookie.
6. ADAM TRELOAR $650,300 MID
AP: BUY. Just keeps scoring bulk points. Unfortunately, no one has the trades or cash to get him – if you can, it could be a huge finals move.
TM: BUY. The hottest man in SuperCoach right now. Yes, even hotter than Patch. Only concern is the possibility of a Toby Bedford tag in round 24.
TO: BUY. I said a couple of weeks ago he was flying under the radar averaging more than Zach Merrett. Well, now he’s averaging more than Zak Butters, Harry Sheezel and Nick Daicos as well.
7. MARCUS BONTEMPELLI $657,700 MID
AP: BUY. Can’t go into a sudden death final without the No.1 player in the game.
TM: BUY. The fact you lasted 21 rounds without Marcus Bontempelli in your team and haven’t thrown the towel in is seriously impressive.
TO: BUY. Ha ha ha. Next.
8. JESSE HOGAN $501,000 FWD
AP: CONSIDER. Form is incredible – four or more goals in each of his past five games – but key forwards are always high risk.
TM: PASS. Not convinced games against Brisbane, Fremantle and Western Bulldogs are the best ones to trade in a key forward for. But you would think the Giants will feed him as he chases a maiden Coleman Medal.
TO: PASS. A tough match-up this week against Brisbane puts me off.
9. KYNAN BROWN $102,400 MID/FWD
AP: BUY. Doesn’t look like he’s going to get a game now but if you don’t need the points he still has value as a non-playing bench loop.
TM: BUY. Same advice as last week. He’s not going to play but is cheap and has DPP.
TO: BUY. A better rookie option if you’re looking for a downgrade to find cash for an upgrade. Has DPP and you can loop him.
10. ARCHIE ROBERTS $117,300 DEF
AP: CONSIDER. If you need a rookie I’d prefer a $102k player with DPP, but he is DEF eligible which could help some teams.
TM: BUY. Can he get out of Nic Martin’s role in defence, though, please? No reason he doesn’t play the last three games with finals only a remote chance for Essendon now.
TO: CONSIDER. Only if you absolutely need defensive cover.
MOST TRADED OUT
1. BILLY DOWLING $336/300 MID/FWD
AP: TRADE. I’ve been saying ‘keep him for cover’ for a few weeks but we are close enough to the finish line to sell the farm to get the most points on field and cross our fingers there is no more carnage.
TM: TRADE. Better options at a similar price and there was only so long his habit of scoring 60 per cent of his points in last quarters was going to work out.
TO: CONSIDER. Has shown he can post decent scores. If you can use him to land a premium, though, then go for it.
2. LUKE JACKSON $469,600 RUC/FWD
AP: CONSIDER. Ideal play would be to push him to F7 and loophole him in case he jags a good score. Getting less and less likely we’ll need him to cover a ruck injury.
TM: TRADE. When Sean Darcy isn’t in the side, he’s a SuperCoach god. When Darcy is, well ... it’s not even worth talking about. Could genuinely cost you a final this week.
TO: CONSIDER. Scoring is poor but will you be giving up ruck cover if you trade him?
3. SHAUN MANNAGH $361,500 MID/FWD
AP: HOLD. Unlike Dowling, I would feel confident playing him on field for the rest of the year if I had to. Mature body and has a good role at the Cats.
TM: HOLD. Unless it gets you to a gun premium. Great cover on both lines and scoring 70s at a minimum.
TO: HOLD. Providing handy cover across two lines.
4. LAWSON HUMPHRIES $323,800 DEF/MID
AP: HOLD. Like Mannagh, DPP and scoring potential are just too valuable.
TM: HOLD. This guy could outscore one of your premiums in any of the next three weeks. You’ll be kicking yourself if you trade and a premium goes down with injury.
TO: HOLD. How do Geelong keep finding these draft gems?
5. LOGAN EVANS $323,300 DEF
AP: SELL. Less attached to Logan.
TM: SELL. Scores of 53 and 41 in the last two weeks – although he can be forgiven last round when the ball lived in Port’s attacking 50. Still, it’s time to cash in.
TO: SELL. A couple of down weeks now for Evans. Use his cash if you can.
6. CHARLIE CURNOW $433,900 FWD
AP: HOLD. Incredibly frustrating to own but this is what we bought into with a key forward. He did score 119 two weeks ago.
TM: HOLD. He kicked 19 goals against West Coast last year and Carlton plays the Eagles next week. Just try to push him to F7 this round.
TO: HOLD. The week you trade him out he’ll kick a bag. That’s just how it works.
7. JORDAN RIDLEY $521,100 DEF
AP: TRADE. Worth enough to get someone really good in a trade – Bailey Dale or Nic Newman are good options, or $57k would get you to Tom Stewart.
TM: TRADE. His season is over. No point holding.
TO: CONSIDER. It just depends how many trades you got left and who’s covering for him. Wouldn’t use your last trade here if you have decent cover. A chance to play round 24.
8. HARLEY REID $369,700 MID/FWD
AP: CONSIDER. I was happy trading but Tarquin makes a good point.
TM: TRADE. The last time he scored more than 82 points was round 10. Those totals aren’t winning you SuperCoach finals.
TO: CONSIDER. Up against North Melbourne this week so you could hang on for one more. Plays early enough to loop his score as well.
9. JOEL FREIJAH $291,200 MID/FWD
AP: TRADE. His only value to our teams now is as a non-playing loophole but you can do that with a $102k player.
TM: TRADE. Hasn’t played the last two weeks and the Bulldogs are flying. Hard to see him getting back in.
TO: TRADE. Doesn’t have a ton in his kit bag yet like Mannagh and Humphries.
10. CLAYTON OLIVER $423,700 MID
AP: CONSIDER. Depends on how your team is placed but ideally you want someone in better form. Unfortunately, there isn’t much available around his price. Matt Roberts?
TM: TRADE. The Demons are battling and if they continue to lose heavily – which is entirely possible this week – very few Melbourne players will score well. Just look at round 21 when Max Gawn (130), Jake Bowey (100) and Trent Rivers (90) were the only Dees to score 90. In contrast, 11 Bulldogs reached that mark.
TO: TRADE. Has been way off his best for most of 2024. Scores of 100 and 101 are his only two tons in the last 10 weeks.
Trade guide: Eight big moves for knockout SuperCoach finals
– Al Paton
Go hard or go home.
You have to risk it for the biscuit.
Choose your cliche, but now is the time to lay it all the line with every match in head-to-head leagues a must-win from here – unless you are lucky enough to enjoy a week off in round 22.
For the rest of us – and players looking for a late jump in the overall rankings – it’s time to think outside the box.
Playing it safe won’t cut it.
Here are the recruits who can keep your season alive.
ELITE TARGETS
LACHIE WHITFIELD $630,400 DEF
Five-round average: 128 | Ownership: 19 per cent | Fixture: Fremantle (r22), Brisbane Lions (r23), Western Bulldogs (round 24)
ANDREW BRAYSHAW $612,700 MID
Five-round av: 127.8 | Ownership: 5 per cent | v Geel, GWS, Port
ADAM TRELOAR $650,300 MID
Five-round av: 126 | Ownership: 6 per cent | v Adel, North, GWS
TOM STEWART $578,200 DEF
Five-round av: 120 | Ownership: 25 per cent | v Freo, StK, WC
JACK SINCLAIR $612,000 DEF/MID
Five-round 116 | Ownership: 11 per cent | v Rich, Geel, Carl
If you want players in form, this is the top of the tree – running hot at the right time of year and with friendly fixtures for the rest of the finals.
And the odds are your finals opponent won’t have them in their team.
The only problem is they don’t come cheap. If you’re on a budget, check out the names below for a potential finals recruiting coup.
LEFT-FIELD TARGETS
MATT ROWELL $420,300 MID | Ownership: 16 per cent
Is he back? Rowell looked a lot like the player who averaged 131 over the first seven rounds when he pumped out 122 points against the Eagles on Friday night. It’s been a very rough two months for Rowell owners, but they may finally get rewarded in SuperCoach finals. Could he be a bargain buy for non-owners? It would be a big gamble given he went from rounds 13-19 without scoring over 82, but there were positive signs a week ago when Rowell scored 97 against very handy opposition in Brisbane. The Suns’ last three opponents should be a lot easier. Next week it’s the Bombers, followed by Melbourne, which just gave up 182 points to Marcus Bontempelli and 149 to Adam Treloar. And in SuperCoach grand final week the Suns travel to the MCG to face Richmond, which has conceded more points to opposition midfielders this year than any other team, including 141 to Luke Davies-Uniacke on Saturday) – and 137 to Rowell back in round 1. And you can get him for a $200k discount on his round 8 price.
CAM RAYNER $484,000 MID/FWD | Ownership: 4 per cent
Winning finals is about hitting form at the right time. And Rayner is doing just that, missing out on a fourth straight ton by one point on Sunday. He is still averaging 108 over that stretch, winning 20-plus disposals and kicking two-plus goals in his past three games – a great recipe for SuperCoach scoring. He also has FWD/MID eligibility and won’t break the bank. Flagged by the Phantom’s Lair crew as the POD to watch last week, he is living up to the billing for his 5300 owners. The Lions are running hot and finish the year against GWS, Collingwood and Essendon.
JESSE HOGAN $501,000 FWD | Ownership: 6 per cent
Speaking of hot goalkicking form, the new Coleman Medal leader has kicked at least four goals in his past five games. Three of those performances have translated into big SuperCoach tons, including 146 points against Hawthorn on Sunday. The Giants’ run home isn’t easy on paper – Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Western Bulldogs – but good luck stopping Hogan in his current form. Rolling the dice on a key forward is fraught with danger, but I sure wish I had picked Hogan instead of Charlie Curnow a month ago.
GEORGE HEWETT $457,400 MID | Ownership: 1 per cent
Hewett continued his recent hot streak on Saturday night, outscoring Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh again with 135 points in the Blues’ heartbreaking loss to Collingwood on the back of 32 disposals and 12 clearances. That’s three tons since returning to the team in a key midfield role in round 19. Right now he’s the Blues’ best mid, so he won’t be going anywhere as they fight for a finals spot, against potentially lucrative opposition in Hawthorn, West Coast and St Kilda.
TRISTAN XERRI $632,800 RUC | Ownership: 17 per cent
Not as big a POD as the other names on this list but the No.1 scoring ruckman in SuperCoach this season is still way under-owned in 16 per cent of teams. He’s also a lot more expensive, but this is a move for coaches who have to go big to win this weekend. Fresh off scores of 151 and 144 in his past two games, Xerri faces West Coast on Saturday – a team that has given up more points to rucks than any other this year, including 161 to Jarrod Witts last round. Xerri could be a great vice-captain candidate in semi-final week.
JAIDYN STEPHENSON $278,600 FWD | Ownership: 0 per cent
You could pay over $600k for Luke Davies-Uniacke and hope for a big score against the Eagles – the second-easiest team for midfielders to score against – or you could go for the wild cut-price option who is in just 580 teams. Last week we highlighted Matt Roberts and that paid off – he was Sydney’s third top scorer against Port Adelaide. This is even more out there, but Stephenson may have finally cemented himself in the Kangaroos’ side with scores of 85 and 104 in the past two weeks. You could swap a fattened up rookie to him and put the E on him this Saturday. If it pays off, could be a finals winning move.
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Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2024: Top trade targets for round 22
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