SuperCoach AFL Team Reveal: Weaves' won't win starting side pre-Round 1
It’s the most nervous time of the year - how confident can you be that your pre-Round 1 starting side is the one that will get it done for you in SuperCoach?
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When SuperCoach launched, some two or so months ago, there were three players that I thought were certainties in my side. Now, only one has survived.
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It has been terribly sad to see Dylan Roberton declare that his season was over before it began, with his heart issue seeing him decide to stand out for the 2019 campaign. It makes sense to put health first. Similarly, Aaron vandenBerg is another casualty of the JLT Series, with his ankle issue flaring once again and set to see him miss.
As a rule, I’ve always previously been a fan of Dual Position Players and using the ability to switch players around between positions to cover for injury and form. In 2019 it’s a moot point such is the lack of DPP available that are SuperCoach relevant - in my nominal starting line-up I only have eight selected, and one of them is merely a switch DEF / FWD option to allow some flexibility in the side.
DEFENDERS
Losing Roberton completely threw me for a loop after JLT2 - my entire backline has been rejigged as a result. I’ve decided after seeing his kick-in ratio in 2018 that Heath Shaw is an absolute must; he took 37.5% of all kick-ins for the Giants last year, 30 more than Lachie Whitfield, and he played two fewer games. If he maintains his current fitness and track form, Darcy Moore stands to be a beneficiary of the new rules - his ability to hit a long kick to target, when accompanied by his intercept marking ability, makes him a rarity as a key position prospect. It’s hard to know what Brodie Smith will do at the kick-ins, with Rory Laird and Wayne Milera his obvious competitors for the role, but if he can return to full fitness he’s a perfect mid-price SuperCoach purchase.
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While Callum Mills role in the JLT Series saw him switch between the midfield and roles down back, his availability solely as a DEF makes him a tantalising option. He’s a natural ball-winner and thanks to his injury last year, he appeared to be seriously discounted - his Breakeven is a low 78 points, and the likelihood is that he’ll average much closer to 90 if he can maintain form and fitness. Four likely players on debut - either for their new club or in the competition as a whole - round out my defensive stocks, with the only uncertainty at this stage being the Hawks’ Jack Scrimshaw, with some uncertainty as to whether or not he’ll be in the Hawks’ 22 in Round 1.
Other options: Like many, I was initially keen on Isaac Quaynor from the Magpies, who remains in 16% of all sides, but his JLT Series form was less than encouraging. The Power’s Xavier Duursma is a solid DEF / MID option, but without an equivalent DPP in my backline I couldn’t contemplate him, unlike 34% of all other players in the game.
MIDFIELD
I’ve got full faith that Patrick Cripps and Clayton Oliver will be in the top five performing players in 2019 - they’re absolute bull midfielders and their kick-to-handball ratios have been increasing in the former’s favour over the course of their career; there’s little doubt that that will continue, which will see their scoring capacity increase this season. Steve Coniglio, Brad Crouch, and Dom Sheed’s form in the JLT Series has simply been too good to ignore - they averaged 131.5, 121.0, and a whopping 139.0 respectively.
Tom Liberatore’s return from a second knee reconstruction is likely to mirror that of his first - he had a terrific year in 2017, averaging around 80 points a game, and debuting with a 102 against the Pies in Round 1 of that year. With a Breakeven of just 55, it’s no surprise that he’s in over 30% of all SuperCoach sides - quite frankly, it could and should be more.
MORE SUPERCOACH NEWS
FORWARDS Forward Breakout Contenders / Best Value Forwards / Premium Forwards
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MIDFIELDERS Breakout Midfielders / Mid-Priced Mids / Best Value Midfielders / Premium Midfielders Analysis
DEFENDERS Defensive Breakout Contenders & Mid-Pricers / Best Value Defenders / Premium Defenders Analysis
ANALYSIS JLT 1 Highlights / JLT 1 Concerns / JLT 1 Scores / Pre-JLT Rookie Bible / A-Z Guide to SuperCoach
No player has as much ownership as Carlton’s highly-touted 2018 #1 draft pick. Sam Walsh looks like a natural midfield bull, capable of accumulating plenty of the pill and using it astutely. Yes, he’s highly priced at over $200,000 of the $10m cap, but he’s a rookie who looks certain to be worth his high price point - he averaged just on 100 points in the JLT Series, and with a Breakeven of 38, there’s no real fear of him losing ostensible value.
Thanks to their low price points, Port Adelaide pair Willem Drew and Zak Butters, along with Geelong young gun Tom Atkins, and mature age Carlton recruit Michael Gibbons are all monties to be to fill out the final on-field spot and then the three bench roles in the starting midfield.
Other options: It’s very hard to exclude Jack Macrae from the starting side, while the Magpies midfield foursome of Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams, and Scott Pendlebury are very hard to ignore - the Pies are a SuperCoach specialist sort of side, sharing the ball around and racking up handy scores. Cheaper options under consideration include Adelaide’s likely rookie debutant Chayce Jones, GWS young gun Jackson Hately, North Melbourne’s father-son Bailey Scott, and the Cats’ Charlie Constable.
RUCKS
I simply can’t stomach the idea of having both of the high-priced Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn, such is the damage to the salary cap balance. As such, I’m going all the way back to 2016, and opting for the duo of Gawn and Todd Goldstein, in the hope that the former can maintain his incredible 2018 form and the latter can wind back the clock. Patrick Bines from the Eagles warms the pine.
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Other options: Grundy, obviously, is a high-priced consideration, but I was also seriously considering Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs as my R2 - like Todd Goldstein, he’s a player I expect to ruck solo for the majority of the season, and looks as fit as a fiddle. In terms of cheapie bench options at R3, it was a question of whether to execute a loophole or make sure that you have genuine bench coverage, in which case I might’ve selected the Lions’ Archie Smith.
FORWARDS
Why doesn’t everyone have Patrick Dangerfield in their starting side? How is he ONLY in 68% of all SuperCoach sides? With his DPP flexibility, he’s a certainty to have in the FWD role, and also a serious consideration for captaincy selection. He has not averaged less than 100 points a game since 2011, and has hit around 120+ points per game for the last four seasons - there’s no reason to expect that to change.
Similarly, the likes of Sydney’s Isaac Heeney and Tim Kelly from Geelong are DPP players who are likely to play more through the midfield than they will deep in the forward line. Heeney has always been a little bit of a tease, while Kelly looks certain to replace Joel Selwood as a centre clearance specialist. Similarly, while they are available as DPP, it makes sense to have Hawthorn’s James Worpel and Carlton’s Will Setterfield as part of the starting FWD set-up - both should be primarily centre bounce players for their respective sides.
Gold Coast’s mature age recruit Chris Burgess is a natural fit as an option to switch with Darcy Moore down back when and / or if required, from his bench role, while Noah Balta - if selected to debut - is another easy pick as final bench spot. Toby Greene is the sole dedicated FWD option in my six starting player set-up. Having only played seven games last season, he is a fallen premium and massively discounted. In 2018 he debuted with 131 points against the Dogs - he racks up the stats, he kicks goals, and he tackles...what’s not to love?
Other options: Justin Westhoff is a fine DPP RUC / FWD option, but the inclusion of Scott Lycett (also a RUC / FWD option) may see his role adjusted and his scores fluctuate as a result. Cat Sam Menegola is an unheralded SuperCoach star, with Devon Smith from the Bombers is similarly an accumulator - but who knows what impact Dylan Shiel’s addition to their side will have? Port Adelaide debutant Connor Rozee (DEF / FWD) is an option, while two small forwards for the Crows - Tyson Stengle and Shane McAdam - are serious considerations.
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Originally published as SuperCoach AFL Team Reveal: Weaves' won't win starting side pre-Round 1
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