SuperCoach market watch: Marcus Bontempelli, Stephen Coniglio Round 1 stars but question marks over top ruckmen
Round 1 of the SuperCoach season went some way to quashing the theory a mid-priced team never works. The issue now will be whether those players can back up their flying starts.
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Round 1 of the SuperCoach season went some way to quashing the theory a mid-priced team never works.
Some of the top scorers in the opening round were outside the premium bracket, with West Coast’s Dom Sheed (144), Melbourne halfback Christian Salem (139) and Tom Rockliff (138) posting huge numbers to start 2019, rewarding the coaches who took a punt on them.
RAGE TRADES: MOVES TO CONSIDER AFTER ROUND 1
RUCK FAIL: WHAT TO DO WITH GAWN, GRUNDY AFTER LOW SCORES
HAVE YOUR SAY: WHO WERE THE BEST PLAYERS OF ROUND 1?
THE TACKLE: ROBBO ASSESSES BOMBERS GWS NIGHTMARE
The issue now is which of the mid-priced gems can back up their flying starts.
From every Clayton Oliver circa 2017, when he increased his average from 70.3 to 111.5 as a mid-pricer, there are at least 10 cases where players started promisingly then dropped off.
Enjoy the ride while it lasts, but be mindful there will likely come a time when you need to turn your mid-price risk into a fallen premium to guarantee more sustainable scoring.
We still have another week to assess the rookies or premium picks who battled in Round 1 before deciding whether to move them on before prices change after Round 3.
If you started without North Melbourne’s Bailey Scott (103 points), Port Adelaide’s Willem Drew (103) or Geelong’s Charlie Constable (85), it could be worth making a move this week to ensure your two trades after Round 2 can iron out other issues.
The #SuperCoach nightmares have begun already. Dreamt that Constable had 3 touches and 22SC at 3/4 time this week against the Dees.
— Kevin Horton (@SC_Kev7) March 24, 2019
There will always be a temptation to rage trade after a poor start, but you will almost certainly be punished if you punt Brodie Grundy (81), Max Gawn (87) or Clayton Oliver (71).
History suggests these players will turn their form around swiftly and you’ll be best served riding out their coming price plummet.
ROUND 1 STARS
Marcus Bontempelli 158
Rory Sloane 155
Stephen Coniglio 154
Justin Westhoff 149
Nat Fyfe 147
WEEKLY TOP SCORERS
Wal13Freo, Jason 2398
Balnaz boys, Andrew 2381
White Tigers, Geoff 2380
Sneako95, Greg 2379
westndogs, Maggie 2378
THIS WEEK’S WINNING TEAM
Wal13Freo — 2398
DEFENDERS
Jordan Clark — 69
Jack Scrimshaw — 56
Jordan Ridley — 71
Darcy Moore — 77
Jamie MacMillan — 124
Jamie Lloyd — 131
Xavier Duursma — 67
Ben McKay — 49
MIDFIELDERS
Sam Walsh — 68
Brad Crouch — 91
Brayden Fiorini — 118
Dustin Martin — 109
Stephen Coniglio — 154
Lachie Neale — 127
Nathan Fyfe (c) — 294
Jackson Macrae — 132
Bailey Scott — 103
Charlie Constable — 85
Michael Gibbons — 35
RUCKS
Justin Westhoff — 149
Tim English — 61
Patrick Bines — DNP
FORWARDS
Willem Drew — 103
Will Setterfield — 69
James Worpel — 110
Jack Martin — 79
Michael Walters — 109
Patrick Dangerfield — 97
Matthew Parker — 87
Jack Petruccelle — 44
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
Bontempelli led the Bulldogs to an impressive win over the Swans with a round-high 158 SuperCoach points, of which 69 were recorded in a thrilling final term. He finished with 21 effective disposals, 21 uncontested possessions, seven tackles, six inside 50s and one goal from 83% game time.
Newman 134 Houli 112 Salem 139 Taylor 108 Saad 114 Macmillan 124
— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) March 24, 2019
Rockliff 138 Berry 115 McLuggage 114 Sheed 144 Fiorini 118 Hopper 129 Tomlinson 111 Tucker 114
Phillips 98
Fisher 109 Dahlhaus 102 Worpel 110 Daniel 104 Cameron 110 McCarthy 121
Total: 2468#supercoach
CHAMPION DATA MARKET WATCH
Stephen Coniglio
Coniglio dominated in the win over Essendon with a game-high 154 SuperCoach points. He had 31 disposals, 21 uncontested possessions, seven tackles and eight inside 50s from 90% game time. He also hit the scoreboard with three goals and a game-high four score assists — while also being involved in 10 scoring chains.
Nic Newman
Newman dominated on his Carlton debut with a game-high 134 SuperCoach points. He won 22 of 26 disposals in the defensive half of the ground and gained plenty of territory, finishing with 452 metres gained — ranked second on the ground. He also had 17 uncontested possessions and kicked one goal from 84% game time.
Brodie Grundy
Grundy didn’t have it all his own way against Rhys Stanley and the Cats — finishing with 81 SuperCoach points — with only 10 of his 18 disposals being effective. He won a team-high 14 contested possessions and seven clearances — kicking two behinds for the match. He also narrowly won the hitout-to-advantage battle with Stanley (6-4).
YOUNG GUN: SAM WALSH
Walsh found plenty of the ball on his AFL debut, collecting 24 disposals from 82% game time, but his kicking kept his score down, hitting the target an equal team-low 38% of the time. He had eight contested possessions, four clearances and one score assist on his way to 68 SuperCoach points.
Originally published as SuperCoach market watch: Marcus Bontempelli, Stephen Coniglio Round 1 stars but question marks over top ruckmen
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