A weekly look at the SuperCoach relevant players flying in pre-season or hit by untimely setbacks

The JLT Series has given us the first glimpse at our SuperCoach selections but is there an issue with Patrick Cripps we didn’t see coming? However, there’s good news for Travis Boak, Andrew Brayshaw and Zac Clarke.

SuperCoach AFL Whispers Part III.

The JLT Series has given us the first glimpse at our SuperCoach selections with another weekend of games to come.

There’s some scary news out of Carlton with Patrick Cripps revealing he’d like to work on his forward craft while there’s good news on the injury front for Aaron Hall

Meanwhile, Andrew Brayshaw and Travis Boak are set for more midfield time and Zac Clarke firms for a Round 1 debut but with one caveat.

Check out all the week’s SuperCoach news and tidbits below.

SCORES: ULTIMATE JLT SUPERCOACH REVIEW

JOIN UP: HOW TO PLAY SUPERCOACH DRAFT

FREAKO: HOW KICK-INS WILL IMPACT SUPERCOACH

PATRICK CRIPPS ($648,200, Mid)

Patrick Cripps playing more time up forward? Surely Carlton is just pulling our leg, trying to feed its rivals some fake news! The Blues co-captain kicked two goals in the JLT Series opener and revealed he could spend some more time inside forward 50m. “I want to get up forward a bit more this year,” he told SEN. “Especially with the young talent we’ve got coming through the midfield. “It’s probably the goalkicking and the craft element up forward that I’ve been working on.”

Patrick Cripps in training with AFLX team, Rampage.

STEVEN MAY ($443,500, Def)

The new Demons is set to play his first game for Melbourne in the second week of the JLT Series. May, the former Gold Coast co-captain, has been recovering from a hamstring injury but has been passed fit to take on Brisbane at Casey Fields on Saturday. Depending on May’s role he could add to the already long list of enticing mid-price options in defence with his intercept marking a feature, but on the downside, he’s never played 22 games nor averaged better than 86.

TRAVIS BOAK ($478,000, Fwd)

First it was David Mundy, now Travis Boak is set for a return to the midfield. The former Power captain is listed as a forward in SuperCoach but midfield coach Jarrad Schofield believes he still has something to offer in the middle of the ground. “In my eyes, I would like to shift him more to midfield and going forward,” he told the club website. “He’s got leg speed and he’s got great experience. “So, you put all of those things together and that’s what I want as a midfield coach.”

Former Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak.

Andrew Brayshaw is fully recovered. Picture: David Smith

ANDREW BRAYSHAW ($328,600, Mid)

If Ross Lyon’s comments are anything to go by - and if we’re honest they haven’t always been - Andrew Brayshaw is set for more midfield time this season. After a successful comeback from his nasty broken jaw on the weekend, Brayshaw’s role in the Dockers’ engineroom is about to ramp up. “He’s stepped back into senior footy with his head over the ball. A bit might be made of it during the week I feel, and hopefully Andrew feels like he can deal with it and it doesn’t have to be spoken about again,” Lyon told the club website.

LINCOLN McCARTHY ($247,500, Fwd)

The new Lion hopes a fresh start will end his seven-year injury curse and so far, so good. McCarthy had 17 touches, eight tackles and two goals against Hawthorn and he believes his first full pre-season will pay dividends come Round 1. “There’s no major tricks to be able to play every week, you’ve got to put in a pre-season and that’s what we were able to do,” he told the club website. “It’s nice to be able to have a bit of work in the legs even though I was cramping last quarter but that’s pretty normal. “It’s exciting for me that I’ve got a bit of work behind me and hopefully that means there’s more footy to come.”

JAMES SICILY ($570,400, Def)

The Hawks star was a POD premium defender capable of huge scores but the opening JLT Series game has cast major doubt on his SuperCoach prospects. Sicily was used predominantly as a key forward against Brisbane and coach Alastair Clarkson suggested it was more than a pre-season experiment. “For the best part of the last 12 months we played him in the back end out of necessity more than anything,” he said. “He is a very, very capable forward. Our goal ultimately is to use he and Gunston as swingmen who can swap from one end to the other depending on what the fortunes of the side are on any given day.”

AARON HALL ($389,200, Mid)

Good news for those with Aaron Hall in their SuperCoach line-up … and Kangaroos fans obviously. New recruit Hall was felled early in North Melbourne’s JLT Series clash against St Kilda with what looked a nasty knee injury but he was able to return during the match and post-game scans have revealed no serious damage. It’s 50-50 whether the speedster faces Port Adelaide this week but there’s no doubt around him playing Round 1.

Zac Clarke in action during an Essendon intra-club clash. Picture: Alan Barber

ZAC CLARKE ($142,600, Ruck)

Good news and bad news. Clarke is firming for a Round 1 Bombers debut but it will be in partnership with Tom Bellchambers. Clarke could still be decent value at his starting price with assistant coach Mark Harvey revealing Clarke’s ability to play forward was crucial. “It is a distinct possibility. Even when Zac Clarke went forward tonight he took a mark and kicked a goal, so that’s an interesting combination in itself,” he told the club website. “We’re all looking at West Coast who won the premiership last year, they played two ruckmen, so we are coming to grips with that ourselves from a selection point of view.”

JORDAN DE GOEY ($476,400, Fwd)

The Magpies young gun has declared himself a certain Round 1 starter as he recovers from a foot injury. De Goey hobbled from Olympic Park just 17 days ago but is on track for Round 1 and hopes for a hitout beforehand. “My progress has been going pretty well so I’m a bit further down the track than we expected,” he told the AFL website. “I think that’s (Round 1) pretty much a go at this stage.” “I’m definitely confident and I know everyone else is. It’s just about making sure my fitness is back up to scratch and get hopefully a practice match in before the game obviously.”

ELLIOT YEO ($585,500, Mid)

Yeo is fully focused on Round 1 after overcoming off-season surgery on his toe. Yeo was prominent in the Eagles’ JLT Series clash against Geelong with 23 disposals, six marks and six tackles. “I ticked a lot off with the strength and conditioning side of things,” he said. “It was a bit of a confidence booster going forward as well.” Available as a midfielder only in 2019, Yeo’s popularity has taken a hit - he currently in 5.6 per cent of sides - and could be an intriguing POD.