Champion Data Market Watch: Richmond rookie Noah Balta transformed from SuperCoach dud to stud in absence of Toby Nankervis

Much-maligned in the early rounds of the season, Richmond rookie Noah Balta is suddenly one of the most reliable SuperCoach forward rookies. MARKET WATCH

Who could have predicted two weeks ago Richmond rookie Noah Balta would feature in a round-winning SuperCoach team?

The athletic big man failed to score 50 in his opening five games, posting 18 and 14 to lose value from his $123,900 starting price.

But without injured ruckman Toby Nankervis in the Tigers team, Balta has relished greater freedom around the ground and more time in the centre square.

A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Balta had 13 disposals, 12 hit outs and kicked a goal in Round 8 against Fremantle, earning 82 SuperCoach points.

But that was just the entree from Balta as he backed up with 101 points against Hawthorn to surge to $253,500.

With a break even of -32, Nankervis out injured and Ivan Soldo offered a one-week suspension, coaches could get away with fielding Balta at F6 until the byes.

He’s looking more at home in yellow and black with each game he plays and will rocket above $300,000.

Balta was one of the forwards who helped Will’s Crouching tigers take out the top prize this week with a formidable score of 2593.

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ROUND 9 STARS

Lachie Whitfield 170

Shannon Hurn 161

Lachie Neale 148

Luke Parker 145

Brodie Grundy 144

Max Gawn144

Mitch Duncan 144

Tim Taranto 144

WEEKLY TOP SCORERS

Crouching tigers, Will 2593

Baggers, Antonio 2563

Woofers, Steve 2563

Kings of da Norrff, Mick 2561

Chief Chungus, Joel 2556

OVERALL SCORES

Ryder2Gray, Adam 20,674

Froff, Alex 20,421

DreamTeam, Adrian 20,410

BoomBoomAfridi, Rohan 20,387

Kneemonia, Braedon 20,378

SuperCoach team of the week Round 9, 2019.

THIS WEEK’S WINNING TEAM

Crouching tigers, Will 2593

DEFENDERS

Marty Hore 75

Daniel Rich 92

James Sicily 75

Lachie Whitfield 1760

Jake Lloyd 141

Shannon Hurn 161

Connor Rozee 116

Ben Mackay 0

MIDFIELDERS

Sydney Stack 63

Bailey Smith 104

Sam Walsh 80

Brad Crouch 119

Tom Rockliff 103

Tim Taranto 144

Jack Macrae 124

Clayton Oliver 115

Noah Answeth 26

Will Hayes 31

Jackson Hately 0

RUCKS

Max Gawn C 288

Brodie Grundy 144

Darcy Fort 105

FORWARDS

Noah Balta 101

Liam Baker 54

Luke Dahlhaus 78

Patrick Dangerfield 115

Travis Boak 106

David Mundy 141

Chris Burgess 0

Willem Drew 0

Lachie Whitfield ran amok on his return for GWS against Carlton, but still lost value due to a sky high break even. Picture: Glenn Ferguson.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK : LACHIE WHITFIELD

Whitfield returned to the side from injury in sensational fashion — piling on a season and round-high 170 SuperCoach points. Despite the haul, his price still dropped by $18,800. Whitfield finished with 40 disposals, 557 metres gained, 33 uncontested possessions, one score assist and three goals from 84% game time.

MARKET WATCH

Lachie Neale

Neale once again led the Lions to victory with a game-high 148 SuperCoach points, of which 87 were scored in the first half. He had 38 disposals, 22 contested possessions and 12 clearances of which all were game-high tallies. Neale didn’t kick goal, but instead he had two score assists and was involved in seven scoring chains.

Shannon Hurn

Hurn had a blinder in the win over Melbourne, scoring a season-high 161 SuperCoach points from 31 effective disposals. He also gained a game-high 590 metres, finishing with 22 uncontested possessions, nine intercept possessions, seven intercept marks and six score involvements from 85% game time.

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps was well below his best against GWS, copping close attention from Matt De Boer. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Patrick Cripps

It was a dirty day for both Cripps and the Blues as he managed a season-low 66 SuperCoach points, resulting in a $29,400 price drop. He finished with 12 disposals, 10 contested possessions, four tackles and just one clearance from 91% game time. Cripps also had just three pre-clearance disposals.

YOUNG GUN: Marty Hore

Hore spiked by a further $19,100 last round after scoring 75 SuperCoach points against West Coast. His reading of the play continues to be his greatest strength, finishing with an equal game-high seven intercept marks. He also had 15 disposals, eight contested possessions, one clearance and one inside 50 from 82% game time.