Doctor’s Orders: Expert SuperCoach trade advice for the final five rounds

He is one of the most frustrating players in SuperCoach but a closer look at the numbers reveals Jack Billings could be the player to carry you to SuperCoach finals glory.

Jack Billings of the Saints.

The end of the season is near, which means one thing – SuperCoach finals!

Navigating your way through some final upgrades to collect the in-form players of the competition is one thing, but analysing the SuperCoach fixtures in combination with finding those red-hot form players is another. Getting a jump on the rest of your league opponents by choosing the right players at this stage of season is absolutely vital.

Fortunately, the experts at Doctor SuperCoach have sifted through the draw to identify some in-form premium options with kind fixtures over SuperCoach finals so that you don’t have to.

JACK BILLINGS $533,500 FWD | 98.2 AVG

Billings has a history of being frustrating to own in SuperCoach, with his low scoring floor and high ceiling making him one of the most unpredictable players in the league. Coming off a 92 average in 2017, Jack backed it up with just the 80 average in 2018, joining many coaches’ “never again” lists along the way.

While on the surface there may seem to be no similarities between these seasons, taking a deeper look into his scoring starts to paint a picture. There are two things for certain — Billings scores much higher in wins than in losses and, for some reason, he consistently scores well to finish off the season, a pattern that has emerged since 2016. This means that with a favourable draw ahead for the Saints in the SuperCoach finals — games against Adelaide, Fremantle, Carlton and Sydney — Billings could be the difference your SuperCoach team needs to make a bang in SuperCoach finals.

Additionally, Saint Rowan Marshall and Toby Greene (please see previous issue of Doctor’s Orders) should also be considered.

Jack Billings is on track for a strong finish to the season.

DARCY BYRNE-JONES $525,000 DEF | 88.3 AVG

Byrne-Jones is in only in 1 per cent of teams but he probably shouldn’t be. The little known Port Adelaide defender boasts a five-round average of 107 points and has not dipped below 80 since Round 8, including averaging 103 in his past nine matches.

Why the sudden increase in scoring? Simply put, Darcy is getting a lot more of the ball and using it well. He has a healthy kick-to-handball ratio too, which is SuperCoach gold for a defender. In all of Byrne-Jones’ scores over 100, he has managed to accumulate 25 or more touches. In his past three weeks, he is averaging 30 disposals a game as Port Adelaide look to get the ball into his hands.

With a friendly run of a games during SuperCoach finals that includes Essendon, Sydney, North Melbourne and Fremantle, expect Byrne-Jones to continue his solid scoring and remain as a player of difference in your league games.

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JACK CRISP $486,700 DEF | 91.1 AVG

Crisp has had an interesting SuperCoach year to date. Despite increasing his possessions to a career-high 26 per game last season, his SuperCoach scoring has actually suffered. Naturally a player that averages 26 touches a game will have a higher floor due to volume of possessions, however for Crisp to really hit those high SuperCoach scores, he needs to use the ball better, especially when the game is on the line.

Last week against the Giants, Crisp was barely sighted in the opening quarter, scoring nearly all of his points in the final three quarters after being thrown into the centre square. While it may not seem like it due to the major loss at the hands of the Giants, Crisp had been steadily building with a low score of 99 in the four weeks prior to last week’s match.

His SuperCoach finals run includes Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Essendon, and Jack could be a more than handy pick-up on the way home for a very reasonable price.

TIM TARANTO $508,800 MID | 105.5 AVG

With Josh Kelly out for a couple more weeks and Stephen Coniglio sidelined for the rest of the season, Taranto is in charge of the Giants midfield brigade. The young midfielder may be averaging only 105 points a game, ranked 17th among midfielders, but it is his form without Coniglio in the side that intrigues.

It is a small sample size, but in 2019 Taranto has scored 144, 111 and 113 without Coniglio, recording 38, 31 and 36 touches in those games respectively. This is up from his season average of 28 possessions a match, with Coniglio’s absence possibly allowing him to gather a bit more of the ball.

Tim Taranto is thriving with more midfield responsibility.

With a dream SuperCoach finals run in which the Giants face the Swans, Hawks, Bulldogs and Gold Coast, Taranto has the potential to average 110-plus during this period. If you’re looking for a cheap midfielder to grab for the run home, you can’t overlook Tim.

As well as the four players mentioned above, other midfielders with favourable fixtures over the next five weeks that may be welcomed inclusions into your sides include both Adam Treloar and Zach Merrett.

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