Fantasy Freako’s Round 3 SuperCoach formguide
More than 12,000 SuperCoach players have had enough with Dustin Martin, but will a trade backfire? Champion Data expert Fantasy Freako looks into the stats to reveal this week’s best — and worst — moves.
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It’s easy to get carried away and jump on the highest scorers after two rounds. Why not if they have the scores on the board? But we need to be measured.
The most important question we need to ask ourselves as SuperCoaches is: Are the numbers sustainable? Chasing points often ends in disaster, as it did last round for SuperCoaches who played Bailey Scott on the field ahead of Zak Butters or Charlie Constable.
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With a host of premiums struggling to maintain their 2018 average, there are several big names on the chopping including Dustin Martin (60,510 owners), Isaac Heeney (91,209) and David Mundy (4303). There are strong cases for dumping one or even two of that group. In saying that, if we punt every premium that fails, we may run out of trades by Round 10.
Martin is causing plenty grief for SuperCoaches. The one thing he has on his side though is a strong scoring history against this week’s opponent GWS, returning 138, 135, 144 and 110 points respectively in his past four games at Giants Stadium.
But despite these numbers his poor form cannot be overlooked. Martin has failed to apply a tackle or kick a goal in the opening two rounds for the first time in his career; he ranked equal 35th on the ground for SuperCoach points after quarter-time against Collingwood.
Heeney, meanwhile, has been hampered by an ankle complaint which he picked up in the final JLT Series match, attending just five centre bounces last round against the Crows. The Swans have an eight-day break before a clash against Carlton and John Longmire has declared that Heeney should benefit from the extra break.
If you’re in the market to dump an underachiever, then the table below highlights players that are currently in career-best form. There are several standouts, with Dom Sheed, Christian Salem and Travis Boak all worthy inclusions from a value point of view.
One player that doesn’t feature in the above table is Tom Rockliff as he averaged 132 points for the Lions in 2014. At $405,900, he’s tremendous value and has to be considered as a trade-in target ahead of his first match back at his old stomping ground.
ROOKIE RADAR
This is the week to pounce on rookies we have missed. The likes of Willem Drew (-121 points Break Even), Matthew Parker (-108), Charlie Constable (-97), Xavier Duursma (-69) and Zak Butters (-62) are all set for massive price rises after their next match. Ensuring you have most of these cash cows is paramount to cash generation, but if you are in an inviable position of owning all five — then you have set yourself up extremely well.
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Drew has been the standout rookie across the opening two rounds, scoring 103 and 90 points respectively. Playing as a midfielder has helped, spending 91 per cent of game time in the middle — the second-highest percentage of any Power midfielder behind Tom Rockliff. But that could all change in Round 3 as Ken Hinkley is poised to recall inside bull Ollie Wines from a shoulder injury. The return of Wines is likely to have a ripple effect in the Power midfield, with Drew, Rockliff, Travis Boak and Sam Powell-Pepper all likely to be affected in some way. Drew could consider himself stiff if we were to make way for Wines, but injuries to Karl Amon and Jack Watts could just see a reshuffle instead. That’s good news for SuperCoaches.
Elsewhere, Luke Davis-Uniacke is also set for a price boom — should he keep his place in the North Melbourne side. With Paul Ahern and Jed Anderson both pushing for a recall, Davies-Uniacke and teammate Bailey Scott could find themselves on the chopping block after back-to-back Kangaroos losses.
As always, playing the correct rookies on the ground is paramount — so make sure you set your team up accordingly!
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Adelaide v Geelong
Rory Sloane had 27 disposals, eight clearances and 127 points when these sides last met in Round 17 last season. Patrick Dangerfield averages more points against his former side than any other team in the league (135).
Melbourne v Essendon
Clayton Oliver bounced back last round with 44 disposals, 25 contested possessions and 143 points in a loss to the Cats. Dylan Shiel was one of several winners for the Bombers, collecting 27 disposals and 117 points.
Carlton vs Sydney
Patrick Cripps struggled with the attention of George Hewett in Round 11 last season – posting a season-low score of 54 points. Josh Kennedy had 26 disposals, 12 contested possessions and 102 points in that game.
GWS Giants vs Richmond
Lachie Whitfield leads the Giants for points scored after two rounds, amassing 105 and 123 points respectively. Toby Nankervis has scored 30 more points than any other Tiger, collecting 127 and 78 points.
Brisbane Lions v Port Adelaide
Daniel Rich is in career-best form, averaging 25 disposals (82 per cent disposal efficiency) and 112 points per game – ranked second at the Lions. Travis Boak has also reached new heights, averaging 34 disposals and 121 points.
Collingwood v West Coast
Brodie Grundy has averaged 112 points per game in wins at the MCG since 2017 – ranked No.1 at Collingwood. Luke Shuey has led the way for West Coast in wins over the same period at the venue with a return of 133 points per match.
Western Bulldogs v Gold Coast
Josh Dunkley has dropped off in second halves this season, averaging 37 points compared to 50 points in the first half. Jarrod Harbrow leads the Suns for points scored after halftime with 65 points per match.
Hawthorn vs North Melbourne
James Cousins is on the verge of a huge price rise after his third match, scoring 72 and 92 points across the opening two rounds. Luke Davies-Uniacke has the fourth-lowest break even of any player in the AFL with scores of 80 and 118 points.
Fremantle v St Kilda
Nat Fyfe has reached three figures just once against St Kilda in Perth – finishing with 36 disposals and 126 points in Round 8 last season. Jack Steven has averaged 23 disposals and 93 points from his four matches against Fremantle in Perth.
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