Geelong 2017 SuperCoach preview: premium selections and who to avoid

IT might look like Dangerfield then daylight but there are plenty of other intriguing SuperCoach options at Geelong. Check out the best buys, risky moves and players to avoid.

Is Joel Selwood in your SuperCoach team? Picture: Nigel Hallett

DANGERFIELD then daylight? Most players will have at least one Cat in their 2017 squads but there could be a lot more with some tantalising rookie options. With veterans Corey Enright and Jimmy Bartel walking into the sunset, SuperCoaches are looking for new favourites down the highway and there are some very interesting candidates.

MELBOURNE PREVIEW: WHO ARE THE BEST BUYS?

STAR SAINTS: ST KILDA 2017 SUPERCOACH SPECIALS

The Cats are desperate for someone to step up and join Dangerfield and Joel Selwood and if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the price list there is an intriguing class of rookies we should watch very closely over the pre-season.

Read on for the best buys, biggest bargains and the Cats to avoid in SuperCoach 2017.

PREMIUMS

Patrick Dangerfield $716,900 mid

The new king of SuperCoach costs a fortune but will be the first picked in many squads, and fair enough. His ridiculous 2016 finished with an average of 131 points a game, 18 tons, just two scores below 90 and five scores over 150 including a monster 229 against North Melbourne (that’s 458 if you had him captain). There’s a good chance he’ll be cheaper at some point during the year but it will still take a lot of smart trading to get him — just pick him now, save the drama and cash in on his scores from Round 1.

Patrick Dangerfield will cost $716,900 this season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Joel Selwood $606,600 mid

Playing a new role as Danger’s sidekick, Selwood’s scores benefited from having a partner in crime but he didn’t quite reach the heights of his 2103-2014 seasons, finishing with a 112 average. Nothing to sneeze at but is he an automatic selection in 2017? The likes of Luke Parker ($608k) and Adam Treloar ($605k) might have more upside.

MID-PRICE RISKS

Zach Tuohy $443,200 def

Tuohy has never been a SuperCoach stud, with his 82 average last season a career-high. But he comes to a more successful club and the Cats clearly see a role for him after moving on the former Blue during the trade period. He’s certainly durable, playing every game for the past four seasons.

Steve Motlop $463,700 fwd

Look up “high risk, high reward” in your SuperCoach dictionary and there is a picture of Motlop. Selecting him last season was like riding a very volatile rollercoaster; from Rounds 6-13 he scored 133, 155, 129, 47, 27, 56, 58, 111. The potential for high scoring is clearly there but you want to get your timing right.

Sam Menegola $486,400 mid

Players who burst on the scene late in a season as a SuperCoach bargain are usually forgotten about the next year when they carry a much less appealing price tag. Megegola, who we could pick up for just $117,300 last season, will fall into that category for most. But here’s the thing — he just keeps posting great scores. In six matches he went above 90 five times including two tons to average 99. He’s consistent and priced at 88. Don’t discount him from your plans.

Is Steven Motlop worth the SuperCoach risk? Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Scott Selwood $281,100 mid

Once upon a time S Selwood was a SuperCoach premium, averaging 104 in 2012 and 2013. Since then he’s had a succession of injuries and when he finally got his body right late last year he posted 57, 87 and 78 in his three matches. He’s priced at about a 55 average so his value will increase, but is it enough to justify a starting spot?

ROOKIES

Jackson Thurlow $267,600 def

Thurlow was tracking nicely as the heir to Corey Enright until he tore his ACL during last year’s NAB Challenge. A year off has resulted in a big price discount and Enright’s retirement creates a job vacancy in the Cats’ back half. He returned to full contact training this week. Watch his pre-season closely.

Aaron Black $137,100 fwd

Sometimes SuperCoach is all about opportunity. Black hasn’t had much of that in the past two seasons, playing just three games for the Kangaroos. Now he gets another chance at a Geelong team that is suddenly looking for a foil for Tom Hawkins after Shane Kersten left for Fremantle and Mitch Clark didn’t work out. To be fair, Black’s form at VFL level didn’t exactly demand senior selection but at that price he could be a smart bench selection.

Tom Stewart $117,300 def

Is Stewart the new Tom Ruggles? Like last season’s defensive rookie, Stewart has been plucked from the Cats’ VFL team and at age 23 is ready to play from Round 1. At 190cm Stewart, is a third defender who can win the footy and isn’t scared to run off his man, booting six goals in the VFL this year.

Timm House $117,300 fwd

See above. Another mature-age recruit, House is a 21-year-old who can play at both ends. In his best game against Sandringham he booted five goals and took eight marks. Keep a close eye on the make-up of the Cats’ team over the pre-season to see which of these recruits is likely to get a game in the home-and-away season.

Nakia Cockatoo is in the SuperCoach no-go zone. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Esava Ratugolea $117,300 fwd/ruck

Unlikely to see any senior action next year, Ratugolea’s value is as a bench ruckman who can open up a DPP link with the forward line, swapping with another ruck/forward (like Paddy Ryder or Tom Boyd) if one of your starting rucks misses a week. The Cats play a number of Sunday games especially early in the season which also makes him very handy when it comes to the vice-captain loophole. And how cool is his name?

NO-GO ZONE

Nakia Cockatoo $343,900 fwd

Oozing with talent but yet to produce it on an AFL stage. Will it happen this year? Maybe. But that price is way too much to take the risk of finding out.

Rhys Stanley $390,600 fwd/ruck

Just no.

TEAM PREVIEW

As long as Dangerwood and Selwood stay on the park, the Cats will be in the top-four conversation again. The year will have its challenges though, without familiar faces Enright and Bartel plus 2016 regulars Josh Caddy and Shane Kersten. That will create opportunities for recruits Zach Tuohy and Aaron Black, new draftees and players who have been in the system for a while like Cockatoo, Darcy Lang and George Horlin-Smith. A wildcard — how will the new ruck rules banning a third-man up impact Mark Blicavs?