How many Sydney Swans players should we pick in SuperCoach?
THEY didn’t have their best SuperCoach seasons last year but Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery are tried and true stars in a stacked Swans side. Former Australian Test cricketer and SuperCoach gun Trent Copeland names his best buys.
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AS I sit here among the snow and high rise buildings of New York City I could be thinking about going to the Empire State Building, Central Park or even the Brooklyn Bridge, but no … my train of thought is centred around the 2018 SuperCoach season!
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THE SUPER PODS WHO COULD MAKE YOUR TEAM LOOK DIFFERENT
What is it that everyone is searching for in their starting SuperCoach teams? Value! All of us pick a couple of the Danger, Dusty and Pendles echelon, but in 2018, the Swans could be an absolute goldmine for underpriced premiums (players priced well below their scoring capacity due to injury or a lean season), and a couple of rookies who can hopefully emulate Nic Newman’s heroics last year.
All right, I may be biased as a Sydney local, but for years we have found SuperCoach studs aplenty in the Swans line-up. Predominantly through the plethora of midfield maestros and one big Buddy up in the forward line.
Let’s take a look at this year’s best (and worst!) options.
PREMIUMS
JOSH KENNEDY ($564,200 MID) 2017 AVG: 102.6
“JPK” as he’s affectionately known in SuperCoach circles is as sure a thing as Donald Trump putting his foot in his mouth every time there’s a camera nearby. Resilient. Contested ball winner. Captain … Ticks all the boxes. Don’t believe me? These career numbers make for good reading:
2012 average: 120.2 (22 matches) — 3rd overall
2013 average: 105.4 (22 matches) — 15th overall
2014 average: 113.9 (20 matches) — 17th overall
2015 average: 110.2 (22 matches) — 7th overall
2016 average: 113.4 (21 matches) — 11th overall
2017 average: 102.6 (19 matches) — 55th overall
Two things jump out. Firstly, the Swans’ skipper just NEVER misses games. Secondly, those numbers are ridiculous and scream underpriced at $564k! Hold that thought for one second while I pause and lock JPK into my team …
LANCE FRANKLIN ($540,500 FWD) 2017 AVG: 98.3
Buddy just always seems to deliver. No one can stop him on his day, and all the sceptics that said he was finished as an elite forward in the AFL have well and truly eaten their words after arguably Franklin’s most consistent season, again playing all 22 games for an average of 98.3. There were nine 100-plus scores for Buddy in 2017, but his last three come SuperCoach finals time read 164, 98 and 183. Now that’s match-up winning stuff. No doubt he will dip in price at some point, but with the lack of other premium forward options it makes sense to take a long look at the Swans barometer from the outset.
ISAAC HEENEY ($536,300 FWD/MID) 2017 AVG: 97.6
Heeney went from talented freak to must-own SuperCoach commodity last season, playing the near-perfect role with major midfield minutes and resting forward where he learned his trade during his rookie season to great effect, kicking 14 goals and having a hand in plenty more. All of which was despite having glandular fever to begin the year. With many of the elite forward options losing their dual-position eligibility this season, Heeney will be owned by the masses as a lock to be a top six forward — if he recovers from off-season ankle surgery. Watch the pre-season and JLT Series very closely.
LUKE PARKER ($546,000 MID) 2017 AVG: 99.3
and DAN HANNEBERY ($535,100 MID) 2017 AVG: 97.3
These two midfield guns deserve a mention any time you are talking SuperCoach premiums, and no one would be surprised if they averaged 110-plus. In 2017 both went through lean patches and in particular Hannebery spent far too much time on the wing for him to pump out those elite scores we were used to. Both are underpriced, but can they turn it around?
MID-PRICE RISKS
JAKE LLOYD ($479,900 DEF) 2017 AVG: 87.3
The loss of Sam Docherty to an ACL injury makes the defensive line a very murky body of water indeed, and in turn makes Lloyd a little less risky. However, after starting 2017 with a bang — scores of 89, 114, 99, 98, 84, 100, 106, 101, 110 for an average of 100.1 through nine rounds — a significant concussion occurred. From that moment on, Lloyd’s kicking efficiency dropped and role changed to see him playing far more on a wing as opposed to being the loose man or quarterback that we love to see, averaging 84.3 in the remaining 11 matches with only one 100-plus score. Which Lloyd will we see? That’s the risk you take and the reason he’s not in the premium category.
BARGAINS: THE PHANTOM’S UNDERPRICED MIDFIELD GEMS
ROOKIES
ALEX JOHNSON $123,000 DEF
Surely this is the year Johnson has some luck fall his way. After no less than FIVE knee reconstructions and 1736 days on the sideline, Johnson was retained by the Swans in the rookie draft and is reportedly “ripping it up” on the track (I’m sure you’ve never heard that in pre-season before) in his first full pre-season since 2012. By way of reference, the talented backman played 18 matches in 2011 averaging 61.9, and 22 matches in 2012 for an average of 65.1. Five years have passed, and no doubt Johnson’s hunger to succeed has grown with that. Fingers crossed for the 25-year-old. Watch through the JLT and pounce if he gets a start.
NO-GO ZONE
NIC NEWMAN ($454,500 | MID) — 2017 AVG: 82.7
Newman was a SuperCoach stud last season, taking most teams who jumped on him as a base-priced rookie defender deep into the head-to-head finals. Starting 2017 priced at $123k, Newman went on to score three 100-plus scores, averaging 82.7 and peaking in price at $451k in Round 15. Two things have changed for Newman: 1. He’s not priced as a rookie, 2. He’s now only available as a midfielder. Avoid.
SWANS BEST 22
B: Dane Rampe, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith
HB: Callum Mills, Aliir Aliir, Jake Lloyd
C: Zak Jones, Luke Parker, Gary Rohan
HF: Isaac Heeney, Lance Franklin, Kieren Jack
F: Callum Sinclair, Sam Reid, Tom Papley
Foll: Sam Naismith, Dan Hannebery, Josh Kennedy
I/C: Jarrad McVeigh, Nic Newman, Ollie Florent, Dean Towers
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