KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom looks at the Marsh Series week two standouts in every position
Missed any of the Marsh Series? Don’t worry, The Phantom has you covered. Here are the standout players and their SuperCoach scores from the second weekend of pre-season action.
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The second weekend of Marsh Community Series action is in the books and there was plenty of reason to take notes. The Phantom looks at the standout players in every position from week 2 of the pre-season competition.
MIDFIELDERS
Tim Kelly (WC)
$561,800
100 points
The former Cat sets himself apart from most other midfielders in the competition with his ability around goal and it was no different in his first hitout as an Eagle. Kelly booted 1.1 and recorded two goal assists, among eight score involvements, to go with 27 disposals and a team-high 14 contested possessions.
Zach Merrett (Ess)
$573,600
74 points
He was overlooked for the Bombers’ new-look leadership group and he’s being snubbed in SuperCoach, too. But Merrett, who is in just two per cent of teams, sent a subtle reminder, tallying 17 disposals, 1.1 and 74 points in 65 per cent game-time against the Eagles.
Jacob Hopper (GWS)
$520,200
116 points
In the absence of a number of stars, the 23-year-old, who added 16 points to his SuperCoach average last year, attended more centre bounces than any other Giant on his way to 28 disposals, six clearances and 116 points.
Jackson Hately (GWS)
$301,600
129 points
There was big midfield responsibility for Hately, too, especially after the first-quarter injury Tim Taranto. The 19-year-old, who impressed, despite limited opportunity, in his debut season was the No. 1 ranked player on the ground, finishing with 25 disposals – 24 of them effective – 12 contested possessions and an equal game-high eight clearances.
Tom Green (GWS)
$166,800
106 points
Green was another young Giant to impress in the midfield against the Swans, tallying a game-high 15 contested possessions in his first official match. But it’s hardly surprising, given the strong-bodied midfielder averaged 16.2 contested possessions per game at the 2019 under-18 national carnival – the most ever-recorded by Champion Data. And in a big boost for his Round 1 chances, Green booted two goals and played a direct hand in two others, highlighting his ability as a forward.
Harry Perryman (GWS)
$410,500
81 points
In just 58 per cent of the game, playing predominantly on a wing, the 21-year-old recording 20 disposals, eight contested possessions, six intercepts and 81 SuperCoach points. Keep him in mind in the draft format.
Caleb Serong (Fre)
$175,800
60 points
After an impressive showing in the Dockers’ intra-club match, the first-round draftee finished with 14 disposals and 11 contested possessions in 58 per cent game-time. Serong, who has drawn comparison to Port Adelaide’s Robbie Gray, took a while to settle but he was a standout after halftime, tallying four of his five clearances in the third-quarter.
Sam Walsh (Carl)
$471,500
100 points
If Walsh’s first hitout of the pre-season is anything to go by, there’ll be no second-year blues in 2020. The Rising Star winner from last season tallied a team-high 28 disposals and was the only Blue to score three-figures in SuperCoach.
Adam Treloar (Coll)
$615,000
114 points
The ball-magnet was everywhere against the Tigers, recording 34 disposals and seven clearances before hurting his hamstring in the final quarter – an injury which puts his Round 1 spot in doubt.
Taylor Adams (Coll)
$521,100
112 points
Adams played just 10 home-and-away matches last year after battling an adductor injury but, including the finals, posted SuperCoach tons in four of the final five games of the season. And he’s hit the ground running in 2020, scoring 112 points against the Tigers, on the back of 30 disposals, 12 contested possessions and seven clearances.
Tyler Brown (Coll)
$123,900
65 points
The 20-year-old won 57 per cent of his possession in a contest in the VFL last year and is pushing hard for a senior debut in his third season. Brown’s 65-point performance, on the back of 16 disposals at 88 per cent efficiency in a different role on a wing, will do his chances no harm.
RUCKS
Bailey Williams (WC)
$123,900
70 points
The 19-year-old, taken at pick No. 35 in the 2018 draft, was a standout against the Bombers in the Eagles’ Marsh Series opening and is now right in the mix for a Round 1 spot. Williams, who averaged 73 points per game in the WAFL last year, finished with 12 disposals, six contested possessions and six score involvements playing a back-up ruck-forward role.
Sam Naismith (Syd)
$251,500
79 points
The injury-plagued big man hasn’t played a senior game since 2017 but, if he’s fit and ready-to-go, he’s still Sydney’s No. 1 ruckman. And he proved it against the Giants, tallying 10 disposals, 28 hit-outs and 79 SuperCoach points in half a game.
Rory Lobb (Freo)
$472,800
121 points
The 206cm big man started forward before playing as a permanent ruckmen in the second-half with Sean Darcy sitting out the final two quarters. And, as he has done in the past, Lobb dominated in the role, finishing with 23 disposals, 12 marks – five of them contested – six inside-50s and 18 hit-outs.
Darcy Cameron (Coll)
$123,900, Fwd
127 points
SuperCoaches want Cameron to earn a Round 1 Collingwood debut as Brodie Grundy’s back-up and, after a standout performance against the Tigers, it’s one step closer to a reality. The 24-year-old, who made just one senior appearance during his time at the Swans, tallied 12 disposals, 11 hit-outs-to-advantage, 10 contested possessions, two goals and a game-high 127 points.
FORWARDS
Josh Kennedy (WC)
$335,600
122 points
For the first time in a while, the 32-year-old has been able to complete most of the pre-season work and it shows with Kennedy booting six goals on his way to 122 SuperCoach points against the Bombers. Could we?
Darcy Parish (Ess)
$465,400, Mid
115 points
Added six points to his SuperCoach average last year and, as a three-game stretch mid-year – which featured scores of 137, 129 and 110 – proves, Parish has terrific scoring potential. And the potential was on show again against the Eagles, with the No. 5 pick from 2015 draft, tallying a team-high 29 disposals, 13 contested possessions and 115 points after attending 17 centre bounces in just 65 per cent game-time.
Will Snelling (Ess)
$321,800
119 points
The mid-season draftee posted the first SuperCoach ton of his career in just his fourth career-game – third as a Bomber – in Round 22 last year, on the back of 21 disposals and two goals. And the 22-year-old produce a similar performance on Thursday night, finishing with 20 disposals, seven marks, seven tackles, two goals and 119.
Brayden Ham (Ess)
$217,500, Mid
58 points
The 20-year-old played five matches in his debut season, most of them as a small-forward, but, even though his numbers weren’t huge, Ham impressed with his dash on a wing against the Eagles.
Lachlan Schulz (Fre)
$208,800
101 points
According to new teammate Blake Acres, Schulz has been a standout on the track over summer and, after 14 disposals, eight marks, six tackles and four goals against the Blues, he looks set to have an impact in his second year.
Blake Acres (Fre)
$383,400, Mid
111 points
Acres himself was even better, however, executing his role all day – as coach Justin Longmuir put it – finishing with a game-high 31 disposals, six clearances, six inside-50s and six score involvements playing as an outside midfielder. And he’s proven he can score in his role in the past, the 24-year-old just wasn’t given the opportunity to play it consistently at the Saints.
Andrew Brayshaw (Fre)
$382,800, Mid
94 points
Speaking of roles, Brayshaw’s 94-point performance, on the back of 19 disposals, nine contested possessions, seven tackles and a team-high 15 centre bounce attendances, in just 60 per cent game-time confirms his permanent midfield move in 2020. The mid-price forward pool isn’t getting crowded.
Brett Bewley (Fre)
$252,700
93 points
Skipper Nat Fyfe last week predicted Bewley, Fremantle’s mature-age recruit from the 2018 draft, will have a breakout year this season. And the 24-year-old, who boasts outstanding running-capacity has made a good start, tallying 19 disposals, five intercepts, four score involvements playing between the arcs in 70 per cent game-time against the Blues.
DEFENDERS
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Ess)
$189,300
61 points
The current Essendon injury list means the 21-year-old, who was the No. 1 player for intercept possessions in the VFL over the past two seasons, will see more senior action in 2020. And, despite Josh Kennedy’s six goals, Zerk-Thatcher showed enough to keep his name on the rookie watch-list, finishing with an equal-game-high nine intercept possessions and 13 effective disposals against the Eagles.
Jordan Dawson (Syd)
$467,800, Fwd
125 points
His team was convincingly beaten but the 22-year-old showed why there’s been so much talk about him in SuperCoach circles over summer, scoring a team-high 125 points as his side’s chief playmaker, in the absence of Jake Lloyd, across halfback. The damaging left-footer, who took more than half of Sydney’s kick-ins, tallied 19 disposals, seven intercepts, seven rebound 50s and seven tackles, in an impressive display.
Lachie Ash (GWS)
$193,800, Mid
88 points
All of Ash’s traits were on show in the Giants’ Marsh Series opener on Saturday with the No. 4 pick from last year’s draft breaking the game open from halfback with his speed and precise foot skills. The 18-year-old finished with 19 disposals – 18 of them effective – in an assured performance which keeps his name in the Round 1 mix, even with a number of stars to return.
Isaac Cumming (GWS)
$245,000
86 points
He’s had a number of injuries over the past two seasons and he’s failed to push past the plethora of skilful runners at the Giants but could this be Cumming’s year? On Triple M’s halftime show, former skipper Callan Ward spoke very highly of the 21-year-old rebounding-defender, who finished with 23 disposals, seven intercept possessions, four score involvements and 86 points on Saturday.
Will Gould (Syd)
$117,300
68 points
Within the first 10 minutes of his first appearance for the Swans, the 18-year-old flattened Matt de Boer with a fair, but very solid, bump, forcing the Giants’ tagger from the ground. After doing it in the SANFL last year, Gould is ready to match it with the big boys at the top-level. But he wasn’t just tough in Sydney’s pre-season opener, Gould was composed – and efficient – hitting the target with each of his 10 disposals on his way to 68 points in 68 per cent game-time.
Adam Cerra (Fre)
$338,900
89 points
Most of the pre-season attention has been on Andrew Brayshaw but Cerra, a fellow 2017 draftee, is also set for a midfield spike this year. The classy 20-year-old, who finished with 19 disposals and seven marks, featured in the centre and on a wing, and his ball-use was a highlight.
James Aish (Fre)
$353,000
138 points
The former Magpie was the dominant midfielder on the ground to halftime, tallying 13 disposals, eight contested possessions and five clearances in the opening two quarters. Aish spent more time outside the contest and in defence after halftime but he was still prominent, finishing with 24 disposals and a game-high 138 points. Coach Justin Longmuir was pleased with the recruit’s first match as a Docker but also confirmed he will be used in multiple roles in 2020 when the full side returns.
Luke Ryan (Fre)
$520,400
113 points
Ryan, who took most of the Dockers’ kick-ins, was at his rebounding best against the Blues on Saturday, finishing with 26 disposals, 11 rebound-50s and seven intercepts, reminding SuperCoaches he averaged 99 points per game before hurting his hamstring in the Round 19 clash with the Bulldogs.
Connor Blakely
$411,500
75 points
He was the player earmarked for Lachie Neale’s midfield spot at the start of last summer before a serious hamstring injury saw him miss three months and then return to defence. But Blakely, while wasteful at times, was back in the midfield against the Blues, attending the fourth-most centre bounces for the Dockers and tallying 21 disposals, six marks, three inside 50s, three rebound 50s and 75 points in 70 per cent game-time.
Tobe Watson
$123,900
62 points
After averaging 17 disposals in the WAFL during his first year on the Dockers’ list, the 190cm defender has put himself in the Round 1 mix after an impressive pre-season which continued against Carlton. The mature-age recruit finished with 13 disposals, five marks and 62 points. Add him to your rookie watchlist.
Jayden Short
$349,300
113 points
The skilful defender, whose day started with a booming 60-metre goal – the first of the match – was the go-to man out of defence for the Tigers, recording 25 disposals – at 88 per cent efficiency – 21 uncontested possessions, eight marks, five inside-50s and five rebound-50s. Will Short return to his breakout season form of 2018 or will the return of Bachar Houli again stifle his output?
Liam Baker
$403,900, Fwd
120 points
It was a similar story for Baker, who was even more prolific than Short. The 22-year-old tallied a team-high 30 disposals, 11 intercept possessions and nine rebound-50s in an impressive performance in a role across halfback which he played late last season.
Jack Crisp
$482,800
118 points
The running defender posted just four SuperCoach tons last year and lost seven points off his season average. But, like he showed against the Tigers, his ball-winning ability as a defender is a strong as any. In just 63 per cent of the game, Crisp tallied 28 disposals, 12 marks and the Magpies’ firs major of the game. Can he do it consistently this season?
John Noble
$215,400
79 points
The mid-season draftee averaged 20 disposals in his three home-and-away matches last season before recording tallies of 19 and 16 in Collingwood’s two finals. Noble can find the ball and he proved it again on Sunday, finishing with 23 disposals and six marks as the Magpies played high-possession football in their opening Marsh Series fixture.
Nathan Murphy
$123,900 Def
58 points
Injury restricted the classy 20-year-old defender to just three VFL appearances last season but in his final game, Murphy tallied 20 disposals, seven intercepts – four of them marks. And in just 45 per cent game-time against the Tigers, Murphy had 10 disposals – all of them effective – seven marks and four intercepts. A Round 1 smoky.
Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom looks at the Marsh Series week two standouts in every position