KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom’s Round 5 review and trade advice
His price has risen by more than $130k but is it too late to get breakout Bombers defender Jordan Ridley in KFC SuperCoach? The Phantom looks at all the burning questions ahead of Round 6
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Trying to move forward from Round 5 in KFC SuperCoach has been difficult. And, in 2020, that’s saying something.
I’ve been searching for answers, for myself and to give the KFC SuperCoach community, but all I’ve come up with is more questions.
Why does Jack Viney kick to the opposition? Did I really trade out Hugh McCluggage ahead of Round 3? Why did I choose James Sicily – again?
OK, they are my issues.
But I’m sure you have plenty of your own, too.
Here’s my take on some of the burning KFC SuperCoach questions Round 5 left us.
Is it time to trade Marc Pittonet?
It’s getting close. After an 83-point score, his lowest for the year, against Rowan Marshall and the Saints, the Carlton big man faces a breakeven of 76 this week.
A SuperCoach ton will ensure that figure remains steady in Round 7, as well as another $13k price rise. That’s a possibility, too, given Pittonet should be too strong for Bulldog Tim English at the ruck contest.
But, unless the 24-year-old can pass the 130-point mark, as he did in his first two matches, there won’t be another big increase.
And the problem is, the target for many, Max Gawn, is getting further away.
There’s currently a $307,300 price gap between the them. A breakeven of 128 suggests Gawn will be holding his price for a while, too.
Non-owners will be pinning their hopes on Gold Coast big man Jarrod Witts on Saturday afternoon because you can’t wait too much longer, given Gawn has scored 127 more points than Pittonet in the past two weeks.
What about Jack Viney?
After adding $84k in the opening four rounds, the former skipper’s 60 points against the Tigers saw his price fall by $30k.
And, given his breakeven of 136 and three consecutive scores of less 100, it could drop again.
If you were just in it for the money, take the $54k and run, especially with some premium options available.
But just ask yourself this, is keeping Viney worse than having Tyler Brown or Ned McHenry on-field for another week in a short year?
It may have not been your original plan, but upgrading around Viney might help address the issue of volatile rookie scoring in the midfield.
Will I ever get to full premium?
No. Forget it.
Really?
Yes. It’s very likely you won’t.
The task in upgrading your entire team to premium players was already going to be difficult in a short season. And that was without factoring in the early-season carnage we’ve had to work through.
And that’s why you need to, at least, consider keeping Viney, who can go big on his day, for the time being and continue hunting around for value options to take the on-field spots of your rookies.
Elliot Yeo might not be Tom Mitchell or Jack Macrae but that $120k might allow you to make another immediate upgrade this week or next.
But are we sure about Elliot Yeo?
It’s a good question.
The strong-bodied midfielder stepped up against the Swans, finishing with 12 contested possessions, nine clearances and a team-high 121 points, in a strong sign he’s overcome a recent shoulder knock.
There’s plenty of value, especially given the need to upgrade quickly.
But the premiership Eagle recorded 20 clangers in the opening three matches and, after five rounds, has three more than any other player in the competition.
In shortened matches, as we’ve seen in KFC SuperCoach, it’s harder to make up for your mistakes this year.
Is that what’s wrong with Lachie Whitfield’s scoring?
He’s having a similar problem, yes.
A career-low kicking efficiency of 62 per cent – which is 8 per cent down on last season - has been the star Giant’s big issue so far in 2020.
You don’t receive points for ineffective kicks in in KFC SuperCoach and you lose points for one which directly results in a turnover to the opposition - a clanger kick.
Whitfield, a player who has never been a big contested-ball winner, has a limited scoring ceiling if his disposal doesn’t improve.
He can turnaround it, though, making $441k a bargain.
Is it too late to get Jordan Ridley?
Ridley has no trouble kicking the ball, though.
Of the top-100 players in the competition for disposals, only Shannon Hurn’s efficiency is better than Ridley’s 88.4 per cent.
The 22-year-old has hit the target with 32 of 36 disposals, posting SuperCoach scores of 134 and 122 in the past two weeks.
Going by price, Ridley is the 21st-ranked KFC SuperCoach defender. By average points, he’s 5th. It’s not too late.
What do we do with Matt Rowell?
It’s a sad time but you can find all the best replacement options and latest injury update here
Were we wrong about Jake Lloyd?
After Round 1, and Lloyd’s 77-point performance, the view Jordan Dawson may hurt his scoring - as it did late last year - and the shortened quarters may reduce his impact, appeared the right one. But four rounds and 480 points later, we know, for sure, it wasn’t. The good news is Lloyd is still available for $5k less than his starting price.
Were we right about Devon Smith - is he a keeper?
He’s struggled the past two weeks, scoring 70 in both matches, but he did score 105 in the opening two rounds. And both of those three-figure scores came from disposal tallies of 17 of less, proving Smith doesn’t need to have 25 touches in the midfield to score well. At the very least, he’ll be a good D6 in a difficult year.
Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom’s Round 5 review and trade advice