KFC SuperCoach Round 13 rage trades: Best buys, rookie trades assessed
With KFC SuperCoach finals upon us it’s time to make some tough trade calls, with a Collingwood rookie on the chopping block and a popular Blue also under the pump. Who should you trade out?
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KFC SuperCoach finals are here!
They feel a bit different in 2020 — those in Victoria might will find it a bit harder to smell the freshly-cut grass, and elimination final week is a bye round for the first time.
Fortunately, only two teams have the bye — Brisbane and Adelaide — but that means popular players like Rory Laird (25 per cent of teams) and Lachie Neale (55 per cent) will be sitting on the sidelines.
Best 18 scoring will help but Neale’s season-low score of 72 in Round 13 has presented an unexpected headache, especially for the 29 per cent of SuperCoaches who had him as captain.
Could trading him out on the eve of the finals be a viable strategy? See an explanation of his poor score below and scroll down for this week’s Rage Trades — who’s on the chopping block and who we could bring into our teams for the finals.
WHAT HAPPENED TO LACHIE NEALE?
– Fantasy Freako
After racking up 130-plus points in 11 of his 12 game this seasons, Neale seemed a safe captain choice ahead of Round 13. With the exception of a minor hiccup against the Giants in Round 7 when he scored 87, his scores were worthy of the all-important captain’s armband. Yes, we knew that he would likely receive some attention from the Saints, but this is Neale we’re talking about — he’ll find his way to at least 120. In hindsight, we were very wrong.
Many were expecting Jack Steele to play a run-with role on Neale, but instead it was Seb Ross that was handed that task, although it wasn’t a hard tag, especially in general play. However, Ross succeeded in keeping Neale to a season-low one stoppage first possession. It was the first time since Round 17, 2015 that Neale failed to generate a clearance.
As an owner of Neale, I watched the game very closely. He looked out of sorts and didn’t attack contests or the opposition with much ferocity. The numbers speak for themselves, winning just four contested possessions and recording one tackle. That’s not the Neale we know.
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His game is built on winning contested ball and leading into Sunday’s match he had a contested possession rate of 46 per cent. Against the Saints, that figure was just 21 per cent. That number partly explains why his score was quite low, as contested possessions are worth more SuperCoach points compared to those that are uncontested.
If we break down his scoring, he had just 27 points to his name at halftime after recording six effective disposals from a total of nine touches. He lifted slightly after halftime, but in the end, a 72-point score was a very disappointing return, especially for SuperCoaches that captained him.
Often an explanation for a lower than expected score is a player being hurt by turnovers and negative acts such as giving away free kicks. But that wasn’t the case with Neale. He was as efficient as always, losing just 8.3 points for the match from two clanger kicks.
In the end, when you take away contested ball, tackles, and scoreboard impact in the form and goals and score assists, what you get is a mediocre score from a premium midfielder.
So why was his performance so underwhelming? Have the Lions worked Neale into the ground? Based on game time alone, the simple answer could be yes. Neale ranks seventh in the competition for total minutes played this season, playing 86 more minutes than any other midfielder in the competition. His tank looks to be nearing empty.
Neale has earned himself a well-deserved break in the form of Brisbane’s bye round this week. It gives him time to recharge the batteries and return for what will hopefully be a SuperCoach premiership assault, or even the top-prize if you’re still in the mix.
RAGE TRADES: WHO’S ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Round 13 was our last ‘normal’ KFC SuperCoach weekend for a while.
Round 14 brings byes and the start of the second Festival of Footy (or footy frenzy depending on how you feel).
However, we do have a few days to evaluate how our squad has managed to let us down this week and use the reverse trades button to alleviate some anger by rage trading!
Boot Him
Darcy Cameron RUC/FWD — 26 points
For those that were relying on Cameron as a back-up ruck you may want to look elsewhere as he really struggled this week and he also hurt himself after landing awkwardly in a ruck contest. I don’t think you can afford to have him if you don’t have Sam Draper who is playing as Essendon’s No.1 ruck and will provide good back-up over the bye rounds.
Sam Docherty DEF — 84 points
What I hear you ask? Trade the Doch? Well in this harsh environment we need to look at the stats. He hasn’t scored over 100 since Round 4 when he was huge and has had just one game over 90 since then. Heading into this round he was ranked the 14th highest averaging defender (excluding guys that are now out for the season). Unfortunately Doch, it is time to go.
Tim English RUC — 52 points
We have had a love-hate relationship with English this year and unfortunately this week was one of his poor ones. Since his big 204 he has averaged 80 but it is these scores of 52 that will really hurt you in a key matchup. If you can get from him to one of the big three rucks then do it.
Charlie Dixon FWD — 63 points
Charlie is in about 2 per cent of teams and that is about 2 per cent too many. He is up and down at the moment like most key forwards and can’t be trusted week to week to get the score you need. If you are one of the teams that own him then you should be trading him.
Dylan Shiel MID — 57 points
Shiel went missing this week with just 17 touches as Zach Merrett had twice as many. It is a bit harsh to say we should boot Dylan after a 129 and 117 in recent weeks but the game before those scores was a 55. So two in his last four are in the 50s and we simply can’t accept that as KFC SuperCoach finals roll around.
Stephen Hill DEF/FWD — 31 points
Hill was in 12.5 per cent of teams heading into the round and he will be lucky to be in half of that when the next round starts. He was a very popular pick given his price point and what we have seen him do in the past. However, this was his lowest score of the year and his best hasn’t been at the level we hoped for either. You need to move him on and fast.
Charlie Cameron FWD — 39 points
Cameron hasn’t had a great few weeks with a 21 and a 39 and he did spend a fair amount of time on the bench with injury concerns. He was in 7 per cent of sides and with him on the bye this week, his ownership should plummet! Trade him out if you are an owner.
Tim Kelly MID — 66 points
This makes it two in a row in the 60s for Kelly and his last four haven’t been higher than 90. That’s a huge concern for owners as he is not getting the inside midfield possessions that are going to Luke Shuey and Andreew Gaff. We can’t afford these scores as we head to KFC SuperCoach finals.
MORE SUPERCOACH ADVICE:
On Watch
Jack Martin FWD/MID — 144 points
Martin had a BE of 148 heading into this week thanks to his 18 when he got injured. But wow, he nearly got there and those owners that have picked him up this week would be incredibly happy! In the five weeks prior to his 18 in Round 11 he was averaging right on 100. The 18 is still in his price cycle this week so just check his break even heading into round 14 but if you have the cash you may want to bring him in. He is bye free and could be a great scorer in the run home.
Buy Him
Hugh Greenwood MID/FWD 109 points
This was the first time Hugh has hit 100 since Round 7 and he has been solid in the high 80s and 90s over the last few weeks. He missed his BE this week but only just so his price is right. His role is certainly there and you can’t go too far wrong with him as he is ranked fifth for forwards on average. The only thing you need to consider is his bye which is coming in the dreaded Round 15.
Travis Boak MID — 148 points
Boak was hot early in the season but then slowed down but his last three weeks now see scores of 129, 97 and 148. He is the key man in the Power midfield currently and must be considered. As with a number of players though he does have the R15 bye which makes it a hard sell to bring him in before then.
Jack Macrae MID — 141 points
We shouldn’t need to say it but Macrae is having an outstanding season and if you can bring him into your side then do it. He has averaged 143 over the last 8 weeks and if you have a trade left to bring him in after his bye then just do it.
Tom Mitchell MID — 132 points
We have heard from Mitchell himself during the week that he now feels like he is back to his best and his scoring has certainly been showing us that. His last 5 games have seen 104, 164, 102, 132 and 132. The best thing about him is that he is also bye free now and will play every game through to the end of the KFC SuperCoach season.
Luke Ryan DEF — 142 points
Ryan is putting together a fantastic season and this has capped off a great run for him. His last eight games have seen him average 124 which puts him up there as one of the best scoring defenders in the game. If you have the chance to bring him in then don’t hesitate.
Dustin Martin MID/FWD — 147 points
Even though Dusty had a huge game and a big score he still missed his BE. But this score will see that BE drop and this is about as cheap as you will get him for the rest of the year. He has hit some form at the right time of the year and with his bye in R16, bringing him in now won’t hurt you very much.
Cam Guthrie MID — 143 points
Guthrie has four over 100 in the last five weeks and now three of them have been 120+. Most of the attention is going to Dangerfield and Duncan and this is leaving Guthrie to clean up all the possessions. Don’t discount him when you are looking at the Cats mids.
Jack Steele MID — 167 points
After two poor scores by his standards he was huge but surprisingly he still missed his BE. But that won’t happen again soon so he is primed for the picking at the moment. The four games prior to his two that saw his price drop saw him average 132. So this could be the start of another great run by him.
Nic Naitanui RUC — 146 points
A huge string of games for Naitanui. His last four games have been 146, 129, 153 and now 146. If you need anymore proof that he is the ruck to go to if you need a new one then I’m not sure what else he can do. There is a risk of him being rested heading into the finals but if you are prepared to take this risk then go for it!
Luke McDonald DEF — 144 points
McDonald has gone under the radar but has had five scores of 119+ in the last six games. He finds himself in less than 2 per cent of sides which is amazing given this level of scoring. If you need a point of difference for your finals run then this could be just the guy to do it for you.
Top Scorers of the Round!
How many did you have in your side?
1. 167 – Jack Steele
2. 148 – Travis Boak
3. 147 – Ben McEvoy, Dustin Martin
4. 146 – Nic Naitanui, Scott Pendlebury
5. 144 – Jack Martin, Luke McDonald
Captain Scorecard
Who were the best captain choices for this week? Here we don’t look at the top scorers but the guys that were in consideration for the captain role this week. All captains below were selected as captain by more than 1 per cent of the competition.
A+: Dustin Martin 147, Nic Naitanui 146, Scott Pendlebury 146, Zach Merrett 143, Jack Macrae 141
A: Josh Kelly 139, Marcus Bontempelli 135, Mitch Duncan 134, Tom Mitchell 132, Patrick Cripps 123
B: Patrick Dangerfield 114, Lachie Whitfield 105, Clayton Oliver 100
C: Nat Fyfe 86, Brodie Grundy 85, Lachie Neale 72
Rookie Watch
For this section we classify a rookie as anyone cheaper than $250k to start the season.
You may want to trade these guys in if you don’t have them yet
Sam Draper 122 – The big man from Essendon continues to impress us each game and is showing us that he should be the number one ruck at the Bombers.
Jake Riccardi 82 – Riccardi looked great leading up and taking some powerful marks. If he keeps getting a game for the Giants then he would be well worth downgrading to.
Irving Mosquito 77 – We have waited a while for his debut and he didn’t let us down. A great display and if he holds his spot he should make his way into a lot of teams.
Minairo Frederick 70 – He has played a few games but his price hasn’t moved. This was by far his best outing so just beware that you won’t get this each week from him.
Tom Fullarton 54 – Good score for the first gamer which included a goal and setting up another one a minute later. He has the bye this week though so you have a week to pull the trigger.
Jordan Butts 40 – Not a big score but it was his first game and he is cheap. You have a week to wait though as he has the bye this week.
These guys are OK to hold as they made their BE and can still make more money
Brandon Starcevich 79, Dylan Stephens 74, Jarrod Brander 70, Harry Schoenberg 65, Boyd Woodcock 62, Lachlan Sholl 60, Will Day 60, Xavier O’Neill 59, Sam Wicks 59, Tom Williamson 54, Lachlie Hosie 54, Tristan Xerri 53, Brad Close 52, Jack Bytel 51, Charlie Spargo 44, Tom De Koning 39, Ben Cavarra 38, James Bell 38, Matthew Cottrell 37, Sam Flanders 34, Zac Foot 30, Nick Reid 30.
These guys only just made Break Even so have them in this week’s trade plans
Marlion Pickett 85, Changkuoth Jiath 62, Izak Rankine 58, Max King 57, John Noble 57, Kysaiah Kropinyeri-Pickett 37, Noah Anderson 35, Tom Sparrow 33, Ben Crocker 30.
These guys need to be traded out after missing breakeven this week
Caleb Serong 88, Jye Caldwell 61, Sam Mayes 60, Jake Aarts 57, Laitham Vandermeer 51, Mitch Georgiades 48, Connor Budarick 47, Connor Glass 43, Marc Pittonet 41, Jack Mahoney 39, Tyson Stengle 35, Josh Corbett 31, Stephen Hill 31, Aiden Corr 28, Darcy Cameron 26, Ben King 25.
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