KFC SuperCoach Round 17 trade guide: Fixtures, players to target to achieve finals glory
In a big blow to more than 36,000 KFC SuperCoaches, Giants skipper Stephen Coniglio has been omitted. But don’t panic, we’ve pulled apart the fixture and named the best replacement options to suit any budget. Plus, Round 17’s other top targets.
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The time for trading conservatively in KFC SuperCoach is over.
SuperCoach preliminary final week is make-or-break in the race for league glory and a decisive round in the race for the $50k major prize.
The penultimate round of the home-and-away season signals the return of best 22 scoring and an opportunity for those who have banked trades to set their team apart.
If you’re sitting 1000th overall and intent on charging up the rankings, there’s little point bringing in players with high ownership.
Assess the fixtures in the last two rounds, target players with favourable match-ups and hope your patience reaps the rewards.
Brisbane Lions (Sydney and Carlton), GWS Giants (Melbourne and St Kilda), Western Bulldogs (Hawthorn and Fremantle) and West Coast (St Kilda and North Melbourne) have appealing fixtures in Round 17 and 18.
Of course, the prospect of players being managed in the last two rounds — and Round 18 in particular — is high.
And, as we learnt on Friday with the news Stephen Coniglio has been omitted from the GWS side, always expect the unexpected.
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FILLING A GIANT HOLE
The Giants skipper’s shock omission is a big blow to more than 36,000 KFC SuperCoaches, many of who are already running low on trades and money.
Making a difficult situation even harder, Coniglio ($463k) has failed to score more than 78 in three of his past four matches, resulting in the 26-year-old’s price falling by more than $90k.
But there are replacement options to suit any KFC SuperCoach budget.
Josh Dunkley (WB), MID, $527,500 Avg: 104.9
Dunkley provided a reminder of his devastating KFC SuperCoach best when he scored a game-high 151 points against West Coast in Round 16. Dunkley had 22 disposals (12 contested) and kicked 1.2 in the two-point victory, racking up his best SuperCoach score since Round 22 last season (169). He had four scores of 153 or better last year and that’s the type of sky-high ceiling that can win you a SuperCoach final. He’s available for less than $530,000 and more than $100,000 less than his starting price. And the Bulldogs play the Hawks, who, by average have conceded the second-most KFC SuperCoach points this year.
Marcus Bontempelli (WB), MID, $651,400 Avg: 113.7
Like Dunkley, Bontempelli could be in for a field day against the Hawks. And when the Bulldogs skipper goes big, he goes big, as his 199-point score in Round 12 showed again. Bontempelli has found some consistency in the back half of the season, too, posting six consecutive KFC SuperCoach tons and averaging 136 points since Round 9.
Lachie Hunter (WB), MID, $553,000 Avg: 112.3
They are the big names, but what about the Bulldogs ball-winning wingman? Hunter features in just 1275 KFC SuperCoach teams but the numbers suggest that’s far too low. The left-footer is averaging 26 disposals since returning to the senior side in Round 12 and has scored 122 points or more in three of his four matches.
Hugh McCluggage (Bris), MID, $508,000 Avg: 104
The value of Brisbane’s ‘big four’ in midfield after dropping below $500,000 in recent rounds. McCluggage has nine hundreds to Round 17 with five scores between 107-117 and season highs of 119, 131, 141 and 155. He scored 126 against the Lions’ next opponent — Sydney — in Round 7 last season. He doesn’t need big possession numbers to score triple figures, posting tons from 19 disposals against St Kilda and Collingwood either side of Brisbane’s Round 14 bye.
Jarryd Lyons (Bris), MID, $557,700 Avg: 114.5
The oft-forgotten Lion remains a SuperCoach point of difference despite ranking seventh in midfield for overall points to Round 16, ahead of the likes of Marcus Bontempelli and Patrick Dangerfield. Lyons was still only in 3 pet cent of teams ahead of his clash with former club Gold Coast in Round 16. His only blemish from rounds 7-15 was a 57 against St Kilda. He otherwise produced at least 115 in every game during that run and topped 120 five times.
Travis Boak (Port), MID, $575,100 Avg: 110.1
Did you overlook Boak because of the Round 15 bye? The gun midfielder – and second-favourite for the Brownlow – has almost made up for missing the one game, recording scores of 148, 116 and 149 in his past three starts. Don’t worry you weren’t alone. And with the struggling Bombers and Magpies, who have given up big scores to opposition midfielders Berry (141), Lyons (138), Jed Anderson (140), Clayton Oliver (137), Ed Langdon (138) and Rory Laird (185) in recent rounds, to come, it’s not too late to jump on at less than $600k.
Bailey Smith (WB), FWD-MID $475,400 Avg: 92.3
If you are a Coniglio owner who is short of cash - and trades - there are a number of value options to consider. And the young Bulldogs midfielder is at the top of the list with the clash with the struggling Hawks looming on Sunday. The second-year gun has posted KFC SuperCoach tons in three of his past four matches and cashed in with 150 points against the Crows in Round 12. And if the Bulldogs get on top of Alastair Clarkson’s side, Smith could be in for a similar score this weekend.
Jordan Dawson (Syd), FWD-DEF $459,300 Avg: 84.2
The versatile Swan has spent more time in the SuperCoach-friendly attacking wingman role in the back half of the season and he’s putting up some impressive numbers, posting scores of 121, 91, 92, 110, 66 and 113 since Round 9. The efficient, long-kicking left-footer was used in attack against the Blues last round but drifted into defence to finish as one of Sydney’s best. Consider if you have a dual-position swing.
Josh P. Kennedy (Syd), MID $445,100 Avg: 91.3
He’s no longer available for a ridiculous $417k but thanks to the injury-affected 18-point score in Round 16, the star midfielder is still available for $133k less than his starting price. And that’s despite scores of 84, 96, 110 and 81 since returning in Round 13. Sure, that’s only one KFC SuperCoach ton in the past month but he’s a proven scorer with a high ceiling.
Rory Sloane (Adel), MID $440,500 Avg: 91.3
Speaking of high ceilings, the Adelaide skipper can go as big as any on his day. We haven’t seen it much this year, but Sloane, who battled injury and inconsistency earlier in 2020, is back on the inside for the Crows. And the move has been reflected in his scores and the side’s performance. Sloane recorded his first KFC SuperCoach ton since Round 1 in Tuesday’s win over the Giants, following up his 99-point score against the Hawks in Round 16.
Toby Greene (GWS), FWD $428,600 Avg: 87.7
It’s been a inconsistent year for the Giants star. He booted five goals on his way to 166 KFC SuperCoach points against the Tigers in Round 8 but Greene has also failed to reach the 80-point mark in four non-injury affected matches. He scored 105 points against the Blues in Round 15, however, and has attended 20 centre bounces for GWS in the past two matches. Josh Kelly is set to return but the midfield stints are likely to continue for Greene with Coniglio missing. And it’s hard to forget his six consecutive KFC SuperCoach tons from the midfield to finish last season.
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THE OTHER UPGRADE TARGETS
Caleb Daniel (WB), DEF, $476,100 Avg: 100.9
After failing to reach three figures between Rounds 10 and 13, the skilful Bulldog is back to his KFC SuperCoach best, posting scores of 110 and 118 in the past two matches. With the Hawks and the Dockers to come, Daniel, who rates elite for effective disposals, groundball gets, score involvements and contested possessions for a defender, is great buying at less than $500k.
Tom Lynch (Rich), FWD, $341,000 Avg: 68.1
The Richmond spearhead — who has attracted unwanted attention this season — appeals in SuperCoach for the same reasons as Kennedy. You only need him to kick a bag against bottom side Adelaide in Round 18 to justify his selection at $341k. Unless the Tigers lock away a top-four spot and choose to manage their stars, Lynch could be in for a big outing against the Crows. Ditto Jack Riewoldt, although he’s likely to cost a bit more. The obvious red flag is they’ve got a stingy Geelong defence this round, but taking a punt on Lynch at F6 could still be better than fielding a rookie.
Charlie Cameron (Bris), FWD, $295,200 Avg: 74.3
Now we’re getting really crazy. Cameron was a $433,200 buy at the start of the season but is now available for just $295,200 after returning to form with 128 points against Gold Coast. He went 21, 39 and 38 in successive games from rounds 12-15 which would usually be enough to put any SuperCoach off. But when he plays Sydney and Carlton in the last two rounds, those scores are largely irrelevant. The Lions and Blues play on Saturday night in Round 18 which could enable you to loophole him from F7.
Daniel Rich (Bris), DEF, $394,900 Avg: 83.6
You’re low on trades, have no bank left and need a value option to ‘finish’ your team. Sound familiar? Daniel Rich could be the man after tumbling below $400,000 due to a 22 in Round 8. The Brisbane defender averaged 88.8 to Round 8 before being injured and his price fell further after a 70 upon his return in Round 11. He looked close to his best against Collingwood with 99 points but still dropped another $19,600 to be $372,600 in Round 16 with a break even of 55.
Connor Rozee (Port), FWD, $319,500 Avg: 69.2
More than 12,000 SuperCoaches paid $470,000 for Rozee after Round 2 following scores of 125 and 145 in the opening week, only for the young star to break the 60-point mark in just one of his next seven games. But for non-owners that doesn’t matter anymore. Rozee posted his first KFC SuperCoach ton since Round 2 against the Kangaroos, finishing with 14 disposals, seven tackles and 109 points in the Round 16 win. And Rozee, who will still be available for less than $330k, could be in for another big score if the Power get on top of the Bombers at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
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