Rage trades: Looking back at best and worst KFC SuperCoach AFL Round 1 performers

We’ve gone to the archives to find the best and worst SuperCoach performers from way back when footy was last played. Here’s a reminder of who starred an failed in Round 1, and what we should do about it.

Tom Green of the Giants. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Well, it has been a long time since footy was last played and we have all had plenty of time to execute (and reverse) rage trades!

Now we have five trades to use for Round 2, putting even more Round 1 underperformers in the firing line.

In case you have forgotten what happened way back in March, here are some reminders about who flopped and who starred in Round 1, and who we should be thinking about as we head into Round 2.

BUY HIM

JACK VINEY $439,300 MID

Hard to go past the guy that had the top score of the first round (186). What I like about him — apart from his price — is that this score didn’t come out of the blue. Viney was talked up during the pre-season and many thought he would be back to what we believed to be his best after a disappointing 2019 for him. The other thing I liked was that he did this in a losing side in a hostile environment in Perth. He finished the game with 20 contested possessions and this is what got his score up to that level. If he is allowed to continue playing this role we will see more scores north of 120 as the season progresses.

BRODIE GRUNDY $705,900 RUCK

Ruck structure has been something that has been debated hotly this year. But the one thing that should be a given is to have Grundy in your side. His opening-round 179 put to bed any discussion of not having him in your team. If you didn’t start with him, use your trades this week to find a way to fit him in.

SAM JACOBS $348,400 RUCK

Jacobs is clearly the No.1 ruckman at the Giants. His great game in Round 1 (134 points) saw him top score in that game. His price also makes him very attractive. If you are still trying to settle on a ruck structure you can certainly rely on Jacobs. Once again, he is another player that is going to benefit from the short quarters. He won’t need to be on the bench as much as he would have otherwise. But just be careful in putting too much reliance on his score because he was up against Geelong which doesn’t have one of the top ruckmen in the competition.

Sam Jacobs was back to his best in Round 1 for the Giants.

DUSTIN MARTIN $543,000 FWD/MID

One of the keys to Dusty’s big score (126) was that we saw him spend 93 per cent of the game on the ground. This is significant in these shortened games. With the shorter quarters it also means he can spend more of the game on the ball rather than resting up forward. This should result in great scoring from him this year and make him well worth a spot on your team.

SAM DOCHERTY $436,100 DEF

I admit I was a little worried about how Doc would go this season coming back from his two knee reconstructions. But there are two reasons to put him in your side. Firstly, he was the best scorer for the Blues in Round 1. But also importantly, he is another player that should benefit from the shorter quarters. This will account for any lack of match fitness that he may have in this system.

BUY BUT BEWARE

ISAAC HEENEY $510,700 FWD/MID

After Round 1 lockout I suggested that we bring Heeney into our sides. This was with the knowledge that Lance Franklin would be out for half of the season. However, we are now at that point in the year where we expected Buddy to return and there are rumours circling that he isn’t far away. If he does play this will have an impact on Heeney. On the positive side, it should push him back into the midfield, where we want him. But his huge score in Round 1 (152) was boosted by kicking four goals and if Franklin is back he may not have the opportunity to do that. He is certainly someone you should look at, but just beware of this change in role that is likely in the first few rounds after we return.

BEN CUNNINGTON $554,100 MID

Cunnington had a great game against the Saints with 25 touches and a couple of goals on his way to 185 SuperCoach points. But there are a couple of things that make me concerned about that. Firstly, the Roos aren’t generally a high-scoring team and Cunnington can be hot and cold in regards to his scoring. The other thing to consider is that he kicked the go-ahead goal in the last quarter and had a big influence late in the game which resulted in a good haul of points. This won’t happen every week.

BOOT HIM

JAKE LLOYD $591,400 DEF

What worries me most about Lloyd is that he often gets some points from junk time late in quarters as the Swans chip the ball around to ice the clock. With shorter quarters there will be less time available to do this. We saw him not have as big an impact in the first game as he didn’t take as many kick-ins either. His score of 77 wasn’t what we expected and I am very concerned about his capacity to score like he did in previous seasons.

Isaac Heeney exploded out of the blocks in Round 1.

... but Swans teammate Jake Lloyd was very quiet.

DYLAN ROBERTON $260,400 DEF

The Saints backman was a very popular selection due to what we know he has been able to do in the past and his price, which seemed too cheap to pass up. Roberton spent 82 per cent of the game on the field in Round 1 but he only managed eight touches and 26 points — the lowest of any Saint. If you can find a way to upgrade him you may want to move him out before he drops in price.

ELLIOT YEO $584,400 MID

Yeo has been a go-to player in recent years but there is another mouth to feed in the midfield for the Eagles now with the addition of Tim Kelly. In Round 1 we saw Kelly score 86 and Yeo score just 57. This is a concern for us as Gaff and Shuey also took plenty of points. The Eagles’ fixture is appealing but my opinion is that in that Eagles midfield there are a lot of guys that can score on any given day but I don’t see there being any one that will score each and every week, I think it will be shared around.

ROOKIES TO WATCH

SAM STURT $123,900 FWD

Sturt showed some great form for the Dockers in his first game. He’s unlikely to kick three goals in a close game on his way to 100 points, so don’t expect scores this high each week. But he certainly did enough to make us think that he is one of those rookies that is well worth a chance.

MARLION PICKETT $123,900 MID

Pickett showed that the Grand Final last year wasn’t a one-off. He only had 14 touches, but he used the footy well and had an equal team-high five tackles to score 94 SuperCoach points. This simply confirmed our thoughts that he is a must-have rookie this season.

MITCH GEORGIADES $130,800 FWD

Georgiades was a bit of a surprise packet for me. I was not expecting this level of scoring (78) in his first game. The one thing that I would consider is that the Power played Gold Coast and had the game under control for most of the day. He did seem to work well with the Port forwards but do take note that the forward line was without Charlie Dixon.

Port Adelaide surprise packet Mitch Georgiades. Picture: Roy Van Der Vegt

CURTIS TAYLOR $123,900 FWD

Taylor performed well for North Melbourne in the Marsh series and we were all hoping that he would bring that to the premiership season, and he did exactly what we wanted. If you need someone cheap to bring into your side, he would be well worth including.

TOM GREEN $166,800 MID

Green was a popular choice as he looked to have a good role in that Giants midfield. However, he didn’t score up to the level we saw in the Marsh series. However, the big factor in looking to move him on from your side will be that his role was secure until Callan Ward returned. With the pause in the season now it is expected that Ward could be back in Round 2 now meaning that Green’s role is highly unlikely to see him in the side. I will be trading him out.

Tom Green could lose his spot in the GWS side. Picture: Phil Hillyard

BEN CAVARRA $123,900 FWD

Cavarra was another popular choice in the forward line for many coaches. But he let them all down with his score of just 32. His role in that Dogs forward line is in jeopardy after his game and moving Cavarra to Sturt will be one of the most popular trades between the opening two rounds of the season.

MORE SUPERCOACH TIPS:

KFC SuperCoach winners and losers from AFL COVID-19 shutdown

Tim Michell reveals his five Round 2 trades for KFC SuperCoach

KFC SuperCoach 2020: The players and trades to consider ahead of Round 2

It’s not too late to win big in KFC SuperCoach AFL and take on your mates

FINAL WORD

It has been a long wait for Round 2 and your rage may have simmered, but in this unusual season this could be one of the most important weeks of trading you will ever face.

With the long passage of time between rounds so much has changed. You need to reassess the status of the rookies particularly as their job security could have materially changed as some of the premiums who were injured may be coming back.

Good luck and I will see you for more rage trading after we finally get to see Round 2!