Richmond grand final debutant Marlion Pickett looms as must-have SuperCoach player in 2020
If you’re going to play SuperCoach in 2020, start your planning now. Marlion Pickett will be the most-popular player in Round 1 and the Richmond grand final hero must be in your side.
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Marlion Pickett provided the ultimate tease for SuperCoaches for 2020 with a grand final debut which netted votes in the Norm Smith Medal.
Drafted mid-season by the Tigers, mature-age WAFL star Pickett was added to SuperCoach this year with a $102,400 — equal to the cheapest players in the game.
Is it too much to ask Pickett stays at that price next year? Probably.
Finals aren’t usually factored into SuperCoach starting prices, but after spending half a season at Punt Road and being 28 years of age next year, he’s more likely to cost $117,300 or $123,900.
At that price, you might as well not bother picking a team if you don’t start with Pickett.
The Tigers clearly have immense faith in him, otherwise he wouldn’t have debuted in a grand final.
We were given a full glimpse of the talent Pickett has in the grand final, from his blind turn to his set-shot goal after which he was mobbed by his teammates.
Only finals specialist Bachar Houli (26 disposals) had more possessions than Pickett’s 22 in the lopsided grand final. His performance would have earned 96 SuperCoach points.
That’s more than the average of Gary Ablett, Toby Greene, Jeremy Cameron and David Mundy this year, with the latter three in particular enjoying popularity at different stages.
Of course, a greater sample size would be preferable to assess Pickett’s likely output.
But consider this.
In SuperCoach, the two most important factors when considering starting rookies are job security and potential cash generation.
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Being on the periphery at Punt Road can be a lonely place, as grand final heartbreak stories Kamdyn McIntosh and Jack Ross know.
It took an injury from Jack Graham for Pickett to get his chance, but barring any pre-season mishaps he will surely be a monty to face Carlton in the 2020 season opener.
Much like Sydney Stack earlier in the season, Pickett’s debut had supporters scratching their heads as to how a state league gem could have gone undrafted for so long.
The 2019 premier was a SuperCoach rookie goldmine this year.
Stack soared from $102,400 to a peak price of $447,800.
Ross scored two 80s and a 69 in four weeks before injury curtailed his cash generation just as he looked like skyrocketing.
Noah Balta rewarded those who stuck fat when he became Richmond’s No. 1 ruck for a brief period and made more than $200,000.
Patrick Naish made a positive impression in two games and helped many teams survive the byes, while Riley Collier-Dawkins’ VFL numbers suggest he’ll be one to watch in 2020.
But for all the rookie gifts Damien Hardwick gave us this year, none will be as valuable as Pickett.
He looms as a player you could field with confidence from Round 1 next year and make a swift profit from, two huge ticks in SuperCoach.
#AFLGF: 96 points#VFLGF: 123 points@petejank gives me the verdict on Marlion Pickett's 2020 SuperCoach pricehttps://t.co/dSRT9fMb9r
— The Phantom (@ThePhantomSC) September 29, 2019
My Starting Squad in 2020.........
— SuperCoach HQ (@SuperCoach_HQ) September 28, 2019
Marlion Pickett #SuperCoach
Pickett is my R1 @Supercoach captain in 2020..
— Paige Cardona 🦊🉠(@paigecardona) September 28, 2019
2020 first player picked. Marlion Pickett. This bloke's a gun #Supercoach
— Josh Button (@PiesJosh) September 28, 2019
Five must-have players in 2020
1. Marlion Pickett
Mature-age midfielder primed to generate both cash and points. Should be the first picked in every team.
2. Sam Docherty
Fingers crossed the Carlton co-captain can get back to his dashing best. Docherty averaged 109 and 115 in 2016 and 2017 and will be less than $500,000 after consecutive knee injuries.
3. Matt Rowell
The strongly-built Oakleigh Chargers star should be in Gold Coast’s midfield from Round 1. He had 44 disposals and kicked two goals in the NAB League grand final. Can average 90 as a stepping stone to a premium as Sam Walsh did.
4. Tom Doedee
A knee injury ruined Doedee’s chances of confirming himself as the long-term replacement for Jake Lever, but if he pushes closer to his 2018 average of 82 he’ll be a bargain in defence. Aim to have him on field as your starting D4 or D5 (depending on structure), then upgrading to a fallen premium ASAP.
5. Brodie Grundy
SuperCoach royalty for a good reason. You’ll have to pay top dollar again but after he ended the Cox Curse this year he’s worth it. A bona fide captaincy pick each week.