Richmond’s Derek Eggmolesse-Smith and Port Adelaide’s Sam Mayes among KFC SuperCoach rookies to consider for Round 8
It may be upgrade season in KFC SuperCoach but with four-day breaks and bye rounds on the horizon, this week’s cheapie call is crucial. Rookie guru Dan Batten looks at who you should be holding and who’s ready for trade.
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Welcome to upgrade season, KFC SuperCoaches.
After an influx of cash cows last week, headlined by excitement machine Izak Rankine, it is time to turn our focus to trading out cheapies who have hit the rookie wall.
Players such as Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich are leaking cash at an alarming rate, but this is still preferable to having deadwood sitting on your bench with team carnage imminent.
A footy frenzy with four-day breaks will almost certainly result in a host of restings and SuperCoach’s worst enemy — general soreness.
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This makes holding playing rookies even more crucial — especially those with dual-position status like Starcevich or Gold Coast’s Connor Budarick.
Even a non-playing DPP such as Jarrod Brander (DEF/FWD) can give your side extra flexibility with trades and a potential on-field scorer, particularly when paired with fellow DEF/FWD cheapie Stephen Hill.
But if the extra cash from playing rookies like Curtis Taylor ($287,900, FWD) or Max King ($284,200, FWD) helps you bring in a top-line star a week early, make the move.
Fortunately, rotation policies will give opportunities for more rookies to debut, but they may struggle to remain long-term.
Here are the rookies you should be looking to move on, but be sure to keep a close eye on team announcements on Thursday night.
ROOKIES TO TRADE OUT
1. Marc Pittonet ($403,900, RUCK) BE: 133 Ave: 92.5
2. Tyler Brown ($232,300, MID) BE: 64 Ave: 52.2
3. Jarrod Brander ($235,200, DEF/FWD) BE: 16 Ave: 60.3
4. Brandon Starcevich ($257,700, DEF/MID) BE: 71 Ave: 57.1
5. Curtis Taylor ($287,900, FWD) BE: 80 Ave: 64.1
*Rookies with over 20 per cent ownership
— Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet has been a fantastic KFC SuperCoach servant but it’s time for owners to give him the boot before he hurtles back towards his starting price. Pittonet lost $30,000 after a paltry 32-point effort against inexperienced Power ruckman Peter Ladhams and has a daunting match-up of Todd Goldstein this week. Look to turn him into Max Gawn if you can afford it or even in-form Bulldog Tim English. If you have him on your ruck bench a sideways trade to Bailey Smith via a Charlie Comben/Darcy Cameron RUCK/FWD swing is a no-brainer.
— Pies midfielder Tyler Brown hasn’t featured in Collingwood’s emergencies in the past fortnight and looks to be out of favour, while Eagle Jarrod Brander is fit and ready to go but is no certainty to return this week. He has missed three games now and while his DEF/FWD is handy, we need playing rookies for this next stretch of games.
— Starcevich is losing cash at a rate of knots but if you are stretched for numbers in defence he is worth holding onto.
— Roo Curtis Taylor has an ominous break even of 80 this week and looks to have reached his price peak, having made $164,000 to date.
Top 5 rookie trade targets
1. Izak Rankine ($195,900, MID) BE: -97 Ave: 107
2. Derek Eggmolesse Smith ($246,900, DEF) BE: -37 Ave: 92
3. Sam Mayes ($213,500, MID) BE: -27 Ave: 115
4. Will Day ($193,700, DEF) BE: -39 Ave: 77
5. Cody Weightman ($144,300, FWD) BE: -4 Ave: 63
If Izak Rankine isn’t in your side, grab him now.
The Suns eye-catcher has tonned up in his first two games at AFL level and his high-impact game could see him finish the season as a keeper.
Tiger Derek Eggmolesse-Smith topped the coaches votes in just his fourth game at AFL level and appears to have filled the vacancy left by Bachar Houli at halfback.
His formidable 119-point effort makes him a valuable option even at his expensive rookie price and should continue scoring better than the average rookie defender.
After countless games as emergency, former Lion Sam Mayes impressed with 17 disposals and 115 KFC SuperCoach points in his first game of 2020, but his long-term job security is a slight concern.
Ryan Burton suffering a quad injury will help his chances and he’ll be tough to drop if he maintains the kind of form he displayed against Carlton.
Hawk Will Day took several kick-ins in his second game, as he did in his debut, and his side looked to get the ball in his hands to take the game on.
This bodes well for his KFC SuperCoach prospects and with Hawthorn set to play their kids, his spot looks to be locked in.
Rounding out the top-five is the solitary Round 8 ‘bubble boy’ Cody Weightman.
He is the pick of the bunch who played their first game in Round 7 as his contested marking ability and knack for scoring goals will see him produce some promising scores.
However, expect inconsistency with the young small forward.
North Melbourne defender Ben McKay posted 86 points playing on Tom Lynch but be warned, he won just five disposals and most of his points were from spoils and one-percenters.
It’s unlikely this kind of scoring will be sustainable as a lockdown defender.
The likes of forgotten forward Darren Minchington ($117,300, FWD) and exciting Dockers youngster Minairo Frederick ($117,300, FWD) probably aren’t worth considering.
MORE SUPERCOACH:
Early mail: AFL injury list, selection analysis and KFC SuperCoach intel for Round 8
Melbourne captain Max Gawn closing in on $800,000 mark
Key Round 8 KFC SuperCoach trade targets and how to get Bailey Smith
KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom’s Round 7 review and trade advice