SuperCoach 2016: Round 6 rookie trade guide

SOME rookies have hit the wall and have to be traded — but who should go, and who should replace them? NEW PODCAST

Tom Papley (left) and Dane Rampe jog around the SCG.

IT’S time.

Every SuperCoach player started the year with a dozen or more rookie-priced players in their squad. Now those cash cows have fattened up and it’s time to take them to market.

We can’t trade all those rookies in at once, so we need to identify the players who have gone as far as they can in terms of cash generation — like the stockmarket, the key to SuperCoach success is selling high and buying low.

A classic double rookie trade would allow us to cash in two youngsters who have hit their ceiling, replacing them with another bargain basement player about to jump in value and a star who has dropped to an affordable price (Tom Rockliff scored 117 last week and is just $483,400).

So who is on the chopping block?

The magic number is when a player’s break-even (the score he needs to maintain his current price) and his average converge. With a bit of inside knowledge and educated guesswork, here is our advice for this week.

Sam Kerridge is having a great first year as a Blue.

KEEPERS (FOR NOW)

Sam Kerridge (Carl) $346,900 mid/fwd

Average 86, Break-even 23

Has made us more than $200k already and there is more where that came from. Next.

Callum Mills (Syd) $335,700 mid

Av 73, BE 33

Jumped another $30,000 after his last game and should make a similar amount this weekend. We need a 100+ score from him to jump to $400k then hit the trade button!

Marcus Adams (WB) $342,400 def

Av 88, BE 58

Big scores seem to have dried up and he’s averaging 72 in his past three. No cause for serious concern, but might not get far above $400k

Mitch Brown (Ess) $237,800 fwd/def

Av 58, BE 0

Look who’s back. His 88 on Sunday is his highest score of the year. Made $34k and should get to $300k if we can hang on to him until Round 10.

GET THE BEST ADVICE FROM EXPERTS AL PATON, GILBERT GARDINER AND SAM LANDSBERGER IN THE SUPERCOACHES BOX PODCAST:

Michael Hartley (Ess) $241,100 def

Av 69, BE -21

Has scored 79 and 83 the past two weeks making him a viable starter down back.

George Hewett (Syd) $200,300 mid

Av 58, BE -12

Three goals in the first quarter on Sunday keeps him alive but he barely touched it after that so don’t get too excited.

Tom Papley (Syd) $245,000 fwd

Av 71, BE 2

If you held him, well done. If he can keep scoring around the 70 mark (78 and 64 in his past two games) he’ll crack $300k in a few weeks.

Darcy Byrne-Jones (PA) $273,300 def

Av 82, BE -13

Smart pick with a lowest score of 61 in four games. Lots more cash to make and a safe starter in defence.

Tom Ruggles (Geel) $152,100 def

Av 54, BE -6

Was “managed” by the Cats last weekend, likely to return against the Eagles’ star-studded forward line.

Jade Gresham (StK) $167,500 mid

Av 46, BE 5

Enjoyed his first price rise of the season after a 56 against Melbourne. Should hold his spot but don’t expect huge scores.

TRADE TIME

Matt Dea (Ess) $296,900 def

Av 66, BE 94

Value dropped nearly $13k after a 39 against the Blues. Has nosedived after an excellent start — jump off now!

Connor Menadue (Rich) $220,500 fwd/mid

Av 53, BE 41

Has made just $65k since Round 1 and while he hit his break-even against Port Adelaide, he’ll find it a lot tougher against the Hawks. Move him on if you can.

Jacob Weitering’s day ended early on Sunday.

ON THE BRINK

Jacob Weitering (Carl) $338,400 def

Av 74, BE 114

Lost $25k after going down early against Essendon and set to miss 2-3 weeks with a shoulder injury. A hard call — he was averaging 84 before last weekend and should come straight back when he’s fit, but his main job is to make money and he won’t be doing that again for a while.

Ben Kennedy (Melb) $295,900 fwd/mid

Av 76, BE 51

Hasn’t scored more than 70 since Round 2 but just keeping his head above water. Forecast to make money for another 2-3 weeks but if you traded him now you probably won’t miss out on much.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Ess) $309,500 def/fwd

Av 72, BE 64

Just when we thought he was the walk-up starter of the Essendon cheapies, ‘Walla’ produces a 53. With the Swans and Kangaroos to come, there are danger signs.

Darcy Parish (Ess) $331,100 mid

Av 75, BE 75

Has hit the magic number. Still handy and unlikely to lose money, but could help with a midfield upgrade.

Lincoln McCarthy (Geel) $282,500 fwd

Av 66, BE 43

Looked like he was gone for the night after copping a head knock in the opening minutes on Saturday, so a score of 44 wasn’t terrible under the circumstances. Will have concussion tests this week — watch the teams on Thursday night.

Mitch McGovern (Adel) $261,700 fwd

Av 58, BE 35

Had to be carried off after landing awkwardly against Fremantle but came back to play out the game. Another selection watch.

Clayton Oliver (Melb) $271,700 mid

Av 67, BE 28

Has missed the past two games but had 29 touches in the VFL last weekend and Paul Roos is likely to make a couple of changes. If he plays he’ll make that break-even no problems.

Ryan Davis (GC) $186,000 mid

Av 48, BE 39

A week’s rest didn’t do him much good, scoring just 33 at Simonds Stadium. Most of his teammates weren’t much better which might save his spot in the Suns line-up but he is on very shaky ground in SuperCoach.

Ryan Davis at Gold Coast training. Picture: David Clark

BUBBLE BOYS

There are a host of players ready to jump in price after their third game. Magpie Josh Smith is the pick of them after scoring 72 and 96 in his first two matches, with a projected price rise of $85,000 next week.

And if you ever needed a cheap ruckman, now’s the time to get one.

Josh Smith (Coll) $102,400 mid

Scores 72, 96, BE -108

Mason Cox (Coll) $117,300 ruck/fwd

Scores 75, 76, BE -73

Sam Grimley (Ess) $123,900 ruck/fwd

Scores 62, 24, BE -3

Dougal Howard (PA) $123,900 fwd

Scores 61, 46, BE -34

Daniel Currie (GC) $163,200 ruck

Scores 61, 62, BE -27

Darcy Tucker (Frem) $117,300 def

Scores 67, 34, BE -32

Brady Grey (Frem) $238,000 mid

Scores 85, 49, BE 6

Jonathan Simpkin (Ess) $223,400 mid/fwd

Scores 72, 82, BE -23

Josh Dunkley (WB) $117,300 mid

Scores 61, 33 (in Rounds 1 and 2), BE -25

Christian Petracca impressed in his AFL debut. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

ONE GAMERS

Keep an eye on these guys — we will be talking about them next week!

Christian Petracca (Melb) $123,900

Score: 63

Ben Keays (BL) $117,300 mid

Score: 59

Jason Castagna (Rich) $117,300 def

Score: 37

James Polkinghorne (Ess) $123,900 mid

Score: 52

Connor Blakely (Frem) $159,700 mid

Score: 44

McKenzie Willis (GC) $117,300 fwd/mid

Score: 32