SuperCoach brains trust: Top-ranked coaches provide trade advice for Round 16
KFC SuperCoach brains trust — assemble! We’ve brought together some of the best SuperCoaches in the game to help you finish 2020 on a high, whether it be chasing rankings glory or league success. Here’s what they recommend for Round 16.
Supercoach
Don't miss out on the headlines from Supercoach. Followed categories will be added to My News.
We’ve assembled a crack group of KFC SuperCoaches to help you navigate the muddy waters that will be the last three rounds of the home-and-away season.
With little between those vying for the SuperCoach glory and the $50,000 grand prize, the advice of the highly-ranked coaches will help launch you up the rankings.
TRADE GUIDE: ALL THE TOP TARGETS FOR ROUND 16 RATED
Or, it could provide the difference between bombing out in a league semi-final in Round 16 or making the perfect trades to clinch league bragging rights.
Check out what our KFC SuperCoach brains trust has to say about the key Round 16 issues:
1. Is Max Gawn a must-have for the run home?
@bricemitchell — SuperCoach stats guru: Not a must have, it depends on the rest of your team, and amount of trades left. That said, I have 1 spot to upgrade (R2), three trades left and am very likely to trade him in!
@laughingraccoon — Two-time top-40 ranked coach: There’s no doubt that Max is a standout pick for round 16 but not if it will compromise another position on field. First prioritize pushing your rookies to the bench in all other positions and then prioritize Max, who will have dropped $120k in four weeks and will present great value (incredibly) at just under $670k. Whether you have Draper or a Nic Nat type at R2, look to bring in the game’s primary (and untaggable) captaincy option. I’m not deterred by the short turnarounds and his next three match-ups (Darcy, Mumford/Jacobs and Draper/Bellchambers) are very juicy.
@jordsupercoach — Two-time top-500 ranked coach: I can’t give a clear answer given he’s coming of two injuries with the short turnaround of games, however, I’d lean towards yes. Because he can provide captain scores, there may be more points up for grabs than just his usual 140 scores. Getting rookies off the field is the priority before trading Max in.
@nacheers — Two-time top-1000 ranked coach, round winner: A lot of teams will be weighing up whether they buy Gawn and sacrifice another position (mid priced Parish/Butters for example or even a Riccardi at F6) or hold their current ruckman and upgrade their F6 to a premo. Both of these scenarios come with risk. Gawn might be managed and the Parish/Butters option may produce 60s. Gawn is a brilliant captain option and is a borderline POD with his current ownership at 18 per cent. So I will be doing my best to buy him and continue to loop my F6 while my rookies ‘fatten’ up over the next two weeks.
@lekdogsc — Host, Jock Reynolds podcast: He’s certainly a nice to have. If you’re running Sam Draper on-field I think you need to find the cash to get Gawn into your side. Trading a Richmond or Collingwood premo might get the job done, it’ll only cost you about $100k to go Dustin Martin to Gawn for an extra 30 points per week! If you’re running two other premos in the ruck, I think you can get away with going Gawnless. DON’T entertain a Grundy to Gawn trade this round! It’ll only succeed in making you sad.
@ hunterpunter_1 — Best finish, fifth overall: I’ve just brought him into my team. He has some very tasty match-ups to finish the season so I didn’t want to miss out. If you can’t afford Gawn without comprising other parts of your team however, Reilly O’Brien also looks a good pick as he is playing against some rucks that he should dominate. He scored 104 and 110 against his next two opponents last year. He then has Richmond in Grand Final week. A team he scored 181 on last year!
@HoneyballAUS — Creator of fantasy website Honeyball: Yes. His price is still quite high but his first game back after injury showed no weariness with 135 and also allowed him to drop almost $50k in price. His ceiling is so high and reliable alternative options are thin, with Naitanui’s form/game-time wavering. If you don’t have Gawn or are waiting for his price to drop, you’re missing out on points.
2. How many trades should you still have left?
@bricemitchell: If playing for overall, I would want around one-two trades for the last two rounds. I will probably have one.
@laughingraccoon: It’s always team dependent. If you’re not yet fully upgraded, I’d use up all my trades to get there (assuming you’re playing for overall rank). If you’re fully upgraded after round 16, I think one trade left for rounds 17 and 18 is sufficient; any more is a luxury. If you’re playing for a league championship, two trades is plenty.
@jordsupercoach: You should feel safe with two trades remaining with a completed team. It doesn’t really matter if you get an injury during Round 18, so your players just need to get through two more games. I am sitting with a completed team and one remaining trade and I’m not too worried, although that can change quickly. Ideally you want a playing rookie as cover just in case.
@nahcheers: I personally don’t have as many as I would like as I played around with my ruck options too much this year. I think if you have 0-1 upgrades to go and have six trades then you are sitting pretty enough.
@lekdogsc: If you had the perfect run to date and no issues at all you’d ideally have about six trades left. Given 2020 has been a dumpster fire in general and COVID/injuries/babies/compacted schedules/hotel heists have ravaged the AFL season, four trades would be my comfortable answer.
@hunterpunter_1 : This depends on whether you are playing for league or overall. In general, as a player focused on leagues, I would think you should have at least one trade for every week left in the season to cover for injuries and players being rested. This can be altered based on how your matchup is going in the round. If you are looking like you’re going to win, then holding your trades can only be a good thing for the proceeding finals. If a loss is on the cards, go for broke and use the maximum amount of trades to get the win. If you’re going for overall and up there near the top then if a trade can earn you some good points, I say go for it! Every week you wait to upgrade is a week less with that gun in your team.
@HoneyballAUS: There’s no exact right or wrong answer to this question, as it depends how close your team is to ‘completion’. However, I feel there’s an ideal range of four to six trades after this bye for the final three rounds in my opinion. The aim of the game is to complete your team ASAP so most good teams will be at that point by now, so trades should be treated as a luxury in case of non-selection at this point. If you’ve got no selection problems, you can work the byes in your favour or finetune your team.
3. Who should be your top trade target for Round 16?
@bricemitchell: While he’s not a must have, Max Gawn is my top trade target in R16. He should drop in price again this week, and he has Fremantle, GWS and Essendon to finish the season. Melbourne need their captain to fire in their remaining must-win games!
@laughingraccoon: Max!
@jordsupercoach: I am liking Matt Crouch as an option. Although his 162 score has sailed, he’s not far off his 2017 form when he made the All Australian team. His tackle numbers have improved in the second half this year, and like Clayton Oliver he’s made adjustments to his game where he isn’t rushing his disposal as much as he was earlier this year. He is a consistent footballer, since Round 2 he has one score below 90, an 82, and didn’t drop a score below 90 last year until round 19 (minus an injury affected game). There isn’t a whole lot of downside to picking Matt Crouch and he has a high ceiling, so there’s a good chance he rewards owners.
@nahcheers: If you are looking for a defender that isn’t top dollar I would be looking at Jordan Ridley. His ability to read the play, intercept mark and use the ball well is so SuperCoach friendly. I think a Pod option in the mids is Matt Crouch. I was looking at him last week and he pumped out 160+ this week. If my midfield was not completed I would be looking at bringing him in. I think he is 1% of the team from memory. If you are looking at a forward option and don’t have Brayshaw yet I think he is as close to a must have as you can get as a forward option.
@lekdogsc: There will be a few big names bouncing around in answer to this question but my man seems to be flying under the radar, Touk Miller. Coming off his bye, Miller is an absolute bargain! He is the 15th ranked player in the competition for total points (at time of writing) but he’ll only cost you $510k! He’s the perfect M8 option after netting at least 102 points in ten of his 14 games in 2020. Miller and his Suns come up against Brisbane, Collingwood and Hawthorn in their remaining three matches.
@hunterpunter_1: If you need a midfielder and don’t have the cash for the uber premiums, look no further than Travis Boak. He has some nice match-ups on the run home in North Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood. He scored over 100 against each of those teams last year.
@HoneyballAUS: Hard to pick one, but if you traded out Lachie Neale prior to the bye, you need him back ASAP and his likely price drop makes him prime. I like Nat Fyfe’s price and run home and I’d monitor Friday debutant Keidean Coleman as a DPP downgrade option before the bubble.
MORE AFL NEWS:
Mark Robinson: Who are North Melbourne’s untouchables as list overhaul beckons?
NRL boss Peter V’landys blasts the AFL and claimed the code will never trump rugby league