SuperCoach experts Al Paton and Tim Michell rate the 10 most-popular Round 9 trades as coaches target Jack Macrae and Liam Stocker

Sam Walsh will provide valuable SuperCoach cover during the bye rounds, but can you resist the temptation to turn him into one of the top-liners in midfield? TOP-10 TRADES RATED

First-year Carlton player Liam Stocker features in five of this week’s top-10 trades. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

The eyes of thousands of SuperCoaches are firmly fixed on Princes Park this week as first-year duo Sam Walsh and Liam Stocker feature prominently in Round 9 trade plans.

After losing $13,000 in value in Round 8 and with a break even of 101, many coaches are looking at turning No. 1 draft pick Walsh into top premium picks such as Jack Macrae, Josh Kelly or Tim Kelly.

Stocker is the obvious bubble boy, although the top-10 trades of the week are likely to change dramatically if Jackson Hately is named for GWS Giants on Thursday.

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Tim Michell and Al Paton rate the top-10 trades of Round 9*.

Jack Ross to Liam Stocker (1920 trades)

Tim: I missed the boat on Ross but you have to wonder whether he gets back in the Richmond team after an expected 6-8 week lay-off with an ankle injury. Trent Cotchin will be back by then, as will Jack Graham. Unless you’re using Ross as a loophole, don’t hesitate to trade him. Stocker is one of the few bubble boys this week, although Jackson Hately will be the best option if he’s recalled by GWS.

Al: Ross remarkably made $14,300 last week despite suffering a first-quarter injury, but he’s now out long-term so he’s a must-trade for a $134k profit. Stocker looks like the best available rookie downgrade this week.

Sam Walsh to Jack Macrae (1643 trades)

Tim: The most popular move of the week with good reason. How often can you get a player averaging 116 for a $115,000 discount on his starting price? There’s a case to be made for holding Walsh until his Round 14 bye but if you’re upgrading by about 30 points a week to Macrae then make the move.

Al: The No. 1 draft pick has fallen from his insanely high standards of the opening month of the season and won’t make much more money. If you can trade him to an out-and-out gun like Macrae it’s hard to pass up, but be careful about which rookies you have to put on field — Walsh is still a solid scoring option.

Is this the week to move Sam Walsh on? Plenty of coaches are considering it. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Sam Walsh to Josh Kelly (1538 trades)

Tim: Kelly ticks a lot of boxes. High ceiling, great average and a proven history of scoring. The only concern is his recent troubles with injury. If he can figure in every game for the rest of the year, he should average 110-115. It’s a huge bonus he’s only in 5.4 per cent of teams and he also has a Round 14 bye. Walsh to Kelly makes sense.

Al: There aren’t many players capable of scoring like Kelly, who put up 154 points last week off 25 disposals. And he plays Carlton this week, a team he scored 205 against last time they met. That’s enough to overcome worries about repeated soft-tissue injuries.

Willem Drew to Liam Stocker (1303 trades)

Tim: I’d persist with Drew until Round 12 when he has a bye. Ideally you want him as your F6 until then behind five premium scorers. With Ollie Wines out he’ll get more midfield time in the next 2-3 weeks and he faces Gold Coast this week, who have been bleeding points to opposition on-ballers. The only sticking point will be if Drew, named on an extended bench, is dropped.

Al: Drew was a bit disappointing last week when we thought he would shine in the absence of Ollie Wines, but I’m not planning to jump ship yet. He is starting in the midfield and faces Gold Coast, Hawthorn and St Kilda in the next three weeks.

After a score of 25, the time has come to start looking at ways to upgrade Matt Parker. Picture: Michael Klein.

Sam Walsh to Tim Kelly (1275 trades)

Tim: Can’t fault this. Kelly has 57 points less than Travis Boak to Round 8 but I’m confident he’ll be the topscoring forward of 2019. While you’ve missed out on getting him at his base price two weeks ago, $533,300 is still great value for a player with Kelly’s scoring potential and it’ll only cost you $94,300 to turn Walsh into Kelly.

Al: The other Kelly is on track to be the topscoring forward this season and is surprisingly in just 35 per cent of teams. He’s a bit more expensive than a couple of weeks ago when he bottomed out at $476k but still should be at the top of your must-have list.

Matthew Parker to Brayden Ham (1246 trades)

Tim: Essendon youngster Ham scored 44 and 41 in his first two games but he’s been dropped. Reverse that trade.

Al: What Tim said! If you desperately need a cheap forward North Melbourne’s Nick Larkey or Gold Coast’s Josh Corbett seem safe options even after missing out on their first price rise.

Tom Atkins to Liam Stocker (1205 trades)

Tim: Wait and see on Atkins. I was encouraged to see him in at the opening bounce against North Melbourne on Sunday before he hobbled through the game with an apparent hamstring injury. If he continues to feature in midfield when he returns I can see him getting above $300,000. If you don’t have reliable cover move him on, but I’m looking at holding and playing Michael Gibbons or Noah Answerth.

Al: Atkins lost almost $4000 this week after copping an early injury but his break even of 53 is still gettable — assuming he gets up this week. If not you could pull the trigger without any worries.

Matthew Parker to Liam Stocker (1182 trades)

Tim: Parker has just about maxed out his cash generation and Stocker is on the bubble. I have some doubts about the young Blue’s job security when Kade Simpson and Nic Newman return from injury, but if this move gets you to Macrae or either Kelly then it’s worthwhile.

Al: I don’t mind this move, netting $127,800. Unfortunately that’s not going to be enough to turn another rookie into an absolute star unless you already have some cash in the kitty.

First-year Carlton player Liam Stocker features in five of this week’s top-10 trades. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Michael Gibbons to Liam Stocker (1110 trades)

Tim: Gibbons hasn’t scored below 50 in his past five games and although his 100 in Round 5 came out of the blue, he’s doing enough to stay in as midfield cover. I expect he’ll provide handy cover during the byes until Round 14 when I’ll be keen to move him on, barring an obvious midfield rookie emerging before then. It’s a hold for me and miss out on Stocker if this is your only option.

Al: As long as Gibbo holds his spot in the Blues team, he’s staying in my SuperCoach side. His price isn’t going up much further but it isn’t going down either and he’ll be valuable cover during the tough first two bye rounds.

Tom Liberatore to Liam Stocker (889 trades)

Tim: I can understand the frustration with Libba and if I started him I’d probably be looking to cash in now. But I brought him in for $380,000 so don’t really have that luxury and need to take a risk that he’ll gain greater midfield minutes. If you’re going to be relying on Stocker on-field due to this trade I wouldn’t bother, but make the move if you have back up who can fill his midfield spot.

Al: Stocker seems the best of the bubble boys this week but he’s on an extended bench so make sure he’s in the final squad before trading. Even then he’s a chance to slip out of the team when Kade Simpson returns, probably next week. This might be the week to save your trades.

*Trades of as 8pm Thursday, May 15.