SuperCoach formguide: Best trade, captain tips for Round 14
SUPERCOACH FORMGUIDE: HE hasn’t scored a century for six weeks but there’s a good reason that could all be about to change for Marcus Bontempelli. TOP TRADE, CAPTAIN PICKS
SuperCoach
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperCoach. Followed categories will be added to My News.
REMEMBER the byes?
Neither do we. It’s all about looking forward in SuperCoach as we move all our guns who sat out last week back on to the field (if you haven’t done that yet, stop reading and do it now!).
If you’ve been making smart trades since Round 1, your team should be close to being finished — that is, having 22 superstars on the field.
LITTLE MASTER: GARY ABLETT’S 10 GREATEST SUPERCOACH GAMES
FLOPS: THE SUPERCOACH GIANT KILLERS OF 2017
THE PHANTOM: ROUND 14 SUPERCOACH PREVIEW
Most players will have a glaring hole somewhere on the field and this is the perfect week to fix them.
Scroll down for the best trade and captain picks, and exclusive stats from Champion Data that reveal what could be the biggest move of the week — and why we need to do it right away.
JUMP ON
Luke Ryan $117,300 def
The most traded in player this week has already been added to more than 12,000 teams. After scoring 87 in his second game he’s poised for a $50k price rise and is the perfect replacement for a fattened cash cow like Tom Stewart or Jarrod Berry, freeing up $200k to spend elsewhere.
Jake Lloyd $411,800 def/mid
If you’ve been out of the country you might have missed the news that Lloyd has dropped to mid-pricer territory after a concussion-induced score of 4 in Round 10. Take that out and he’s one of the top five scoring defenders for the year. If you miss him this week, he’s likely to be about $20k more expensive next week.
Zach Merrett $568,300 mid
The pick of the midfield stars coming off the Round 13 bye, based on his price and scoring potential. Has dropped below 100 just once in his past six games which also included three scores over 130. Break-even of 81 means this is the cheapest he’ll get.
JUMP OFF
Sam Powell-Pepper $348,100 mid
SPP has been a great servant, is in a good run of form and still has some money to make based on his 59 break-even. But to mix it with the big boys in the run home we need 100-plus scorers in the midfield, not 80s. Use the Luke Ryan cash to turn him into a superstar.
Jack Steele $448,500 fwd/mid
If he’s not picked this week, Steele has to go. He was perhaps unlucky to get the chop from Alan Richardson but after a St Kilda win he’s going to find it hard to get back in — and when he does he’s set to lose cash (break-even 124). You only need $76k to turn him into Elliot Yeo.
Scott Selwood $371,500 mid
A hamstring injury (and a score of 44) isn’t what Selwood’s 51,000 owners were looking for. His selection this week is up in the air at the time of writing and he presents a dilemma — normally we wouldn’t trade out a midfield starter over a one or two-week injury. But is Selwood going to be in your finished team? Cut the losses now and gain the extra points from an upgrade.
CHAMPION DATA MATCH-UPS
Owners of Scott Selwood would be kicking themselves after the midfielder succumbed to a hamstring injury last round against West Coast. With his poor durability history an obvious drawback, owners have a tough choice to make this week — keep or trade?
Chris Scott is yet to rule him out, so there’s still a chance he could line up given the Cats play on Sunday.
Regardless, there are a plethora of viable midfield options to choose from as replacements for Selwood, or alternatively as upgrades elsewhere.
Rory Sloane should bounce back against the hapless Hawks, a side that concedes more points to midfielders than any other team (average 92.8).
The Western Bulldogs will be looking to bounce back after a tumultuous period where they have lost four of their past five games. A clash against North Melbourne could be just the kickstart their struggling midfield needs, with the Kangaroos the second-easiest side to score points against for midfielders.
Already, the Kangaroos have conceded 14 scores of 120-plus points, of which five have been of at least 140. Marcus Bontempelli is the most obvious choice here, after dropping to a season-low price of $508,000.
He started the year off in blazing fashion, averaging 123 points from his opening seven games, however, he has been well below that since.
ROOKIE WATCH
Names such as Sam Powell-Pepper, Kayne Turner, Andy Otten, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Andrew McGrath and Tim Taranto should be on the cash cow chopping block this week as their break-even scores have all but peaked.
Sadly, there aren’t enough viable trade-down options to cash these players in.
In terms of bubble boys for the round, Luke Ryan is the most obvious target as he prepares to play his third game of the season. After a lacklustre debut against Collingwood when he could only manage 37 points, he was more convincing against Brisbane in Round 12, recording six tackles and 87 points.
A trade of Andy Otten to Ryan would net you $258,200 — a virtual no-brainer.
Declan Mountford is another player on the bubble after he returned last week to play his first match since Round 1. Handed the role of running with Jack Steven, his successful lockdown role should ensure he retains his place in the side.
Mountford kept him to just eight disposals in the 42 minutes they were matched up, while managing 10 himself. Given the role he was given, he also attended 14 centre bounces — the third-most of any Kangaroos midfielder.
If you’re desperate for funds, then opting for Jonathon Beech or Callum Brown are also options, despite the duo only playing one game to date. In the case of Beech, his job security would be shakier despite being a mature-age player, with Mitch McGovern closing in on a return from injury.
Brown, on the other hand, was lively on debut in Round 12, applying 13 forward half pressure acts, the equal second-most of any Magpie. This should ensure he keeps his place in the side for the Port Adelaide clash.
CAPTAINS CORNER
Patrick Dangerfield
Danger is the standout captaincy candidate again this week after averaging 151 over his past three games. If you need any more convincing, he also averages 155 in his past three against the Dockers. The tricky part is he plays at 1.10pm on Sunday — if you’re using the VC loophole you’ll need to find someone playing before him who could go absolutely bananas or be very nimble with your timing.
Dustin Martin
If you’re switching the C to Dusty you’ll have to make the call about halftime of the Cats v Freo game — only jump of Dangerfield is having an absolute shocker (or is injured early) given his habit of scoring big in final quarters. But Martin scored 159 against the Blues in Round 1 and should go big again.
Sam Docherty
Same game so faces the same timing issues as Martin. Averages 140 over his past three and part of the captaincy conversation.
Marcus Bontempelli
If you pick a VC before Dangerfield, look for a player who can pull a gigantic score out of the bag (if Scott Pendlebury scores 125, would you take it?). Bont hasn’t scored over 100 for six weeks but he looked close to regaining his best touch last week and has a good record against North Melbourne, scoring 115 and 133 in his past two games against the Roos. Could this be the week he snaps the slump? Tom Rockliff and Lance Franklin tick similar boxes.
Gary Ablett
In honour of the champ’s 300 game, we have to put him on this list. Playing in the final game of the round gives you a bit more time to see how Dangerfield goes and he could rise to the occasion, repeating past scores of 184 (2014) and 178 (2013) against the Saints.
Right Jai, right time: Hawks snatch Launceston thriller from nowhere
Hawthorn has come from the clouds to defeat Adelaide in Launceston as late goals from Jai Newcombe and Connor Macdonald made the Crows pay for their wastefulness.
Rampant, ruthless Dogs put Saints to the sword in Darcy’s return
The Dogs have been known to feast on bottom-10 teams, and their second clash with the Saints in 2025 was no different, celebrating Luke Beveridge’s re-signing in style.