SuperCoach formguide: Top trade, captain tips for Round 12, 2017
WANT to add a SuperCoach superstar like Sam Docherty or Marcus Bontempelli to your team? Now is the time to pounce. TOP TRADE, CAPTAIN TIPS
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IT’S premium hunting season.
This week and the next fortnight are crucial when it comes to welcoming the elite SuperCoach scorers into our teams.
The best of the best that are going to guide you to the magical $50,000 or league glory.
MID-PRICER: IS MITCH WALLIS WORTH THE RISK?
With the first week of the byes behind us, there is now a plethora of SuperCoach talent that — barring injury — will play out the season.
And to welcome these superstars into our teams it’s time to say thanks for the memories Andy Otten, Tom Stewart and Will Hoskin-Elliott.
As we know the midfield is where the bulk of our points are scored on a weekly basis, so we’ll start there.
Bontempelli is just $553k and could be even cheaper next week with a break-even of 158, he started the season like a house on fire before three quiet weeks that saw his price plummet.
In stark contrast, Kennedy started the season slowly — his price dropping accordingly — but as he has done for the past few seasons he looks to be hitting peak form at the halfway mark, averaging 118 in his past three games.
Marc Murphy, Clayton Oliver, Tom Rockliff and Dan Hannebery are also now bye free while Brett Ebert and Gary Ablett have been for two weeks.
While midfield has always been a points bonanza, defence has traditionally been a struggle.
That was until this year.
Sam Docherty, Michael Hibberd, Dylan Roberton and Jake Lloyd are names you need to know.
These four — along with Rory Laird and Taylor Adams — are widely expected to be top-six defenders come the end of the year and are high quality trade targets.
If you got the cash, Docherty is a must have. The Blues defender is averaging midfield-quality numbers so far this year.
He’s pricey at just $597,000 but you’ll be rewarded in the long run.
JUMP ON
J osh P Kennedy
We won’t list all the names listed above again — hopefully you created a war chest last week by bringing in some rookies and can use the money this week to target the topscorers in each position who have already had their bye. If they are available at a discount price, even better. That’s exactly what we’ve got in SuperCoach favourite JPK, who is $75,000 cheaper than he was in Round 1. But we’ve seen this before — after a slow start he motors home as one of the topscoring midfielders in the comp, and the momentum has started already with an average of 118 over his past three. Get on!
Tom Lynch
Speaking of bargains, Lynch has bottomed out at just $433,500 and presents brilliant value. Take out one stinker against Port Adelaide in China and he has averaged more than 100 points a game — and he has the potential to score big against an undermanned Hawthorn defence. Some coaches are trading out Aaron Sandilands, moving Toby Nankervis into the ruck and trading in Lynch for a $30,000 profit.
Matt Scharenberg
Rookies are thin on the ground this week but if you are desperate for cash, Scharenberg seems the best option. Scores so far are solid rather than spectacular (65, 46) but his job security looks pretty good. Another word of warning: he has the bye next week so make sure you have 18 players in Round 13 before pulling the trigger.
JUMP OFF
Andy Otten
More than 83,000 coaches still have Otten in their team and you can make a case for hanging on to him for one more week — but we have three trades and the likes of Sam Docherty, Michael Hibberd and Dylan Roberton ready to roll after they byes. Otten is the perfect swap.
Aaron Sandilands
Most of us will have 18 players on field this week even with Sandi missing but next week could be a much more difficult task. That’s a month off for the 34-yuear-old with Ross Lyon admitting he has a tricky injury, so don’t expect him to take any chances with his fitness. Sandi has done his jump, rising in price by more than $150,000. Time to swap him out for a ruck gun — if you’re prepared to take the injury risk Matthew Kreuzer is bye-free and averaged 124 over his past three — or use a dual-position player like Nankervis to bring in a superstar forward like Lynch or Buddy.
Ed Vickers-Willis
Not worth as much as Otten but still ready to trade with a break-even of 57 and a past-three round average of 59. Has the bye this week but could be handy in Round 13.
CAPTAINS CORNER
No Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood or Dustin Martin this week but we still have some great options. Remember to use the VC loophole — get a reminder here of how it works.
Marcus Bontempelli
Great Thursday night vice-captain option with scores of 140, 128 and 100 in his past three against the Swans. Why not trade him in and go all in with the VC?
Dan Hannebery
Hasn’t been talked about as much this week as a trade option due to his price ($605k) but if you can afford it, he’s a great pick. And he could go nuts this week with an average of 129 in his three games before the bye and recent scores of 123 and 144 against the Dogs.
Rory Sloane
Will the Saints tag Sloane? Hard to think of a likely candidate which means he could get off the chain — as he has the past three times they’ve played with scores of 139, 127 and 141. Loves Adelaide Oval.
Gary Ablett
The Coodabeen Champions used to joke that Geelong games against Richmond in the 90s were “Gary Ablett Day” thanks to the Cats champ’s habit of kicking huge bags of goals against the hapless Tigers. We can resurrect the tag for Junior’s clashes against the Hawks. They have never bothered with a tag and Gaz has racked up the touches every time with a career SuperCoach average of 134 including a 159 last year. Looked in top nick with a 139 against the Eagles last week.
Tom Rockliff
A bit under the radar after a few weeks off with a shoulder injury but was braining them before he got hurt, averaging 126 points in his past five games. His past three against the Dockers include a 158 and a 170.
Scott Pendlebury
Fail-safe back-up option against the Demons on Monday. After a mini-slump he has scored three tons in a row and averages 113 in his past three against Melbourne.
CHAMPION DATA MATCH-UPS
Close to 84,000 SuperCoaches will be looking to upgrade Andy Otten this week after his dismal 36-point return last week against the Cats. With a bye the following round and a score of 65 points needed this week against St Kilda to hold his price, the timing is ideal.
Looking at defensive replacements, the name Michael Hibberd should be at the top of your wish list. In terms of value for money there are none better than Hibberd, recording just one fewer disposal than Sam Docherty from Rounds 5-10, amassing at least 24 in every match.
Hibberd also ranks 15th in the competition for intercept possessions over those rounds, with Docherty ranking 21st in this measure.
Hibberd takes Melbourne’s kick-ins, with 10 of the 13 taken kicked to himself, while he also faces a Collingwood side on Monday that concedes the third-most points to general defenders of any side in the AFL, further adding to his appeal.
If money isn’t an issue, then it’s hard to go past the No. 1 scoring defender in the AFL — Sam Docherty fresh off a bye. He has maintained his status as the premier defender from 2016, dropping below 100 points just twice this season.
Teammate Kade Simpson has been a staple in SuperCoach defences for over a decade, and if you don’t have enough money for Docherty, then he too is an option worth exploring.
Considering his age, Simpson wasn’t expected to repeat his career-best season from 2016, and the numbers back that up, averaging fewer disposals and 15 fewer points per game. Nonetheless, he is a worthy option in his price range.
Carlton face the Giants on Sunday at Etihad Stadium, a side that concedes the seventh-most points to general defenders.
ROOKIES
The term “upgrade” is a popular one in SuperCoach over the bye rounds. With many SuperCoaches already cashed up, there will be some that need to find the funds to turn a cash cow into a premium this week, so the likes of Andy Otten (65 break-even), Sam Powell-Pepper (49), Will Hoskin-Elliott (68), Tim Taranto (61), Kayne Turner (74) and Andrew McGrath (62) are all trade-out options.
With this in mind, James Cousins should be a prime target as he prepares for this third AFL game. With the Hawks getting smashed last round by the Power, there is a chance that Cousins gets omitted, however, Dallas Willsmore, a fellow bubble boy is more likely to feel the wrath of Alastair Clarkson at the selection table, as his 35 points per game since Round 10 are the fewest of any Hawk.
Matthew Scharenberg is also on the bubble this round after scoring 65 and 46 points from his two games. He comes up against Melbourne on Monday, but will miss the following round with the bye, so keep that in mind before committing.
An alternative to Scharenberg is the cheaper Luke Ryan, who made his debut last round against Collingwood. He managed only 37 points and like Scharenberg will also miss Round 13 with the bye.
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