SuperCoach formguide: Trade tips, captain picks for AFL Round 3

LATE withdrawals of two big names has added to the SuperCoach mayhem. We’re here to help you make the best trade and captain calls.

Michael Barlow has had a frustrating start to the year. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

THE time for talk is over. Now it’s all about action.

After two weeks warming up to the new SuperCoach season, the biggest battle in footy begins in earnest this weekend when head to head matches start in 18-team leagues.

This also coincides with the first price movements for all SuperCoach players. If Marcus Adams scores well again his price will jump from $117,300 to about $230,000. That’s a train you don’t want to miss.

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Rookies Tom Papley, Ben Kennedy and Sam Kerridge are due for similar boosts, while cut-price stars Tom Liberatore and Daniel Wells also won’t be this cheap ever again.

You have two trades per week, use this week’s allocation to ensure you have most if not all of the names listed above to set you up not only for this weekend but a successful season.

Of course to trade someone in you have to sacrifice a player. Picking up a cheap rookie like Adams or Papley isn’t too hard especially if you have a player on your bench who isn’t getting a game or was dropped this week (sorry Jade Gresham).

Otherwise look for underperformers who are set to dive in price, with popular picks Tom Rockliff and Michael Barlow on the chopping block for many coaches this week. Brad Crouch is also in the gun after pulling out of Adelaide’s clash against Richmond with hamstring soreness.

The most important thing is to have a plan and stick to your guns. Good luck!

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JUMP OFF

Tom Rockliff (BL) $550,100 mid

Tough call to jettison one of the biggest scorers in SuperCoach but Rocky has struggled in the first two rounds (89, 48) and is now out for two weeks with a calf injury. It’s not a good trend after a series of injuries ruined his 2015 season. If he catches fire later in the season we can always get him back.

Michael Barlow (Frem) $505,300 mid/fwd

The decision that is dividing SuperCoaches. Barlow dominated the NAB Challenge but has stunk it up in the home-and-away season, scoring 61 and 60 in his first two games. Another score like that and he’ll drop almost $50,000 in value. But can we write off two shockers and hope he bounces back? It all depends where Ross Lyon plays him — we need him in the guts, not the half-forward flank. His case has been helped by the late withdrawal of David Mundy, which opens the door for a return to the midfield. Can we trust Ross the boss?

Michael Barlow finished with 35 disposals and 141 #SuperCoach and 136 #AFLFantasy points in the last game Mundy missed.

— Fantasy Freako (@FantasyFreako) April 8, 2016

Jordan De Goey (Coll) $318,400

Not as disastrous as the first two names in this section with an average of 66 not totally out of line for a player at that price. The problem is a lot of SuperCoaches (almost 37,000 to be exact) picked him expecting scores closer to the 90-100 range. If you’re out of patience you can downgrade him to a rookie like Tom Papley with similar scoring potential and use the $200k to upgrade a mid-pricer (Crouch?) to a premium somewhere else.

Jordan De Goey had five clangers against Richmond. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

JUMP ON

Jason Johannisen (WB) $418,200

The Bulldog bolter is the surprise packet of the AFL. An impressive NAB Challenge campaign has been backed up by scores of 130 and 123 in the first two rounds and he now has a break-even of -9, guaranteeing a massive price spike next week. A word of caution — Brodie Smith scored 144 and 117 in the first two rounds last year and went on to average 77 for the year.

Marcus Adams / Ben Kennedy / Tom Papley / Sam Kerridge

The four must-have rookies of 2016. All have started the season well and are set to bankroll our trades later in the year. If you don’t have any of these four, jump on before it’s too late.

Daniel Wells / Tom Liberatore

The mid-price success stories of the season. Priced at $357,300 and $243,900 respectively, these guys will score like $600k players all season. Don’t miss out.

Tom Liberatore hasn’t missed a beat in his return from a knee injury.

CAPTAINS CORNER

Patrick Dangerfield v Brisbane

Let down plenty of SuperCoaches who made him captain last week, and expect him to bounce back against a depleted Lions outfit. Scores of 114 and 112 against Brisbane last season are slightly underwhelming but expect him to run riot on Sunday. Teammate Joel Selwood feasts on the Lions, with scores of 171, 140 and 176 in his past three.

Gary Ablett v Carlton

Has proven a safe bet as skipper so far with scores of 139 and 120. Ablett has a career average of 118 against Carlton and 111 in his past three against the Blues, not gigantic numbers. But he loves playing at Metricon — averaging 131 points there — and last week Brendon Bolton’s men gave up 100-plus scores to nine Sydney players including midfielders Tom Mitchell, Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery, Harry Cunningham and Kieren Jack.

Sam Mitchell v Western Bulldogs

Absolutely on fire in the first two rounds with very captain-worthy scores of 130 and 144. Incredibly, the Bulldogs say they won’t tag him at Etihad Stadium on Sunday despite the fact he has scored 121, 158 and 125 in his past three games against the Dogs. Get on!

Nat Fyfe v West Coast

Write off Fyfe at your peril. After a Round 1 shocker he bounced back with a huge 157 last week in another disappointing Dockers loss. In Western Derbies he averages 111, logging a 107 and 119 against the Eagles last year.

Scott Pendlebury v St Kilda

Pendles has been solid rather than spectacular in his first two games but he has a great record against the Saints with an average of 126 in his past three against them. Will his new half-back role hold him back from those monster scores?

Dustin Martin v Adelaide

Dusty rebounded from a slow start to post 134 against the Pies last week and won’t hold any fears of the Crows — he scored 151 points last time he came up against them.

Robbie Gray v Essendon

Scored 126 and 129 in the first two rounds but only managed 81 against Essendon last year, and has a career average of 105 against the Bombers. Given his recent form he’s worth a throw at the stumps as a Friday night vice-captain loophole option.

Matt Priddis v Fremantle

Stay away! In his past three Western Derbies Priddis has scored 88, 79 and 86.

The key numbers for Round 3.

CHAMPION DATA MATCH-UPS

The stats gurus at Champion Data have dived into the data to reveal which teams concede SuperCoach points to their opponents across seven positions on the field, from key defenders to midfield/forwards — stats exclusive to this formguide.

This week the spotlight is on the Swans, one of four undefeated sides after the opening two rounds, who face a stern test this week against cross-town rival GWS Giants. The midfield battle is one that could go a long way to deciding the game, with the likes of Josh J. Kennedy, Tom Mitchell and Luke Parker up against Callan Ward, Dylan Shiel and Ryan Griffen.

Sydney’s SuperCoach assets are firing on all cylinders, with Parker currently the No. 1 ranked midfielder in the league, while Mitchell isn’t too far behind in fourth place.

The Swans won’t have it all their own way however, with the Giants giving up just 74.5 points to opposition midfielders — the equal second-fewest of any side. Last round they stifled Geelong, with Josh Caddy (80), Patrick Dangerfield (78) and Joel Selwood (70) all curtailed. In the case of Dangerfield, he started in blazing fashion, racking up 12 disposals and 40 points in the opening term, but they clamped down on him thereafter, restricting him to just 11 more touches for the match.

Buyer beware!

Serious #supercoach intel from @championdata - scores conceded to opposition.
Formguide: https://t.co/TnxWwxk6mc pic.twitter.com/XdwkGxWDAj

— SuperCoach AFL (@Supercoach) April 8, 2016