SuperCoach grand final trade targets: The North Melbourne trio to target in trades
North Melbourne takes on a Melbourne team limping to the finish line in SuperCoach grand final week. There’s three Roos who should be in your trade sights after they monstered Port Adelaide.
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It all comes down to this.
Whether you’re playing for a cash prize or bragging rights, the SuperCoach fate of thousands of coaches will be determined this weekend.
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If you still have trades spare, you’re in a luxurious position most coaches will be envious of.
Wait until teams are released on Thursday before deciding how to use your last trades.
If you luck out with a full team of premiums, target elite scorers playing early in Round 23.
Collingwood and Essendon feature in a blockbuster Friday night clash, so you could loophole a player such as Scott Pendlebury (138, 163 & 123 last three vs Bombers) or Jeremy Howe (three-round average 101.7).
The temptation to sideways trade an out-of-form premium will be strong, but this strategy often comes back to haunt coaches.
Imagine trading Brad Crouch or Dom Sheed — for example — only for them to outscore the player you brought in.
In Round 22, Crouch’s 85 was more than Josh Kelly (82) and equal to Patrick Cripps’ score.
A loss of 5-10 points might sound insignificant, but SuperCoach grand finals are usually decided by small margins.
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The preferable trade scenario will be bolstering your bench and using loopholes to maximise your overall score.
If you have a non-scoring midfielder, for example, you can afford to take a punt on a fallen premium who plays early in Round 23.
This would give you the luxury to trade in a player under $500,000 such as Steele Sidebottom, Dylan Shiel, or Jack Crisp and take their score if they perform strongly on Friday night.
Few coaches will have enough bank spare to use their last trade on the year’s elite scorers such as Adam Treloar ($650,000, mid), who would be an obvious selection.
If your non-playing loophole features later in the round — such as Ryan Gardner on Sunday — you could put the emergency on Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron or Lance Franklin (pending selection).
Key forwards can be hugely frustrating in SuperCoach, but at their best this trio have been capable of monster scores.
Of course, loopholing has never been a perfect science.
You can sacrifice one player’s total for a guaranteed ton, only for the benched player to outscore them.
While there’s slight risk involved, the insurance of having two cracks at a hundred could be the difference in your grand final match-up.
Good luck!
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FIVE STRATEGIES TO WIN YOUR SUPERCOACH GRAND FINAL
GET JOSH KELLY
Remember Round 20 last year when Kelly scored 205 against Carlton? After easing back into action against Western Bulldogs on Sunday, the sky is the limit for Kelly against Gold Coast. If he’s a POD you don’t have in your grand final match-up, you could be in trouble.
USE AS MANY LOOPHOLES AS POSSIBLE
Grand final week is all about maximising your score in as many ways as possible, including loopholing. If you have rookies playing early in the week who score well, consider taking their score by putting a non-playing rookie on field. For example, if Nick Hind scored 90+ against Sydney, it could be worth banking the points if it suits your match-up.
CHECK SCORING HISTORY
When weighing up your trades, it’s crucial you look at how a player has scored previously against their Round 23 opponent. If you have trades left, you’re bringing in a premium based solely on their scoring potential this week. You can find a player’s past three scores against any their upcoming opponent in the SuperCoach app.
MONITOR MATCH-UPS THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND
This isn’t the weekend to go camping in an area with no phone reception. You should be checking your SuperCoach as games are played on Saturday and Sunday to decide which loopholes to deploy. The longer you hold off on your trades the better. You can decide which player you need and which captain to use based on how your match-up is progressing.
ASSESS YOUR UNIQUES
Ensure you have the unique picks option enabled in your grand final match-up. This will give you the projected score of each player you have different to your opponent. If the total of your uniques if well below your opponent, either cross your fingers and hope the SuperCoach gods are on your side or use what trades you have left to bolster your uniques.
TOP TRADE TARGETS
Adam Treloar $650,000, mid, avg: 114.1
Treloar has been red-hot during SuperCoach finals, posting 177, 126 and 116 in the past three weeks. Only Josh Dunkley has a better three-round average than the Magpies ball magnet. If you’ve got two trades left you can downgrade one rookie and use the profit to grab Treloar. He scored 113 against Essendon on Anzac Day.
Josh Dunkley $639,900, mid, avg: 117
Dunkley has the best three-round average of any player and takes on an Adelaide side which has resisted using a tagger in Round 23. Even if the Crows did choose to blanket one Bulldog, it would likely be Jack Macrae or Marcus Bontempelli. Not having Dunkley could be decisive in your grand final. Don’t let him be a unique for your opponent.
Marcus Bontempelli $588,100, mid, avg: 113.5
Forgive Bontempelli for his 90 on Sunday when he had Matt De Boer tracking him. Unless Adelaide sends a player such as Bryce Gibbs to him, Bontempelli could have a field day in Ballarat as the Dogs look to clinch a finals berth. He’s the cheapest of the Dogs’ big three if you can’t afford Macrae or Dunkley.
Lachie Whitfield $512,600, def, avg: 108.1
Remember earlier this year when Whitfield monstered a struggling Carlton with 170? Another huge score could be in store against bottom side Gold Coast in Round 23. With the Giants out to recapture their form before finals, don’t expect their big guns to breeze through. If you traded out Whitfield when he was injured, the time has come to get him back.
Zach Merrett $524,100, mid, avg: 107
Merrett only scored 87 on Anzac Day against Collingwood, however it’s his 130 and 114 against the Magpies last year which catches the eye. He’s much cheaper than most of the premium midfielders and you can loophole his score from M9 as he plays on Friday night.
POD TRADE TARGETS
Scott Pendlebury $530,000, mid, avg 103.8
The Magpies skipper won this year’s Anzac Day medal and his past three scores against Essendon are 138, 163 and 123. It will be the perfect start to your grand final if he goes big as a Friday night POD.
Andrew Gaff, $528,700, mid, avg: 106
Gaff scored 89 against Hawthorn in Round 15, but has four tons in his past five matches and posted 135 when he took on the Hawks last year.
Shaun Higgins $463,100, mid, avg: 92.5
Higgins is one of the bargain midfield options for Round 23, tackling Melbourne after scores of 140 and 121 in the past three weeks. He has a three-round average of 107 and could be in for a big finish to 2019 against the battling Demons.
Josh Kelly $578,900, mid, avg: 116.9
Captaincy options don’t come much more obvious this week than Kelly. He eased back from injury with 82 against the Bulldogs but should hit top gear against Gold Coast. Kelly has scores of 146, 120 and 119 in recent years against the Suns, who have little to play for in Round 23.
Jack Ziebell $455,600, fwd, avg: 90.4
Another option to consider as a POD forward who could flourish against Melbourne. Ziebell is prone to scores under 80 but has six above 120 since Round 9. His ceiling makes him worth a look considering this week’s opposition.
Ben Brown $431,800, fwd, avg: 78.9
Melbourne has given up 115 points to Sam Reid, 113 to Brodie Mihocek and 91 to Josh Bruce in the past four weeks. Coleman Medal leader Brown comes into this game after a 10-goal haul against Port Adelaide and primed for a huge finish to the season. You wouldn’t pick him for a whole season, but you only need him to big once, which he’s more than capable of against the Demons.
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