SuperCoach market watch: Top scores, trade tips after Round 3

ONE week into the SuperCoach league season and we are looking for cheap bench replacements. Fortunately, there are some great options this week starting with a red-headed Bulldog.

Western Bulldogs selections at the national draft Aaron Naughton and Ed Richards.

PRICES have started moving in SuperCoach after most players completed their third game on the weekend.

That’s great news if you have Tim Kelly, who’s value jumped $114,400, and not so great if you have Zach Merrett, who is now $81,600 cheaper after a poor opening three matches.

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Price movements also mean the return of bubble boys for another year. These are players who have played two games and are poised to jump in value after their next match — so now is the time to pounce.

Be wary of using too many trades too early but if you are stuck with a player on your bench who isn’t getting a game, is injured (Zac Langdon, Liam Ryan) or just isn’t performing (Andrew Brayshaw, Paddy Dow), it’s worth considering — we need to get the rookies right early in the year.

The good news is there some cheapies available who are yet to rise in price.

Ed Richards (right) with fellow Dogs rookie defender Aaron Naughton after last year’s draft in Sydney.

Topping the list is Bulldog Ed Richards, who scored 81 against Essendon and looks right at home running off half-back — a very SuperCoach-friendly role. As a top-20 draft pick, Richards — the grand-nephew of Collingwood legend Lou Richards — comes at a slightly elevated price ($135,300) but with a break-even of -50 he is forecast to jump another $51,000 next week.

Richards is a defender but up forward you can take Cat Jack Henry ($123,900) who pumped out a super impressive 93 against the Eagles. That would have been even more if he wasn’t pinged for deliberate out of bounds late in the final quarter — a decision the AFL admitted today was wrong.

Henry scored only 27 in his first game but has a break-even of -46.

Another Cat presents an intriguing option up forward. Esava Ratugolea ($123,900) has a modest average of 53 from his two games (break-even -32) but showed promise in the ruck yesterday and could get more opportunities there with Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley seemingly on the outer at the Cattery.

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Another option is Docker Mitch Crowden ($117,300 mid/fwd), also on the bubble with a two-game average of 50.5 and a -32 break-even. Keep playing the kids, Ross!

There are more players we could add to this list but Willie Rioli (low scores) and Adam Cerra (high price) are at the back of the queue.

Then there are impressive one-gamers Jack Higgins ($130,800 fwd/mid, 63 points) and Nick Coffield ($171,300 def/mid, 66 points) but we can have another look at them before making a trade call.

Jack Henry at Cats training. Picture: Alison Wynd

ROUND 3 STARS

Nat Fyfe 160

Jonathon Patton 159

Brodie Grundy 154

Stefan Martin 154

Callum Sinclair 152

WEEKLY TOP SCORES

Pugs Cowboys FC, Jamie 2479

Babyos Bandits, Caroline 2478

TW, Tayler 2476

73* no, Abraham 2476

I’m Not Your Buddy, Franklin 2472

OVERALL LEADERS

Greenvale Frogs, Tony 7335

Chris Mayne Sucks, Ben 7313

Harleysheroes, Peter 7307

GawnToThePub, Scotty 7293

The Reapers, Matt 7262

THIS WEEK’S WINNING TEAM

PUGS COWBOYS FC

Coach: Jamie Pugsley, Vic

Score: 2479

DEFENDERS

Rory Laird 105

Luke Ryan 114

Ryley Bonner 68

Sam Murray 95

Jeremy Finlayson 77

Dom Doedee 85

Lachie Keeffe 0

James Sicily 0

MIDFIELD

Nat Fyfe (c) 320

Marcus Bontempelli 116

Patrick Cripps 92

Tom Mitchell 149

Andrew Gaff 123

Stephen Coniglio 124

Tim Kelly 90

Nick Holman 82

Bailey Banfield 69

Jaeger O’Meara 104

Jake Brown 0

RUCK

Max Gawn 117

Stefan Martin 154

Darcy Cameorn 0

FORWARDS

Justin Westhoff 82

Michael Walters 132

Devon Smith 86

Christian Petracca 106

Allen Christensen 74

Liam Ryan 88

Bayley Fritsch 56

Darcy Fogarty 0

Three opponents couldn’t stop Nat Fyfe on Saturday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: NAT FYFE

Fyfe was everywhere in the win over Gold Coast, posting a round-high 160 SuperCoach points, of which 98 were scored in the first half. He dominated in the contest, winning 24 contested possessions and generating 14 clearances, both round-high tallies. He also won 38 disposals and was involved in a game-high 12 scoring chains.

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Alex Rance

Rance finished with 113 SuperCoach points on the weekend against the Hawks. His intercept play once again was a shining light, winning a game-high 12 intercept possessions, three more than any other player on the ground. Rance tallied 17 effective disposals, 12 uncontested possessions and three tackles from 100 per cent game time.

Sam Menegola

After a run of poor form, Menegola bounced back against the Eagles, finishing with a game-high 128 SuperCoach points. He had 29 disposals, 13 contested possessions, five clearances, seven tackles and a team-high eight inside 50s from 89 per cent game time. Despite his point haul, it wasn’t enough to stop him from falling in price by $30,900.

Elliot Yeo

Yeo had an old-fashioned stinker against Geelong, posting a miserable 27 SuperCoach points from 91 per cent game time, falling in price by $41,500. He finished with eight effective disposals, two intercept possessions, one clearance and four inside-50s. He was also involved in just two scoring chains.

YOUNG GUN: SAM MURRAY

Murray’s dash from defence was a highlight for the Magpies, gaining 384 metres from 21 disposals. He finished with 16 uncontested possessions, six intercept possessions, four tackles and two inside-50s from 76 per cent game time. He also enjoyed a price rise of $67,800 after his 95 SuperCoach points.

PERFECT 9

Weekly winner: Brandon Wills — 4 correct P9 picks

Round 4 jackpot: $245,000

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