The 50 most popular Supercoach selections of 2019: Sam Walsh, Patrick Dangerfield top list
The No. 1 draft pick has become the No. 1 Supercoach pick of 2019. Sam Walsh is the new most-popular player, while rookies dominate the current top 50.
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The No. 1 draft pick has become the No. 1 Supercoach pick of 2019.
Carlton’s midfield prodigy Sam Walsh has surged to No. 1 on the most popular picks list for 2019, overtaking Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield.
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The duo are the only players in more than two thirds of teams, with Will Setterfield, Patrick Cripps and Brodie Grundy rounding out the top five.
The current top-50 reveals most coaches have favoured the tried and tested guns and rookies strategy, although the odd mid-price selection features.
Half of the current list are rookies, with Gold Coast’s mature-age defender Sam Collins the most expensive at $188,900.
Brodie Smith, Zac Williams, Brad Crouch and Andrew McGrath are four of the popular mid-price picks who have been on the radar of many supercoaches.
1. Sam Walsh ($207,300, Mid)
Ownership: 68.7 per cent
After scores of 102 and 96 in the JLT Series, Walsh has rocketed to No. 1 on the list of must-have players for 2019. Most of us have been burned before by top-price rookies but last year’s No. 1 draft pick appears ready to accumulate points from Round 1. Lock him in.
Rank as of February 12: 5th
2. Patrick Dangerfield ($660,500, Mid-Fwd)
Ownership: 68.5 per cent
If you’re in the 31 per cent of teams still rolling without Patrick Dangerfield, it’s time to reconsider your strategy. Dangerfield is $108,000 more expensive than any other forward, with good reason. There’s rarely been a player as certain to finish as number one in his position as Dangerfield now he’s available as a forward.
Previous rank: 1st
3. Will Setterfield ($144,900, Mid-Fwd)
Ownership: 64.8 per cent
One of three Carlton players who feature in the top four on this list. The former GWS Giant is primed to play a prominent role for the Blues and his pre-season scores of 113 and 60 were encouraging. He’ll be in most forward lines at any position from F4 to F6.
Previous rank: 2nd
4. Patrick Cripps ($648,200, Mid-Fwd)
Ownership: 53.8 per cent
The new Blues skipper was always going to be a popular selection from the moment Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell went down with injury. Cripps scored above 120 seven times last year and his season included scores of 187, 156 and 173 for an average of 119.4. There’s few players with the ceiling he possesses.
Previous rank: 3rd
5. Brodie Grundy ($708,200, Ruck)
Ownership: 45.3 per cent
Conversation has shifted in the past month from whether you can afford Grundy to whether you can afford to leave him out. He has a favourable early draw, so the thought you could snap him up for a bargain near the byes might prove fanciful. Grundy is worth every penny of his high price tag.
Previous rank: 4th
6. Isaac Heeney ($529,200, Fwd-Mid)
Ownership: 44.8 per cent
Are you of the opinion this is the year Isaac Heeney emerges as a bona fide star? You’re certainly not alone. Predictions of greater midfield time and Heeney’s availability as a forward have him sitting alongside Patrick Dangerfield in many sides. He has averaged 97.6 and 97.5 the past two seasons but looks primed to push that beyond 100.
Previous rank: 7th
7. Max Gawn ($692,100, Ruck)
Ownership: 43.9 per cent
Gawn and Grundy were two of the top-three point scorers last year along with Tom Mitchell. With the Hawk out for most of 2019 — if not the entire season — the two big ruckmen shape as two of the premium picks of the season. The only point of contention should be whether you can afford them both, as you need to have at least one.
Previous rank: 12th
8. Jordan Clark ($144, 300, Def)
Ownership: 41.6 per cent
With news Clark is all but certain to debut in Round 1, coaches have been clamouring to make sure they have Geelong’s first-round draft pick in their sides. The only concern is Jed Bews and Zac Tuohy will likely come into the selection mix by about Round 4 as they return from injury.
Previous rank: Outside top 50
9. Michael Gibbons ($102,400, Mid)
Ownership: 39.7 per cent
The mature-age Blues recruit is a bargain-basement price and although we’d like to see him in midfield more than his JLT Series forward role suggested, he looks a sound investment. He might take some time to accumulate cash but you can hardly complain about a bargain rookie who should play.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
10. Charlie Constable ($123,900, Mid)
Ownership: 39.6 per cent
Despite the difficulty of breaking into the Geelong midfield, coaches have seen enough to back in contested bull Charlie Constable. Now we just need Chris Scott to do us a favour at the selection table.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
11. Marty Hore ($117,300, Def)
Ownership: 39.3 per cent
Hore has long loomed as one of the top defensive rookies and his ownership reflects this. He was solid enough in pre-season to suggest he'll be on the team sheet in Round 1 for the Demons.
Previous rank: 24th
12. Brodie Smith ($332,500, Def)
Ownership: 38.5 per cent
The most popular mid-priced option, Smith made a promising return from a knee reconstruction late in 2018 and carried that form into pre-season. The dashing Crow should be advantaged by the new kick-in rules, especially with Luke Brown to miss the early rounds due to injury.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
13. Xavier Durrsma ($130,800, Def-Mid)
Ownership: 37.8 per cent
The Port Adelaide rookie had 24 disposals and 11 marks in the Power’s pre-season clash with North Melbourne, a performance which has seen his ownership skyrocket. It’s a bonus he carries dual-position status but he’ll likely serve you best as a defensive pick.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
14. Rory Laird ($587,600, Def)
Ownership: 37.6 per cent
One of the most reliable scorers in the game, but the wealth of defensive rookies has led to some coaches overlooking Laird in favour of the most expensive defender Jake Lloyd. However, the rebounding Crow still features in almost 40 per cent of teams and should comfortably be a top-six defender at season’s end.
Previous rank: 6th
15. Matthew Parker ($117,300, Fwd)
Ownership: 37.3 per cent
The lack of forward rookies this season makes Parker close to a must-have. He should get plenty of opportunities to make his mark at the injury-hit Saints as a mature-age recruit. Take a look at him early in the season if you can afford to have him on your forward bench.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
16. Willem Drew ($123,900, Fwd-Mid)
Ownership: 35.3 per cent
Another player who finds himself in a lot of sides thanks to his status as a forward rookie. Drew appears set to deputise for Ollie Wines in midfield early in the season and his owners will be hoping he does enough to retain his place in the Power side when Wines returns.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
17. Zak Butters ($157,800, Mid)
Ownership: 34.4 per cent
One of the revelations of the JLT Series, Butters will be a certain starter for Port Adelaide in Round 1 and looks worth his higher rookie price. He amassed scores of 91 and 82 in two pre-season games and is ready to go.
Previous rank: Outside top 30
18. Tom Liberatore ($300,400, Mid)
Ownership: 33.2 per cent
Libba showed signs of returning to his best during the JLT Series, finishing with an average of 99 points over two games. That figure will make him the perfect stepping stone to a premium pick should he maintain it throughout the regular season.
Previous rank: 29th
19. Chris Burgess ($123,900, Def-Fwd)
Ownership: 33.1 per cent
Burgess’ job security looks decent and smart coaches will have him at the opposite end of the ground to Darcy Moore. If you’ve got both those players, that opens the door for you to swing Moore between defence and attack when required.
Previous rank: 25th
20. Sam Collins ($188,900, Def)
Ownership: 31.8 per cent
Almost $200,000 is significant investment in a key defender but Collins will see plenty of the ball in Gold Coast’s back half. He won most of his possessions in the VFL with Werribee last year as intercepts, which will boost his scoring if he can translate that trend to the elite level.
Previous rank: 21st
21. Jack Scrimshaw ($149,800, Def)
Ownership: 31.6 per cent
22. Zac Williams ($407,800, Def)
Ownership: 30.7 per cent
23. Lachie Whitfield ($542,100, Def)
Ownership: 30.1 per cent
24. Dustin Martin ($563,800, Def)
Ownership: 29.6 per cent
25. Brad Crouch ($418,000, Mid)
Ownership: 27.2 per cent
26. Darcy Moore ($239,400, Def-Fwd)
Ownership: 26.2 per cent
27. Jack Petrucelle ($123,900, Fwd-Mid)
Ownership: 25.8 per cent
28. Clayton Oliver ($622,600, Mid)
Ownership: 25.8 per cent
29. Jake Lloyd ($608,200, Def)
Ownership: 25.6 per cent
30. Bailey Scott ($117,300, Mid)
Ownership: 25.2 per cent
31. Darcy Fort ($117,300, Ruck)
Ownership: 23.8 per cent
32. Tom Atkins ($112,900, Mid)
Ownership: 23.2 per cent
33. Jack Macrae ($689,700, Mid)
Ownership: 23 per cent
34. Zac Clarke ($142,600, Ruck)
Ownership: 22.4 per cent
35. Noah Balta ($123,900, Fwd)
Ownership: 22.4 per cent
36. Nat Fyfe ($618,100, Mid)
Ownership: 21.8 per cent
37. Brett Bewley ($117,300, Mid)
Ownership: 19.8 per cent
38. Connor Rozee ($189,300, Def-Fwd)
Ownership: 19.7 per cent
39. Nick Hind ($117,300, Mid)
Ownership: 19.6 per cent
40. Toby Greene ($354,600, Fwd)
Ownership: 19.6 per cent
41. Devon Smith ($531,300, Fwd-Mid)
Ownership: 19.5 per cent
42. Angus Brayshaw ($526,900, Mid)
Ownership: 18 per cent
43. Lachie Neale ($607,300, Mid)
Ownership: 17.7 per cent
44. Ben Cavarra ($117,300, Fwd)
Ownership: 17.4 per cent
45. Stephen Coniglio ($588,600, Mid)
Ownership: 17 per cent
46. Andrew McGrath ($384,300, Def-Mid)
Ownership: 16.5 per cent
47. Todd Goldstein ($548,000, Ruck)
Ownership: 15.2 per cent
48. Dom Sheed ($394,100, Mid)
Ownership: 14.7 per cent
49. Tim Kelly ($505,800, Fwd-Mid)
Ownership: 14.3 per cent
50. Isaac Quaynor ($153,300, Def)
Ownership: 14.1 per cent
THE BREAKDOWN
PREMIUMS: 18
MID-PRICERS: 7
ROOKIES: 25
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