Can these SuperCoach stars keep their hot 2018 form going this season?
To look forward, sometimes in SuperCoach we must look back. Before SuperCoach 2019 opens, we look at the players that finished 2018 in the hottest of form and look ready to explode out of the blocks in 2019. Who will you pick?
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When we look ahead to SuperCoach 2019, first we must look back.
As we assess our premium options, how players finish 2018 can be a clue as to who is ready to explode in 2019.
Brodie Grundy was already high on the priority list but his last five weeks of last season will go down among the greatest purple patches in the history of the game.
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Grundy averaged 151 down the home stretch, not dropping below 120 and if our budget allows Max Gawn could well join him as our starting ruckmen next year.
However, the Collingwood big man is a rolled-gold premium, and this stat can sometimes help us pluck a unique mid-range breakout.
Josh Dunkley finished the year with a wet sail and is available as a Mid-Fwd in 2019, Lachie Neale is criminally under-rated and Seb Ross looms as St Kilda’s No.1 midfielder.
FIVE-ROUND AVERAGE TO FINISH THE YEAR
BRODIE GRUNDY (Ruck, Collingwood) 151.4
For the 25 per cent of owners, Grundy proved SuperCoach Finals gold, finishing the year 157, 167, 121, 162 and 150. Insane scoring that catapulted him to the No.1 overall title. The Magpies big man is sure to be the most expensive player in the game in 2019.
JACK MACRAE (Midfield, W.Bulldogs) 138.8
Macrae was on fire from Round 1 this year, averaging 124 in the opening month and then a staggering 138 in the final five weeks of the season. It was a clear career year for the Bulldogs star, improving his average by more than 20 points. Can he back it up in 2019 though?
PATRICK DANGERFIELD (Mid-Fwd, Geelong) 138.0
After starting the year at a ridiculous $749,800, you could have picked the SuperCoach legend up for less than $550k before Round 17. If you did, you would have been rewarded with Danger-of-old scoring in the final weeks (117, 132, 160, 94 and a massive 187 in Grand Final week). Now available as a forward, are you brave enough to go without him?
JOSH DUNKLEY (Mid-Fwd, W.Bulldogs) 131.6
Few were hotter in the final month of 2018 than Dunkley, scoring 147, 132, 106, 157, 116, as he was unleashed as a goal-scoring, hard-tackling midfielder by the Dogs. Will Luke Beveridge back him in again? We will watch closely in the pre-season.
LACHIE NEALE (Midfield, Fremantle) 127.4
The Fremantle ball-magnet is now a Brisbane ball-magnet and we’re not expecting any reduction in scoring. Owned by just 11 per cent of SuperCoachers by the end of the year, Neale continued to fly under the radar as a consistent scoring threat.
MAX GAWN (Ruck, Melbourne) 127.2
Did you have the Gawn-Grundy combo last year. Kudos! Will you be brave enough to do it again in 2019? Gawn had a shocker in SuperCoach semi-final week but responded with a pair of 156s in the preliminary final and Grand Final. Having been a top-10 scorer in two of the past three years, there’s no reason not to pick him next year.
JOSH KELLY (Midfield, GWS) 125.8
The Giants gun is fit and firing for the new season after battling a knee issue last year. While his average looks good, he finished 2018 by missing Round 21 and scoring a pair of 80s in the final fortnight. A mighty 205 in Round 20 boosted Kelly's average but he should be more consistent in 2019.
JAKE LLOYD (Defender, Sydney) 124.4
The top scoring defender in 2018 got off to a slow start, averaging 89 to Round 7. However, he roared home, scoring 90-plus in the final 15 games and six straight tons to finish the year. Expect more of the same from Lloyd in 2019 with a midfield move mooted after Dan Hannebery’s departure.
PATRICK CRIPPS (Midfield, Carlton) 124.2
A career year for the Blues new captain as he averaged 119. Despite the Blues struggles, Cripps was exceptional in the final weeks of the year, scoring seven straight tons to close out 2018. A 173 against Gold Coast in Round 19 elevates his five-round average but we’re not complaining.
SEB ROSS (Midfield, St Kilda) 124.2
The Saints star finished the season with a wet sail, scoring 158, 152, 103 and 129 in the final month. If you had any trades left he would have made the perfect SuperCoach finals trade. With the addition of Dan Hannebery, Ross could be freed up from rival attention and improve on his career-best average of 102.
LACHIE HUNTER (Midfield, W.Bulldogs) 124.0
The Bulldogs father-son gun roared home in 2018 to claim his first Charlie Sutton Medal in a big upset over Macrae. Hunter's last four weeks produced scores of 108, 155, 146 and 127 as he got leather poisoning. We fear he might be a tad overpriced to start 2019 but keep on eye his early-season form.
DAYNE BEAMS (Midfield, Collingwood) 119.8
Can Beams continue his sensational form at Collingwood? We doubt it, giving the Magpies' depth in the guts. However, Beams is a proven ball-winner and with scores of 143, 85, 102, 144 and 125 in the final month of 2018, he's certainly one to keep an eye on in the pre-season.
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