West Coast 2017 SuperCoach preview: premium selections and who to avoid

IN: SAM Mitchell, out: Nic Naitanui. Is it that simple this year as far as the Eagles are concerned? Find out in the West Coast SuperCoach preview.

Luke Shuey in action.

IN: SAM Mitchell, out: Nic Naitanui.

It’s not exactly a like-for-like swap and it wouldn’t have been in anyone’s plans a few months ago. But that’s the hand that has been dealt Adam Simpson, and it presents some very interesting SuperCoach possibilities.

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PREMIUMS

Matt Priddis $593,800 mid

What you see is what you get. Priddis isn’t the most polished player in the game but he is very effective — and productive, when it comes to SuperCoach scoring. He finished last season with 14 scores of 100 or more from his last 15 games. Led the AFL for tackles in 2016 including 15 in one game — that’s 60 points before even touching the ball.

Matt Priddis is very effective. Picture: Tom Huntley

Luke Shuey $574,500 mid

We’ve been waiting a few years for Shuey to become a game-busting midfielder who you can rely on for regular three-figure SuperCoach scores, and last year it happened — with a 151 in Round 4 and 179 in Round 21 thrown in. Hitting his prime at age 26 and a nice point of difference. And he won the second-most free kicks in the AFL last year. Select with confidence.

Sam Mitchell $568,000 mid

Mitchell has averaged over 100 for five of the past six seasons and at least 90 since 2005, so you can’t really go wrong selecting him. The question is at age 34 can he improve on last year’s numbers, when he averaged 104 and finished with four scores under 91 in his last five games. He certainly has a point to prove.

Josh Kennedy $532,200 fwd

Forget the old rules about not picking key-position players, JJK is a SuperCoach star. With the likes of Dustin Martin, Zach Merrett and Co losing their forward assignments next season, he has the second-highest 2016 average (98) of any forward-eligible player. A captaincy option for Eagles home

games.

MID-PRICE RISKS

Jon Giles $280,600 ruck

Hear us out. Giles — a SuperCoach favourite back in 2012 — is suddenly worth considering again thanks to long-term injuries to Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett that put the Eagles No. 3 ruckman on the front

line. Giles stepped up after Nic Nat’s injury last year, scoring 123 in the final home-and-away game. Don’t expect scores like that every week but even something in the more realistic 80-100 range will result in a big price jump, opening the door for a mid-season trade up to whoever this year’s upstart ruck premium is.

Nic Naitanui will miss most of the season. Picture: Mitch Bear

Jack Redden $348,600 mid

What happened to Redden last year is one of footy’s great unsolved mysteries. After being a solid SuperCoach choice for five years at Brisbane — averaging 101 in that time — his scores cratered after being traded. Redden scored over 100 just once last year on the way to a woeful 64 average. So why pick him? Simply, he can’t be that bad again.

Elliot Yeo $409,200 fwd/mid

Could be renamed Elliot Yeo-Yeo for his up-and-down SuperCoach scores. Another former Lion had a breakout year in 2015 then took a step backwards last year, partnering scores like 129 with a 40, 39 and 29 in Round 23. Has the tools to be a premium and new DPP status makes him an interesting prospect but bear in mind he scores a lot better in wins that losses — so if you think the Eagles

will be in flag contention, jump on.

ROOKIES

Daniel Venables $157,800 fwd/mid

West Coast’s top draft pick last November is a dynamic midfielder who averaged 101 SuperCoach points in last year’s under-18 titles. Will he get games early?

Willie Rioli $117,300 fwd

Smart SuperCoach recruiters are always on the lookout for a mature-age recruit who is ready to step into the thick of the AFL action straight away. Rioli, 21, certainly ticks that box. His recruitment also indicates the Eagles think they need another goalkicking forward so there is a senior spot for the taking. Rioli certainly has the right bloodlines as the cousin of Hawk Cyril and Tiger Daniel, and attitude — he lost 16kg before his breakout 2016 SANFL season.

NO-GO ZONE

Nic Naitanui $576,400 ruck

If you missed the news Nic Nat will miss most, if not all, of the 2017 season with a knee injury. Could be one of the most popular SuperCoach selections in 2018.

Will you pick Drew Petrie? Picture: Ian Munro

Drew Petrie $356,400 fwd

The 34-year-old grabbed his AFL lifeline but his only interest to SuperCoach players is if he takes too many of Giles’s points by helping out in the ruck.

Nathan Vardy $265,500 ruck

See above. Talented and cheap but way too injury-prone for us to consider.

Lewis Jetta $318,300 fwd/mid

Jetta’s 2016 season couldn’t have gone much worse, which presents some potential upside at that price. But while you have to take some risks to succeed in SuperCoach, this isn’t one of them. Has never averaged more than 83 over a season.

TEAM PROFILE

The 2015 Grand Finalists looked headed for a disappointing hangover before storming home with wins in seven of the last eight home-and-away rounds last season, including victories against Hawthorn, Adelaide and the Giants in the final month. Then they crashed to the Bulldogs in the first week of finals. So which Eagles will turn up in 2017? Twelve games in Perth is a pretty good launching pad but without Nic Nat the top four might be a bridge too far.