Who are the West Coast players to consider for SuperCoach?

MATT Priddis and Sam Mitchell are gone from a West Coast Eagles squad in transition but Nic Naitanui returns from a long injury layoff. Can the youngsters fill the SuperCoach void?

THE Eagles will be barely recognisable this year with 12 players departing at the end of 2017 including retiring stars Matt Priddis, Sam Mitchell, Drew Petrie and Sam Butler.

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So, who will take those spots - and do they present value in SuperCoach? Read on.

PREMIUMS

Elliot Yeo $561,300 def

The third top-scoring forward of 2017 could be the most popular defender on offer this year. Yeo has been reclassified by Champion Data and enters the season with the third-highest average of available defenders behind knee injury victim Sam Docherty and Bomber Michael Hurley. In a breakout 2017 season, Yeo boosted his average from 75 to 102, with his intercept marking a feature. Can he improve on that this year, or at a minimum stay in three figures? It would help if he can stay in one position, but that seems unlikely.

Can Elliot Yeo back up after his breakout season? Picture: Getty Images

Josh J Kennedy $514,200 fwd

We usually advise steering clear of key-position forwards but JJK could be the exception, especially this year with fewer premo options in attack. Kennedy has averaged over 90 three years in a row (92, 98, 94) but he’s not a good selection if you have a weak heart, yo-yoing between the 70s and 120s. However, you can pencil in huge scores when the Eagles play lower teams at home - you could do worse than make him captain against Gold Coast in Round 4 at the new Perth stadium.

MID-PRICE RISKS

Nic Naitanui $465,900 ruck

One of the top ruckmen in the comp at a severely discounted price. What could go wrong? Nic Nat missed all of last season with a knee injury but should be raring to go in 2018. Elite hitout to advantage numbers and the ability to follow up and win clearances make him a potential powerhouse - Naitanui averaged 106 and 104 in his last two completed seasons and hasn’t gone under 90 since 2010. The Eagles are taking a cautious approach over pre-season but unless there are some last-minute complications, lock him in and throw away the key.

Nic Naitanui is a lock for the ruck. Picture: Getty Images

Dom Sheed $459,500 mid

Included on the premise that someone has to win the footy with Mitchell and Priddis gone. Recorded big numbers as a junior and showed his potential with five 100-plus scores last year, finishing with an 84 average. A high draft pick entering his fifth season, which is classic breakout territory.

Brendon Ah Chee $255,100 fwd/mid

Would have been very appealing if he was a bit cheaper but still of interest after moving from Port Adelaide in the trade period. Ah Chee is a contested ball winner who found it tough to break into the Port line-up but won the club’s SANFL best-and-fairest and arrives with 27 games under his belt and a point to prove. Played just five senior games last year but showed his potential with 26 disposals, four tackles and a goal against Hawthorn in Round 11.

ROOKIES

Daniel Venables $123,900 fwd

Described by Priddis as a “Luke Shuey clone”, the Eagles’ top draft pick in 2016 has been classified as a forward after playing eight games in attack for East Perth in an injury-marred debut season out west. He spent much of the year dealing with a foot injury but the Eagles saw enough in the explosive Victorian to re-sign him to a two-year contract in July.

Liam Ryan $117,300 fwd

A mature-age excitement machine, Ryan was drafted at age 21 from the WAFL, where he booted 73 goals in 23 games for Subiaco. Noted for kicking brilliant goals and standing on opponents’ heads, he can generate points from minimal touches. Guaranteed to be fun to watch.

Liam Ryan lit up the WAFL last year. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

Willie Rioli $123,900 fwd

How many small forwards can the Eagles play? According to Adam Simpson, all of them. “We will be a different looking side,” he said in December, nominating Rioli, Ryan and Venables as likely starters in a set-up modelled on Richmond’s premiership-winning formula. The 22-year-old nephew of Maurice Rioli battled injuries in 2017 but showed in three late-season games he could be a dangerous forward who applies lots of pressure.

Tony Olango $102,400 ruck

He won’t play but could be very useful as a bargain basement bench ruckman who can be used for the vice-captain and emergency loopholes thanks to West Coast playing so many Sunday games, including many that are the last game of the round.

NO-GO ZONE

Andrew Gaff $512,000 mid

Could be a harsh call on a very good player, but we’ve been waiting for a few years for him to jump into the premium bracket and it just hasn’t happened. Took a big step forward in 2015 when he averaged 104 points a game (and the Eagles made the Grand Final), but slipped back to 91 and 93 averages the past two seasons. Could prove us wrong this year, but we won’t be jumping on early.

Mark LeCras $364,800 fwd

The Frenchman’s SuperCoach days are well behind him. Aged 31, averaged just 66 last year and could slip behind all the cheaper forwards listed above.