Is Paddy Ryder a good SuperCoach pick this year?

WANT a unique selection in SuperCoach this year? How about the All-Australian ruckman. We rate the reasons for picking or passing on the Port star. VOTE

LAST year he was the All-Australian ruckman and the second-highest averaging ruckman in SuperCoach.

He was also a ruck-forward last season, but he is a ruck only this year, and there are two very popular ruckmen already in most teams.

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Is Paddy Ryder the point of difference that could lead to SuperCoach success this year?

Here are some reasons for and against picking him up.

WHY WE SHOULD PICK HIM

PADDY is durable. Last season he missed just the one game and that was through suspension. He will be there week in and week out for your side.

RYDER scored over 100 in nine of the last 11 games of last season. He finished the season on fire after he blew away the cobwebs from his season off in the first few rounds.

A MIDFIELD with players like Brad Ebert, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard has been further bolstered with the addition of clearance machine Tom Rockliff. This should give Ryder a chance to improve his hitout-to-advantage numbers even further.

WITH the Power playing their second game in China in Round 9, his bye will be in Round 10. This means that during the multi-bye rounds he will be available every week. So picking him up after Round 10 will ease the pressure on having 18 scoring players during those rounds.

YOU will stand out from the crowd. Max Gawn and Nic Naitanui are currently the No. 1 and No. 2 most selected players in SuperCoach. Ryder is No. 75.

Port Adelaide is pressing to head deep into the finals. To do this they will need to win more games this season, each win will see Paddy have the ability to boost his score.

What has Ken Hinkley got planned for Paddy Ryder this year? Picture: Sarah Reed

WHY SHOULDN’T WE BE PICKING HIM

LAST season Ryder was heavily selected because he had forward status. This season he is a ruck only which limits his flexibility. Many coaches used him as a backup ruckman but on field in the forward line last season, without that he will need to occupy one of the two R spots on the field.

BECAUSE he was the second-highest scoring ruck last season, he is fully priced at a 103 average. Last season Ryder averaged 85 over the first five rounds. He will more than likely drop in price early on, so by waiting until after his bye you could get him at a better value price.

JACK Watts has joined Port in the off-season, which means Ryder’s time up forward may be limited — rather than resting there he could see more time on the bench.