Ultimate SuperCoach formguide for Round 20

SUPERCOACH finals are here. Top captain picks and trades to give your team the edge this weekend.

THE best SuperCoach tips including who's hot and who's not and best captain picks. Everything you need to give your team the edge.

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THEY'RE here.

After weeks of pre-season planning, endless Thursday night selection meetings and last-minute changes, followed by constant weekend checks as you tinkered to find that perfect captain via the loophole, the finals have arrived.

Get all the Round 20 line-ups

So, what to do now?

If you're in the fortunate position of having trades and cash left, then more of the same!

On the flipside, if your trades cupboard has run dry, then you know what you have to do over the next (hopefully) four weeks.

Fill your field and hang on for the ride, hoping for the best.

With some teams now out of the finals equation and already looking towards 2014, some stars are being put in cotton wool (Nic Nat being a case in point).

It's time to cash in your trades

Were you wise enough to see the storm coming and offload some stars who may not see out the 23 rounds?

Whatever shape you're in - and whether you're in your league's major or minor league finals - hang onto your hats and good luck!

Gazza

CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Gary Ablett (GC)
Do you remember the golden rules of SuperCoach? Recruit Ablett with your first pick, and make him captain with the second click of your mouse. It's the first week of finals, not the time to be taking risks - especially if you're in elimination territory. Gazza has been a little quiet by his standards in recent weeks with scores of 116 and 100, but expect him to bounce back with a bang in his 250th game this weekend. He will celebrate the milestone against Melbourne - a team that gave up 141 points to Lachie Whitfield last week. Ablett scored 152 against the Dees in Round 7 and averages a mammoth 148 in his past three against them.

Kieren Jack (Syd)
No Ablett or desperate for a point of difference? Can't fault the young Swan who is playing inspired footy. He's posted scores of 146 and 141 in his past two, taking his season average to 114 points. Jack is a complete player, able to win his own ball in the clinches as well as drift forward to kick goals. Get on and enjoy the ride Saturday night.

Jarryd Roughead (Haw)
With Lance Franklin out, Roughy is the loophole special, taking on St Kilda on Friday night. This is a team that was struggling for key defenders to start with and this week sent Tom Simpkin and Rhys Stanley for season-ending surgery. Who's left to play on Roughy? Sean Dempster is Plan A, and Plan B might be Stephen Milne sitting on Ahmed Saad's shoulders wearing an overcoat. Expect a bag of goals. And if he doesn't fire, you've always got Ablett as a back-up.

Pav

JUMP ON

None of us many trades left but if you're looking at a possible elimination final defeat, it's time to roll the dice.

No use playing it safe - here's some players who could score you a famous finals victory.

Matthew Pavlich ($475,200) fwd
The skipper is raring to go after missing three weeks with suspension. He also boasts an imposing record against Greater Western Sydney - one match for a whopping 160 points. Pavlich is pricey but will need to play - and play well - to prepare for a long finals campaign. Freo's run home (GWS, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda) make him a potential finals wildcard.

SuperCoach 2014 watchlist

Jobe Watson ($502,200) mid
We all jumped off a few weeks ago, but the inspirational Bomber returned in fine form, scoring 115 points after a month out with a broken collarbone. If you're short on cash, wait a week and get Watson, who carries a break even of 172 points into Sunday's match against West Coast.

Ryan O'Keefe ($539,500) mid
He's in just 3 per cent of teams, but we know the Norm Smith Medallist is a finals specialist. He's capable of producing huge scores and loves playing Collingwood - averaging 126 against the Pies. He also averages 123 at ANZ Stadium. Need a point of difference? He's your man.

Staker

JUMP OFF

Garrick Ibbotson ($435,000) def
Ibbotson has been one of Fremantle's most improved defenders in 2013 but a calf complaint threatens to derail his SuperCoach finals campaign. And his form hasn't been great in recent weeks. Keep an eye on selection and pull the trigger if he's not named on the ground.

Matt Priddis ($488,400) mid
The hard-nosed Eagle has been a workhouse for plenty of SuperCoach midfields this season, but has averaged just 89 in his past three games - at this time of year we need more than that from a front-line player. Priddis was also a late withdrawal last week with a quadriceps problem. Time to find some cash (see below) and turn Priddis into a superstar like Watson, O'Keefe, Ryan Griffen or Dayne Beams.

Brent Staker ($407,000) fwd/def
The time has come to dump Stakes. He's been a tremendous servant for more than 40 per cent of SuperCoach teams. But with finals on the cards, we can't afford to carry 60s and 40s. Pull the trigger and use the cash (plus some savings) on an elite averaging 110+. As long as you have cover (one will do) in each position, there's no point carrying him on the bench.

CHAMPION DATA SUPERCOACH FORMGUIDE

Every week the stats gurus at Champion Data crunch the numbers to find the best buys. Click here to see the best SuperCoach bargains and busts of the week.

Nissan Navara STX 550

SUPER ROUND

Out of the running for the $50,000 grand prize or your private league premiership? You can still walk away from SuperCoach with a Nissan Navara valued up to $63,444. The winner of Nissan Super Round - the highest single round score of the year - will do just that. So cheer on all 22 of your men this week for big hundreds and you could be holding the keys.

TWITTER TALK  

Bryce Gibbs cuts weekly output by 25 Supercoach points. Reserve Bank cuts rates by 25 basis points. Is Bryce a key economic indicator?

— Peter Higginbotham (@PeterHiggo) August 7, 2013

That moment when u have no more trades in supercoach, yeah that

— mark (@voodoorock) August 6, 2013