SuperCoach 2016 Rookie trade guide: who to keep, who to hold after Round 7

IT’S time to hit the trade button on some of the most popular players in SuperCoach — and bring in the most hyped bubble boy in history. NEW PODCAST! LISTEN HERE

SUPERCOACH is an emotional game, but it’s time for clear-headed thinking.

It’s natural to form attachments to players as we watch them blossom after recruiting them as fresh-eyed rookies. But we have to make the tough decisions when the time comes to let them fly the coop.

Callum Mills has been a staple of more than 95,000 SuperCoach teams since Round 1 but now he has to fend for himself. After scoring 36 points last weekend, Mills’ price went up by just $200.

This week his break-even is 94 so to get the maximum cash value, this is the week to trade him out.

Fortunately, we have a rolled gold replacement in the form of Christian Petracca. The explosive Demons No.2 draft pick showed what he can do with 26 disposals, two goals and 86 SuperCoach points against Gold Coast.

His price won’t be $123,900 for long.

Who else is on the chopping block? Read on for our verdict on every popular rookie pick.

GET THE BEST TRADE TIPS FROM AL PATON, GILBERT GARDINER AND KATE SALEMME IN THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE SUPERCOACHES BOX PODCAST:

TRADE TIME

Callum Mills (Syd) $335,900 mid

Average 68, Break-even 94

His 36 against Essendon was a season low, projected to lose $11k. Faces Richmond this week then Hawthorn and North Melbourne. Time to cash in a $124,000 profit.

Lincoln McCarthy (Geel) $269,300 fwd

Av 57, BE 101

Alarm bells! Hurt his ankle early against the Eagles which killed his score and put him in doubt for this week. Lost $13k and heading south, so it’s time to cash him in.

Matt Dea (Ess) $289,200 def

Av 67, BE 54

His 79 against the Swans was his best score in a month and enough for a $3k price rise. But remains on the chopping block — his two previous scores were lower than his break-even.

Connor Menadue (Rich) $225,300 mid/fwd

Av 54, BE 28

Scored right on his season average against the Hawks to keep moving in the right direction — just. Still in 69,000 teams and could be a good trade option this week.

Callum Mills has done his job for our SuperCoach teams. Picture: Phil Hillyard

ON THE BRINK

Marcus Adams $349,700 def/fwd

Av 87, BE 68

Presents a headache for the first time this year. Has scored 80 or lower for four weeks and will have to sit on the bench this week after surgery for a fractured finger. If you need money for a trade he’s awfully tempting — he will probably only rise by another $40k or so. But he’s still a reliable on-field pick when available.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti $318,400 def/fwd

Av 74, BE 50

Scored 76 against Sydney, his best score since Round 4. Has a couple more weeks to run.

Ryan Davis $186,000 mid

Av 48, BE 40

Dropped last week but dominated in the NEAFL so a recall is on the cards. Let’s hope he can score above 50.

Clayton Oliver (Melb) $294,900 mid

Av 69, BE 51

The 44,000 owners who hung on to Oliver were rewarded with an 83 in Round 7 and a $23k price rise. Should get over $300,000 this weekend but there’s not much room to grow from there.

Darcy Parish (Ess) $331,100 mid

Av 75, BE 75

Was rested at the weekend and likely to return to face the Kangaroos. No guarantee to rise in price.

Jade Gresham (StK) $184,900 mid

Av 45, BE 8

Did some nice things against North Melbourne, but struggling to break through the 50-point barrier. Like Davis, hasn’t earned enough to make a trade worthwhile so hang on to him as a last-resort bench back-up.

Daniel Rioli (Rich) $204,900 fwd

Av 44, BE 47

Has made just $47,000 in seven weeks. Don’t expect much more.

Lincoln McCarthy in a moon boot after Geelong’s win. Picture: Colleen Petch

KEEPERS (FOR NOW)

Sam Kerridge (Carl) $371,500 mid/fwd

Av 85, BE 74

The most popular player in the game (in 68 per cent of teams) might not be for much longer. We should get another week or two out of him, then he becomes the perfect stepping stone to a fallen midfield premium.

Ben Kennedy (Ess) $312,000 mid/fwd

Av 78, BE 27

Bought himself some more time with his best score since Round 2.

Mitch Brown (Ess) $279,200 def/fwd

Av 63, BE -18

Where has this Mitch Brown been all year? Has scored 88 and 96 the past two weeks — are we brave enough to start him on the field?

Michael Hartley (Ess) $276,900 def

Av 68, BE 19

Chugging along. More suited to a spot on the bench but can earn some more cash before a trade is required.

George Hewett (Syd) $230,000 mid

Av 58, BE 21

See above.

Josh Smith $171,500 mid

Av 72, BE -43

Hurt many coaches who put their star recruit on the field with a season-low 49 against Carlton, but should bounce back against the Lions. Projected to jump another $51,000 this weekend.

Corey Ellis $289,700 mid/fwd

Av 61, BE 3

Has become a handy rookie for his 14,000 owners with scores of 95 and 74 in the past two weeks. A rare bright spot for the Tigers.

Tom Ruggles $186,900 def

Av 61, BE -18

An impressive 74 against the Eagles boosted his value by $35,000, and a similar price jump is on the way next week.

Mason Cox (Coll) $159,900 ruck/fwd

Av 55, BE 4

Bombed against the Blues with just 24 points which severely curtails his money-making potential — he could top out at just over $250,000. But that dual position status could be handy.

Darcy Byrne-Jones (PA) $322,200 def

Av 86, BE 21

Could be the buy of the season, posting his second triple-figure score at the weekend. Will be worth more than $400,000 in a few weeks.

Jayden Hunt (Melb) $180,400 fwd

Av 53, BE -15

His 102 against the Suns was 82 better than his effort the week before and sent his break-even into the negative. That kind of one-off game is exactly what we need to get a price spike from our rookies — other cheapies, take note.

Josh Wagner (Melb) $269,400 def

Av 70, BE 18

Another Demon to cash in against Gold Coast with 94 points and a $41k price rise.

Ciaran Byrne (Carl) $267,300 def

Av 69, BE 20

Has scored between 64 and 76 in each of his five games. If he keeps that going he’ll get to $350k.

Ryan Crowley (Ess) $248,500 mid

Av 57, BE -15

Scored 94 and 69 after returning to the team for the past two weeks. Still in more than 18,000 teams.

Tom Papley (Syd) $281,000 fwd

Av 73, BE 18

Has bounced back after a couple of down weeks — well done to the 73,000 coaches who kept the faith. Could bust through the $300k barrier this weekend.

Jacob Weitering (Carl) $338,400 def

Av 74, BE 117

Equation hasn’t changed from last week.

Christian Petracca (right) isn’t short on confidence. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

BUBBLE BOYS

Christian Petracca (Melb) $123,900 mid/fwd

Av 75, BE -75

Projected to jump $66k after his third game. Already the ninth-most popular player in SuperCoach

Ben Keays (BL) $117,300 mid

Av 61, BE -53

Highly-rated Lions academy product would have scored higher on Sunday if he had kicked straighter in front of goal (0.4).

Kieran Lovell (Haw) $126,300 mid

Av 53, -31

Sam Mitchell says the Hawks want to get blocks of 5-6 games into their youngsters which is a good sign for the Tasmanian ball magnet.

Jason Castagna (Rich) $117,300 def

Av 36, -3

The Tigers have some handy inclusions due back this week. Hasn’t scored much anyway.

James Polkinghorne (Ess) $123,900 mid

Av 43, BE -13

Was a bit of talk around the former Lion top-up player in the pre-season but he hasn’t set the world on fire.

Also sitting on two games ... Josh Dunkley, Tom Lee, Sam Grimley, Dougal Howard, Nick Kommer, Brady Grey, Connor Blakely, Conor McKenna,

ONE-GAMERS

Darcy Macpherson (GC) $102,400 mid

Score: 77

Kaiden Brand (Haw) $123,900 def

Score: 65

Mason Redman (Ess) $117,300 mid/fwd

Score: 45

Ben Crocker (Coll) $117,300 fwd/mid

Score: 33

Originally published as SuperCoach 2016 Rookie trade guide: who to keep, who to hold after Round 7