KFC SuperCoach 2022 Round 2 Trade Guide: Who should be on your watch list for big moves

Is it the year of the mid-pricer? KFC SuperCoach guru Fantasy Freako identifies the players who will be key to success in 2022 – and it’s not just Matt Rowell. Plus trade tips.

KFC SuperCoaches have been here before. We pay top dollar for Max Gawn and he underwhelms in Round 1. But if you’re looking at moving him on for whatever reason – take you finger off the trade button!

Gawn scored 92 points in the season opener last season but followed that up with 137, 163, 135, 172 and 149 points in his next five games. He also scored 92 points in Round 1 this season and is every chance to emulate those numbers in the coming weeks.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK’S TOP TRADE TARGETS

As we dissect what was a cracking round of footy from a KFC SuperCoach perspective, underperformance was a central theme, especially with some popular premiums. Defence was the centre point of our disappointment as the like of Jordan Ridley (68), Jack Crisp (69), Daniel Rich (71) and Lachie Whitfield (73) had stinkers.

Despite these poor returns and the likelihood of price falls after their third match, there’s no need to hit the panic button just yet. We’re only one round into a long season, so the plan of attack ahead of round 2 is to just sit on your hands and do nothing. In saying that, if you’ve nailed all the rookies and the aforementioned players have another poor match this week, then you could potentially entertain a sideways move as a “correction trade”. In no way am I condoning trading out guns after two games, but it’s an opportunity to be aggressive and take the game on.

Aaron Hall is one player to keep an eye on as he came from nowhere to rack up 129 KFC SuperCoach pointsin Round 1 after a hamstring lay-off, while Jake Lloyd missed round 1 entirely. Both are excellent options moving forward.

The term “too many mid-pricers” has been somewhat taboo in SuperCoach circles in the past, but if we look at the top scorers for the round, the majority of them fit that definition.

There were some huge point hauls in the $300k to $450k range, led by Tom Green (164), Matt Rowell (157), Patrick Lipinski (133), George Hewett (131) and Jarrod Witts (131). All outperformed their price tag and look set for huge years.

Matt Rowell presents incredible value in KFC SuperCoach this year. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Here are the standouts:

Tom Green (GWS) $430,000 MID – 164 (BE -6)

Matt Rowell (GC) $342,900 MID – 157 (-31)

Patrick Lipinski (Coll) $359,900 MID – 133 (-1)

George Hewett (Carl) $399,000 DEF/MID – 131 (16)

Matthew Kennedy (Carl) $440,900 MID – 130 (32)

Jarrod Witts (GC) $380,300 RUC – 131 (9)

James Rowbottom (Syd) $406,100 MID – 119 (30)

Zak Butters (Port) $443,600 FWD – 114 (49)

James Sicily (Haw) $448,100 DEF – 105 (60)

Dylan Shiel (Ess) $361,100 MID – 101 (32)

Identifying breakouts early is the key and there are four names to keep a close eye on in the coming weeks:

Matt Rowell

It’s the game we have been waiting for from Rowell. He collected 33 disposals, 22 contested possessions, nine clearances, 10 score involvements and six tackles against West Coast. He ticked every box and barring injury, he could easily finish in the top-15 scorers in his position.

Patrick Lipinski

When a club targets a player from a rival club, SuperCoaches should take notice. Lipinski was promised opportunity and that’s what he got – attending 15 centre bounces, ranked fourth at Collingwood in round 1. He had a 65 per cent/35 per cent Mid/Fwd split and is a real chance to get DPP status in the coming weeks.

Matthew Kennedy

There are plenty of Michael Voss’s traits in Kennedy. He attacks the contest with the same ferocity and looks set for a breakout year. He attended 22 centre bounces against Richmond and finished with 33 disposals, 14 contested possessions, one goal and 11 score involvements.

James Rowbottom

Very few teams have the same success rate as the Swans when it comes to succession plans. It’s quite obvious that Sydney is preparing for life after Josh P. Kennedy, with the former skipper taken out of the midfield. This has paved the way for Rowbottom to step in and he dominated against the Giants with 18 disposals, 13 contested possessions, seven clearances and 10 tackles.

Patrick Lipinski has a great role at the Magpies. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

ROOKIE WATCH

Round 1 will always be remembered for the feats of three rookies – mature-age recruits Nic Martin and Jack Hayes and the flamboyant Josh Rachele. Martin and Rachele are now two of only six players to kick at least five goals on their AFL debut since 1999, but more importantly, they both returned tons in KFC SuperCoach.

Martin spent 78 per cent of game time up forward, but his numbers would suggest otherwise, finishing with 27 disposals, 10 marks and eight score involvements. He played the roaming role perfectly and should be prioritised as a trade-in target after the next round.

Rachele, on the other hand, did most of his work close to goal, with 80 of his 118 points recorded in the attacking 50. He was only targeted twice inside 50 but he did present well around the ground, taking five uncontested marks. He also had eight shots at goal – the second-most of any player for the round.

Hayes rounds out the trio after his eye-catching display against Collingwood. His ability to cover the ground is what stood out the most, grabbing 10 marks, including four contested. He had 18 disposals and was dangerous in attack, booting three goals straight. Many expect him to make way for Paddy Ryder once he returns, but there’s every chance the Saints drop a small forward and go in slightly taller in attack.

Jack Hayes made a huge impression in his first AFL game. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

As we look ahead to round 2, injuries to Aliir Aliir and Trent McKenzie could pave the way for Sam Skinner or Josh Sinn to come into the Port Adelaide team. Elsewhere, the Eagles and Saints are likely to swing the axe after poor performances, which could see Brady Hough, Hugh Dixon and Mitch Owens make way.

There’s no need to make any rookie moves this week, so keep your trades up your sleeve for now.

Best of luck for Round 2!

TRADE GUIDE: WHO’S ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK?

– Al Paton

Huge scores, big surprises and some shock flops. Welcome to KFC SuperCoach 2022!

And how about those forward rookies.

Fortunately, there were few major injury worries to popular fantasy players in the first round which means not many SuperCoaches will be forced to start using up their bank of 35 trades.

But there are plenty of options if you’re trade finger is itching or you have underperformers you’re desperate to get rid of.

The expert advice at this time of year is usually to hold your fire – it can be very risky to make crucial trade decisions off one game.

And we get one more round to assess players before most private league head-to-head matches begin, and player prices start to move.

Most players will use two trades – or possibly three this year, with a trade boost – before Round 3 to make sure their team is set up for the season.

If you think you’ll need to make more than that, it could pay to make a move a week early.

For most players, these are the guys we will be watching very closely to see if they are on their last chance or one more great score away from forcing their way into our teams.

FORWARD ROOKIE BONANZA

A few days out from Round 1 it wasn’t clear we would have more than three or four forward line cheapies to choose from. Now it looks like you could pick four or five without any dramas.

Well played if you got one or more of Jack Hayes’ 127, Nic Martin’s 114 or Josh Rachele’s 118 in your Round 1 score. Many missed out but if you’ve got them in your squad – on the field or on the bench – they are on their way to making you some serious cash.

If you missed out on one or more of the trio, you could justify using a trade this week to get them in, especially if you have a non-playing rookie on your forward bench. But remember Bailey Scott scored 103 in his first AFL game in 2019 and was dropped two weeks later (he finished the year with a total of four games and an average of 54).

Watch for our rookie guide this week for a full run-down of all the Round 1 rookie-priced players and the cheapies you need.

Jack Crisp played all over the field for Collingwood in Round 1. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

ON THIN ICE?

Jack Crisp $571,000 MID/DEF

Crisp topped 100 points in 13 of his 23 appearances last season and his 69 points against the Saints on Friday night was his lowest return since Round 12, 2020. Not ideal when you pay top dollar for a defender, and the concern is his new role at centre bounces could actually impact his scores negatively, with Crisp a proven scorer sweeping across halfback. Will he still be the player we are familiar with under Craig McRae’s new game plan? You could be forgiven for asking the question with plenty of other topscoring backmen available for a similar or slightly cheaper price.

Tom Mitchell $638,100 MID

Mitchell didn’t have any issues finding the footy against North Melbourne, finishing with 29 disposals and six clearances. But 80 points is not what his 12,000 owners would have been hoping for. Given Mitchell’s scoring prowess he’s a likely hold but another poor score would have owners looking sideways at alternatives like Christian Petracca ($606,200 MID).

Tom Mitchell didn’t have a huge influence in Hawthorn’s Round 1 win. Picture: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images

Josh Ward $180,300 MID

The Hawks’ top draft pick is the seventh-most selected player in KFC SuperCoach, in more than 93,000 teams – so if you weren’t happy with his 36 points, you weren’t alone. Ward had 13 touches but just two of them were contested and he gave away a free kick. A bigger red flag could be his time in ground, playing 74 of 119 minutes on Sunday – just 62 per cent. After scoring 124 points in the AAMI Community Series he deserves another chance, but he is likely to start on the bench for many teams in Round 2.

Charlie Curnow $224,300 FWD

Curnow looked like a player who hadn’t appeared in the pre-season as the Blues nurse him into the season, scoring a team-low 36 points on Thursday night. He got through the game, a huge positive for Carlton fans, but might take a while to warm up, which appears to rule out a quick cash grab. A swap to teammate Mitch McGovern could be on the cards.

HOLD

KFC SuperCoach history is filled with stories of players who rage traded proven premiums after one bad score only to have the decision haunt them for the entire season. Keep the faith with Max Gawn (92), Jack Steele (87), Lachie Whitfield (73) and Jordan Ridley (68). Remember you picked these guys for a reason.

Max Gawn Round 1

2019: 87
2020: 93
2021: 93
2022: 92

Might not VC him next year

He did go on to average 120+ in all those years#supercoach

— Al Paton (@al_superfooty) March 16, 2022

TRADE WISH LIST

Christian Petracca $606,200 MID

In his past two AFL appearances Petracca averages 38.5 disposals, two goals, nine clearance and 161.5 KFC SuperCoach points. So he’s someone you would want to think about, especially at that price. His scoring last year tended to me somewhat erratic, although he only went under 100 twice in his last 11 games (scoring 92 and 85) - that run also included a 173, 148 and 145 as well as his Norm Smith-winning 160 points in the grand final. Given those numbers it’s surprising he’s not in more than 11.8 per cent of teams. Getting him now won’t be easy although if Mitchell or Jack Steele have another stinker …

Patrick Cripps (Carl) $454,800 MID

The Carlton co-captain’s ownership rose to just over 35 per cent before the bounce on Thursday night and he rewarded them with another monster game returning 132 KFC SuperCoach points – remarkably, he’s equal third in the Coleman Medal after one round. You wouldn’t expect him to kick three goals every week or come up against a team as poor at clearances as Richmond right now, but he’s on track to at least make a stack of cash if not be one of the buys of the season.

Patrick Cripps looks in fantastic shape, and form. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

George Hewett (Carl) $399,000 DEF/MID

Cripps’ partner in crime in the centre square against the Tigers scored just one fewer point, but then he started the season $55k cheaper. Will he score this well when Sam Walsh returns? If he can pump out scores like this until then it might not matter all that much. His role looks fantastic and we know he can score. Don’t forget Sam Docherty ($533,000, 144 points) either.

Tim English (WB) $482,600 RUC/FWD

English outplaying and outscoring Max Gawn on opening night was not what many pundits predicted, but the Bulldogs beanpole deserves a serious look after he shouldered the No. 1 ruck role after Stef Martin was a late out. His around-the-ground work has always been his strength and English gathered 20 disposals, also picking up eight free kicks while giving away only one. He averaged 102.6 in 2020 before falling in a bit of a hole last season, but at age 24 he could be about to burst into the premium ruck conversation – and you can pick him in the forward line.

Jordan De Goey (Coll) $463,500 FWD

De Goey didn’t exactly have an ideal pre-season with police charges stemming from an incident at a New York nightclub followed by a rib injury that forced him out of one of the Pies’ two practice matches. But he started the real thing with a bang, scoring 111 points from 27 disposals, five clearances and a game-high 12 score involvements. There’s not an obvious player to trade to him – or Isaac Heeney, who is $9k cheaper and scored 141 points in Round 1 – (Adam Treloar, perhaps) but both will be highly sought-after trade targets once those forward cash cows have fattened up.

Jordan De Goey picked up where he left off in the back half of last season. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Patrick Dangerfield was best on ground against the Bombers. Picture: Alan Barber

Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) $567,800 MID

Remember this guy? The KFC SuperCoach hall of famer must have caught a glimpse of his ownership numbers this season (a criminally low 2.4 per cent) and decided to prove a point against the Bombers. The result – 31 disposals, 19 contested possessions, four tackles, a goal and 155 KFC SuperCoach points (plus the medal for best on ground in the country game). Dangerfield missed a chunk of games last year and finished with a decade-low average of 104.3, but it’s worth noting that from his return in Round 13 he played every game the rest of the season and averaged 108 points, including three scores above 160.

Aaron Hall (North Melb) $572,900 DEF

Remember this guy (2)? Hall was in plenty of expert teams when KFC SuperCoach opened back in January but was crossed out after suffering a hamstring injury in an intra-club game. But he was back in Round 1 and back to scoring exactly like he did for most of last year, racking up 31 disposals at 81 per cent efficiency and 129 KFC SuperCoach points. Crisp swap, anyone? Teammate Luke McDonald is another watch after his 140 points – if he has the role that saw him average 118 over the final 10 rounds of 2020, he could be a steal at $372,100, although he can only be picked as a midfielder (for now). Speaking of possible position updates ...

KFC SUPERCOACH DPP WATCH

– Tim Michell

One round down, five to go before the first in-season dual-position players (DPPs) are added in KFC SuperCoach.

Most coaches have already locked in popular cheapies Nick Daicos (DEF-MID) and Jason Horne-Francis (FWD-MID) as likely DPPs, while some picked Carlton’s Mitch McGovern after his switch to defence was confirmed.

Here are five other players whose positions you should monitor and put on your radar before the first DPP additions take place at the end of Round 6.

Tristan Xerri (North Melbourne) $208k RUC to RUC-FWD

Many coaches were concerned when Xerri was named in a forward pocket on Thursday night as part of a three-tall set-up with Todd Goldstein and Callum Coleman-Jones. But the developing ruckman was entrusted with the first centre bounce as Coleman-Jones started forward and Goldstein on the bench against Hawthorn. Xerri had 18 hitouts to Goldstein’s 12, attending 13 centre bounces and 46 ruck contests. Xerri needs only to play in the ruck for about 35 per cent of game time to gain RUC-FWD status, which would make him a valuable addition to your team before price rises if you have Jack Hayes or Hugh Dixon at R3. Hopefully the role continues. Wait another week before jumping on.

Isaac Heeney (Sydney) $454k FWD to FWD-MID

Heeney’s score of 141 was the 10th highest in Round 1 and the highest of any forward. It was vindication for those who stuck with him despite spending significant time in attack during Sydney’s community series game. The return of Lance Franklin gave Heeney greater freedom to roam the ground and he played almost exclusively as a midfielder during the last quarter of Sydney’s win over GWS. Heeney attended 16 centre bounces and had six stoppage clearances against the Giants. Don’t sleep on him.

Is this the long-awaited Isaac Heeney breakout? Picture: Mark Jesser/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Scott Pendlebury $492k MID to DEF-MID

While most KFC SuperCoaches were watching Nick Daicos’s debut with glee on Friday, the Pies skipper adapted nicely to his new role in defence. Pendlebury had six intercept possessions and four rebound-50s, while also attending 10 centre bounces against the Saints. He might need to spend a bit more time in the next five games in defence to justify DEF-MID status, but Pendlebury becomes an option for your team as soon as he adds DEF to his name. That seems more likely than unlikely to happen prior to Round 7.

Zach Merrett $625k MID to DEF-MID

Maybe this is a bit wishful – Andrew McGrath is the most likely Essendon midfielder to have DEF status added after Round 6. But Merrett’s role needs to be monitored in the next month. Many of his 39 disposals against Geelong were in the defensive half, which is reflected in him recording four rebound-50s. Merrett still attended 18 centre bounces, but 19 of his 26 pressure acts against the Cats were in the back half. That may have been down to Geelong’s overall dominance, but keep a close eye on Merrett in coming rounds in case he spends any extra time at halfback.

Luke McDonald $372k MID to DEF-MID

Is the Luke McDonald of 2020 back? McDonald played sidekick to Aaron Hall as Jack Ziebell was used largely on the last line of defence against the Hawks, racking up 27 disposals at 89 per cent, 13 intercept possessions and 12 marks. McDonald was a revelation when he moved into the defensive distributor role in the second half of 2020, scoring seven tons in 10 matches to end the season with only one score of less than 94. There won’t be many coaches brave enough to consider McDonald as a MID, but if he can produce anything close to his 140 points from Round 1 with DEF status too, it becomes a completely different conversation.

OTHER POSSIBLE DPPS: Mitch McGovern DEF-FWD, Oscar McDonald DEF-FWD, Josh Kennedy DEF-MID, Callan Ward DEF-MID, Zak Butters FWD-MID, Jordan Dawson DEF-MID.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2022 Round 2 Trade Guide: Who should be on your watch list for big moves