SuperCoach AFL 2024: Experts reveal their round 6 trades

Is this the week to load up on bubble boys, or break the bank to get a superstar into your SuperCoach team? Our experts are divided on strategy. SEE THEIR TRADES

Normally this is the calm before the storm in the SuperCoach season.

After an early flurry of trades, the traditional approach is to sit back and wait for cash cows to fatten up, and for top-end trade targets to drop in value. When the planets align in a few weeks’ time, we pounce.

Except this isn’t a normal SuperCoach season.

The race to fill teams with premium scorers has never been hotter, which is pushing some rookies out early and forcing coaches to pay up for the stars they want.

Will making upgrades early pay off with more points on field, or come unstuck if cash runs out?

Our experts are using different strategies to improve their teams this week, with one Gold Coast rookie featuring in all trade plans – and one expert going for broke by using his final boost in round 6.

See all their moves below.

AL PATON

IN: Will Graham, Matt Rowell

OUT: Colby McKercher, Matt Crouch

SuperCoach is a ruthless business and as talented and unlucky as McKercher is, he was in my team to make money and he won’t be doing that for a while after his injury (and Clarko)-affected score of six last week.

The second trade is a bit of a luxury – with best 18 scoring I could easily sit Crouch on the bench for a week while he’s suspended. But looking long-term I don’t think I want him in my final midfield. After a solid start to the year his past two scores were under 100 (last week would have been closer to 70 if he hadn’t been involved in some huge plays in the final minutes) and Matthew Nicks is experimenting with his midfield. If I’m going to trade Crouch some time, why not do it now?

Picking off stars who have dropped in price is usually the way to play SuperCoach but it’s too early in the season for that, and Rowell will be a super fun player to own.

Matt Rowell has arrived as a SuperCoach uber premium. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

He is averaging 131 points a game (No.2 of all midfielders behind one-gamer Sam Walsh) and is absolutely loving playing in the dewy conditions on the Gold Coast, with mountains of stoppages and tackles. The Suns have an amazing upcoming fixture including games against North Melbourne and Geelong in Darwin, where Rowell could swim in the humidity. His price tag of $620k isn’t cheap, but SuperCoach Plus expects him to be over $650k soon.

These deals (after downgrading to Sam Clohesy last week) leave a nice kitty in the bank to hopefully make another big play next week ... when we return to best 22 scoring and I will finally have to deal with my two dead defensive bench rookies.

TIM MICHELL

IN: Jack Steele, Will Graham, Bigoa Nyuon

OUT: Ryley Sanders, Colby McKercher, Jack Carroll

Sometimes your SuperCoach trades just need to be about self preservation. Two weeks after I could have grabbed Jack Steele for $530k but instead went Touk Miller, for my own sanity I am launching my last boost into orbit to add the Saints skipper to my midfield. Steele is owned by 72 per cent of the top 5 per cent of teams, so every week he goes big is killing my chances of cracking the top 1k. I don’t really want to trade McKercher or Sanders and would prefer to grab Charlie Comben on the bubble than Nyuon. But I need every dollar to have enough for Steele - I have $100 left in my budget after these trades. I would not recommend using your last boost this early, you’ll likely need it in the next few weeks when best 22 scoring applies. But I can’t live without Jack Steele for another week. Although saying that, Errol Gulden at just over $600k looks pretty tasty too. These trades allow me to hold onto Massimo D’Ambrosio and try to squeeze some more value out of him.

Tim can’t go without Jack Steele any longer. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

PATCH

IN: Will Graham, Charlie Comben, Isaac Heeney

OUT: Jack Carroll, Jhye Clark, Colby McKercher

Gimme dat HEEEEEN please.

It’s been agony watching him score 290 points every week not in my side, and even though I think he’s not likely to average north of 110 from here on out, I need him, and he won’t get any cheaper for a long time.

My plan last week was to save cash for Isaac, and here were are reaping the rewards. Charlie Comben could become Kai Lohmann after news that Zac Bailey will miss more than a month with an ankle injury, but that DPP to pair with Buku Khamis (and that -75 Break Even) may prove too tasty. I don’t think Clark is a must-trade this week if you have other issues, but I’m trying to sow the seeds of more upgrades by using my third boost.

DAN BATTEN

OUT: Colby McKercher, Aaron Cadman, Tom Brown

IN: Will Graham, Bigoa Nyuon, Hayden Young

Time to right another wrong. After trading Nic Martin back in last week, I think I will most likely do the same with Young this week. Young’s past three weeks have been what I expected from him during the pre-season, and with West Coast this weekend and Richmond a fortnight later, it could be now or never.

I only just got Brown a couple of weeks back but trading him allows me to hold Massimo D’Ambrosio for a week or two longer. I’m backing Nyuon to remain in the Roos side and while Charlie Comben has made a promising start, I feel the extra $100k will be more valuable.

Dan Batten is cashing in GWS rookie Aaron Cadman. Picture: Phil Hillyard

SWIZ

IN: Rowan Marshall, Charlie Comben, Will Graham

OUT: Ryley Sanders, Colby McKercher, Aaron Cadman

I was trying to use all my strength not to use my fourth boost but when you make trades and have $100 left in the bank, sometimes you have to think that’s a sign from the SuperCoach Gods.

My plan was to always get Marshall to accompany Max Gawn in my ruck line and as tempting as it is to wait two weeks for Tim English’s price to drop, I would prefer the points on field now.

Charlie Comben looked like Glen Jakovich against the Lions and will become a very useful DPP swing when he and Buku Khamis gain defensive status next week. Will Graham has been very impressive in his opening two matches, in particular against the Hawks where he laid 14 tackles. If a BE of 91 wasn’t already impressive, Graham already has DEF/MID status which will once again be very important from next week onwards.

Making way is Sanders, McKercher and Cadman. In a perfect world I would have preferred to hold both Cadman and Sanders as they still could see a slight boost in cash, especially if the latter gets more midfield time with Libba out, but I’d much prefer to hold D’Ambrosio or Fyfe and have no one else on the chopping block whose price allows me to make the above trades. Trading Colby McKercher is unfortunate as he also will be picking up DPP but with a BE of 101, it could take to the mid-season bye rounds for him to regain the cash he is most likely to lose over the next couple of weeks, so it just makes sense to move him on now.

Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2024: Experts reveal their round 6 trades