KFC SuperCoach Round 15 trade guide: Top targets to survive worst of 2020 bye rounds
The KFC SuperCoach round coaches have been dreading is almost here, with six teams to have a bye in Round 15. These are the best trade targets to get you through the toughest round of the season.
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The round every KFC SuperCoach has been dreading is almost here.
While league finals are on hold for Round 15, SuperCoaches targeting overall rankings face a make-or-break round.
North Melbourne, St Kilda, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast have a bye, taking some of SuperCoach’s premier scorers out of the best 18 picture.
Patrick Dangerfield, Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Steele, Jack Macrae, Todd Goldstein, Mitch Duncan, Jy Simpkin and Hugh Greenwood headline the popular picks missing.
Coaches who haven't prepared in recent rounds face a huge juggling act just to field 18 — let alone 18 premiums.
But if you’ve traded to avoid this round in the past two weeks, you should be rewarded.
Injury doubts hang over premium scorers Josh Kelly and Luke Ryan, while a short turnaround could lead to Nic Naitanui being given a well-earned rest.
Whatever eventuates, Round 15 is going to be a major test for every KFC SuperCoach team.
With three trades available and best 18 scoring, the task of fielding a Round 15 team should be manageable.
Maximising your scoring and fielding as many premiums as possible is what will set you apart.
#SuperCoach Round 15 - Six teams on bye. Josh Kelly in doubt. Luke Ryan in doubt. Nic Nat possibility of a rest. Good times. pic.twitter.com/vXb729Wedc
— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) August 30, 2020
TOP TARGETS
Lachie Neale $698,200 MID Average: 140.2
The No. 1 point scorer of the season was punted by more than 15,000 coaches in Round 14 and will be a priority trade in coming rounds. Neale’s price is set to plummet in the next two rounds after he was restricted to a season-low 72 points by St Kilda in Round 13. Fresh off a bye, coaches with intentions of bringing Neale back into their teams won’t want to wait long — although you can probably afford one week without him when it’s best-18 scoring and his break even will be 216.
Clayton Oliver $668,900 MID Avg: 127.3
Oliver returned to his regular scoring heights in Round 14 with 134 points against St Kilda — a total boosted by a dominant final quarter. Four of his past five totals have been 134 or better and his last nine scores have been triple figures. The two games Oliver didn’t crack the ton he posted 96 and 99, underlining how consistent he’s been. Melbourne is playing for a top-eight spot in the last month of the home-and-away season and Oliver will be at the forefront of its efforts to clinch a finals berth.
Tom Mitchell $611,900 MID Avg: 116.5
The 2018 Brownlow medallist is back to the type of form SuperCoaches became accustomed to two years ago. Mitchell has pumped out six consecutive hundreds and has averaged 122 since Hawthorn’s Round 10 bye. The Hawks face Adelaide in Round 15 and Mitchell will be a popular vice-captaincy choice after the Crows leaked 134 to Mitch Duncan, 114 to Patrick Dangerfield, 199 to Marcus Bontempelli, 150 to Bailey Smith and 118 to Jack Macrae in their past two games. All signs point to a monster score.
Andrew Brayshaw $546,600 FWD-MID Avg: 106
The Brayshaw doubters have been well and truly silenced. After being held to 67 by Carlton in Round 12, Brayshaw has roared back into scoring form with 122 and 115 in the past two rounds. He had -1 points at quarter-time against GWS but rallied with 116 points and 23 disposals after the first break. Since his first hundred of the year in Round 5, Brayshaw has six scores of 115 or better in nine matches. Justin Longmuir is intent on giving his young midfielders as much exposure as possible and Brayshaw is the perfect addition to finish your SuperCoach forward line.
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Josh Kennedy $417,600 MID Avg: 90.3
The price alone is reason to consider Kennedy. It’s been a few years since the veteran Swan was one of the top dogs in midfield, but his 90.3 average this season is not to be scoffed at when it includes a score of 18. Outside that injury-affected score, Kennedy has not scored less than 84 and has two scores above 120. He might not match the likes of Oliver and Mitchell during the run home but if he can average 100 he’s a M8 contender at more than $160,000 less than his starting quote of $579,000.
Max Gawn $673,900 RUC Avg: 140.5
Gawn returned in terrific order against St Kilda, finishing with 135 KFC SuperCoach points against the tag team of Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall. Gawn had 131 at three-quarter-time, underlining his ability to accumulate points at will — as if we needed a reminder. He didn’t get close to his break even of 242, but still won’t get much cheaper than his price in Round 15. If Nic Naitanui is rested coaches who punted Gawn when he was injured for the Eagles big man will be tempted to reverse that move. Ditto those with Todd Goldstein, who has a bye in Round 15.
Ben McEvoy $507,700 RUC Avg: 91.2
Who doesn’t like a POD at this time of the year? If you need a ruckman to set you apart for the rest of league finals, Hawthorn’s McEvoy is the man. After getting as low as $402,800, McEvoy has spent more time in the centre square in the past two rounds and produced scores of 147 and 146. He had 16 disposals (12 contested), seven marks and five hit outs against Essendon. In Round 13 he had 33 hit-outs and 11 disposals, also booting a goal against Port Adelaide. He won’t face Max Gawn or Brodie Grundy in the last four rounds but does have the St Kilda duo of Marshall and Ryder in Round 16.
David Mundy $500,300 MID Avg: 91.5
Many SuperCoaches choose to leave M8 for their last upgrade and there’s no shortage of quality options this round. Mundy, Andrew Gaff ($500,300), Andrew McGrath ($503,600) and Stephen Coniglio ($498,400) are available for between $498k-$504k. That’s value for a quartet who all scored at least 117 in Round 14 and have had their byes. Mundy is the serious POD of those four and features in less than 700 teams ahead of Round 15. That’s despite now boasting five tons in his last six games and a five-round average of 111. While Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters have been spending more time forward Mundy has had no such issue, complementing the young guns in Fremantle’s midfield.
Jake Riccardi $173,300 FWD Avg: 88
No SuperCoach wants to pay more than others for a rookie, but Riccardi might be worth it. If you opted for Irving Mosquito instead of the GWS forward in Round 14, you were badly burned when Riccardi posted 94 points and kicked four goals. He jumped by $56,000 after averaging 88 in his first two games and has a break even of -71. If he can hold his spot and maintains this form until at least Round 16 — when GWS plays Adelaide — a hefty price rise is in order.
Andrew Gaff $500,300 MID Avg: 104.1
What is it about Gaff and Queensland? After starting the campaign in red-hot form in the sunshine state, the Eagles wingman returned to the Gold Coast with 135 points against Richmond. He’s now gone 94, 96, 107 and 135 in his past four which has put Gaff back on the radar. One of the great attractions about him is his durability with so many premium picks being managed in the lead-in to finals. Gaff also isn’t a midfielder who will be shuffled forward.
Andrew McGrath $503,600 MID Avg: 100
The No. 1 draftee has produced a consistent first campaign as a full-time midfielder with 10 of his 13 games resulting in scores of 89 or better. His range has been predominantly between 90-110, although his 124 against Hawthorn equalled McGrath’s season-high from Round 8. He’s always been recognised for his athleticism and the longer Essendon keeps its finals chances intact, the better. The last thing KFC SuperCoaches low on trades want is a player to be rested in Round 17 or 18 when best 22 scoring will be applied.
Rory Laird $576,300 DEF Avg: 101.5
Laird’s resurgence as a premium KFC SuperCoach scorer in the past month has been evident. Since being thrust into the midfield by Matthew Nicks, Laird has gone 120, 185, 77 and 120. Most players have been richly rewarded for tackling this season and Laird has averaged 6.2 tackles a game in the past four rounds. Coming off his Round 14 bye, Laird will be a top target for coaches desperate to add a finishing touch to their defence.
Matt Crouch $546,300 MID Avg: 105
Crouch is another player who has benefited handsomely from his huge tackle numbers in recent games. The Crows midfielder has averaged 119 in his past four games — a period during which he has laid 29 tackles. That included 14 in his most recent outing against Geelong when Crouch amassed 133 KFC SuperCoach points. A history of untimely injuries is usually a red flag for SuperCoaches, but he has played 12 of a possible 13 games this year. He only missed Round 4 when he was dropped.
Stephen Coniglio $498,400 MID Avg: 100.8
While the GWS skipper can frustrate KFC SuperCoaches (see his 53 in Round 13) his best is about as good as it gets. Coniglio appeals as a M8 target after it was confirmed Josh Kelly will miss the Giants’ clash with Carlton due to concussion. That only adds to Coniglio’s importance in the GWS engine room. If you’re willing to forgive that Round 13 game, when he had 19 disposals but eight clangers, Coniglio has otherwise scored between 95 and 117 in six of the past nine matches.
Bachar Houli $481,200 DEF Avg: 96.7
Any hopes of rounding out your defence cheaply with Houli after Richmond’s bye were dashed when he scored a game-high 147 against West Coast — his exact break even for Round 14. If you’re playing for league glory, Houli only makes sense as a trade target if you’ve won directly through to a preliminary final and won’t be concerned about his Round 16 bye. If rankings are your target, you can probably afford to grab him now as only Richmond and Collingwood share the Round 16 bye.
Approx prices calculated by Brice Mitchell (@bricemitchell).
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Originally published as KFC SuperCoach Round 15 trade guide: Top targets to survive worst of 2020 bye rounds
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