Our experts have their say on some of SuperCoach’s biggest names
Elbow schmelbow? Our SuperCoach experts have no doubt over picking Nat Fyfe despite injury concerns. Plus, analysis of some of SuperCoach’s most contentious picks and forward line strategy.
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Having a tough time selecting your SuperCoach team?
Our experts are here to help and every week will have their say on some of the game’s biggest names.
We continue our weekly look at some of the biggest names in the game as well as what forward strategy our experts are preparing to use.
PART I: JURY’S PUTS BIG NAMES UNDER MICROSCOPE
PODS: JLT SUPERCOACH GUNS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
TOP 5: POPULAR SUPERCOACH PICKS AT YOUR CLUB
NAT FYFE
The Phantom: It wouldn’t surprise me if the Dockers star is the highest averaging midfielder by year’s end but it also wouldn’t surprise me if he played 15 games. I’m happy to wait-and-see on this one, especially with the elbow issue.
Al Paton: He was one of my first-picked midfielders and hasn’t moved. I don’t expect a sore elbow to hold him back from being one of the top-scorers this season.
Ben Higgins: Was in my team for the entire pre-season until JLT 1 and a few 50-50 players proved their worth and I needed the cash to bring them in. Giants star Josh Kelly is in my team but is in the same boat, so could quite easily become the Dockers superstar.
Dan Begala: The superstar has been a lock in my side since SuperCoach opened, but that’s been thrown out the window following his recent elbow surgery. Fyfe’s scoring is genuinely unrivalled but his hunger for the contested facet of the game does give rise to durability issues (2016: five games, 2017: 21, 2018: 15). I’ll only be selecting Fyfe is he dominates JLT 2.
Tim Michell: The Dockers are confident Fyfe will figure in the JLT Series despite being troubled by an elbow injury which required surgery. He’s almost certain to be a top-six midfielder at the end of the season and the addition of Rory Lobb and Jesse Hogan should mean he spends less time forward. His ownership is high for a reason.
Daniel Batten: Players who can average 120-plus SuperCoach points across an entire season, don’t grow on trees. The opportunity to snare a player who has achieved the feat three times for just over $600k is too good to pass up. Elbow, schmelbow. If he’s in Round 1, he’s in my side.
Paul Dunn: With Nat missing from JLT 1 due to that elbow injury I am a little concerned but given he played in AFLX it can’t be too bad. At the moment it is a wait and see, I want to select him but he just needs to show me that he is healthy and can play 22 games first.
JACK MACRAE
Phantom: Yes. Just spend the money. He’s the most-expensive midfielder - after the Tom Mitchell injury - and rightly so. The bloke just can’t get away from the footy, as he showed once again in his first-up hitout against the Suns.
Al Paton: I don’t think Macrae’s incredible 2018 season was a flash in the pan but the name of the game when picking a starting squad is finding value for money. We’ll be able to pick him up cheaper at some stage and he’ll be my No.1 priority when that happens.
Ben Higgins: I was happy to pick Tom Mitchell at more than $700k but I’m not brave enough to splash the cash on Macrae. Without a doubt the Dogs’ No.1 ballwinner but I think he’s too expensive and I’m looking to make him one of the first upgrades when he drops closer to $600k.
Dan Begala: The meteoric rise of Macrae was out of this world last season. He’s on the verge of his prime (24 years old) and Macrae’s scoring trajectory has all the hallmarks of the game’s best midfielders with season averages of 94, 107 and 127 in the last three years. There’s a hefty price tag, $689k, but in the absence of Tom Mitchell it may be a no-brainer. Overvalued, for mine.
Tim Michell: Macrae increased his SuperCoach average by 20.2 points last year, jumping from 106.9 to 127.1. He’s a classy player and a ball magnet, but I want to see more than one season above 110 before I am willing to commit $689,700. Make him a trade-in target when he’s closer to $600,000.
Daniel Batten: Very impressed with his monster game against the Suns, but I still can’t justify his gargantuan starting price of $689,700 with other star midfielders on offer. Hoping for a slow start to the year from the Bulldogs gun so I can snap him up at a juicy price.
Paul Dunn: Lock him away at M1 and throw away the key. Any queries were dispelled with his 40-possession game in JLT 1. Yes, we know it is only pre-season, but he looks to be continuing on from last season and will be a captain option for you each and every week.
ROBBIE GRAY
Phantom: He’s a star but he spent most of the first JLT Series match against the Crows inside 50m, expect that to be the case for most of 2019. Gray will still go big but just not as consistently as he would as a permanent midfielder.
Al Paton: If we knew he would play as a full-time midfielder he would be a must-have, but last year after Ken moved him to the forward pocket he posted only three 100-plus scores in the final 10 rounds. Love him as a player but can’t trust him in SuperCoach.
Ben Higgins: Nope. Got burned to a crisp last year when I brought Gray in following his hot start to the season just as Ken Hinkley decided his best player was better off stuck in a forward pocket. Ridiculous.
Dan Begala: I’m a huge fan of Robbie Gray, but under the tutelage of Ken Hinkley, his scoring tends to be sporadic and frustrating. He’s fairly priced and more than likely to find himself entrenched among the top-eight forwards but I expect to acquire his services at a discounted price around $450k.
Tim Michell: Gray started last season with six hundreds in seven games but then only hit triple figures four times for the rest of the campaign. It’s hard to trust his role when he can be deployed deep forward and there’s better options around his price. I prefer Tim Kelly as a $20,000 cheaper forward.
Daniel Batten: Ollie Wines’ injury piques the interest somewhat, but Ken Hinkley looks set on playing Gray up forward for the most part. Too much of a rollercoaster if he spends the majority of his time in the attacking 50m.
Paul Dunn: Nine touches in JLT 1 wasn’t what those who want to pick Robbie were hoping for. For now he is not in my side, that role is still not well enough defined for me to take a chance on him. He could be an upgrade target if he does get that full-time midfield role and starts putting out consistently high scores.
JAMES WORPEL
Phantom: There’ll be a spike as he steps up in the absence of Mitchell but it might not be enough to justify the awkward price. Not for me at this stage.
Al Paton: Looks a player and very likely to increase his scoring with more midfield time as the Hawks try to cover for Tom Mitchell. But the fact remains he has played 11 AFL games and scored over 100 once. I need more than that to pick someone.
Ben Higgins: Worpel has been in and out of my team during the pre-season and while his performance against Brisbane in JLT 1 was promising, he didn’t do enough to squeeze his way back in at this stage. Hard to pick him when the likes of Toby Greene, Joe Daniher and even Darcy Moore are cheaper.
Dan Begala: The “Worpedo” is going to improve this year without a shadow of doubt, but I think it’s premature to take a punt on the awkwardly priced ($396k) second-year player. Worpel will average in the mid-80s, I suspect, but that remains insufficient to warrant selection at The Begala Brigade. It’s top-six or bust.
Tim Michell: Exciting talent, but I didn’t see enough from a scoring perspective in his matches last year to part with $395,700. His opportunity should increase due to Tom Mitchell’s injury, but will that result in a spike to make him a top-six forward? It seems highly unlikely and you could be left with an awkward sideways trade to make.
Daniel Batten: Will be a SuperCoach gun in the future, but not this year. In previous years I’ve liked to be fairly certain of my $400k forwards, Devon Smith (2018) and Isaac Heeney (2017) the prime examples. In saying that, Worpel is sure to benefit from extra midfield minutes in the absence of Tom Mitchell, attending 19 centre bounces on Sunday against Brisbane.
Paul Dunn: Certainly staking a claim to be in the Hawks’ midfield as well as our SuperCoach teams. While he does present some value I think he is still too risky for me to put in my starting squad. Let’s see what he can produce in JLT 2 and if his role is what we want in that game before we make a final call on him.
DYLAN ROBERTON
Phantom: The returning Saint is becoming hard to ignore. But so is his defensive match-up on Ben Brown for most of the first half of the Saints’ JLT Series clash against the Kangaroos. Another great score next week and I’ll forget about it.
Al Paton: Looks like a great option in defence for under $300k after very promising reports from our spy G.Gardiner - no, let’s call him Gilbert G - at the Saints’ intra-club game. Best-case scenario he matches his 90-plus average of 2015 and 2017 and we can keep him as our last on-field defender. If not, bank a tidy profit and trade him up to an A-grader.
Ben Higgins: Fair to say I was extremely hesitant early in the pre-season but now that I’ve seen him play, Roberton was straight into Champagne Footy on Sunday night after JLT 1. The Saints defender looks back to his 2017 best and the Saints backline is going to get plenty of work in 2019.
Dan Begala: Roberton continues to tick the boxes this pre-season with a successful intra-club and JLT Series opener (103 against North Melbourne). He’s priced at $298k and it’s going to be extremely difficult to overlook Roberton if he ticks the final box … JLT 2. He’s in for now, but I believe he’ll serve as a launch pad to a top-six defender when his price peaks.
Tim Michell: Has been locked in from day one and the news that he dominated a St Kilda intra-club match only increased my confidence in having him in defence. He shapes as one of the simplest stepping stones to a top-six defender and should average a minimum of 85.
Daniel Batten: Followed up a strong intra-club hitout with a very encouraging JLT 1. His intercept game is worth its weight in gold and expect to see more of his high kick to handball ratio (4:1 v North Melbourne) during the regular season. Appears to be fully over his heart scare, which makes him an absolute lock at under $300k.
Paul Dunn: Had a great outing for his first game back. After a quiet first half he did spring to life after half-time. He is great value and if he has fully overcome the issue that saw him miss a big chunk of last season he would be a handy selection for you.
ELLIOT YEO
Phantom: To some degree, he’ll be the forgotten man in SuperCoach this year after losing his dual-position status. Like Macrae, Merrett and Dusty, just to name a few, before him, Yeo’s scoring power will see him finish among the top midfielders in 2019. He’s just been squeezed out of my side at the minute.
Al Paton: Forgotten man after being classified as a midfielder only this year. Last season only eight mids averaged above 110 and Yeo (108) is every chance to join them this year. Don’t discount the Eagles star.
Ben Higgins: I was late to the Yeo party last year as I reckon he’s one of those players that are too flexible for their own good. Can legitimately play anywhere on the ground and I prefer my premium midfielders to be premium midfielders. I reserve the right to bring him in later in the year when he’s thoroughly proved me wrong.
Dan Begala: The premiership hero has been a SuperCoach must-have over the past two seasons given his eligibility as a defender. This may change in 2019 with many expected to overlook Yeo in favour of Fyfe, Oliver and/or Martin. Yeo has raised his SuperCoach average from 102 (2017) to 108 (2018), so I wouldn’t be surprised if he averaged 115.
Tim Michell: He’s in at the moment. Only featuring in 6 per cent of teams is a huge plus and I expect him to flourish with more space to manoeuvre in the attacking half. There were only seven games last year where Yeo failed to reach 100 and five of those scores were 88-plus. He’s just about ready to emerge as an elite midfielder and looms as a real smoky to be a top-six SuperCoach scorer.
Daniel Batten: Undervalued after losing his dual position status, and is one that POD HQ has been keeping a close eye on throughout the pre-season. A tackling machine (ranked fourth in 2018) who wins plenty of the footy and drives it in long inside 50m (ranked second). However, he was also the clanger king in 2018, finishing first for that stat.
Paul Dunn: Many have written off Yeo after he lost his defender status. However, he has the ability to score and score well enough to earn a spot in your midfield. He had a good game but didn’t come under a lot of close attention, a luxury he won’t be afforded in the regular season. Not in my side at this point.
STARTING FORWARD LINE STRATEGY
Phantom: It’s been four premiums for most of the pre-season but then Sam Walsh happened so I’ve restructure slightly. It will still be at least three. You’ll have to wait for the final week of The Phantom’s pre-season for the reveal.
Al Paton: The forward line for me is the position to save money this year. There is a crop of very promising forward rookies which means we should safely be able to play three of them on the field, especially if they include Will Setterfield and potentially another higher-priced rookie like Connor Rozee with good job security and solid scoring potential. Danger and Heeney are locked at F1 and F2, which leaves F3 up for grabs.
Ben Higgins: Dangerfield and Heeney seem to be league-wide locks but I’ve also slotted Devon Smith in in a three-premium, three-rookie strategy. Smith has excellent last season and I don’t expect that to change in 2019, even with the addition of Dylan Shiel. The five cash cows are proving a little harder to nail down and probably won’t be finalised until Round 1 teams are named. I like the looks to Petrucelle, Parker and Rankine at the moment.
Dan Begala: There are only two locks at this stage - Dangerfield and Heeney - with a range of players vying for F3 and beyond. I believe there exists a greater depth of rookies in the backline, so we may need to reinforce the forward line with dearer options (ie three premiums). I am still yet to crystallise my forward strategy and it’s probably my greatest area of concern.
Tim Michell: Three premiums, one mid-pricer, four rookies. Patrick Dangerfield should be the first-picked player in every side and Isaac Heeney won’t be far behind in F2. I’ve got Tim Kelly at F3 benefiting from Gary Ablett’s increased time in attack and breakout contender Jade Gresham at F4. Matt Parker, Ben Cavarra, Willem Drew and Tom Wilkinson are my current rookies.
Daniel Batten: I had a three premium-three cash cow formation until a disappointing JLT 1 display from Josh Dunkley had me pressing the trade button. Now I am looking at two set and forgets in Dangerfield and Heeney – who every man and his dog should own - a mid-pricer and three rookies. That mid-pricer is none other than Jack Billings at this stage (yes, I realise I am contradicting what I said on Worpel here).
Paul Dunn: At the moment I have three premiums, two high-price rookies and three cash cows. I have both Rankine and Lukosius in my side at the moment, but they are more placeholders than anything. With them being top priced rookies I can easily move them down to someone that performs in JLT 2 and is named in Round 1. They will either become one mid-pricer and one cash cow or two cash cows and the cash used elsewhere to upgrade.
Originally published as Our experts have their say on some of SuperCoach’s biggest names
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