SuperCoach AFL 2024 round 14 trade guide: Top targets, who to trade out this week
SuperCoach experts are entering round 14 with wildly different trade strategies, including one way out of left field. See all their moves here.
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Go all in or hold your fire?
There is no one perfect way to attack round 14 in SuperCoach, and the experts are taking very different approaches to what could be the trickiest round of the season.
See all their moves below, and scroll down for the full trade guide.
AL PATON
OUT: Jake Rogers, Darcy Wilson, Joel Freijah
IN: Billy Dowling, Nathan Kreuger, Jordan Clark
These moves would “finish” my team with Jordan Clark at D6 (and Alex Sexton F6) ... but I’m not ready to lock and load just yet.
I might just do the first two and hold the cash to next week, when I can grab Jordan Ridley off his bye, who I prefer over Clark as my final defender ... or even two weeks and bring in Jack Sinclair, who I like even more.
Clark has had a great season, but is he a reliable 110+ premium? I’m still not sure.
His numbers over the past three weeks are off the charts, but they include a 151 against St Kilda, a team he doesn’t face again in 2024, and an (almost) 100-point win against Melbourne in Alice Springs. He also has a date with James Jordon in three weeks – the Swans stopper who held him to 63 points a month ago.
But he’s coming in to my team because 11 weeks of Clark gets me more points than 10 of Ridley ... I think (nine of Sinclair is pushing my luck too far).
When it comes to rookies Dowling and Kreuger are not the greatest picks in the world, but they are a long way ahead of the prospects I can see next week (Jack Hutchinson and ... ??) so I’ll likely grab both regardless of whether I go ahead with the third trade.
THE PHANTOM
No trades
Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve got 22 warm bodies this week.
I’m not using two trades or $100k to trade up Clayton Oliver. I probably don’t need another rookie who isn’t going to play in round 15. I’m technically full premium. And I’ve only got nine trades left.
So, yes, that is correct, I’m not trading this week. Well, not yet, anyway.
TIM MICHELL
OUT: Clayton Oliver, Ned Moyle
IN: Brodie Grundy, Billy Dowling (probably)
I was committed to trading a midfielder as soon as a I traded in a ninth premium MID in Errol Gulden last week. Touk Miller also has the round 14 bye and almost found himself on the chopping block after being stuck in Marcus Windhager’s pocket last week. But I feel more comfortable trading Oliver who hasn’t hit the heights of previous years off a limited pre-season.
I know Patch is going to hate me for grabbing another of his premiums because I’ve ruined so many of them this year, but I can’t look past Grundy – who, funnily enough, I started with at R2. He should dominate against the Crows and still has five matches to come at the SCG, where he averages about 140. Tim English is alluring, but he has a bye next week, so I’m happy to back Grundy with an extra game.
Billy Dowling is my preferred rookie this week but I might grab Nathan Kreuger if it fits my structure better with his RUC swing.
There could be a third trade deployed involved Miller, but I’ll let the dust settle and see how my rookies go early in the round before committing.
Again, sorry Patch! (not really)
PATCH
OUT: Lachie Sullivan, Harvey Harrison, Hugo Garcia, Brodie Grundy (not really)
IN: Billy Dowling, Zac Fisher, Nathan Krueger, restraining order against Tim Michell
Having read Tim’s trades, I’m genuinely tempted to trade Grundy out, but alas it is my lot in life to suffer at Tim’s hands. Anyway, in brighter news, I think I’m at full premo with Zac Fisher in at F6? Seven trades and not a lotta cash left over, and the cover on the bench is thin at best, but I think I’m there.
I wanted to hold Harrison and Sullivan to their byes, and don’t like going early on Dowling and Kreuger, but it’s the only way I can make enough cash to get the Fish in. At least one trade required next week to get from 17 to 18, as well.
If Dowling is sub then I’ll be real annoyed.
It's not necessarily a *good* full premo... but I think I'm finally at full premo? #SuperCoach
— patch (@PatchToTheMax) June 12, 2024
God help me when I need cover later in the season. pic.twitter.com/LgkjjSyigu
DAN BATTEN
OUT: Ned Moyle and Harry McKay
IN: Billy Dowling and Dayne Zorko
Marcus Windhager will inevitably tag Zorko the week I bring him in, but surely he goes to Lachie Neale. Right? Last week the Saints leaked well over 100 disposals to Sam Flanders, Alex Sexton, Joel Jeffrey and Bodhi Uwland and I fear what my score will look like without Zorko, who allows me to scrape to 18. Yikes.
Harry has been a loyal servant but it’s time to cut ties after four scores below 75 in his last five. Moyle’s stay has been much shorter but his fortnight cash injection has proven valuable. These move should allow us to turn Bruce Reville and Lachie Sullivan into Jeremy McGovern and a rookie next week.
Trade guide: Best buys to conquer toughest bye round
– Al Paton
Rules were made to be broken ... right?
One of the golden rules of trading in SuperCoach is not to trade out premiums, and especially not to “sideways” trade them to another player around the same value.
The reason is simple – you are using up a vital trade without improving the overall premium count in your side. And form can turn quickly; coaches who held Jordan Dawson and Luke Davies-Uniacke through a rough patch early in the year have been rewarded with a string of A-grade scores in recent weeks.
But that rule may have to be abandoned – or at least suspended for a week.
Coaches have the benefit of best 18 scoring during the bye rounds, but that will be tested to the limit this weekend when Max Gawn, Sam Flanders, Matt Rowell and Nic Martin will be among the SuperCoach stars missing with the bye.
And the crisis was compounded by a disastrous injury to young Kangaroos defender Wil Dawson, who was subbed out on zero points after being traded in by 55,000 coaches.
The perfect play this week is to trade in a player off their bye to boost your numbers this week and round 15, which will also be challenging for many teams.
Unfortunately, the best two downgrades this week both have a bye in round 15. But if you can survive that round (or put off dealing with it until next week), Crows youngster Billy Dowling ($123,900 MID/FWD) is a good option after his encouraging 63 points on debut against Richmond. Magpie Nathan Kreuger ($123,900 RUC/FWD) also made his first appearance for the season last round, kicking three goals and scoring 76 points for Collingwood to ensure at least one more week in the seniors.
There is also the break glass in case of emergency option – the sideways trade.
There are a number of popular premiums who are out of form or haven’t hit the heights their owners expected. And, as it happens, they all seem to have their bye this week.
Trading out a premium on their bye and replacing them with a bye-free gun gives you an instant boost this week, and for the rest of the season. It’s not without risk, though.
Before you pull the trigger, ask yourself some crucial questions:
1. How many players do you have available this week – remembering many coaches will be under the pump, and there are diminishing returns to adding a 19th or 20th player in a best 18 round.
2. How many players do you have available in round 15?
3. How many trades do you have left?
If the answers to those questions are fewer than 18, at least 18, and 10 or more, here are the players you could use to make a big SuperCoach move this week.
TRADE OUT OPTIONS
CLAYTON OLIVER $498,600 MID
Looked like the steal of the century after dropping to $466k and scoring 141 points against Geelong in round 8. Since then he has managed just one more score over 100, for a five-round average of 94.6. After a slow start against Collingwood he recovered to post 97, so he hasn’t been a bad trade at his price, but it’s going to be tough to match the top-line mids over the final 10 rounds after such an interrupted preparation. And there are some outstanding potential replacements fresh off the round 13 bye – more on them below.
NIC MARTIN $511,300 DEF/MID
Martin played the first half against Carlton in defence but was moved to the forward line in the second half. He sparked Essendon with a brilliant third quarter but was barely sighted in the final term. In the end his score of 92 points was just about bang on his average for his past five matches, with the return of gun scorer Jordan Ridley cutting Martin’s output. He is far from the worst option as your final defender or midfielder, but if you could find the money to turn him into Luke Ryan you wouldn’t look back.
TOM STEWART $466,800 DEF
Stewart has been one of the most reliable defenders in SuperCoach for several seasons, but there’s something just not quite Tom Stewart-like about his returns this year. Just five tons for the season and three tags in his past four games, the latest from Swan James Jordon), have resulted in scores of 84, 75, 110, 76 and 76 over the past five weeks. This is a trade you really do want to make if you can afford it.
TOUK MILLER $528,700
This is a tougher call, but the long-time SuperCoach jet has been overtaken by the next brigade of midfield stars, including some of his own teammates. Miller owners will be tainted by recency bias after his season-low 58 points against the Saints when he copped close attention from Marcus Windhager, but that was his fourth score under 100 in his past six and Touk is only going to lose ground on the elite mids from here.
TRADE IN TARGETS
LUKE RYAN $666,700 DEF
The No.1 scorer in SuperCoach has to be top of the shopping list for the 68 per cent of coaches who don’t own him. Ryan has cracked the SuperCoach scoring code this year – you can read a detailed explanation of how here, but the short version is he takes a lot of marks and has a lot of long, accurate kicks. That equates to an average of 129.9 points a week and a ceiling like few others – he scored 197 against Richmond in round 8 and has the Tigers again in round 17. If you can find the cash, get him. It’s that simple.
JORDAN CLARK $580,300 DEF
If you haven’t got the cash for Ryan, or if you want both members of Freo’s defensive double act, Clark is a great option this week off the Dockers’ bye. His three-round average of 137 slightly edges Ryan after scores of 151, 134 and 127 in his past three games. His game is a bit different to Ryan’s, relying less on marks and kick-ins and more on dashing rebound runs, but he still benefits from Freo sharing it around in the back half. One slight red flag is a likely James Jordon tag in round 16.
CALEB SERONG $628,900 MID
Serong’s price is coming down after a couple of unusually quiet weeks but the No.2 ranked midfielder for the season so far is a must-have in your completed midfield. With a Break Even of 170, you could wait to save a few bucks or grab him in time for a clash with the Western Bulldogs, a team he averages 136 against in his past three encounters. His most recent scores against his next two opponents are 146 (Gold Coast) and 150 (Sydney). So maybe don’t wait.
ZAK BUTTERS $630,100 MID
The fourth-ranked midfielder for 2024 might also be slightly cheaper next week as he enters round 14 with a Break Even of 153. But if you need more midfield stars this week, that doesn’t really matter. Butters has gone under 100 only three times this year, and two of those were scores of 98. And he can go as big as anyone on his day.
CONNOR ROZEE $466,800 MID
Speaking of high Break Evens, the Power skipper’s is 178 so if you can afford to wait he could be a bargain M8 or even M9 if you can find room for a spare midfield premium. His price is plunging after rolling his ankle early in his return game from a hamstring injury. Remember this is the same player who scored 152 points from 36 disposals and three goals against Essendon earlier in the season.
ERROL GULDEN $560,600 MID
Just over 4500 coaches pulled off one of the trades of the season when they brought in Gulden just before he ran riot against Geelong. That resulted in a $25k price jump, but he’s still very affordable before facing the Crows with a 41 Break Even. Gulden was incredible on Sunday with 37 disposals (25 kicks), eight marks, five tackles, a goal and 158 points. The Cats midfield has given up some big scores this year, but that’s two big games in a row for Errol – can he match Serong, Butters and Co over the last 11 rounds? It would be a lot of fun finding out.
JY SIMPKIN $361,900 FWD/MID
One for the bargain hunters. The Kangaroos captain hadn’t scored a SuperCoach ton all year until Saturday’s breakthrough win against the Eagles. But he stood tall in Perth with 28 disposals, seven tackles and two goals to finish with 129 points. That included a boost from a vital late goal but his CBAs were the highest for the season (65 per cent) and after shedding $100k over the first 12 rounds, you can swap Darcy Wilson to him now and have $7k left over. Simpkin has averaged 90-plus in three seasons, but the most recent was 2022, and he was averaging 58 this year before Saturday’s heroics.
DAYNE ZORKO $593,700 MID/FWD
Sometimes waiting on a high Break Even is the smart play, and Zorko is a case in point. He fell 20 short of his BE against the Bulldogs, resulting in a price drop of around $16,000. His BE is even higher this week (187), but that number might be irrelevant against a St Kilda side that just gave up two 150-plus scores to half-backs (Sam Flanders and Bodhi Uwland), continuing a trend we’ve seen all season against Ross Lyon’s men. Zorko loves feasting on an easy kill and it would be risky to go into Friday night’s Gabba encounter without him.
ZAC FISHER $520,800 DEF/FWD
Fisher’s price has soared to above $500k but he is still a great buy for coaches who haven’t trusted him until now. There can’t be many non-believers left after another big score – 120 points from 36 disposals (including 10 kick-ins) in the Kangaroos’ first win of the year. With an average of 122 over his past four games, he’s having a decent crack at chasing down Isaac Heeney, Sam Flanders and Zorko as the year’s topscoring forwards. One possible concern was a report of a leg problem after the Eagles win, but ace Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph says we shouldn’t worry.
More Coverage
Just a cramp for Fisher for all those SuperCoach fans https://t.co/D2DGZ6jIrp
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) June 8, 2024
Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2024 round 14 trade guide: Top targets, who to trade out this week
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