Most Traded R2

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Looking to the past I think I used to enjoy the challenge of having twenty trades back in the day, to last a season. There was a saying back then, “Trades are Gold” and you really had to strategise well to use them where and when they were needed. Sometimes your choices were the difference between the team ranking high or crashing and burning. Often, most coaches were tradeless even before SC finals and those that shared the Trades are Gold mantra, did better in the final analysis.

That may be a bit tongue in cheek, but given we now have forty trades, coaches are not worrying about burning trades early and getting rid of non performers, albeit after two rounds of SC, or swapping rookies for the best cash cows. Seemingly, everyone has similar intel and it is being used similarly given the number of trades pertaining to certain players this week alone. Notwithstanding, there are multiple injuries to deal with and our thinking is mostly that we must stay up with the pack and correct them immediately, and rightly so. However this does impact our choices of catching the good rookie on the bubble, or cash cow coming off a bye, and interferes with our “rigidly” structured upgrade plans from pre season, so let’s see what the tends are this week.

MOST TRADED OUT

Obviously, the Port skipper has to go after news of months on the sideline. This is a blow to the tens of thousands who planned on having him as a keeper, but alas to date has exited more than 72K teams. The majority of these trades were used on upgrades to payers like Houston, Worrell, Xerri, Ash and Holmes.

Tracca has been demoted from 63k teams, mostly in favour of rookies (mainly Cook and Watkins) probably due to the fact we can’t see any viable forwards at this point. With a bye and a break, he may not be a priority if you have the others on the injury list. Playing the long game could be a strategy given you are going to want him back at some stage, guaranteed. Some coaches are in this boat as his ownership is still over 40K.

Bomber rookie Dyson Sharp is third on the list with 25k trades. I can see it as he’s been underwhelming in two attempts, and does have a low 14 in his cycle. However he has a BE of 15 and if he plays, will make a bit of coin, and if he does not then you have an extra week to plan and decide a move. He’s on my bench and I think he stays there this week.

Those that hung onto Hayden Young hoping for one week are obviously disappointed and a lot are now dumping him after the new three week news regarding his absence. The question now is more about trust. I think we all hoped he would be our Mid Price saviour given his heroics of past days, but soft tissue seems to be more of a thing now. At this stage 36k coaches have not yet reached that point as he is being retained in those teams. My take, he went after R1 as I chose to err on the side of caution given his injury history. For those hanging on, I don’t think it will be a good move in the long run.

Those like me, who chose to retain Errol Gulden for the extra week into his bye, are slowly moving him on, as they need to, but i suspect those numbers are not high due to his bye this week, and I’m sure they will increase next round. There are still more than 8k coaches in this category.

Tom De Koning has not been the big winner of the new ruck rules as expected. Attach that to a Rohan Marshall share role, a price drop already, a BE of 150, and never having scored over 79 against Brisbane in the past four years is probably justification for the move, especially if it gets you to a Xerri on top. 19k coaches still have him and this may be because they also have the injury listed players to prioritise. Likely to drop around another $15-20k but if you have to hang tight then saddle up.

The two less than successful Mid Pricers on the list, Caleb Windsor and Lachie Blakiston, are slowly being culled which I don’t mind if you have the room. We all punt on some of these bloke and they don’t always hit. Blakiston against Xerri could well be a factor this week. Windsor has the role but has not been able to gather the pill at will since the AAMI and others are emerging, so if he’s a way to a missed Bruhn, Robertson or Cook type it will probably work. Personally I have to hold, unfortunately, as dealing with Tracca, Gulden and Rozee has to be more of a priority. He is not likey to lose money, but he is likely to drop out of the best 18.

As for the two rookies on the list, unless you missed the big cash cow potential, I would be saving the trades. Lombard with a BE of only 13 has the power and skillset to grab a spike game and get the cash flowing, and Josh Lindsay will definitely come back into the Weagles side and he will score well when he does.

MOST TRADED IN

Dan Houston has found his way into a bunch of teams coming off his bye. I don’t trust him, but that could be more about my Crows bias against him for past digressions. Don’t let that be a factor for you, as it seems like he is settling into his role and the Pies are content to give him the ball and let him take all the kickins. At the price, a pretty sound investment.

Seems like there are plenty of Indian Givers out there in SC land. Thousands gave away Tristian Xerri and now they want him back! Is it just because he scored 199? Not really. He has shown that the ruck rules are only slowing him marginally at centre bounces, but at stoppages he is dominating. Last week included 17 HTA from stoppages equating to the odd 85 points in this area alone. Tack on his tackle pressure and the points keep flowing. If you can afford it, go for it, I probably will.

The other two form defenders in Josh Worrell and Lachie Ash are moving into teams at a rate of knots. If you are replacing Rozee why not? I would push more for Worrell, although I can’t get him, as he is going to be more of a POD at 7.5% ownership and does not have a bye next week. He is turning into a very handy footballer as well. As for Ash, he is also a bit of a POD at 12.6% ownership but he will cost you nearly $100k more and has a bye next week which is not ideal especially if you have the Saint’s defenders as well. I would not normally pick up a player for only one week before his bye anyway.

Another big mover this week is Max Holmes. A pretty decent choice at $600k coming off the bye and playing at home against a depleted Crows outfit that haven’t won down there in twenty three years. There is a lot of agreement that the new rules will suit his style of run and carry much more than a lot of others, and there will not be much in the Crows engine room to slow him down. His ownership has jumped over 5% this week but he still maintains POD status at around 9% ownership. Big questions is, do we want a POD or do we play the FOMO game and go with Naicos who is over 60% owned?

A big score always brings about trade increases, and Shai Bolton is further evidence of this. A lazy 142 last week and boom, he jumps into nearly 8k teams. Coaches, I know the talent in the forward line is thin but what have I missed this year that is different? Coaches leapt on in droves half way through last season after a big hit and found themselves lamenting a lousy three tons and seven scores under eighty. Do we really want to be fooled more than twice? If you are happy with a roller coaster ride, then by all means stick fat.

As for the rookies, they are ultimately your choice based on who you got early and who you missed. I think they are all good selections depending on your team structure. Cook comes into the forwards because of a lack of options. I believe people are banking the cash here, using the useful DPP and waiting for something to happen down the track. Milan Murdock does not have to come in this week unless you have a specific plan and you already have the other cash cow rookies. You could wait and see how long the hammy will be. Whatever, just do not miss him.

Early thoughts for me, Rozee, Gulden and Tracca for Holmes, Xerri and Cook leaving me with early season spuds like Windsor, Rivers and TMac to fester on, but with a couple hundred grand in the bank.

Thanks for reading, chuck your comment in the section below and let start some robust discussion.