There are lots of things that are different about this 2020 season, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of good Supercoach rookies. With bye rounds fast approaching, this is your opportunity to make up some big ground by trading wisely, and that includes having (and trading) the right cash cows in your team. Here’s a recap of the Round 8 rookie performances.
DEFENDERS
| Player | Club | Price | Score (avg) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben MCKAY | NTH | $191 000 (+$42K) | 70 (78) | -42 |
| Andrew MCPHERSON | ADE | $212 900 (+$55K) | 90 (73) | -15 |
| Ryley STODDART | SYD | $138 700 (n/a) | DNP (42) | -1 |
| Tobe WATSON | FRE | $123 900 | 49 (49) | 2 |
| Matthew LING | SYD | $123 900 | 47 (47) | 4 |
| Derek EGGMOLESSE-SMITH | RIC | $283 000 (+$36K) | 45 (76) | 5 |
| Will DAY | HAW | $238 600 (+$45K) | 63 (72) | 18 |
| Will HAMILL | ADE | $216 500 (+$30K) | 96 (49) | 20 |
| Stephen HILL (FWD) | FRE | $266 400 (n/a) | DNP (64) | 30 |
| Lachlan ASH (MID) | GWS | $262 800 (+$19K) | 47 (52) | 41 |
| Brandon STARCEVICH (MID) | BRL | $247 000 (-$11K) | 48 (56) | 49 |
| Fischer MCASEY | ADE | $199 500 (-$7K) | 31 (38) | 58 |
| Tom WILLIAMSON | CAR | $229 800 (-$12K) | 28 (51) | 66 |
| Hayden YOUNG | FRE | $273 700 (n/a) | DNP (52) | 95 |
CHEERS: Every challenge brings an opportunity, and a hamstring injury to the Crows skipper gave Hamill and McPherson theirs. Both Adelaide defensive rooks were terrific in Doedee’s absence, gathering 17 and 19 possessions respectively, and very nearly pushing their side to its maiden season victory. McKay was again a solid pillar in the Roos’ backline (5 intercepts, 4 one percenters), and is still available at a decent price if you’re not convinced by the cheaper options.
JEERS: Williamson was a decent mature-age option, but failure to reach 50 in his past three games means he has now officially hit that infamous “rookie wall”. Time to move him on. Eggmolesse-Smith snapped back to reality a week after his maiden ton, registering just 10 touches against the Giants.
TRADE TARGETS: Ling and Watson made their respective debuts in Round 8, and each produced a solid performance. Bear in mind though that Watson only played due to a late change and Sydney seem to be cycling through their rookies as part of a re-build, so job security will be an issue for both. Both are worth considering for a downgrade option this week – just temper your expectations.
MIDFIELDERS
| Player | Club | Price | Score (avg) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell HIBBERD | ESS | $219 100 (+$43K) | 84 (60) | 4 |
| Marlion PICKETT | RIC | $290 000 (+$34K) | 60 (68) | 8 |
| Chad WARNER | SYD | $125 700 (n/a) | DNP (34) | 8 |
| Caleb SERONG | FRE | $283 700 (+$37K) | 118 (71) | 10 |
| Callum PORTER | WBD | $123 900 | 39 (39) | 12 |
| Harley BENNELL | MEL | $215 700 (+$22K) | 42 (56) | 17 |
| Sam SIMPSON | GEE | $242 400 (+$57K) | 49 (80) | 18 |
| Kyron HAYDEN | NTH | $232 800 (+$13K) | 107 (51) | 25 |
| Ned MCHENRY | ADE | $191 500 (n/a) | DNP (38) | 26 |
| Ryan BYRNES | STK | $117 300 | DNP (22) | 26 |
| Jye CALDWELL | GWS | $274 900 (+$20K) | 62 (68) | 33 |
| Dylan STEPHENS | SYD | $208 000 (+$11K) | 46 (47) | 34 |
| Noah ANDERSON | GCS | $332 400 (+$7K) | 63 (67) | 43 |
| Brayden AINSWORTH | WCE | $219 000 (+$1K) | 21 (44) | 59 |
CHEERS: Abysmal conditions at Optus saw Freo only manage two goals for the entire game, but one of those went to pick 8 Serong, who finally managed to get a decent slice of TOG and reaped the rewards. 22 possessions and 7 tackles earned the Dockers tyro a Rising Star nom this week (and a good reminder not to leave him on the bench!). Hayden bounced back from a shocking collision last week to post a ton of his own, gathering most of his 12 possessions (8 contested) on the halfback line. Finally, Hibberd really seems to be warming to his role in the Bombers midfield, notching an impressive 9 tackles to go with 8 contested possessions.
JEERS: It’s great to see him back consistently playing but Bennell was a little short of what his owners would’ve been hoping for, recording only 11 disposals at 64% efficiency. Missing an absolute soda from 20 metres out didn’t help matters either! Simpson was the other letdown from the week, although trying to play footy in a swimming pool probably made things a bit more difficult for him.
RUCKS
| Player | Club | Price | Score (avg) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tristan XERRI (FWD) | NTH | $144 800 (n/a) | DNP (48) | -10 |
| Keegan BROOKSBY | HAW | $117 300 | 55 (55) | -7 |
| Darcy CAMERON (FWD) | COL | $194 100 (+$46K) | 92 (64) | -4 |
| Luke JACKSON | MEL | $227 900 (+$17K) | 56 (55) | 1 |
| Archie SMITH | BRL | $185 600 (-$1K) | 24 (37) | 38 |
Nice performance from Cameron in what was otherwise an absolute stinker from the Collingwood Generals. 8 possessions (all contested) and two goals should buy the big man some time in the Pies forward line, and potentially make him very useful bench cover through the next few weeks. Brooksby was OK in his first game for the Hawks (5 touches, 10 hitouts), but unfortunately I’m finding it very difficult to recommend anything or anyone from Hawthorn at the moment.
FORWARDS
| Player | Club | Price | Score (avg) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell GEORGIADES | PTA | $179 500 (+$49K) | 86 (82) | -57 |
| Bradley CLOSE (MID) | GEE | $109 900 | 74 (74) | -28 |
| Darren MINCHINGTON | HAW | $141 500 (+$24K) | 41 (52) | -18 |
| Shane MCADAM | ADE | $209 300 (+$23K) | 68 (51) | -15 |
| Elijah TAYLOR (MID) | SYD | $137 500 (+$20K) | 60 (47) | -12 |
| Izak RANKINE | GCS | $263 300 (+$67K) | 56 (90) | -1 |
| Ned CAHILL (MID) | ESS | $130 800 (+$14K) | 44 (40) | -1 |
| James BELL (MID) | SYD | $129 500 | 54 (54) | -1 |
| Tyson STENGLE | ADE | $212 100 (+$11K) | 83 (50) | 7 |
| Minairo FREDERICK | FRE | $122 900 (+$6K) | 14 (31) | 12 |
| Jake AARTS | RIC | $187 700 (+$9K) | 46 (51) | 13 |
| Cody WEIGHTMAN | WBD | $152 000 (+$8K) | 14 (39) | 14 |
| Josh MORRIS | HAW | $131 000 (+$6K) | 22 (29) | 16 |
| Jack MAHONY (MID) | NTH | $192 000 (+$10K) | 51 (46) | 29 |
| Connor BUDARICK (MID) | GCS | $231 700 (+$9K) | 59 (52) | 38 |
| Atu BOSENVULAGI | COL | $146 000 (+$7K) | 12 (33) | 44 |
| Thomas BERRY | BRL | $195 700 (-$14K) | 29 (44) | 46 |
| Curtis TAYLOR | NTH | $268 300 (-$20K) | 37 (61) | 47 |
| Callum MOORE | CAR | $186 800 | 19 (19) | 59 |
| Max KING | STK | $283 400 (-$1K) | 52 (58) | 62 |
| Kysaiah KROPINYERI-PICKETT | MEL | $233 000 (+$4K) | 22 (48) | 65 |
| Laitham VANDERMEER (MID) | WBD | $296 600 (-$6K) | 30 (60) | 78 |
| Mitch HANNAN | MEL | $315 800 (+$8K) | 23 (66) | 80 |
CHEERS: Georgiades came in for the injured Motlop and did exceptionally well with limited opportunities, recording 7 possessions at 100% efficiency and a goal. With Todd Marshall requiring surgery to a broken hand, there’s a fair to good chance Mitch gets a decent run in the Power forward line now, so he’s still worth considering even at a slightly elevated price tag. Stengle had by far his best game for the Crows so far, getting up the ground and providing some valuable link play among his 18 disposals.
JEERS: It was mostly a rough weekend for the forward rooks, with plenty of gross scores amongst them. Curtis Taylor struggled in the wet conditions and dropped cash, as did popular cows King and Vandermeer. All three are ready to be culled from your team when you’re willing to do so.
TRADE TARGETS: Close joined the “first kick, first goal” club within the first minute of his AFL career. He followed it up with 14 possessions, 4 tackles and six score involvements. With the added bonus of DPP status you can expect him to be the most traded-in player this week. Elijah Taylor and Bell were both active while playing similar roles in the victorious Swans’ forward line. While both come with DPP status, they’ll be playing forward pocket most of the time and will experience the scoring fluctuations that come with that particular part of the field.
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Thanks for the review Chillo!
I think this is going to be a vital segment over the next few weeks as there won’t be enough time to watch all the games, what with having a job and all…
The new job benefit instead of the company car……working from home….
Thanks Chillo
Comprehensive as always
The quality of articles is elevating many SCT coaches through the rankings .
I think close and Macpherson will be my trade targets this week
Is GEORGIADES worth the trade at his price tag or McPherson a better option?
Tu- Georgie
Rd- McPherson
Comment: one of the above and Close (Geel)
My fears;
Georgie – remember Rozee
McPherson – Doedee (test) McKay and Hamill (refer above)
I have Close, (pre-season loophole)
Appreciate the article mate! Looking for the most solid King downgrade this week.
TU- Close
TD- Georgiades
Big difference in price here, but the rookie I choose will probably have to be on field. Any opinions? what would the difference in Job Security be between the two?
Close kind of came out of nowhere to join the Cats team so initially questioned his JS. But considering his solid performance and the absence of Dahlhaus and Ablett as small fwd’s he might just have snuck himself in at the right time.
Cheers Fono, I’ve got a bit of time to decide. If he’s named I might just give him a run!
Thoughts please,
Will Noble get selected,
Tu Yes
Td No
Really need some advice with the byes coming up next round. I’m going to have 3 donuts next week in defence and dont currently have any bench cover.
Need to move on Vandermeer and probably both McInerney and Green. Leaves me with about 950k.
Tossing between McPherson/McKay and Georgiades/Close for my 2 downgrades. And then would love to upgrade to Satan Oliver with my third trade. Unfortunately I cant get both McPherson and Georgiades along with Oliver. What would you guys suggest I do?
Could go McPherson/Close/Oliver, McKay/Georgiades/Oliver, McPherson/Georgiades/Premo under 590k. Or I could cop the 3 donuts and grab Georgiades/Close/Oliver and bank about 80k.
Please help!
I have almost the same issue Hazza, except i’m going Zerrett.
Will he get Steele and De Boer in the next 4 matches? Or will they go to McGrath instead?
Isn’t Shiel back???
Oh good point. Forgot about him
…..and Hill (fre)
Tu Yes
Td No
TU – T. Watson
TD – J. Bell
Looking to downgrade a defender this week, tough call in who to cull.
TU: Noble
TD: Hill
TU/ Macpherson
TD/ McKay
comment ling and cash