Rookie Review – Round 10

Rookie Review – Round 10

Welcome to Round 10, where the rookie cupboard is not just bare, someone has taken the shelves as well.

At this stage of the season, rookie management becomes absolutely critical. Early in the year, rookies are mainly about cash generation. The goal is simple: turn cheap players into enough money that by the middle of the season you can start upgrading to premiums and eventually build that glorious full premium side we all dream about.

Now we’ve reached the part of the season where we open the rookie list, stare at it for 15 minutes, and convince ourselves that a bloke averaging 28 might actually be “a solid option.”

That is where we are.

There are not many genuine downgrade targets available this week, which means coaches may need to be a little less picky than usual. Sometimes it is not about finding the perfect rookie, it is about finding someone with a pulse, a negative break even, and hopefully a team sheet next Thursday.

Players who have only played one game haven’t been included. We want at least two games before making a decision.

BUY (Ranked)

Nik Cox
Nik Cox is one of the best buy options this week and probably the closest thing we have to a “safe” rookie.

He played 20 games back in 2021 at an average of 57, including four scores in the 90s, so we know the scoring ability is there. He was in and out of the side through 2022 and 2023, but in 2024 he played 20 games and was clearly part of Essendon’s best 22, averaging 50 despite four sub-affected games.

He has had a horror run with concussion symptoms, but after a full pre-season he now looks fit, healthy and has played two games to get back on the bubble. He is MID only, which is annoying because everyone’s midfield already looks like a traffic jam, but the heavy discounted price makes him a very strong option.

Highly recommend.

Liam Henry
He has been around for a while but is still only 24 years old. He had four seasons at Fremantle, and in 2023 played 16 games averaging 72 with two tons. He then moved to St Kilda and had two injury-interrupted seasons, playing 18 games and averaging 62 in 2024.

The talent is clearly there.

The concern is job security. Jack Higgins is likely back this week from concussion, Dan Butler is expected back in a few weeks from his hamstring injury, and Liam Ryan is also due back soon. That puts some real pressure on Henry’s place.

If he is named, he should be fine short term and the scoring upside is much better than most rookie options.

Recommend. Good BE and has some talent.

Latrelle Pickett
Pickett is one of the better options if you are chasing job security.

He has played every game this year for Melbourne, which is a huge positive. He looks lively and I think most coaches are still waiting for that true breakout game where he gets on the end of a few goals and really spikes a score.

He has had frustrating scores of 13 and 16 from full games earlier in the season, which is why his price has barely moved, only about $24,500 all year. Still, there have been much better signs recently with scores of 46 and 50 in his last two.

With a BE of just 12, one strong game could start some very useful price rises. Probably one i’m considering this week.

Seems to have good JS and a spike score looks just around the corner.

Paddy Cross
He is a medium forward who won the Casey Demons Rising Star for 2025 (yes, I had to Google that too) and started at just $99,100.

He has already had one price rise and now comes off a very nice 72 last week after kicking three goals.

That score should give him another strong price rise if he can hold his spot.

He played Round 3, then returned for Rounds 8 and 9, so the question is selection security. With Brody Mihocek out for at least another four weeks, there is a real chance he keeps his place.

At that price, if he gets named, seriously consider.

Jack Watkins
Jack Watkins has been in and out of Port Adelaide’s team more times than most of us have changed our captain choice on a Sunday morning.

He was dropped for Round 6 and came back in Round 7, then dropped again for Round 8 and back again last week. Anyone who started with him would have been pretty happy with the first three weeks where he averaged 63.

Most people though, like me, bought him after Round 2, only to be greeted with scores of 7 and 17 before he was promptly dropped. A true SuperCoach love story.

His 56 last week does restart the cash generation a little, and if you think he can hold his place for a few more weeks, he is not a bad pick, especially with the MID/FWD DPP.

Most of us have been there, done that, and probably sworn never again, but with the lack of options this week, he actually is not a bad shout.

Thomas Burton
Burton played his third game last week and only scored 32, which cooled some of the excitement and probably caused at least three rage trades.

That said, he started at just $99k and is still only $132,700, so there is still value there if he holds his place. He remains a buy if named this week because at that price he does not need much to work.

At this point, if you missed him and went with Sam Cumming last week, if Burton is named this week you can swing back and have another look.

If you missed him last week, you could still consider. I prefer Nik Cox ahead of him.

Darragh Joyce
Joyce is much more of a risky buy.

He spent six years at St Kilda and only managed around 10 senior games before being picked up by Brisbane during the 2023 pre-season supplementary period. Since then he has played 11 games, but none during 2025 until now.

He has played two games this season because of injuries to Brisbane’s taller defenders, but the concern is how long that lasts. Once Noah Answerth and Ty Gallop clear concussion protocols and Brisbane regain more defensive stability, it is hard to see Joyce holding his spot long term. Also, Darcy gardiner is only a week or two away from recovering from his injury, so it doesn’t look good for Joyce’s job security.

Basically, he is the SuperCoach version of renting furniture. Useful now, but you probably should not get too attached.

Has a great BE, but his JS is poor. I’ll be surprised if he gets named this week.

William Edwards
William Edwards has now played three games and already had a price rise.

The positive is that he should hold his place for at least another couple of weeks while Tom McCartin recovers from his knee ligament sprain, which gives coaches a short-term cash generation window.

The big North Shore Bomber goes alright and maybe the swan’s selectors like what they see.

Toby Murray
Toby has gone from strength to strength the last two weeks. Started round 1 and managed less than 35% TOG and scored 12, then disappeared. Has come back in a big way with scores of 40, 72 and 73 in the last 3 rounds. This gives him a BE of -32 and the ability to add $50k to $100k cash to his price.

Is listed as a forward only, but seems to have decent JS, especially after the Adelaide selectors saw ROB play in round 4.

I probably wouldn’t go there at his price.

RISKY BUY

 

Lachlan Smith
Lachlan Smith is definitely in the risky category.

He only had 44% time on ground, and with Tim English returning he is really just a backup to the backup ruck option.

Tim English looks set to miss this week with concussion, great for Smith to show what he can do.

He is cheap and there is still money to be made. But being RUC only makes him much harder to fit into most teams.

Will Lewis
Will keeps getting a game, and with Darcy out for the season there is a spot for him in the Bulldogs forward line.

Scores of 55 and then 76 last week has all of a sudden made us have a look at him. BE at -22 and his JS looking better than ok, worth considering at an elevated price.

Probably too expensive for me now.

Billy Cootee
Billy Cootee played his third game and kicked a goal to score 53, which at least keeps him relevant.

The concern is Sydney’s depth. Players like Corey Warner and Caiden Cleary will be pushing hard for selection, so Cootee probably needs to keep performing to hold his place.

He may have done enough to earn a few more games, but it still feels uncertain.

Like a lot of these options, he is MID only, which makes structure difficult.

Liam O’Connell
He played eight games last year at an average of just 36, which does not exactly scream SuperCoach excitement. He is now priced at $173,900, which makes things awkward because you are paying more without getting strong scoring confidence.

The job security is not great either, and that is usually the killer with these types of players.

At basement price you can forgive a lot. At nearly $175k, not so much.

Probably too expensive for me now.

Oliver Hannaford
He has now played five games, so the job security is actually reasonably okay compared to a lot of the other cheap rookies, but the problem is the scoring. He has only averaged 28, which makes it hard to get excited.

He did manage a 63 against Richmond back in Round 5, which at least showed there is some upside there.

The big positive is the MID/FWD dual position status, which can be very handy for team structure.

Sometimes DPP is enough to make a rookie relevant. If he gets dropped, at least he gives us some flexibility.

HOLD

These are the players that can usually wait another week. Some still have a little cash to make, some are still playable on field, and some are simply not urgent enough to burn a trade on right now.

SELL

All rookies must go eventually.

No matter how much we love them, Rookies are not forever. They are here to make cash, help us survive the early rounds, and then politely leave so a premium can move in.

The basic sell theory is simple, once a player’s break even gets close to, or above, their average, it is usually time to move them on.

That normally means the best part of their cash generation is done. Holding too long often means you miss the best cash-out point and suddenly your “one more week” turns into three weeks of sadness and a price drop.

Tom Blamires is a good example. He got a late call-up two weeks ago, which helped owners, but it also creates some job security doubt. He has made very good money for us, but once role uncertainty appears and the BE rises, that is usually the sign.

Farrow, Grlj and Jai Serong are probably the clearest sells this week. Their job security still looks fine, but the cash generation has slowed right down and they have likely reached their peak. All three are around that $300k mark, which makes them perfect one-up, one-down trade targets.

Jack Carroll and Lachlan McAndrew are also sitting in that awkward zone where they are still useful players, but the numbers say the upgrade window is opening.

And of course, there is the universal SuperCoach law:

The second you trade a rookie out, they immediately score 100. It is science.

I sold Jagga Smith two weeks ago and Milan Murdock last week… and naturally they salute me with 104 and 93 this week.

You just sit there, question every life decision, and then remember, its only a game.

 

thanks fellas