Trade guide: Assessing the most traded in/out players

• DATA ANALYSIS: Pain and gain points, SuperCoach Round 3
• CAPTAIN’S CORNER: Round 3 skippers to target and avoid

We are now two rounds in to the 2022 KFC SuperCoach AFL season and coaches are facing make-or-break decisions ahead of the first round of player price changes.

Sports journalist and SuperCoach expert Dylan Bolch will run his eye over the top trade targets each round and summarise which players are really worth trading in, and which are really worth trading out. 

He will give a quick take each week on the ten most traded in players and the ten most traded out as per the official SuperCoach site. 

Here’s his analysis ahead of Round 3:

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TRADED IN

1.     Patrick Cripps ($454,800 MID) – The Carlton skipper looks to be back to his best and has well and truly been revitalised under the reign of new coach Michael Voss. 

Cripps has posted scores of 132 and 162 over the first fortnight and seems to have confidence in his body once more. He has amassed 65 disposals in this time frame and kicked five goals, but perhaps another reason as to why his scores have increased again is the fact he is kicking more. 

Averaging a career-high 15.5 kicks per game, Cripps is no longer just flicking the handball to outside runners, he is taking on those tough kicks himself. A juicy price-point if he can continue this run of form, but will he be a top eight midfielder come season’s end? 

Don’t throw your structure out for him, but if there is a way to get Crippa without destroying your side, certainly consider it.

2.     Isaac Heeney ($454,500 FWD) – SuperCoaches have been waiting for Heeney to do this for a while now, is this the year? He has played majority forward over the first fortnight but is still spending some time on ball (47% CBAS Round 1, 19% in Round 2). 

Two 140+ scores are as good as it get, and he has found a way to combine ball winning (averaging 23 disposals) and goals (leading the Coleman Medal) in 2022. Can he keep it up? I don’t think he is a must have, but if you are looking for a forward he certainly isn’t a bad option and should be around the mark of a top eight averaging forward again in 2022. 

3.     George Hewett ($399,000 DEF/MID) – Those who took a punt on Hewett with their starting side have been rewarded with scores of 131 and 117 so far this year. 

Hewett’s ability to run both ways has coach Voss salivating and Hewett looms as a key cog to the Blues midfield this year. After attending 76% of centre bounces in Round 1, Hewett’s number rose to a team-high 88% in Round 2, even with the inclusion of Sam Walsh. 

We are yet to see a fully fit Blues midfield in 2022 but the numbers are there, and it feels safe to say he will continue to attend 70-80% of centre bounces as the season goes on. Unsure if he will be a top eight defender from a SuperCoach perspective, but he is a nice mid-priced option right now. 

4.     Jake Bowey ($256,600 DEF) – Bowey is another alternative to Hewett if you are looking to fix up Heath Chapman. The former Highett junior looks set to benefit from Christian Salem’s injury, who is set for approximately six weeks on the sidelines. 

Bowey was fantastic against the Suns last weekend, racking up 34 disposals which resulted in a SuperCoach score of 151 points. Don’t expect this from him every weekend, but that score in his price cycle alone will see him skyrocket in price, which is exactly what we are looking for in a player this cheap. 

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5.     Tristan Xerri ($208,200 FWD) – Xerri has a breakeven of -77 which makes him a fantastic option this week. There was a bit of chatter about Xerri in the preseason amongst the SuperCoach community and that chatter has now grown into a loud buzz. 

Whilst the average of 100 SuperCoach points has been superb, the most pleasing thing is that he is indeed splitting ruck time with veteran Todd Goldstein. 

Xerri’s centre bounce numbers have hovered at approximately 55% so far and given this, he is likely to gain dual-position status ahead of Round 6 which would mean we can swing him into our ruck line if need be. Get him in. 

6.     Luke Jackson ($389,900 RUC/FWD) – I’m not sold on Jackson yet. He has looked pretty solid in his two outings so far, but I think Gawn is still the big dog at Melbourne. 

Jackson attended just 21% of centre bounces in Round 1 and only 38% in Round 2 and personally I think this number increased because Melbourne knew they had Gold Coast’s measure and therefore Gawn was not required as much in the middle. 

I think I would rather pay up for a guy who is $450k and more proven or seek more value in a guy sub $300k. 

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7.     Lachie Neale ($543,200 MID) – He is well and truly back. Absolute must-have and you really should do everything in your power to get him in. I’m not exactly sure why Ben Rutten didn’t tag him after he went absolutely bananas against the Bombers scoring 198 SuperCoach points in a three-vote performance. 

I could rattle off his stats now, but I think it’s better to keep this one short and sharp, just make sure he is in your team.

8.     Aaron Hall ($572,900 DEF) – Lots of SuperCoachers were deterred from Hall as a starting pick after he picked up a hamstring injury late in the preseason and so was I. However, when fit, he is one of the best defenders available as he gets so many cheap possessions. 

The former Sun scored over 100 in 16 matches last season and I expect him to continue to score in this manner given his role is the same. He also seems to have first dibs on the Roos kickouts which is great news for SuperCoach. In less than 3% of sides, Hall could be a way to fast-track your rankings climb. 

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9.     Dylan Stephens ($167,800 MID) – Stephens is the only rookie priced player on the ‘traded in’ list, which hopefully means the community has got most of their rookies right. Stephens has taken up a role on the wing for the Swans and has looked comfortable in that role. 

The Swan has averaged 18.5 disposals and seven marks per match this year and is a solid rookie option for us. Use a corrective trade if required to bring him in.  

10.  Andrew Brayshaw ($584,300 MID) – Brayshaw has started like a house on fire and with Fremantle missing players such as Nat Fyfe for another month or so, he looks like he can continue to score well as Freo’s main man. 

He ranks second for SuperCoach points to this point in the season so far, but I still see some issues with him as a potential top eight midfielder by the end of the year. He is still susceptible to a tag and for me that’s enough to leave him out of my side. 

A super footballer, but definitely an upgrade target and not a corrective trade (unless trading an injured player). 

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TRADED OUT

1.     Lachie Whitfield ($502,600 DEF/MID) – I get burnt by Whitfield every year so stayed well clear of the Giant over preseason. He has spent time in defence, on a wing and at half forward already this season and that unreliability is partly why I have left him out in the first place. 

There is a committee of players taking kickouts at GWS too, so he isn’t getting cheap points like other defenders are there either. If you can find the cash to upgrade him to Hall, I would probably pull the trigger. 

2.     Dustin Martin ($503,500 MID/FWD) – It’s so hard to know what to do with Dusty, but I think the uncertainty of the situation makes him a trade. Martin has taken time away from footy to deal with personal matters and no timeline has been placed on his return. 

An absolute champion of the game and a solid SuperCoach pick when playing, but it is probably best to use a trade to bring in another player ahead of Round 3.

3.     Max Gawn ($657,400 RUC) – Personally I think holding Gawn is the best move. No ruckman is averaging over 112.5 SuperCoach points currently, so it isn’t as though you are really missing out on someone. 

Gawn’s scores have been heavily impacted by clangers (ranked 2^nd in competition) so far this year so should he tidy that up, I think his scores will reach their expected uber premium level once more. 

There is an argument to trade Gawn out and utilise dual-position players to get another premium in, but I think I would rather keep Gawn than try to get him back in down the track. 

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4.     Mitch McGovern ($256,000 FWD) – It hurts me to write this. I was so big on ‘Gov’ in the preseason, and I am still hopeful he can be a solid mid-priced selection but I think it is time to part ways with the tall Blue. 

The issue with his scoring on Thursday against the Dogs was that Oscar McDonald left the match early with an injury and Gov was thrust into a lockdown role rather than playing as a pure interceptor. 

I think Lewis Young will debut this weekend which will free up Gov again but unfortunately a corrective trade should be used to jump on someone else. There are too many other guys set to rise in price faster in that $200-300k bracket. 

5.     Jack Steele ($685,800 MID) – This one screams points chasing to me. Steele has had a lowkey start to the season so far with scores of just 87 and 111 but I am confident he can turn it around and get back to scoring at an uber premium level. 

We always run out of SuperCoach trades throughout the season and I’m just not sure that wasting one on Steele is a great idea. Hold. 

6.     Jarrod Berry ($268,500 MID) – I think there isn’t really a right or wrong answer as to whether you part ways with Berry. I certainly wouldn’t bring him in if you don’t own, but I don’t think he has to be traded if you do. 

He has had two underwhelming scores of 67 and 76 and Chris Fagan deployed him in a tagging role against the Bombers which wasn’t ideal. Can you get him up to Cripps easily? Completely team structure dependent this one, personally I am probably holding though. 

7.     Josh Ward ($180,300 MID) – Ward has started slowly from a SuperCoach perspective, but he has done some nice things for the Hawks over the first two rounds. 

Ward has attended 48% of centre bounces and won 16.5 possessions a match in his first two games of AFL. His gut-running ability has seen him do damage on the inside and outside for Hawthorn and I expect his scoring to increase over time. Hold unless you absolutely need to trade. 

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8.     Cam Rayner ($278,600 FWD) – Personally I would trade Rayner. He has only attended approximately a third of centre bounces this year and I’m not convinced he will become a reliable scorer any time soon. 

It’s a classic case of pre-season fever for mine (unfortunately bicep pics on Instagram don’t equal SC points!). With scores of 50 and 48 in the first two rounds, Rayner can be easily traded to another sub 300k player who is set to soar in value. 

9.     Kaine Baldwin ($123,900 FWD) – I was surprised the highly touted youngster only played one game before being omitted. Whilst he did look like he struggled against the Cats in Round 1, it wasn’t as though he was the only player to look out of place. 

Personally I’m not sold on Aaron Francis as a forward but with Harry Jones not too far away either, Baldwin might find it hard to get back into the Dons lineup. 

There’s a bunch of rookie options that are must-haves (check out Niko’s article) so if you have to trade Baldwin to get those guys, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. 

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10.  Zach Merrett ($625,700 MID) – Essendon have confirmed that Merrett is set to miss approximately six to eight weeks after suffering a high-grade ankle syndesmosis injury. Unfortunately for those who picked Merrett as a midfield point of difference selection, it is time to part ways. 

The Bomber is the 14^th most expensive player in the game so finding a suitable alternative shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Hopefully this has been beneficial reading for everyone! It can sometimes be hard to know whether to follow the pack or whether to hold firm on your own views and opinions so hopefully this weekly article can help you assess that dilemma each round. 

Let me know what your trade plans are in the comments below or over on Twitter where you can find me @BolchDylan. 

Good luck in Round 3!