Trade guide: Assessing the most traded players, Rd 8

A host of promising rookies have entered discussions this week whilst SuperCoaches will also continue to plan upgrade trades around their bye structure.

Some of our favourite rookies are ready to go whilst popular picks such as the likes of George Hewett and Patrick McCartin could make their returns.

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 is his analysis ahead of Round 8:

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TRADED IN

1.     Greg Clark ($117,300 MID) – Clark was in line for a Round 1 debut before a shoulder injury quelled those dreams earlier in the year. After several solid showings in the WAFL since becoming fit again, Clark made his AFL debut last week against the Tigers scoring a fantastic 104 SuperCoach points. The dilemma here is whether you bring Clark in before he plays his second game, which is generally a big no in SuperCoach. Could he be the exception though?

2.     Luke Parker ($518,800 FWD/MID) – Coaches who brought Parker in last round were handsomely rewarded with a monster score of 150 and price increase of 43.5k. Perhaps one of the most promising things about his performance last week was that he attended the most centre bounces of any Sydney midfielder with a 73% attendance rate. Parker has a breakeven now of just 51, so it is a great time to jump on board the champion Swan. 

3.     Robbie McComb ($102,400 MID) – The mature age Dog struggled to impact the contest in his debut game but was one of the Dogs best against the Bombers last week amassing 21 disposals and two goals. That only resulted in a score of 63 SuperCoach points which is a slight concern given the stats but being just 102k is a juicy proposition. His disposal let him down on occasions last week and impacted his scoring and his job security in the team remains to be seen with the likes of Anthony Scott, Lachie Hunter and Hayden Crozier out of the side at the moment. Seriously consider if he is named on Thursday night though. 

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4.     Patrick Cripps ($526,700 MID) – It’s the same story as last week for Cripps so more or less my advice will be the same. I wasn’t a huge fan of Cripps’ SuperCoach prospects at the start of the year, but the evidence is mounting now. If you take out the injury-affected 38 he scored against the Suns, he is averaging a competition high 138 points per match. He also is playing with confidence in his body, which he hasn’t been doing for the past two seasons. With a breakeven of just 29, Cripps won’t be this cheap again. Jump on board ASAP. 

5.     Touk Miller ($592,100 MID) – Is Touk Miller back? A spectacular first fortnight was followed by a lacklustre month for the Suns leader. But a bounce back monster score of 160 against the Pies was music to the ears of owners. He has had 14 tackles in the past two weeks which is very pleasing given the fortnight before that he did not lay any at all. He has lost 85k from his starting price making him a perfect ‘fallen premium’ target this round. 

6.     Jayden Short ($532,800 DEF) – Another player who fits into the ‘fallen premium’ category. Bar a howler against the Crows, Short has scored over 109 in every other match he has played this year. Interestingly, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick threw Short into the midfield last week to great success. Short’s pace and kicking accuracy were a huge asset for the Tigers so it looks as though that experiment could continue. It’s a great time to pounce on Short this week. 

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7.     Paul Curtis ($117,300 FWD) – North Melbourne coach David Noble loves what Curtis brings to the team, and he has now scored a pair of 58s to begin his AFL career. With North Melbourne looking to play the kids, his job security seems promising, and he should be a nice little money maker on forward benches for SuperCoach. 

8.     Maurice Rioli ($123,900 MID/FWD) – Don’t go early on Rioli. The small forward role is often toxic for SuperCoach scoring and the Tigers have several players still to come back into their side. Three goals and 14 disposals was a great return for Rioli last week but he doesn’t get to play West Coast every round. Plenty of rookie options available, wait to see Rioli’s second game before jumping on. 

9.     Jack Carroll ($123,900 MID) – Carroll was super on debut for the Blues. A score of 95 was a great reward for his 19 disposal, one-goal effort. He also spent majority of his time forward (6% CBA) which bodes well for his job security with the likes of Hewett returning to the midfield. Michael Voss couldn’t have been more pleased with his debut post-match either. One to watch for next week if he does hold his spot. 

10.  Cooper Hamilton ($102,400 MID/FWD) – Burst onto the scene from the clouds and did some nice things in his debut game. 12 disposals, four marks and five tackles is a modest stat line but given his dual-position status and bargain basement price he is worth keeping an eye on as a downgrade option next week. 

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TRADED OUT

1.     Joshua Rachele ($273,300 MID/FWD) – With a breakeven of 78, it seems as though Rachele will drop in price again. He has shown he can score really well on his good days (2x100s) but his bad scores really hurt his SuperCoach (5 x <58). It’s time to move him on for one of the rookies who have just entered the fray.

2.     Jason Horne-Francis ($310,900 MID) – This week’s Rising Star nominee has a breakeven of 58 putting him on the radar as a trade out for SuperCoaches this week. He suffered his first price drop after the Carlton game last week and could be set for another, but one good score would inject a little bit more cash and that is what I am hoping for. 

3.     Nathan O’Driscoll ($303,800 DEF/MID) – Back-to-back tons in Rounds 4 and 5 were his ceiling, but his past two scores since then have left a little bit wanting. Will probably hold his place in the side this week given Fremantle’s COVID troubles but with a breakeven of 77, it’s time to move him on. A one-up one-down approach with a player like Rachele or Horne-Francis would allow you to upgrade your team. 

4.     Jack Hayes ($258,800 RUC/FWD) – Hayes suffered an ACL injury in St Kilda’s Round 6 loss to the Giants and will not return this year. Trade him out for a playing rookie, which will be critical once the byes roll around. 

5.     Nick Daicos ($379,600 DEF/MID) – Interestingly Daicos is the fifth most traded out player this round at the time of writing. His breakeven is up to 74 but he is averaging 83.4 and has consistently been scoring 70+. I’ll be holding for a little while longer. 

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6.     Tristan Xerri ($346,200 RUC/FWD) – Xerri suffered a foot injury during the week last week which is set to rule him out for the next month or so. Frustrating given he was doing pretty well for us, but he’s a must trade now. 

7.     Josh Ward ($236,800 MID) – Ward was managed last week which hopefully means he is fresh and good to go for Hawthorn’s clash against arch-rivals Essendon this week. He’s yet to show great scoring potential but a warm body during the byes could be very handy. His breakeven is only 26 as well, so he shouldn’t lose cash. 

8.     Jarrod Berry ($376,000 MID) – Time is probably up for Jarrod Berry. An average of 75 across the season has seen a price increase of 107k but it appears it’s time to go after a measly 48 against the Swans on Sunday. He hasn’t attended a centre bounce in two weeks either, which isn’t great for his scoring potential. His breakeven is up to 86 and trading him out should allow you to upgrade to a premium. 

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9.     Patrick McCartin ($268,700 DEF/FWD) – All signs point towards McCartin being back in the Swans line-up this weekend. If that’s the case, he is a definite hold with a breakeven of just 44. Fingers crossed he has overcome his latest concussion scare and will continue to generate cash for our SuperCoach sides. 

10.  Hugh Dixon ($246,000 RUC/FWD) – Dixon was a late inclusion for the Eagles against Richmond scoring 42 SuperCoach points. His breakeven is now up to 47 which means it is almost time for the big Eagle to go. However, he should get a long stint in the ruck again this weekend with Luke Strnadica and Bailey Williams already ruled out. I’m holding and hoping for a big score and price rise with those increased ruck minutes. 

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

All the best in Round 8!