Final Say: Round 18, trade plans + tactics

Well, well, well…

Order has FINALLY been restored, and Eddie has once again been de-throned… At least for this week because the big boy is in New York for a conference!

What am I doing while my big brother is in the Big Apple on a work trip?

Um…

I am currently writing this article in my childhood bedroom.

The economy, am I right?? *starts sweating profusely*

Ultimately though, while Eddie is beating me in life, I am beating him in SuperCoach (that’s an equal comparison, isn’t it?)

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One of the most important things in SuperCoach is form, and I currently have a three-round average of 2508 while Eddie has one of 2461 – My return to the Final Say is deserved, I will take that every day of the WEEK!

So, yeah. In case you still haven’t quite comprehended it yet, my team is in a great position after being so terrible for so god damn long. It’s also just been a very rollercoaster year in general for me; in round 6, I was ranked 5980th, in round 11 I dropped down to 28,386th, and now I’m 10,244th. It’s exhausting, exhilarating, and to be honest quite eye-opening, but I love it, and so do we all.

Overall, Elite Dadds scored 2457 for the week, moving up another 2688 spots to 10,244^th. I’ve got 3 trades left, barely any money in the bank, and Clayton Oliver’s stupid broken thumb staring me right in the face.

Let’s get into the Final Say.

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TRADES

Do I dare do it??

I have absolutely nothing to lose, and it’s as good an opportunity as I’ll ever get to gain an advantage on everyone else.

Clayton Oliver…

Cripps -> Merrett

Oliver -> Steele

Trades left: 1

Remaining salary: $108,200

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This all hinders on Clayton Oliver being doubtful to play this week, and that perhaps Melbourne opt to not rush him in too soon to save him for finals, so maybe he misses another week?

Look, it’s silly, I know.

But the fact that I’m not as against it as I have been for some other silly trades makes me think my gut is telling me something.

It also gives me $100k to turn a very underwhelming Jack Crisp into potentially James Sicily/Tim English via DPP.

I’ll wait and see…

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SUPER PODs

Having a high-scoring super POD at this time of day, at this time of year, localised entirely in your team can seriously not be understated.

If you want to gain an upper hand on your opponents (especially with Oliver potentially out), it is imperative that you find a POD – a highly owned player won’t have the same productivity.

Top 3 Super PODs

1. Noah Anderson ($519,500, 98.4, 0.9%)

The 2020 #2 pick is having a breakout year this season, capped off with a sensational 26 disposal, 9 mark, 7 tackle, and 2 goal masterclass against the Tigers last week. It wasn’t just that he played a stand-out game, he also kicked the match winner AFTER THE SIREN. I can really see this being the catalyst for Noah to continue to skyrocket, and with a 132 the week before, plus the likes of Essendon, West Coast, Hawthorn, and North Melbourne coming up in his remaining fixtures, the sky truly is the limit.

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2. Luke Davies-Uniacke ($567,300, 99.3, 0.6%)

It certainly is a crazy year when we’re talking about LDU as a bonified premo option, but here we are! Since round 12, he has a five-round average of 121.6, including a 138, 124, and a 149. His disposals numbers are at an all-time high, and in the position that North are in at the moment, he is as critical as he’s ever been.

3. Shannon Hurn ($550,300, 101.2, 0.6%)

Midfielders are boring, so let’s chat about a defender. The absolute only knock I have on Shannon Hurn is the injury risk that he brings to your team, but his current form is seriously hard to look past. Since round 7, he has a low score of 99 (he did have a little four-week injury but still), and he has four 110+’s in amongst there as well. He’s taking kick ins, and the Eagles are playing a very boring brand of footy (similar to North last year) where they are happy to chip the ball around in the D50, hence why Hurn is racking up the points. High risk, high reward.

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CHARLIE’S CAPTAINS

I’m actually a bit nervous about captain’s this week. Jye Caldwell put an absolute clamp on Lachie Neale last week, and I reckon he does the same to Touk Miller this week. Neale also plays GWS who have notoriously tagged in the past, but when he played them earlier in the year, they tagged Daniel Rich instead and let Lachie run riot for a 164.

Ryan Clarke locked down Bailey Dale last week, so he could potentially run with Andy Brayshaw this week, but Callum Mills will enjoy the wide-open expanses of Optus Stadium. If Clayton Oliver misses this week, I would expect Willem Drew to follow Christian Petracca quite closely.

Despite all these flags, I do think there are some great options, especially on Friday night when the Doggies take on the Saints. It’s certainly risky to go Josh Dunkley as your VC after his 62 last week, but he has 131, 127, and 132 in his last three against St Kilda.

Rory Laird has a dream matchup against the Pies and should be everyone’s #1 option.

Sam Walsh should be able to run around the old Cats’ midfield, while Sean Darcy has a tasty game against a ruckmenless Sydney.

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Top-3 Vice Captains

1. Rory Laird
2. Josh Dunkley
3. Stephen Coniglio

Top-3 Captains

1. Callum Mills
2. Zach Merrett
3. Sean Darcy

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