Trade guide: Analysing the most traded players, Round 5

Round four has come and gone and there is plenty happening in the SuperCoach world ahead of round five!

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. 

The injured Sam Docherty, defensive premiums, and Melbourne’s Jacob van Rooyen are just some of the talking points in this week’s guide.

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TRADED IN

1.     Jacob van Rooyen ($123,900 FWD) – The Melbourne key forward is the best rookie downgrade option this week, albeit amongst a pretty poor crop. Whilst he couldn’t quite back up his score of 89 in his debut, van Rooyen showed more positive signs again in game two. The major concern here is that Ben Brown is putting his hand up for selection, does this mean JVR might get squeezed out? Watch team line-ups carefully. 

2.     Jordan Dawson ($618,200 DEF) – Yeah, this guy’s good. Dawson was elite against the Dockers, racking up a competition-high 173 SuperCoach points. He’s a superb kick and great decision maker, and the fact he was appointed Crows skipper after such a short time at the club highlights how important he is to their setup. A tag will probably come at some stage, but he looms as a superb trade in option this week, nonetheless. 

3.     Tom Stewart ($572,800 DEF) – Stewart couldn’t quite back up his monster 167-point performance from last week, but a score of 92 is certainly respectable. Does Mitch Duncan affect his scoring much? The jury is still out, but I think he’ll be a top six defender by the end of the season. 

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4.     Max Michalanney ($244,200 DEF) – Looks like the SuperCoach community should have looked at Michalanney a little more closely in pre-season! The father-son Crow has been sensational this year, averaging 73.8 SuperCoach points and rising by $108k. I do think it’s probably too late to jump on board though, because he could quite easily return to the scoring average of 55 that he was going at in the first fortnight. 

5.     Nick Daicos ($590,500 DEF) – Jet. I can’t work out why teams don’t put more time into him. The Pies look for him at every opportunity and he has a superb role for SuperCoach. Hasn’t scored below 109 yet this season and has two scores of 149+. We are going to have to start looking at him as a captaincy option each week. 

6.     Brodie Grundy ($540,700 RUC) – Those that pivoted from Jarrod Witts to Grundy last week were handsomely rewarded with a score of 144. With Max Gawn only 1-2 weeks away from a return, can you trust Grundy long term? His past two without Gawn have been 140+, but his round one score with Gawn was just 69. I’m not sold.

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7.     Samson Ryan ($156,500 RUC/FWD) – With Toby Nankervis set to undergo ankle surgery and Ivan Soldo still 2-3 weeks away, Ryan looks set to take on the number one ruck mantle at the Tigers. Does this equate to decent scoring? Not necessarily, but it certainly helps. Worth considering if you need a downgrade option, especially if JVR doesn’t make the 22. 

8.     Jeremy Cameron ($550,600 FWD) – Is it time to consider Jezza a genuine SuperCoach option? He’s arguably the best player in the competition right now and is scoring points in a variety of ways. Cameron is kicking big bags of goals and getting plenty of possessions. Tom Hawkins has done it before, so why can’t Jezza?

9.     Tim English ($648,400 RUC) – A genuine SuperCoach stud at the moment, averaging 139.3 SuperCoach points and rapidly becoming a captaincy option each round. Are you buying him at his highest point though? Probably, but he’s scoring that well it might not matter.

10.  Mitch Owens ($363,600 FWD) – Whilst the round four AFL Rising Star nominee has started the season superbly for the Saints, I’d strongly advise not bringing him in to your SuperCoach side. I don’t think he’ll be a top eight forward come the end of the season and there isn’t enough cash generation in him to warrant a trade in (and then out).

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TRADED OUT

1.     Sam Docherty ($525,500 DEF) – Trade now. Docherty has been ruled out for the next 4-6 weeks with a meniscus injury. Many had been tossing up whether to hold the inspirational Blue or not, but this forces hands. 

2.     Liam Jones ($260,600 DEF) – Jones has been extremely frustrating to own in 2023 – a KO’d score of 5 in round one, two solid scores and then a 45 against the Tigers in the wet. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have the ceiling to make a stack of cash. His breakeven is 36 and whilst he isn’t a must trade, he could be the guy you ditch if you need funds to upgrade a Docherty type.

3.     James Worpel ($349,600 MID) – Worpel’s breakeven is up to 80, which means he probably doesn’t have much cash left to make. However, he’s probably good for an 80 most weeks so there is a case to hold him. Leads the Hawks for CBAs this season and is still ticking along nicely.

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4.     Cam Mackenzie ($263,400 MID) – Yes, his CBA numbers are down, but at the end of the day, his breakeven is still only 13. Given there’s no real solid downgrade options, I’d be trying to eke out every last cent in these rookies.

5.     Alwyn Davey ($191,600 MID/FWD) – A similar story to Mackenzie, I’d be trying to make as much cash out of these guys before moving them on. Davey is likely bench fodder for most coaches right now anyway.

6.     Mattaes Phillipou ($231,200 MID/FWD) – Command C + Command V. There’s still some cash in Phillipou so I’d be holding another week. He is probably the one to make way if you absolutely need to cull someone though.

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7.     Campbell Chesser ($132,100 DEF/MID) – Chesser was running laps in a knee brace at training this week. His scoring potential is low so there’s no harm in moving him on even if we hear positive injury news.

8.     Darcy Cameron ($494,000 RUC/FWD) – Must trade, he’s expected to miss the next 5-7 weeks with a knee injury.

9.     Stephen Coniglio ($516,000 MID/FWD) – The curious case of Coniglio. Despite bursting out of the gates in the first term, Coniglio struggled to score after that, finishing on 71 SuperCoach points. After a red-hot opening fortnight, he’s certainly come crashing back down to earth. Given his role, I think he’s a hold, fingers crossed he bounces back sooner rather than later.

10.  Ben King ($216,700 FWD) – I think King has produced exactly what we expected from a SuperCoach perspective this year. Two handy scores and two absolute stinkers. Those stinkers hurt his cash generation ability in a big way, his breakeven is now up to 40. One of those guys you could ride and hope he hits a purple patch, but I certainly wouldn’t begrudge you for trading.