Trade guide: Assessing the most traded players, Rd 10

Jack Steele’s injury and cutting ties with some of the most-owned players in the game headline Round 10’s trade action. 

Who are the best replacements, and should we really be jumping off the likes of Stephen Coniglio, Nic Martin and Nick Daicos?

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 10:

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TRADED IN

1.     Greg Clark ($117,300 MID) – This week’s must have rookie; Clark has impressed in his first two AFL games with scores of 104 and 62. He also attended 72% of centre bounces against the Dees, ranked third for the Eagles. A high CBA rate often means players have greater opportunity to get the ball and therefore greater points scoring opportunities. Presents as a reliable rookie on-field option if required and a great route for downgrading one of the rookies who have maxed out in price. 

2.     Buku Khamis ($127,400 DEF) – Khamis has been another focal point inside 50 for the Dogs in the past fortnight, taking the pressure off star big man Aaron Naughton. Khamis made the switch from defence to the forward line about a month ago in the VFL and some terrific form in the state league saw him given an opportunity again at AFL level. Josh Bruce’s impending return from an ACL injury might put his long-term job security in jeopardy, but he has shown enough to suggest he can hold his spot whilst he keeps this form up. Don’t expect too many huge scores from him though, a score of 66 from three goals leads me to believe he might be more of a 45-55 points type player in SuperCoach. 

3.     Christian Petracca ($578,800 MID) – The most popular Jack Steele alternative this week, Petracca is a great option. The Norm Smith Medallist has shown no signs of a premiership hangover and continues to excel for the Demons. ‘Trac’ can score in a multitude of ways and his ability to impact the scoreboard makes him one of the best midfielders in the competition. At only 578k, SuperCoaches can use one trade to go sideways from Steele and do not need to find any extra cash or burn an extra trade as we might to bring in the likes of Callum Mills or Rory Laird. I expect him to finish between the top 6-12 scorers in the midfield by average come seasons end. 

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4.     Rory Laird ($634,200 MID) – After missing the first fortnight of the season with a hand injury, Laird has been on fire in 2022. If you ignore his 93 in his first match of the season, Laird has scored over 116 in every other game he has played. His move from defence to inside midfield in recent years has proved a masterstroke from the Crows and I expect Laird to continue in his ways. In just 5% of sides currently making him a fantastic point of difference, he could be a great way to climb the rankings. 

5.     Callum Mills ($669,500 MID) – Mills’ ceiling is what makes him such an awesome SuperCoach pick. He has had some gigantic scores so far in 2022, including a 214 against Hawthorn in Round 6 and a 167 last week against the Bombers. His breakeven is currently 167, so I think I would wait a little while to hopefully get him at a cheaper price down the track. 

6.     Dustin Martin ($509,600 MID/FWD) – How good has it been to see Dusty back in action after seven weeks away from the game? The Tigers superstar looks to be another fantastic forward option again this year and needs to be considered for our sides. An average of 103.3 currently ranks him fourth amongst forwards. Has only averaged 32% centre bounce attendance since his return as well, so once he builds his match fitness, he is likely to spend more time in the midfield which could see another boost in his scoring.  

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7.     Touk Miller ($632,200 MID) – Miller seems to have shrugged off a mysterious injury that might have been the reason for a down few weeks for a while there. His past three games now have resulted in scores of 160, 122 and 130 which shows why he yet again could be one of the premier midfielders in the competition. An absolute workhorse and the heartbeat of the Gold Coast Suns midfield. Another good upgrade option. 

8.     James Sicily ($593,900 DEF) – Command C, Command V from last week. Hawthorn’s interim skipper is looming as a must-have in defence this season with an average of 115 points per game. Any injury concerns have been well and truly put to bed and he has only dropped below 105 SuperCoach points once in 2022. Jump on ASAP before he rises above 600k. 

9.     Rory Thompson ($123,900 DEF) – Thompson’s return to the AFL side after two knee reconstructions and four years out was heart-warming for all football fans. I don’t think he will be a great SuperCoach option however, as lockdown key position players often struggle. If Thompson operates at an average of 45, he will be a slow burn cheapie. 

10.  Andrew Brayshaw ($557,000 MID) – The Freo youngster looks like he will end the season ranked somewhere in that next crop down of premium midfielders. He just does not yet have the consistency of high scores that the top-line uber premiums do, but his price makes him a very accessible upgrade here. He’s got a great ceiling (189, 2 x 130s) but will throw in the odd 90 as well. Could be a nice M8. 

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TRADED OUT

1.     Jack Steele ($590,800 MID) – Steele has been ruled out for an extended period with a shoulder injury and must be traded out of SuperCoach sides. There are plenty of fantastic replacement options for our teams.   

2.     Stephen Coniglio ($429,200 FWD/MID) – Coniglio has been one of the most popular players for SuperCoach this season, but it appears the community is split as to whether we hold or trade him this week. His breakeven is at 146 so he is set to lose cash, but I am holding out hope that GWS’ coaching change might see a return to form for ‘Cogs’. I also think it is imperative that we get rid of on-field rookies before mid-pricers as well, so I will be holding Coniglio this week. There is certainly an argument to trade him out though.  

3.     Nick Daicos ($381,400 DEF/MID) – Daicos has probably maxed out in price, but he is also scoring really consistently for a rookie – he seems pretty safe for a 70 each week. I think most SuperCoaches will look to upgrade him in the next month or so, so he can be moved on when the time is right for your side. Breakeven is at 75 this round.

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4.     Nathan O’Driscoll ($296,100 MID/DEF) – O’Driscoll has been ruled out for over a month with a foot issue, which means now is the time to trade. A serviceable rookie, but it’s time to cut ties so we have as many playing players as possible throughout the byes. 

5.     Nic Martin ($396,000 MID/FWD) – Martin had his worst SuperCoach match of his career against the Swans, scoring just 59 points. With a breakeven of 86, he could lose value for the first time this season this week. He’s been one of Essendon’s shining lights this season, but if you can upgrade him to a premium player now would be a good time to do so.

6.     Joshua Gibcus ($327,200 DEF) – Gibcus missed last week after being placed in the Health and Safety protocols but should return to the Tigers side for Dreamtime at the ‘G, especially after Noah Balta went down with a hamstring injury. His past three games have been his best three from a SuperCoach perspective and with a breakeven of 48, he still has a little bit of money left to make.

7.     Connor MacDonald ($207,100 MID/FWD) – The Hawthorn youngster doesn’t seem to have as many avenues to score as other rookies (high score of 55) and looks to have finished his cash generation. However, could a warm body be beneficial through the byes?

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8.     Josh Ward ($248,400 MID) – Ward was dropped from the senior side for the first time this season and made his Box Hill debut in the VFL last weekend. However, he unfortunately suffered a concussion meaning he will not be available for selection this weekend at AFL or VFL level. Trade. 

9.     Sam de Koning ($310,800 DEF/FWD) – ‘SDK’ has been a great rookie for our SuperCoach sides this year. His breakeven is only 32 and he has a three-round average of 76, making him a hold this week. Good defensive cover at this point in time. 

10.  Jason Horne-Francis ($314,300 MID) – Horne-Francis missed last week through a hamstring injury but will be a test for selection this weekend. He has solid job security which could be helpful through the byes, but a breakeven of just 61 means his cash generation has well and truly slowed down. I’d be trading if I still owned.  

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

Good luck in Round 10!