Weekly wrap: Round 21 studs & duds

The first week of head-to-head finals has now come and gone, and of course that means that the SuperCoach drama increases tenfold…

Because why wouldn’t it?!

At the conclusion of Round 21, those coaches who have trades up their sleeve are in – and I cannot understate this enough – a supremely advantageous position.

A broken leg for Nick Daicos will have owners scrambling to find replacements, and with green dots running thin on our benches, some zeros over the next three weeks will not be uncommon.

This week, Elite Dadds scored 2332 which moved me down 401 spots to 4494^th.

I’m out of trades so unfortunately there’s not much else for me to report.

Anyway, let’s get into the wrap!

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Western Bulldogs v Richmond

• Believe it or not, but Marcus Bontempelli (153) was actually the POD VC option in this game, with Tim English (112) being the majority pick
• Tom Liberatore (159) has been one of the most underrated SuperCoach players this season! Averaging 121 at just 14.7% ownership
• Adam Treloar (123) has seven 112+ scores in his last nine games
• Tim Taranto’s (85) poor form continues, now boasting just one ton in his last six games

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Essendon v West Coast

• This was the matchup Zach Merrett (143) and Darcy Parish (119) owners had been waiting for and the Bombers boys certainly did not disappoint. The bad news for non-owners is that they now come up against North Melbourne…
• Dyson Heppell (102) is flying under the radar with a five-round average of 99
• Yes!! Mason Redman (123)!!
• Me trading in Nicholas Martin (59) as my last upgrade will undoubtably go down as the worst trade in SuperCoach history. He has three sub-60 scores in his last four games… Wtaf
• Now that Shannon Hurn has retired, Alex Witherden (107) is firmly on my 2024 watchlist

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Adelaide v Gold Coast

• Matt Crouch (112) is well and truly back. If you’ve got trades up your sleeve, he’s the perfect M9
• James Borlase (112) made his debut and looked incredible. He racked up 18 touches at 100% efficiency to go along with his nine marks and four tackles
• Despite being the two most reliable Crom SuperCoach stars this year, Rory Laird (93) and Jordan Dawson (89) failed to ton up in the same game together for the first time since Round 9

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• Jarrod Witts (109) now has five tons in a row
• Wil Powell (94) suffered his second major leg injury in just two years. It’s terrible news for him, but could potentially open the door for a Charlie Constable return in a serious time of need
• Sam Flanders (91) continues to rise

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Hawthorn v Collingwood

• James Sicily (166) played one of the best games we’ve seen all year, finishing with 37 disposals and 19 marks
• Will Day (98) split his time between midfield and defence
• Brandon Ryan (59) kicked three goals in just his second game
• Not entirely SuperCoach relevant, but you will struggle to find a better tagger than Finn Maginness (32) right now.
• In the biggest talking point of the season thus far, Nick Daicos (41) unfortunately sustained a broken leg and will miss up to the next six weeks. Despite the devastating impact this has on the majority of SuperCoach teams, it could pave the way for one of the best Brownlow Medal counts in history

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Geelong v Port Adelaide

• I thought there might’ve been a Darcy Byrne-Jones (84) tag incoming for Tom Stewart (134) but I was wrong! Not the first thing I’ve been wrong about regarding Stew this year…
• Mitch Duncan (105) has a five-round average of 106
• Zak Butters (137) has back-to-back 134+ scores
• Connor Rozee (99) is goalless two weeks in a row for the first time all year

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GWS v Sydney

• Tom Green (126) returned from injury and did not miss a beat! He had 38 touches and 10 tackles
• If you’ve held Kieren Briggs (122) this long, you may as well just keep riding with him!
• Stephen Coniglio (106) has a five-round average of 110!
• Lachie Whitfield (87) was tagged by Ryan Clarke (52)
• Chad Warner (122) has finally found some form again
• Lock Errol Gulden (120) in for All Australian selection. The real beauty is, given how many goals he’s kicked this year, he should retain his FWD status for the 2024 season
• Callum Mills (97) bounced back well enough
• Luke Parker (85) owners will be desperately hoping he turns his season around ASAP. Just one score above 85 in his last five matches

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North Melbourne v Melbourne

• You would think that North will allow Jack Ziebell (127) to play out the remaining games in his final season. If that’s the case, he’s a $325k player boasting nine 100+ scores this year…
• Luke Davies-Uniacke (106) has a low score of just 94 in the last seven games
• Harry Sheezel (56) had a quiet day out given how much of the footy JZ had
• Max Gawn (130) still remains the hottest player in the comp with a five-round average of 145
• Christian Petracca (125) kicked two goals
• Angus Brayshaw (97) had 37 touches

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St Kilda v Carlton

• Rowan Marshall (118) kicked the first goal of the game and went on to dominate the ruck battle
• This almost doesn’t sound believable, but Brad Crouch (101) and Jack Steele (57) combined for just ONE disposal in the last quarter…
• Jack Sinclair (99) played majority of the game at half back
• Nic Newman (144) has a five-round average of 119
• Zac Fisher (126) made his return to the side and was immediately thrust into a role in defence where he was able to collect 32 touches. Probably only draft relevant at this stage of the year but still something to keep an eye on for next year
• Sam Docherty (107) managed to ton up despite kicking 0.3
• George Hewett (99) had the equal most CBAs for the Blues alongside Patrick Cripps (66)

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Fremantle v Brisbane

• I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more than for Sean Darcy to get traded next year so that we can lock in Luke Jackson (173) as our F1. 24 disposals, 44 hitouts, and 1.2 in a dominant display
• Caleb Serong (126) and Andrew Brayshaw (124) have a tantalising matchup against the Eagles this week
• Luke Ryan (88) scored below 90 for the first time since Round 13
• Lachie Neale (90) was shut down by Hayden Young (123)
• Josh Dunkley (77) put up his lowest score of the year

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