Final say: Round 24 tactics, trades, skippers

Final round of the season!! 

I can’t say it’s been the most enjoyable season of my SuperCoach career… but it has been entertaining. The game continues to throw up bizarre situations and a multitude of opportunities for moving up or down the rankings. It can be immensely frustrating, but that’s part of why we love it so much!

Not a good Round 23 for my boys, Explosive Duryea. Some of the mistakes I’ve made throughout this year have proved insurmountable when the whips really started cracking. There’ve been a plethora of bad ones, but the unholy triumvirate of Redman, Docherty and Oliver – all of whom I brought in to my side in the second half of the season – are really the prime culprits for my failure to ever make a real run at the top 1,000. The opportunity (particularly with Daicos’ injury) presented itself, but I hadn’t set myself up well enough to take advantage of it.

A very sub-par 2,418 was the result last week, pushing me back 500 spots down the rankings to 3,700th overall for the season. I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed. 

I reckon there are two major lessons I’ll take out of season 2023.

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The first is a lot easier said than done, but I can definitely do it better than I did this season. Give your rookies more time, especially the ones who are clearly going to be stars down the line. The cream rises to the top in rookie crops and this year was no exception – Harry Sheezel and Will Ashcroft are both future stars and both have made me pay (Ashcroft less so – purely because of his injury) since trading them out. You get what you pay for with the top rookies in each class and it’s worth bearing that in mind when deciding whether or not to hang on to them for an extra week.

Bench coverage is always more important than you think. Thanks to my own shortsighted (read: idiotic) trading in the middle portion of the season, I’ve been rolling with 2 green dots on my bench for the last six weeks. Unhelpfully they’re both in my forward line. That’s led to a situation where a) it’s been a scramble whenever a premo gets injured and b) I’m going to be forced in to a Round 24 donut thanks to Sam Docherty.

It may not feel like it when you’re bringing in Blake Drury in Round 10 for a quick cash grab (at the expense of Alex Cincotta – how handy would he be right now), but warm bodies have a greater value than their pure price tag might suggest.

Anyway – on we go to next year! In that spirit, I thought I’d plant an early flag in the ground and pick my top 2024 high-value candidates from each line on the field. Let me know what you think.

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2024 Watchlist

Wil Powell ($497k, DEF)

Those who listen to the pod or who have read my articles this season will know I’m a massive “eye test” guy, and Wil Powell fits that criteria in spades.

His skillset is complete – he’s rapid with and without ball in hand; an elite distributor of the footy and excellent overhead for a guy who two years ago looked like he’d have to run around to get wet in the shower.

Importantly, he’s shown big jumps in improvement year on year. Excluding an injury-riddled 2022 campaign, his SuperCoach average has progressed from 43 -> 55 -> 67 -> 82 -> 92. I’m no data scientist but that looks like a linear progression to me.

Injuries – particularly to his legs – have been a problem up to and including this season. Despite his 2023 ending with another lower leg issue (ankle), all word out of the Suns is he’ll be fit and raring to go day 1 of 2024 preseason. I’ll be keeping an exceedingly close eye.

AFL Fantasy betting? Yep, you heard that right! This week for our betr SC Playbook multi, we’ve got Bont and Laird to shine on Saturday night! FOLLOW HERE

Touk Miller ($498k, MID)

It feels wrong that we’re going to get the chance to pick Touk Miller as the 45th most-expensive midfielder in 2024. That is an absurd value proposition, particularly when you factor in that he’s scored 8 tons in 11 non-injury affected games this year.

I can’t think of a better coach/player personality fit than Touk and Dimma. The two of them can bond over a mutual love of boiled chicken & rice for dinner and the joys of lugging around a cheese grater attached to their abs. 

Is it possible for Touk to come back at the start of next season even more jacked than he did to start 2023? We’re about to find out.

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Brodie Grundy ($396k, RUC)

If you think Touk as the 45th most expensive mid is a bargain, wait until you hear about Brodie Grundy as the 21st highest priced ruck!

That’s a whole set of AFL first choice ruckmen (and then some) that he’s going to be priced behind going in to 2024.

As long as Grundy gets out of Melbourne I really couldn’t care less where he ends up. That sort of value is ridiculous. He may have 100% ownership going in to round 1 2024.

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Jason Horne-Francis ($383k, MID/FWD)

We all just went a year too early on JHF.

To say this kid’s best footy is still in front of him would be the understatement of the millennium. He’s still just 20 years old and will retain forward status – you’d think – throughout his career given how dangerous he looks when thrown down there. 

The most exciting part about JHF’s 2023 campaign – for mine anyway – is that he’s looked better and better as it’s progressed. He’s clearly regaining confidence in his body and his skillset and it’s showing in his on-field performance. He’ll do at least one thing a game that makes you double-take and go WTF – a guy that well-built shouldn’t be that clean and that quick.

As Ollie Wines continues to be phased out of the Port midfield, that opens up more and more time for JHF, Butters and Rozee – three of the best young mids in the comp. I’m bullish on Port and I’m super bullish on JHF.

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Eddie’s Captains

Short on time this week so I’m keeping this one short and sweet.

Unlike last week you shouldn’t have too many issues with looping players to take a VC, given the Giants play in the late game on Sunday night. However it’s worth noting that both Tim English and Rowan Marshall play on Saturday afternoon – so if you do plan to loop Nick Madden at R2 and have those two as your starting rucks you’ll need to factor in the fact you won’t be able get Madden on to the field after 7.25pm Saturday night.

Acknowledging that flexibility, I like one of Rory Laird, Marcus Bontempelli or Tim English as a VC on Saturday night. The Eagles are the Eagles, and the Dogs simply have to show something against the Cats otherwise Bevo is out the door.

In terms of captaincy picks, I really like Butters or Rozee against the Tigers on Sunday afternoon, with Richmond leaking an astronomical amount of points to opposing mids all season. If you have Max Gawn then he’s a no-brainer against whichever scrub ruckman the Swans are trotting out this weekend. I also like Clarry in the tight confines of the SCG.

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Good luck and may your stars align for a league win or two this weekend!

Vice Captains

1. Tim English
2. Marcus Bontempelli
3. Rory Laird

Captains

1. Zac Butters
2. Max Gawn
3. Connor Rozee