Round 8 was the highest scoring round of the year, yet for some reason, my team didn’t quite get the memo.

Actually, that’s not quite true.

Yes, the weekend started like most weekends do… With Lachie Neale really testing my will to live.

A 63 under the lid is borderline disgraceful.

A 63 as VC IS disgraceful.

But a 63 when your partner in crime Josh Dunkley drops a 149 is… Well… Yeah look, it’s frustrating as f***.

But then, the wind changed, and I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

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I made a late decision to hold Jacob Hopper and boy the SuperCoach gods rewarded me for that with a 111.

I got through the rest of Saturday virtually unscathed, with perhaps the only downside being Cogs’ 79 and Shrek’s 77.

And then Sunday came…

It began with 37 touches and 13 marks from Errol Gulden, and ended with 36 touches and 18 marks from Jack Ziebell.

EIGHTEEN.

Any coaches who didn’t own both would have been swimming against the current.

This week, Elite Dadds scored 2372 which moved me down 293 spots to 3410^th.

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Ashcroft is a gun, but his 37 is a great example of why getting rookies up to premiums ASAP is critical.

Trades this week are:

Jacob van Rooyen -> Josh Weddle

Will Ashcroft -> Sam Docherty

Pretty self explanatory. Josh Weddle is the best of a bad bunch on the bubble and Sam Docherty is severely underpriced.

Anyway, let’s get into the wrap!

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Carlton v Brisbane

Adam Cerra (132) has a three-round average of 137…
It might be time to pounce on Sam Docherty (111) *or re-pounce for coaches like me who started with him*. He’s well down from his starting price and once again looks to have the midfield/half back role that saw him score so well at the back end of last season
Much like Docherty, Sam Walsh (106) has also made a marvellous return from injury. In his four games this year he is yet to drop under 100, and in a midfield riddled with inconsistency, he’s proving to be a reliable constant
Patrick Cripps (83) is just one of those inconsistencies I’m referring to… Over 6000 coaches brought in the reigning Brownlow Medallist, only to be rewarded with his second lowest score of the year

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Alex Cincotta (70) on the other hand was the most traded in player, with over 52,000 coaches bringing in the bubble boy. Whether you straight up played him on field or had the emergency on him waiting to loop, you’ll definitely be loving this score
If Bont’s performance a couple weeks ago was the best we’ve seen all year, then Josh Dunkley’s (149) on Friday night is a close second. Congrats to anyone who had the VC on him! I unfortunately chose his midfield counterpart – and shi*ter version – Lachie Neale (63)
It was a disastrous night for the Brisbane cheapies as Conor McKenna (46) failed to hit his breakeven, with Will Ashcroft and Darcy Wilmot (50) not far behind only just scraping above theirs! After the disaster class that was VC’ing Neale, I was given a slight reprieve having traded out both Wilmot and McKenna
For what it’s worth, it’s probably time to consider getting Ashcroft up to a premo now

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Richmond v West Coast

Shai Bolton (152) had the occasional CBA but until he gets a more defined midfield rotation, I can’t see myself considering him
A popular VC option, Tim Taranto (118) left owners with a tricky decision. Is 118 big enough? Did you take his score?
Again, I can’t consider Dustin Martin (113) without more CBAs
Thank the lord I didn’t trade Jacob Hopper (111)! Perhaps he’s not maxed out after all
Samson Ryan’s (104) meteoric price rise continues! He has fully taken advantage of Big Nank’s injury. Kudos to anyone who picked him up
I would be very surprised if anyone held Dom Sheed (115) through his five-week injury but awesome stuff if you did

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Geelong v Adelaide

HAHA! I was right all along. Tom Stewart (99) IS a top-6 defender, but he’s also just a safe 90-100 kind of guy 😉
Sam Simpson (66) was the second most traded in player this week and looked set for a huge score at half time! Unfortunately, he did not record any stats in the third quarter and had just two touches in the last
Gargh this sucks. Patrick Dangerfield (58) was in an incredible purple patch, with scores of 119, 118, 144, and 124 prior to this game. Unfortunately, he did a hammy and was subbed off in the third quarter. I can’t imagine the Cats would want to rush him back, so he’s definitely a trade I reckon
Surprise stat of the week: Reilly O’Brien (130) – prior to Round 8 – averages 148 at GMHBA!
Watching Jordan Dawson (122) as a non-owner hurts. I’m going to have to find a way to bring him in somehow
A pretty quiet game from Rory Laird (102) who was saved by racking up 14 tackles!

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Gold Coast v Melbourne

Let’s talk about Noah Anderson (189)… In Touk’s absence, Noah has put the Suns on his back with some incredible performances, in particular his last two games. A 144 against the Tigers and now a 189 against the Dees with a dream matchup against the Eagles incoming… Brace yourselves
Jarrod Witts (115) got back on track with his first ton in three weeks
Wil Powell (104) is taking kickouts, getting cheap marks, and now has three tons in a row
Hmm yeah nah… Rory Atkins (68) isn’t an option
Clayton Oliver (136) was tagged but still managed to collect 28 touches and served as a very good captain option for 21% of the comp
Is big Maxy (130) back?? 17 hit-outs compared to Grundy’s (60) 16 doesn’t suggest he’s carved out a #1 ruck role just yet, but if he gets FWD status then it’ll be very hard to ignore him
Christian Petracca (122) has not dropped under 97 this year!
Angus Brayshaw (98) has bottomed out but I’m not sure if I’ll pounce on him
Kade Chandler (57) is ticking along nicely and is still yet to drop below 56 this year which, for the 2023 crop of forward cheapies, is pretty good!
It might be time to start thinking about cashing in on Jacob van Rooyen (48)

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GWS v Western Bulldogs

Unbelievable game from Tom Green (135). If he wasn’t so bad at kicking, he’d be a must-have
Josh Kelly (129) is probably just too inconsistent for me to bring him in. The positive thing though is his high ceiling, but even more so his high floor!
Back-to-back tons for Lachie Whitfield (102)…
Call me crazy but can we genuinely consider Jack Buckley (99) as a trade-in option?? The bloke hasn’t dropped below 76 and has four scores over 90, with THREE 99’s
A poor game from Stephen Coniglio (79) but it’s hard to complain after his last month
Marcus Bontempelli (164) cannot be stopped!! A safe as houses captain option each week
Another dominant performance from Tim English (124)
Bailey Smith (109) has FWD status and is under $500k with three tons in his last four games…
It’s time for Oskar Baker (50) to go

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Fremantle v Hawthorn

Ok… Yes, it was against the worst team in the comp, but I’m heavily considering jumping on a veryyyy underpriced Andrew Brayshaw (149)
Every time I think Luke Ryan (109) is going to stink it up he goes and grabs another ton. I just know that IF I bring him in, the high scoring will come to an abrupt halt
Caleb Serong (105) hasn’t dropped below 100 since Round 1!
If Tim English couldn’t even ton up against the Hawks, then I didn’t have very high hopes for Sean Darcy (77)
Will Day (84) was good without being great. I still don’t think he’s a top-6 defender

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James Worpel (68) has just about maxed out in price so start having a think about which premo you want to bring in
YES! James Sicily (63) won’t go up in price. I’m very excited to get him for *hopefully* $100k cheaper
Seamus Mitchell (54) hopefully did enough to hold his spot in the Hawks’ team
Josh Weddle (54) is on the bubble this week and looks like the best option if you’re in need of a downgrade
Fergus Greene (17) is a must-trade

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Port Adelaide v Essendon

Since his move into a more permanent midfield role, Zac Butters (125) has a five-round average of 110
Connor Rozee (104) got off to a very slow start but as he always seems to do, he had a huge second half to get his score back on track
With back-to-back 85’s, Dylan Williams (85) has become one of the best forward cash cows available
Darcy Parish (117) still presents a lot of value, especially given his ridiculously good draw coming up. After playing Brisbane this week, he’ll then come up against Richmond, West Coast, North Melbourne, and Carlton
Hopefully Zach Merrett (106) can also enjoy Essendon’s next month of footy alongside his midfield counterpart
Mason Redman (76) will continue to eat away at my mental health. The weird thing is though, I have a really strange feeling he’ll bounce back; hence why he’s not in any of my trade plans moving forward
If you didn’t trade Will Setterfield (71) last week, now is the time to do so

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Collingwood v Sydney

As predicted, Nick Daicos (81) was closely followed by Ryan Clarke (53) and at times both Callum Mills (100) and James Rowbottom (92). Have teams figured out how to nullify Nick Daicos? Is this something to worry about moving forward? Well., yes… and no… Obviously Nick Daicos’ individual output has taken a drastic hit the last two weeks as a result of some close attention, but then again the Pies have won both games so maybe it really isn’t the most effective method of winning against Collingwood?
A breakout game like this from Errol Gulden (156) has been brewing for a while, but I don’t think anyone expected it to be this big. 37 touches (32 kicks), 13 marks, and 4 tackles is absolutely monstrous. He plays the Dockers at the SCG this week, a team he averages 120 against… VC anyone?
Jake Lloyd (110) has been one of the most consistent defensive options this year

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North Melbourne v St Kilda

Jack Ziebell (179) omfg… He had EIGHT marks at quarter time! I don’t know how much longer Clarko will let him have this – let’s be honest – zero impact role, but I’m all here for it
Harry Sheezel (110) is absolutely a season keeper and I won’t hear another word. I’m holding him until the very end
Blake Drury (51) – everyone’s favourite pre-season placeholder – made his long-awaited debut for the ‘Roos. Don’t rush to bring him in, you can still wait another week
Rowan Marshall (107) went off late with a rolled ankle and didn’t return… While this may sound bad, I actually don’t think it is. The game was well and truly done at this point and there was literally no rush getting him back out; it might be a bit puffy this morning but I can’t imagine he’d miss this week (Pls don’t @ me if he actually does miss)
A solid game from Jack Sinclair (99) that saw him run through the mids in the third quarter which is always promising for SuperCoach scoring
I can’t be too mad at Jack Steele’s (95) score. Yes, I brought him in this week with the expectation that he’d be pumping out a 120 against a hapless ‘Roos side… BUT, If I didn’t bring him in, I would’ve traded in James Sicily so I guess I dodged a bullet there!

Weekly wrap: Round 8 studs & duds

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