With two rounds out of the way, coaches are looking further into their teams and what trade/captain options are available. Lineball has compiled a list to tackle this weeks trade talking points and the all-important captain choices.
TRADE TARGETS-
Toby Pink $123k NM
As coaches turn their eyes towards reinforcing their defensive bench, Pink arrives as an option that has shown promise across the first two rounds. Whilst his average is only 51 SC, Pink seems to have reasonable job security in a young North team that needs an extra mature figure in defense. With a breakeven of -32, Pink presents as a decent defensive rookie option, which are becoming hard to find.
Tom Powell $312k NM
Tom Powell has emerged as one of the underrated gems of this season so far, with an average of 112 SC after two rounds. Powell has enjoyed a plethora of CBAs in the youthful North midfield, with an average of 84%, which is only second to LDU (86%). His disposal count is also growing in stature, with an average of 27 disposals and 85.5% DE, alongside 5 tackles against Fremantle. If he keeps this up, his price will skyrocket into the $400k range and provide a great scoring option in the forward line.
Luke Ryan $611k FRE
After an incredible start to the season, which includes a 146 SC average, Luke Ryan is a popular trade in target this week. With 8 kick-ins, 8.5 marks and 28 disposals per game, Ryan holds the best average amongst all defenders to begin the year (despite only playing 2 games). His breakeven has fallen heavily to 54, opening his chances to boost in price over the coming weeks.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera $475k STK
The Saints’ rebounding genius is enjoying a wonderful start to 2024, with scores of 101 and 120 SC against the last two premiership teams. With 25 and 32 disposals at 80.5% DE in the first two rounds, Wanganeen-Milera looks poised to take a step forward this season. The main concern being Sinclair’s impact, as Wanganeen-Milera took most of the kick-ins in round 1, only for Sinclair to take over the week later. Despite this, Milera still managed a 120 SC score and presents value at $475k.
Luke Jackson $547k FRE
Jackson is another Docker that is drawing a substantial amount of hype after producing a 178 round two score against North, with an overall average of 145.5 SC. After making the move to the ruck, due to Darcy’s injury problems, Jackson has averaged 21 disposals and 25.5 hitouts per game. If you accompany this with his 19 breakeven, Jackson is poised to be a standout option in many SC forward lines.
Oliver Dempsey $148k GEEL
The Cats young small forward has impressed in the Cats winning start to 2024, with an average of 77.5 SC. After managing 3 goals against an improving Saints team, he backed it up with a 16 disposal (81% DE) performance against the Crows, as he moved across each wing to connect with the Geelong forwards. With the lowest breakeven amongst all forwards (-71), Dempsey is a solid replacement for any other struggling rookie.
CAPTAINS
Nick Daicos vs Lions
After a rough week against the strong tag of Windhager, Daicos will look to bounce back in the Grand Final rematch against the Lions. In the corresponding matchup at the Gabba last year, Daicos amassed 151 SC points, which could easily be repeated given the desperate state of the Pies season.
Zak Butters vs Dees
Butters had a field day in this match last year, as he stamped himself as a Brownlow contender with a massive 184 SC points. Port’s raging bull has started the year in similar fashion, with scores of 117 and 175, putting his mark down on the competition once again. The Dees midfield is also lacking Clayton Oliver, which could open up further point scoring opportunities for Butters.
Marcus Bontempelli vs Eagles
The perennial captain scorer is eyeing off possibly the best matchup in the league, with the Eagles at home. In this game during the 2023 season, Bontempelli scored an enormous 162 SC, while also scoring 145 SC against West Coast in 2021. The Bont presents as the best option as a vice captain/captain option.
Errol Gulden vs Tigers
The final option on this list is the Swans star wingman, Errol Gulden, who faces the depleted Tigers at the MCG this week. While he might be a POD selection, history is on Errol’s side, as he smashed out 143 SC points against Richmond at the MCG last season. Gulden is also ideal as a backup captain if you are keen on setting Bontempelli as your vice captain.
I thank you all again for reading and best of luck heading into Round 3 of the 2024 AFL SuperCoach season. Don't forget that the Lineball open league is still open to join, the code is 978256.
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