IT WAS the round of the big boys, led by resurgent ruck Tim English (RUC, $943,000) who has silenced the doubters in the past two weeks with scores of 128 and 141.
His most recent outing saw him nab 23 possessions, seven marks, six tackles, 28 hitouts and a goal. English has dropped a total of $128K and is ripe for the picking with a BE of 94 leading into favourable match-ups with the Hawks and Tigers.
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Big Suns Jarrod Witts (RUC, $851,000) took full advantage of his match-up against the Eagles with a season-high 135 which included an impressive 46 hitouts to give him two hundreds on the trot. Rounding out the podium was popular VC option Max Gawn (RUC, $1.05M) who was outstanding against the Tigers with 23 possessions and 10 marks for a 134.
It was a tough round for many coaches with premiums failing to hit 100, injuries, unwanted vests and misfiring rookies. One of the biggest issues was the role changes, giving us a swift reminder not to become complacent.
Dayne Zorko (MID/FWD, $899,000) played more midfield and forward than we have seen this season and his output was far less fruitful as a result, recording a season-low 62 from just 14 possessions while Tom Powell's (FWD/MID, $739,000) CBAs all but dried up, and the results were catastrophic with a score of just 34 with three kicks, which included one goal. Nic Martin (DEF/MID, $921,000) also moved forward late in the game, but it didn't matter where he was playing on the ground because he was in fine form, collecting 30 possessions and kicking a goal on his way to 113.
Hot tip: Despite the bye being a month a way, it's time to start having a bit of a look how your team is structured for them. At the very least, use your structure to split hairs between trade targets by favouring the players that will leave you with a better balance.
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MOST TRADED IN
- Darcy Jones (FWD, $234,000)
- Jack Macrae (MID/FWD, $730,000)
- Bailey Dale (DEF, $759,000)
- Zach Merrett (MID, $1.02M)
- Jordon Sweet (RUC, $443,000)
MOST TRADED OUT
- Jeremy Sharp (MID, $570,000)
- Zac Fisher (DEF/FWD, $627,000)
- Ryley Sanders (FWD/MID, $501,000)
- Ollie Dempsey (FWD, $547,000)
- Zac Williams (DEF, $543,000)
TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
- Jase Burgoyne (DEF, $553,000) +$65,000
- Will Graham (MID/DEF, $451,000) +$64,000
- Sam Clohesy (DEF/MID, $478,000) +$56,000
- Bigoa Nyuon (FWD, $344,000) +$40,000
- Mykelti Lefau (FWD, $336,000) +$35,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
- Dom Sheed (MID, $652,000) -$89,000
- David Swallow (MID/FWD, $358,000) -$67,000
- Clayton Oliver (MID, $741,000) -$63,000
- Cody Weightman (FWD, $535,000) -$53,000
- Luke Pedlar (FWD, $369,000) -$52,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
- Darcy Jones (FWD, $234,000) -6
- Bigoa Nyuon (FWD, $344,000) -1
- Taj Woewodin (FWD/DEF, $250,000) -1
- Mykelti Lefau (FWD, $336,000) -1
- Hugo Garcia (FWD/MID, $312,000) -5
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
- Dom Sheed (MID, $652,000) 159
- Rowan Marshall (RUC, $960,000) 158
- Jack Steele (MID, $959,000) 151
- Connor Rozee (MID, $911,000) 138
- Clayton Oliver (MID, $741,000) 137
STOCKS UP
Bailey Dale (DEF, $759,000): The accumulating defender has been nothing short of outstanding since starting in the vest in round five, with some calling it a coaching masterstroke by Bevo … well, I reckon Bevo is claiming it anyway. Either way, he has elevated from good to great in the past two weeks with scores of 160 and 134 while accumulating a whopping 24 marks in that time. He has had the ball on a string, tallying 39 and 30 heading into a match-up against the Hawks who gave up an extraordinary amount of marks last week to players in a similar role to Dale. He has a BE of just 47 and is ripe for the picking.
Jack Macrae (FWD/MID, $730,000): Although it looked like a hard slog getting there, the former All-Australian backed up his 129 with a solid 90 against the Dockers that came from 18 possessions, seven marks and six tackles. It leaves him with a BE of 68 and given the state of our forward lines, he remains a viable option and like Dale, should find himself available for plenty of uncontested marks against the Hawks.
Errol Gulden (MID, $942,000): The star Swan remains a bargain which sounds silly at this price, but such is the regard for the man. He is down $73K since the start of the season but is once again playing like a million-dollar man with a three-round average of 116 and five hundreds in his past six games. He has a tough match-up this week vs the Giants and has a BE of 106 which doesn't sound enticing, but he is a player you want for the rest of the year and likely he won't be available any cheaper given he averages 124 against them in his last two.
Taj Woewodin (DEF/FWD, $250,000): After receiving a vest in his first four games of the season, the 21-year-old Dee is available for $35K less than his original asking price. In his first vest-free game for the year, he played 70 per cent of the game for an impressive 14 possessions, five marks and five tackles for a score of 71. He has a BE of -1 and hold a very handy DPP status of forward and defence.
Darcy Jones (FWD, $234,000): I have been eagerly awaiting DJ's debut and he didn't disappoint with 15 possessions, four marks, two tackles and two goals for an impressive score of 70. He did his job security no harm with seven score involvements, the only flag long-term is the impressive depth in the Giants' forward line that will include the return of Toby Greene and Brent Daniels.
STOCKS DOWN
Zac Fisher (FWD/DEF, $627,000): The Roos recruit has been serviceable in our spluttering forward lines but his vest on the weekend and consequent price drop of $24K, not to mention his BE of 106, means it is time to go despite a mouth-watering match-up with the Saints. He has averaged 70 points for his owners since the start of the year and managed to hold his price while assessing alternate option on our most difficult line to judge.
Tom Powell (FWD/MID, $739,000): If you don't like playing a certain role, don't do it well is what I say and hopefully that is the advice Powell followed when moved from the midfield to half-forward. He went from enjoying the most impressive stretch of his career with a five-game average of 100, to unrecognisable, collecting just 10 possessions, taking no marks, laying one tackle and kicking a goal for a disastrous 34. Now remember, this is a guy with season-highs of 29 possessions, nine marks and 15 tackles. He is now a concern moving forward with a BE of 118 and a heavy dependence on role. If he is back in the middle, he will be fine, if he is forward again, he is in trouble. Thankfully he has a friendly match-up to find out.
Jeremy Sharp (MID, $570,000): The Dockers' hard-running recruit has been a great cash cow, increasing by $286K since the start of the year. Unfortunately, despite playing 98 per cent game time against the Dogs he managed just nine possessions and 39 points on the weekend which has caused his price to start moving in the wrong direction, dropping $3K and leaving him with a BE of 76. He is a nice price to launch into a fallen premium.
Ollie Dempsey (FWD, $547,000): I am a big fan of the smooth-moving Cat but his second 50-point return on the trot and BE of 76 means it's time to look at moving him on. He got off to a flying start against the Blues with 32 points in the first quarter before going missing and managing just 18 more before the final siren. He is a great price to use as part of an upgrade trade.
Ryley Sanders (FWD/MID, $501,000): Despite being arguably the most talented scorer of the draftees, the vests and loss of his spot in the best 23 means he regrettably needs to be moved on. What makes it even more frustrating is that he is fresh off receiving forward status and if he was being given full games, he would be more than capable of holding down a position on field at F6.
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