THE BYES are now four rounds away and we need to be at the forefront of our thinking. If you haven't looked at them until now, don't fear, I am in the same boat. The reason we don't need to stress is we have plenty of moves up our sleeve before they start in round 12, nine trades in fact.

The elephant in the room is the Eagles … They are giving up ridiculous numbers to oppositions teams, to the point it is worth chasing the instant reward of trading a player in to face them.

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Last round we saw Hugh McCluggage top off a nice game with 78 points in the last quarter and this week the Demons are licking their lips in anticipation.

MOST TRADED IN

  • Greg Clark (MID, $250,000)
  • Patrick Cripps (MID, $858,000)
  • Darcy Cameron (FWD, $538,000)
  • Cooper Stephens (MID, $210,000)
  • Maurice Rioli (MID/FWD, $270,000)

MOST TRADED OUT

  • Jason Horne-Francis (MID, $509,000)
  • Josh Rachele (FWD/MID, $460,000)
  • Matt Rowell (MID, $592,000)
  • Zak Butters (FWD/MID, $636,000)
  • Josh Ward (MID, $411,000)
01:53

On the chopping block: The Traders' early moves for R9

Roy, Calvin and Warnie reveal their early trade plans for round nine

Published on May 9, 2022

TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

  • Tom Lynch (FWD, $604,000) +$84,000
  • Tyson Stengle (FWD, $559,000) +$63,000
  • Charlie Curnow (FWD, $619,000) +$56,000
  • Sam Berry (MID, $467,000) +$56,000
  • Mark Blicavs (DEF, $742,000) +$55,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

  • James Rowe (MID, $415,000) -$57,000
  • Jack Ziebell (DEF/FWD, $567,000) -$54,000
  • Trent Bianco (FWD, $383,000) -$51,000
  • Jack Mahony (MID, $406,000) -$50,000
  • Jed Bews (DEF, $305,000) -$47,000

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LOWEST BREAKEVENS

  • Greg Clark (MID, $250,000) - 31
  • Jack Carroll (MID, $284,000) - 10
  • Maurice Rioli (FWD/MID, $270,000) - 8
  • Aiden Begg (RUC, $257,000) - 4
  • Callum Jamieson (RUC, $211,000) - 2

HIGHEST BREAKEVENS

  • Christian Salem (DEF, $717,000) 162
  • Aaron Hall (DEF, $818,000) 156
  • Kyle Langford (MID, $667,000) 152
  • Josh Dunkley (FWD/MID, $937,000) 145
  • Jed Anderson (FWD/MID, $749,000) 143

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BUY

Darcy Cameron
COLLINGWOOD
FWD/RUC, $538,000
The Pies' No.1 ruck is the bargain pick of the competition following back-to-back hundreds since Brodie Grundy went down with injury. He had 14 hitouts but did his best work around the ground, collecting 21 possessions, six marks and six tackles on his way to 112. Although he has some tough match-ups on the horizon, the role is there and he has a breakeven of just 19.

Greg Clark
WEST COAST
MID, $250,000
The Eagles don't have much to celebrate this year, but one thing they can look forward to this week is the return of their mature-age recruit. He made an outstanding debut which consisted of 24 possessions, seven marks and six tackles for 110 before he was forced to miss his second game due to health and safety protocols. He has a BE of -31 and is the pick of the cash cows.

Patrick Cripps
CARLTON
MID, $858,000
I hear non-owners talking about not wanting to jump on board such a popular selection, but bite your pride, you need to ride the big bull. If you discount the game where he was injured in the first quarter, he has just one score under 120 and that was 112. He has a breakeven of just 85 to reinforce he is still a value pick at under $900k.

Also consider: Clayton Oliver, Mitch Duncan, Dayne Zorko.

Patrick Cripps in action during the R8 clash between Carlton and Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on May 8, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

HOLD

Josh Dunkley
WESTERN BULLDOGS
DEF/MID, $937,000
The Bulldogs star didn't benefit in the absence of skipper Marcus Bontempelli. In fact, it had the opposite effect, recording his worst game of the season … by a long way. The best Fantasy player in the game prior to round eight hadn't previously dropped under triple figures for the season, or under 130 the past two weeks before scoring just 62 from 15 possessions.

Paddy McCartin
SYDNEY
DEF/FWD, $371,000
After returning from concussion protocols, the Swan defender didn't miss a beat, in fact he had his best game of the season. Just when it looked like his cash generation had dried up completely, the popular bench option scored an impressive 86 which included 10 marks, many of them interceptions of the Suns thrusts forward. He has a BE of just 26.

Jake Bowey
MELBOURNE
DEF, $558,000
The talented Dees youngster hasn't quite been hitting the heights his owners have wanted the last couple of weeks with scores of 69 and 52 against the Saints. The positive moving forward is that he couldn't have a better fixture over the next two weeks with games against the Eagles and Roos who are giving up huge scores.

Also consider: Tim Taranto, Isaac Heeney, Josh Kelly.

Jake Bowey will play his first VFL match for the season for Casey Demons as he strives to win his Melbourne spot back. Picture: AFL Photos

SELL

Zak Butters
PORT Adelaide
FWD/MID, $636,000
Despite having a great match-up this week, the justification for trading out the Power DPP is still there. There seems to be excuses made for his poor scoring each week but the reality is he has a three-game average of 57 and in all reality, that would be disappointing from rookies. He has a BE of 107 this week and despite being more than capable of achieving that, the consistency just isn't there.

Jason Horne-Francis
NORTH MELBOURNE
MID, $509,000
The young Roo has shown outstanding consistency over the course of his first season but the time is right to move him on as part of an upgrade to a premium. Following a season-high 94 in round four, the big-bodied midfielder has failed to reach 60 in three of his next four games. That leaves him with a breakeven of 74 against the Power, leaving him likely to drop in value.

Matt Rowell
GOLD COAST
MID, $592,000
After an impressive performance against the Pies last week which gave his owners hope his season was back on track, the Suns' prized No.1 pick had a quiet game against the Swans, despite his team's impressive victory. He played 84 per cent game time for just 15 possessions, no marks and 58 points. He has a breakeven of 77.

Also consider: Josh Rachele,  Stephen Coniglio, Corey Durdin

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

It's tough to split, so I'll back the guy in the good team who has the easiest draw on paper seen to man.

Great trading, lock it in!

I certainly haven't written him off and as I non-owner I am keeping a close eye on him.

Ah, the Fantasy Pokemon! Always great to hear from you. It is a great question… The value of Cameron is undeniable in the No.1 ruck role, but the thought of having Petracca, especially with his first two games against witches hats is equally as tempting. The correct answer is probably take the value… But I'm not sure.

No such thing mate, hang in there and take it two trades at a time. Really target the byes and try to make up some ground by dominating those three weeks. Be the butter mouse!

I am in the same boat and feel pretty lucky. Without disaster at the selection table it means having the luxury of either removing a rookie or upgrading an under performer to a premium.

I hear your frustration, but JHF goes first. I am trading Butters but realistically, he has a dream match-up and has hit heights of 130 this season.

This is a high-risk, high-reward move and I love it. If the Cats are planning on playing Duncan in the half-back role… There is arguably no one more suited in the whole AFL to dominate in it. The flag is, it's the Cats and anything could happen.

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