SuperCoach AFL 2024 round 9 trade guide: Top targets, rookies, who to offload
Injuries have struck but SuperCoaches have a quality rookie and bargain premiums to pick from – including one crazy cheap, but very risky, superstar. Check out the full trade guide.
Al Paton
The injury gods came for SuperCoaches in a chaotic round 8, forcing a rethink of trade plans.
Tom Green (ankle), Elliot Yeo (groin) and Zac Williams (glute) were all hurt, and Connor Rozee’s hamstring injury flared again.
At time of printing there is hope Green could play in round 9, but the sudden appearance of some cut-price options has come at the perfect time.
Meanwhile, cheapies like Matt Roberts and Sam Darcy could be ready to trade with rising Break Evens after poor round 8 scores.
If you need a replacement for an injured star or are ready to upgrade a maxed-out rookie or mid-pricer, these are the players who should be on your radar this week.
CHEAPIES
DARCY JONES $123,900 FWD
Job security was the big question mark over the small forward after his action-packed debut, but in a promising sign he held his spot in the best 22 after Toby Greene and Brent Daniels returned to the GWS line-up. Even more promisingly, he produced another eye-catching performance (14 disposals, one goal) on a disappointing day for the Giants. That should ensure he stays in the team for a few weeks at least, and makes us a lot of money with a Break Even of -75, the lowest in the game this week. Downgrading Sam Darcy to his namesake will be a popular move.
RILEY HARDEMAN $117,300 DEF
Also on the bubble this week but scores of 50 and 37 don’t scream ‘pick me’. And have we not learned our lesson picking North Melbourne defenders? Fellow bubble boy Docker Cooper Simpson is in a similar boat after scoring 17 points in his second game.
LACHIE SULLIVAN $102,400 MID
Hopefully Collingwood coaches follow Fantasy Freako on X. Champion Data’s SuperCoach guru pointed out Sullivan’s impact after starting as the sub on Friday night, which was a lot more than a fairytale goal on debut for the 26-year-old inside midfielder (as great as that was). Sullivan, who was offered a rookie contract by the Pies over summer after winning Footscray’s best-and-fairest award in the VFL in 2022 and 2023, finished with 10 disposals, five tackles and 75 points. Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell missed the Blues blockbuster, so keep an eye on teams, and we have another week to move before Sullivan’s price changes, but he’s at the front of the queue to be traded in for round 10.
JACK HAYES $228,000 FWD
Hayes was one of the feel-good stories of the AFL and fantasy in 2022 when he was given a chance by the Saints and scored two SuperCoach tons in his first four games before missing the rest of the season with injury. It’s been a long road back but Hayes looked fantastic in his first game for the season against the Kangaroos on Saturday, finishing with 17 disposals, six marks, four tackles, two goals and 115 SuperCoach points. He’s another we get another week to look at but he could be a great mid-season money train if Ross Lyon backs him in.
COLBY McKERCHER $309,800 MID/DEF
Can we trust Clarko? That’s the question SuperCoaches have to answer – and it’s not an easy one – after a massive 135 point score against the Saints. After starting the season at half-back for SuperCoach returns of 88, 95 and 74, the No.2 draft pick was tried in the centre square and his scores tanked. But in the past two rounds he’s been back in defence, and with Harry Sheezel up the ground, the Tasmanian left-footer has taken over as the Kangaroos’ back half distributor. His stats on Saturday read 30 disposals at 90 per cent efficiency, and he now has a Break Even of -61. If the role holds McKercher could be a brilliant mid-season mid-price option. But Clarko could send Sheezel back, or McKercher into the guts, at any time. How brave are you?
PREMIUM TARGETS
CLAYTON OLIVER $476,700 MID
That price is not a misprint. The Demons champ, who was worth close to $700k before round 1, was back to his damaging best against the Cats, racking up 31 disposals, 17 contested possessions, four tackles, eight score involvements and 141 SuperCoach points. Those sort of numbers are normally familiar territory for Oliver, but it is just his second 100-plus score for 2024, and his best this season by 36 points. The question for every SuperCoach is: can we expect this every week now? If the answer is yes, Oliver could be one of the steals of the century. His value crashed all the way to $466k but he has bottomed out, gaining $10,5000 after lockout and entering round 9 with a Break Even of just 48. If you believe, this is as cheap as we’ll get him – possibly for years.
DYLAN MOORE $521,600 FWD
Who says there aren’t many premium forwards in SuperCoach this year? If we look at the last two rounds in isolation, Moore is scoring as well as just about any player in the comp – 136 and 140 SuperCoach points. Throw in a 116 the week before and he’s clearly in red-hot form. The worry is he had two scores in the 50s in the three weeks before that, and Hawthorn’s midfield is full of constantly moving magnets as Sam Mitchell looks for the right mix with so many young guns. Moore attended eight centre bounces against the Dogs and finished with 24 disposals, five tackles and a goal. It’s also less than ideal that his price has surged almost $100k in that hot streak. Sorry we didn’t mention him a month ago.
TOM STEWART $523,400 DEF
Stewart’s Break Even of 138 looked in serious danger at halftime against Melbourne but he slowed up to finish with 104 points, his third total between 101 and 110 for the year. Stewart’s ceiling doesn’t seem as high as previous seasons with teammates like Max Holmes winning more of the footy out of defence, but he’s about a safe a pick as you can get. He’s great buying now at over $100k under his starting price, but with a Break Even of 132 you could wait another week and get him even cheaper.
BAILEY DALE $532,400 DEF
Dale looks the real deal in defence after an unusual five-week scoring run that reads like this: 47, 12, 175, 132, 116. Being named the sub in round 5 (which explains the 12-point score) was clearly the rocket Dale needed, and importantly he was still the Bulldogs’ main outlet out of defence with Tom Liberatore returning to the side – a move that some feared could have sent Ed Richards back to defence. Picking any player coached by Luke Beveridge is a risk, and Dale is a lot pricier than he was three weeks ago, but with a Break Even of 55 he’s still going up, and he’s one of the best options down back at his price.
DARCY PARISH $528,600 MID
Parish’s 125 points against Collingwood can be attributed to the Anzac Day factor – we know he loves a big game with a medal on the line. Can we write off another huge game because it was against West Coast? Parish tallied 36 disposals, 11 marks, five tackles and 148 SuperCoach points in a best-on-ground performance on Saturday night, and represents huge value in SuperCoach after dropping below $500k entering round 8. He’s back above that mark after smashing his Break Even, but is still great buying with a BE of just 28 entering round 9. The Bombers’ next four games are GWS, North Melbourne, Richmond and Gold Coast.
CHRISTIAN PETRACCA $551,800 MID
Petracca was on the top of many shopping lists for this week entering last round with a sky-high Break Even, but after another slightly underwhelming performance (94 points, his third in a row under 100) we can afford to wait a bit longer. Getting Petracca for under $600k looked like a bargain but he’s going to get a fair bit cheaper than that – SuperCoach Plus projects he’ll bottom out at $511k just before the mid-season byes. Is his Demons mate Oliver a higher priority in SuperCoach right now?
Injuries have struck but SuperCoaches have a quality rookie and bargain premiums to pick from – including one crazy cheap, but very risky, superstar. Check out the full trade guide.
The injury gods came for SuperCoaches in a chaotic round 8, forcing a rethink of trade plans.
Tom Green (ankle), Elliot Yeo (groin) and Zac Williams (glute) were all hurt, and Connor Rozee’s hamstring injury flared again.
At time of printing there is hope Green could play in round 9, but the sudden appearance of some cut-price options has come at the perfect time.
Meanwhile, cheapies like Matt Roberts and Sam Darcy could be ready to trade with rising Break Evens after poor round 8 scores.
If you need a replacement for an injured star or are ready to upgrade a maxed-out rookie or mid-pricer, these are the players who should be on your radar this week.
CHEAPIES
DARCY JONES $123,900 FWD
Job security was the big question mark over the small forward after his action-packed debut, but in a promising sign he held his spot in the best 22 after Toby Greene and Brent Daniels returned to the GWS line-up. Even more promisingly, he produced another eye-catching performance (14 disposals, one goal) on a disappointing day for the Giants. That should ensure he stays in the team for a few weeks at least, and makes us a lot of money with a Break Even of -75, the lowest in the game this week. Downgrading Sam Darcy to his namesake will be a popular move.
RILEY HARDEMAN $117,300 DEF
Also on the bubble this week but scores of 50 and 37 don’t scream ‘pick me’. And have we not learned our lesson picking North Melbourne defenders? Fellow bubble boy Docker Cooper Simpson is in a similar boat after scoring 17 points in his second game.
LACHIE SULLIVAN $102,400 MID
Hopefully Collingwood coaches follow Fantasy Freako on X. Champion Data’s SuperCoach guru pointed out Sullivan’s impact after starting as the sub on Friday night, which was a lot more than a fairytale goal on debut for the 26-year-old inside midfielder (as great as that was). Sullivan, who was offered a rookie contract by the Pies over summer after winning Footscray’s best-and-fairest award in the VFL in 2022 and 2023, finished with 10 disposals, five tackles and 75 points. Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell missed the Blues blockbuster, so keep an eye on teams, and we have another week to move before Sullivan’s price changes, but he’s at the front of the queue to be traded in for round 10.
JACK HAYES $228,000 FWD
Hayes was one of the feel-good stories of the AFL and fantasy in 2022 when he was given a chance by the Saints and scored two SuperCoach tons in his first four games before missing the rest of the season with injury. It’s been a long road back but Hayes looked fantastic in his first game for the season against the Kangaroos on Saturday, finishing with 17 disposals, six marks, four tackles, two goals and 115 SuperCoach points. He’s another we get another week to look at but he could be a great mid-season money train if Ross Lyon backs him in.
COLBY McKERCHER $309,800 MID/DEF
Can we trust Clarko? That’s the question SuperCoaches have to answer – and it’s not an easy one – after a massive 135 point score against the Saints. After starting the season at half-back for SuperCoach returns of 88, 95 and 74, the No.2 draft pick was tried in the centre square and his scores tanked. But in the past two rounds he’s been back in defence, and with Harry Sheezel up the ground, the Tasmanian left-footer has taken over as the Kangaroos’ back half distributor. His stats on Saturday read 30 disposals at 90 per cent efficiency, and he now has a Break Even of -61. If the role holds McKercher could be a brilliant mid-season mid-price option. But Clarko could send Sheezel back, or McKercher into the guts, at any time. How brave are you?
PREMIUM TARGETS
CLAYTON OLIVER $476,700 MID
That price is not a misprint. The Demons champ, who was worth close to $700k before round 1, was back to his damaging best against the Cats, racking up 31 disposals, 17 contested possessions, four tackles, eight score involvements and 141 SuperCoach points. Those sort of numbers are normally familiar territory for Oliver, but it is just his second 100-plus score for 2024, and his best this season by 36 points. The question for every SuperCoach is: can we expect this every week now? If the answer is yes, Oliver could be one of the steals of the century. His value crashed all the way to $466k but he has bottomed out, gaining $10,5000 after lockout and entering round 9 with a Break Even of just 48. If you believe, this is as cheap as we’ll get him – possibly for years.
DYLAN MOORE $521,600 FWD
Who says there aren’t many premium forwards in SuperCoach this year? If we look at the last two rounds in isolation, Moore is scoring as well as just about any player in the comp – 136 and 140 SuperCoach points. Throw in a 116 the week before and he’s clearly in red-hot form. The worry is he had two scores in the 50s in the three weeks before that, and Hawthorn’s midfield is full of constantly moving magnets as Sam Mitchell looks for the right mix with so many young guns. Moore attended eight centre bounces against the Dogs and finished with 24 disposals, five tackles and a goal. It’s also less than ideal that his price has surged almost $100k in that hot streak. Sorry we didn’t mention him a month ago.
TOM STEWART $523,400 DEF
Stewart’s Break Even of 138 looked in serious danger at halftime against Melbourne but he slowed up to finish with 104 points, his third total between 101 and 110 for the year. Stewart’s ceiling doesn’t seem as high as previous seasons with teammates like Max Holmes winning more of the footy out of defence, but he’s about a safe a pick as you can get. He’s great buying now at over $100k under his starting price, but with a Break Even of 132 you could wait another week and get him even cheaper.
BAILEY DALE $532,400 DEF
Dale looks the real deal in defence after an unusual five-week scoring run that reads like this: 47, 12, 175, 132, 116. Being named the sub in round 5 (which explains the 12-point score) was clearly the rocket Dale needed, and importantly he was still the Bulldogs’ main outlet out of defence with Tom Liberatore returning to the side – a move that some feared could have sent Ed Richards back to defence. Picking any player coached by Luke Beveridge is a risk, and Dale is a lot pricier than he was three weeks ago, but with a Break Even of 55 he’s still going up, and he’s one of the best options down back at his price.
DARCY PARISH $528,600 MID
Parish’s 125 points against Collingwood can be attributed to the Anzac Day factor – we know he loves a big game with a medal on the line. Can we write off another huge game because it was against West Coast? Parish tallied 36 disposals, 11 marks, five tackles and 148 SuperCoach points in a best-on-ground performance on Saturday night, and represents huge value in SuperCoach after dropping below $500k entering round 8. He’s back above that mark after smashing his Break Even, but is still great buying with a BE of just 28 entering round 9. The Bombers’ next four games are GWS, North Melbourne, Richmond and Gold Coast.
CHRISTIAN PETRACCA $551,800 MID
Petracca was on the top of many shopping lists for this week entering last round with a sky-high Break Even, but after another slightly underwhelming performance (94 points, his third in a row under 100) we can afford to wait a bit longer. Getting Petracca for under $600k looked like a bargain but he’s going to get a fair bit cheaper than that – SuperCoach Plus projects he’ll bottom out at $511k just before the mid-season byes. Is his Demons mate Oliver a higher priority in SuperCoach right now?
