Hunter Clark (St Kilda). Estimated price: $311,000 DEF
Could the injury-cursed Saint be the Jack Sinclair of 2023? The breakout ingredients are all there – top-10 draft pick entering his seventh season, and no one doubts Clark’s talent. Getting on the park regularly has been the issue – being subbed out at halftime in round 23 with a groin injury summed up another frustrating year. It’s fair to say he has shown glimpses rather than consistent evidence of elite KFC SuperCoach scoring ability (his best season average is 81.7 in 2020) but he will be priced at around a 60 average and the Saints are screaming out for some class through the midfield. Do the right thing, Ratts.
Dom Sheed (West Coast). Estimated price: $255,000 MID
Sheed epitomised the Eagles’ cursed 2022 season, suffering an ankle injury in the first practice match in February then going down again in his comeback game with a stress-related lower leg injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. The result was one game for the year for a KFC SuperCoach score of 67. His extremely limited game time should deliver a huge price discount and he will start in the Will Brodie/Stephen Coniglio price range from this year. Sheed hasn’t been a premium scorer in the past but he has consistently averaged 80-plus with a career-best of 95 in West Coast’s premiership season. He should get regular midfield time and anything close to that would be enough for a big price bump.
Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants). Estimated price: $468,000 DEF/MID
Could we? Whitfield is on the ‘never again’ list of many KFC SuperCoaches after burning the more than 80,000 who started him this year at what we thought was a bargain price of $502k. But there were some excuses. Whitfield was played all over the field – often in the same game – and missed matches with ankle and hip injuries, which he probably also carried while he was in the team. His form improved under Mark McVeigh – averaging 94 after the Giants’ bye – but it will all come down to new coach Adam Kingsley and how he uses Whitfield in the pre-season. If he parks him at half-back and allows him to maximise his elite running and disposal, it will be hard to resist a 28-year-old priced at 86 who has averaged 90-plus in five of the past six seasons including 111 and 104 in 2019-20.
Errol Gulden (Sydney). Estimated price: $466,000 FWD-MID
A premium jump was surely only a matter of time – after all, Gulden posted 139 and 136 in the opening two games of his career. Finishing the season with an average of 85.7 doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that Gulden can launch to 100-plus next season. What does, however, are the shifts we saw in his game and role this year. Gulden spent more time on a wing this season and won more possessions than his debut campaign behind the ball. The beauty is he spent more than enough time in the attacking 50 to still be listed as a FWD next year. Gulden’s average was ranked 33rd of this year’s forwards, but only 11 points off the top-10 (Adam Treloar was 10th at 96.4). In round 20 against the Giants, Gulden tallied career-high disposals (33), metres gained (697), marks (12) and inside-50s (10), on his way to a season-high 131 points. Those sort of performances will be the norm soon, possibly as soon as next year.
Harry Himmelberg (GWS Giants). Estimated price: $492,000 DEF/FWD
Next to moving Stephen Coniglio back into his preferred midfield role, the best thing Mark McVeigh did as interim GWS coach for KFC SuperCoaches was shifting Himmelberg to defence. Himmelberg’s price got as low as $318k after round 11, when he provided a sign of things to come with 126 points with 20 disposals and seven marks against Brisbane. The next match against North Melbourne was a monster – 16 marks, 37 disposals and almost 700m gained, for 187 points. Himmelberg will be priced at an average of about 91, yet averaged 112 from round 11 onwards. And he’s likely to retain DPP status. Expect him to be one of the top starting picks next year if Adam Kingsley continues what McVeigh started with Himmelberg in defence.
Hayden Young (Fremantle). Estimated price: $502,000 DEF
OK, a player costing about $500,000 doesn’t scream bargain pick. But Young is charting towards an average of 100-plus, having lifted his average from 77 to 92 this year. The reason he’s on this bargain list is that he could be a keeper for just over $500k. Between rounds 13-21 this year the 21-year-old ranked fifth of all general defenders in the AFL for uncontested possessions and marks, sixth for disposals and eighth for intercepts. Young finished the season with an elite disposal efficiency of 82.1 per cent, which compares favourably to top KFC SuperCoach defender Tom Stewart (84.2 per cent). Young averaged 97.3 from round 12 onwards. Perhaps the only question mark will be who out of Luke Ryan, Heath Chapman and Young start the year as the Dockers’ No.1 distributor. Keep an eye on Freo’s back six setup as season 2023 draws closer.
Could the injury-cursed Saint be the Jack Sinclair of 2023? The breakout ingredients are all there – top-10 draft pick entering his seventh season, and no one doubts Clark’s talent. Getting on the park regularly has been the issue – being subbed out at halftime in round 23 with a groin injury summed up another frustrating year. It’s fair to say he has shown glimpses rather than consistent evidence of elite KFC SuperCoach scoring ability (his best season average is 81.7 in 2020) but he will be priced at around a 60 average and the Saints are screaming out for some class through the midfield. Do the right thing, Ratts.
Dom Sheed (West Coast). Estimated price: $255,000 MID
Sheed epitomised the Eagles’ cursed 2022 season, suffering an ankle injury in the first practice match in February then going down again in his comeback game with a stress-related lower leg injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. The result was one game for the year for a KFC SuperCoach score of 67. His extremely limited game time should deliver a huge price discount and he will start in the Will Brodie/Stephen Coniglio price range from this year. Sheed hasn’t been a premium scorer in the past but he has consistently averaged 80-plus with a career-best of 95 in West Coast’s premiership season. He should get regular midfield time and anything close to that would be enough for a big price bump.
Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants). Estimated price: $468,000 DEF/MID
Could we? Whitfield is on the ‘never again’ list of many KFC SuperCoaches after burning the more than 80,000 who started him this year at what we thought was a bargain price of $502k. But there were some excuses. Whitfield was played all over the field – often in the same game – and missed matches with ankle and hip injuries, which he probably also carried while he was in the team. His form improved under Mark McVeigh – averaging 94 after the Giants’ bye – but it will all come down to new coach Adam Kingsley and how he uses Whitfield in the pre-season. If he parks him at half-back and allows him to maximise his elite running and disposal, it will be hard to resist a 28-year-old priced at 86 who has averaged 90-plus in five of the past six seasons including 111 and 104 in 2019-20.
Errol Gulden (Sydney). Estimated price: $466,000 FWD-MID
A premium jump was surely only a matter of time – after all, Gulden posted 139 and 136 in the opening two games of his career. Finishing the season with an average of 85.7 doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that Gulden can launch to 100-plus next season. What does, however, are the shifts we saw in his game and role this year. Gulden spent more time on a wing this season and won more possessions than his debut campaign behind the ball. The beauty is he spent more than enough time in the attacking 50 to still be listed as a FWD next year. Gulden’s average was ranked 33rd of this year’s forwards, but only 11 points off the top-10 (Adam Treloar was 10th at 96.4). In round 20 against the Giants, Gulden tallied career-high disposals (33), metres gained (697), marks (12) and inside-50s (10), on his way to a season-high 131 points. Those sort of performances will be the norm soon, possibly as soon as next year.
Harry Himmelberg (GWS Giants). Estimated price: $492,000 DEF/FWD
Next to moving Stephen Coniglio back into his preferred midfield role, the best thing Mark McVeigh did as interim GWS coach for KFC SuperCoaches was shifting Himmelberg to defence. Himmelberg’s price got as low as $318k after round 11, when he provided a sign of things to come with 126 points with 20 disposals and seven marks against Brisbane. The next match against North Melbourne was a monster – 16 marks, 37 disposals and almost 700m gained, for 187 points. Himmelberg will be priced at an average of about 91, yet averaged 112 from round 11 onwards. And he’s likely to retain DPP status. Expect him to be one of the top starting picks next year if Adam Kingsley continues what McVeigh started with Himmelberg in defence.
Hayden Young (Fremantle). Estimated price: $502,000 DEF
OK, a player costing about $500,000 doesn’t scream bargain pick. But Young is charting towards an average of 100-plus, having lifted his average from 77 to 92 this year. The reason he’s on this bargain list is that he could be a keeper for just over $500k. Between rounds 13-21 this year the 21-year-old ranked fifth of all general defenders in the AFL for uncontested possessions and marks, sixth for disposals and eighth for intercepts. Young finished the season with an elite disposal efficiency of 82.1 per cent, which compares favourably to top KFC SuperCoach defender Tom Stewart (84.2 per cent). Young averaged 97.3 from round 12 onwards. Perhaps the only question mark will be who out of Luke Ryan, Heath Chapman and Young start the year as the Dockers’ No.1 distributor. Keep an eye on Freo’s back six setup as season 2023 draws closer.
