Scythe
Moderator
- Moderator
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Only two more bye weeks to go, friends!
The below preview is from SC board legend, gutsroy. As a result, the scores/prices/BEs are obviously different from AF, but I felt like it was too good not to share.
As mentioned a few weeks back, if you want to go ahead and write a round preview in the remaining weeks, please feel free! Good luck for Round 15.
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The Germans have a word for the very, perhaps undeservedly fortunate, the Glückspilz – or ‘lucky mushroom’. The Spanish speak (amongst others) of ‘lecheros’ – or milkmen (they have a bit of a thing for expressions involving dairy, por ejemplo, me cago en la leche de la puta de tu madre, cabroncito de mierda con tus Tom McCarthies. Pendejo).
El Lechero - Maynard Dixon
In Australia, we tend to speak of being ‘kissed on the dick’. Or we used to, because as of today, that has been replaced with ‘McCarthy owner’.
Sunday, 15-JUN-2025 will go down in the annals of SuperCoach history, right up there in the pantheon of greats alongside Mick Barlow’s blistering 151 on debut, Jono Brown’s 262 back in 2006, Paddy Dangerfield’s 229 in 2016 and most recently Maxy Gawn’s 212 in 2019.
Tom McCarthy, the West Coast Eagles’ midseason pickup and proof positive, if ever it were needed, that AFL talent scouts would appear not to know shit from pipe clay, racked up 133 points in a dazzling first outing despite barely having trained in person with his new teammates, let alone played with them. It is feared McCarthy may now sadly miss the rest of the season, so severe is the case of leather poisoning the people’s champ is rumoured to be battling. 31 touches on debut, if you don’t mind.
He also went at an outrageous 90+% disposal efficiency on a very slippery day and alpha-ed the ever-loving shit out of yesterday’s hero Ryan Maric, pumping out absolute lasers from the goal square on kick-ins and showing the peroxide pelican that there’s a new sheriff in town down back. Maric is reportedly undergoing grief counselling to deal with the loss of his shameless gull points and the realization that he might actually have to work to earn a kick from now on. Put out your bleach for Ryza.
Losing the kick-ins is making Maric's eyes rain.
Those that were punished for playing a straight bat and not bringing in a kid pre-selection, pre-bubble and pre-bye – usually considered the unholy trinity of SuperCoach – got their inner Salt Bae on…
Whilst McCarthyites were too busy arranging an ad hoc self-congratulation conference….
It was an incredible performance and it made the difference in leagues, with many coaches who thought they were almost across the line going into the last game of the round with their opponents fielding an untried rookie due to a – perceived - lack of squad depth copping an absolute Byron Pickett special deep into time on in the final quarter (I point blank refuse to put up the Domma Sheed goal gif here, you filthy jackals)…
Another notable display from the game was the likely swansong of Eljiah Hewett in those teams who had stuck fat with the people’s champ. He pumped out a typically industrious 76 and he has honestly been a pleasure to own. It is rumoured that in order to prevent Lije and Tomma from being infected with the Abject Shitness Disease that has swept through the rest of the Eagles’ camp, both boys are being housed at an undisclosed location from which Tim Kelly is banned at all times.
Lije and Tommy doing Lihe and Tommy things
E-Train has reached the 351.1k mark and made us a cheeky little 228k if he does end up saying hello to Uncle Stunbolt before the week is out.
He’s awkwardly priced, but Liam Baker again nudged the ton on 98 and despite poor disposal by foot all year he would have been a good starting pick, to be honest. Tyrell Dewar scored a really solid 81 and despite rising to 228.7k, he goes into next week with a healthy -37 BE. For the Blues, Matty Carroll sparked up and scored an 82 (and he really did play a good - and a full - game for once). He goes into next week at 209.1k with an 11 BE, so he could make another 30-40k with a bit of luck and reward the true believers. Too little, too late for the rest of us, sadly.
The only real underperformers for the Blues were captain courageous Patrick Cripps on 83 (not diabolical but not what owners will have been hoping for), Sam Docherty (69 and he just looks a bit past it, fantastic a servant as he has been) and Hudson O’Keeffe (13 on a difficult day for tertiary target tall forwards, not one you need to look at on the rookie front if he is capable of those scores).
It was in general a round in which most premos delivered acceptable to good scores, with a few notable exceptions.
Marcus Bontempelli (WBD, MID, 587k, BE 177) delivered a 66, his lowest non-injury score in several years. This was due largely to the excellent and disciplined go-with role of Marcus Windhager, who not only nullified Bont but also delivered (in Scoops’ opinion) the goal of the night and possibly the round, first laying on the chase down tackle in the middle of the ground, forcing the turnover, then sticking with the play and receiving the handball at the edge of the 50 before slamming it home, with Bont jogging along listlessly in tow. It was symptomatic of the night but had no real impact on the outcome, the Dogs easily dispatched the Sainters and even had Liberatore and Bont stationed outside the midfield at times.
Famous last words (cough Nick Daicos cough) but you can probably afford to give the Bont at least one more week to shed value before assessing whether you have a path to bring him in.
In terms of other notables, Ed Richards (WBD, MID, 618.7k, 5-Rd AVG 124) again dominated with a 138, Jack Sinclair (STK, MID/DEF, 600.5k, 5-Rd AVG 124) an ever-reliable 109, Marvel superhero Bailey Dale (WBD, DEF, 5-Rd AVG 120) an easy sleezy 129, Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK, DEF, 528.1k, 3-Rd AVG 115) an actually quite untidy 119. He had double digit turnovers from memory on the night, quite uncharacteristic for him, such that the 119 was actually a chance gone begging.
Tim English (WBD, RUC, 562k, 5-Rd AVG 108) probably outplayed Rowan Marshall, who could only deliver an 80. His price has slumped to 504.3k with a 127 BE, but to be fair, it did seem that he was adjudicated a little harshly both in the ruck contests and at times in his SC scoring, which seemed to lag his real-life output.
Jack Macrae (87), Matt Kennedy (a typically reliable 97) and Jack Steele (another solid 106 – proving again that as long as the knee holds up, he was great buying a few weeks back for those who bought the dip) were all good. The story of the night was the AFL’s version of Kristaps Porzingis, Sam ‘The Unicorn’ Darcy, picking straight up where he left off when he got injured with a silky 108. He made it look easy and the Sainters had no answer, try as they might. He comes at a price of 461.3k this week and still has a BE of 147 off the injury game, so he is one you might be able to grab somewhere in the 440-450k range in a week or two if you are looking for a FWD (no DPP to date, hard to see him picking it up).
In terms of the Hawks vs the Crows in Tasmania, the Crows again were their own worst enemies and cost themselves another game they should have had in the bag. The Hawks were, simply put, made to look absolutely atrocious and second rate for most of the first half but the Crows wasted a slew of very gettable chances to only go into the main break with a fairly slender lead on balance of play.
The Hawks made some changes in the second half as they had been belted thirteen different shades of puce through the middle. Dylan ‘shittest bloke in Australia’ Moore had a spectacular second half and provided the Hawks great service on the ball and in link-up work. He finished on 162 and might tempt some at a price of 429.8k and a BE of 11 going into next week, but he is the Antichrist and is also rumoured to disappear when it is his shout at the pub and bot other blokes’ deodorants in the changerooms, he is simply not to be trusted, amirite Judd_Magic ?.
At this point, Scoops would like to note that Moore’s 61 average as a member of Scoops’ Squadron ™ in no way influences my objectivity as an independent journalist. Did I mention he’s a campaigner?
There weren’t many notable performers in this game. Izak Rankine (ADE, 448.1k, MID/FWD, 5-Rd AVG 81.8) is one of the disappointments of the season. To be fair, Adelaide has very solid midfield depth and he’s pushing more forward, but his skills have not been up to snuff for a bloke with his natural gifts. Jordan Dawson (ADE, MID, 583.2k, 5-Rd AVG 122) scored a solid 118, but you either have him already or you’re eyeing off a discount Bont / Zerrett / Whitfield / … in preference by now, especially given his bye is still to come.
Rory Laird (ADE, MID/DEF, 522.8k, 5-Rd AVG 107) was one who interested me a little pre-season and he has been a model of consistency, picking up DPP in the meantime as expected. Again, he never really represented ‘value’, but deserves a shout-out for a solid season. Ben Keays continued his outrageous recent scoring and was a steal if you got on at his low of 346k, but not many did. He’s now priced at 451.7k with a 3-Rd AVG of 116). Reilly O’Brien thrashed Lloyd Meek (HAW, RUC, 475.3k) early, finishing on 126 to Meek’s very generous 93 (disclosure: am a Meek owner, but that is not enough for me to pump his tyres up or lather this particular pig in lipstick, he was soundly flogged by ROB)
For the Hawks, there were really no notable performances and they pulled off a heist and a half to pinch the game from a superior opposition. Their finishing around goals was their primary strength.
Both widely held rookies, Henry Hustwaite (with a dreadful 4 and subbing out) and Luke Pedlar (with an only marginally better 35 and a subbing out) will be in our teams for a good time, not a long time on the back of those efforts. Neither has to go this week necessarily – Hus is on the bye, although he has a mammoth BE thereafter – and Pedlar’s BE of 48 is probably close to manageable if he starts on-field if you are struggling for numbers. Watch team sheets though. Hus is dead, the next time he is named in the team, he has to go (tbh, that won’t be any time soon, worst on by a fair margin).
Brisbane vs GWS was another game decided in part by goal-kicking accuracy. Jesse Hogan and Aaron Cadman kicked 13.2 between them, the Lions 13.18 on the night in yet another wasteful display. This was a much more even contest, though, and GWS legitimately finished the stronger. SC-wise, Lachie Neale eked out an uninspired and uninspiring 103. He’s priced at 546k and he might attract some attention on the run home, but I wouldn’t be touching Gollum with a bargepole, personally.
Josh Dunkley had to shift forward after Jack Payne’s injury meant Eric Hipwood had to be moved back. Dunkley actually played OK and he punches well above his weight aerially, but he finished on 76, another outing marred by him having to do a job while Neale, Dayne Zorko and Hugh McLuggage all enjoy a far longer leash. Don’t go near Dunkley, for the love of Christ, but if you do, he’ll set you back 506.6k for a 5-Rd AVG of 94.6 and a lack of DPP sauciness.
Zorko some might look at, he’s at a fair price of 505.6k off a 123, his 5-Rd AVG copping a slight uptick back to 97.2. Personally...
McLuggage has a second slightly down outing, finishing on 100, slumping to 608.2k and a BE of 159. With that and the upcoming bye, he won’t be on anyone’s shopping list this week. Will and Levi Ashcroft were both ordinary and both have a touch of the downhill skiers about them, truth be told. Being good in a good side isn’t exactly degree of difficulty 4.0 areas.
For the Giants, Lachie Whitfield returned to gulling of halfback, pumping out a 140. He is good value this week in theory (545.1k for a 113.5 AVG DEF), but the upcoming bye is a bit awkward. Finn Callaghan picked up where he left off off the shoulder, 123 is great output first up. Tom Green also churned out a 110, but neither is necessarily a buy right now given the upcoming bye and them treading water price-wise.
Rookie-wise, Joe Fonti (39), Kai Lohmann (17 from three quarters after the early sub-on, Levi Ashcroft (45), Josua Delana (21) and Xavier O’Halloran (59) were all ordinary. You’ll have to think about when to trade them out if you haven’t done so already, all having high BEs. Nic Madden scored a solid 78 in the RUC, but with Kieren Briggs likely available after the upcoming Rd 16 bye, it is hard to know whether we would get more than just the one price rise out of him. The only scenario which might work is handcuffing him to Briggs, but that scenario is ‘niche as’.
You're niche as, bro
I didn’t see any of the Bombers / Cats and Freo / North games (and missed parts of other games as well), so you would be better off looking for more solid insights elsewhere. Going off scores / hearsay:
Max Holmes was immense with 155. At a price of 594.2k, the GEE MID/DEF has big scoring fluctuations, but when he’s good, he’s very, very good. He has a 5-Rd AVG of 124. Jeremy Cameron scored a nice 116, but you either already have him or he’s already priced you out. There’s no value there anymore and the ever-present risk of a stinker.
Bailey Smith again apparently did some attention-seeking pre-game run-throughs with the medicos, but he played and delivered a typically high quality 114. Tom Stewart had the alpine skis on and delivered a 109, as long as he avoids injury, he looks like he could reward those who jumped on a couple of weeks back.
For the Bombers, Zach Merrett apparently played more through the middle in the second half, so he could represent decent buying post-bye in Rd 17 if he hovers around a 520k price. Just one to consider. Jye Caldwell (502.2k, MID, 3-Rd AVG 112) delivered a 111, rewarding owners who decided to back in his output over the last season or so post-bye 2024. Nic Martin was just OK with 88 and he’s not necessarily huge value at 599.4k as a FWD/DEF with a 152 BE, but post-bye some folks (e.g. those with Campbell Gray) might have a natural way to swing Martin across the lines as needed.
Zak Johnson pumped out another enterprising 80’s score with 84, leaping to 179.7k with a BE of -63.
Owners will have a decision on their hands as to whether to retain him and eke out more cash over his Rd 16 bye or cull him at whatever price he lands on after next week to keep the upgrades flowing.
Archer Day-Wicks is the Connor Menadue of Relton Roberts, his cash gen is glacial and a 22 won’t see that changing, Angus Clarke also underwhelmed with a 29 but certainly has at least one more week in him. Isaac Kako scored a solid 50, so he’s not an urgent trade-out, nor is he a world beater.
Jack Martin is worth mentioning, he scored a 79 and at a price of 150.9k and a BE of -23 on the bubble, might attract some interest. First thing to check there would be how Cats fans see the JS.
In terms of Freo vs North, it seems like North got an early jump on the Dockers, with Tristan Xerri and Luke Davies-Uniacke apparently both going well early only to end up on acceptable but pedestrian low 100’s. Harry Sheezel again played well and seems to have a decent midfield role, his 115 makes him worth a thought if you don’t already own him at 512.8k, bye-free, with MID/DEF DPP and a 3-Rd AVG of 105.
Colby McKercher was a popular addition this week at 392k, and he seems to have gotten enough of the ball but used it quite poorly. A 60 is not what new owners were looking to see.
Caleb Daniel didn’t hit the heights on 80, but he’s still been a solid hold at 469.7k with useful DPP and a 3-Rd AVG of 100.3, the hold probably proved the right call on balance there.
For the Dockers, Caleb Serong finally produced a decent spike score on 142., Andrew Brayshaw did Andrew Brayshaw things on 130, Luke Ryan, Luke Jackson and Jordan Clark were all around the 100-mark, none of them really represent value this week despite being bye-free unless you have particular circumstances. Sean Darcy may become interesting at some stage, but at 361.2k and a BE of 114, in the current role share, you would be in no rush to bring in a bloke with a 5-Rd AVG of 65. Shai Bolton scored a 78, not a catastrophe but not exactly going off chops either.
Port Adelaide benefitted from Melbourne’s continued inability to conjure up a working forward structure. For the Dees, Max Gawn started off shakily but finished strong on 126, one of the better common captaincy scores of the week.
Kysaiah Pickett only needs to play like this for (checks notes) another 9 straight years to justify the eye-watering long-term deal. He finished with a 102 and comes at a price of 479.3k for a 5-Rd AVG of 102. Nobody has talked him up, but Disco Turner churned out another enterprising 100. At 428.9k and with a 5-Rd AVG of 90, he at least deserves his flowers. He might be a chance to pick up DED/FWD DPP, but even that probably doesn’t make the juice worth the squeeze from here on out. Still, he’s done really quite well in the role.
Christian Petracca (a gormless, listless 68) and Clarence Oliver (finishing quite strongly on 81 after barely being sighted in the first half) did nothing to silence calls that they’re past their prime, sadly. Harvey Langford looked younger, hungrier and showed a fair bit more passion than the two of them combined. Xavier Lindsay’s score was torpedoed by the sub vest, with him finishing on 10. I hope to Christ you all got off last week at the latest, he’s cooked.
For Port, Jason Horne-Francis excelled with 136, although the score was one that could have been nudging 180 if he had kicked straight with early shots at goal and not spent a fair bit of time on the bench in the last quarter after a shoulder stinger (seemed fine). He’s priced at 491.9k as a FWD/MID with a BE of 131, so you might be able to leave it a week if you’re monitoring him. He looked bloody good and made Petracca look absolutely second rate at times.
Connor Rozee looks settled at HB and his 117 sees the PTA MID/DEF at 534.5k and with a 5-Rd AVG of 111. Zak Butters’ 101 was OK if not spectacular, he goes into next week bye-free at 569.6k and a BE of 90.
The real story was Miles Bergman. He looks to have the midfield role for now and his 117 was another impressive outing. He has now risen to 461.2k as a MID/DEF with a BE of 26 and a 3-Rd AVG of 116. You could do a fair bit worse than grab him, even though the buying is not as good as when Nelso and Jiska got the jump on the rest of the field. Dante Visentini won’t be widely held and the ruck share and topline opposition saw him limited to a 49. At 317.1k and with a BE of 63, if the ruck share with Jordon Sweet continues, it might be time to hit the eject button. Hugh Jackson sadly matched Xavier Lindsay’s 10 and that really dented his first price rise. Pass.
Rookie / Midpricer Watch:
As indicated above, Jack Martin might be an option if you want somebody this week and need a score.
Sam Butler (HAW, 123.2k FWD) should be on the bubble and seems sure to be selected post-bye next week. He seems to have good JS, so you could go early if absolutely necessary.
Tom McCarthy and Bo Allan (who finally got a full game and beat his 67 BE by 2 to finish on 69…
and hover at a price of 119k)are also both ones to consider and many will probably just jump the gun on McCarthy and bring him in this week even though he will be on the bye if it helps them facilitate an upgrade. Not even Mini McQualter, aka ****o Mc****face…
… would bench or snot vest a kid off 31 near immaculate touches on debut, he’ll be playing in Rd 16 barring injury or abduction by aliens.
Whadaytalkinbeet?
Nic Madden has a slightly cloudy outlook despite good output, Hudson O’Keeffe has the same cloudy outlook without the good output (at least in game two, first up he looked handy).
One who has flown under the radar a little is Harry Rowston (GWS, MID, 119.9k, BE -12). He’s also on the bubble and after a first outing with limited TOG pieced together a very handy 79 this week.
A lot of talk this week will centre around Callum Mills, fresh off the bye, DEF-eligible and at a price of 357.2k. He is a midpriced option more than capable of, say, 100-output and is now bye free and on the bubble. I am not sure whether to grab him or focus on the best of the best at this time of the year, so if you have any strong opinions either way on him, Scoops is all ears.
Other than that, I tried to mention as many potentially relevant players as possible above, so maybe have a flick through all that.
In terms of bye-free players, Sydney, Gold Coast, Collingwood and Richmond players are all returning from the bye.
Collingwood and Richmond are probably of less interest in terms of keepers for the run home unless you don’t have Nick Daicos (COL, MID, 535.9k, 3-Rd AVG 106), Gold Coast has Noah Anderson (GCS, MID, 586.7k, 5-Rd AVG 116.4), Matt Rowell (GCS, MID, 541.2k, 5-Rd AVG 112) and Touk Miller as well (GCS, MID, 521.5k, 107.1 AVG, but cooling off a touch with a 5-Rd AVG of 96.3). Sam Flanders (GCS, MID/DEF, 384.4k, 5-Rd AVG 65) may at some stage become relevant, but thus far, his role has just not been ideal and he’d be one you would not just go on spec / hope, you’d need to see an uptick first.
For the Swans, other than Mills, Brodie Grundy has been on an absolute tear of late but he’s broken the hearts of all and sundry in the past. Matt Roberts is a fine hold and was also a fine trade-out if you got on the right horse. With Errol Gulden back and Mills also angling in at the stale chips, he might become a little marginalized, but if both of those playing further up the ground, he should be fine. Random one, but Justin McInerney with his DPP and recent scoring deserves a shout-out.
Happy trails, muchachos. If you are one of the lucky mushrooms who copped McCarthy’s score, as a card carrying member of the Haters Club, I’m legally obliged to despise you and everything you stand for, but want you to know that deep down inside Scoops still loves you, baby.
The below preview is from SC board legend, gutsroy. As a result, the scores/prices/BEs are obviously different from AF, but I felt like it was too good not to share.
As mentioned a few weeks back, if you want to go ahead and write a round preview in the remaining weeks, please feel free! Good luck for Round 15.
____________________________________________________
The Germans have a word for the very, perhaps undeservedly fortunate, the Glückspilz – or ‘lucky mushroom’. The Spanish speak (amongst others) of ‘lecheros’ – or milkmen (they have a bit of a thing for expressions involving dairy, por ejemplo, me cago en la leche de la puta de tu madre, cabroncito de mierda con tus Tom McCarthies. Pendejo).
El Lechero - Maynard Dixon
In Australia, we tend to speak of being ‘kissed on the dick’. Or we used to, because as of today, that has been replaced with ‘McCarthy owner’.
Sunday, 15-JUN-2025 will go down in the annals of SuperCoach history, right up there in the pantheon of greats alongside Mick Barlow’s blistering 151 on debut, Jono Brown’s 262 back in 2006, Paddy Dangerfield’s 229 in 2016 and most recently Maxy Gawn’s 212 in 2019.
Tom McCarthy, the West Coast Eagles’ midseason pickup and proof positive, if ever it were needed, that AFL talent scouts would appear not to know shit from pipe clay, racked up 133 points in a dazzling first outing despite barely having trained in person with his new teammates, let alone played with them. It is feared McCarthy may now sadly miss the rest of the season, so severe is the case of leather poisoning the people’s champ is rumoured to be battling. 31 touches on debut, if you don’t mind.
He also went at an outrageous 90+% disposal efficiency on a very slippery day and alpha-ed the ever-loving shit out of yesterday’s hero Ryan Maric, pumping out absolute lasers from the goal square on kick-ins and showing the peroxide pelican that there’s a new sheriff in town down back. Maric is reportedly undergoing grief counselling to deal with the loss of his shameless gull points and the realization that he might actually have to work to earn a kick from now on. Put out your bleach for Ryza.
Losing the kick-ins is making Maric's eyes rain.
Those that were punished for playing a straight bat and not bringing in a kid pre-selection, pre-bubble and pre-bye – usually considered the unholy trinity of SuperCoach – got their inner Salt Bae on…
Whilst McCarthyites were too busy arranging an ad hoc self-congratulation conference….
It was an incredible performance and it made the difference in leagues, with many coaches who thought they were almost across the line going into the last game of the round with their opponents fielding an untried rookie due to a – perceived - lack of squad depth copping an absolute Byron Pickett special deep into time on in the final quarter (I point blank refuse to put up the Domma Sheed goal gif here, you filthy jackals)…
Another notable display from the game was the likely swansong of Eljiah Hewett in those teams who had stuck fat with the people’s champ. He pumped out a typically industrious 76 and he has honestly been a pleasure to own. It is rumoured that in order to prevent Lije and Tomma from being infected with the Abject Shitness Disease that has swept through the rest of the Eagles’ camp, both boys are being housed at an undisclosed location from which Tim Kelly is banned at all times.
Lije and Tommy doing Lihe and Tommy things
E-Train has reached the 351.1k mark and made us a cheeky little 228k if he does end up saying hello to Uncle Stunbolt before the week is out.
He’s awkwardly priced, but Liam Baker again nudged the ton on 98 and despite poor disposal by foot all year he would have been a good starting pick, to be honest. Tyrell Dewar scored a really solid 81 and despite rising to 228.7k, he goes into next week with a healthy -37 BE. For the Blues, Matty Carroll sparked up and scored an 82 (and he really did play a good - and a full - game for once). He goes into next week at 209.1k with an 11 BE, so he could make another 30-40k with a bit of luck and reward the true believers. Too little, too late for the rest of us, sadly.
The only real underperformers for the Blues were captain courageous Patrick Cripps on 83 (not diabolical but not what owners will have been hoping for), Sam Docherty (69 and he just looks a bit past it, fantastic a servant as he has been) and Hudson O’Keeffe (13 on a difficult day for tertiary target tall forwards, not one you need to look at on the rookie front if he is capable of those scores).
It was in general a round in which most premos delivered acceptable to good scores, with a few notable exceptions.
Marcus Bontempelli (WBD, MID, 587k, BE 177) delivered a 66, his lowest non-injury score in several years. This was due largely to the excellent and disciplined go-with role of Marcus Windhager, who not only nullified Bont but also delivered (in Scoops’ opinion) the goal of the night and possibly the round, first laying on the chase down tackle in the middle of the ground, forcing the turnover, then sticking with the play and receiving the handball at the edge of the 50 before slamming it home, with Bont jogging along listlessly in tow. It was symptomatic of the night but had no real impact on the outcome, the Dogs easily dispatched the Sainters and even had Liberatore and Bont stationed outside the midfield at times.
Famous last words (cough Nick Daicos cough) but you can probably afford to give the Bont at least one more week to shed value before assessing whether you have a path to bring him in.
In terms of other notables, Ed Richards (WBD, MID, 618.7k, 5-Rd AVG 124) again dominated with a 138, Jack Sinclair (STK, MID/DEF, 600.5k, 5-Rd AVG 124) an ever-reliable 109, Marvel superhero Bailey Dale (WBD, DEF, 5-Rd AVG 120) an easy sleezy 129, Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK, DEF, 528.1k, 3-Rd AVG 115) an actually quite untidy 119. He had double digit turnovers from memory on the night, quite uncharacteristic for him, such that the 119 was actually a chance gone begging.
Tim English (WBD, RUC, 562k, 5-Rd AVG 108) probably outplayed Rowan Marshall, who could only deliver an 80. His price has slumped to 504.3k with a 127 BE, but to be fair, it did seem that he was adjudicated a little harshly both in the ruck contests and at times in his SC scoring, which seemed to lag his real-life output.
Jack Macrae (87), Matt Kennedy (a typically reliable 97) and Jack Steele (another solid 106 – proving again that as long as the knee holds up, he was great buying a few weeks back for those who bought the dip) were all good. The story of the night was the AFL’s version of Kristaps Porzingis, Sam ‘The Unicorn’ Darcy, picking straight up where he left off when he got injured with a silky 108. He made it look easy and the Sainters had no answer, try as they might. He comes at a price of 461.3k this week and still has a BE of 147 off the injury game, so he is one you might be able to grab somewhere in the 440-450k range in a week or two if you are looking for a FWD (no DPP to date, hard to see him picking it up).
In terms of the Hawks vs the Crows in Tasmania, the Crows again were their own worst enemies and cost themselves another game they should have had in the bag. The Hawks were, simply put, made to look absolutely atrocious and second rate for most of the first half but the Crows wasted a slew of very gettable chances to only go into the main break with a fairly slender lead on balance of play.
The Hawks made some changes in the second half as they had been belted thirteen different shades of puce through the middle. Dylan ‘shittest bloke in Australia’ Moore had a spectacular second half and provided the Hawks great service on the ball and in link-up work. He finished on 162 and might tempt some at a price of 429.8k and a BE of 11 going into next week, but he is the Antichrist and is also rumoured to disappear when it is his shout at the pub and bot other blokes’ deodorants in the changerooms, he is simply not to be trusted, amirite Judd_Magic ?.
At this point, Scoops would like to note that Moore’s 61 average as a member of Scoops’ Squadron ™ in no way influences my objectivity as an independent journalist. Did I mention he’s a campaigner?
There weren’t many notable performers in this game. Izak Rankine (ADE, 448.1k, MID/FWD, 5-Rd AVG 81.8) is one of the disappointments of the season. To be fair, Adelaide has very solid midfield depth and he’s pushing more forward, but his skills have not been up to snuff for a bloke with his natural gifts. Jordan Dawson (ADE, MID, 583.2k, 5-Rd AVG 122) scored a solid 118, but you either have him already or you’re eyeing off a discount Bont / Zerrett / Whitfield / … in preference by now, especially given his bye is still to come.
Rory Laird (ADE, MID/DEF, 522.8k, 5-Rd AVG 107) was one who interested me a little pre-season and he has been a model of consistency, picking up DPP in the meantime as expected. Again, he never really represented ‘value’, but deserves a shout-out for a solid season. Ben Keays continued his outrageous recent scoring and was a steal if you got on at his low of 346k, but not many did. He’s now priced at 451.7k with a 3-Rd AVG of 116). Reilly O’Brien thrashed Lloyd Meek (HAW, RUC, 475.3k) early, finishing on 126 to Meek’s very generous 93 (disclosure: am a Meek owner, but that is not enough for me to pump his tyres up or lather this particular pig in lipstick, he was soundly flogged by ROB)
For the Hawks, there were really no notable performances and they pulled off a heist and a half to pinch the game from a superior opposition. Their finishing around goals was their primary strength.
Both widely held rookies, Henry Hustwaite (with a dreadful 4 and subbing out) and Luke Pedlar (with an only marginally better 35 and a subbing out) will be in our teams for a good time, not a long time on the back of those efforts. Neither has to go this week necessarily – Hus is on the bye, although he has a mammoth BE thereafter – and Pedlar’s BE of 48 is probably close to manageable if he starts on-field if you are struggling for numbers. Watch team sheets though. Hus is dead, the next time he is named in the team, he has to go (tbh, that won’t be any time soon, worst on by a fair margin).
Brisbane vs GWS was another game decided in part by goal-kicking accuracy. Jesse Hogan and Aaron Cadman kicked 13.2 between them, the Lions 13.18 on the night in yet another wasteful display. This was a much more even contest, though, and GWS legitimately finished the stronger. SC-wise, Lachie Neale eked out an uninspired and uninspiring 103. He’s priced at 546k and he might attract some attention on the run home, but I wouldn’t be touching Gollum with a bargepole, personally.
Josh Dunkley had to shift forward after Jack Payne’s injury meant Eric Hipwood had to be moved back. Dunkley actually played OK and he punches well above his weight aerially, but he finished on 76, another outing marred by him having to do a job while Neale, Dayne Zorko and Hugh McLuggage all enjoy a far longer leash. Don’t go near Dunkley, for the love of Christ, but if you do, he’ll set you back 506.6k for a 5-Rd AVG of 94.6 and a lack of DPP sauciness.
Zorko some might look at, he’s at a fair price of 505.6k off a 123, his 5-Rd AVG copping a slight uptick back to 97.2. Personally...
McLuggage has a second slightly down outing, finishing on 100, slumping to 608.2k and a BE of 159. With that and the upcoming bye, he won’t be on anyone’s shopping list this week. Will and Levi Ashcroft were both ordinary and both have a touch of the downhill skiers about them, truth be told. Being good in a good side isn’t exactly degree of difficulty 4.0 areas.
For the Giants, Lachie Whitfield returned to gulling of halfback, pumping out a 140. He is good value this week in theory (545.1k for a 113.5 AVG DEF), but the upcoming bye is a bit awkward. Finn Callaghan picked up where he left off off the shoulder, 123 is great output first up. Tom Green also churned out a 110, but neither is necessarily a buy right now given the upcoming bye and them treading water price-wise.
Rookie-wise, Joe Fonti (39), Kai Lohmann (17 from three quarters after the early sub-on, Levi Ashcroft (45), Josua Delana (21) and Xavier O’Halloran (59) were all ordinary. You’ll have to think about when to trade them out if you haven’t done so already, all having high BEs. Nic Madden scored a solid 78 in the RUC, but with Kieren Briggs likely available after the upcoming Rd 16 bye, it is hard to know whether we would get more than just the one price rise out of him. The only scenario which might work is handcuffing him to Briggs, but that scenario is ‘niche as’.
You're niche as, bro
I didn’t see any of the Bombers / Cats and Freo / North games (and missed parts of other games as well), so you would be better off looking for more solid insights elsewhere. Going off scores / hearsay:
Max Holmes was immense with 155. At a price of 594.2k, the GEE MID/DEF has big scoring fluctuations, but when he’s good, he’s very, very good. He has a 5-Rd AVG of 124. Jeremy Cameron scored a nice 116, but you either already have him or he’s already priced you out. There’s no value there anymore and the ever-present risk of a stinker.
Bailey Smith again apparently did some attention-seeking pre-game run-throughs with the medicos, but he played and delivered a typically high quality 114. Tom Stewart had the alpine skis on and delivered a 109, as long as he avoids injury, he looks like he could reward those who jumped on a couple of weeks back.
For the Bombers, Zach Merrett apparently played more through the middle in the second half, so he could represent decent buying post-bye in Rd 17 if he hovers around a 520k price. Just one to consider. Jye Caldwell (502.2k, MID, 3-Rd AVG 112) delivered a 111, rewarding owners who decided to back in his output over the last season or so post-bye 2024. Nic Martin was just OK with 88 and he’s not necessarily huge value at 599.4k as a FWD/DEF with a 152 BE, but post-bye some folks (e.g. those with Campbell Gray) might have a natural way to swing Martin across the lines as needed.
Zak Johnson pumped out another enterprising 80’s score with 84, leaping to 179.7k with a BE of -63.
Owners will have a decision on their hands as to whether to retain him and eke out more cash over his Rd 16 bye or cull him at whatever price he lands on after next week to keep the upgrades flowing.
Archer Day-Wicks is the Connor Menadue of Relton Roberts, his cash gen is glacial and a 22 won’t see that changing, Angus Clarke also underwhelmed with a 29 but certainly has at least one more week in him. Isaac Kako scored a solid 50, so he’s not an urgent trade-out, nor is he a world beater.
Jack Martin is worth mentioning, he scored a 79 and at a price of 150.9k and a BE of -23 on the bubble, might attract some interest. First thing to check there would be how Cats fans see the JS.
In terms of Freo vs North, it seems like North got an early jump on the Dockers, with Tristan Xerri and Luke Davies-Uniacke apparently both going well early only to end up on acceptable but pedestrian low 100’s. Harry Sheezel again played well and seems to have a decent midfield role, his 115 makes him worth a thought if you don’t already own him at 512.8k, bye-free, with MID/DEF DPP and a 3-Rd AVG of 105.
Colby McKercher was a popular addition this week at 392k, and he seems to have gotten enough of the ball but used it quite poorly. A 60 is not what new owners were looking to see.
Caleb Daniel didn’t hit the heights on 80, but he’s still been a solid hold at 469.7k with useful DPP and a 3-Rd AVG of 100.3, the hold probably proved the right call on balance there.
For the Dockers, Caleb Serong finally produced a decent spike score on 142., Andrew Brayshaw did Andrew Brayshaw things on 130, Luke Ryan, Luke Jackson and Jordan Clark were all around the 100-mark, none of them really represent value this week despite being bye-free unless you have particular circumstances. Sean Darcy may become interesting at some stage, but at 361.2k and a BE of 114, in the current role share, you would be in no rush to bring in a bloke with a 5-Rd AVG of 65. Shai Bolton scored a 78, not a catastrophe but not exactly going off chops either.
Port Adelaide benefitted from Melbourne’s continued inability to conjure up a working forward structure. For the Dees, Max Gawn started off shakily but finished strong on 126, one of the better common captaincy scores of the week.
Kysaiah Pickett only needs to play like this for (checks notes) another 9 straight years to justify the eye-watering long-term deal. He finished with a 102 and comes at a price of 479.3k for a 5-Rd AVG of 102. Nobody has talked him up, but Disco Turner churned out another enterprising 100. At 428.9k and with a 5-Rd AVG of 90, he at least deserves his flowers. He might be a chance to pick up DED/FWD DPP, but even that probably doesn’t make the juice worth the squeeze from here on out. Still, he’s done really quite well in the role.
Christian Petracca (a gormless, listless 68) and Clarence Oliver (finishing quite strongly on 81 after barely being sighted in the first half) did nothing to silence calls that they’re past their prime, sadly. Harvey Langford looked younger, hungrier and showed a fair bit more passion than the two of them combined. Xavier Lindsay’s score was torpedoed by the sub vest, with him finishing on 10. I hope to Christ you all got off last week at the latest, he’s cooked.
For Port, Jason Horne-Francis excelled with 136, although the score was one that could have been nudging 180 if he had kicked straight with early shots at goal and not spent a fair bit of time on the bench in the last quarter after a shoulder stinger (seemed fine). He’s priced at 491.9k as a FWD/MID with a BE of 131, so you might be able to leave it a week if you’re monitoring him. He looked bloody good and made Petracca look absolutely second rate at times.
Connor Rozee looks settled at HB and his 117 sees the PTA MID/DEF at 534.5k and with a 5-Rd AVG of 111. Zak Butters’ 101 was OK if not spectacular, he goes into next week bye-free at 569.6k and a BE of 90.
The real story was Miles Bergman. He looks to have the midfield role for now and his 117 was another impressive outing. He has now risen to 461.2k as a MID/DEF with a BE of 26 and a 3-Rd AVG of 116. You could do a fair bit worse than grab him, even though the buying is not as good as when Nelso and Jiska got the jump on the rest of the field. Dante Visentini won’t be widely held and the ruck share and topline opposition saw him limited to a 49. At 317.1k and with a BE of 63, if the ruck share with Jordon Sweet continues, it might be time to hit the eject button. Hugh Jackson sadly matched Xavier Lindsay’s 10 and that really dented his first price rise. Pass.
Rookie / Midpricer Watch:
As indicated above, Jack Martin might be an option if you want somebody this week and need a score.
Sam Butler (HAW, 123.2k FWD) should be on the bubble and seems sure to be selected post-bye next week. He seems to have good JS, so you could go early if absolutely necessary.
Tom McCarthy and Bo Allan (who finally got a full game and beat his 67 BE by 2 to finish on 69…
and hover at a price of 119k)are also both ones to consider and many will probably just jump the gun on McCarthy and bring him in this week even though he will be on the bye if it helps them facilitate an upgrade. Not even Mini McQualter, aka ****o Mc****face…
… would bench or snot vest a kid off 31 near immaculate touches on debut, he’ll be playing in Rd 16 barring injury or abduction by aliens.
Whadaytalkinbeet?
Nic Madden has a slightly cloudy outlook despite good output, Hudson O’Keeffe has the same cloudy outlook without the good output (at least in game two, first up he looked handy).
One who has flown under the radar a little is Harry Rowston (GWS, MID, 119.9k, BE -12). He’s also on the bubble and after a first outing with limited TOG pieced together a very handy 79 this week.
A lot of talk this week will centre around Callum Mills, fresh off the bye, DEF-eligible and at a price of 357.2k. He is a midpriced option more than capable of, say, 100-output and is now bye free and on the bubble. I am not sure whether to grab him or focus on the best of the best at this time of the year, so if you have any strong opinions either way on him, Scoops is all ears.
Other than that, I tried to mention as many potentially relevant players as possible above, so maybe have a flick through all that.
In terms of bye-free players, Sydney, Gold Coast, Collingwood and Richmond players are all returning from the bye.
Collingwood and Richmond are probably of less interest in terms of keepers for the run home unless you don’t have Nick Daicos (COL, MID, 535.9k, 3-Rd AVG 106), Gold Coast has Noah Anderson (GCS, MID, 586.7k, 5-Rd AVG 116.4), Matt Rowell (GCS, MID, 541.2k, 5-Rd AVG 112) and Touk Miller as well (GCS, MID, 521.5k, 107.1 AVG, but cooling off a touch with a 5-Rd AVG of 96.3). Sam Flanders (GCS, MID/DEF, 384.4k, 5-Rd AVG 65) may at some stage become relevant, but thus far, his role has just not been ideal and he’d be one you would not just go on spec / hope, you’d need to see an uptick first.
For the Swans, other than Mills, Brodie Grundy has been on an absolute tear of late but he’s broken the hearts of all and sundry in the past. Matt Roberts is a fine hold and was also a fine trade-out if you got on the right horse. With Errol Gulden back and Mills also angling in at the stale chips, he might become a little marginalized, but if both of those playing further up the ground, he should be fine. Random one, but Justin McInerney with his DPP and recent scoring deserves a shout-out.
Happy trails, muchachos. If you are one of the lucky mushrooms who copped McCarthy’s score, as a card carrying member of the Haters Club, I’m legally obliged to despise you and everything you stand for, but want you to know that deep down inside Scoops still loves you, baby.
