After Round 2, we find ourselves in a spot where trades must be activated. This is for multiple reasons, firstly to correct rookies and the other is to fix underperforming players and pick up the ones who are yet to jump in value.
So I will go through some rookies that are on the outer that you might want to bring in if you have the room, go through some Max Gawn or other ruck replacements and finally a quick run-through on some popular players and whether you should trade or keep them.
Should you trade this rookie in?
I first want to discuss what rookies you should jump on and which you can avoid. With the first price changes coming in next week we should be making sure we have the correct rookies to maximise your cash generation. I won’t go through popular rookie picks because most people would already have your Ashcrofts and Sheezel so go get them before you read the players below
Kade Chandler
Chandler (SC $124k Fwd) only started in 3% of teams in Round 1 but that didn’t last long after a terrific game against the Dogs, he backed that up with a respectable 71 in a chaotic game against the Lions and so far does look to hold down that pressure forward role for the Dees forward line at the moment. While I would believe that those two performances are probably a slight overperformance from what we would expect of a small forward, the bigger question would be does he hold his spot in the team once Kozy Pickett is back from suspension? I’m not 100% certain as it’s hard to find someone else who’s a like-for-like replacement but if he’s continuing his great form then he might already be ahead of the likes of Spargo who’s vying for that same role. I would classify this as more of a premium upgrade as I feel there’s still a question mark on can he make it to Round 5 and still play but if you have avoided the chaos so far then there’s no reason to not switch someone like Chesser or Fergus Greene for a rookie that will make more in the short run.
Noah Long
Another pressure forward this time for the Eagles, he’s scored how we would expect this type of player to score popping up in small patches and being quiet for the rest. Long (SC $118k Mid/Fwd) still managed a respectable 62.5 average from <10 disposals and only 4 tackles a game so when he gets the ball he’s pretty efficient with it. Job security wise he should be a bit safer than Chandler as the Eagles look to rebuild with their kids but don’t be surprised if he gets rested or omitted after one or two quiet games, their next run of fixtures are a bit tougher than GWS and North with the Dees and Cats coming after Round 3 which could see him be quiet and stifle his cash gen.
Jack Buckley
This guy is probably a name you didn’t expect, technically he’s more “mid-pricer priced” as he’s 3k more expensive than Ashcroft but I wanted to give him a shoutout because so far he’s scored a 76 and 99 with a respectable stat line after being late in for Leek Aleer in Round 1. But for those who didn’t know he has been in the system for a few years with this being his fourth full year after playing 2 and 15 games in 2020 and 2021. After doing his ACL in 2022, Buckley (SC $206k Def) became a rookie priced and just outside of the Giants 22, but after these impressive performances in the GWS backline, it is hard to see him being pushed out, at the same time it is difficult to read his actual job security but with quite a few injuries to the Giants defence it could prove a tactical masterstroke to bring him instead if he keeps this scoring.
Gawn replacements
With news that Max Gawn is now out with a knee injury for the next four weeks, what will you do as a coach? Obviously, you have to trade him out but there are plenty of ruck options to choose from, so I’ll break down my three favourite ones.
Darcy Cameron
When Darcy Cameron (SC $466k Ruc/Fwd) played in the preseason it was worrying that he was playing a 50/50 split with Mason Cox as Collingwood’s ruckman but what has occurred over the first two weeks of the season is that it’s probably close to a 65/35 split so Cameron can for sure push his 2022 average of 84.6 to 100+. The added bonus with Cameron is that he carries the Ruc/Fwd tag on him meaning that even if he doesn’t end up being a 110+ ruckman he’ll almost definitely be in that top 10 forward territories averaging from 95-110. Now to be fair they have played against Geelong and Port who basically have very mediocre ruckmen but unless they share the ruck load more, I don’t see a reason why he can’t continue this scoring pattern. Potentially later on in the season when they begin to tire out then maybe that 50/50 split begins to creep in but that becomes irrelevant because then you can jump on another ruckman and shift him down forward. Trading Gawn to Cameron also nets you a nice 140k to spend elsewhere so this is the best choice.
Tim English
The straight swap option is down to Witts or English (SC $581k Ruc) and I believe English is the superior choice in terms of point potential as so far in the two games where they’ve been beaten. English has racked up midfield-like numbers with 20+ disposals 7 marks, a few tackles and 20+ hit outs. I was a bit worried he’d still get demolished by the likes of bigger more physical ruckmen like Gawn and Grundy but so far he’s looked good as he’s scored 130+ in both matches. He shows no signs of slowing down and won’t have to worry about a 2nd ruckman coming into the team as the Dogs only play 1 true ruckman. The only slight worry is that he has had injury problems in the past which may force him out for a game or two, but it might be a risk worth taking.
Brodie Grundy
A more obscure pick I would say, Grundy (SC $513k Ruc) was one of our premium ruckmen up till last year after he injured his knee he seemed to just fall off a cliff. Now that Gawn is out of the ruck picture for the next four weeks it’s going to be the Grundy redemption arc and he’s got the full licence to become the number one ruckman in the game by hitting down to the likes of Oliver, Petracca and Viney. The game against the Lions did feature him winning plenty of hit outs and getting onto midfield chains but a lot of those were sharked hit outs and ultimately meaningless. With his next two fixtures against the Swans and Eagles though there is plenty of room to him to go big in the next two. If you didn’t know the Eagles conceded 35 points to Xerri in only one quarter, 83 points to a backup ruckman in Comben and 132 to Matt Flynn while the Swans conceded 140 to Witts and 98 to Meek. So for sure big points are up for grabs.
Buy or Sell
Some popular starting picks are being sold on instantly for players who are being hyped up but should you really jump ship this quickly? I’ve taken the most popular traded-out mid-priced and some of the popular trade-ins and discussed whether it’s justifiable to do this.
Sell
Nat Fyfe (SC $314k Fwd)
In short summary yes, bin him. He’s carrying plantar fasciitis which will linger all season till he snaps it which will rule him out for even longer, and he’s just been ruled out of the Derby so there goes another easy game where he could kick a bag and save owners. Unfortunately, there are no good options to trade him down to but there are some nice value picks that you can upgrade him to instead.
Sam Flanders (SC $257k Mid/Fwd)
The hope was that he was impressing enough in the preseason as a high-half forward that he would be pushed into the midfield in bursts, unfortunately, that has not translated at all and his scoring as a half-forward is very much non-existent. He was very lucky to score his 64 after accumulating some nice junk time but regardless he couldn’t get his hands on the ball when it mattered. Yes it is justified to trade him so once more trade him to a rookie and bank that cash to upgrade another mid pricer
Sean Darcy (SC $563k Ruc)
Surprisingly the 5th most traded-out player and there is some justification for it as he got destroyed by Goldstein last week. Even though his stat line was alright he was beaten at the contest by the experienced Goldstein. However, those who are worrying about losing cash on him might want to wait as he does play the Eagles this week who conceded a heap of points against Ruckman, he has scored 155 and 150 in the last 2 against them and with the Eagles choosing to go solo ruck and ruling out Nic Nat it could be a feast for Darcy.
Buy
Will Setterfield (SC $349k Def)
This one was a bit of a hidden gem but credit to those who picked him up and saw what Essendon valued out of him he has transcended into a true two-way midfielder for the Bombers being able to win the contested ball on the inside and still provide lots of outside run going back both ways. A big tick for him is that he attends pretty much every centre bounce but his stat line shows that he can do a bit of everything to build up his points as he’s had 25+ disposals, 7 marks, 7.5 tackles and 1 goal a game on average. These are like Brownlow-level numbers for a 348k midfielder that will avoid the tag. Yes if you can get him then I see no reason why he couldn’t become a sneaky M8 averaging 100-105 but there is that risk he falls off the cliff as this is essentially unknown territory.
Jack Ziebell (SC $357k Def)
He’s returned to his true sweeping quarterback role in that North side which is very exciting for owners and potential owners. He has a monopoly on kick outs for them as well which ticks a big box for the fantasy landscape, even though Aaron Hall is tearing it up in the VFL right now he’s still sitting on the outskirts of the best 22 which bodes well for Ziebell at the moment but for his price, you should still get him in as we’ve seen in 2021 that in this exact role, he can become a keeper pick. The additional DPP will also become handy once we know what rookies won’t make the cut
Jack Bowes (SC $278k Def)
Bowes played his first game on the weekend after having a very hyped-up preseason where he performed well as a high half-forward. Unfortunately, a calf strain set him back from playing round 1 but he came out of the blocks in round 2 with a bang scoring a very nice 108 in a challenging game. What helped him out was taking 3 kick outs and wanting to kick the ball at every opportunity. Does that warrant a trade though? For me not just yet, we can wait a week to see how he does with more data. Especially with Tom Stewart to come back into that side, how does that change the kick-out dynamic or even the general role of Bowes in the team as he’s ranged from playing pretty much every role (they even teased him as playing as an on-baller on the team sheet).
