We’re nearing the eve of SuperCoach finals now and it’s make or break in the business end of your Cash Leagues. Do you need a leg up on your opposition? Maybe a sneaky differential pick? Or even just to consolidate your lead with your side being the best there is? Well, I’ve got all angles covered as I discuss the 6 best players to target in order give your side the best chance at glory!
James Sicily – $611 (DEF) – 9%
He is the hottest of hot right now and he’s only quietly going about his business somehow… He has a four-round average of 128.5, albeit all against easy opposition for designated kickers, and this has him right near the top of all players in the competition, let alone for defenders. It’s important to flag his run home is less than ideal, although if you’re firmly entrenched in the Top 4 of your league, grabbing Sicily knowing he has Richmond in the SuperCoach Preliminary Final who are the easiest opposition for his role and who he just scored 147 on a few weeks ago; it very much could be your express ticket to the Grand Final with a sneaky VC or C on him! He then gets North Melbourne in the last game of the season in what could be a must win game for the Hawks to be in contention for finals themselves and expect the captain to be a catalyst of this.
Marc Pittonet – $456k (RUC) – 0%
This one is as rogue as it gets. It’s an all out punt to give you the edge in SuperCoach finals if you’ve finished in the bottom half of them and require some magic to get over the line or if your budget is running low. With the news that De Koning is out for at least the rest of the home and away season, Marc Pittojet is in line for a big few weeks! In games where Pittonet has attended over 60% of the ruck contests for Carlton this season, he is averaging 103 points per game. Those were with TDK still taking considerable ruck minutes off him and its unlikely this will continue to be the case anymore when McKay and Cripps are their back up options… He honestly has a dream run to come for ruckmen as well, with Soldo, Cameron, Meek, Williams and Marshall to finish off the season which is almost as good as you could script. Only Cameron on this list is even remotely restrictive. The question is, how brave are you? Or how poor…
Lachie Neale & Josh Dunkley (MID) – 19% & 10%
This is SuperCoach finals luxury at its finest! I’m combining these two up as they’re ranked 1st and 9th overall in the competition for 5 round averages and have the 2nd easiest run left of all teams for inside midfielder scoring. The only team that has it easier is the Gold Coast and with Touk injured, Rowell falling at every hurdle and Anderson tag prone, it all points to targeting the Lions with the 2nd best run instead. They get a great positive matchup this week, although it’s their finals run that excites me even more. Week 1 of finals they get the Saints and if you’re Top 4 and win your first league matchup, you can skip their game against GWS and come back to them having the Pies in the Preliminary Final which has monster score written all over it. This is followed up by Essendon in the Grand Final who have fallen off a cliff and are now a positive inside midfielder matchup. They’re only in 19 and 10% of teams and I imagine there wouldn’t be many sides with both… So, it’s a true Supercoach Finals trump card as the Lions push for a Top 4 finish!
Patrick Cripps – $615k (MID) – 9%
Crippa has gone full blown beast mode. You just have to sit back and applaud this man. He has a five-round average of 123.2 which puts him 4th in the competition and that included a 41-disposal game where he somehow only scored 99… He gets a tough matchup this week with Port, but his finals run after that is very juicy. He is in a very similar boat to Neale and Dunkley where his worst fixture is the second week of finals, so if you’re Top 4 and win, its an easy way to skip this. That negative matchup is the Hawks, who I expect Cripps to get the Nash run with matchup which can be quite restrictive unfortunately. Although that aside, week 1 of finals he gets the Pies and then in Preliminary and Grand Final weeks, he has the Eagles and the Saints which is a great unique on your opponent to run with and give you a sneaky sniff! The Blues have hit a slight hurdle with their form recently, so expect Patty to put his side on his back and straighten the ship as he always does!
Lachie Whitfield – $577k (DEF) – 17%
How quicky things can change… Rewind to Round 11, Lachie has just dished out a 69 at the Cattery with his bye due next week and two hard tags on the horizon beckoning. It was almost an impossible hold for owners, although fast track 7 weeks later and he has gone on a run averaging over 117 points per game in this period. He did this through some extremely tough fixtures and has come out of this tunnel with a bright fixture run ahead for his last 5 matches. Only Brisbane in Round 22 is a slight negative matchup for designator kickers while he gets Fremantle in Preliminary Final week for SuperCoach who are the 2nd easiest for his role to score on. He can be a painful watch at times with his Fantasy to SuperCoach ratio, as well as his constant knocks and injury scares he seems to receive, but a 115-120 average from here on out with this fixture and how he usually finishes seasons better off than he starts, it’s definitely on the cards for Whitfield and his owners.
