13 down, 11 to go!

The two easier bye rounds are behind us. Now, the going gets tough. With two thirds of the league set to rest over the next fortnight, the depth of our fantasy teams will once again be tested and our favourite downgrade options seem poised to miss Round 15 at this rate. However, this also provides coaches with the opportunity to move on from the rookies who have maxed out in price and replace them with a proven performer. A tricky two-week block is ahead for a lot of coaches – don’t lose focus now!

Rookie/cash cows are typically defined as players who started the season priced at $300,000 or lower

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Mooooving On

Part of our weekly trade focus is to remove the rookie-priced players who are no longer making money. When a cash cow sees their average fall in line with their breakeven or they find themselves on the outside looking in for multiple weeks at a time, that’s a good time to give them the axe.

Fattened cash cows

1. Darcy Wilson, Saints ($614K, 68 AVG, 108 BE)
2. Will Graham, Suns ($485K, 64 AVG, 68 BE)
3. Sam Clohesy ($564K, 72 AVG, 87 BE)
4. Oliver Dempsey, Cats ($555K, 68 AVG, 57 BE)
5. Blake Howes, Demons ($464K, 57 AVG, 59 BE)

Injured/non-playing rookies

1. Harley Reid, Eagles ($559K, 65 AVG, 60 BE)
2. Joe Richards, Magpies ($376K, 79 AVG, -20 BE)
3. Hugo Garcia, Saints ($374K, 54 AVG, 27 BE)
4. Colby McKercher, Kangaroos ($592K, 73 AVG, 24 BE)
5. Darcy Jones, Giants ($312K, 43 AVG, 44 BE)

Cash Cow King – Round 13

A lot of our reliable rookies failed to fire last weekend, which saw an unlikely hero emerge as the top scorer. We expected Suns defenders to get a boost playing against St Kilda, but none of us thought we’d see Bodhi Uwland drop 120+! His career-best game was significantly better than the rest of the cash cow class this week and there wouldn’t have been too many coaches lucky enough to plug Uwland onto their field. Some would’ve benefitted from Billy Dowling’s ripper score while Caleb Windsor had a strong showing ahead of Melbourne’s bye round. I thought about giving Harvey Harrison (71) a nomination thanks to his superior ownership, but James Borlase (80) and Nathan Kreuger (79) still deserve to be recognised – even though they were virtually unowned in Round 13.

Making Moves

Fresh legs

Here’s a quick synopsis of the rookies who are coming off a bye in Round 13:

Jeremy Sharp ($725K, 81 AVG, BE 71) – The only relevant cash cow on this list. You could stick with Sharp but an upgrade within the next few weeks is the ideal play.
Josh Draper ($274K, 34 AVG, BE 22) – Draper has provided coaches with a green dot DEF, but he’s not a fantasy factor.
Jed McEntee ($312K, 33 AVG, BE 22) – Meh. Needs to produce more 60+ scores to capture our attention.

Money makers

Unfortunately, as we start to project towards life post-bye-rounds there is a lack of trustworthy downgrade options. As it stands right now (don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it), there is somewhat of a rookie crisis with the best cash cows on offer all owners of the Round 15 bye. Those who missed the boat on Billy Dowling ($247K, 89, BE -18) will make it a priority to acquire him this week and the performance from Nathan Kreuger ($295K, 79, BE 0) against the Dees has seen him vault into second amongst the popular trade targets this week. Kreuger’s teammates Harvey Harrison ($348K, 71, BE 6) and Charlie Dean ($350K, 55, BE 10) may also be looked at for cash-strapped coaches – although paying $150K more for them over a basement-priced rook does sting.

Will Hamill ($329K, 75, BE 4), Lachlan McNeil ($300K, 51, BE 14) and Calsher Dear ($339K, 68, BE 18) also have inflated price tags and there are issues facing each of them that may deter coaches from pulling the trigger. Personally, outside of Dowling and Kreuger, I’d try to avoid the cash cows who still have a bye round – perhaps investing in the likes of Toby McMullin ($290K, 34, BE 11) or Logan Morris ($321K, 60, BE 2) instead with the hopes that they can put up a score worthy of featuring in your best 18 during the next fortnight. Outside of the cheaper options, Bodhi Uwland ($543K, 124, BE 7) is the only rookie who has significant cash to make on the back of his supreme 120+ effort. This late into the season though, Uwland is at a point where non-owners wouldn’t consider a move for the Suns defender.

Keep the faith

Make no mistake, these rookies can go if it improves your overall squad. Most of the characters who still have cash to make will rest next round and getting one more decent score out of them would be ideal. At the top of this list are the Western Bulldogs rookies – with Riley Garcia ($513K, 62, BE 48), Joel Freijah ($391K, 40, BE 32), Ryley Sanders ($503K, 54, BE 53) and Harvey Gallagher ($500K, 50, BE 50) all capable of outperforming their breakeven against the Dockers. Freijah has become the most popular discounted Dog over the past month and some are already opting to jump ship and give him the flick after his 40-point effort last Friday.

Ideally, you’ll get one more score out of him and then trade away at his bye, although it’s not crucial to keep Freijah. You could stick with middling cash cows like Jhye Clark ($371K, 61, BE 24), Oisin Mullin ($376K, 56, BE 26) or Finlay Macrae ($376K, 68, BE 20) once their bye finishes, but the best move is to couple a few of them together and chase another upgrade. Outside of the returning Jeremy Sharp, Kai Lohmann ($588K, 62, BE 49) is the only other cash cow who has served his bye that coaches may be trusting on the field. While a pair of 90+ scores before his bye captured our attention, I still view Lohman as a 60-65 AVG player so buying into the Lions forward isn’t a move I’d entertain.

Cut them loose

Alright, let’s get down to business. We know that the crappy performances from Aaron Cadman ($337K, 34, BE 55) and Harvey Thomas ($370K, 32, BE 55) has led to them losing value and a lot of our mainstream rookies are falling into the same category. Gold Coast duo Sam Clohesy ($564K, 55, BE 87) and Will Graham ($485K, 48, BE 68) have served their purpose as money makers and can be moved on this week, with Clohesy currently tabbed as the most traded out player in the game. Not too far behind him is Saints winger Darcy Wilson ($614K, 34, BE 108), a player that some were hoping they could use this week and then cull him in Round 15 which coincides with St Kilda’s bye.

No one and I repeat there was NO ONE priced above $600K that scored worse than Wilson on the weekend and while he might put up a respectable score against Brisbane, I think the wise move is to send him packing while his price still starts with a 6. Other rookies putting their feet up this week can be cashed in, with Oliver Dempsey ($555K, 54, BE 57), Caleb Windsor ($487K, 81, BE 64) and Blake Howes ($449K, 36, BE 71) all players that I would want out of my team. With three trades up our sleeve, combining the salaries of these rooks should help you net an elite upgrade (or two) and continue the trend of getting these cheap types off the field.

Thin Ice

With all four of these players set to rest in Round 15, it’s going to take something special from them to avoid the axe next week. Kane McAuliffe ($340K, 20, BE 36) was trending in the right direction as a serviceable cash cow, but if he starts as the sub once again his cash generation will effectively be ruined. I’m hopeful that he can surpass his breakeven against Brisbane, however McAuliffe isn’t the same ‘home run’ rookie that some of us were expecting. His teammate Seth Campbell ($455K, 43, BE 47) has done well to hang around for this long, although most coaches reading this would have moved him on already – with Chris Burgess ($360K, 31, BE 36) and Lachie Sullivan ($407K, 45, BE 42) also poised to add one more score before they’re sent packing.

Wait and see

I was off on my projection for Jack Hutchinson ($203K, 28, BE 21) with the mid-season draftee struggling to get going against North in Round 13. Without an official preseason under his belt, Hutchy still needs to build his tank and we could see him sent back to the WAFL for a block of games. With that said, I still believe he’ll feature in more senior games for West Coast before the season concludes, but we may have to wait until another opportunity arises. Hutchinson isn’t the only cheap FWD who is hard to trust at the moment. Enter Bailey Laurie ($216K, 52, BE 15), a fourth-year player who was given the chance to run out a full AFL game (no vests) against Collingwood for just the second time in his career!

Given Laurie’s inability to carve out a consistent role with Melbourne, I don’t expect him to be named when their bye concludes and even if he is, there’s a proven track record of the young Dee coping a vest. Desperate times may call for desperate measures though and I’m monitoring the Demons as a team that may give some of their young guns an opportunity in the final third of the season. There will be other teams who hand their unproven rookies a few games late in the year, but no matter what, you can keep this eclectic trio of cash cows out of consideration – Samson Ryan ($347K, 33, BE 46), Toby Pink ($269K, 39, BE 18) and Matt Roberts ($503K, 52, BE 97).

Sub status

Subbed On – Kane McAuliffe, Corey Durdin, Jack Bytel

Subbed Off – Wil Dawson, Jack Carroll, Jack Carroll

Only a small handful of rookies were affected by sub vests over the weekend, with most of this entourage unowned by a lot of coaches. There isn’t a lot of optimism for McAuliffe after he was demoted and a return to the VFL once Richmond’s injury list improves seems like the likely scenario. Let’s hope a lot of our favourite cash cows can dodge the fluro again this weekend!

State League Stats

James Tsitas, Suns (151) – 41 disposals, 12 marks, 5 tackles, 1 goal
Saad El-Hawli, Bombers (124) – 25 disposals, 4.1 in front of goal
Charlie Lazzaro, Kangaroos (123) – 36 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles
Lawson Humpries, Cats (117) – 28 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal
Koltyn Tholstrup, Demons (116) – 29 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 1.2 in front of goal
Nick Watson, Hawks (108) – 18 disposals, 8 marks, 4.2 in front of goal
Jedd Busslinger, Bulldogs (107) – 27 disposals, 10 marks
Kaleb Smith, Tigers (106) – 22 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles
Max Ramsden, Hawks (105) – 14 disposals, 26 hitouts, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 3.1 in front of goal
Ted Clohesy, Cats (102) – 21 disposals, 10 tackles, 1 goal
Zane Trew, Eagles (98) – 25 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles
Hugo Garcia, Saints (97) – 15 disposals, 4 marks, 7 tackles, 3.1 in front of goal
Riley Hardeman, Kangaroos (97) – 23 disposals, 10 marks
Tyrell Dewar, Eagles (95) – 15 disposals, 9 marks, 5 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
Tyler Sellers, Kangaroos (93) – 17 disposals, 7 marks, 3.3 in front of goal
Zac Taylor, Crows (91) – 18 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 goal
George Stevens, Cats (90) – 25 disposals, 6 marks, 1 behind
Harry DeMattia, Magpies (88) – 23 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal
Luke Beecken, Lions (88) – 22 disposals, 6 marks
Hamish Free, Kangaroos (86) – 17 disposals, 28 hitouts, 5 tackles, 1 goal
Harry Barnett, Eagles (85)  – 11 disposals, 26 hitouts, 7 tackles, 1 behind
Charlie Edwards, Crows (84) – 13 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 2.1 in front of goal
Toby McMullin, Giants (83) – 21 disposals, 1 goal
Steely Green, Tigers (83) – 16 disposals, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
Ethan Read, Suns (82) – 23 disposals, 18 hitouts, 1 goal
Jake Rogers, Suns (79) – 22 disposals
Clay Hall, Eagles (76) – 24 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 behind
Max Gruzewski, Giants (74) – 11 disposals, 6 marks, 2.3 in front of goal
Coen Livingstone, Eagles (73) – 14 disposals, 15 hitouts, 1.1 in front of goal
Ed Allan, Magpies (72) – 19 disposals, 6 tackles
Will McLachlan, Lions (72) – 11 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals
Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Demons (71) – 17 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles
Taj Woewodin, Demons (68) – 20 disposals
Jacob Blight, Tigers (65) – 18 disposals, 6 marks
Wil Parker, Magpies (65) – 18 disposals
Iliro Smit, Magpies (56) – 8 disposals, 22 hitouts, 6 tackles
Jaxon Binns, Blues (55) – 10 disposals, 1 goal
Geordie Payne, Kangaroos (43) – 10 disposals

Remember the Name

In no particular order, here are some of the other rookie-priced players to consider throughout the season.

DEFENDERS

James Leake (Giants, $252K)
Jakob Ryan (Magpies, $200K)
Billy Wilson (Blues, $201K)
Arie Schoenmaker (Saints, $200K)
Archie Roberts (Bombers, $200K)
Jedd Busslinger (Bulldogs, $200K)
Charlie Edwards (Crows, $240K)
Saad El-Hawli (Bombers, $200K)
Logan Evans (Power, $200K)
Jacob Blight (Tigers, $200K)

MIDFIELDERS

Caiden Cleary (Swans, $231K)
Clay Hall (Eagles, $200K)
Hugh Jackson (Power, $200K)
Harry Rowston (Giants, $241K)
Harry DeMattia (Magpies, $228K)
Mitch Hardie (Cats, $200K)
George Stevens (Cats, $200K)

RUCKMEN

Henry Smith (Lions, $200K)
Coen Livingstone (Eagles, $200K)
Max Heath (Saints, $200K)
Archer Reid (Eagles, $213K)
Will Verrall (Demons, $200K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $243K)
Mitch Edwards (Cats, $207K)

FORWARDS

Kynan Brown (Demons, $200K)
Andy Moriz-Wakefield (Demons, $200K)
James Tsitas (Suns, $200K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $216K)
Tom Anastasopoulos (Power, $200K)
Brayden George (Kangaroos, $200K)
Max Hall (Saints, $200K)
Campbell Gray (Tigers, $200K)
Toby Murray (Crows, $200K)

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