10 down, 14 to go!

I usually try to post this piece on Wednesday morning every week, but the roadblocks have been everywhere over the last 24-48 hours. Car trouble, locking myself out of my house and extra work demands have stretched my focus – which is an eerily similar feeling associated with my fantasy team. The red dots are starting to stack up on the bench and with forced trades each round for what feels like months, it’s hard to see a way to combat the ongoing list of problems. With just one week left before the bye rounds begin, I’m well aware I’m not the only coach with plenty of issues to address. As always, it’s important to remember to take things one week at a time and not shy away from adversity – there’s still a long way to go.

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

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. Charlie Lazzaro, Kangaroos ($367K, 44 AVG, 69 BE)
2. Harvey Thomas, Giants ($398K, 47 AVG, 58 BE)
3. Aaron Cadman, Giants ($380K, 47 AVG, 68 BE)
4. Harvey Gallagher, Bulldogs ($430K, 54 AVG, 48 BE)
5. Caleb Windsor, Demons ($533K, 59 AVG, 47 BE

Injured/non-playing rookies

1. Matt Roberts, Swans ($600K, 74 AVG, 100 BE)
2. Ryley Sanders, Bulldogs ($501K, 63 AVG, 84 BE)
3. Will Graham, Suns ($490K, 71 AVG, 37 BE)
4. Colby McKercher, Kangaroos ($592K, 73 AVG, 22 BE)
5. Hugo Garcia, Saints ($374K, 54 AVG, 26 BE)

Cash Cow King – Round 10

I didn’t have Kai Lohmann (99) as the top scoring rookie on my bingo card for Round 10! The Lions forward helped himself to five goals against Richmond and a career-best fantasy score, putting a bit of distance between himself and the other cash cows last weekend. Usual suspect, Jeremy Sharp (88) wasn’t too far behind with FWD eligible pair Harley Reid (82) and Oliver Dempsey (81) also topping 80 points in their most recent match. Darcy Wilson (72) rounded out the nominees for the week, although my vote this week is going to Dempsey after his bounce-back performance against Gold Coast.

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Round 10 Power Rankings

After 10 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2024!

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Making Moves

Money makers

It comes as no surprise to see Jeremy Sharp ($655K, 88, BE 47) and Darcy Wilson ($640K, 72, BE 57) amongst the best scorers from the weekend. Three straight outings over 85+ has Sharp in pole position to claim the cash cow of the year honours for 2024 and his owners will hope he can churn out another fortnight of strong scores before his bye round arrives. Wilson has arguably been more impressive, thriving in a position of need as a FWD and boasting an 87.7 AVG over the last month. Both Sharp and Wilson have proven themselves through 10 rounds of footy and their presence will be crucial when the bye rounds kickstart.

Excluding Sharp and Wilson, there aren’t too many rookies that we have confidence in fielding week in, week out – making the downgrade targets even more important for cash generation purposes. Another strong showing over the weekend from Joe Richards ($297K, 62, BE -14) will see him remain the sought after rookie, having recorded scores of 81 and 62 in his two AFL games so far. His mature-age teammate Lachie Sullivan ($318K, 55, BE 0) has also had some bright moments and as Jordan De Goey/Tom Mitchell continue to battle injuries, there is a blueprint Sully can follow to maintain his price increase over the next month.

Richmond rook Kane McAuliffe ($244K, 61, BE -1) falls into the same category as a player with serious opportunity in front of him thanks to the Tigers’ extensive injury list. His 20-disposal game against Brisbane last week gives us optimism that he can be a decent bench piece moving forward, providing he continues to get the minutes around stoppages for the Tiges. Similar could be said for Bruce Reville ($311K, 67, BE -7) who kicked the first goal of his career in that contest and recorded a new season-best 67 points. Joel Freijah ($266K, 51, BE -3) is another cheap MID/FWD that could draw interest from coaches, rounding out a competitive field of rookie options. The player you target may be dependent upon which other cash cows you’re looking to move on from, but a wide variety of options gives coaches the flexibility for a lot of different pathways.

Keep the faith

A return to form from Oliver Dempsey ($526K, 81, BE 57) has given some of his owners confidence that we can keep the Geelong youngsters for a few more rounds. He has three more games before his week off, so there’s a world where the 25,000 coaches who own Dempsey can field him and hope he manages his way to more competitive scores. Sam Clohesy ($576K, 63, BE 54) is shaping up as a perfect trade-out candidate when his bye arrives too, slowing up in recent times with the exception of his performance vs. North Melbourne. An average of 78 on the season indicates that we can give him a longer leash than most rookies, but I’d love to see some consistent 80+ outings rather than point totals in the 60’s.

One rookie who has taken his time to get going is Kai Lohmann ($502K, 99, BE 22) however, the most recent Rising Star nom was firing on all cylinders last weekend. Owning a Round 12 bye means that his presence could become important for a limited number of coaches and hopefully a few more dominant efforts in front of goal will see Cobra Kai record encouraging numbers. I’d be tempted to still hold onto the likes of Harley Reid ($550K, 82, BE 58) and Blake Howes ($464K, 50, BE 58) for similar reasons – with Howes’ matchup against the Saints this week likely to equate to a great score. Dante Visentini ($348K, 60, BE 8) has gone well in his two AFL hitouts in recent times too, although he remains a bit of a fantasy afterthought sitting at R3 for just 2.1% of the competition.

Cut them loose

Let me start by saying any of the inflated rookies not named Jeremy Sharp and Darcy Wilson can still be chopped out to help a desired upgrade. The same could be said for bench fodders who are starting to leak cash – including FWD’s like Aaron Cadman ($380K, 31, BE 68), Charlie Lazzaro ($367K, 24, BE 69) and Zane Duursma ($343K, 23, BE 58). Non-playing cash cows are still a big priority and even with Matt Roberts ($600K, DNP, BE 100) scheduled to return this week, he sits atop the list of rookies who need to be moved on. I am willing to be more patient with Colby McKercher ($592K, DNP, BE 22), even though North Melbourne has ruled him out for the clash with Port Adelaide. A bye next week means that we could see McKercher back in action for Round 13 and the scoring punch he provides may be a welcome asset. With that said, as I mentioned at the top of this paragraph, trading him to land an on-field upgrade is still the preferred option for his owners.

Thin Ice

A pair of different injuries have ruled out Darcy Jones ($312K, 13, BE 44) and Josh Sinn ($295K, 40, BE 18) for at least the next month, creating an issue for some coaches on the bench. What’s more annoying is neither rookie has made enough cash to warrant flicking them out yet and as a result, I’d consider holding and using them for loopholes purposes. There are additional rookies trending in the wrong direction including popular DPP bench picks, Harvey Gallagher ($430K, 48, BE 48) and Harvey Thomas ($398K, 57, BE 58). While there is some justification to hold them and hope they assist you throughout the byes, it’s possible that their best scoring effort won’t feature amongst your best 18 players.

I think moving on from Gallagher is the smartest play, although I have more confidence in Thomas and his scoring prowess – plus, the injury to Darcy Jones may help keep him out of the vest in the coming rounds. Subpar performers Taj Wowowdin ($333K, 39, BE 30) and Toby Pink ($241K, 42, BE 27) are another duo who haven’t exactly done their job but they can linger a bit longer, perhaps until we have three trades a week starting next round. Lastly, Melbourne’s outside smooth mover Caleb Windsor ($533K, 46, BE 47) dropped a dud on the weekend that may see him stall in production. There’s a world where you can keep him for another few rounds, although an upgrade is ideal if you’ve got the cash to facilitate such a move.

Wait and see

More than a handful of players fall into the wait-and-see category ahead of Round 11, and because your time is valuable, I’ve summarised these individuals in five words or less.

Oisin Mullin ($311K, 55, BE 14) – Encouraging performance vs. Gold Coast
Logan Morris ($238K, 54, BE 9) – Not a player I’d target
Calsher Dear ($281K, 56, BE 8) – I’m a fan, but nah
Nate Caddy ($273K, DNP, BE 34) – Debutant! No need to rush…
Bodhi Uwland ($409K, 62, BE 25) – Still producing for his owners
Ethan Phillips ($211K, 39, BE 14) – Meh. Didn’t do enough
Lloyd Johnston ($339K, 89, BE 5) – I want another look first
Finlay Macrae ($324K, 54, BE 12) – Don’t fall for the trap
Steely Green ($200K, 19, BE 32) – Not really fantasy relevant
Toby Conway ($449K, 94, BE -1) – Doesn’t play often enough – shame

Sub status

Subbed On – Jhye Clark, Harvey Harrison, Connor Stone, Shadeau Brain, Taj Woewodin, Tyrell Dewar

Subbed Off – Josh Sinn, Darcy Jones, Riley Garcia, Mykelti Lefau, Charlie Lazzaro

The only two names that stand out on this list for me are Jhye Clark and Taj Woewodin. Players who have potentially been sitting in our sides for ages are getting somewhat regular minutes now, although there will still be a ceiling on their fantasy output as long as they are rocking a vest. Should they break free though, both Clark and Woewodin could become convenient money makers.

State League Stats

Hugo Garcia, Saints (141) – 29 disposals, 11 tackles, 1 goal
Jhye Clark, Cats (127) – 27 disposals, 6 marks, 7 tackles, 2 goals
Mitch Hardie, Cats (118) – 28 disposals, 6 tackles, 2.1 in front of goal
Max Heath, Saints (113) – 24 disposals, 10 hitouts, 7 marks
James Tunstill, Lions (110) – 28 disposals, 9 marks
William Green, Swans (110) – 19 disposals, 35 hitouts, 6 marks
Jaxon Binns, Blues (109) – 28 disposals, 5 tackles
Lachlan McNeil, Bulldogs (108) – 18 disposals, 8 marks, 3.1 in front of goal
Caleb Mitchell, Swans (108) – 27 disposals, 7 marks
Lawson Humphries, Cats (105) – 23 disposals, 8 marks, 1.1 in front of goal
Zach Reid, Bombers (104) – 21 disposals, 10 marks
Jedd Busslinger, Bulldogs (101) – 26 points, 10 marks
George Stevens, Cats (100) – 27 disposals, 7 tackles
Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Demons (98) – 29 disposals
Nick Madden, Giants (98) – 15 disposals, 24 hitouts, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 1 goal
Kaleb Smith, Tigers (95) – 23 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles
Bailey Laurie, Demons (92) – 25 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles
Charlie Dean, Magpies (84) – 21 disposals, 8 marks
Archie Roberts, Bombers (84) – 24 disposals, 5 marks
Edward Allan, Magpies (82) – 17 disposals, 9 tackles
Jacob Konstankty, Swans (82) – 17 disposals, 4 marks, 5 marks, 2 goals
Toby McMullin, Giants (81) – 22 disposals, 5 marks
Kynan Brown, Demons (81) – 23 disposals, 5 marks
Ted Clohesy, Cats (81) – 21 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles
Shaun Mannagh, Cats (79) – 19 disposals, 4 tackles, 3.1 in front of goal
Billy Wilson, Blues (77) – 17 disposals, 7 marks
Nate Caddy, Bombers (76) – 14 disposals, 7 marks, 2.1 in front of goal
Ryley Sanders, Bulldogs (74) – 24 disposals, 4 tackles
Harry Rowston, Giants (73) – 19 disposals, 7 marks
Tew Jiath, Magpies (72) – 20 disposals
Jakob Ryan, Magpies (71) – 15 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles
Wil Parker, Magpies (69) – 15 disposals, 7 tackles
Josh Fahey, Giants (65) – 19 disposals, 5 marks
Harry DeMattia, Magpies (55) – 18 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)

MIDFIELDERS

Ed Allen (Magpies, $200K)
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)
Nathan Kreuger (Magpies, $261K)
Archer Reid (Eagles, $213K)
Will Verrall (Demons, $200K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $243K)
Mitch Edwards (Cats, $207K)

FORWARDS

Kynan Brown (Demons, $200K)
Nate Caddy (Bombers, $273K)
Andy Moriz-Wakefield (Demons, $200K)
James Tsitas (Suns, $200K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $216K)
Billy Dowling (Crows, $200K)
Tom Anastasopoulos (Power, $200K)
Brayden George (Kangaroos, $200K)

Fry

An Australian coffee/burrito enthusiast who is the frustrated owner of 16 fantasy teams. Writer for SportsbyFry and DT Talk ?