Best First Year Player
Taylor Duryea - 18 games - 1,013 points @ 56. Price increased $143,600.
After spending 3 years on Hawthorn’s list, Duryea finally made his debut in round 3 of 2013. He locked down a position in their side from that point in, playing 18 of the remaining 21 home and away games. He proved to be a solid bench player, because of his security, but also the fact that he averaged close to 60. He regularly scored around the 60-70 mark, highlighted by a purple patch in rounds 14-17 with scores of 78 (season high), 64, 77 and 77. This was countered, however, by some sub-40 scores, with a low of 7 (as sub) coming in round 9. Being a midfielder, he possibly wasn’t the best choice to have all year, but as he debuted early in the season, he would’ve made some solid cash as 10th midfielder.
Most Improved
Paul Puopolo - 19 games - 1,434 points @ 75. Increased by 22 points per game and $123,700.
Some people may find it strange that Puopolo is a SuperCoach ‘most improved player’, considering he averaged 81 in his debut year. However last year was a different story. He dropped right off and averaged 59, in what some would describe (and rightly so) as the ‘second year blues’. To be quite honest, he didn’t begin 2013 much better; despite a 104 in round 1, the next four games were all scores 50 or below. He lifted from then on in, scoring below 75 only four times in the next 14 matches, including five scores of 95+. He hit a low of 265k after round 5 and after he switched on he finished the season at 437k and would have been a solid 6th forward for the back two thirds of the season.
Best Buy
Luke Hodge - 20 games - 1,934 points @ 97. Increased by 11 points per game and $15,700.
Luke Hodge has undoubted talent; a smart footy brain, deadly left foot and courage by the bucket load. However 2012 was his worst SuperCoach year as he struggled with injury and averaged 85 from only 8 games. In 2013 he looked super refreshed and as good as ever, raising his average to 97 and leading the Hawks to a flag. He began the year valued at $459,500, the lowest price he has ever started at, and if you took the risk (possibly as an 8th mid) you would have been pleasantly surprised. He scored over 100 on 10 occasions, with 4 of those being 120+. He also showed his consistency by only going below 75 on 3 occasions.
Worst Buy
Lance Franklin - 19 games - 1,718 points @ 90. Decreased 25 points per game and $178,100.
It might seem unfair to have Hawthorn’s 8th highest scorer as their worst buy, but ultimately it comes down to a numbers game. He averaged 90, which might be considered decent by other players’ standards, but when you pay in excess of 600k for a player, you want gold. Buddy could be considered the most frustrating player (in SuperCoach terms) of 2013. He scored below 65 points a total of 6 times, while he scored over 100 on 9 occasions. His poor scores were also spread out through the year amongst his good scores, making him terribly unpredictable. Personally, I had trouble trading him as I had invested so much; I just hoped he would come good! He did have 7 solid rounds a row, between rounds 7-14, but unfortunately he was just too inconsistent, and as we now know, he may have had some other things on mind!
2014 Prospects
Cyril Rioli: The freakish Rioli was hampered by injuries during 2013, as has often been the case during his short career. He averaged 88 through his 13 games, which brought his price down to $382,800 at the end of the season. If he starts somewhere near that price in 2014, and the injuries stay away, expect him to be averaging up near 98-99 as he did the previous two seasons.
TRADE - Ben McEvoy: The Big Boy really started to become a SuperCoach name during 2011 and 2012, averaging over 100. He started off 2013 in the same way and for a few rounds his average was hovering around the 115-120 mark. His scores dropped off late in the season however and this saw his average drop to 93. Much like Rioli, he finished the season well under-valued, at $368,600. If he is cheap at the start of 2014 I would get on, but also monitor him during the pre-season as his new club could provide him with a SuperCoach friendly role, or quite the opposite.
Most Prolific
1. Sam Mitchell – Mid – 2,188 @ 104.
2. Jarryd Roughead – Fwd/Ruck – 2,176 @ 99.
3. Jordan Lewis – Fwd/Mid – 2,028 @ 97.
4. Luke Hodge – Mid – 1,934 @ 97.
5. Luke Breust – Fwd – 1,814 @ 82.
8. Lance Franklin – Fwd – 1,718 @ 90.
9. Shaun Burgoyne – Def/Mid – 1,704 @ 86.
Interesting fact: Sam Mitchell was the only Hawthorn player to average over 100, despite their great season. Although they had a lot averaging in the high 80s and 90s; a genuine team effort.
Taylor Duryea - 18 games - 1,013 points @ 56. Price increased $143,600.
After spending 3 years on Hawthorn’s list, Duryea finally made his debut in round 3 of 2013. He locked down a position in their side from that point in, playing 18 of the remaining 21 home and away games. He proved to be a solid bench player, because of his security, but also the fact that he averaged close to 60. He regularly scored around the 60-70 mark, highlighted by a purple patch in rounds 14-17 with scores of 78 (season high), 64, 77 and 77. This was countered, however, by some sub-40 scores, with a low of 7 (as sub) coming in round 9. Being a midfielder, he possibly wasn’t the best choice to have all year, but as he debuted early in the season, he would’ve made some solid cash as 10th midfielder.
Most Improved
Paul Puopolo - 19 games - 1,434 points @ 75. Increased by 22 points per game and $123,700.
Some people may find it strange that Puopolo is a SuperCoach ‘most improved player’, considering he averaged 81 in his debut year. However last year was a different story. He dropped right off and averaged 59, in what some would describe (and rightly so) as the ‘second year blues’. To be quite honest, he didn’t begin 2013 much better; despite a 104 in round 1, the next four games were all scores 50 or below. He lifted from then on in, scoring below 75 only four times in the next 14 matches, including five scores of 95+. He hit a low of 265k after round 5 and after he switched on he finished the season at 437k and would have been a solid 6th forward for the back two thirds of the season.
Best Buy
Luke Hodge - 20 games - 1,934 points @ 97. Increased by 11 points per game and $15,700.
Luke Hodge has undoubted talent; a smart footy brain, deadly left foot and courage by the bucket load. However 2012 was his worst SuperCoach year as he struggled with injury and averaged 85 from only 8 games. In 2013 he looked super refreshed and as good as ever, raising his average to 97 and leading the Hawks to a flag. He began the year valued at $459,500, the lowest price he has ever started at, and if you took the risk (possibly as an 8th mid) you would have been pleasantly surprised. He scored over 100 on 10 occasions, with 4 of those being 120+. He also showed his consistency by only going below 75 on 3 occasions.
Worst Buy
Lance Franklin - 19 games - 1,718 points @ 90. Decreased 25 points per game and $178,100.
It might seem unfair to have Hawthorn’s 8th highest scorer as their worst buy, but ultimately it comes down to a numbers game. He averaged 90, which might be considered decent by other players’ standards, but when you pay in excess of 600k for a player, you want gold. Buddy could be considered the most frustrating player (in SuperCoach terms) of 2013. He scored below 65 points a total of 6 times, while he scored over 100 on 9 occasions. His poor scores were also spread out through the year amongst his good scores, making him terribly unpredictable. Personally, I had trouble trading him as I had invested so much; I just hoped he would come good! He did have 7 solid rounds a row, between rounds 7-14, but unfortunately he was just too inconsistent, and as we now know, he may have had some other things on mind!
2014 Prospects
Cyril Rioli: The freakish Rioli was hampered by injuries during 2013, as has often been the case during his short career. He averaged 88 through his 13 games, which brought his price down to $382,800 at the end of the season. If he starts somewhere near that price in 2014, and the injuries stay away, expect him to be averaging up near 98-99 as he did the previous two seasons.
TRADE - Ben McEvoy: The Big Boy really started to become a SuperCoach name during 2011 and 2012, averaging over 100. He started off 2013 in the same way and for a few rounds his average was hovering around the 115-120 mark. His scores dropped off late in the season however and this saw his average drop to 93. Much like Rioli, he finished the season well under-valued, at $368,600. If he is cheap at the start of 2014 I would get on, but also monitor him during the pre-season as his new club could provide him with a SuperCoach friendly role, or quite the opposite.
Most Prolific
1. Sam Mitchell – Mid – 2,188 @ 104.
2. Jarryd Roughead – Fwd/Ruck – 2,176 @ 99.
3. Jordan Lewis – Fwd/Mid – 2,028 @ 97.
4. Luke Hodge – Mid – 1,934 @ 97.
5. Luke Breust – Fwd – 1,814 @ 82.
8. Lance Franklin – Fwd – 1,718 @ 90.
9. Shaun Burgoyne – Def/Mid – 1,704 @ 86.
Interesting fact: Sam Mitchell was the only Hawthorn player to average over 100, despite their great season. Although they had a lot averaging in the high 80s and 90s; a genuine team effort.