Ultimate AFL SuperCoach formguide

Patrick Dangerfield ... was the standout performer in the Crows' big loss to Geelong. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

Our SuperCoach scouts review every game of the weekend and uncover some serious bargains.

Western Bulldogs 75 d Hawthorn 74

Adam Goodes might have two Brownlows and a pair of premiership medallions, but his brother Brett (pictured below) might have something to brag about at this year's family dinners as a more popular pick in SuperCoach. Goodes ($128,200 mid/def) seems to have cemented a spot in the Bulldogs defence and in most SuperCoach sides for Round 1. He had 17 disposals, three tackles and a goal against the Hawks.

We got our first look at another potential bargain at the kennel on Friday night, with former Eagle Koby Stevens ($176,700 mid) impressing in his first outing in red, white and blue.

The Hawks had another disappointing night but it wasn't any fault of Lance Franklin ($618,000 fwd). Some brave SuperCoaches who were thinking of leaving him out of their side might be recalculating after his 17-disposal, five goal performance that landed 134 SuperCoach points.

And if you're looking for a sneaky mid-price option in the midfield, you could do a lot worse than Isaac Smith ($384,100 mid) who seems to be set for more time on the ball in 2013. He picked up 19 disposals and pumped the Hawks inside 50 four times, but his price makes him an awkward choice.

Did not play: Brian Lake

Geelong 128 Adelaide 63

The Cats turned it on at home, with Jimmy Bartel ($527,400 fwd/mid), James Kelly ($553,200 mid) and Corey Enright ($502,400 def) picking up a mountain of the footy. All look safe picks this season, while Harry Taylor ($465,000 def) could be a surprise star if he repeats his 31-disposal, 159 SuperCoach point game.

At the cheaper end of the scale, Travis Varcoe ($268,900 fwd/mid) looks an absolute steal returning from injury after another 17 disposals and a super goal while Mark Blicavs could be the surprise selection of the season - the former steeplechaser is set to play in Round 1 after impressing in the ruck. Unfortunately he's only available as a midfielder in SuperCoach. The only bad news for the Cats was a quad injury to Paul Chapman ($535,600 fwd/mid).

The Crows had a day to forget, but Patrick Dangerfield ($636,000 mid) showed he won't be satisfied with his breakout 2012 season. Check out these numbers: 31 disposals, 22 contested possessions, three goals, four tackles and 149 SuperCoach points. Can you fit him in your midfield?

Popular bench option Brad Crouch ($115,900) started as the sub and picked up 10 disposals after coming on at halftime while Sam Kerridge ($115,900 mid/fwd) is an option for your forward line bench after 11 disposals and a goal against the Cats.

Did not play: Joel Selwood, Rory Sloane

North Melbourne 102 Gold Coast 89

Forget breakout players, North Melbourne could be the breakout team of 2013. The Roos midfield is stacked with young midfielders ready to take the next step, the only question is which one to jump on. Ryan Bastinac ($407,800 mid) is the latest to put up his hand, picking up 110 SuperCoach points against the Suns, while Jack Ziebell ($434,100 mid) was also impressive, although Ben Cunnington ($412,800 mid) was a bit quieter this week with just 12 touches.

The most interesting story at the Roos might be the battle for the No.1 ruck spot. Todd Goldstein ($497,900 ruck) and Daniel Currie ($109,500 ruck) shared the role on Saturday and former Swan Currie (below) just took the honours, with his two goals making him a bench lock for SuperCoach - could he go one better and start on the field?

Speaking of breakout contenders, the Suns have a couple of their own in Harley Bennell ($521,900 mid) and David Swallow ($418,200 mid) who had 93 and 104 SuperCoach points respectively on Saturday. Young gun Jaeger O'Meara ($115,900 mid) picked up 15 disposals and will be on plenty of midfield benches.

Did not play: Drew Petrie, Majak Daw

Richmond 86 Essendon 78

An exciting game for Wangaratta footy fans, but not a lot of SuperCoach news to report with the Tigers resting most of their big guns. No.9 draft pick Nick Vlastuin ($159,500 def/mid) is firming for Round 1 after another strong display, but it's worth noting his 15 disposals and four tackles netted just 49 SuperCoach points.

Other Tigers worth a look are defender Alex Rance ($464,800 def) who could get more licence to attack once Troy Chaplin joins the line-up. Rance did pretty well without him on Saturday with 23 touches, 11 marks and 107 SuperCoach points, while Dustin Martin ($473,500 fwd/mid) had 61 to his name before being subbed out at halftime.

Brent Stanton ($559,700 mid) led the way for the Bombers with 119 SuperCoach points while Jobe Watson ($647,200 mid)  eased his way back from a knee injury with 15 disposals. Brendon Goddard ($541,500 def/mid) played all over the field and had 22 disposals. This could be the last year he can be picked in defence - don't miss out!

Another Bomber to catch the eye is 22-year-old Western Australian Nick Kommer ($109,500 mid) - and not just because of his haircut. Kommer (below) had 12 disposals and two goals and should see plenty of early games.

Did not play: Trent Cotchin, Ivan Maric, Brett Deledio, Chris Knights, David Zaharakis

Brisbane 100 GWS 97

Smokie alert! Write down the name Pat Karnezis ($262,500 fwd). The forgotten forward struggled to get a game for Brisbane last year but he has been reinvented as a midfielder, picking up 26 disposals (and 108 SuperCoach points) against the Giants in Wagga. This game seemed to be about challenging the old SuperCoach rule of not picking second year players. Dayne Zorko ($535,000 fwd/mid) looks like he's ready to pick up where he left his amazing debut season (17 disposals, two goals and 112 SuperCoach points on Sarurday night), Jon Giles ($498,900 ruck) showed he could be a legitimate ruck option with 16 disposals, two goals and 124 SuperCoach points, Adam Treloar ($445,000 mid) got a heap of the footy and Toby Greene ($506,300 mid) picked up 19 disposals, seven marks and a goal - after coming on at halftime!

Meanwhile, a first-year player was putting his hand up to justify a high price tag with No.1 draft pick Lachie Whitfield ($199,500 mid) collecting 17 classy touches and nine marks, a sign of his ability to find space. Everyone's second ruckman Matthew Leuenberger ($301,100 ruck) was eased back into action after a year out with an Achilles injury, only coming off the bench late in the third term and picking up six kicks.

We'll get a much better idea of how he's traveling when he plays a full game next weekend. Young backman Sam Docherty ($115,900 def) put in a much improved display with 15 disposals (although 11 of them were handbills which isn't ideal for SuperCoach scoring) while bargain Tom Rockliff ($520,500 fwd/mid) sat out the first half before finishing with 11 touches and a goal. The best news for him is that the Lions are finding other avenues to goal which means he can return to the midfield full-time.

Did not play: Tom Scully missed with what the Giants described as a minor knee injury.

Carlton 124 Fremantle 54

SuperCoaches have a lot to thank Mick Malthouse - and Brett Ratten - for. Ratts played Bryce Gibbs ($509,800 def/mid) as a loose man behind the ball all last year, which hurt SuperCoaches at the time but meant he can be picked as as a defender this year. Malthouse has completed the plan by throwing him on the ball, where he has dominated so far in the NAB Cup - leading the pre-season comp for clearances. He is primed for a super year - we should see a lot more games like Saturday's 22-disposal, four-tackle, two-goal and 110 SuperCoach point effort. Get him in your team now!

Mick might get extra points if he can transform Mitch Robinson ($474,400 fwd/mid) into a player who scores 144 SuperCoach points on a regular basis, as he did on Saturday for his 26 touches and two goals.

Marc Murphy ($602,900 mid) wasn't bad either, with 21 touches and 98 SuperCoach points and looks seriously underpriced for a blue-chip player, while Kane Lucas ($217,400 mid) had 20 disposals and could be a good buy if he finally gets a decent run of games - over to you again, Mick. But last week's hero Sam Rowe ($115,900 fwd/ruck) took a hit in SuperCoach terms - he could find the footy only three times.

It was an ugly afternoon for Fremantle, typified by young star Nathan Fyfe ($498,800 mid). Playing his first NAB Cup game for the year, Fyfe had just one disposal to halftime and finished with 10. His midfield mate David Mundy ($477,300 mid) did a lot better - 18 disposals and two goals - and is on track to return to his elite form of two seasons ago.

Did not play: Chris Judd, Matthew Pavlich

Melbourne 78 Port Adelaide 76

Who needs Gold Coast or GWS?

In the past two years the expansion teams have supplied us with a long list of bargain players for our bench - and to start on the field - and the lack of a new franchise this year was creating headaches for SuperCoach players looking for reliable cheapies.

Enter Port Adelaide (and, to a slightly lesser extent, Melbourne).

Those who made the drive to Renmark on Saturday - hats off, by the way - saw a bevy of potential steals jump onto our radar.

Ken Hinkley has brought the broom to Port and is ready to give games to kids and a second chance to guys you probably didn't notice the first time. Here are some names to consider:

Kane Mitchell ($126,200 mid) - Sandover medallist with flowing black locks who just finds a stack of the footy. He had 26 touches on Saturday and 91 SuperCoach points but it should have been more - his kicking efficiency was a worrying 31 per cent.

Ollie Wines ($169,500 mid, pictured below) - top 10 draft pick who loves the hard stuff. How's this for a stat - Port had 21 clearances and Wines had 10 of them. Add 21 touches and 15 contested possessions (for 92 SuperCoach points) and he's very hard to ignore despite the high price tag for a teenager.

Sam Colquhoun ($109,500 mid/def) - Highly skilled (and very skinny) flanker who slipped through to the pre-season draft. Had 19 disposals and 99 SuperCoach points on Saturday.

Lewis Stevenson ($115,900 def) - Played 10 matches for the Eagles in 2010 then dropped off the face of the earth - at least outside WA. He was a star for Claremont in the WAFL and looks set to slot on to a back flank this season at age 23. He notched 76 SuperCoach points on Saturday and you can expect more scores like that.

Jake Neade ($115,900 fwd/mid) - tiny Cyril Rioli clone who is smart around goal and runs down opponents. As a small forward don't expect huge scores - he had eight disposals, four tackles and a goal in a typical performance on Saturday - but he looks a good chance to play. And that dual-position link could be very handy.

The Dees also had some good rookie options on show with former SANFL defender Dean Terlich ($109,500 def) picking up 16 disposals across half-back and another mature-age recruit Dean Kent ($109,500 mid) kicking two goals.

Did not play: Jack Viney, Jimmy Toumpas, Shanon Byrnes, Jack Watts, Jack Grimes. Cam Pedersen was subbed on at three quarter time and had one kick.

St Kilda 90 Sydney 67

With so many top-liners missing this game was a chance for some second-string players to push their case for a spot in our SuperCoach sides.

Could David Armitage ($460,100 mid) finally be about to have his long-awaited breakout season? The evidence yesterday was encouraging - 20 disposals, seven tackles, a goal and 113 SuperCoach points.

Another player firmly in the breakout window is Swan Dan Hannebery ($439,700 mid) who picked up 30 touches and 114 SuperCoach points in his first hitout for 2013.

Leigh Montagna ($530,700 mid) is hardly a breakout contender but we know he's capable of high scores and he seems to be relishing being released from the run-with roles that impacted his scores last year. Joey ran around Etihad Stadium yesterday collecting 28 disposals, 10 marks, a goal and 103 SuperCoach points.

Arryn Siposs ($316,000 fwd) impressed again in his audition to replace Brendon Goddard in the quarterback role with his booming kicks a highlight, but you would want more than 12 disposals and 56 SuperCoach points from him each week to justify picking him over a rookie.

Speaking of rookies, St Kilda's top draft pick Nathan Wright ($109,500 def) could get early games after an impressive 17 touches yesterday, and mature-age Swan Dean Towers ($114,500 mid) was good without demanding a Round 1 start with his nine disposals. Watch closely when the Swans have something close to a full-strength side to see if he's in the best 22.

Did not play: Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes, Jack Steven, Adam Goodes, Tom Mitchell, Shane Mumford

Collingwood 96 West Coast 76

Viva la NAB Cup! The Frenchman is back - in a big way. Eagle Mark LeCras ($369,200 fwd) made the dream return from injury in Perth last night, booting four goals against the Magpies.

He collected 97 SuperCoach points, helped by starting at two centre bounces, a tantalising glimpse of a possible midfield-forward role that he was tracking towards before getting hurt last year.

Otherwise it was the usual suspects at work with Scott Pendlebury ($667,300 mid, 27 disposals, 137 SuperCoach points), Dane Swan ($675,300 mid, 23 touches, 109 SuperCoach points) and Heath Shaw ($541,300 def, 24 disposals) leading the way for the Pies and Scott Selwood ($556,700 mid), Matt Priddis ($588,300 mid), Andrew Gaff ($483,500 mid) and Luke Shuey ($553,100 mid) racking them up for the home side.

Dean Cox ($600,700 fwd/ruck) slotted in seamlessly after missing the opening NAB Cup round with a dislocated finger, picking up 15 disposals, 26 hitouts and a goal on his way to 128 SuperCoach points.

Rookie bench option Jarrod Witts ($115,900 ruck) played the second half and had nine hitouts and four kicks, while West Coast forward Josh Kennedy ($299,600 fwd) kicked one goal and had eight disposals in his first game for the year.

But the Eagles - and SuperCoaches - suffered a blow when attractive mid-price option Andrew Embley ($283,600 mid)  limped from the field with a hamstring injury. Cross him off your list.

Did not play: Daniel Kerr, Dayne Beams, Brent Macaffer, Darren Jolly.

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