Patrick Cripps handballs during the round six clash between Carlton and Fremantle at Optus Stadium on April 23, 2022. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos

WE HAVE been in the unusual position of being overloaded with rucks this year, from premiums right through to rookies.

Unfortunately when it rains, it pours and the injury to Tim English caused an avalanche with the League's big men dropping like flies which has had a huge impact on our teams.

MEDICAL ROOM Check out the full injury list

Of the long list, the biggest loss is Collingwood star Brodie Grundy, who worked hard on Anzac Day to silence critics, scoring 105 and doing so while carrying a serious knee injury for the majority of the last quarter … an injury that will see him miss a significant amount of footy.

MOST TRADED IN

  • Sam Hayes (RUC, 258,000)
  • Braydon Preuss (RUC, $536,000)
  • Max Gawn (RUC, $905,000)
  • Greg Clark (MID, $190,000)
  • Patrick Cripps (MID, $811,000)

MOST TRADED OUT

  • Jack Hayes (RUC/FWD, $408,000)
  • Brodie Grundy (RUC, $802,000)
  • Josh Rachele (MID/FWD, $488,000)
  • Paddy McCartin (DEF/FWD, $349,000)
  • Zak Butters (FWD/MID, $698,000)
01:55

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TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

  • Braydon Preuss (RUC, $536,000) +$69,000
  • Todd Marshall (FWD, $508,000) +$69,000
  • Connor Rozee (FWD, $553,000) +$66,000
  • Lachie Shultz (FWD, $566,000) +$53,000
  • Nathan O’Driscoll (DEF/MID, $398,000) +$52,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

  • Elliot Yeo (MID, $624,000) -$57
  • Jarman Impey (DEF, $650,000) -$53
  • Josh Kennedy (MID, $553,000) -$50
  • Aliir Aliir (DEF, $453,000) -$48,000
  • Robbie Gray (FWD, $510,000) -$46,000

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LOWEST BREAKEVENS

  • Sam Hayes (RUC, $258,000) - 15
  • Malcolm Rosas (FWD, $276,000) - 10
  • Hugh Dixon (FWD/RUC, $329,000) 0
  • Todd Marshall (FWD, $508,000) 2
  • Luke Strnadica (RUC, $213,000) 2

HIGHEST BREAKEVENS

  • Christian Salem (DEF, $717,000) 161
  • Aaron Hall (DEF, $818,000) 154
  • Tim Taranto (FWD/MID, $879,000) 151
  • Kyle Langford (MID, $667,000) 151
  • Christian Petracca (MID, $876,000) 149

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BUY

Patrick Cripps
CARLTON
MID, $811,000
The Blues' inspirational skipper returned from a one-week hamstring strain without missing a beat. He has been one of the form players of the competition and dominated once again against the Dockers with 32 possessions, four marks, five tackles and three goals for 123. He is underpriced for the numbers he is producing and should be on the trade radar.

Clayton Oliver
MELBOURNE
MID, $881,000
The 24-year-old machine is available for a price well below the numbers he is producing due to an uncharacteristically quiet game against the Power three weeks ago. If you take out that score, he would be edging toward the $1 million mark given his other scores are 100, 120, 117, 111 and 129. He has made his way into Roy's Rollin' 22 and is likely to stay for the season.

Connor Rozee
PORT ADELAIDE
FWD, $553,000
After starting the season with scores of 21, 48, 54 and 55 playing predominately forward, the pressure on Ken Hinkley to make some changes resulted in the highly touted youngster being given a chance in the middle. He has embraced the opportunity, collecting 24 and 31 possessions respectively for scores of 113 and 119. It's high risk, high reward but he is cheap as chips in that role.

Also consider: Touk Miller, Keidean Coleman, Dan Houston, Sam Hayes, Braydon Preuss

Connor Rozee in action during the round six clash between Port Adelaide and West Coast on April 23, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

HOLD

Christian Petracca
MELBOURNE
MID, $876,000
The Dees' midfield bull copped some extra attention around stoppages against the Tigers which slowed his scoring in the first half before getting going in the second. It still resulted in another quiet outing from the Norm Smith medallist who laid no tackles for the first time this year and recorded his third score under 85 in his lpast four games. He will bounce back.

Tim Taranto
GWS GIANTS
FWD/MID, $879,000
Many savvy coaches were waiting for Toby Greene to return before pouncing on the in-form Giant. It was a very underwhelming move for those who did, as Timmy returned his worst score of the year by a long way. Coming into the game he had just one score under 100 with 92, but managed a return of just 65. He will be back to his ball-winning best this week.

Marcus Bontempelli
WESTERN BULLDOGS
MID, $832,000
The versatile Dogs skipper has been quietly good this year, dropping under triple figures on just one occasion prior to last round with 96. He spent a lot of time forward against the Crows before injecting his talent into the midfield later in the game and his scoring reflected that, collecting just 16 possessions and taking just two marks for 73.

Also consider: Stephen Coniglio, Will Brodie, Dayne Zorko.

Christian Petracca fends off Trent Cotchin during the R6 clash between Melbourne and Richmond on April 24, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

SELL

Brodie Grundy
COLLINGWOOD
RUC, $802,000
Unfortunately our beloved Ruck Pig, and R2 in our set-and-forget strategy, has gone down with a significant knee injury that will see him miss a large chunk of footy. Although he came under harsh scrutiny last week following an uncharacteristically quiet outing against the Lions, he has had a solid season to date averaging 93. Get well soon BGP.

Zak Butters
PORT ADELAIDE
FWD/MID, $698,000
Yes, the Power youngster suffered illness during the week and copped a knock early in the game, but seriously … Is it worth keeping someone else out of the team for that level of production? He played just 67 per cent game time, but it was effectively against witches hats and he managed just 11 possessions, one mark and one tackle for 34. I mean Rozee outscored him by 85. Bye.

Elliot Yeo
WEST COAST
MID, $624,000
If you were one of the coaches that took a punt on the returning Eagles star due to his tempting price, you will be forced to move him back on. There were some promising signs against the Swans but unfortunately he only lasted 29 per cent of the game against the Power where he collected four possessions and laid three tackles for 18. Trade up to an underpriced premium like Crippa.

Matt Crouch
ADELAIDE
MID, $685,000
The Crows are playing well, winning and mids are dominating the scoreboard, but the former premium isn't getting it done at the elite levels we expect. His time on ground has moved north of 70 per cent and although he pumped out a respectable 83 on the weekend, a player sitting in his midfield position at this time of year needs to consistently reach triple figures.

Also consider: Paddy McCartin, Tristan Xerri, Josh Rachele.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Yes, he is a gun and in the mix for Roy’s Rollin’ 22.

I need to see a bit more before I am keen to launch in. I know he is a lot better than he has been producing and expect a spike at some stage. You are braver than me if you jump on now though.

It was far from ideal conditions for him and he still managed eight marks with low time on ground. On the flip side, he had a nice match-up and I think he is a worthy selection despite his awkward price at this time of year.

If Hayes can score like he did last week, it's a great option. It’s just far too risky for me given it’s such a hard upgrade to Max at some stage.

Yeah he sure is, as long as he keeps that midfield role. It is fraught with danger and will no doubt crash and burn at some stage, but for that price, it's worth the ride given his undeniable ability.

Crippa all the way. Had he not been injured, he would be right up with those two. He remains one of the biggest bargains in the competition.

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