<p style='text-align: center;]Overlooked Premiums
<p style='text-align: center;]By TigersTooTough

Gary Ablett. Dane Swan. Scott Pendlebury. Jobe Watson. Trent Cotchin. Chances are that you, along with 80% of other SC'ers, have selected at least a couple of these players. With their scoring history, they are hard to ignore. If everyone chooses the same 3 or 4 staples midfielders though, teams are going to be very similar meaning it becomes more difficult to win your league or the overall (depending on what you are targeting). As all TS coaches know, risks must be taken and PODs must be selected if you want to reach your SC goal.

Below are the Overlooked Premiums. Players that can average high scores throughout the season, but for different reasons, are ignored. It could be age, opportunity, form or people just might not rate them. Their quality however, cannot be questioned and if you want to think outside the box&amp;rdquo; and are ready to be different from others, these are players that should be considered.

Matt Priddis (WCE) $588 300: Priddis has been ultra-consistent over the past 4 seasons averaging around 26 disposals a game and around 109 SC points per game. There's nothing flashy about the way he plays and his kicking efficiency makes some wonder why and how he scores well in SuperCoach but he is certainly a unique pick. He is a clearance king averaging over 6 clearances a match since 2010 and he applies immense pressure anytime he doesn't have the ball. As we all know, he handballs far more than he kicks which, while worth less in SuperCoach, helps lift his disposal efficiency to a respectable rate. If only he kicked more goals, he could average 120+ and lift into the elite category; if he isn't there already.

Andrew Swallow (NM) $585 100: I chose this guy at the start of last year as a POD and keeping him all year allowed me to reap in the rewards. He is extremely durable having played 89 matches in a row and has averaged 109.2 over the last 3 years. The added pressure of captaincy didn't negatively affect his scores at all which shows that he is a consummate professional. Swallow is a really good pressure player. He averaged an astounding 7.1 tackles a game and 49% of his disposals were won in a contest. He not only tackles, but the efficiency of those tackles is the best in the AFL. Tackling is one of the better point scoring categories in SC which makes Swallow very relevant. He is a clearance machine and the hard-at-the-contest style of play draws him free kicks. A lot of free kicks. He received a total of 57 last year which is a staggering amount. His conversion in front of the big sticks isn't a great strength of his which puts him behind the premier midfielders but with his type of gamestyle, chipping in with 10-15 goals in a season is exactly what a Swallow owner would want. At 25, he is certainly in line to improve even more in the next 2-3 years and, by year's end, I think he may be a sneaky Brownlow contender.

Callan Ward (GWS) $570 100: In 2011, Callan Ward averaged 89 after playing every game and he improved in pretty much all areas of his game. He was then touted as the future of the Bulldogs midfield and could've potentially led them deep into the finals over the next 10 years. After that season, he shockingly moved to GWS in a defection that stunned all Victorian football fans. Before 2012 he was appointed co-captain of GWS and it became quite clear that he was going to be the anchor in the team; the number 1 midfielder.

What eventuated last season was one of the more impressive and underrated performances of 2012. He absolutely led from the front. Playing all but 2 games, Ward increased his average disposals per game to 24.4 at efficiency of a respectable 70%. When we think Callan Ward we think of an inside player however last year was actually the first year he won more than 50% of his ball in a contest. Tackling and clearances were a strength of his as was his marking (averaging 4.3 marks a game). To top it all off, he averaged 106 SC points. This year he starts around $90k cheaper than Dayne Beams and in my opinion, Ward can outscore him this season. He'd be hoping that Palmer and Scully improve this year to take some of the attention off him and, if that happens, he could be a valuable addition to any SC team.

Ryan Griffen (WB) $567 400: A former no 3 draft pick, people have been waiting years for Ryan Griffen to break into the elite bracket of midfielders. Coming into his 9th season, he is not quite at that standard but there is no doubting that he is a very good player. He missed the first game or two with a broken hand but came back to average a career-high 27 disposals in 2012. He became a more inside player last year winning 44% of his ball in contests and averaging 5 clearances per game. This, however, lead to him kicking just 8 goals for the season; the first time he has kicked below 17 goals since 2007. His kicking also dropped off as a result of bombing the ball from clearances and playing a more inside role however, he was still able to average 106. With Boyd ageing and the rest of the Bulldogs midfield very young, Griffen is in prime position to tear the midfield apart. He has to be the main man if the Bulldogs are going to avoid finishing bottom 3 and for that reason, his SC scores will rise in 2013.

Scott Selwood (WCE) $556 700: Graduated from tagging with great success in 2012. When people think of the West Coast midfield, it's all Gaff, Shuey, Kerr, Embley but I haven't heard S.Selwood's name too many times. Listen to some of the areas he ranked highly in at the Eagles last year. 1st in possessions, centre clearances and goals assists. 2nd in handballs and tackles and 3rd in contested possies, uncontested possies, handball-receives and clearances. That's quite an impressive season. His disposal efficiency was well above AFL average (76%) and he dropped forward to score 11 goals. And we know that the Duckwood's love to draw a free kick don't we? His average jumped to 104 last season and, at 22 years old, there is plenty of time for improvement. I'd liken Scooter&amp;rdquo; to a young Sammy Mitchell. Uses the ball cleanly but never shies from a contest. He is good both inside and outside the contest which shows his all-round ability. He is definitely a unique option and a guy that this year will average over 110. Great choice for a M4 spot.

Nick Dal Santo (StK) $544 800 NDS has been a very reliable player for years in both SuperCoach and for the Saints. In SC, he has scored the most points since 2004; that's taking into account big scorers like Ablett, Judd and Swan. He is very consistent and rarely misses a game which is something that you really want in a midfielder. An interesting point is that he has become a better contested ball player than he has ever been; last year he won 46% of his ball in contests. He has always been seen as the smooth-moving midfielder however his kicking has become worse over the last 5 years.

Turning 30 years of age this season, it is certainly a risk to pick him in a valuable midfield spot. His aforementioned consistency though really keeps him in the mix. Over the last 5 seasons, he has averaged 102, 116, 112, 119 and 102. An average of above 100 in each of these seasons and for 3-4 seasons before that as well shows that he is a more than capable M4. I have also heard that he may play more off half-back this season to try and launch attacks for the Saints (SKT would probably be in a better position to comment though!). If he does play that in that sort of role, his numbers could possibly rise. If not, expect a similar output from a genuine SC gun.

StKildathunda edit: One thing to keep in mind when considering Dal Santo is the Saints incredibly easy draw over first month. They play Gold Coast, Richmond, GWS and Essendon. If you look further into that, Dal Santo loves to play these clubs and could start season with a bang.
137 vs Gold Coast in his 3 games against (112,112,189)
130 vs Richmond last 4 games (147, 170, 98, 107)
135 vs GWS from his only game against them
114 vs Essendon last 4 games (122, 106, 113, 115)

With the extra trades we get you can afford to start with players with favourable fixture and if it backfires, just trade them out. If they start season on fire, you are ahead of pack. You can even trade them out after when the tough run fixtures starts.