I'll be honest. I love my PODs. It's a risky strategy, but one all serious SuperCoaches must adopt at some stage throughout their season. Whether it be one POD, or a handful, they can make or break your season.

So, what's a POD? Sure, you can measure it purely through percentage of ownership. Of course, you are then labelling Zac Dawson a POD; something so ludicrous that it's taken me almost half an hour to write this sentence. Of course, how many people have the player plays a part in who is classified as a POD. Especially at the start of the season where we take risks. As we progress through the season though, a POD has much more meaning than that. It's a left field choice that has the ability to rank highly in their given position. Someone that can deliver similarly to other, more popular players.

Each Friday, I'll be listing anywhere between 5 and 10 PODs for the week that should be considered as trade-in targets. These will be players that can finish within the top 15 or 20 players in their positions and are left-field choices. Some people are going for overall glory while most are trying to win their league. Either way, having a vanilla” team can only get you so far. You need good scorers that others won't have. It's what can make or break your season.

I won't be picking players based completely on their prices. It's mainly based on their output so far or their potential output from here on in. Value is important in SC, but the best place for that is reading BB's weekly article, Best Buys”. Here, it's all about getting those points from your PODs!

Let's get stuck in.

Rory Sloane (Adel) - Mid - $574,000 -112.2 - 2.72%
Sloane's consistency has been incredible in 2014. He hasn't scored below 102 this season; something only the top SC players have been able to achieve. One of the best things about Rory is that he doesn't need to have 30 touches to score well. Twice this season, he has picked up 18 disposals, 7 tackles and 120+ points. Dangerfield is the obvious target for the opposition meaning Sloane just keeps flying under the radar. Even if he does receive some attention, he tackles like a maniac. I can see him producing a similar output for the rest of the year. Can see him averaging 110 from here.

Mathew Stokes (Geel) - Mid - $519,900 - 105 - 0.78%
Coming off suspension, Stokes will be hoping to have a major impact when he returns this week. Averaging 29 disposals every match this season, he is improving with every season of midfield exposure. His lowest score for the year is 87 and he's only dropped below 100 on one other occasion (97 vs Collingwood). His scoreboard impact has dropped off in recent times, but in a midfield featuring Steve Johnson and Joel Selwood, he should continue to score well as an outside player. Expect him to be a top 20 mid from here on in. Good M8/M9 loophole choice.

Andrew Mackie (Geel) - Def - $459,800 - 92.7 - 1.65%
Once again, the defence is a tricky one. Sure, you have your McVeigh's, Swallow's, Bartel's, but with a bigger hit to the salary cap this season, it's tough to be able afford them all. Barring the match against Hawthorn, where he was subbed off with an injury at 3qtr time, he's averaging 99.8 for the season. With Corey Enright dropping off, it appears as though Mackie has improved his intercepting and is finding himself forward of centre a little more than he used to. He's a damaging player and can be a solution to your defensive problems. Can see him finishing in the top 10 defenders for the season.

Shannon Hurn (WCE) - Def - $412,300 - 76 - 1.20%
The only reason for Hurn's low average and low ownership numbers is because of his injury in round 2 that kept him out for a while. Scores of 99, 97 and 101 surround that dirty 7 that is finally out of his rolling average. He's known for his deadly precision by foot and doesn't need many possessions to score well (1 handball for 7SC in Rd2). He's main problem is that he doesn't perform as well in losses as he does in wins. However now, with 138 games under his belt, many will be hoping this changes. He's the Eagles' main weapon from defence. We'll take an average of 90 from our defenders. Should perform well.

Travis Cloke (Coll) - Fwd - $367,900 - 60.6 - 4.97%
Here's the big one. Travis Cloke. If you're not a Collingwood supporter, you're generally not a huge fan of his. He recently said that if he doesn't clunk the first one, he's in trouble for the rest of the match. Nothing like putting pressure on yourself. He's been terrible this year but what gives us hope is that he is known as a slow starter and generally fires up in the second half of the year. I can see it happening again. 9 goals in 8 matches is shocking for someone of his ability and I fully expect him to kick at least 40 in the next 14. Jump on. Should get his average back up to something

Matthew Broadbent (PTA) - Def - $426,700 - 80.1 - 0.78%
This isn't a move for the faint hearted. Broadbent's breakeven is around the 135 mark so will likely lose value yet, he features in this first edition of The Podfather”. Broadbent hasn't missed a game for a while now and has produced some decent scores. 2012 was his best season averaging close to 85, before having a poor season in 2013. After being sub in Round 1, Broadbent has enjoyed really good TOG. Last week's 49 seems to be an aberration for a player who averaged 91.17 in between from rounds 2-7. Now, you have to put up with a few 70s, but in a team as good as the Power, he has every opportunity to get more points in the coming rounds. Probably the biggest risk for the week. Could average 87+ from here on in if he gets everything right.

Jack Ziebell (NM) - Mid - $460,100 - 78.6 - 0.95%
It was all about Ziebell in the preseason. I tweeted at the end of last year that I thought he was a genuine option with the ability to break games open like Patty Dangerfield. He responded with a terrible start to the season and missing three games. Since he's returned, he's averaged a solid 91.33, slowly getting back into the swing of things. The North midfield is even stronger with the return of their captain and the opposition have to look after the like of Dal Santo, Harvey, Swallow (at full fitness) and eventually Wells, when he returns. That leaves the likes of Ziebell alone. He loves to tackle which means he's always in the game and he has the ability to drift forward to have an impact on the scoreboard. After this match, NM have a very good run. I expect Ziebell to be the best scoring midfielder in this team.

Seven genuine options to consider bringing in. The players I'll include every week are ones I feel are best for their upcoming match and beyond, however their relevance doesn't disappear after the week they feature. With the end of the bye rounds fast approaching, many will be back to full strength and potentially vanilla teams.

Don't forget to consult the other brilliant TS articles before you trade as well.That's it for The Podfather” this week. Stay tuned for daily articles on the website. I'll be back next Friday.

Cheers,

TTT