Gday community! If you’re still here, you’ve likely made it through to a semi-final; either by kicking out a good mate from an elimination final or on the end of a bruising from a top 4 aspirant.

If you’ve got the week off – take a well-earned break. If you’re outside the top 100, hold your trades, ignore rank, go for glory. If – like me – you’re lining up this week, good luck to you. That is, unless you’re General Soreness, who I have to overcome to progress to a preliminary final.

What a week we got served up by the Supercoach gods last week! Fyfe, Franklin, Deledio, Bob Murphy, Nic Nat’s late omission and Beams and Wines all dropping out in the same week – with popular sub Bailey Dale racking up the one paltry point – caused absolute panic and devastating impact. I’m a bit more smug than Chicko was this week, as I managed to avoid most of it and post a 2569 (far and away my biggest score for the year) and progress one more week before General puts me to sleep for the year.

We’ll get into the news, praying to whatever god you believe in it’s better than last week

THE NEWS

It is. A host of premiums return this week, with the likes of Nat Fye, the ever stoic Bob Murphy and Brett the ‘remember-when-I missed-all-those-games-at-the-start-of-the-year-and-Patch-told-you-I’d-do-it-again-when-you-needed-me-most’ Deledio coming back in for their respective sides.. Although now I’ve let the ego slide out a little bit I’m going to get hit with a POD going down.

Although having given back some of our premiums with one hand, the Supercoach gods taketh away with the other. Much of our bench cover in Brayden Maynard, Bailey Dale, Sam Colquhoun and Dan McKenzie all missing this week.

Anyone holding Nathan Krakouer will be pleased to hear of his revival to the Port side, and likewise Jack Steele returns for GWS to relive the bench pain.

Nic Naitanui will miss this week as well as he copes with the passing of his mother, and we send him our condolences, for the void in his life is much, much bigger than the hole in our Supercoach teams.

Sydney superstar Lance Franklin will not return this week, still troubled by his back, and if you’ve got trades it’s time to move him on. If not, you’re going to have to hope he plays next week should you make it.

Michael Hurley will again miss this week’s game and Shaun Hampson has been dropped. Hampson’s omission will greatly boost the score of Ivan “The Mullet” Maric this week, so anyone with the mullet should be stoked.

Matthew Lobbe has also been dropped, likely leaving anyone with Paddy Ryder better off score-wise.

Whispers are also abounding that Shaun Higgins – after defying Jock all season – might raise a single finger salute to all those who trusted him by being in doubt with – you guessed it – a niggling injury. If you’re looking to trade him in, I’d wait to find if he’s playing first.

Of course, being finals, I’d expect another five late outs just to kick us while we’re down.

THE PATCH-UP

If you’re looking for trade-ins this week, I’ve been persuaded on twitter to hit up Trent Cotchin, I’d have a good, hard look at Kade Simpson if I had any trades left and still like both Dayne Zorko and Chad Wingard up forward.

Both Josh Caddy and Brent Stanton are also smokies in the midfield, averaging 118 and 121 over the last five rounds respectively. Stanton especially loves playing without Jobe in the side. Both come with plenty of risk, however.

TRADING PLACES

Is pretty much done for the year, as we’re not needing to watch prices rise and fall in anticipation of fallen premiums or maturing cash cows. So both Dan and Eddie can have the next few weeks off, as they go do other movies like Ghostbusters and Shrek.

The rookie rumble is of course gone as well, so that leaves me with less time spent writing and more time alternating between begging General for mercy, the foetal position and praying to the vengeful Supercoach gods. Make sure you also check out Lek’s magnificent moustache bringing forth the Word of Supercoach, and the essential captain’s report by Barron von Crow.

Until then community, I hope to see you next week as we march towards victory! Best of luck, people!