AFL SuperCoach 2025: The Phantom’s team revealed

It wouldn’t be SuperCoach lockout week without a big late change – but this is not a pre-season overreaction. See The Phantom’s final team here.

It wouldn’t be SuperCoach lockout week without a big late change.

But, sticking to my word, it’s not a pre-season game overreaction.

I’m doubling down on the key theme of my pre-AAMI Series team – big scores will be king in a year of more best-18 rounds, and an extra score to work with at the flex position.

Going for the big scorers is hardly rocket science, but sometimes we overthink it.

In three of the first four rounds, your bottom-five on-field scorers won’t count but your top five scorers could set you apart.

Xerri. Gawn. Daicos. Neale. Sheezel. Zorko. Horne-Francis. Rankine. De Koning.

As they say, big names, big scores – and now the Lions on the list don’t even need to make up for a week off.

Max Gawn has come into The Phantom’s SuperCoach team. Picture: Michael Klein

Melbourne skipper Gawn – and the subsequent rethink of the flex position – is the biggest change.

He says he’s never run as well as he has over summer and he is set to face stand-in GWS ruckman Lachie Keeffe, the man who Darcy Cameron scored 155 points in three quarters on, this Sunday.

I found myself trying to work out which extra premium I wanted in the midfield or defence, before realising the player most likely to average 130 to start the year is Gawn.

Nothing more complicated than that.

The three premium-ruck strategy is a big outlay, but I’m happy with the balance I’ve kept elsewhere.

And, yes, despite the red flags, I’m backing Daicos to bounce back.

This is where I am at before the team sheets come in.

DEFENDERS

Harry Sheezel (NM) $635,600
Dayne Zorko (Bris) $595,100
Matt Roberts (Syd) $434,800

Wayne Milera (Adel) $254,000
Ben Paton (Syd) $133,400, Fwd
Zach Reid (Ess) $119,900
Bench: James Leake (GWS, $119,900), Luke Trainor (Rich, $113,500)

ROOKIE RANKINGS: THE PHANTOM’S BEST PICKS ON EVERY LINE

Matt Roberts is locked in. Picture: Phil Hillyard

I had star Saint Jack Sinclair all summer, then it was Lachie Whitfield, but after the Lions early bye was removed, it has to be Zorko, who will face West Coast and Richmond in the opening month. Matt Roberts is a top-six smokie – his Opening Round performance only confirms that. and Mills’ injury was the excuse I needed to get him back in. Can we field two rookies on field? Something had to give with the extra spend in the ruck and, at this stage before teams, it is D4. If Milera plays – and stays fit – he’s arguably priced at $200k below his output. But it’s still an if.

MIDFIELDERS

Lachie Neale (Bris) $645,900
Nick Daicos (Coll) $631,400
Clayton Oliver (Melb) $451,600
James Peatling (Adel) $352,800
Finn O’Sullivan (NM) $199,000
Elijah Tsatas (Ess) $191,200
Levi Ashcroft (Bris) $185,500
Mitch Knevitt (Geel) $149,800
Bench: Murphy Reid (Fre $131,500), Elijah Hewett (WC, $122,800 Fwd), Hugh Boxshall (StK $113,500)

Like Zorko, Neale could go huge in a soft opening month – I had him in even before Brisbane’s Opening Round game was postponed.Oliver is, officially, back and every SuperCoach team should be starting him, while James Peatling led the Crows for contested possessions against the Lions and the role is still there. Remember, he’s priced at 65. North Melbourne’s top draft pick, O’Sullivan, won me over against the Eagles, pushing back behind the ball in the second half and finishing with nine intercept possessions. The best job security of all the top-price rookies? Maybe.

RUCK

Max Gawn (Melb) $668,900
Tristan Xerri (NM) $645,900
Bench: Harry Boyd (StK) $99,100

Tristan Xerri picks himself after a huge finish to 2024, as does Gawn. Set and forget is back.

FORWARDS

Jason Horne-Francis (Port) $537,000, Mid
Izak Rankine (Adel) $521,600
Jack Macrae (StK) $392,200
Bailey Smith (Geel) $389,200, Mid
Caleb Daniel (NM) $269,100, Mid
Sam Davidson (WB) $113,500
Bench: Max Hall (StK, $119,900, Mid), Aidan Johnson (Melb, $113,500)

Not a lot of change here – and there won’t be much to come. Horne-Francis is a gift as a forward, while Rankine attended more centre bounces than any Crow in the AAMI Series to confirm Matthew Nicks’ plans for 2025. Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and Caleb Daniel might go close to be the three best bargain picks of the year and Sam Davidson looks worthy of an on-field spot. For money reasons, there’s no Isaac Kako, but a fade looks risky. If I can squeeze him onto the bench, I probably will.

FLEX

Tom De Koning (Carl) $547,100

There are going to be a whole heap of different strategies for the all-new flex position – and, with little to go on, it’s going to be hard to say who’s right and who’s wrong. But after bringing in Gawn, De Koning moves to this spot. There was no way I was taking him out. Do you want to be watching Carlton’s season opener against Richmond without him.

The Phantom's final SuperCoach team for 2025

Originally published as AFL SuperCoach 2025: The Phantom’s team revealed