KFC SuperCoach 2023: Everything you need to know about SuperCoach Draft

Ever wanted to be an AFL list manager? KFC SuperCoach Draft is for you. Here’s everything you need to know about starting a league, the live draft, trading and more.

Ever wanted to be a list manager or the one to make the final call on who gets drafted at your club?

KFC SuperCoach Draft is for you.

Just want to feed your KFC SuperCoach addiction even further? You’re also in the right place.

Arguably, it’s a more fun, exciting way to play Australia’s biggest and best fantasy game.

Take part in a league with your mates – or join any available public league – and select a unique KFC SuperCoach team through a live draft where each player is only available once.

League settings – number of teams, squad size, trading and free agency options, gameplay and draft type, just to name a few – are customisable, allowing you to set up your competition your own way.

And there’s more new features in 2023!

Sound like something you’d like? Sign up here – and keep reading.

The team at the Herald Sun/Fox Footy on KFC SuperCoach Draft night.

THE DRAFT

There’s nothing quite like a SuperCoach Draft.

Whether it’s a night with your friends, an afternoon with your work colleagues or an online venture with 11 like-minded people you just met, it’s the highlight of the KFC SuperCoach calendar.

Once you’ve decided your draft order – draw names out of a hat or have an egg and spoon race in the back yard – your league will take it in turns to pick players.

This year you can pause a live draft, but there are still multiple ways to run the event if you can’t do it live, with offline and slow settings available.

No salary cap, just whoever is still available on the board.

That’s the best thing about KFC SuperCoach Draft – each player is unique and yours for the season. Unless of course you decide to trade them, but more on that later.

EXPERT PREDICTIONS: TOP 3 SUPERCOACH SCORERS AT EVERY CLUB

Hawthorn star James Sicily might go early in KFC SuperCoach Draft. Picture: David Crosling

With no salary cap comes new strategy. If you’re picking in the first four, you might take midfield big guns Rory Laird, Clayton Oliver, Lachie Neale or Touk Miller. But after that, looking at Josh Dunkley as a forward or James Sicily in defence might be the way to go.

At your second selection, there might still be a potential 110+ midfielder available, but the elite premium options drop away quicker in the forward and defender pools.

In years gone by, you’d pick Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy at picks 1 and 2, but now they play on the same team.

Order some KFC, pick the players YOU want, and enjoy the banter when your friend takes a speculative option way too early. There’s always one.

In 2023, league commissioners will also be able to edit the draft order in any round – and that’s a big development for keeper leagues that trade picks every year.

As always, last night's KFC #SuperCoach Draft was a ripper. @mattturner1986's reaction to @Simeon_TW taking Touk Miller the highlight.@andrewcapel@Cornesy12@lizwalsh77@joshmoney__@antimoiannella@TheEradicatorSC@patkeam@[e-mail]/lNW7GlC92z

— The Phantom (@ThePhantomSC) March 10, 2022

WHAT’S A KEEPER LEAGUE AND HOW DO I TRADE PICKS?

Now I’ve really got your attention.

Keeper leagues take KFC SuperCoach Draft to a whole different level.

In these dynasty style leagues, you set an amount of ‘keepers’ for each coach in the league to keep at the end of every season.

Build your list for the future, not just for the now.

It adds another level of strategy to drafting. When do you take Brisbane draftee Will Ashcroft or Collingwood young gun Nick Daicos? Both might not warrant a top 20 pick in a single season draft, but they both could be top five KFC SuperCoach scorers in time.

It’s not always wise to play the long-game, but it’s another fun aspect to consider.

Or maybe a rival coach wants that young gun you drafted and he’s offering you Sam Docherty to help you charge into the finals?

Take advantage of his poor season, and rebuilding list, and set yourself up for immediate glory.

If you answered yes to the list manager question in the first line of this article, a keeper league is for you.

BEGINNER’S GUIDE: HOW TO PLAY DRAFT AND SET UP YOUR LEAGUE

New Melbourne ruck duo Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn. Picture: Michael Klein

TRADING

Of course, trading is a big part of non-keeper leagues, too.

Like a real AFL Trade Period, players are traded from one team to another – but, of course, both coaches have to agree to the exchange.

John might really want Brodie Grundy – who is thriving at Melbourne - from Sally’s team, after his ruckman went down with injury.

Sally might consider the trade, given she already owns Darcy Cameron as a forward and her defence is struggling.

“How about Grundy for Jordan Dawson?” Sally asks John.

Dawson is a lot to give up, but John has cover in defence and is desperate for a ruckman.

“Deal,” John replies, and the trade is processed the SuperCoach app and the players swap teams.

Again, you are the list manager.

WAIVER WIRE

Trading is not the only way players swap teams.

Every player in the competition doesn’t found a home on KFC SuperCoach Draft night, so there is a free agent pool available until league games commence.

Maybe a breakout player appears in the practice games or, unfortunately, your third-round pick gets injured.

Hit the free agent pool – first in, best dressed.

But then as the action commences, unselected players will be placed on a waiver wire as the completion of each weekend’s fixtures.

It’s not first in, best dressed anymore, but, instead, waiver requests must be submitted and accepted on the order of the commissioner’s choosing.

And in 2023, commissioners will have more ways to filter that waiver order.

Sound like fun? Start your own unique SuperCoach Draft league today.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2023: Everything you need to know about SuperCoach Draft