Experts rank the top KFC SuperCoach midfield premiums in 2020
Ten midfielders are priced at more than $600,000 in KFC SuperCoach. They are all guns, but you can’t pick them all. Who should you take? See the case for each and who the experts are picking.
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You can’t pick ’em all.
Ten midfielders are priced at more than $600,000 in KFC SuperCoach in 2020, and most teams feature at least four of them — some ambitious coaches are squeezing in as many as six.
But that still leaves four on the outer.
Given all 10 are bona fide stars and likely to post big SuperCoach numbers, how do you choose between them?
Our resident experts have tried to do just that. Scroll down to see their final rankings, but first here’s the case for and against each midfield champion.
Jack Macrae (WB) $668,900
Ownership: 29 per cent
Case for: Has finished in the top three for overall averages in the past two seasons, finishing with 129 and 123. Scored under 100 only three times last season with a low of 84, and averaged 132 over the final 12 rounds. Rarely gets injured or tagged, making him a great captaincy option (or vice-captain in the Dogs’ five Friday night games). The Bulldogs’ bye is in Round 14, the last of the bye rounds, so he doesn’t really fit a bye trading plan. If you want him, start him.
Case against: He costs a lot, but that’s about it. Didn’t set the world on fire in the Dogs’ second Marsh Series game, scoring 76 points.
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Lachie Neale (BL) $658,500
Ownership: 38 per cent
Case for: Exploded onto the SuperCoach scene for many players with his amazing start to 2019, averaging 146 over the first four rounds and finishing the year with a 121 average. But he has been fantastic for a long time, averaging 113, 109 and 112 the three previous seasons. Showed he hasn’t slowed down with a lazy 168 in the first weekend of the Marsh Series. And he has missed just two games since the start of 2014. Ultimate set and forget mid.
Case against: Slowed up a little in the second half of last season when he copped more opposition attention, scoring under 100 three times post-bye and averaging 118 in that time ... we’re clutching at straws here.
Nat Fyfe (Frem) $651,600
Ownership: 36 per cent
Case for: Dual Brownlow medallist averaged over 120 last year for the third time in his career - he has averaged at least 105 every year since 2013. When he’s on fire few others can match his scoring power - if he’s getting tagged he just becomes an unstoppable forward. Also doesn’t have too many teammates pinching his points.
Case against: Always seems to miss games for one reason or another - he has never played 22 games in a season and has managed 20 or more just three times in his 10-year career. That’s about the only knock on him.
Josh Kelly (GWS) $637,700
Ownership: 13 per cent
Case for: Had the fourth-highest average of any midfielder last season despite enduring an interrupted year and never really seeming to catch fire. His worst season average in the past three seasons is 113.8 and the Giants say he has enjoyed his first full pre-season in years. Looks in ripping shape and was unlucky not to win the medal for best on ground in the Bushfire Relief game after kicking four goals. In just 13 per cent of teams he would be a huge point of difference against league opponents.
Case against: If durability is a worry for Fyfe it has to be a huge red flag for Kelly, who has missed 13 games over the past two seasons mostly with soft-tissue injuries. These are the worst in SuperCoach, forcing agonising decisions over whether to use a trade when he could be back in one week or three weeks. Do you need that kind of stress?
Patrick Cripps (Carl) $635,900
Ownership: 51 per cent
Case for: A clearance beast who does everything the SuperCoach scorers love. His 38 disposals, four goals and 192 SuperCoach points against Brisbane last year was one of the best individual performances of 2019 - just ask anyone who had the C on him that day. Cripps has averaged 117 and 119 the past two seasons, should benefit as the Blues win more games and is just entering his prime - he turns 25 the day before the season opener. Expect a big score to kick off the season - his past three games against Richmond have returned 134, 126 and 130 points.
Case against: Clearly the most popular player on this list so you’re not exactly breaking with the pack. Scoring was a bit erratic last year especially in the second half of the season when his 192, 152 and 134 was mixed in with a 66, 73 and 78. The low scores often coincided with a hard tag and he faces nemesis Jack Steele (who kept him to 85 last year) twice in 2020, including on SuperCoach grand final day.
Josh Dunkley (WB) $632,400
Ownership: 12 per cent
Case for: Averaged 116.5 last year - sixth of all midfielders - but you could argue his ‘real’ midfield average was 127, which is what he scored after moving into the guts in Round 7 - that would have ranked him as the top-scoring mid and No.3 overall behind only Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn. If he matches that this year he’s about $50,000 under his true value. In those final 16 matches he had 14 scores of at least 100 points and four over 150 - including an insane 202 against Melbourne in Round 17. Scores well at Marvel Stadium, where the Dogs play five of their first seven games (av 124), and in Bulldogs wins, and experts are predicting plenty of those in 2020.
Case against: Still somewhat unproven compared to players like Neale who have been dominant scorers for years. And can we trust Luke Beveridge not to shift the magnets again? Dunkley averaged 85.8 playing mostly as a forward in the first six rounds last year.
Tom Mitchell (Haw) $630,900
Ownership: 20 per cent
Case for: In his last full season he was a must-have player, averaging 129 a game (No.2 in the comp behind Brodie Grundy) off the back of seven scores of 150 or better. Missed all of last year with a broken leg but played every game the previous three seasons. Not cheap but that is a great price if he can return to his scoring heights - the early signs are good including 111 points in his final warm-up game. Even if he starts a little slowly you’re going to want him at some stage, why not pick him now and save a trade?
Case against: The great unknown. If he scores like he did in 2018 he’s a must-have, but will he? Players rarely return to their best in their first year back from such a serious injury. Hasn’t received a huge discount so you need big scores from Round 1 - would you be more confident starting Cripps or Dunkley for around the same price, or Patrick Dangerfield or Marcus Bontempelli who are even cheaper? If the Hawks manage Mitchell’s game time early we might be able to pick him up a bit cheaper when we start our upgrades.
Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) $625,500
Ownership: 20 per cent
Case for: The pre-eminent SuperCoach player of the past decade, playing 170 of a possible 176 games since the start of 2012 and averaging 120.3 in that time. A bargain for a player who averaged 136.4 in 2017 and is capable of returning to that level if he spends more time in the midfield, a likely outcome after the departure of Tim Kelly.
Case against: His scoring has dipped a little in recent years, averaging 136.4, 121.7 and 115.2 over the past three seasons. He’ll turn 30 one month into the season and has copped a battering over his career - is he on the decline? Even with Kelly gone Chris Scott will still use him as a weapon out of the goalsquare at times, which means fewer opportunities to get his hands on the footy.
Marcus Bontempelli (WB) $623,000
Ownership: 25 per cent
Case for: Did you watch the Bulldogs’ Marsh Series clash against North Melbourne? The Bont was absolutely supreme, collecting an equal career-high 37 disposals, 17 contested possessions, 10 clearances, eight tackles, two goals — and a whopping 195 SuperCoach points. He has been a gun for a while but jumped into the elite bracket in 2019 with a 114.7 average and that seems to be heading north - refer to the Dogs’ Marvel Stadium fixture above (Bont averages 117 there). He’s durable too, playing every game in three of the past four seasons.
Case against: Allow us to introduce you to Matt de Boer. The GWS tagger is public enemy No.1 for SuperCoach players and kryptonite for the Bont. Last year two of his three lowest scores came against the Giants, and he faces them twice this season in the first 13 rounds.
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Clayton Oliver (Melb) $593,900
Ownership: 14 per cent
Case for: Late inclusion in the top 10 for Adam Treloar, the other $600k-plus mid who is in doubt for Round 1 with a hamstring injury. Oliver is underpriced for a player who averaged over 110 in 2017-18 and dipped under that mark (109.4) last year after having two shoulder reconstructions in the pre-season. But he enters 2020 with a clean bill of health and hasn’t missed a game in three years.
Case against: Those who picked him last year will remember his four sub-100 scores in the first 10 rounds including a 53 when tagged by Giant Matt De Boer - a match-up he’ll face again in Round 2. Why not find a bit more cash and go for one of the superstars or real value with Stephen Coniglio ($549,500)?
EXPERTS RANK THE TOP 10
1. Jack Macrae (68 votes)
2. Lachie Neale (56)
3. Josh Dunkley (48)
4. Nat Fyfe (44)
5. Patrick Cripps (42)
6. Tom Mitchell (30)
7. Patrick Dangerfield (29)
8. Marcus Bontempelli (20)
9. Josh Kelly (17)
10. Clayton Oliver (15)
Adam Treloar (4), Tim Kelly (2) and Lachie Whitfield (1) also received votes.
Originally published as Experts rank the top KFC SuperCoach midfield premiums in 2020