Hall of fame: The search for a KFC SuperCoach legend begins now
The KFC SuperCoach Hall of Fame is ready for its first inductees. But who will get the nod? It’s time for you to have your say. VOTE NOW in the first eight head-to-head match-ups in our search for a SuperCoach legend series.
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- From Cloke to Cornes: The best from every Round 2 fixture
From our favourite premium stars to the money-making rookie sensations, there’s many candidates. But who deserves legend status in KFC SuperCoach?
Isolation means even more time to crunch the numbers and rewind through history.
And that’s exactly what The Phantom, Al Paton, Tim Michell and Dan Batten have done, coming up with a 64-man SuperCoach legend bracket.
On one side of the draw sit the midfielders and the ruckmen, while the defenders and forwards battle it out on the other.
Now, we need your help.
The first round will be broken down into four parts, each with eight head-to-head match-ups for you to cast your vote.
We will also have our say and, at the completion, the final four will be inducted into the KFC SuperCoach Hall of Fame, with the winner being named a legend.
And the first part feature eight head-to-head match-ups from the midfield.
ABLETT v SELWOOD
Gary Ablett (Geel/GC)
Games played (2008-2020): 221, Average: 123, High score: 251, Highest season average: 140 (2009)
The Little Master needs no introduction. Ablett averaged 127 points or more in seven consecutive seasons between 2008 and 2014, and posted five SupeCoach double-tons through this period. In 2009, the dual Brownlow Medallist scored 139 or more in 12 of his 19 home-and-away matches. The first SuperCoach perma-captain.
Joel Selwood (Geel)
Games played (2008-2020): 275, Average: 108, High score: 184, Highest season average: 121 (2014)
It didn’t take long for Selwood to make his mark in SuperCoach with the Geelong skipper averaging 98 points per game, on the back of 10 SuperCoach tons, in his second season in the competition in 2008. Selwood pushed his average past the 110-point mark the following year and kept it there for the next five seasons.
ANTHONY v MZUNGU
Liam Anthony (NM)
Games played (2008-2020): 58, Average: 77, High score: 145, Highest season average: 95 (2009)
The mature-age recruit from the WAFL was all set for a Round 1 debut in 2009 before a foot injury wiped out the first half of his season. But the basement-price midfielder popped up for his first senior appearance in Round 13 and his scoring saw him become an immediate on-field option. The ball-magnet averaged 95 points for the remainder of the year after posting four SuperCoach tons, including three on-the-trot to finish the season. Injury might have hindered Anthony’s development but he’s still a favourite among the SupeCoach veterans.
Tendai Mzungu (Freo)
Games played (2008-2020): 106, Average: 76, High score: 130, Highest season average: 81 (2011)
Speaking of favourites, Mzungu almost became a cult hero in his first year the Dockers. The pre-listed Sun, who was traded to Fremantle missed the first eight rounds with a knee injury but it was worth the wait. After scoring 14 points on debut as the substitute in Round 9, Mzungu, who started the year as a $110k mid-fwd, averaged 85 points in the next 13 matches and his 114-point performance in the final round helped the 2011 SuperCoach winner, Jay To, claim the $50,000 major prize.
MITCHELL v MITCHELL
Tom Mitchell (Syd/Haw)
Games played (2008-2020): 112, Average: 108, High score: 192, Highest season average: 129 (2018)
Mitchell has always been a fantasy gun. There were big NEAFL numbers and big scores at the Swans, despite limited opportunity. But he didn’t earn his elite status until he arrived at Hawthorn. Mitchell posted SuperCoach tons in 20 of his first 22 matches as a Hawk in 2017 before nine scores of 150 or more in 2018 saw the left-footer averaged 129 points per game to win the Brownlow Medal.
Sam Mitchell (Haw/WC)
Games played (2008-2020): 220, Average: 104, HS: 159, Highest season average: 113 (2011)
Mitchell hurt a few SuperCoaches with a number of late withdrawals over the years but his consistent scoring more than made up for it. The 329-game star recorded season averages of 101, 108, 99, 113, 111, 104, 91, 109 and 104 in his final nine seasons at Hawthorn. Mitchell missed two months with a severe hamstring injury in 2014 but from Round 22 that year to Round 4, 2014 – including finals – he posted SuperCoach tons in 26 of his 33 matches.
DALZIELL v PALMER
Bradd Dalziell (Bris/WC)
Games played (2008-2020): 43, Average: 73, High score: 136, Highest season average: 92 (2008)
Any player who posts a SuperCoach ton on debut, let alone pass three figures in four of their first six matches, has to be a Hall of Fame candidate. And that’s exactly what Dalziell, who was drafted as a mature-ager in 2007, did in his first season at the Lions. From Round 16 onwards in 2008, Dalziell recorded of scores of 114, 86, 107, 38, 115, 101 and 81 in his first seven games of senior football. He was even tagged by Kieren Jack in Round 22.
Rhys Palmer (Freo/GWS/Carl)
Games played (2008-2020): 123, Average: 72, High score: 144, Highest season average 87 (2008)
Palmer’s debut season as an 18-year-old in 2008 was one of the best the competition has seen. The No. 7 pick from the 2007 draft played 20 games in his first year and averaged 23 disposals and 87 SuperCoach points. Palmer posted seven SuperCoach tons – including a 145-point performance against the Saints – on his way to winning the 2008 Rising Star award.
PRIDDIS v KENNEDY
Matt Priddis (WC)
Games played (2008-2020): 214, Average: 106, High score: 196, Highest season average: 114 (2011)
The West Coast midfielder was as reliable as they come, scoring 85 points or more in 146 of his 165 non-injury-affected matches between 2009 and 2016 with 123 SuperCoach tons. And the Brownlow Medallist had the ceiling, too, as his 39-disposal, 196-point performance against the Suns in 2015 shows.
Josh P. Kennedy (Syd/Haw)
Games played (2008-2020): 247, Average: 104, High score: 178, Highest season average: 120 (2012)
The contested-ball star was equally as reliable in his SuperCoach prime. After averaging 120 points per game, on the back of 17 SuperCoach tons, in a breakout 2012 season, Kennedy averaged 105 points or more in the next four seasons. The 31-year-old’s numbers may have fallen away in 2017 and 2018 but he bounced back last year with 11 SuperCoach tons and a 107-point average. And his 178 points in the final round would’ve helped many win a grand final.
BARLOW v KELLY
Michael Barlow (Freo/GC)
Games played (2008-2020): 141, Average: 100, HS: 168, Highest season average: 116 (2010)
There’s been some outstanding debut seasons in the competition’s recent history – a few have been mentioned here. But then there’s Michael Barlow in 2010. After being plucked from the VFL by the Dockers, Barlow debuted in Round 1 against the Crows, finishing with 33 disposals, two goals and a game-high 151 points. A week later, he had 34 disposals and 139 points. In the next 10 matches before breaking his leg in Round 14, Barlow posted seven SuperCoach tons, four of them in excess of 130. The ball-magnet bounced back from the injury to average 110 and 112 in 2013 and 2014 respectively but he couldn’t replicated the 116-point mark he set in his debut year. In fact, no one has.
Tim Kelly (Geel/WC)
Games played (2008-2020): 49, Average: 98, HS: 162, Highest season average: 103 (2019)
Kelly did come close, however. The mature-age recruit from the WAFL played all 22 games in his first year at the Cats and posted nine SuperCoach tons, two of them to kick start the season. Kelly added $346k to his starting price tag, finishing 2018 as a midfield keeper at $463k. Kelly added 10 points to his average last year after scoring 92 points or more in 16 of his 22 home-and-away matches.
ROCKLIFF v THOMPSON
Tom Rockliff (Bris/Port)
Games played (2008-2020): 191, Average: 101, High score: 204, Highest season average: 132 (2014)
The 191-game Port Adelaide midfielder is another who was a SuperCoach star from the get-go. After one appearance in 2009, Rockliff exploded onto the scene in his sophomore year, posting six SuperCoach tons and averaging 86 points per game. And it was just the start, with the tough ball-winner averaging 113 points the following year and a huge 132 points, on the back seven scores of 150 or more, in 2014.
Scott Thompson (Adel)
Games played (2008-2020): 199, Average: 98, High score: 176, Highest season average: 111 (2011)
Thompson may not have been as damaging as some of the other SuperCoach greats but he can find the ball better the most. The strong midfielder tallied 36 disposals or more and at least 150 SuperCoach points on four occasions in 2011. And despite being tagged regularly – twice by Fremantle stopper Ryan Crowley – he made it consecutive averages of 110 or more in 2012.
JUDD v MONTAGNA
Chris Judd (Carl)
Games played (2008-2020): 145, Average: 106, HS: 196, Highest season average: 118 (2010)
This period covers the dual Brownlow Medallist’s time as a Blue and, while he was unbelievable at West Coast, his numbers at Carlton were very, very good, too. Judd posted 13 SuperCoach tons – four in excess of 150 – on his way to a 110-point average in his season at the club in 2018. And he passed that mark in each of the next four seasons. In his Brownlow year of 2010, the explosive midfielder broke the 140-point barrier in seven of his 19 home-and-away matches.
Leigh Montagna (StK)
Games played (2008-2020): 214, Average: 104, HS: 178, Highest season average: 125 (2009)
He’s been available as a forward and starred as a defender in SuperCoach. And that’s where some of you might remember him best. But Montagna really made his mark as a goalkicking midfielder. In 2009, the hard-running right-footer posted 16 SuperCoach tons in 21 home-and-away matches and scored 140 or more on eight occasions. The two-time All-Australian followed up his 125-point average with another 16 scores of 100 or more and a season average of 115 in 2010.