KFC SuperCoach 2020: Six players to consider in revised AFL season
With 30 trades and a shortened fixture of 17 rounds, this KFC SuperCoach season is going to be like no other. But there is little time to plan. The Phantom looks at six players whose value might rise on the back of the changes
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With 30 trades and a shortened season of 17 fixture, this KFC SuperCoach season is going to be like no other.
Don’t throw out all of your pre-season research but there will be new strategies and players to consider. But with Round 1 set to commence on Thursday night as planned, there isn’t much time.
To help, The Phantom looks at six players whose KFC SuperCoach value might rise on the back of the changes.
Nic Naitanui (WC)
$457,800, Ruck
Last year, the star big man made his return from an ACL injury – the second since 2017 – in Round 15, playing just 58 per cent of his comeback game against the Hawks. But he walked off the field with 99 SuperCoach points to his name.
It was a similar story a week later with Naitanui tallying 14 disposals, 11 contested possessions, seven clearances, 23 hit-outs and 88 points in 52 per cent game-time. I could go on, the star Eagle has done it his entire career.
Even in the recent Marsh Series, after the club confirmed his workload would continue to be managed in 2020, Naitanui posted a SuperCoach ton in just over half a game against the Dockers.
If there was one player the shortened season – and shortened matches – suits, it has to be Naitanui, whose 1.38 SuperCoach points per minute was the highest in the competition last season.
Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy are next in line for this stat, again highlighting their scoring power, but saving $200k+ could help balance your side elsewhere.
Like with most players, if it did come to multiple matches in a short period of time, West Coast might, again, manage its star, but we can address that issue - armed with more trades - if and when we get there.
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Quinton Narkle (Geel)
$396,600
The top-10 list for points-per-minute from last year is full of the usual big-name premiums, as well as Callan Ward and Tom Doedee who failed to finish the one game they took part in last season.
But at No. 6 sits the 22-year-old Cat, who impressed in 2019 despite limited opportunity, posting scores of 123, 56 and 143 in his three home-and-away matches last year. His game-time in each match respectively was 63%, 63% and 81%.
And the skilful right-footer sent another reminder in the first week of the Marsh Series, tallying 26 disposals, a game-high 10 clearances and a team-high 113 points.
With less time in 2020, SuperCoaches will looking to close the gap between their Round 1 team and full-premium by adding a few more mid-price options, bringing Narkle right into the pictuce as a point-of-difference.
Josh Kelly (GWS)
$637,700
The smooth-moving Giant only played 14 home-and-away matches last season but he finished with a SuperCoach ton in 11 of them – six of them in excess of 120.
In 2018, Kelly only played 15 games but scored 130 or more on five occasions, including a 202-point performance against the Blues.
There’s not many in the game who can match the 24-year-old’s scoring power.
But with Kelly in just 13 per cent of teams, despite the damaging left-footer completing his first uninterrupted pre-season in years, SuperCoaches are opting for the more-durable options at the same price.
With less games, the possibility of shortened quarters and the chance of in-season breaks, however, Kelly’s ownership is likely to – and should – rise.
Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
$623,000
The star Bulldogs midfielder was already a terrific KFC SuperCoach option in 2020.
The 23-year-old, who averaged 104 points per game in 2018, passed the 130-point mark in seven games and added 11 points to his SuperCoach average last season.
But in the original 22-game fixture, Bontempelli was set to face Matt de Boer twice in the first 13 rounds and the Giants tagger has shut him down in their past two meetings, restricting him to scores of 90 and 84.
With every team to play each other once in the new 17-round season, that won’t happen. It’s a small win but it’s win nonetheless for SuperCoaches.
And the shortened quarters will benefit a player like Bontempelli, who can be very damaging – and post big SuperCoach numbers – despite limited possession.
Tom Mitchell (Haw)
$630,900
Despite ticking every pre-season box on his comeback from a broken leg, last week The Phantom wrote it was safer to start with another $600k premium option you can be sure about and work on bringing Mitchell in later.
But, now, with shorter quarters and less games to get through, the doubt about whether Mitchell can get through the entire year, due to the severity of the injury, is clearing.
Dan Hannebery (StK)
$417,000
With more trades and less games, why not the forgotten Saint?
Hannebery didn’t make his St Kilda debut until Round 14 last year and was sidelined again after two matches. The 28-year-old returned to play the final three home-and-away games but it was a frustrating first season at the Saints, to say the least.
But in those five appearances, the hard-running left-footer posted scores of 96, 65, 122, 94 and 103.
If you include the short 2019 season, despite averaging 95 points or more in six of the past seven years, Hannebery is priced at an average of 77 in 2020.
And Hannebery’s 1.13 points-per-minute was the 13th-highest ratio in the competition last year.
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THE MID-PRICE BRACKET
As mentioned above, the task of building your starting team into one full of premium players is likely to get harder with five less rounds.
There will be less time for cash generation and less time to execute the upgrade-downgrade process in order to complete your KFC SuperCoach team in 2020.
Sure more trades might help but closing the gap between your Round 1 team and full-premium can be achieved by adding a few more mid-pricers. Of course, though, you still have to get them right.
Here are my top-two in every position
DEFENCE
1. Sam Docherty (Carl) $436,100
2. Dylan Roberton (StK) $260,400
MIDFIELD
1. Jack Viney (Melb) $439,300
2. Will Brodie (GC) $466,300
RUCK
1. Nic Naitanui (WC) $457,800
2. Tim English (WB) $448,400
FORWARD
1. Devon Smith (Ess) $335,800, Mid
2. Andrew Brayshaw (Freo) $382,800, Mid