KFC SuperCoach 2022: 11 biggest bargains

Finding value in KFC SuperCoach is crucial. Saving money in the right spots helps you spend big elsewhere. And the forward line is stacked with bargains this year.

It’s a big time of year for bargain hunters.

KFC SuperCoach is back for 2021 and we can now enjoy the summer sunshine scrolling through the full list of available players searching for the gold nuggets the SuperCoach bankers have buried for us.

We’ve saved you the time by highlighting 11 players who are massively underpriced for 2022 based on their scoring potential.

There is also potential value on offer from rookies and breakout players, both covered in depth elsewhere, but the 11 players listed below have shown the ability to post big KFC SuperCoach scores in the past when injury-free and given the right role.

If they can return to that level this season you effectively get a bonus premium while leaving cash in the bank to spend on other parts of your team. But all come with an element of risk. Should we take the punt? See our expert verdict and have your say.

DEFENDERS

James Sicily (Haw) $448,100 DEF

In his last full season Sicily ranked fourth in the competition for intercept possessions and won a spot in the All-Australian squad. He posted premium-level scores from 2018-20, averaging 105.1, 93.8 and then 102.9, which included an injury-affected score of 50 when he wrecked his ACL against the Eagles in Round 12 – before that he had put up four 120-plus totals including a 149 and a 164. Hopefully the departure of Alastair Clarkson ends the occasional experimentation of Sicily as a forward, the biggest watch will be how the points are shared between all the Hawks’ rebounding backmen – Jack Scrimshaw, Jarman Impey and Changkuoth Jiath have all emerged since Sicily was a regular member of the back six.

Phantom’s verdict: “He’d be available to play if we were playing now,” Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said recently. Probably enough for me at this point, considering the price

SUPERCOACH IS BACK: RULE CHANGES FOR 2022 EXPLAINED

James Sicily is returning from a serious knee injury. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Caleb Marchbank (Carl) $209,300 DEF

In his second most recent game Marchbank posted 113 KFC SuperCoach points from 22 disposals and eight marks. The catch is that was in Round 15, 2019. Since then he has been plagued by knee, back and calf injuries, so durability is obviously a major concern. But if he can make it to Round 1 in one piece (he’s currently on a modified program) Marchbank should have a safe spot in the Blues’ best 22.

Al Paton’s verdict: Don’t expect big scores but he’s a get-out option if defensive rookies don’t turn up.

Braeden Campbell (Syd) $293,900 DEF

The Swans Academy graduate and No.5 draft pick’s talents were on full display when he scored 118 KFC SuperCoach points in just his second AFL game. But he didn’t get much more of a look-in during his debut season, registering eight matches and a SuperCoach average of 54. But after a second AFL pre-season the 19-year-old is ready to become a regular and, crucially, there is a vacancy in the Swans backline for an elite distributor after the departure of Jordan Dawson. Campbell is a leading candidate as “one of the best kicks that we’ve ever seen” according to junior talent scouts.

Al Paton’s verdict: Watch his role in pre-season and if he gets Dawson’s job, seriously consider.

Stephen Coniglio is shaping as the biggest steal of KFC SuperCoach in 2022. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

MIDFIELDERS

Lachie Neale (Bris) $543,200 MID

Can all the coaches burnt by Neale in 2021 forgive and forget? A new season means a fresh start and you can’t look past Neale’s elite scoring history. Even if you take out his incredible Brownlow year, Neale averaged at least 109 points a game in the four seasons before that. And he scored 133, 152 and 93 in his final three appearances last year after battling calf, back and ankle injuries since the pre-season.

Phantom’s verdict: The bloke who averaged 134 in 2020 priced at an average of 99.8 after an injury-plagued year? Yes, please.

Lachie Neale will be hoping for a better run of luck in 2022. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

Matt Rowell (GC) $342,900 MID

Rowell is flying on the track, and reportedly blitzed the Suns’ recent match-simulation session. Most importantly, he looks set to complete a full pre-season – something he couldn’t do last summer. After averaging an extraordinary 124 points in the opening four games of his career in 2020, we raved about Rowell at $495k ahead of Round 1 last year. So $342k could be a steal, if he can get back to his best.

Phantom’s verdict: Locked-ish. Looming as a player we just won’t be able to pass up.

Jarrod Berry (Bris) $268,500 MID

He may have played 11 games, but Berry’s 2021 season was hampered by injury – first a hamstring, followed by a persistent groin issue and then a strained calf. And when he was out there, the 23-year-old spent plenty of time forward. But he posted six KFC SuperCoach scores of 120 or more in 15 games in 2020 – his fourth season in the competition – and will be priced at a 49-point average next year.

Phantom’s verdict: Numbers are there, it’s all about his body and role now.

Jarrod Berry leads a time-trial in an early pre-season training run. Picture: Josh Woning

Jye Caldwell (Ess) $266,700 MID

The young midfielder showed plenty of promise in his first pre-season at the Bombers, and posted scores of 74 and 66 in his first two senior games for the club. But he played just 42 per cent of that second match, after being struck down by another hamstring injury, which wiped out the rest of the minor rounds.

Phantom’s verdict: If Caldwell is fit, he’s in the Bombers’ midfield rotation, meaning he has to be one to watch.

RUCKS

Braydon Preuss (GWS) $204,700 RUC

Like Rowell, we – OK, I may have had a bit to do with starting it – were raving about Preuss at an elevated price tag last year ($303k) after he joined the Giants, looking for more opportunity, during the trade period. For those who missed my rambling, in the three games he played without Max Gawn at the Demons, Preuss posted scores of 84, 85 and 140. In his two at North Melbourne without Todd Goldstein, he scored 111 and an injury-affected 39.

Phantom’s verdict: Injury ruined the cheap R2 dreams of KFC SuperCoaches last year, but it’s time to dream again, my friends.

FORWARDS

Stephen Coniglio (GWS) $261,300 MID/FWD

He’s been dropped, played forward and just flat-out struggled to win the ball over the past two years. But the fact is Coniglio averaged 108, 101 and 98 in the three years before an injury-ravaged 2021. And his average last season isn’t even as bad as it looks, with scores of 26 and 14 coming in injury-affected games.

Phantom’s verdict: He’s available as a forward. Lock him in.

Jade Gresham (StK) $299,000 FWD/MID

After gradually moving into the midfield, the Gresham breakout has been on for a while now. But, unfortunately, injury just keeps getting in the way. His body is still a question mark, but his potential in KFC SuperCoach as a full-time midfielder is undeniable. Gresham, who was an elite scorer as a junior, tallied a combined 47 disposals, 17 inside-50s and 14 clearances in the opening two rounds of last season before injury struck in Round 3. The talented Saint is priced at 55 for 2022. At his fully-fit best, he doubles that. Even if he’s not at his best, but out on the park, it’s hard to see him dropping below 80.

Phantom’s verdict: The value is undeniable and long-time readers will know I like him.

A role in the St Kilda midfield would be a huge boost to Jade Gresham’s scoring potential. Picture: Michael Klein

Charlie Curnow (Carl) $224,300 FWD

Another Blue with major injury baggage – playing just four games in the past two seasons – but with a much higher ceiling than Marchbank. Back in 2019 Curnow scored 154 KFC SuperCoach points in a seven-goal game against the Bulldogs. As a key forward he’ll have his fair share of quiet games but we only need him to get through the first 6-8 rounds to be a great stepping stone – last year Joe Daniher added $150k to his starting price in that time with an 81 average (including a 121 and a 34).

Al Paton’s verdict: I started Daniher last year and Curnow is $9k cheaper. The lesson I learnt was to trade him out around the byes to make the most of the price gain.