Recruiting guru Gary Buckenara reveals his KFC SuperCoach team for 2020
Gary Buckenara knows AFL draftees better than anyone and in a year where picking rookies in KFC SuperCoach is tough, his expertise is invaluable. And he’s got high hopes for a former No.1 pick.
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Picking a KFC SuperCoach team should be pretty easy given we’ve got a $10 million salary cap.
But as soon as I pick the superstars – Brodie Grundy, Dustin Martin, Lachie Neale, Marcus Bontempelli, Lachie Whitfield, Tim Kelly – the cash dwindles pretty quickly.
That’s when tough decisions need to be made. Who do I forgo and which cheapies get the nod?
Unfortunately, rookies are a problem this year. No one has really stood out as a must-pick other than Matt Rowell, Tom Green – the Giant I flagged in my Rookie Bible was shaping as a SuperCoach gun and Round 1 lock before the Marsh Series started – and Marlion Pickett.
So I’ve spent a bit more on potential cash cows, banking on the likes of Cam Rayner and Ed Richards to have breakout seasons and get their prices up to around the $400,000 mark while delivering scores around 80 with, hopefully, a couple of 90s and 100s.
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Rayner has dropped 4kg so he can play more midfield and be really explosive and powerful. He’ll be more mature, fitter and stronger than we’ve seen in his first two AFL seasons, and he’s a playmaker – he was very a very smart player as a junior who created goals for others as well as himself and he can take a big mark. I think he’s in for a big year. He’s the Dustin Martin prototype.
I really like what Richards offers at the Dogs. After an up and down year last year, I think he can take big strides in 2020. He’s just $264,400, and this year we need to find bargains in that price range.
I’ve also got the three of the four most expensive of last year’s draftees – Rowell, Noah Anderson and Lachie Ash. With limited cheaper options who are guaranteed to play regularly, you’ve just got to spend more on the rookies this year. Rowell and Anderson will definitely play regularly and both will find a lot of the ball because they’re seriously talented players and Ash will add another dimension to the Giants.
Like most, I originally had Docker Stephen Hill but had to rip up those plans due to his latest quad injury. I’ve brought in Swan Matthew Ling to sit on my bench – he’s exactly the type of player Sydney needs to inject into its side because he’s got a lot of pace and I think he’ll get senior opportunities this year. It’s a big year for him, being his third season in the system, so the Swans will need to find out if he can play at the level.
Having to spend more on rookies means I’ve had to spread my cash out a bit more than I would have liked, so I’ve made a big call in the ruck and taken a few mid-price risks.
I haven’t picked Max Gawn and here’s why.
Grundy is the No.1 ruckman in the competition in my opinion and when it comes to SuperCoach, he has more scope to score points than Gawn even if he’s not winning the ruck contest due to his ability to play as basically as a ruck-rover. He racks up disposals and he’s very good at ground level and lays tackles.
He also gets the nod over Gawn because I have a theory around players who’ve had injuries during pre-season. I know Gawn played in the last Marsh Series game after recovering from a knee injury, but playing a pre-season game and playing in the season proper, coming off an interrupted pre-season, is a completely different story. He’s also had knee reconstructions before, which makes me even more nervous given how much jumping and landing he’ll have to do. That worries me.
So I’ve saved some cash and gone for Jonathon Ceglar instead, who will be Hawthorn’s No.1 ruckman this year with Ben McEvoy set for a role in defence. I think Ceglar can average 100 points per game because he’s a very good tap ruckman, he’s good around the ground and, importantly, can go forward and kick a goal.
The first mid-price risk I’ve taken is on Tom Scully, who I think is going to have a big year for the Hawks. He’s now got a full season under his belt after that terrible ankle injury, he has had a big pre-season and is ready to hit the ground running. In 2016-17 before breaking his ankle, Scully averaged 97 and 88 SuperCoach points. At $356,800 he’s good value and will be back close to his best.
The other bargain pick is Chad Wingard for a similar reason. At the back end of last year, once he got himself fit, he scored 88, 81, 79, 98, 91, 112 and 62 (although he got the three Brownlow votes that day) between Rounds 17-23 as a midfielder-forward. With a good pre-season behind him this year, he should play more midfield and get back to the form he showed when he averaged 97.8 (2015), 93 (2017) and 88.6 (2018).
I’ve also gone for Kane Lambert over Devon Smith because of his durability and consistency. You look at the stats after Richmond games and Lambert has always had 25-30 disposals, so he’s a lock for 85-100 points pretty much every week and has played 24, 22 and 21 games in the past three years. In comparison, Smith has played 16, 22 and seven in the same time.
I also haven’t picked Sam Docherty. He’s missed two years of footy with knee reconstructions and I think we can sometimes forget just how long that really is. It will take him some time to get used to the pace of the game again, despite promising signs in the Marsh Series. I want to see him play a bit before committing.
Instead, I’ve picked James Sicily and Tiger Shane Edwards to be the backbone of my defence. Edwards is a very underrated player as a utility – he goes into the middle and wins the footy but is also very good across half-back and up forward. He’s durable and is such a consistent performer.
MORE NEWS:
AFL captains reveal who to pick and who to avoid in KFC SuperCoach for the 2020 season
Gary Buckenara names the best KFC SuperCoach cash cow prospects for 2020
Dr SuperCoach’s ultimate Marsh Series week 3 review
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Originally published as Recruiting guru Gary Buckenara reveals his KFC SuperCoach team for 2020