The 10 must-have KFC SuperCoach players to build your starting team around
The countdown is on to the start of KFC SuperCoach. With a rolling lockout to finalise your team in Round 1, these are the 10 players who should feature in every side. How many do you have?
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Every KFC SuperCoach team should have a few points of difference.
After all, it would be no fun if we were all the same.
But as any good SuperCoach will tell you, it’s no good being unique just for the sake of being unique, even in an unprecedented season such as this.
Avoiding popular players destined to be top scorers based solely on their popularity is asking for trouble.
What good is it if you have a POD ruckman, only for 30 per cent of coaches to bank 250 points every round from Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy?
That’s a lot of ground to make up.
Nailing your rookies is just as important, if not more so, than getting your starting premiums right.
Grand final debutant Marlion Pickett (76 per cent of teams) and No. 1 pick Matthew Rowell (69 per cent) are the most-popular rookies as coaches look to cash in on changes to how cash generation works.
Due to the season being cut to 17 rounds, KFC SuperCoach prices will change after two rounds, rather than three. Pickett and Rowell could rise sharply in price if they make a fast start.
Mid-pricers always carry an element of risk, but Devon Smith ($335,800) and Sam Docherty ($436,100) are underpriced for their potential output.
Smith started last year as one of SuperCoach’s most-expensive forwards at $531,300 after averaging 97.9 two years ago.
He’s only $195,500 cheaper due to knee problems which restricted him to seven games last season, while Docherty is returning from two knee reconstructions.
In midfield, you can throw a blanket over proven premium scorers such as Marcus Bontempelli, Patrick Cripps, Tom Mitchell and Nat Fyfe.
But up forward, if you don’t start with Lachie Whitfield, it’s likely to haunt you.
Whitfield (111.3) averaged 10.5 points more a game than Michael Walters (100.8), the next-best of those listed as a forward in 2020.
These are the 10 players you need to choose first in your 30-man KFC SuperCoach squad.
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Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) RUC $705,900 2019 avg: 130
Marsh Series scores: 64
The most-expensive player in SuperCoach, but is it really wise to look for value in the rucks? Grundy and Max Gawn averaged 18 and 16 points more than the third-ranked ruckman last year — North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein. Grundy has been the top SuperCoach scorer of the past two seasons and is a perfect vice-captain with Collingwood slated to play eight times on Thursday and Friday. Nic Naitanui is tempting at $457,800, but will he be durable enough to manage possible short turnarounds?
The average score if you were to VC and C Grundy/Gawn every week is 142! Might be something to do for the remainder of the year. History says you’re guaranteed a good score. Besides Rd 1 the lowest Captain score you’d get is 126! Ridiculous stat! #SuperCoach @SuperCoach_HQ pic.twitter.com/8Eyw5O5DO1
— JG (@JG2325) July 22, 2019
Max Gawn (Melbourne) RUC $697,100 2019 avg: 128.4
Marsh Series scores: 68
Don’t worry about the pre-season injury concerns. Gawn is a SuperCoach stud and starting him and Grundy should give you a simple vice-captain and captaincy choice most rounds. Gawn has averaged 127.5 and 128.4 in the past two seasons and had 13 scores above the captaincy threshold of 125 points last year. He costs a combined $1.4 million with Grundy, but you’re only losing points by not starting the two premier SuperCoach big men. He scored 68 playing less than a half on his return in the Marsh Series to allay any worries. Gawn (1.21) and Grundy (1.23) ranked in the top-three for points per minute last year behind Naitanui.
Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs) MID $668,900 2019 avg: 123.2
Marsh Series scores: 124, 76
The prolific Bulldog has been the premier SuperCoach midfielder in the past two years, posting 127.1 points a game in 2018 and 123.2 points a game last season. Only Grundy and Gawn had a better average than Macrae last year and Lachie Neale (121.3) was the only player to finish the campaign with an average of more than 120. He scored 19 hundreds in 23 matches in 2019 and is worth every penny of his premium price. Shorter games will likely favour impact players rather than accumulators but Macrae (1.19) still had the best PPM of any midfielder last year, equal with Adam Treloar.
Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants) FWD-MID $604,100 2019 avg: 111.3
Marsh Series scores: 110
What a favour the SuperCoach judges have done by making GWS star Whitfield a FWD-MID for 2020. Although there’s a slight concern about his durability (16 games last year), Whitfield is almost certain to finish as the No. 1 ranked forward come the end of the 17-game season. His average last year was 10.5 points ahead of Michael Walters and 11.3 points a week better than Dustin Martin, the No. 2 and No. 3 forwards. Just find the extra money, even if it means fielding a rookie with questionable job security. You can always sideways trade anyway with 30 trades to play with over 17 rounds.
Matthew Rowell (Gold Coast Suns) MID $207,300 2019 avg: N/A
Marsh Series scores: 100, 36
Paying top dollar for rookies was frowned upon until last year, when Sam Walsh peaked at $452,600 and averaged 86.9. No. 1 draft pick Rowell is the same price Walsh started at last season and the wraps on the Gold Coast midfielder are just as big. Rowell averaged 171 ranking points, 32 disposals and eight clearances in the NAB League last year and there’s no issue having him at M5 or M6 to start. His performances against Geelong in the Marsh Series only cemented his claims. Don't be put off from his 36 in the Marsh Series as it came from limited game time.
Marlion Pickett (Richmond) MID $123,900 2019 avg: N/A
Marsh Series scores: 61, 61
Grand final hero Pickett has been tipped to build on his dream debut in what will be his first full season with Richmond. The 28-year-old’s 22-disposal performance against GWS Giants would have equated to 96 SuperCoach points. Players with Pickett’s experience at rookie price don’t come around often. Injury restricted him to two WAFL games before he was snapped up in the mid-season draft but he averaged 101 ranking points a game in 2018 at state league level. He's named for Round 1 and should be in 100 per cent of teams, not 76 per cent.
Devon Smith (Essendon) FWD-MID $335,800 2019 avg: 68.7
Marsh Series scores: 87, 117
A player with a proven SuperCoach pedigree shouldn’t be this cheap. Essendon has been thrilled with Smith’s off-season progress after knee trouble restricted him to seven games last year. Smith has averaged 89 or more in three of his eight seasons and posted 97.9 points a game in his first year with the Bombers. He should be one of your first players picked at a crazy price. If you can push him to F5 and only have one forward rookie on field, you'll be in a great spot.
Sam Docherty (Carlton) DEF $436,100 2019 avg: N/A
Marsh Series scores: 69, 105
Whether Docherty can reproduce his scoring heights of 2017 after two knee reconstructions remains to be seen. The Carlton co-captain averaged 108.7 in 2016 and 114.7 three years ago. His 2017 average would have made him the No. 1 SuperCoach defender by 5.8 points a round last year with Jake Lloyd’s 108.9 leading the way. Docherty’s average is likely to drop after two years out, but even 95-105 would be enough at his starting price. If he's required to back up quickly it might be an issue after so long out, but 30 trades over 17 rounds give you the option to abandon ship if needed.
Tom Green (GWS Giants) MID $117,300 2019 avg: N/A
Marsh Series scores: 106, 72
The GWS academy star is set to make his debut in Round 1 after two impressive outings in the Marsh Series. The No.10 draft pick averaged 89 across both pre-season games and it's a godsend for KFC SuperCoaches he slipped to pick 10. There was talk pre-draft the Giants could be forced to match a pick as high as No.4, which would have made his price in excess of $190,000. Instead, he's available for $40,000 more than a crop of rookies who are unlikely to make the cut in Round 1. We were burned by the unlucky Jackson Hately last year, but Green being named in Round 1 is a great sign as the Giants plan to be without injured best-and-fairest Tim Taranto for 4-5 months.
🔒Steven
— SuperCoach AFL (@Supercoach) March 9, 2020
🔒Zerk-Thatcher
🔒Smith
The #MarshSeries saved its best for last!
FULL SCORES from week 3⃣: https://t.co/ToqH9YHgS5 pic.twitter.com/RNYyh6xT3R
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Essendon) DEF $189,000 2019 avg: 58
Marsh Series scores: 61, 104
The bolter. Essendon will be without Cale Hooker early in the season and potentially Patrick Ambrose for 6-8 rounds. That puts young key defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher in the frame for regular games in the opening two months of 2020. If his pre-season form is anything to judge by, he'll be tough to shift too. He was one of the best intercept-possession winners in the VFL last year and displayed that in the Marsh Series, particularly against Geelong. A lack of rookies means we have to pay up and Zerk-Thatcher looks worth the higher price tag.
Originally published as The 10 must-have KFC SuperCoach players to build your starting team around