Eight bold KFC SuperCoach predictions for the 2020 season
Which hyped player will a SuperCoach bust? Which of Jack Steven or Shannon Hurn will score more points? We look into the crystal ball to make some big calls for the season ahead.
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There are two ways you can play KFC SuperCoach. One is to play it safe and select the popular players which will see you finish in the middle of the pack. The other way is to take some big risks and go all out to take the overall win!
Last year I made some bold pre-season calls and had a reasonable strike rate, so here we go with some big predictions for what will happen in season 2020.
TIM ENGLISH WILL BE A TOP-FOUR RUCK
This year we will see a changing of the guard in the rucks with one of Stef Martin or Todd Goldstein giving up their spot in the top four scorers in their position. Personally, I think that will be Martin. The guy to take his place will be Bulldog Tim English. He has put on some bulk and showed us in the Marsh Series that he is ready to make the next step. No longer will he be pushed around, look for him to post some great scores.
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THE BONT IS THE MAN
This new role that we see for Marcus Bontempelli will see him have the highest average of the big three Dogs, and he will be in the top-five averaging midfielders overall. We have been waiting for him to bust out for years now and this will be the year that he explodes and shows us exactly what he can do, pushing that average even higher than last season’s 113.
MATT ROWELL WILL MATCH SAM WALSH’S ROOKIE SEASON
We all thought Walsh was a once-in-a-lifetime rookie, but I think Rowell can get within five points of Walsh’s rookie season average of 86. Draftees are coming into the league more and more prepared every season. Rowell will get plenty of opportunity in the midfield and should play all 22 games, with Gold Coast needing to get these kids up to speed quickly. He should be in 100 per cent of sides going in to Round 1, particularly with the lack of rookies that we have seen.
JAMES SICILY WILL RETURN TO FORM
After letting us down last season, look for Sicily to return to being a top-three defender. Things have changed at Hawthorn and this should release Sicily back to the SuperCoach-friendly role that we knew him for in prior seasons. He is someone you will want to have in your side before the end of the season. His average dropped by 11 points last year to 93, look for him to boost that back up over 100 again.
SHANNON HURN WILL DROP BACK TO THE PACK
There are two concerns with Hurn. He had calf issues last year, which tells us that he will have them again, causing him to not play more than 19 games, and his average will slip below 90. He started to drop off late last season and I think this will continue. He will miss too many games, which will make you scramble for an alternative. He isn’t worth the risk this season.
JORDAN DAWSON WILL BE A BUST
Dawson has been hyped all pre-season, but we have been promised great scorers at the Swans in the past and been let down (think Callum Mills). The signs are there from Marsh 2 (when he scored just 50 points after a 125 in Marsh 1) which make me worried. There is always that one player that we are all over in the pre-season that bombs in the real season. My prediction is that it will be Dawson this season. I really hope I am wrong, but I simply don’t trust John Longmire or Swans players with big wraps on them.
JACK STEVEN WILL BE THE RECRUIT OF THE YEAR
We all know that he can do it but unfortunately Jack has had an injury-plagued couple of seasons along with some personal issues last year. His past three seasons have seen him average under 100 but the move to Geelong will rejuvenate him and see him push back over 100 again as he takes the midfield role that has been left vacant by Tim Kelly. Get on board while he is still relatively cheap!
JACK VINEY WILL BREAK OUT
The former Demons skipper has flirted with a 100 average in the past few years (last year excepted, when he only got to 80) but never quite got there, but this year is his year. He has had a great pre-season (scoring 120 and 133 in his two Marsh Series games) and he will take his game back to the level that we all expected from him. He will get over 100 this season and become one of the value picks of the season.
MORE SUPERCOACH NEWS:
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Jonathan Brown reveals his top rookie picks for KFC SuperCoach 2020
Who knows how good my crystal ball is and how close I have gotten on some of these calls.
We won’t know until the end of the season. We will revisit these when we get to round 23 and see how many I got right. Last season I managed five of eight, hopefully I can go better than that this year!
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Originally published as Eight bold KFC SuperCoach predictions for the 2020 season