KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom’s Round 6 review, burning questions and trade advice
Max Gawn has overtaken Lachie Neale as the most-expensive player in KFC SuperCoach and the gap between the Demons skipper and Marc Pittonet is growing by the week. Is it time for coaches without Gawn to make other plans?
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Rookies, rookies everywhere.
Rookies, rookies, only two? That’s not fair.
What a weekend it was for the KFC SuperCoach cheapies – well unless your name is Curtis or Jake.
With standout performances from Sam Simpson (112), Izak Rankine (111) and Will Day (92), KFC SuperCoaches have plenty of options to consider ahead of Round 7.
Pity some of their more expensive counterparts are no good.
What happened to Blues Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty on Sunday?
Docherty’s 49-point score was his worst since 2015.
But it was the performance of a number of mid-price options that raised more-pressing questions.
As usual, though, they weren’t the only ones left unanswered
Should Magpie Taylor Adams get more KFC SuperCoach love?
The Collingwood ball magnet is in just 3,213 KFC SuperCoach teams.
But Adams is one of only two midfielders – Lachie Neale is the other – to have scored 100 points or more in every game this season.
The 26-year-old ranks sixth in the competition for clearances and seventh for tackles and has posted scores of 112, 131, 106, 122, 103 and 104 this year.
And the spike is on the back of an increased kicking-efficiency of 66 per cent, which is up from 59 in 2019 and 55 the year before.
Out of all midfielders, Adams, the seventh-highest KFC SuperCoach scorer in the competition, ranks eighth for effective kicks.
It’s a stat that’s made to look even more impressive given Adams has also increased his contested-possession rate by six per cent in 2020.
“It’s not that easy to win more contested ball and improve your kicking and he’s done both this year,” Champion Data’s Fantasy Freak told The Phantom’s Lair Podcast.
“He’s definitely a player to look at, especially if you’re after a point-of-difference in the midfield.”
Adams has been great offensively this year, too, rating elite for score launches and above-average for score involvements.
He was a hot KFC SuperCoach commodity in 2017, averaging 107 points pre game as a dual-position defender.
But injury and inconsistency – particularly with his ball-use – saw him fall off the radar.
He’s back on it now, though. Well, at least he should be.
Can we finally forgive Callum Mills?
After being burned a number of times before, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready. But the young Swan’s numbers over the past three weeks warrant your forgiveness.
On Sunday against the Tigers, Mills recorded 15 intercept possessions – the most by a player in any match this season. In fact, only eight players achieved the feat last year – and that was in standard quarters.
The result was a round-high 173 SuperCoach points, a huge tally which followed scores of 112 and 119 in the previous two weeks.
With the quality of Mills’ possessions this year – especially those which have come directly from an opposition disposal – his scoring has become more consistent and, after six rounds, only Nick Haynes and Jake Lloyd have scored more points in defence.
He is, at least, worth considering. But keep in mind a Round 7 breakeven of 19 means his price is shooting north of $550k very soon.
Is it time for non-owners to give up on Gawn?
Giving up maybe a little drastic but with Gawn’s price skyrocketing and consistent issues popping up elsewhere for KFC SuperCoaches, it’s becoming a very difficult task.
For Marc Pittonet owners, the gap between the two is now $318k – an $11k increase on last week.
And it’s only likely to get bigger.
Pittonet hasn’t reached his Round 7 breakeven score of 96 since Round 3, whereas Gawn has eclipsed his upcoming breakeven of 124 by, at least, 17 points in each of his past four games.
Sigh. Maybe Todd Goldstein, who is averaging seven more points than Brodie Grundy, and Tim English, following four consecutive KFC SuperCoach tons, are the more-achievable replacements.
Another question to ask yourself is whether you will get more out of two upgrades elsewhere than you will if you spent all the money on Gawn?
Do we need to start treating the Ben Keays factor seriously?
Yes. Adelaide’s new defensive midfielder failed to contain Lachie Neale in Round 4 but he’s not the only one.
The following round, however, Keays restricted Docker Michael Walters to just three disposals in the 21 minutes they were matched-up.
And he took his tagging up a notch on Saturday, holding star Eagle Andrew Gaff to a season-low 12 disposals and 67 KFC SuperCoach points. Keays ran with Gaff for 89 minutes of the Round 6 clash.
Look out for Adelaide’s upcoming opponents in the next block of fixtures. Saint Jack Billings could be in his sights in Round 7, though.
North Melbourne’s Luke McDonald, who put the clamp on Bomber Dylan Shiel on Monday, is another stopper to keep in mind.
Should we be considering players we’ve already dumped this year?
This question could also be worded ‘why do I sideways trade players I put three months of research into after a couple of poor scores?’.
But this isn’t about me.
If you traded Andrew Brayshaw ahead of the AFL restart, to, say Brett Bewley, after the young Docker’s opening round score of 66, you’re not alone.
Given the extra trades and the need for early cash generation, it was a move which made sense and one which achieved a purpose.
But with Brayshaw’s recent form, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider jumping back on the breakout star.
After scores of 144 and 122 – and a combined 36 effective disposals – in past two weeks, the 20-year-old is the seventh-ranked KFC SuperCoach forward after six rounds.
Sure, Nat Fyfe was missing in Round 5 and played as a permanent forward on Saturday but that’s form even coach Justin Longmuir might not be able to ignore.
And then there’s Dan Houston, who has now posted back-to-back KFC SuperCoach tons. But let’s see where coach Ken Hinkley plays him this week first.
Is it a double downgrade week?
Yes. Yes, it is. Although the temptation to make one downgrade and one upgrade to – hopefully – make a gain points-wise on those executing a double-downgrade is there, and rightly so, you might not get a better rookie combination than Sam Simpson ($123k MID) and Izak Rankine ($123k FWD) this year.
ROOKIE ANALYSIS: OUR EXPERTS RANK THE BEST OPTIONS
Is Bailey Smith a must-get next round?
With a Round 7 breakeven of 132, the second-year star could fall to $420k next week. If you ignore the concussion-affected three points in Round 5, Smith has posted scores of 106, 126, 101, 93 and 119 this year. Those numbers make him almost the best-value buy of the season.
Speaking of fallen premiums, Giant Lachie Whitfield has bottomed-out in price and has a Round 7 breakeven of 62. After an impressive 111-point performance against the Power, it’s time to jump back on.
Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2020: The Phantom’s Round 6 review, burning questions and trade advice