KFC SuperCoach 2021: Scoring system explained, and who to pick

Jake Lloyd’s scores in KFC SuperCoach are off the scale for a defender. How does he do it? Here’s how SuperCoach scores work and who to pick.

There is more to scoring points in KFC SuperCoach than kicks and handballs.

But it’s a pretty good start.

AFL stats provider Champion Data has spent years refining its ranking points system — exclusive to KFC SuperCoach — to reward the stats that help teams win real AFL games.

In some fantasy games kicks are all worth the same regardless of whether they find a teammate under pressure or sail out of bounds on the full. Not in KFC SuperCoach.

The short version is that winning your own footy and hitting targets are the foundation of a great SuperCoach scorer.

Here’s a breakdown of the key stats in the SuperCoach scoring formula, and which players score from each source.

DISPOSALS

Brisbane gun Lachie Neale led the competition for disposals last season with 511 at an average of almost 27 per game — not bad in 16-minute quarters. Bulldog Jack Macrae was No.2 on the list while Sydney’s Jake Lloyd was a rare defender in the top five.

It’s no coincindence all three were top KFC SuperCoach scorers, with Neale averaging 134 points a game, Macrae 121 and Lloyd 122.

But other factors also come into play. Look for players who kick more than handball — Tom Mitchell averaged 25 disposals a game, but 15 of those were handballs, which score less in KFC SuperCoach. As a result Mitchell average of 113 points a game was a bit lower than some of the other top ball-winners.

Efficiency is also a key to KFC SuperCoach success. Neale, Lloyd and Macrae were ranked top-three for effective disposals, while rebounding defenders occupy the top slots for effective kicks — Jayden Short, Tom Stewart and — guess who? — Lloyd were ranked one, two and three.

KFC SuperCoach scoring:

Effective kick = 4 points

Effective handball = 1.5 points

Ineffective disposal = 0 points

Clanger disposal = minus 4 points

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Lachie Neale dropped below 20 disposals just three times last season.

CONTESTED POSSESSIONS

KFC SuperCoach scorers love players who win their own footy — that’s why Neale, Patrick Dangerfield, and Clayton Oliver are SuperCoach superstars. They were the top three in the AFL for this stat last season. There were some bolters in the top 10 — Christian Petracca (KFC SuperCoach average 118), Hugh Greenwood (106) and Jack Steele (123). Patrick Cripps dropped from No.2 to No.9 last season and will be looking to jump back up the rankings in 2021.

Port Adelaide powerhouse Charlie Dixon led the AFL for contested marks in 2020 with 46 while Tom Hawkins (31) and Rowan Marshall (30) both ranked in the top 10. Max Gawn took 26 for the season in 14 games (ranked 13th).

KFC SuperCoach scoring

Hardball get = 4.5 points

Loose ball get = 4.5 points

Contested mark = 6 points

Uncontested mark = 2 points

Christian Petracca had a huge breakout season in 2020.

GOALKICKING

Kicking goals is a great source of KFC SuperCoach points, but it’s not as straightforward as you might think. Tom Hawkins kicked 49 goals to win the Coleman Medal and averaged 106 points, ranked second among KFC SuperCoach forwards (behind Petracca).

But Charlie Dixon (34 goals), Josh Kennedy (34) and Jack Riewoldt (33) averaged 93, 64 and 64 points per game respectively.

Eight of the top-10 scoring forwards were mid-forwards who earnt points from a variety of sources including winning their share of the footy, with goals the icing on the cake.

That’s why you won’t see a lot of key forwards in SuperCoach teams and more mid-forward types who can get up the ground and not rely solely on kicking goals to score well.

Goals are also a great way for midfielders to add another layer to their KFC Scoring power — Petracca kicked 15 goals last year and Neale kicked 14, while Zach Merrett booted only two in 16 games.

KFC SuperCoach scoring

Goal = 8 points

Behind = 1 point

Score assist = 3 points

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INTERCEPTS

You only need to watch Richmond’s run to the 2017, 2019 and 2020 flags to see how important winning the ball back off the opposition is in the modern game. As a result, it is one of the most rewarded stats in SuperCoach.

Last season Tiger Nick Vlastuin and Fremantle’s Luke Ryan led the AFL for intercept possessions, with Sam Collins, Brayden Maynard and Nick Haynes rounding out the top five.

Haynes was No.1 for intercept marks with 58 for the season, with Jordan Ridley the bolter, taking 47 in just his second season.

KFC SuperCoach scoring

Intercept mark = 4 points

Contested intercept mark = 8 points

GWS interceptor Nick Haynes. Picture: Phil Hillyard

HITOUTS

The KFC SuperCoach scoring formula was updated several years ago to more effectively reward ruck prowess, boosting scoring for hitouts directly to a teammate and removing any points for ineffective taps.

Brodie Grundy ranked No.1 for hitouts-to-advantage in 2020 despite having a slightly underwhelming season, although Max Gawn leapfrogs him when ranked on average per game (10.6 to 8.7). Jarrod Witts and Nic Naitanui were equal-third.

Other names of interest were Sam Draper (average 5.1) and Oscar McInerney (4.8), who are both on the rise, and Rowan Marshall (4.6), who picks up most of his points from other sources (he averaged 14 disposals a game and ranked seventh in the AFL for contested marks).

Of regular ruckmen Tom Hickey had one of the best hitout-to-advantage rates at 34.9 per cent, and Braydon Preuss (32.8 per cent) wasn’t far behind. Both edged out Gawn (32.7 per cent) and Grundy (27.8 per cent). Food for thought with new Swan Hickey ($261,100) and GWS recruit Preuss ($303,000) both available at bargain prices.

Dustin Martin had an equal competition-high hitout-to-advantage rate of 100 per cent, hitting a target with his one hitout of the season.

KFC SuperCoach scoring

Hitout to advantage = 5 points

Hitout = 0 points

Sharked hitout = minus 1 point

Brodie Grundy is always in the action.

FREE KICKS

The free kick count also impacts SuperCoach scores. This is another scoring source for Brodie Grundy, who won 43 frees last season, the most in the AFL. Patrick Cripps, Todd Goldstein, Patrick Dangerfield and Max Gawn made up the top five.

Grundy also cost himself points by giving away 28 free kicks, the second-most in the competition behind Docker Sean Darcy (29). Gawn gave away just nine for the season. Shane Mumford managed to give away 28 despite playing just 10 games while Jy Sipkin conceded an average of 1.6 free kicks per game.

KFC SuperCoach scoring

Free kick for = 4 points

Free kick against = minus 4 points

50m penalty against = minus 8.5 points

Hugh Greenwood is a tackling machine.

TACKLES

Another key metric to team success and a good way for your SuperCoach players to stay in the game even if they aren’t having the best day.

Hugh Greenwood (114) was the AFL’s top tackler last season, ahead of Cat Brandan Parfitt (106) and Saint Jack Steele (104). Taylor Adams and Clayton Oliver also rank high in this stat while Marcus Bontempelli (89, average almost five per game) lays more tackles than you might think.

KFC SuperCoach scoring

Tackle = 4 points

AND MORE...

There are more than 50 different stats in the KFC SuperCoach scoring formular and adjustments for the state of the game, so while the above numbers provide a useful guide no two stats are exactly the same. Every AFL match is worth roughly 3300 SuperCoach points so having 15 key disposals in a low-scoring arm-wrestle could score as well as 40 touches in a free-flowing shootout (both matches are worth four points on the ladder, after all).

Matchwinning plays in close finishes also receive a scoring bonus. This also explains why there are slight adjustments to score after the final siren.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2021: Scoring system explained, and who to pick