SuperCoach 2025 pre-season report: Who’s hurt, who’s training in a new role, who’s pushing for round 1
Pre-season is ramping up. Stay on top of the latest SuperCoach news here – who’s hurt, who’s flying and which rookies are pushing for a round 1 spot.
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Word from the training track is vital when making those big calls on who to start in SuperCoach.
Knowing who is off the track or in the rehab group, training in a new role and which rookies are bashing down the door to play in round 1 can give you a crucial edge in finding the best value in the game – and avoiding spending cash on players who won’t deliver the points you need.
With the first game of the 2025 season just six weeks away and clubs ramping up their preparations, here’s all the intel you need to know from all 18 teams.
ADELAIDE
Former Giant James Peatling ($352,800 MID) has made an instant impact at his new home. Don’t expect him to put on the sub vest again, as he did seven times last season – resulting in his bargain SuperCoach price. Fellow recruit Isaac Cumming ($287,700 MID) is about to resume training after a pre-Christmas hamstring strain. Rory Laird ($561,100 MID) appears headed back to defence, where he started his career, but it’s still not clear where the Crows will use boom youngster Dan Curtin ($158,600 FWD). Could he play as a 197cm midfielder? Watch this space.
Top draft pick Sid Draper ($190,000 MID)has been held back after “a couple of little niggles” in the words of teammate Ben Keays, but when he has been on the park he has shown why the Crows swooped with pick 4 in the draft.
James Peatling making a great early impression at@Adelaide_FC, fantastic tackle on skipper Jordan Dawson this morning in another physical session @10NewsFirstAdlpic.twitter.com/CEqrHdul2q
— Lucas Rinaldo (@LucasRinaldo_) December 9, 2024
BRISBANE LIONS
Bargain defender Keidean Coleman ($269,100 DEF), Lincoln McCarthy ($339,500 FWD), Tom Doedee ($256,800 DEF) and Darcy Gardiner ($241,100 FWD) are all on the comeback trail from ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments and putting up their hands for opening round. “I walked in and saw them doing a session at seven in the morning and they were flying,” Jaspa Fletcher told the AFL website in January.
Father-son draft gun Levi Ashcroft ($185,500 MID) is progressing after off-season shoulder surgery.
CARLTON
The Blues haven’t shaken their injury curse from last year, with Nic Newman (knee) out for the season. That opens a key SuperCoach scoring role at half-back for the Blues, a long list of possible replacements includes potential mid-price bargains Sam Docherty ($487,900 MID) and Ollie Hollands ($333,300 MID).
Sam Walsh ($583,900 MID) is out for a month with a hamstring injury – if he plays in round 1 he could be underdone – while Charlie Curnow ($442,400 FWD) is taking it easy after a knee clean-up in December.
In better news, top draft pick Jagga Smith ($194,500 MID) wants to step straight into the starting midfield, where he racked up disposals as a junior. “That (round 1) is obviously a goal but we will see what happens,” he said in mind-January. “I have been training in the midfield so far, a little bit forward as well. It is wherever the coaches see me, obviously it is a pretty stacked line-up in there.”
COLLINGWOOD
Nick Daicos ($631,400 MID) has largely been restricted to bike work since Christmas due to concerns about a foot injury, but he put in a half-hour running block on January 17 and is stepping up his training loads.
His brother Josh ($482,600 MID) is expected to spend more time at half-back this year and young forward Reef McInnes ($200,600 FWD) is being tried in defence.
Jordan De Goey ($441,800 MID) has visited Qatar in a bid to beat the groin problems that hampered him last year while Tom Mitchell ($395,200 MID) is likely to have a delayed start to the season due to a foot injury.
That could mean more midfield minutes for youngster Ed Allan ($194,000 MID).
Trade recruit Dan Houston ($575,600 DEF) has been carving it up in match simulation.
ESSENDON
After a successful move by Nic Martin ($566,000 DEF) last year, Brad Scott is experimenting with some of his key midfielders behind the ball this pre-season. Zach Merrett ($621,100 MID) has been spotted there during some drills and forgotten man Dylan Shiel ($413,700 MID) could revive his career in defence after playing just nine games in 2024.
Jordan Ridley ($552,600 DEF) can’t shake his injury demons – he is racing the clock to be fit for opening round after suffering a hamstring injury.
Saad El-Hawli ($119,900 DEF-MID) has impressed on a wing in match simulation and third-year midfielder Elijah Tsatas ($191,200 MID)is flying.
Pencil in Isaac Kako ($149,500 MID-FWD) for an opening round debut and injury-cursed defender Zach Reid ($119,900 DEF) is on the track but Jye Caldwell ($506,300 MID) is on the comeback trail from off-season hip surgery.
FREMANTLE
Caleb Serong ($623,400 MID) and Andrew Brayshaw ($591,800 MID) looked primed for big seasons but star recruit Shai Bolton ($416,100 MID-FWD) missed the Dockers’ latest match simulation with a calf issue.
Nathan O’Driscoll ($198,000 MID) is staking his claim for a spot in the best 23 after injuries ruined his 2024 season.
Slimmed-down ruckman Sean Darcy ($529,400 RUC) caught the eye before flying to Qatar to continue his rehabilitation from a knee injury.
Veterans Nat Fyfe ($372,800 MID) and Michael Walters ($236,800 FWD) have had minor knee surgery but are expected to be ready for round 1 – Walters has been spotted in a new role in defence.
Hayden Young ($546,100 MID), returning from a fractured fibula he suffered in round 24, dodged a bullet when he escaped from a knock before Christmas with bone bruising.
GEELONG
The Cats are playing their cards close to their chest but former Bulldog Bailey Smith ($389,200 FWD-MID) is training the house down.
Champion Patrick Dangerfield has talked up Smith as an inside midfielder, and also backed youngster Mitch Knevitt ($149,800 MID) – who scored 224 SuperCoach points in a VFL final – to add to his 14 AFL games.
BAILEY SMITH IS BACK 🥵🥹#SuperCoach#AFLpic.twitter.com/B3EOleUZOq
— SuperCoach AFL (@SuperCoach) December 2, 2024
GOLD COAST
Star recruit Daniel Rioli ($500,400 DEF) has been sidelined for a month by an MCL injury. The Suns are hopeful he will be able to play in a practice match before their opening round clash against Essendon.
Ben Jepson and Hewago Oea are training in the hope of winning a list spot. Jepson is a player to watch after averaging 24.7 disposals at 82% efficiency and 99 SuperCoach points for Southport in the VFL last season.
GWS GIANTS
Watch for some early debuts after a trio of departures during the trade period (Harry Perryman, James Peatling, Isaac Cumming) and six players suspended for their role in the Giants’ Mad Monday debacle (a host of senior players including Tom Green and Lachie Whitfield escaped with fines).
Conor Stone ($119,900 FWD), who has played 13 games since being drafted with pick 15 in 2020, is training as a defender this pre-season, while Harrison Oliver ($122,500 DEF) and James Leake ($119,900 DEF) are others who could get a chance.
HAWTHORN
Will Day ($491,300 MID) battled a series of injuries in 2024 and has eased his way into training in the new year after off-season surgery on his shoulder.
But he was arguably best afield in match simulation last week, playing as a full-time midfielder and showing no signs of holding back.
MELBOURNE
Clayton Oliver ($451,600 MID) will be one of the most closely watched players of the pre-season, and so far the signs are all positive for the star midfielder who never got going in 2024 due to a series of issues.
Christian Petracca ($556,200 MID) unfortunately can’t say the same. After returning in top condition from horrific internal injuries suffered against Collingwood on King’s Birthday, scans following a training collision revealed a cracked rib. The Demons say a “timeline for his recovery will be determined in due course”.
Max Gawn ($668,900 RUC) is also on a non-contact program following a fractured larynx before Christmas.
Caleb Windsor ($321,300 MID) is set to make a half-back flank his own this year while ex-Lion and time-trial king Harry Sharp ($189,100 MID) has his eye on a wing opposite Ed Langdon.
Draft recruits Harvey Langford ($181,000 MID) and Xavier Lindsay ($158,500) – who had a slow start coming off a knee injury – will be in the mix for spots in early practice matches.
It's officially Oliver szn, right? 🫢
— SuperCoach AFL (@SuperCoach) January 22, 2025
MEGA TRACK WATCH: https://t.co/MjvyP9OK9X âœï¸ @chriscavanagh1pic.twitter.com/8kfjE47ZM5
NORTH MELBOURNE
Caleb Daniel ($269,100 MID-FWD), an early tip for SuperCoach bargain of the year, sent a scare through the fantasy world with news of a minor hamstring tweak on the first day of training in the new year. But he was back on the track soon after, completing a lengthy running session.
After being on a modified program before Christmas, Harry Sheezel ($635,600 DEF) is back in full training and appears to play a mid-forward role in 2025 – where he starred in the last month of 2024.
More rotten luck for The Phantom’s breakout special George Wardlaw ($461,300 MID), who grabbed his hamstring during a lengthy training session on January 29. The Roos later confirmed he will miss three months.
Top draft pick Finn O’Sullivan ($199,000 MID) is training with the midfield group alongside ex-Swan Luke Parker ($343,600 MID-FWD). Pressure forward Jacob Konstanty ($119,900 FWD), who also arrived from Sydney during the trade period, has been in the rehab group with Josh Goater ($151,400 DEF), who is on the edge of joining full training as he works back from an achilles rupture.
PORT ADELAIDE
Put forward rookie Joe Berry ($140,500 FWD) on your watch list. The teenager, who has been compared to a young Robbie Gray, has been a standout on the track over summer and starred in match simulation.
The Power is still working out how its forward line will look without Todd Marshall (achilles) while Sam Powell-Pepper ($180,500 FWD) has stepped up his comeback from an ACL injury with an eye on round 1.
RICHMOND
Outrageously priced Tom Lynch ($183,200 FWD) had enjoyed an excellent pre-season until he collided with teammate Jacob Koschitzke in match simulation at the end of January. He has been placed in concussion protocols, but should be available for the Tigers’ practice games. “He’s been unreal,” teammate Jack Ross said of Lynch before the setback. “He’s been working really hard and we know what he’s had to go through, so to see him out here and running full-tilt, it’s really exciting.”
No.1 pick Sam Lalor ($203,500 MID) was eased into life at an AFL club after the draft, but has spent most of match simulation in the new year in the midfield. But No.7 pick Josh Smillie ($176,500 MID) has been sidelined with hamstring soreness but is hopeful if playing in the Tigers’ practice matches. There is no rush on ACL victim Josh Gibcus ($153,600 DEF), who will miss the opening rounds.
Noah Balta will miss the first four matches of the season as he prepares to face assault charges in court following an incident in Mulwala in December.
ST KILDA
Scratch Mattaes Philippou ($313,800 FWD-MID) from your plans. He is looking at up to three months on the sidelines after scans revealed stress fractures in his right femur. And gun ruckman Rowan Marshall ($603,500 RUC) is also under a cloud over possible stress fractures in his pelvis.
That could open the door for mature-age ruckman Harry Boyd ($99,100 RUC), who signed last week and instantly became one of the most popular bench picks in SuperCoach. The 26-year-old averaged 20 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 11 hitouts to advantage, 10 clearances and 159 SuperCoach points per game for Norwood in the SANFL last season on his way to the Magarey Medal.
Arie Schoenmaker ($270,500 DEF) is looking to take Josh Battle’s spot in defence, but Paddy Dow ($327,100 MID) is likely to miss the start of the season after spending three weeks in hospital with a knee infection.
SYDNEY
Callum Mills ($357,200 DEF), Isaac Heeney ($629,200 MID) and James Rowbottom ($509,300 MID) formed the starting midfield for the ‘A’ team in match simulation last week, and reporter Lachlan McKirdy writes the skipper was a standout around the ball: “Mills was incredibly strong around the centre bounces and looks to be the piece of the puzzle the Swans were missing in 2024.”
Ben Paton ($133,400 DEF-FWD), snapped up by the Swans after being delisted by St Kilda, might be in a head-to-head battle with mature-age draftee Riley Bice ($113,500 DEF) for a starting spot on a half-back flank opposite Matt Roberts ($434,800 DEF), while Angus Sheldrick ($161,700 MID) is doing his best to impress new coach Dean Cox.
WEST COAST
Young gun Harley Reid ($434,000 MID) didn’t complete match simulation on January 31, leaving the field with a lower leg issue.
Cut-price ruckman Matt Flynn ($261,900 RUC) overcame an injury scare early in the new year but is still battling with Bailey Williams for the No.1 ruck role – Flynn appeared to start in the A team in match sim, but switched places with Williams after 20 minutes.
There was a high-profile casualty at match simulation with Elliot Yeo ($564,700 MID)hobbling off with a knee or ankle injury. He was sent for scans, and boom recruit Liam Baker ($443,600 FWD-MID) left training on January 29 with a suspected ankle injury.
One left-field breakout candidate – Ryan Maric ($223,800 FWD) is training in defence.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
The Dogs suffered a major injury blow when Adam Treloar ($628,200 MID) was ruled out for 8-10 weeks with a calf injury on the last day of January. Could it lead to increased midfield minutes for Ed Richards ($531,000 MID), ex-Blue Matt Kennedy ($414,400 MID-FWd) or Ryley Sanders ($339,100 FWD-MID)?
VFL star and AFL hopeful Dom Brew suffered a quad setback in December but was back in action last week, pushing his case for the last spot on the Dogs list. The 24-year-old averaged 144 SuperCoach points for Werribee last season. He is competing for the Dogs’ final list spot with former Gold Coast ruckman Brayden Crossley.
The immediate playing future of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is uncertain as he deals with off-field issues. One player who coudl step up is mature-age draftee Sam Davidson ($113,500 FWD).
Tim English($581,900 RUC) is on a modified program after suffering bruising following a heavy knock at training, and rebounding defender Jason Johannisen ($426,900 DEF) has been ruled out of the start of the season after suffering a hamstring injury.
Originally published as SuperCoach 2025 pre-season report: Who’s hurt, who’s training in a new role, who’s pushing for round 1
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