SuperCoach AFL: The kick-in kings to target from every club

Who doesn’t love free SuperCoach points when your player steps up to take a kick-out? We look at the AFL’s kick-in kings and breakdown the data on what the stats mean for every club.

Every SuperCoach knows the feeling.

A player lines up for goal, misses and one of the players in your SuperCoach team sprints back to gobble up the kick-out.

There are few greater joys in SuperCoach.

It’s a surefire way to boost your SuperCoach score and has become one of the most valuable roles in the game.

Many teams have only one designated kick-in taker, although sides such as Essendon (Mason Redman/Jordan Ridley), Adelaide (Brodie Smith/Mitch Hinge/Wayne Milera) and St Kilda (Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera/Jack Sinclair) prefer to share the role between their best ball users.

As Champion Data guru Fantasy Freako explains, it is almost impossible for a kick-in not to be classed as effective under the scoring system.

Freako says a kick-in to advantage is: “A long kick that results in uncontested possession by a teammate. If an error is made by the player ‘receiving’ the kick a long kick to advantage is still recorded for the player kicking the ball.”

Here are the raw stats players score for a kick-in

However, it is worth noting these scores are indicative and change based on match situation.

For example, a kick-in clanger late in a close match could be worth -5 points or more, while a kick-in clanger early in a game may be less than -4 points.

Regardless, kick-ins are a great way for a player to boost their SuperCoach points floor.

Take Fremantle’s Luke Ryan for example.

His lowest-scoring game last year was 83 points — helped by taking 54 per cent of the Dockers’ kick-ins.

Gold Coast’s Rory Atkins was another prime example of the impact kick-ins can have on SuperCoach scoring last year.

Atkins played on from every one of his 57 kick-ins and he averaged 96.7 points from rounds 19-21 while taking 20 kick-outs across those three matches.

Ensure you take kick-in numbers into account when choosing your defenders in SuperCoach.

They can often be the difference between an average score and a premium one or be what salvages a poor outing.

They are not foolproof, as roles can change and other kick-in takers can emerge — but they are often the fast track to uncovering the topscoring defenders of the season.

Here are the designated kick-in takers from all 18 clubs and expert analysis on what the stats mean for every club.

Mitch McGovern was the designated kick-in taker at Carlton for much of last year. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Luke Ryan has been one of the most prolific kick-in takers in recent years. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Lachie Whitfield enjoyed a move back to defence.

Steven May takes the most kick-ins across the competition Picture: Getty Images

Jayden Short doesn’t always step out of the goalsquare when taking kick-ins. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Blakey’s kick-in stocks are rising. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Originally published as SuperCoach AFL: The kick-in kings to target from every club