SuperCoach AFL 2025: How to beat the mid-season byes and complete your team
Follow this simple step-by-step guide to survive and thrive over the mid-season byes, including projected prices for top trade targets.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It doesn’t feel long since we waved goodbye to the early season byes. Now the byes are back.
This weekend is the first of the mid-season bye rounds, which run for five rounds this year, from round 12 to 16.
This is the perfect time to finish your team so you fly home with premiums in every position – and get a jump on coaches who haven’t thought ahead.
To do that, you need a plan. And we’re here to help. Here are six tips to set up your team to survive and thrive over the byes – and predicted prices for key trade targets.
1. DO THE MATH
The first step is to get a clear picture of how your side looks across each of the bye rounds by counting how many players you will have available each week – aiming for at least 18 scorers each round.
SuperCoach Plus subscribers can do this with one click using the ‘Show Byes’ feature.
Remember to be realistic about who is likely to be available – for example, don’t count Harry Boyd as one of your on-field scorers even in rounds when St Kilda doesn’t have the bye.
Look at the numbers – which rounds could you struggle to get 18 players on field and which rounds are you well stocked?
It’s also crucial to note numbers across positions – it’s much easier to cover four missing premiums if they are spread across defence, the ruck and forward line than if they are all in the midfield.
This will guide your trade moves over the next six weeks; if you have a strong compliment of Brisbane midfielders who have a bye in round 16, it makes sense to avoid Zach Merrett or Tom Green, who also have the bye that week.
2. ROUND 12 IS A DOOZY
We don’t get any time to ease into the byes, with the list of popular premiums unavailable in week one including Harry Sheezel, Tristan Xerri, Connor Rozee, Bailey Dale and Tom De Koning.
Then there are mid-pricers like Caleb Daniel and Adam Cerra, and rookies like Sam Davidson and Matt Carroll.
If you’re looking thin this week and those players aren’t likely to be in your finished side (ie, not in the top 10 scorers for their position), you could make an aggressive play and trade them out before their bye.
Some coaches are looking to move on Sheezel, who has a three-round average of 80. It will get you an extra score on field this week, but beware you will be swapping them to a player who will miss one of the subsequent rounds. If you are going down this path, target a round where you can afford to rest a fresh new premium – remembering you should be adding more as the byes progress.
3. ROUND 13 IS EASY ... WITH A CATCH
Only two teams have the bye in round 13, which means we shouldn’t have any problems fielding 18 scoring players that week.
That makes stars from St Kilda and Fremantle priority targets over the next month – and there are several on the trade table this week.
Just be wary of overdoing it – stars like Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Jack Sinclair, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Jordan Clark already feature in plenty of SuperCoach teams.
If you already have four or more of the above list, it’s probably best to hold off bringing in another Saint or Docker.
4. CASH IS KING
All these trades require money, which sounds obvious but presents more challenges than usual this season.
Players who can make money over the next month are the most valuable commodity in SuperCoach.
Old school strategy in SuperCoach was to avoid trading in any premiums before round 12 and instead do multiple rookie downgrades to build a bank to grab top-liners over the next few weeks. That’s harder in the era of 40 trades and more aggressive upgrades, but the philosophy still makes sense.
Grab rookies with money-making potential and check those Break Evens – hang on to players with low BEs and consider moving out players with high Break Evens now if they aren’t in your long-term plans.
5. REMEMBER THE BENCH
When trading in rookies, cash isn’t the only consideration. Bench players play a vital role over the byes, helping top up our on-field starters to get to Best 18 and hopefully beyond.
Almost all SuperCoach teams are carrying “dead” rookies who aren’t playing – Conor Stone, Lucas Camporeale, Elijah Tsatas, James Leake, Henry Hustwaite, and now Cooper Simpson – and others who are at extreme risk of being dropped or named the sub – Hugh Boxshall, Tom Gross, Ben Paton.
Some bench hygiene can pay big dividends at this time of year. It might not deliver the same hit as grabbing a big premium, but replacing a red dot with a blue one over multiple bye rounds can put you further ahead in the long run. If you can make some cash on the deal, even better.
6. TIME YOUR MOVES
Try to plan your upgrades as players come off their bye to maximise your scoring while finishing your team. A classic play would be to trade in a Sydney cash cow like Riley Bice or Matt Roberts in round 14 – when the Swans have the week off – and replace him with a more trustworthy premium from a team that has had a bye in round 13 – Jordan Clark or Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
The other factor that complicates things is trying to grab players at their best prices. In a perfect world, the planets align so you get a star as they bottom out and are bye-free for the rest of the year.
With that in mind, here’s a guide on who to target each week, and when they are predicted to bottom out in price.
Price dropped another $22k last round and has the week off. Coaches may be choosing between Bont and Butters next week. The Bont has the Hawks after his bye followed by very juicy match-ups against St Kilda and Richmond.
Aim for: Round 13, after the Bulldogs’ bye.
Predicted price: $643k
Butters has dropped under $600k after being 4704k a month ago. And his price is still coming down with a high Break Even in his next game against GWS – when he could cop a tag from Toby Bedford. If he falls under $550k, don’t miss out.
Aim for: Round 15.
Predicted price: $545k
Price is finally coming down after two scores in a row under 100 (99, 96). Not sure how teams will fit him in alongside Bontempelli and Butters but he will be on the radar after Fremantle’s bye.
Aim for: Round 14, after Fremantle’s bye.
Predicted price: $595k
That price is painful for coaches who grabbed him for $620k thinking he was about to get out of reach. High Break Even this week means he will probably drop again but any time now is a good time to get Nick in your side.
Aim for: Round 13.
Predicted price: $523k
Had a 200 Break Even last week and didn’t miss it by much. Has a much tougher match-up this week but SuperCoach Plus predicts he’ll beat the 109 BE – so this could be as cheap as Merrett gets.
Aim for: Now, but he might only be $15-20k more after Essendon’s round 16 bye. That’s a long time to wait, though.
Predicted price: $553k
Lost money after scoring 153 last week – that’s the cost of being valued over $750k. Another price drop is on the card, but SuperCoach Plus is saying it won’t be much. Might be rucking against Dante Visentini the week before his bye.
Aim for: If you somehow have this much cash lying around, SuperCoach is more fun with Max in your team.
Predicted price: If he averages 130 over his next three games he’ll still be over $700k.
Hard to believe he was $582k in round 7. Price has been heading skyward since then and he may have finally topped out –. although North Melbourne plays West Coast next week, so don’t count on it.
Aim for: Next week ... if you can afford it.
Predicted price: $731k.
Almost 40,000 coaches traded out Horne-Francis after his hamstring injury, but might bring him back in when he returns. He’s listed as another three weeks on Port Adelaide’s injury list – give him another week or two after that and grab him for $450k.
Aim for: Around round 15.
Predicted price: $440k.
Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2025: How to beat the mid-season byes and complete your team
Cornes erupts on AFL’s ‘absolute mess’
A rule that was brought in to increase scoring in the AFL hasn’t worked and polarising commentator Kane Cornes has teed off.
Read more
Tassie’s AFL wishlist takes a hit, so who else is out there?
Colby McKercher is staying at North Melbourne, and his new contract puts him alone among a big group of players Tasmania will look at when it comes into the AFL.
Read more