SuperCoach AFL: The most-likely players to gain DPP this season revealed
A host of top SuperCoach scorers are in the frame to score a second position early in the 2024 season. Check out who’s likely to be in the running for DPP after round 6 here.
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In-season dual-position changes have brought a whole new level of strategy to SuperCoach in recent years.
And, this might be the most important year to plan ahead yet.
The lack of standout premium forwards means SuperCoaches will be closely monitoring which stars spend more time in attack during the opening five rounds of the season and hoping to swoop on a new FWD-MID after round 6.
Pre-season has provided some strong hints about which players should gain a new position this year in one of the three DPP updates — before rounds 7, 12 and 18.
The first dual-position update has been pushed back one week due to the early byes in this year’s AFL season.
We will provide time in position updates throughout the season so you can monitor how these players — and more — are tracking and how DPP changes will impact your trades.
LIKELY
Finlay Macrae FWD to FWD-MID
The time appears to have finally arrived for the brother of SuperCoach royalty Jack Macrae to make his mark. The 21-year-old has been stuck on the fringes of Collingwood’s premiership team, only appearing once last year in round 24 (which cost SuperCoaches the chance to get him for $123k). Track watchers have reported Macrae has been a standout this summer and opportunity beckons in the Collingwood midfield after Taylor Adams’ move to Sydney. He might not be first choice, but he should feature enough in the middle to gain DPP in either the first (round 7) or second round (round 12) of additions.
Fin 😤 shrugs two tackles. pic.twitter.com/XsEB0TwPYM
— Jen 🖤🤠Flagpies23 🆠(@Jen2310) January 25, 2024
Zac Fisher FWD to DEF-FWD
One of the last games Fisher played as a Blue was against St Kilda in round 21, when he returned to the Carlton side as a halfback and had 32 disposals for 126 SuperCoach points. North Melbourne has lost Jack Ziebell and Aaron Hall, who were prolific scorers while playing behind the ball. Fisher appears to have been earmarked for one of those roles and could yet be used on kick outs. Awkward price, but he could be another Ziebell, Hall or Sheezel waiting to happen.
Colby McKercher MID to DEF-MID
Are we going to get Harry Sheezel 2.0? Superfooty’s Josh Barnes reported in mid-January that the prized draftee had been all but locked in to debut and would start his AFL career at halfback. McKercher averaged 29.4 disposals in the Coates League last year and had seven matches of 31 disposals or more.
Hayden Young DEF to DEF-MID
Young has trained almost exclusively with Fremantle’s midfielders in pre-season. After spending most of his first 53 games as a rebounding defender, Young was thrust into the middle with a month left in the 2023 campaign and averaged 116.3 points.
Only the Bont (37) laid more effective tackles than Hayden Young (32) when the Docker played as a full-time midfielder in 2023.
— Fantasy Freako (@FantasyFreako) January 22, 2024
👊 #SuperCoach#AFLFantasypic.twitter.com/PqRetZL2Xx
Karl Amon MID to DEF-MID
Amon is poised to become a key distributor from Hawthorn’s backline, taking on the responsibilities vacated by Blake Hardwick’s move to attack. SuperCoaches were given a taste of how well Amon could score playing behind the ball in the final few rounds of 2023. From round 17 onwards, the classy left-footer scored 96, 113, 103, 133, 119 and 76. Hardwick was the Hawks’ No. 1 kick-in taker last year and there is a strong possibility Amon takes on those duties, which would give his scoring another boost.
POSSIBLE
Nic Martin MID to DEF-MID
Martin is one of the players being considered for a shift to defence as Essendon tries to clean up its ball use coming out of the back half. This could have flow-on effects for Jordan Ridley’s ceiling if Martin is also being used as one of the outlets from defence. Xavier Duursma’s arrival could mean Brad Scott is able to have more flexibility with how he uses Martin, with a role as a running defender clearly in the Essendon coach’s thinking.
Connor Macdonald FWD to FWD-MID
With Will Day sidelined due to injury, Macdonald has flourished as a midfielder in pre-season and pushed a strong case to be a regular part of Hawthorn’s on-ball rotations this year. SuperCoaches need to get creative due a lack of forward premiums, which is why so many are looking at cheaper alternatives such as Macdonald. His price is similar to what teammate James Worpel was in 2019 ($395k) when he was listed as a FWD-MID but averaged 97 as a pure on-baller. Day’s return will limit his midfield minutes, but Macdonald should still be a DPP contender.
Blake Hardwick DEF to DEF-FWD
The only real SuperCoach relevancy from this move is the opportunity it opens up for Karl Amon to become a DEF-MID and play behind the ball. Hardwick’s best SuperCoach season was 2021 when he averaged 91.2 but it’s hard to see him getting anywhere near that playing as a forward.
Ed Richards DEF to DEF-MID
Track watchers at Whitten Oval have noted Luke Beveridge has tossed the magnets around during pre-season and given a host of players the chance to press their claims to be part of a midfield that will be without the injured Bailey Smith. Richards is one of the surprise names who was been trialled in the middle as part of the shuffle. SuperCoaches would prefer to know Jack Macrae will be a full-time on-baller, but it seems Bevo is determined to give a few new faces midfield opportunities too.
Trent Rivers DEF to DEF-MID
The 22-year-old Demon is one of the players being earmarked to fill the void if Clayton Oliver is unavailable early in the season. Rivers got a taste of the midfield last season, attending 20 centre bounces. Leading analyst David King noted Rivers was a “standout” during a recent match sim at Casey Fields. He only needs to spend about 35 per cent of time in the middle during the first six rounds to become a DEF-MID.
Charlie Comben FWD to FWD-DEF
North Melbourne’s dearth of key defensive options has forced Alastair Clarkson to get creative and Comben, who was originally drafted as a forward-ruck, looks set for a move to defence. Speaking earlier in pre-season, he said: “We lost a key back during the trade period, so I’ll look to fill that role and hopefully provide a bit of mark and intercept for us down back.” The switch should help his SuperCoach scoring.
Marcus Bontempelli MID to FWD-MID
In a season where SuperCoaches are crying out for forward premiums, this would be huge. Bontempelli underwent ankle surgery in November and has so far been closely managed during pre-season as he builds towards round 1. Bontempelli flagged recently he would be a week-to-week proposition to spend more time forward. Maybe we’re just being wishful.
Tom Clurey DEF to DEF-MID
This one has come out of nowhere. After being a key defender for his entire career, Clurey is a genuine chance to be used as a wingman by Port Adelaide this year. Clurey is no longer needed in defence after the arrival as Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and the Power have given him a chance to revive his career on a wing. Power assistant Tyson Goldsack said recently: “We thought we’d give Tom the time to try out the wing and see if it works for him and he’s doing some good stuff up there.”
Elliott Himmelberg FWD to DEF-FWD
A long-term injury to Nick Murray and the departure of Tom Doedee as a free agent have left the Crows short on tall defenders and forced them to get creative. That includes Himmelberg, who has played 41 games as a ruck-forward, being trialled as a key backman. After returning from hamstring surgery, Himmelberg has been training with the Crows’ defenders. Himmelberg played in defence at under-18 level.
Harry Sheezel DEF to DEF-MID
After going from a FWD only player to a DEF-FWD in his brilliant debut season, Sheezel starts this year as a DEF only. One of the great SuperCoach bargains of 2023, Sheezel averaged 99.5 points and 27 disposals a game on his way to claiming North Melbourne’s best-and-fairest. The retirements of Jack Ziebell and Aaron Hall may mean he spends time in defence again, but indications are Sheezel will push into the midfield — and even attack — where he can use the creative gifts which made him one of the top draftees a few years ago.
Heath Chapman DEF to DEF-MID
The injury-plagued Docker has so far put a difficult 2023 campaign behind him and has been floated as the replacement for Liam Henry on a wing. The Dockers have Jordan Clark, Corey Wagner and Luke Ryan as rebounders in defence, with former Demon Wagner establishing himself as a regular member of the back six late last year. Hayden Young is going to shift into midfield, which opens up one halfback role. But it appears Chapman will be more valuable to the Dockers on a wing than roaming the defensive 50, which opens the door for possible DPP which would be valuable for bye cover and trade flexibility.
Bailey Dale DEF to DEF-FWD
This one seems like a long shot, but is worth keeping an eye on. David King has been doing the rounds and providing pre-season insights from clubs and noted that Dale was used in attack during a Bulldogs match sim. That move would rule a line through Dale as a SuperCoach option but could boost the scoring of other Dogs defenders such as Ed Richards or Jason Johannisen. Those two ranked #2 and #3 for kick-outs last year behind Dale.
Josh Weddle DEF to DEF-MID
The second-year Hawk is one of the buzz players of pre-season, even being forecast as a future superstar of the AFL. Amon’s move to defence will push a player out of the Hawks’ back six, with Changkuoth Jiath training as a wingman in recent months. But Hawthorn fans have mooted Weddle as another option for the wing role vacated by Amon. Likely another long shot, but worth monitoring.
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Originally published as SuperCoach AFL: The most-likely players to gain DPP this season revealed
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