Herald Sun footy writer Jon Ralph reveals his 2020 KFC SuperCoach team

Jon Ralph has loaded his KFC SuperCoach team with forward firepower and made a huge call which could define his season in the rucks. Here’s the team Ralphy hopes will win him office bragging rights in 2020.

So after years of playing KFC Supercoach, here is the realisation.

I can’t keep up with the boffins and stats gurus and spread-sheeters and loophole fiends.

Supercoach is a heck of a lot of fun but the superstars of this game just take it to a different level to the luddites like me.

The good news it that while I will never again scale the heights of my first year — top 1000 mid-season — neither will my colleagues Jon Brown, Mick Warner or Mark Robinson.

Like me the times they try to enact a ruck loophole with a Sunday morning switcheroo they are more likely to end up with donuts instead of Max Gawn’s 150 multiplied by two.

So although Herald Sun gurus like Al Paton will soar away by the end of the year, KFC Supercoach is still a heck of a lot of fun.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE JON RALPH’S FULL KFC SUPERCOACH TEAM

And it’s still fun to play because I hope I can back my eye in to identify players about to soar through positional changes or players set to have breakout seasons.

I don’t mind that most teams will have a similar look to them in the first few rounds given cheap rookies you just have to have.

By Round 6-8, when injuries hit, hopefully I can pan for a few nuggets of gold.

Call it the Trent McKenzie rule.

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In his one excellent season for Gold Coast I snaffled him right when he was taking off and rode his play and a few other excellent selections right to the Supercoach Grand Final.

My team has most of the cheap selections you would like.

Connor Budarick just has to play for Gold Coast with their injury issues, Marlion Pickett is obviously a no-brainer, Max King will go from 20 to 80 but is a cash cow, Will Gould should play early and often.

Jon Ralph managed to jump on ‘The Cannon’ Trent McKenzie midway through 2013, when he averaged 88.6.

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I still think there is value in securing those expensive first-year players just because they are going to play so often.

As a $184,800 defender Fisher McAsey will have terrible games but Matthew Nicks just has to keep playing him as a top-ten pick in a developing side.

There is nothing more frustrating than having a rookie sitting on your bench as you sweat on his selection every Thursday night.

Toby Greene and GWS teammate Lachie Whitfield feature in Jon Ralph’s forward line.

Ralphy has Stefan Martin partnering Max Gawn in the rucks.

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Tom Williamson is a risk but he kicks it beautifully, seems to be over his long-running back issues, and is better value at $146,000 than some speculative rookie who will sink without a trace.

The Gawn-Grundy combo is too expensive so I have gone for Stef Martin who wins more possessions than any modern ruckman.

OTHER TEAM REVEALS:

KFC SuperCoach expert Al Paton reveals his 2020 team

Tim Michell’s KFC SuperCoach 2.0 team reveal: Why I’ve reconsidered starting Dustin Martin

SuperCoach: Expert Dan Batten reveals his first team for 2020

Big changes in defence headline the latest draft of The Phantom’s KFC SuperCoach team for 2020

And after years of trying to identify a Coleman Medal winning key forward at a cheap price — Tom Lynch last year — I have moved with the times.

There are just too many mid-forwards to slot into the forward line who should get 85 plus every week in Lachie Whitfield, Dusty Martin, Toby Greene and Jade Gresham.

Jack Steven is in that uncomfortable mid-price range ($361,700) but apart from a minor calf niggle he’s settled in well at Geelong.

The players like Mark Blicavs and Luke Dahlhaus say he’s going well from a mental health standpoint and in good nick fitness wise.

This guy is a star as a four-time best-and-fairest winner and despite Chris Scott talking down expectations he could be a steal at that price.

Ditto Devon Smith who is a tackling machine that has to be taken at $335,000.

Jon Ralph's 2020 KFC SuperCoach team.

Originally published as Herald Sun footy writer Jon Ralph reveals his 2020 KFC SuperCoach team