KFC SuperCoach 2022: Top 30 most popular players
GWS bargain Stephen Coniglio is a wanted man in KFC SuperCoach and there are some big surprises in the full list of players appearing in the most teams.
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Follow the pack or strike out on your own?
The wisdom of the crowd – the idea that large groups of people are collectively smarter than individuals – can play a big role in helping build a winning KFC SuperCoach squad.
Adding a few favourite players or pre-season specials you have a gut feeling about will give your team a personal flavour, and make the season more fun.
But if nearly everyone else is picking a certain player, it’s worth at least knowing that so you can pick them too, or have a good reason why you’re taking another path.
Fortunately, you can see the ownership percentages of every player by clicking on “coaches choice” in the SuperCoach Plus drop-down menu on the Players page at supercoach.com.au.
With just over four weeks until the first game of the season, here are the 30 most selected players in the game. How many are in your team?
1. Stephen Coniglio (GWS) $261,300 MID/FWD – 63.2 per cent
It’s been a torrid couple of years for the GWS co-captain but the value is just too good to pass up for a player who has averaged over 100 points a game three times in his career, and 98 as recently as 2020.
2. Nick Daicos (Coll) $193,800 MID – 62.8 per cent
The Pies’ father-son gun is the top rookie pick so far, with more than 62 per cent of coaches happy to hand over the elevated price tag for the No.4 draft pick.
3. Elijah Hollands (GC) $123,900 MID/FWD – 58.5 per cent
Hugely talented Sun is ready to go after sitting out his debut season following a knee injury. A new feature in SuperCoach Plus reveals what percentage of teams have players in their starting 22 or on the bench – for Hollands it’s currently a 52/48 split.
4. Jason Horne-Francis (NM) $207,300 MID – 58.2 per cent
More than 90 per cent of Horne-Francis’s owners have him on the field – a smart move considering his price (that’s a lot of cash to have sitting on the bench) and his potential scoring power after lighting up Kangaroos’ match simulation.
5. Josh Dunkley (WB) $558,200 MID/FWD – 50.5 per cent
The most expensive forward is something of an enigma; last season he averaged 129 in the first six rounds then 70.8 after returning from injury late in the year. Which Dunkley will we get in 2022?
6. Lachie Neale (Bris) $543,200 MID – 49.9 per cent
Burned lots of SuperCoaches badly last year, starting at a huge price tag then producing his worst season in seven years. But he had an interrupted pre-season and multiple in-season setbacks, and all reports out of Brisbane this summer are positive. And that price is $178,000 less than what we had to pay in 2021.
7. Greg Clark (WC) $117,300 MID – 45.5 per cent
Mature-age steal finally gets a chance in the AFL after being drafted at age 24. Scored 181 KFC SuperCoach points in the WAFL grand final and toughest decision might be whether to find an on-field spot for him or stick him on the bench.
8. Jack Steele (StK) $685,800 MID – 45.1 per cent
Looks like Superman and plays like him in KFC SuperCoach, averaging 126 and 122.5 points in the past two seasons without missing a game. Eight tackles a game are a great way to push his scores through the roof.
9. Jake Lloyd (Syd) $586,600 DEF – 43.8 per cent
One of the safest picks in the game. Has missed one match in the past six seasons and his high-possession style ensures consistent strong scores.
10. Jack Macrae (WB) $699,900 MID – 42.1 per cent
The most expensive player in 2022 rounds out the top 10. It’s a big chunk of the salary cap but Macrae won’t let you down – his season averages the past four seasons are 127, 123, 121, 129 and it’s hard to see a drop-off in 2022.
11. Lachie Whitfield (GWS) $502,600 DEF/MID – 42 per cent
Giants playmaker can score with the best in KFC SuperCoach, if his body holds together. Dual-position status is a bonus.
12. Will Kelly (Coll) $123,900 DEF/FWD – 39.6 per cent
Another father-son Magpie has played three AFL games (scoring 36, 18, 26) but should score better if he can avoid the injuries that have cursed him early in his career.
13. Brodie Grundy (Coll) $627,100 RUC – 37.5 per cent
The ruck position is the most open it’s been in years. Grundy is the most popular big man but a lot further down the list than we are used to. Track watchers say he is trimmed down and ready to return to his best.
14. Clayton Oliver (Melb) $672,000 MID – 36.1 per cent
The best midfielder in the best team fed by the best tap ruckman. Has averaged at least 109 in each of the past five seasons and hasn’t missed a game in that time. What’s not to like?
15. Max Gawn (Melb) $657,400 RUC – 35.5 per cent
Has been a scoring goliath for four seasons but the rise of Luke Jackson is the great unknown. The youngster outscored Gawn in the Grand Final – but the bearded superstar did score 159 points the week before in the prelim.
16. James Sicily (Haw) $448,100 DEF – 33.2 per cent
Hasn’t played since hurting his knee in Round 12, 2020 but is looking good on the track and could resume his high-scoring intercepting role down back ... as long as players like Changkuoth Jiath and Will Day don’t get there first.
17. Will Gould (Syd) $123,900 DEF – 32.9 per cent
Gould has been a popular KFC SuperCoach rookie pick in each of the past two seasons but we are still waiting to see his AFL debut. Is this the year?
18. Sam Walsh (Carl) $637,100 MID – 31.8 per cent
Does everything right at age 21 but he has been struck down by a syndesmosis injury, with his ownership set to plummet. Even still, he is every chance to join the super elite midfielders in 2022 once he returns.
19. Josh Rachele (Adel) $184,800 MID/FWD – 31.2 per cent
Exciting forward is a strong change to feature early for the Crows. It’s a lot to pay for a first-year player but could be the best of a small forward rookie pool.
20. Sam Skinner (Port) $123,900 DEF/FWD – 30.3 per cent
Former Lion is back in the AFL after an outstanding season in the SANFL where he was transformed into an intercept defender – a great way to score KFC SuperCoach points. Now he just needs to get into Ken Hinkley’s best 22.
21. Charlie Parker (WB) $102,400 MID/FWD – 30.3 per cent
Last year Luke Beveridge plucked mature-age rookies Anthony Scott and Lachlan McNeil from obscurity and they both played the first 10 games of the season. Parker, a 24-year-old from SA, could follow the same path.
22. Charlie Dean (Coll) $102,400 DEF – 29.6 per cent
A shoulder injury to Jordan Roughead could open the door for the mature-age defender to win a spot in the Magpies’ backline. He averaged eight intercepts and 85 points playing for Williamstown in the VFL last year.
23. Braydon Preuss (GWS) $204,700 RUC – 29.6 per cent
Whether to take a punt on a cheap ruckman in 2022 is one of the big KFC SuperCoach calls of the pre-season. Even those with Preuss are hedging their bets – right now half his owners have him starting on field and half have him on the bench.
24. Sam De Koning (Geel) $123,900 DEF/FWD – 29 per cent
Tall defender could debut early in his third year on the list – watch his pre-season. Carlton big man Tom is one of nine siblings.
25. Dustin Martin (Rich) $503,500 MID/FWD – 28.8 per cent
Hasn’t been this cheap since 2013 and is back in full training after a horror kidney injury. But will he be the Dusty of old?
26. Mitch Duncan (Geel) $540,000 MID/FWD – 26.6 per cent
The Cats aren’t pushing the 30-year-old too hard in pre-season after injuries restricted him to 13 games in 2021. But he averaged 119 from Rounds 3-9 and is now available as a forward.
27. Cam Rayner (Bris) $278,600 FWD – 26.4 per cent
No.1 draft pick is flying on the track in his comeback from ACL surgery. Last season he was set to push into the midfield before his knee gave way.
28. Jack Crisp (Coll) $571,000 DEF/MID – 26.2 per cent
Want to avoid injury headaches? The ultra reliable Magpie hasn’t missed a game since 2014.
29. Sean Darcy (Frem) $642,600 RUC – 25.9 per cent
Fourth ruckman in the top 30 could top the pile for scoring power – in a crazy three-round run last season he scored 194, 183, 156. Is he ready to take the crown?
30. Charlie Curnow (Carl) $224,300 FWD – 25.8 per cent
Immensely talented Blues forward has had five different knee injuries and three operations since 2019. But he could make some fast cash – if his body holds together.
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Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2022: Top 30 most popular players
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