SuperCoach 2025: Champion Data guru Fantasy Freako reveals his team

Champion Data’s SuperCoach guru Fantasy Freako has crunched the numbers to pick the ultimate team for 2025. See it here.

An Isaac Heeney injury in the final home-and-away round cost me a top-1000 rank last year as I played one man short – but it was a solid season nonetheless after horrid start. Playing catch-up is never easy – but it is challenging.

Your starting team is important but the reigning SuperCoach champion, Joven May, has pointed out that it’s not the end of the world should you make a few mistakes with your squad. If the winner has that attitude, then it’s fine for the rest of us. Obviously, the key is to rectify errors quickly and make the most of the trading game.

Before we look at picking a team we’ll once again need to consider the early bye rounds, with round 3 looking to be the trickiest to plan around. Round 0 scores won’t count again – but they will affect player pricing, so jumping on someone that posts a huge score could be handy, especially if they’re a rookie.

The newly added Flex position will also mix things up a bit – so the term “strategy” will come into play. There may not be a right or wrong way tackle this, so it’s a case of being nimble and having flexibility within your team.

In terms of overall structure, what worked last year may not in 2025, so again it’s a case of letting the players dictate your structure. Value is the theme for 2025, and there are interesting options across all lines, but, as we all know, going down that path could drastically backfire – so keep that in mind before loading up.

A lot of our rookies are placeholders until things become a bit clearer; the official pre-season matches will be significant when making the final call.

DEFENDERS

Structure: Two premiums, one mid-priced and five rookies.

Harry Sheezel is locked at D1 despite the lofty price tag. He began last year in defence and then shifted up the ground – dominating in both roles, averaging 125 in defence and 115 as a Mid/Fwd. There’s a 10-point gap between the two but he’s an elite scorer either way. Sheezel dropped below 100 just three times in 2024 and had 10 scores of 120-plus.

An early round 2 bye hasn’t deterred me from starting Lachie Whitfield. He was a model of consistency last season and dropped below 85 just twice – averaging a massive 129 in the final six rounds, ranked third in the league. Only Luke Ryan took more kick-ins than Whitfield and the latter led the league for defensive 50 handball-receives and ranked fourth for uncontested possessions.

Callum Mills is a gift this year and I’m not overlooking him. The obvious concern is durability, and he only managed seven home-and-away matches in 2024 – averaging just 74 points, which his lowest return since 2017. But at his best he’s a scoring machine in the midfield, a role he has been training in all pre-season. He averaged 115 only three seasons ago and if he can get his body right, he looks to be at a keeper for just $357k.

Arie Schoenmaker is ready to make his mark at St Kilda. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

I don’t think Keidean Coleman plays the early rounds and he’s one I’m happy to leave out for now. Should he front up in the season opener then I may make the switch, but I can’t see the Lions rushing him back.

I currently have Arie Schoenmaker in that price point, and I think there’s real upside here. Although he isn’t a lockdown defender, I do believe that with Josh Battle departing and Dougal Howard being sidelined long-term through injury there is a spot in defence for the raking left-footer. Schoenmaker hit the target by foot 89 per cent of the time in 2024, which is better than Luke Ryan, who went at 88 per cent. Tom Doedee is another player on my watchlist at a similar price.

There is plenty up in the air with the rookies in defence and there are no obvious standouts at this stage, especially for on-field positions. Tobie Travaglia has been training as a wingman and he’s firmly in the mix for a round 1 debut, so he’s currently my D5. Saad El-Hawli, the second-most selected defender in the game, is currently in my team, but we don’t even know if he’ll play. The Bombers have spun the magnets over the summer and are trialling Dylan Shiel in defence, so the final make-up of their side will be a watch over the coming weeks. I have even read that Ben Hobbs could be in line for time in that position. Should El-Hawli not make the team, then it’s an easy swap to Bulldogs youngster Jedd Busslinger, who could replace the injured Liam Jones in defence.

Saad El-Hawli is pushing for a spot in Essendon’s best 23. Picture: David Crosling

Bo Allan and James Leake round out the defenders.

Ben Jepson is another name to keep an eye on after he earned a spot on Gold Coast’s list. He averaged 25 disposals, 14 uncontested possessions, and 99 SuperCoach points in the VFL last year with Southport. That included scoring 171 against the Suns. If he plays in the opening round, then he’s straight in! Jepson has played on the wing in recent match sim.

MIDFIELDERS

Structure: Three premiums, one fallen premium, one mid-priced and six rookies.

Marcus Bontempelli headlines the midfield after another exceptional year. With just two scores below 100 all season and 46 scores of 120-plus to his name over the past four seasons – 10 more than anyone else. A valuable VC or C option weekly, there’s no need to justify his selection.

After owning Zak Butters last year I’m happy to go with him again. He pumped out seven scores of 130 or more last season, one of which was against the Tigers in round 2 (175). He faces them in the corresponding round in 2025. Butters was the fifth-ranked player in the game after 10 rounds with an average of 125, so I’m hopeful for another hot start.

Nick Daicos is a hard man to leave out – even without DPP status and the early bye. In saying that, a recent planta fascia injury is somewhat of a concern – but the one thing we can be sure of with Daicos is his fitness. We get a look at him against GWS Giants in the season opener. Daicos scored 133 and 156 against his first two home-and-away opponents last year, so I’m expecting similar scores.

Clayton Oliver is flying in pre-season. Picture: David Crosling

Fallen premiums are gold in SuperCoach, and this year’s pin-up boy is Clayton Oliver. He has had a faultless pre-season so far and looks to be back to his hard running ways. I owned him for his poor run last season and it was a frustrating watch, but he never gave himself a chance after entering the year with no pre-season whatsoever. It’s different this time around. At his best Oliver averaged 120-plus in each year between 2020-2023.

The M5 spot is up for grabs. I currently have James Peatling, but Luke Parker and Ryley Sanders are also in the mix at the same price point. I could even move up to Will Ashcroft, and I do have the funds to accommodate him – but that would give me five Round 3 bye players. Peatling is there for now, though, and he has shared his time between wing and midfield in match sim. The Crows bat deep in the midfield even with Rory Laird moving back to defence, so Peatling unlikely to be among the top-three centre bounce attendees.

The remaining three spots are taken up by rookies, with Jagga Smith and Levi Ashcroft easy picks. That leaves Elijah Tsatas with the other on-field spot. I’m expecting a big jump in his scoring and there is evidence of a favourable midfield role already – dominating match sim over the summer. He had 41 disposals late in the season at VFL level and is a prime breakout candidate.

Elijah Tsatas is a prime breakout candidate. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Sid Draper, Max Hall, and Angus Sheldrick are on the bench, but these three spots aren’t set in stone. The Crows have held early picks back in the past, however Michael Michalanney missed only one game in his debut season. Draper should get plenty of exposure.

Sheldrick is a bit of a sleeper pick after failing to play at AFL level in 2024. Sydney’s midfield is stacked so it remains to be seen if he earns a place in the best 22. He could also be a prime candidate for the sub role, which we don’t want.

Josh Smillie is a noticeable omission after a recent hamstring injury, but should he play in round 1, he will come in. Harvey Langford is another player I’m keen to start – but there are only so many spots available.

RUCKS

Structure: Two premiums and one rookie.

I’m backing Tristan Xerri to maintain his numbers from last season. The consensus is that he overperformed and his tackle numbers could drop, but for a player that is always around stoppage I don’t subscribe to that theory. He may go back slightly but not enough to overlook him. Xerri led the AFL for tackles at stoppage and his tackle efficiency was the best of the top-100 for attempts.

I initially had Tim English as my other ruckman, but his pre-season injury has spooked me. I’ve opted for Tom De Koning in that slot but there is a caveat. Should Marc Pittonet line up in the season opener I will look elsewhere. De Koning averaged 73 points with Pittonet in the team last year compared to 116 without. Even if Pittonet misses round 1 there is no world in which he doesn’t get AFL exposure in 2025, so De Koning may have to share the duties at some stage.

Max Gawn is also in the mix for the R2 position after his best season since 2020.

Harry Boyd is on my bench, but should Rowan Marshall miss the early rounds through injury Boyd will be swung into the Flex position immediately!

FORWARDS

Structure: One premium, three mid-priced and four rookies.

There is a conversation to be had about whether to back Jason Horne-Francis or Izak Rankine for the No.1 forward slot. You could also mount a case for Dylan Moore, who averaged 105 post-byes last year.

Depending on team structure you could even start with two of the big boys in attack – but that would be at the detriment of another premium elsewhere.

I’ve opted for Horne-Francis at this stage, but won’t rule out a move for Rankine. Rankine’s eye for goal is something we need to consider – finishing goalless just once in 15 games. Horne-Francis also hit the scoreboard himself and was goalless just six times, which is an excellent return considering he spent 63 per cent of his game in the midfield.

Jason Horne-Francis is available as a forward in SuperCoach. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Macrae’s selection is a no-brainer and with a centre bounce role on the cards he should return to averaging three figures. He scored 199, 155, and 185 at VFL level in 2024 – reminding everyone just how prolific he is in that role.

Bailey Smith is too cheap not to start, but in saying that, his game time could be managed early on after a serious knee injury. In a recent interview, Patrick Dangerfield hinted that the Cats needed to be careful with Smith. Something to keep an eye on.

I was all over Mattaes Phillipou before his injury, but coming in next is Caleb Daniel. Like Macrae, we should see Daniel in his preferred distribution role in defence at the Kangaroos – a role which is very fantasy friendly. No team had more back half disposals than the Kangaroos last year, so his selection is an easy one.

The remaining two spots in the forwards are currently taken up by rookies. Starting two rookies in the forwards is a risk, but one of these is the mature-aged Sam Davidson. He has stood out on the track, and we all know Bevo loves a VFL player.

Isaac Kako has turned heads at Essendon, and he, too, is in line for a debut in the season opener. We get a free look at him against the Suns before round 1.

Joe Berry and Elijah Hewett round out the bench.

FLEX

The newly added Flex position will add another element to the game. It remains to be seen what position type would be best suited for this spot, but I envisage it being a revolving door based on opponent and the time of the game.

I’ve got Matt Flynn for now and he presents enormous value at his price. But with a new coach at the helm, we need to see how Andrew McQualter sets up in the ruck first and if Flynn plays in the pre-season. It would be hard to overlook at potential No.1 ruck for $261k.

Alternatively, I could go with one of the blue-chip rookies from the midfield that I can’t fit into the team. That would free up plenty of cash and provide me with flexibility come trade time.

Money in the bank: $114,500

Originally published as SuperCoach 2025: Champion Data guru Fantasy Freako reveals his team