SuperCoach 2016: Mark Robinson reveals his first crack at picking a SuperCoach team

HERALD Sun chief footy writer Mark Robinson has revealed his first SuperCoach team with a few surprises. Have you started picking your team yet?

HERALD Sun chief footy writer Mark Robinson has picked his first draft SuperCoach team.

Robbo admits there’s still plenty of work to do and he’s got plenty of time with Round 1 kicking off on March 28.

SUPERCOACH 2016 IS OFFICIALLY OPEN! PICK YOUR TEAM NOW

Robbo sat down with colleague and fellow SuperCoach aficionado Jon Ralph to discuss his selections.

Stay tuned as Ralphy reveals his first team next week.

LISTEN TO THE SUPERCOACHES BOX PODCAST BELOW FOR THE LATEST ON THE ESSENDON SAGA’S IMPACT ON SUPERCOACH AND PLAYERS TO WATCH

MARK ROBINSON: I am surprised you are in this exercise considering you were out of the top 100,000 SuperCoach sides last year.

JON RALPH: I am this year’s Port Adelaide. Great exposed form — I was in the top 100 SuperCoach sides for a while two years back — but an off year in 2015. Let’s just say I trained off. And can I quote you? You just said I had a great side. I will hold you to that.

MR: Let’s start with the midfield. Pendlebury, Ablett, Hannebery, Gray, Rockliff. Every man and his dog will have Darcy Parish and I have gone two Kennedy boys — Ben (Melbourne) and Matthew (GWS). Got any of them?

JR: Not for me. I just can’t believe you drove down the highway to spend a day with Patty Dangerfield at Mogg’s Creek and you can’t get him in. Spoke to him for the Herald Sun Footy ‘16 magazine and he said he’s as fit as he’s been and has not one niggle.

MR: Too cocky for my liking ... just joking. Can’t fit them all in. I have got four of the top 10 midfielders in the competition and Patty, Selwood and Fyfe are next.

JR: Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. What is going on with Nathan Fyfe? Apparently his back is stuffed, but then again he’s back training. I won’t pick him until I see him play well in the NAB Challenge.

Robbo’s 2016 SuperCoach team.

MR: You can’t afford $670,600 just yet.

JR: You have some blokes I have never heard of — Josh Wagner from Melbourne, for instance.

MR: Just off the top of my head, 21-year-old player from Brisbane taken at six in the rookie draft?

JR: Oh, that Josh Wagner. The beauty of the next few weeks is pinching your mates’ SuperCoach rookies.

MR: I steal off Jay Clark. You and Mick Warner steal off me and Sam Edmund needs to start stealing off someone.

JR: I sometimes wonder if Clarky has the crown jewels in his computer, so zealously does he guard it in the pre-season to stop us seeing his side.

MR: Neither of us went with Buddy.

Mark Robinson and Jon Ralph get into the SuperCoach spirit. Picture: Eugene Hyland

JR: Just so many question marks. Everyone in footy will be cheering for him, but if he misses games early with his issues I will want him to take all the time he needs, not hope he comes back for SuperCoach.

MR: I won’t give up on him. He is in straight away at $470K and as usual I don’t go anywhere without Cyril.

JR: Normally I would laugh at you because my No.1 rule of SuperCoach is durability. But Cyril played almost every game last year.

MR: I reckon Tom Hawkins is ready to explode again, but it’s a different group at Geelong. They have got Mitch Clark back and you will notice I put Nathan Vardy in as my ruck at $293,400. Which I think is almost the steal of SuperCoach.

Everyone will pick Sam Kerridge and my bolters are Nick Kommer, Lachie Plowman, Alex Pearce. And the Brown boys — both called Mitch — in defence.

JR: My question marks are the Essendon boys. They are all cheap but they might get belted by everyone — except Carlton. Crowley is that awkward $202,800 and Darcy Parish is $202,800.

The bolter is Nakia Cockatoo. A bloke from down the highway who might wear 35 might have told me he was flying in his second pre-season.

MR: Looking at your team I have doubts. Still, looking at my team, I reckon your team is better than my team.

JR: By the time you have stolen three of my players and we have all seen the exposed form of the NAB Cup, they might look pretty similar. That’s the beauty of getting a side down early and then refining it.

MR: Next time you peek over my shoulder do expect Danger and Libba to be in my team.