SuperCoach 2016: Sam Edmund reveals his SuperCoach side ahead of the NAB Challenge
‘IS IT just me or does this get harder every year?’ Sam Edmund casts his eye across every AFL list and gives us his first crack at a SuperCoach side.
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IS IT just me or does this get harder every year?
Before we’ve clicked a mouse button in anger, that $10 million war chest looks enormous.
Then we delve into the must-haves, the mid-price temptations and even the kids and it’s like squeezing a round peg into a square hole.
I must confess, I’ve really struggled with it this year. But the side you see below is at least a starting point. A work in progress.
There are some great debating points this season.
What about this swath of mid-priced midfielders? Awkwardly-priced yes, but upside potentially enormous.
Tom Liberatore ($357k), Brad Crouch (306k) and Jaeger O’Meara (316k) head the list here.
Truth is ‘Libba’ is a must-have. A best-and-fairest in 2014 — the same year he dominated the league in clearances — just screams ‘pick me’’.
Perhaps the name that may cause you to choke on thin-air is Jimmy Toumpas.
The much-maligned former Demon is there because the whisper from Port is strong enough to suggest he is set for a big year in a role Ken Hinkley has devised for him.
For that reason, and the fact he’s $289k, I’m prepared to take the risk. At the very least, it’s going to be an adventure.
In defence I’ve gone for a long-in-the-tooth Jimmy Bartel, but given he’s set for more midfield time I’m prepared to go there. If James Aish plays wing for Collingwood at this price it’s a steal. We will watch the NAB with interest.
Todd Goldstein is expensive, but rucks aren’t something I want to be stuffing around with, although I appear to have contradicted myself given Matt Lobbe is next to him.
With Paddy Ryder banned, I’m hoping Lobbe can return to the form he showed in 2014 and therefore prove a bargain.
Michael Barlow has a spot in my forward line because he is also set for more midfield minutes. Buddy Franklin makes me nervous, but he’s looked excellent on the track.
The kids are the kids. They’re in for now, but as always it’s a play-it-by-ear approach ahead of the pre-season competition.
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