AFL players nominate the best SuperCoach picks at their clubs

WHICH player is surprised he isn’t in more SuperCoach teams? Who is picking themselves? AFL stars reveal the inside word on the best bargain selections from their teams.

THEY are closer to the game with most of us and know their teammates as well as anyone.

So in search of some SuperCoach specials this season, we went to the players.

The annual AFL captains day yielded a host of useful SuperCoach intel, including Scott Pendlebury backing backline cheapie Sam Murray, Jarryd Roughead revealing Cyril Rioli is “right in the mix” for Round 1 (and giving his take on Jaeger O’Meara), and Josh Kennedy hinting bolter Ryley Stoddart could play in the Swans’ season-opener against West Coast.

We have surveyed more captains, and other AFL stars, in recent days to get the inside word on who to pick. Here are the results.

‘HE’S GOING IN MY TEAM’ SAYS LIONS SKIPPER

Some believe young Brisbane defender Alex Witherden would have won the Rising Star award last year had he played a full season.

Witherden was made to earn his stripes in the NEAFL and also carried some injury niggles across the first half of the season but exploded onto the scene in the second half of the year, scoring 76 Supercoach points in his debut game and averaging 87 points across his nine games in total.

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Asked for a teammate who would be a SuperCoach special this year, Brisbane captain Dayne Beams did not hesitate in nominating the $478,900 defender, who he believes can still reach another level.

“I’ve got someone who’s going in my team. I like Alex Witherden,” he said.

“He was pretty good towards the end of last year so he might not even be that cheap but I think he’s going to be a really good player. He plays that half-back role where you get a lot of marks and kicks and that’s always good for fantasy players.”

Brisbane Lions young gun Alex Witherden. Picture: Liam Kidston

‘WHY THE OTHER PEOPLE HAVEN’T PICKED ME IS PUZZLING’

Melbourne ruckman and new Herald Sun columnist Max Gawn says he is puzzled by the lack of love he has received from SuperCoach players entering this season.

Gawn – who will pen his first column in the Sunday Herald Sun this week – is seen by many as a value ruck selection at $503,700 given he averaged just 91 points in an injury-riddled 2017 after recording a mammoth average of 118 the year before.

After scoring 144 and 125 in his two JLT Series games, he is the most-selected player in SuperCoach. But Gawn says that’s not enough.

“Someone told me I was in 58 per cent of teams. I’m not sure if that’s a bit of a low number,” Gawn joked.

“I don’t know how to say this without sounding cocky but why the other 42 per cent of people haven’t picked me is puzzling.

“But there’s probably a bit of pressure on me now to pull out some big hundreds every now and then.”

Max Gawn meets his new media colleagues on the Herald Sun and Fox Footy’s Full--On Footy Tour.

‘WITH MY HEART I’D PROBABLY PICK DANE’

When you sit down to pick a SuperCoach side, the big question is who to select first.

Dustin Martin, Patrick Dangerfield, Nat Fyfe?

Richmond defender Dylan Grimes said he had other ideas.

“I love the way Dangerfield goes about his footy, I really love the way (Jeremy) McGovern plays with that defensive chop-out role, but I’d probably take Dane Rampe,” Grimes said when asked for his first pick.

“He’s probably a player I’d like to model myself on with his style of attacking and contest play. He’s got a really good balance between offence and defence. So with my heart I’d probably pick Dane but with my SuperCoach nous I’d probably pick Danger I think.”

Rampe’s Supercoach average dropped from 88 to 73 last season but he has dominated in the pre-season, kicking three goals in ALFX then scoring 148 in his only JLT Series game.

As for the Tiger most likely to pick themselves in their own SuperCoach side?

“Probably Josh Caddy, I reckon. I won’t say why, I’ll just say Josh Caddy,” Grimes said.

Josh Caddy has had a strong pre-season. Picture: Michael Klein

IS THE ‘BIG FRIDGE’ A HOT SUPERCOACH PICK?

He caught the eye in the final three games of Essendon’s campaign last year and skipper Dyson Heppell reckons forward Josh Begley is ready to fire this season.

Listed as a forward in SuperCoach with a price tag of $209,000, the 19-year-old kicked two goals in the Bombers’ elimination final loss to Sydney last year could shape as an early-season cash cow if he spends some more time in the midfield.

“One from left-field, I’m going to throw up Josh Begley, the ‘Big Fridge’,” Heppell said when asked to nominate a teammate who presented serious SuperCoach value this year.

“He’s got an ability to be damaging up forward in front of goals but I reckon he might be able to throw his weight around in the guts as well and get a fair bit of the footy.”

‘HE’LL GROW WITH CONFIDENCE’

Adelaide captain Taylor Walker is one of the game’s straight shooters and has put teammate Mitch McGovern in the gun to produce some big scores for SuperCoach players this season.

McGovern managed just 13 games last season after suffering hamstring problems in the first half of the year, but has shown glimpses he could be one of the top forwards in the game.

The 23-year-old averaged 66 Supercoach points last season and is awkwardly priced at $381,200, but his skipper says get him in your side.

“I reckon he’ll play a full season of footy and he’ll grow with confidence,” Walker said.

Marley Williams is the kind of attacking defender SuperCoaches love. Picture: Michael Klein

‘HE’S SOMEONE YOU MIGHT WANT TO SCAN OVER’

A lot of SuperCoaches have North Melbourne’s top draft pick Luke Davies-Uniacke already in their team, but Kangaroos skipper Jack Ziebell has thrown up a different teammate as his fantasy smoky this season.

Defender Marley Williams ($396,300) averaged 72 points from 13 games last year before his campaign was ended by a back injury, but Ziebell reckons he is ready for much bigger things in 2018.

“One who doesn’t get mentioned too much who is going to be pretty impressive is Marley Williams,” Ziebell said.

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“He’s very underrated throughout the league. He can play as a lock-down defender or a rebounding, attacking defender, depending on what we need.

“He’s someone I think would be cheap, because he didn’t play the back end of last year.

“He’s someone you might just want to scan over and have a look at.”

Ziebell said Davies-Uniacke was one of several new faces who fans would get to know this year.

“I think Luke Davies-Uniacke, Billy Hartung are probably two guys who’ve come to the footy club who will play pretty early on,” Ziebell said.

“Our second pick, Will Walker, and we’ve got a rookie Tom Murphy, who is tracking really well as well, they’re guys to keep an eye out for.”