AFL SuperCoach 2025: The Phantom answers the big questions of the pre-season

Who are the rookie locks? Can we trust Luke Beveridge? How do we best use Flex? The Phantom is back to answer the burning SuperCoach questions of the pre-season.

We back.

Midfield minutes are being handed out across the country, Dylan Shiel is dominating across half-back and everyone is training the house down.

Yes, we are in the thick of SuperCoach pre-season.

To mark the occasion, your favourite SuperCoach column is back.

Dylan Shiel?

I was padding. Let’s move on.

Stat padding is good across half-back?

It is, yes. But, no.

OK, what’s good then, Phant?

We have a new position in our great game!

If you are just diving into SuperCoach for the first time in 2025, Flex has arrived.

In short, it’s a 23rd player on field – and it can be from any position.

But, on non-bye weeks, as in previous years, only 22 scoring players count.

So, if Tom Green goes down in the first quarter the week you traded him in, you will get some relief.

I’m over it, I promise.

Anyway, read all about Flex and the new features for 2025 here.

How do we use Flex?

With a number of early strategies being floated, the answer to the question of how we best use the new position to our advantage is likely to only come in time.

An extra ruck? Another top-price rookie? An extra forward value pick? A $99k bargain?

I’ve got another cash cow in there for now – but let’s see how this year’s crop is really tracking come the opening round.

There are $99k players now?

Yes! And what a sight it is.

The salary cap remains unchanged, but you are required to pick an extra player this year – so every individual price has taken a slight hit.

Anyway, the semantics aren’t important here.

What is important is Harry Boyd.

Who?

He’s the 26-year-old ruckman who won the Magarey Medal in the SANFL last year after averaging 20 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 11 hitouts-to-advantage, 10 clearances, four tackles and 158 SuperCoach points.

He posted ridiculous scores of 266 and 245 in his 20 games.

And now he plays for St Kilda.

And Rowan Marshall is injured.

And there’s no Tom Campbell.

Harry Boyd, left, could be the SuperCoach bargain in 2025. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Can we pick him on field?

I’d love to.

But, gee, we thought the sight of $102k at R2 was a scary one.

Although slightly undersized at 196cm, Boyd will compete and score as the No. 1 ruckman – so it all depends on Marshall.

If we know the star Saint won’t be there for the opening month, it will be the play.

Who’s R1?

It’s hard to go past Tristan Xerri, the Roo who averaged 131 points per game post-bye last year.

Boring, Phant, what about Matt Flynn?

He’s my R2 at the moment with Boyd on the bench.

Because, like Boyd, as the side’s lead ruckman, he will score – the 27-year-old has done it before.

On debut for the Giants in 2021, five years after he was drafted, Flynn tallied 18 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 10 hitouts-to-advantage and 140 SuperCoach points.

He went on to average 87 points across 12 games.

Two years later, he averaged 88 in nine matches.

But, in between, he battled injury and the arrival of Kieran Briggs.

If he can win his next battle against Bailey Williams, who shouldered the ruck load last season in Briggs’ injury absence, then $261k is great buying.

For context, that prices him at an average of less than 50.

Back to the Saints, who isn’t injured?

Harsh, but fair.

The other big SuperCoach talking point at St Kilda this summer is Mattaes Phillipou’s stress fracture, which will sideline him for up to three months.

We were just getting excited about a breakout season, too.

But, don’t worry, there is no shortage of forward line bargains this year.

Jack Macrae ($392k), Bailey Smith ($389k), Luke Parker ($343k), Ryley Sanders ($339k) and Caleb Daniel ($269k) all present serious SuperCoach value.

There’s also Shai Bolton ($416) and Matt Kennedy, who could put their hands up before round 1.

Caleb Daniel looks set to slot in across half-back at his new club. Picture: Michael Klein

How do you rank them?

God tier: Macrae, Daniel

Must-have tier: Smith

Could-explode-but-I’m-scared-of-Bevo tier: Ryley Sanders, Matt Kennedy

Need-to-see-consistency tier: Bolton

Tiers aside, I’d love to pick Sanders, who averaged 126 SuperCoach points in seven VFL games last year, after arriving at the Bulldogs with under-18 national carnival scores of 210, 160, 151 and 161.

Also, a week after being subbed off in his AFL debut, he finished with 22 disposals, 10 contested possessions and 100 points in round 2.

But...

“Matt Kennedy will play in a few different positions, so will Riley Garcia, Ryley Sanders is learning different positions, Bont goes forward, so we’ve got some real depth in our flexibility which is great,” Bulldogs midfield coach Brendon Lade said on Thursday.

What do you get when you reverse Lade’s initials?

Yeah, I know.

Anyway, Sanders averaged 63 in 2024…

Yeah, but Macrae was still there and Adam Treloar – who has been sidelined by a calf injury – enjoyed a career-best season.

Ryley Sanders the full-time midfielder will be a SuperCoach force – the question is when we will see that permanently?

Ryley Sanders at Western Bulldogs training. Picture: David Crosling

Gee, who else is injured?

Popular early rookie pick Levi Ashcroft is in the rehab group and Gold Coast star Sam Flanders is in doubt for Opening Round.

“We need Sam Flanders playing at 100 per cent, not 60 per cent, so we won’t rush him back, we’ll make sure he’s right to go,” Suns coach Damien Hardwick said on Thursday.

That ain’t reassuring.

I was prepared to pay full-tote odds for the 23-year-old who averaged 119 points and scored a SuperCoach ton in all but two games last year.

What about the b…

Forget the early bye.

Unless it’s the round 3 bye, when Brisbane, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney all have the week off, don’t overthink it.

It’s best 18 and we’ve got Flex.

Anyway, who will you replace him with?

I’ve been looking for a way to squeeze Colby McKercher in, so if Flanders isn’t up and going come the start of the season proper, it might result in a slight restructure.

The move would save me close to $200k, and still give me a player who averaged 24 disposals per game, had 30 or more on six occasions, posted five SuperCoach tons and ranked equal-15th for effective kicks in the league in their debut season.

Sure, more midfield minutes could come his way this season – especially after the George Wardlaw injury – but this is the kid who arrived at Arden Street after averaging 150 and 144 as a midfielder at the national under-18 carnival and in the Coates League, respectively.

And finally, the must-have cheapie on every line?

Still a lot of water to go under the bridge here, but this is who I have for now.

Defence: Saad El-Hawli

Midfield: Jagga Smith

Ruck: Harry Boyd

Forward: Elijah Hewett

I’ll give you another name who could surprise for free, too…

Defence: James Leake

Midfield: Neil Erasmus

Ruck: Harry Barnett

Forward: Joe Berry

Give me more cheapie intel...

You can find it all here in our huge Rookie Bible for 2025.