KFC SuperCoach Draft 2022: Expert consensus player rankings in every position
Taking part in a KFC SuperCoach Draft? We’re here to help. Our experts have ordered their top players to deliver the ultimate consensus ranking for every position.
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If you haven’t played KFC SuperCoach Draft before, you’re missing out.
Arguably, it’s a fun, more-exciting way to play our favourite fantasy game.
Take part in a league with your mates – or join any available public league – and select a unique KFC SuperCoach team through a live draft where each player is only available once.
You can then trade players with other teams throughout the season and pick up any undrafted player from the free agency pool as you go.
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League settings – number of teams, squad size, trading and free agency options, gameplay and draft type, just to name a few – are customisable, allowing you to set up your competition your own way.
To help you pick the right players on draft night, our experts have ranked their top players in every position to come up with the 2022 consensus KFC SuperCoach Draft rankings.
BEGINNER’S GUIDE: GET STARTED IN KFC SUPERCOACH DRAFT
DEFENCE
THE PHANTOM: There’s plenty to choose from at the top-end in defence this year. I’d consider Lloyd and Crisp with a late first-round pick, but, given a few others could slide, there’s also reason to hold off and look in other positions first. Keep tabs on George Hewett, Nic Newman and Jack Sinclair later in the draft.
DAN BATTEN: Always look for the kick-in merchants. Hall is the interesting one – will he back to his 2021 form after his hamstring injury? If he slides down the order, he could provide some juicy value. Dawson could challenge Lloyd for his thrown, and will 2022 be the year we see a Hayden Young breakout?
AL PATON: I’m prioritising reliability at the top end but there are lots of great picks here – anyone in the top 10 should average 100-plus or very close to it. Caleb Daniel could slide after his average slipped to 93 last year.
TIM MICHELL: The depth in defence is outrageous this year. Try to snare a top-liner with one of your first picks but if your top-six options are off the board, be prepared to wait and prioritise other positions. There’s plenty of value to be found later in drafts. I couldn’t even fit George Hewett or Jacob Weitering into my top 20!
CAM MCLACHLAN: There’s a whole bunch of defenders that feel ‘similar’ from a scoring perspective from ranks 20-50. Punt defenders!
MIDFIELD
TP: I’ve got Lachie Neale in the big five - just ahead of Touk Miller - so don’t hesitate in using a first-round pick on the player who averaged 134 in 2020. If Sam Walsh even gets close to a surprise Round 1 return, take him a lot higher than this ranking (No. 15). Darcy Parish is a 120-point man in the making, and landing him in the second-round, after taking a positional player with your first pick, might be the perfect start. Don’t forget about Danger, either.
DB: Tough ask whittling this list down to just 20. Don’t wait too long for Sam Walsh in your draft, just take him, as he will more than make up for the rounds he misses. Dangerfield and Pendlebury are the wildcards: both could be dual position players by Round 6 – particularly Pendles as a defender – which can add another dimension to your side. Mills is another that could fly under the radar with his Achilles injury.
AP: So much absolute gold here you almost can’t go wrong but nailing one of the top three here will deliver bulk points especially if you have captains switched on. Sam Walsh was difficult to place after his syndesmosis injury but is still worthy of a high selection for 16+ good scores, but I’ve got Jarryd Lyons and Ollie Wines sliding back a bit from last year. Wines might never produce another season like that while Lyons could be the loser from Chris Fagan giving the likes of Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey more midfield time.
TM: Easily the hardest line to differentiate between players after you go past the big four, who are likely to be gone in the first 10-12 picks. I’ve thrown a few different names into the mix and like The Phantom I think Darcy Parish is going to average close to 120 this season. Midfield is where you can often grab a bargain later in a draft, especially if the premiums capable of averaging 110 are all gone.
CM: Mids look like they run deep - but the value does dry up pretty quickly. Prioritise midfielders and forwards early.
RUCK
TP: There’s a clear top five - Grundy, Darcy, Naitanui and, then a little bit further back, Marshall. If they are off the board, don’t rush to take the next best – there’s some value to be found in Sam Draper and Jarrod Witts.
DB: If you can’t prise one of the big five (Grundy, Gawn, Darcy, NicNat and Marshall), wait it out. Rucks like the Big O and ROB could provide value for you later in the piece while you snare top-line stars elsewhere.
AP: I would be happy to get any of the top three but there’s a bit of a gap after that, although Naitanui can score as well as the others if his body holds together (he played every game last season so who knows). Marshall and McInerney are two rucks on the rise while you can’t leave KFC SuperCoach stalwart Todd Goldstein out of the top 10.
TM: All signs point to Grundy reclaiming his mantle as the best big man in KFC SuperCoach, although I am hesitant to completely write off Gawn just because Luke Jackson shone during last year’s finals series playing through the middle. Sean Darcy seems to carry an injury most weeks so he slides to No. 4 and I’m an unabashed Rowan Marshall fan. It’s a bonus he could get DPP at some point too and elevates him ahead of Gawn and Darcy in the pecking order.
CM: Like most years, punting rucks is a fantastic strategy. So much value late.
FORWARD
TP: If Grundy, Macrae and Steele are off the board, I’d be tempted to take Josh Dunkley, who has the potential to put 10 points on the next-best forward. Mitch Duncan’s limited pre-season is a worry, but that might mean a bargain for you. There are plenty of ‘what-ifs’ after that, but Butters and De Goey are my next two. Don’t let Dunkley’s mate Adam Treloar slide too far and keep an eye on Tom Powell and Errol Gulden later in the draft.
DB: Quite an even bunch after Dunkley – assuming Duncan misses some games with injury early in the year. Look to the forwards who will be getting midfield time, and prepare to scroll down the list for the likes of Coniglio, Rayner and Brodie.
AP: An absolute lottery after No. 1 here – if you can get Dunkley early in your draft, do it! Treloar averaged 100-plus for seven years in a row before 2021 and is a strong chance to get back to three figures, but it’s hard to be confident about anyone else on this list. Heeney, Butters and Tarryn Thomas are the most exciting prospects if you like taking a risk but it wouldn’t shock me if they all average 85. Good luck!
TM: I’ve left out Wingard (durability), Greene (suspension) Dixon (injury concern), Sidebottom and Tom McDonald, which I am sure will raise some eyebrows. But the forward line is where the most conjecture often is in a KFC SuperCoach draft and this year will be no different. Zac Fisher is a serious smoky later in drafts if Michael Voss is determined to play him further up the ground, as has been suggested.
CM: Getting one or two of the top few forwards could really differentiate your team. Focus on forwards and mids early.
Originally published as KFC SuperCoach Draft 2022: Expert consensus player rankings in every position
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