KFC SuperCoach 2020: The best rookie options ahead of Round 7
Three rookie targets scored more tha 90 in KFC SuperCoach in Round 6. The problem is, coaches only have two trades. How do you choose between Izak Rankine, Will Day and Sam Simpson?
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After Thursday night’s team announcements, Round 7 was always shaping as a double-downgrade week in KFC SuperCoach.
After several of those rookie-priced options starred at the weekend, the problem now is picking just two of them.
KFC SuperCoach prices change after two games, rather than three in previous years.
That means coaches will have to choose between Round 6 stars including Sam Simpson (112 points), Will Day (92), Andrew McPherson (76) and Izak Rankine (111), with only two trades available.
Which option you go with could come down to positional needs, potential cash generation or job security, all important factors when relying on rookies.
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These are the best options to consider for Round 7:
THE ROOKIE CANDIDATES
Sam Simpson (Geel) $123,900 MID
Round 6 score: 112
Round 7 breakeven: -63
The 22-year-old, who played six games in three years on Geelong’s rookie list, before being upgraded in 2020, was enormous in his first senior appearance in 700 days on Thursday night. In the win over the Lions, Simpson, the Cats’ reigning VFL best-and-fairest, tallied 27 disposals, 13 contested possessions and 112 points, stepping up in the middle following early injuries to Mitch Duncan and Quinton Narkle. With the pair likely to be sidelined and, after such an influential performance, Simpson’s time in the midfield should continue. He posted six KFC SuperCoach tons and averaged 91 points per game in the reserves last year.
Round 6 #supercoach Price Projection* - Sam Simpson
— Brice Mitchell (@bricemitchell) July 9, 2020
Start Price $123.9k
R5BE 25
R6Score 112
R6BE -63
ProjScore 80
R7:$124k->$188k (+$64k)
R8:$188k->$261k (+$73k)
R9:$261k->$300k (+$39k)
R10:$300k->$329k (+$29k)
R11:$329k->$349k (+$21k)
R12:$349k->$364k (+$15k) NewBE 56
*approx https://t.co/CZVrHgt3lR
Will Day (Haw) $153,300 DEF
Round 6 score: 92
Round 7 breakeven: -30
At last year’s national under-18 carnival, only No. 7 pick Hayden Young had more intercept possessions than Day. In four SANFL under-18 matches, before he was promoted to the reserves, the classy defender averaged eight intercept possessions – three of them marks. As a result, he averaged 88 and 132 SuperCoach points in each competition respectively. And the 19-year-old produced similar numbers in his AFL debut, recording six intercepts, eight effective kicks, seven contested possessions and 92 SuperCoach points in a composed performance against the Magpies. The rookie was even given some kick-in duties in his first game.
Andrew McPherson (Adel) $123,900 DEF
Round 6 score: 76
Round 7 breakeven: -27
The injury-plagued Crow made his long-awaited debut against the Eagles on Saturday. And he wasted little time proving why the Crows rate him so highly. The 21-year-old hit the target with eight of his nine disposals and finished with five intercepts, five marks, five one-percenters and 76 points in an efficient display. McPherson has battled groin and hamstring injuries since he was drafted at pick No. 40 in 2017 but he played nine SANFL games last year, rating above average for disposal efficiency, contested possessions, intercept marks and total intercepts. His draft year of 2017 was ruined by injury, too, but the rebounding-defender averaged 27 disposals and 132 SuperCoach as a bottom-ager in the SANFL Under-18s in 2016. And the Crows will continue to play the kids.
Izak Rankine (GC)
Izak rankine (GC) $123,900 FWD
Round 6 score: 111
Round 7 breakeven: -62
A debut that was more than worth the wait. Rankine was the third-best Sun with 111 points in his side’s loss to Melbourne, booting game-high three goals from 12 disposals. Any concerns he would be stuck in a forward pocket or wouldn’t feature in enough game time were unfounded. Rankine played 90 of 104 minutes, laid three tackles and kicked 3.3. He’s not going to produce tons every week, but looks a safe bet if you’re looking to downgrade Max King or Curtis Taylor. The first KFC SuperCoach ton of many for Rankine, we’re sure.
Round 6 #supercoach Price Projection* - Izak Rankine
— Brice Mitchell (@bricemitchell) July 11, 2020
Start Price $124k
R6Score 111
NewBE -62
ProjScore 80
R7:$124k->$188k (+$64k)
R8:$188k->$260k (+$73k)
R9:$260k->$299k (+$39k)
R10:$299k->$328k (+$29k)
R11:$328k->$349k (+$21k)
R12:$349k->$364k (+$15k)
*approx https://t.co/0oU7pIf1Oz
Dylan Stephens (Syd) $189,300 MID
Round 6 score: 52
Round 7 breakeven: 24
A solid debut from Sydney’s top-10 draft pick, especially considering the torrid conditions. But he needed to do more to justify paying almost $200,000 ahead of a round where so many value rookies are about $70,000 cheaper. Stephens tallied 11 disposals and four tackles in his first outing as a Swan.
Chad Warner (Syd) $117,300 MID
Round 6 score: 38
Round 7 breakeven: 8
Only Josh Kennedy, who went off with a knee injury in the first term, scored less than Warner for the Swans. John Longmire seems likely to give rookies plenty of opportunity, as we’ve already seen with popular KFC SuperCoach starting pick Justin McInerney. Warner scored -2 in his only pre-season game and you couldn’t justify trading him in over Simpson or Rankine after Sunday’s game.
Atu Bosenavulagi (Coll) $123,900 FWD
Round 6 score: 55
Approx Round 7 breakeven: -6
You might need to be a Collingwood fan to be tempted by Bosenavulagi considering Rankine is clearly the No. 1 forward target of Round 7. If you want to double downgrade in attack or don’t have the DPP to grab Sam Simpson or Will Day, Bosenavulagi did enough on debut to be in the mix for a second game. The concern will be whether he was a placeholder for Jordan De Goey, who flew directly to Perth with suspended teammate Steele Sidebottom. Bosenavulagi had 16 disposals and four marks on debut.
Josh Morris (Haw) $117,300 FWD
Round 6 score: 26
Approx Round 7 breakeven: 20
Only Jon Patton (9) who was injured early scored less points than debutant Morris’ 26. He had four possessions and laid two tackles, not enough to make him a KFC SuperCoach prospect this year. Pay the extra $6600 for Rankine or use DPP to get Day or Simpson if you already have the Suns forward.
Riley Collier-Dawkins (Rich) $123,900 MID
Round 6 score: N/A
Approx Round 7 breakeven: 24
The young Tiger is more one to keep on your radar than to factor in for Round 7. Collier-Dawkins was named in the extended squad for Richmond but missed out on a debut against Sydney. The 191cm averaged 70 ranking points in his maiden VFL campaign with a season-high score of 127. Richmond went with Marlion Pickett and Jack Graham to replace Dion Prestia and Trent Cotchin but don’t be surprised if Collier-Dawkins gets a chance in coming rounds. Put him in your black book.
What a moment!
— AFL (@AFL) July 11, 2020
Harley Bennell gets his first goal as a Demon â¤ï¸#AFLDeesSuns pic.twitter.com/x9MaMNcMY8
Harley Bennell (Melb) $152,200 MID
Round 6 score: 54
Approx Round 7 breakeven: -24
After 59 points on debut in 50 per cent game time for Melbourne, Bennell got through 82 of 104 minutes on Saturday night. He finished with 13 disposals and 1.1, although his goal after the final siren didn’t get much love from the KFC SuperCoach scorers as the result had been sealed. If you were lucky enough to already have Simpson you could consider Bennell, although be mindful he’s unlikely to be risked on short back ups which are set to be part of the fixture in the next month.
OUR RANKINGS
The Phantom
1. Izak Rankine
2. Sam Simpson
3. Andrew McPherson
It will be Rankine and Simpson for me, almost without hesitation. Rankine showcased his immense SuperCoach scoring power – and talent – on Saturday night. And Simpson will be a welcome addition to a struggling rookie-midfielder pool. If McPherson backs up his Round 6 performance, he’ll still be a great buy next week.
Tim Michell
1. Izak Rankine
2. Sam Simpson
3. Will Day
KFC SuperCoaches won’t need to put much time or thought into their moves for Round 7. I had doubts over Rankine’s likely game time and role as a small forward, but couldn’t have been more wrong. He had six shots on goal on debut and his impact from few disposals will suit shorter quarters. Simpson was, along with Patrick Dangerfied, a major reason Geelong blew Brisbane Lions away. Not bad against the midfield many rate as the AFL’s best. If you need a defensive downgrade Day is the man. He looked polish on debut with 16 possessions at 81.3 per cent and was even taking kick outs. There was a bit of Jordan Ridley about him and we know how well the young Bomber is going in KFC SuperCoach this year.
Al Paton
1. Izak Rankine
2. Will Day
3. Sam Simpson
I thought about going a week early on Rankine but decided to play safe and get Jake Aarts instead. Oops. Day is a natural SuperCoach scorer and cheap defenders are like gold – please just leave him there for 11 weeks, Clarko. I like Andrew McPherson’s job security but can’t ignore a 112 first up from Simpson. Big question for me will be deciding whether to cash in rookies like Curtis Taylor for a small profit or prioritise getting bodies on field over the next six weeks and get rid of non-scoring benchwarmers like Bailey Williams.
Dan Batten
1. Izak Rankine
2. Sam Simpson
3. Will Day
Nabbing two cash cows this week looks to be a must and Izak Rankine headlines the promising crop of Round 7 bubble boys. His 111-point effort could’ve been even larger if he had kicked straight (3.3) and his X-Factor is perfect for KFC SuperCoach. Cat Sam Simpson has a mature body and has solid job security with Mitch Duncan and Quiton Narkle set to be sidelined. Hawk Will Day took some kick-ins and while he is a bit more expensive, his role across halfback and his trusted ball-use should make him a consistent rookie scorer.
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