KFC SuperCoach 2021: Tim Michell unveils his latest team, bargain basement forward line

KFC SuperCoach expert Tim Michell is prepared for the critics, but there’s a method to his bargain basement forward line. SEE HIS TEAM

I’ve settled on a KFC SuperCoach team even Gillon McLachlan would approve of.

The AFL boss’s buzzword in 2020 was agility and my KFC SuperCoach team this year is all about being ready for just about any scenario.

That’s why I’ve gone with flexible premiums in the midfield rather than paying up for players such as Clayton Oliver or Jack Steele to partner Lachie Neale.

Lose a forward to injury, suspension or form? Swing Patrick Dangerfield or Josh Dunkley into attack.

Lose a defender for the same reasons? Swing Rory Laird back.

The forward line is where my obvious issues lie. What do they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

FIRST DRAFT:SEE TIM’S FIRST TEAM HERE

One member of our expert KFC SuperCoach jury described my forward line as “cringe-worthy”, and on face value, he’s not far from the mark.

Jack Ziebell at F1 is asking for trouble — in any normal season at least.

I’m mitigating the risk of relying on rookies who I have very little confidence in by paying up for Ziebell, Joe Daniher, Jarman Impey, Paddy Dow, Braeden Campbell and Ned Cahill.

All of those players are only FWD eligible, so if I want to fit them in I need to start Dunkley and Dangerfield in midfield.

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Joe Daniher is loving life at the Lions.

That also means only having to upgrade four forward spots, rather than six if I started with MID-only players at M2 and M4.

Laird is a similar story. He’ll be a top-six defender come season’s end and my plan will be to swing him into defence when it suits for trading.

Say Oliver or Steele drop to $550k (a KFC SuperCoach can dream) then I’ll swing Laird into defence and bolster my midfield with a big gun other coaches paid thousands more to start with.

In a perfect world, all of my forwards will reach about $350k.

In a more realistic world, I’ll need to have a plan to offload one or two who don’t work out.

Daniher is the one I’m most concerned by, but he arguably has the most upside of any player in the $200k-$250k bracket.

He only needs to get through 5-6 games, kick a couple of bags and make some quick cash before you can offload him.

ROOKIE BIBLE: MORE THAN 60 CHEAPIE OPTIONS RATED

Paddy Dow has had a big pre-season. Picture: Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily

I know what you’re thinking — ‘There’s no way he actually starts with that forward line’.

But the more we hear about rookies with flimsy job security, the more convinced I am this is the way to go.

Pay up for job security and have flexibility to trade sideways in the event one of these forwards doesn’t work out — as I expect will be the case.

The player I’m missing that I really want is James Worpel, who I’m convinced is going to average 105-plus.

I had to sacrifice the Worpedo to fit Daniher, trading Worpel and a rookie to Daniher and James Harmes.

If there’s one player who bolts into my side by the first bounce at the MCG of Round 1, it will be Worpel.

KFC SuperCoach is about mitigating risk in many ways and I think the greatest risk this year comes from having rookies dropped mid-round - who decided 24-hour team announcements were a good idea?

Pay up, alleviate that stress and enjoy the price rise Ziebell, Daniher, Impey and co have in store.

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Tim Michell's new-look KFC SuperCoach side.