KFC SuperCoach 2021: Tim Michell’s team revealed

Tim Michell has thrown the first draft of his KFC SuperCoach team out the window. And a number of breakout stars are among the big inclusions. See the side here.

My first team was the fast finishers - this is all about the kids on the rise.

Upgrading Braydon Preuss to Max Gawn for the set-and-forget ruck strategy meant sacrificing somewhere and my midfielders have taken a hit.

At least at the top end.

FIRST DRAFT: SEE TIM’S FIRST TEAM HERE

THE CHANGES

IN: Milera, Highmore, Chugg, Simpkin, B.Smith, Rowell, Gawn, Dunkley, Ford.

OUT: Duggan, Scrimshaw, Bontempelli, Laird, Perkins, Preuss, Dangerfield, Caldwell, F.Macrae

No Marcus Bontempelli is frightening considering the scaling he enjoys, but outside Lachie Neale I can’t see too many of the premium midfielders justifying their massive price tags.

Rory Laird is the other who made way and I’m happy to take a look at whether he enjoys the same success he did in the latter part of 2020 as a midfielder.

In their place comes the kids on the rise.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Marcus Bontempelli is out of Tim Michell’s KFC SuperCoach team and his young teammate Bailey Smith is in. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

ROOKIE BIBLE: MORE THAN 60 CHEAPIE OPTIONS RATED

I’m not sure Bailey Smith will ever average under 100 again after boosting his average from 76.6 to 92.1 last season.

Take out his score of 3 in Round 5 and he averaged 103.2 as a second-year player.

That’s Clayton Oliver second-year breakout levels and we all know what a KFC SuperCoach beast he’s become.

There were times last season when I felt like the only coach who didn’t have Jy Simpkin.

It was a hard slog watching him rack up points most weeks and only his efficiency cost him a triple-figure average.

Like Smith, he’s a player that is only getting better and can launch to an average of 100+ in 2021.

In a perfect world, that’s my M7 and M8 sorted.

Max Gawn leads the set-and-forget combination in the ruck. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

With the Gawn-Grundy combination locked in, that means I can use my trades to target fallen premiums in the midfield once their scores revert to the norm after the crazy year that was 2020.

Patrick Dangerfield is perhaps the biggest casualty but the likelihood of more time forward and his groin issues have scared me off.

I was certain I wouldn’t pick Josh Dunkley but he’s practically guaranteed to finish as a top-six forward even if Luke Beveridge decides to stick him in a back pocket in Round 2.

The Dogs midfield is absolutely stacked but Jack Macrae, Bontempelli, Lachie Hunter, Tom Liberatore and co. have averaged big numbers together before.

MORE EXPERT TEAMS: THE PHANTOM’S SIDE REVEALED

Tim Michell’s KFC SuperCoach team.

Tim Michell’s KFC SuperCoach team.

PREDICTED TEAMS: ANALYSIS ON EVERY CLUB’S BEST 22

Starting without Matthew Rowell was an oversight - he won’t be going anywhere now.

The other tweaks are in defence weere Jack Scrimshaw and Liam Duggan, who became Tom Highmore and Wayne Milera.

That was all about freeing up cash to lock Gawn in from the start.

Don’t get me wrong - Preuss is great value after his move to GWS.

But I’m not spending another season chasing Gawn and his huge points ceiling.

Gawn has Sean Darcy, Paddy Ryder/Rowan Marshall, Preuss, Rhys Stanley, Ben McEvoy and Toby Nankervis in the first six rounds.

That screams captain’s armband to me.