KFC SuperCoach AFL 2021: Best ruck options for 2021 analysed
There are suddenly multiple ruck options in 2021 for KFC SuperCoach. Expert Tim Michell puts them under the microscope.
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The two most-talked about ruckmen this KFC SuperCoach pre-season have a combined AFL tally of 18 games.
Braydon Preuss is the biggest talking point ahead of 2021 after finally making a move to a club where he is destined to become the first-choice ruckman.
The other is Fremantle rookie Josh Treacy, a 194cm key forward from Bendigo Pioneers who is the only RUC-FWD listed at $102,400 this year.
Preuss joined GWS Giants during last year’s trade period and will vie with veteran Shane Mumford for a Round 1 starting berth.
The 25-year-old has done a long apprenticeship behind Todd Goldstein and Max Gawn, but his KFC SuperCoach numbers during rare AFL appearances were eye-catching.
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Preuss averaged 102.6 in three matches Gawn missed and posted 111 points in his only full game without Goldstein while at North Melbourne.
R2 was a revolving door in many KFC SuperCoach teams last season and extra trades allowed coaches to trade Gawn when he missed rounds 11-13.
Barring another season of footy frenzies, KFC SuperCoaches will have the regular 30 trades to use in 2021.
That add weight to the idea of paying the hefty $1,399,600 for ruck behemoths Gawn and Brodie Grundy.
The theory is you lock away your starting ruckmen at the start of the year, benefit from their elite scoring and use your trades to strengthen elsewhere.
Gawn is the most expensive starting player in KFC SuperCoach history at $751,400, while Grundy is $57,700 cheaper than he started 2020.
The ‘set and forget’ duo are actually $3400 cheaper than in 2020 despite Gawn’s historic starting price.
The Grundy-Preuss combination has been popular in initial KFC SuperCoach teams as coaches look to spread their wealth and target premiums in other positions.
There’s no perfect answer yet to which starting duo will pay off — in fact Gawn and Grundy or a combination of Gawn/Grundy and Preuss could be work.
Here’s our assessment of the top ruck options in 2021 to help you decide.
THE BIG GUNS
Max Gawn (Melbourne) $751,400 RUCK | 2020 Average: 139.9 | 2019 Average: 128.4
The most expensive starting player ever in KFC SuperCoach after an off-the-charts 2020 season. Gawn posted 121 points or more in 12 of his 14 games and scored 150 points or more in an incredible eight matches — with a season-high of 185. Who could forget the stretch where he went 141, 163, 153, 185 and 157 in successive weeks, a five-round average of 159.8? No doubt he benefited from shorter quarters and the resultant scaling, but you’re going to need Gawn at some point in 2021. It’s just a matter of whether you can squeeze him into your starting budget.
Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) $648,200 RUCK | 2020 Av: 120.6 | 2019 Av: 130
If shorter quarters and the footy frenzy helped Gawn, they had the opposite effect on Grundy. Collingwood had one of the most congested fixtures of 2020 and it ultimately caught up with many of their stars, including Grundy. From Round 8, Grundy scored above 120 only four times and averaged 111.7, almost 20 points less than his 2019 output. As frustrating as that was for KFC SuperCoaches, it means Grundy is available for less than $650,000 in 2021. The return to longer quarters should result in a resumption of his consistent 120-plus scoring.
Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne) $601,700 RUCK | 2020 Av: 112 | 2019 Av: 112.2
The uber-consistent Roo has sat on the rung of KFC SuperCoach scorers below Gawn and Grundy in recent years, although his fast finish to 2019 (he averaged 128 from Round 13 onwards) was on par with the big two. Much like Grundy, Goldstein battled one-out throughout much of the footy frenzy in a team which didn’t win many games. Both of these factors didn’t help his scoring, yet he still matched his 2019 average of 112. What works against him as a starting pick is Grundy is only $46,500 more expensive and the scoring gap between them could amount to 200 points during a full season. There’s no doubt Goldstein will average triple figures again and he’s certain to be a POD.
Nic Naitanui (West Coast) $593,700 RUCK | 2020 Av: 110.5 | 2019 Av: 93.7
Was there a player whose scoring benefited as much from shorter quarters as Nic Nat? His high-impact game was perfectly suited to football in 2020 and he got through 16 of a possible 18 matches for the Eagles. His rate of hitouts-to-advantage was a major factor in a run when he scored 146, 129, 153 and 146 mid-season. Whether those numbers can translate to full quarters is the obvious question mark, with the strong possibility a player such as Bailey Williams partners Naitanui this year. Again, he’s close enough in price to Grundy that KFC SuperCoaches might as well just go for the Pies’ big man instead.
THE MID-PRICERS
Sam Draper $378,100 RUCK | 2020 Av: 70.4 | 2019 Av: N/A
Thousands of KFC SuperCoaches benefited from Draper’s mid-season debut and cash generation of more than $200,000 last season. Draper has assumed the No.1 ruck mantle from Tom Bellchambers and scored below 60 only once last season — when he went head-to-head with Gawn in Round 18. His Round 13 effort of 13 disposals, six marks, 14 hitouts and four tackles against Richmond resulted in a score of 122 points. He’s an exciting talent who looms as a future premium ruckman, but it’s going to be hard to justify paying $75,000 more than Preuss is available for.
Braydon Preuss (GWS Giants) $303,000 RUCK | 2020 Av: 62.7 (three games) | 2019 Av: 67.4 (seven games)
Opportunity knocks for the ex-Roo and Demon, who was traded to GWS Giants after spending the early years of his career stuck behind Todd Goldstein and Max Gawn. His output in limited opportunities as a one-out ruckman has been encouraging — in three games without Gawn at the Demons he averaged 102.6 points. KFC SuperCoaches need to decide whether that’s enough evidence to take a mid-price risk and whether being able to pick a premium in another position is worth losing 20-25 points a week to Gawn-Grundy owners if Preuss averages 100. There’s also the prospect KFC SuperCoach nemesis Leon Cameron calls on Shane Mumford at some point. Yes that’s right — Mummy is still on the GWS list.
Tom Hickey (Sydney) $261,100 RUCK | 2020 Av: 54 (three games) | 2019 Av: 78.4
The journeyman ruckman lands in the Harbour City and seems destined for greater opportunities with Sam Naismith sidelined. Hickey’s best KFC SuperCoach campaigns were averages of 88.5 (2014) and 89.5 (2018), which are hardly convincing when so many ruckmen average 100 points or more. But if you’re strapped for cash to the point where even Preuss is out of reach, why not use Hickey as a stopgap? His peak price two seasons ago when he averaged career-best numbers was $446,300, so bridging the gap between Hickey and either Gawn or Grundy will likely cost $150,000, and that’s a best-case scenario.
THE CHEAPIE
Josh Treacy (Fremantle) $102,400 FWD/RUCK
If KFC SuperCoaches learned one thing in a crazy 2020 campaign, it was the value of a FWD/RUCK swing at R3. Those who were stuck with $102k ruck-only Matt Conroy were hamstrung when Sam Draper burst onto the scene, while coaches who paid the extra $15k for DPP Charlie Comben profited by swinging Comben onto their forward benches. There are three $102k ruckmen in 2021 but Treacy, who was taken at No.7 in the rookie draft by the Dockers, is the only one with DPP status. He’s been the first picked in many KFC SuperCoach teams since the team picker went live.
THE FORWARD
Rowan Marshall (St Kilda) $557,200 FWD/RUCK | 2020 Av: 103.7 | 2019 Av: 110.2
KFC SuperCoaches lamented the ruck split between Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall last season, but those with a long-term view will have noted the benefits of the time Marshall spent in attack. As he was in 2019 — his breakout season — Marshall has been listed as a RUCK/FWD. Coaches who start with Marshall and Treacy can use their DPP status in the event Gawn, Grundy or Preuss miss a game, saving an all-important trade. His FWD status is more of a bonus and Marshall can more than justify his selection on the points he will accrue. His 103.7 average in 2020 would have ranked fifth of all forwards.
OUR VERDICTS
AL PATON
Max Gawn (Melb) $751,400
Brodie Grundy (Coll) $648,200
BENCH: Josh Treacy (Freo) $102,400
The temptation of saving $300k by picking Braydon Preuss is real but I can’t go past the set and forget set up of Gawn and Grundy. I’m a sucker for the huge scores that pair pumps out on a regular basis (especially if I have the C on one of them) and a big fan of avoiding the problem of trying to trade one of them in at some point of the season. If all goes well Preuss will do something similar to Carlton big man Marc Pittonet last season. Starting at just $236k, Pittonet scored 134 and 137 in his first two games and by Round 6 had just about doubled in value. That’s great, but in just that short period Gawn scored 118 more points – and he missed one of those games with injury. Then you have a dilemma – go on losing ground to everyone with Gawn/Grundy or try to upgrade. To do that you’ll have to find at least $200k (even if Gawn or Grundy drop in price – both unlikely in my opinion) and use two trades (at least). If you don’t have any other issues to deal with. No thanks.
THE PHANTOM
Brodie Grundy (Coll) $648,200
Braydon Preuss (GWS) $303,000
BENCH: Josh Treacy (Freo) $102,400
I don’t love a Max Gawn-less ruck set up but I can’t overlook Grundy for $100k less. I’m tipping he’ll back to his best in a – fingers crossed – hub-free season and, as a result, push back towards the 130-point mark. As scores even out across the 44 players on the field with a return to 20-minute quarters, I think Gawn will average similar. And that means a slight fall so I’ll be overlooking the top-price combination at this point given Preuss’s new No. 1 ruck role at the Giants. In the three games he played without Gawn at the Demons, Preuss posted scores of 84, 85 and 140. In his two at North Melbourne without Todd Goldstein, the 25-year-old scored 111 and an injury-affected 39.
TIM MICHELL
Max Gawn (Melb) $751,400
Brodie Grundy (Coll) $648,200
BENCH: Josh Treacy (Freo) $102,400
Those who looked at my initial team reveal will notice my ruckmen have already changed. I was pretty set on starting with Preuss, but can't bring myself to go without Gawn and Grundy. I’m prepared to skimp elsewhere to make it happen. The biggest factor in favour of the “set and forget” strategy was you can get Gawn and Grundy in your starting team for cheaper than last season. Once I realised that, it was a no-brainer. I’ll have Rowan Marshall up forward too so he can provide coverage should something go amiss.
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