KFC SuperCoach Plus: The 11 things you need to know from the AFL pre-season so far

Just signed up for KFC SuperCoach? Or just want to make sure you haven’t missed anything? Here are 11 key things we’ve learnt from the pre-season so far.

The official pre-season action is here and Round 1 of KFC SuperCoach is getting closer.

But don’t stress if you are just starting your research now.

To help you prepare, The Phantom has dug back through his pre-season notes, practice match intel and the key KFC SuperCoach Plus stats to make sure you are across everything you need to know.

SuperCoach Plus is a treasure trove of stats and tools including breakevens, score and price projections, a bye planner, the expanded Trade Assist button and, this year, a coaches choice tab that allows you to see how many of the top 1 per cent, 5 per cent and 10 per cent of teams in the overall rankings own every player. And SuperCoach Plus subscribers can also see live KFC SuperCoach scores for every AFL game in the 2022 season.

And you get exclusive weekly analysis articles just like this one!

SIGN UP TO KFC SUPERCOACH PLUS FOR LIVE SCORES, EXCLUSIVE STATS, TEAM LATEST AND MORE.

Nick Daicos at Collingwood training. Picture: Michael Klein

Nick Daicos is ready to take the next step

You might remember the teenage sensation averaged 105 KFC SuperCoach points in the final 11 games of last season – his first in the competition. Daicos, who played on with every one of his 52 kick-ins in 2022, recorded more handball receives in the defensive half than any other player in the competition and played the attacking half-back role to a tee. But he’s ready to move on, with the Magpies set to introduce the 20-year-old to their midfield mix in 2023. Daicos starred in Collingwood’s intra-club clash, running rings around his more experience teammates, and attended 52 per cent of centre bounces in the practice match against the Blues. He featured down back in the game, taking kick-ins, and forward of centre, too, but given his elite endurance and footy IQ, Daicos is likely to be in the right position to win the ball regardless of where he starts. The second-year Magpie is in close to 50 per cent of KFC SuperCoach teams ahead of the final practice match so, at $500k, the safest play is now just to start him.

Charlie Constable is actually likely to get a game

Yes, it could really be happening. After years putting up big numbers as a midfielder in the state league – and even during his brief time in Geelong’s senior team – Constable has added another string to his bow, one that looks likely to see him play for the Suns in Round 1. Last year, the 23-year-old proved he could win the ball in defence, too, floating between the midfield and the back-half to average seven rebound-50s, six intercepts and 114 KFC SuperCoach points in the final six VFL games of the year. With Lachie Weller and Wil Powell still working their way back from injury, Constable started in the back-six against the Bombers and won plenty of early footy as the Suns looked to get the ball in his reliable hands. Looming as one of the best $123k on-field rookie options to start.

Esava Ratugolea is now in the KFC SuperCoach conversation. Picture: Mark Wilson

Esava Ratugolea is legit

After kicking goals, and pinch-hitting in the ruck on his return from injury in the VFL last year, Ratugolea ($174K RUCK-FWD) moved into defence with immediate success. In the final two rounds of the season, the athletic tall took 10 intercept marks, among 22 total intercept possessions, and scored 86 KFC SuperCoach points in both games. Then, in the first practice match against the Hawks, he 24-year-old took two intercept marks in the opening five minutes after starting in the Cats’ back-six. With Tom Hawkins still recovering from a foot injury, coach Chris Scott used Jack Henry in attack after the defender spent time training with the forwards over summer. But now Henry needs surgery on his foot after landing awkwardly against the Hawks, meaning the Ratugolea experiment in defence is likely to become much more than that. “He’s been fantastic…really happy with his attitude to work and ability to work within the system. His teammates love having him down there,” assistant coach James Kelly recently said of Ratugolea, who now looks likely to line up in defence against Collingwood in Round 1. As a dual-position cheapie in KFC SuperCoach, Ratugolea’s pre-season form has turned the rookie conversation on its head. Can you pick him at R2? Maybe.

Max Gawn might be a forward by Round 6

Let’s face it, who else are you going to pick at your second ruck spot? It’s probably not going to be Gawn, who will now work alongside Brodie Grundy at the Demons. They’re not just together in fantasy anymore, it’s reality. But it’s still hard to say exactly what real ruck life looks at Melbourne this year, after the duo shared the ruck load evenly in the first practice match against the Saints. But as he’s proved in recent years, Gawn is effective for Melbourne behind the ball or as a marking target in attack. Grundy’s strengths don’t lie in either of those settings – and that means two things. Firstly, it probably says the former Magpie, at $512k – priced at an average of 103 – is probably the one ahead in the starter conversation in KFC SuperCoach. Secondly, it might mean Gawn is give dual-position status as a ruck-forward early this season. Gawn spent 28 per cent of his game-time forward last year – just below the 35 per cent Champion Data threshold – without Grundy in the team.

Tom Mitchell role’s might not be what we want

After being moved around during his final season at the Hawks, spending time at half-forward and on the outside, some KFC SuperCoaches thought Mitchell’s trade to the Magpies would see a return to the Mitchell of old. Well, that’s probably not going to quite happen. We were never getting 130-point Mitchell, but there was hope – from me included – a return to the coalface, doing what his does best and winning the ball first – or tackling whoever does – could push him back towards 110. But the Brownlow Medallist only attended 36 per cent of centre bounces against the Blues and spent some time forward. “It is not going to be the Tom Mitchell who goes out there and has 35 or 40 possessions every week,” Scott Pendlebury said soon after. “It’s the Tom Mitchell who dominates around the footy and is a beast around the ball, but also puts on pressure, tackles, and he probably doesn’t feel like he has to be best on ground for us to win.” The former Hawk is still cheap at $528k, but he needs be far more convincing in the final pre-season game.

Harry Himmelberg with coach Adam Kingsley. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Harry Himmelberg is likely to play forward

While we’re on roles and how they impact KFC SuperCoach, Himmelberg ($499k DEF) has been big talking points this summer. The Giants referred to Himmelberg as “potentially an All-Australian centre half-back” earlier this year, and he averaged 112 points per game playing there in the final 12 rounds of 2022. But he’s been forward most of the pre-season and looks set to start there, while the Giants give No. 1 pick Aaron Cadman time to develop. And you probably can’t start him based on that. Sigh.

But Jack Ziebell is likely to return to defence

Ziebell, however, is a different story, with the North Melbourne veteran lining up in defence against the Tigers and taking five kick-ins. He might have averaged 65 points per game playing mainly forward last year, but his 108-point season as a freewheeling defender in 2021 will go down in the KFC SuperCoach hall-of-fame. Watch his performance against the Bulldogs closely.

Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper are must-haves

Both former Giants will be there in the midfield against Carlton in the season-opener and they need to be in your KFC SuperCoach team, too. Taranto ($503k Fwd-Mid) hasn’t missed a beat this summer, dominating Richmond’s 2km time trials, before attending 70 per cent of centre bounces and having a big influence against North Melbourne in the first practice game. You might not be able to get Hopper ($332k Mid) as a forward but, at that price, you just have to pick him, too. Before an injury-ravaged 2022, Hopper averaged 95 KFC SuperCoach points between Round 1, 2019 and Round 23, 2021 as GWS’ No. 1 centre-bounce midfielder.

Will Ashcroft is a lock in KFC SuperCoach. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Pick them after you pick Will Ashcroft, though

After averaging 140 KFC SuperCoach points in16 of his 21 matches last season – across the VFL, NAB League and under-18 carnival – Ashcroft arrived at Brisbane surrounded by plenty of hype. And he’s more than justified it so far, starring in Brisbane’s intra-clubs games, before attending 44 per cent of centre bounces in an impressive display against the Swans in the first pre-season clash. In the same game, former Bomber Connor McKenna ($167k Def) confirmed his KFC SuperCoach credentials, playing across half-back, as he did during his career-best years at Essendon.

Elliot Yeo is back – and so are the Eagles (in KFC SuperCoach)

Yeo ($337k Def) has enjoyed a standout pre-season, training at full speed, and without restriction, since the Christmas break. His trademark power is back, and he looks set to play a big role in a young Eagles midfield, while also helping out across half-back. It’s an understatement to say a fit-and-firing Yeo has been a welcome sight for the Eagles, with the 29-year-old playing just 27 games in the past three years. But in the three seasons before that, Yeo missed just two home-and-away matches and averaged 102, 107 and 107 KFC SuperCoach points in each year respectively. It’s going to be hard to leave him out, despite the injury history. He’s not the only KFC SuperCoach-relevant name at the Eagles, either, with draftee Reuben Ginbey ($171k Def) – after a remarkable first pre-season – and second-year speedster Campbell Chesser ($123k def) two of the top rookie contenders in defence.

There’s serious value in the $200-$300k bracket

Remember these names, while you’re watching the final practice matches – Sam Flanders ($256k Fwd-Mid), Finn Callaghan ($244k Mid), Windhager ($266k Fwd-Mid), Jack Bowes ($277k Def), Jai Culley ($276k Mid). For different reasons, all looks set for more opportunity in 2023, and could significantly outscore their starting price tag. One – or more – of these picks could be your ticket to an early premium upgrade, using those sweet trade boosts.