SuperCoach AFL 2024: Biggest winners and losers from round 21

Marcus Bontempelli rose to the occasion in the first week of SuperCoach finals. But some big flops were very costly. See all the fallout here.

Marcus Bontempelli played one of the best individual games of the season. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Finals are a totally different ball game to the regular season.

That’s how AFL coaches describe it, and the same applies to SuperCoach.

Finals started in most head-to-head leagues in round 21 and some players rose to the occasion, while others flopped in the harsh finals spotlight.

Check out all the winners and losers from the weekend.

WINNERS

MARCUS BONTEMPELLI – 182 POINTS

More than 38 per cent of coaches had the C or VC on the Bont – that number was almost 60 per cent among coaches in the top 10 per cent of overall rankings. And he gave them a perfect start to the weekend with an almost perfect performance that at one stage had SuperCoaches reaching for the record books before Tom Sparrow slowed him down a little after halftime. It would be a brave move to not captain him against the Crows next week.

LACHIE WHITFIELD – 153 POINTS

Has averaged almost 120 since the Giants’ mid-year bye and went to another level against the Hawks, collecting 22 disposals by halftime and finishing with 37 – and hitting the target with 34 of them.

Lachie Whitfield had the ball on a string. Picture: Phil Hillyard

ADAM TRELOAR – 149 POINTS

The POD of the year (4 per cent ownership) just keeps putting up huge scores – this is his third in a row over 140. Don’t worry about having him and Bont in the same midfield. In fact, that could be a brilliant partnership as the Dogs come home like a steam train.

JEREMY HOWE – 144 POINTS

The chief beneficiary of Carlton’s horrible inaccuracy, kicking 3.11 in the first half. A truckload of kick-ins helped the Pies veteran post his best score since round 1, 2020.

LUKE DAVIES-UNIACKE – 141 POINTS

We’ve talked up Tristan Xerri plenty of times this year and he was enormous again, but this week we’ll focus on the player he was hitting the ball to all afternoon. LDU kicked three goals – including one that came off his boot like a brick and somehow floated through – to go with 33 disposals and eight clearances.

ANDREW BRAYSHAW – 137 POINTS

How’s this for consistency. In his past three games Brayshaw has scored 137, 137 and 137 SuperCoach points. Sunday’s score came from 33 disposals, five tackles and eight clearances. Anyone need a finals POD?

MAX GAWN – 130 POINTS

It took a week to blow out the cobwebs after returning from his leg injury, but Gawn played almost a lone hand for the Demons on Friday night. He took the ruck honours against Tim English (winning hitouts 44-28) and gathered 23 disposals and a goal.

Luke Davies-Uniacke was brilliant against the Tigers. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

MATT ROWELL – 122 POINTS

It’s been a painful eight weeks for Rowell owners. That was the last time he scored over 100, but he had three figures covered easily as he looked more like the Rowell that averaged over 130 in the first seven rounds of the season. It continued his amazing record against the Eagles – his career scores against them now read 171, 6 (injured in first five minutes), 101, 157, 165, 136 and 122.

JORDON SWEET – 108 POINTS

The early-season cash grab didn’t work but Sweet has unexpectedly come into his own late in the season, averaging 94 over the past six rounds.

JACK DARLING – 107 POINTS

The Eagles veteran features in just 257 teams, but he posted his first SuperCoach ton of the season thanks to 22 disposals and nine marks.

LOSERS

SAM FLANDERS – 91 POINTS

Harsh on Sam but his run of 18 scores over 100 finally came to an end against an unexpected opponent in West Coast. Stiff if you had the captain or vice-captain on him.

Just 1 disposal and 13 minutes on the bench in the final term for Sam Flanders. Not a great way to finish the game. #SuperCoach#AFLFantasy

— Fantasy Freako (@FantasyFreako) August 2, 2024

ISAAC HEENEY – 75 POINTS

Averaged a crazy 125 over the first 15 rounds but the Swans have gone off the rails and Heeney’s scoring has plummeted. Now averaging 88 over his past five.

ED RICHARDS – 64 POINTS

His move to the midfield has been a huge success for the Bulldogs and SuperCoaches, but he missed the party on Friday night. He had 20 disposals but went at just 50 per cent efficiency including kicking 1.3 in front of goal.

SHAI BOLTON – 58 POINTS

In theory Bolton is the kind of player you could roll the dice on with a few rounds to go, given his talent, price and FWD/MID DPP. The problem is he hasn’t had one of those days for a long time – he scored 119, 133 and 129 in a three-week stretch from rounds 3-5, and hasn’t gone over 100 since.

WILL DAY – 53 POINTS

Has been flying with nine scores over 100 from his last 10 games (and the other score was 94). But on Sunday he became Toby Bedford’s latest victim, restricted to 14 disposals and one mark.

Billy Frampton and Darcy Moore had the better of Charlie Curnow. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

LUKE JACKSON – 48 POINTS

Jackson had 49 points at halftime and finished on one fewer as he disappeared completely in the second half. His only stats after halftime were two handballs, and only one of them was effective.

BILLY DOWLING – 44 POINTS

Coaches relying on Dowling to cover holes in their midfield or forward line have gotten lucky with the Crows youngster scoring 101 against St Kilda and 83 against the Bombers. But a trip to GMHBA Stadium was always a tough ask, and so it proved with just 11 disposals and three clangers.

CHARLIE CURNOW – 33 POINTS

If you ever read advice telling you to trade in a key forward in SuperCoach – including on this website – ignore it. They just don’t mix. Curnow spent a fair portion of the last quarter on the bench on Saturday night after hurting his ankle, but he wasn’t getting anywhere near it until then – ending his streak of 66 games with at least one goal.

Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2024: Biggest winners and losers from round 21