SuperCoach Plus: 11 things you need to know for round 12 of the 2023 AFL season
Solving the Will Day scoring mystery, the big market moves, captain tips and the bye tricks to help you post the best KFC SuperCoach score this week.
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Glass half-empty – a lot of players are unavailable this week in KFC SuperCoach.
Glass half-full – there are still lots of points on offer from stars and rookies, bye rules to help us through and some inside stats and tips to get your team ahead of the pack this week.
This is the perfect time to make the most of all the great features available to SuperCoach Plus subscribers including score and price projections, Break Evens and live trade data.
Remember, best 18 scoring applies from rounds 12-15 and coaches can use up to three trades each week of the byes – four if you activate a Trade Boost.
And these 11 nuggets can lift the lid on the numbers behind the KFC SuperCoach scores and make the best trade and captaincy calls for round 12.
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1. SICILY’S SHOWSTOPPER
James Sicily produced one of the most remarkable individual performance of the season against St Kilda last round, and he should be a member of the elite KFC SuperCoach 200 club. Sicily finished with 172 points, picking up a career-high 43 disposals and 22 intercept possessions, just two short of the all-time record. He finished the game in style with 16 disposals (14 effective), nine intercept possessions, four intercept marks and 75 points in the final quarter. But his his total could have been even higher had it not been for negative acts – losing a total of 28.8 points made up of dropped marks, clanger kicks, ineffective spoils and two 50m penalties against.
2. SOLVING THE WILL DAY MYSTERY
Sicily’s teammate Will Day is enjoying a breakout season on many measures, improving his disposal average from 16 to 26 a game and clearances from 0.5 to 4.9. His KFC SuperCoach average has jumped from 65.8 to 91.2, but his 40,000 owners have been left wondering what is behind his 83.4 five-round average, including 74 in each of the past two games. His role hasn’t really changed from early in the season – playing predominantly as a centre bounce midfielder – but his kicking is an area of concern. Day has recorded 14 clanger kicks since returning from suspension in round 7 – the most at Hawthorn – and has a kicking efficiency of just 48 per cent in that time. Against the Saints he also recorded six contested possessions and 25 uncontested possessions. Meanwhile, Conor Nash has emerged as a centre bounce weapon, averaging 100 points since round 7.
3. ATKINS FLOPS
Rory Atkins crashed back to earth after his score of 102 in round 10 with just 28 points last round. The omission of Brandon Ellis appeared to work against Atkins as he was asked to play on the wing for 88 per cent of game time. After having six kick-ins the week before against Brisbane (playing on from five), he had zero against the Bulldogs. Joel Jeffrey was moved into defence as the Suns and picked up 15 disposals, including three kick-ins. In the end, Atkins was subbed out with just six disposals to his name. He increased in value by $11,100 but seemingly won’t be the cash cow many KFC SuperCoaches were hoping for. Now we just want him to keep his place in the team for at least one more week before the Suns’ round 13 bye.
4. HUMPHREY’S GAME BREAKER
KFC SuperCoach rewards players who impact the game when the result is on the line, and boom Gold Coast youngster Bailey Humphrey is the latest example. His score received a major boost when he kicked the final goal of the match to seal Gold Coast’s win against the Bulldogs – earning 24.8 points made up of a contested possession, an effective kick, and the goal. Of the $200k-plus options on offer last week, Humphrey was the clear standout on the weekend, jumping almost $65,000 in value. He has a Break Even of 11 against Adelaide this week and is projected to be valued at almost $380,000 when Gold Coast has its bye.
5. JACK’S BACK
Jack Macrae is firmly in the sights of KFC SuperCoaches after a pair of 145s and earning DPP status in the latest round of position changes. In round 10 he had a mid-forward spilt of 22 per cent and 78 per cent, booting two goals and collecting 26 disposals. In round 11, his role changed to 77 per cent midfield and 23 per cent forward, and he finished with 33 disposals. His role seems to change by the week but it could be now or never in terms of his KFC SuperCoach value. Macrae dropped to $550,000 two weeks ago and his price is on the way back up. He is available this week for $574,800 with a Break Even of 41 which means he’s likely to be back over $600k next week. If you pick him, beware the Bulldogs have the tricky round 15 bye.
6. JORDAN DAWSON PRICE SHOCK
Jordan Dawson bounced back from a mini form slump on Sunday, posting 120 points against the Lions following two sub-100 scores. With a season average of 117.9 points per game he is the second-top scoring defender (behind Nick Daicos) and third topscoring midfielder (behind Marcus Bontempelli and Josh Dunkley). He has improved his season average by more than eight points a game, but the most surprising fact is he is cheaper now than he was in round 1. Dawson started the season valued at $603,100 and shot up to a high of $667,100 following back-to-back scores of 173 and 152 in rounds 4 and 5. But he has been dropping ever since, losing another $9900 after his performance against the Lions. With a Break Even of 130 this week he might have bottomed out, but it’s a lesson to resist the temptation of paying top dollar for players on a hot streak – they are almost always available at a more affordable price at some stage.
8. LOCAL FOOTY WATCH
Fringe players pushing for selection take on even more importance this week, when a surprise call-up or two on Thursday night would be welcome news across the KFC SuperCoach world. Spots are up for grabs in Carlton’s team on Friday night with Adam Cerra suspended for one week and injuries to Nic Newman, George Hewett and Ollie Hollands. Alex Cincotta – owned by more than 90,000 coaches – put up his hand for a recall with 29 disposals in the Blues’ 52-point VFL win over Sydney. But he’ll be competing with Jack Silvagni (26 disposals, 10 marks in a new defensive role) Zac Fisher (29 disposals and a goal) and Lochie O’Brien (28 and two goals). Campbell Chesser managed 15 disposals and five inside-50s as West Coast’s WAFL side went down to East Perth by 74 points on Sunday, while Harry Sharp responded to being dropped by the Lions with 23 disposals and two goals in a 35-point win against Frankston – he’s a chance to replace a suspended Dayne Zorko in round 13. Several longshot hopes who are still banging down the selection door include Marcus Windhager (38 disposals and a goal) and forgotten Docker Corey Wagner (33 disposals). Charlie Constable had 26 disposals for Gold Coast against Footscray but spots in the Suns’ team are hard to win right now and he is probably behind Brandon Ellis (23 disposals two goals) in the selection queue.
7. ASHCROFT TRADE ALERT?
Does Will Ashcroft suffer from homesickness? The superstar rookie’s performances at the Gabba this year have been first-class, averaging 100.8 KFC SuperCoach points in five games. Away from home, however, it’s a different story. His six scores on the road are 55, 80, 72, 76, 37, and 52 against the Crows on Sunday. The numbers present Ashcroft’s 112,000 owners with a dilemma this week. The Lions have the bye, so trading Ashcroft could help you field a full team, and this might be as expensive as he gets – after gaining another $18,900 last round, he will have a Break Even of 109 when Brisbane faces Hawthorn at the MCG in round 13. But three of his next four games after that are at the Gabba, against Sydney, Richmond and West Coast – teams that have all given up points to midfielders this season.
9. LOOPHOLE LESSON
If you haven’t tried the vice-captain loophole before, this is the week to give it a try. Here’s how it works – nominate a gun who plays early in the round as your vice-captain. If you aren’t happy with their score, find another captain later in the round. If your vice-captain posts a big total (over 120 is a good benchmark) simply nominate one of your bye players (highlighted with blue dots) as captain, and your vice-captain’s score will be doubled. Note that all bye players lock out at the start of the final game of the round. You can use the same trick to get the best score off the bench if you are in the fortunate position of having seven defenders, seven forwards or nine midfielders available this week. Remember a player has to be on field, or an activated emergency, to count towards your best 18 total.
10. CAPTAINS CORNER
There are two fewer matches in round 12 but still plenty of great VC and C options to choose from. Max Gawn loves the Blues, averaging 143 in his past three against them. Nick Daicos is the leading disposal winner in the AFL this year and he faces West Coast, a team he scored 125 against last season. The Bulldogs play Geelong on Saturday night and Marcus Bontempelli will be a popular choice against an undermanned Cats midfield, although a slight complication is Adelaide and Gold Coast play at the same time in Darwin, and Jordan Dawson has posted 140 and 158 in his past two games against the Suns. There are two games on Sunday with Tim Taranto (five-round average 122.6) facing his former team for the first time before the Bombers finish the round against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium. Zach Merrett averages 124 in his past three against the Roos, and attention Mason Redman owners – the last time these teams met he scored 176 points.
11. MORE BYE ROUND TRICKS AND TIPS
Remember to use all the tools at your disposal (including switching dual-position players) to get as many scoring players on the field as possible this week. Coaches lucky enough to have 19 or more scorers on field will have the lowest scores over the weekend drop out of their weekly total. But if you are just scraping 18 players together, or can only field 16 or 17, don’t panic. You won’t be alone, and sometimes it’s better to cop a hit for a week rather than scramble to add another player who might give you 50 extra points this week but cost you more in the long run by pulling your team apart. Treat the byes as a four-week block – if you are battling this week it probably means your team is in a much stronger position than many others in the later bye rounds. Make any trades with future byes in mind – for example, bringing in Eddie Ford, George Wardlaw and Jack Macrae this week would deliver an instant sugar hit but could leave you in a massive hole when they are all off with a bye in round 15. Remember KFC SuperCoach is a marathon, not a sprint!
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