We look at some key point of difference picks that could earn you SuperCoach glory
What would a SuperCoach team look like if (almost) every player was owned by fewer than 10 per cent of players? Damn good, as it turns out. SEE THE SQUAD
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Like every pre-season, SuperCoaches are going with the herd.
With two days until Round 1 begins, 11 players are currently owned by over 40 per cent of teams.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE DAN BATTEN’S PODs TEAM
It must be said, there are some absolute must-haves among that list. Carlton fans are already pinning their hopes and dreams on Sam Walsh (69.6 per cent ownership) before he’s played a game, while superstar Patrick Dangerfield (69 per cent) and Patrick Cripps (54.5 per cent) are too good to pass up.
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With these sorts of names in every Tom, Dick and Harriet’s team, how can we differentiate ourselves from the rest?
By picking unique players — that’s how.
A POD (point-of difference) is generally considered to be a player with under 10 per cent ownership in SuperCoach land. They can often be few and far between, but this year there are a plethora of undesired options at our disposal.
Bulldogs star Jack Macrae was a unique selection last year and finished the season with the fourth highest SuperCoach average. PODs can give you the edge over the rest.
The SuperCoach Sheep won’t like it, but here is a taste of a what a POD team can look like going into 2019.
Don’t worry — we have chucked in one non-POD (excluding rookies) in each line to ensure it doesn’t look outright ridiculous.
DEFENCE
Shannon Hurn (7.1 per cent) is the rock that holds this defence together, having not put a foot wrong this pre-season. The Eagles skipper is incredibly durable and finished with the sixth highest average for a defender last season. I expect him to go one better in 2019 and potentially eclipse a 100-point average.
Collingwood defender Jack Crisp (6.6 per cent) should build on his breakout year, and remains an undervalued commodity in defence.
The really interesting one is Harris Andrews (2.4 per cent). We are generally forbidden to pick key defenders in SuperCoach, but Andrews is the exception to the rule. The spoiling king was ranked second for one-percenters in 2018, and looks to have improved his intercept game. An injury affected game thanks to Jeremy Cameron’s crude blow late sees him come at a discount. If we take this scored out of the equation, he averaged a promising 92.3 points, rather than the listed 88.4.
The lone non-POD is Jordan Ridley (10.4 per cent) who became a favourite at POD HQ over the pre-season. The efficient youngster appears set to take the distributing defender role left by Brendon Goddard.
We have thrown in a couple of unique rookies in Darragh Joyce (2 per cent) Ben McKay (3 per cent) who could be named Round 1 due to key defender injuries. Don’t expect big scoring out of the pair, though.
Unlucky to miss: Kade Simpson, Jayden Short, Wayne Milera.
MIDFIELD
We have gone with Carlton beast Patrick Cripps to fill the M1 spot. Now it’s time for the PODs.
Adam Treloar (7.3 per cent) continues to be slide under the radar in SuperCoach circles. The ball-magnet was among the best scoring midfielders before his double whammy hammy blow sidelined him until finals. He should return to those figures in 2019.
It is rare to see Marcus Bontempelli (3.4 per cent) underrated in footy conversation, and his ownership is frighteningly low. The concern is Luke Beveridge swinging him forward, but he played as a full midfielder in the JLT and impressed. There is no doubting his scoring ability, with a knack for turning it on when the game is on the line.
Now, we move onto the prodigal son — Jack Steele (1.7 per cent). POD HQ’s love child has begun 2019 like he finished last season, dominating the coalface and posting tons. Steele’s game is built for SuperCoach and the sky is limit for his potential.
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The Phantom’s favourite Tim Taranto (5.3 per cent) gets a run as the lone mid-pricer in the midfield. There will be no second-year-blues for the Giants gun. Filling the Dylan Shiel void should see Taranto thrive, and he is every chance to go above popular mid-pricers Brad Crouch and Tom Liberatore.
POD rookie Luke Davies-Uniacke (6.9 per cent) also gets the nod. He gave SuperCoaches third degree burns in 2018, but his high number of centre-bounce attendances in the JLT are very encouraging for his scoring.
Richmond’s Jack Ross (1.2 per cent) and Bulldog mature-ager Will Hayes (2 per cent) will come into Round 1 calculations.
Unlucky to miss: Rory Sloane, Zach Merrett, Elliot Yeo
RUCK
We have gone with Max Gawn over Brodie Grundy to free up some cash up forward, which has allowed us to prize Tiger big-man Toby Nankervis (2.7 per cent).
The 24-year-old will continue to shoulder the Richmond ruck duties and looks to have improved his forward craft. He has never been a great hit-out ruckman, but he wins his own footy around the ground week in, week out.
FORWARD
If you aren’t picking Patrick Dangerfield, you probably shouldn’t bother playing SuperCoach.
We go from popular to outright niche at F2, with the ever reliable David Mundy (1.9 per cent). Ross Lyon has promised more midfield minutes for the 33-year-old with a Neale-less hole left in the Docker midfield, which should see Mundy eclipse his 96-point 2018 average. With Mundy, you know what you are going to get.
Next is a more speculative pick in Jack Darling (3.2 per cent) who took the SuperCoach world by storm in the first half of last season. Like Andrews, the Eagles forward also had an injury affected game where he scored a grand total of -1. Has shown he can score well with or without his partner-in-crime Josh Kennedy.
Rounding out the PODs is none other than Jack Billings (5.3 per cent). The former No.3 Draft pick spent more time up the ground in the JLT and looms as a potential bargain at his price. Many SuperCoaches will say “never again”, but his average of 91 SuperCoach points after his ceremonious axing in Round 12 is indicative of what he can produce in 2019.
North Melbourne tall-forward Nick Larkey (0.7 per cent) rounds out the side nicely as an uber-POD rookie who could fill Jarrad Waite’s spot in the forward line.
Unlucky to miss: Sam Menegola, Michael Walters
Follow Dan on Twitter: @danbatten_
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