Which KFC SuperCoach players could boost scores under five new coaches?
New coaches mean new game plans and players in new positions. Champion Data’s KFC SuperCoach guru Fantasy Freako lifts the lid on which Blues, Crows, Saints, Dockers and Roos could spike in 2020.
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A new coach brings excitement and optimism not only to supporters, but to KFC SuperCoaches and the fantasy community as a whole.
In 2020, there will five new coaches at the helm, including three who have already sat in the senior coaches’ chair on an interim basis during the 2019 season. The two new faces, Matthew Nicks and Justin Longmuir, will make their senior coaching debuts this season as the Crows and Dockers embark on a new journey.
Change is inevitable with any new coach and the most obvious changes will come to game plans. The style of play, the way a team moves the ball from defence and how it attacks the forward 50 are key pillars in a successful game plan — and they all have the potential to impact our SuperCoach sides.
There are also likely to be positional changes to contend with, so watching the pre-season competition can be extremely beneficial in providing us with a guide to likely changes and which rookies will likely play early.
Let’s have a look at each of these five teams and which players could prove astute SuperCoach selections with a new boss in charge.
ADELAIDE
After seven seasons as an assistant coach, Matthew Nicks, a native South Australian, will lead the Crows in 2020. What style of play he adopts remains unknown, but he has already been on the front foot about potential positional changes.
Bryce Gibbs in defence, Brodie Smith in the midfield and Taylor Walker on a wing have all been mooted by Nicks. Gibbs’ demise as a SuperCoach asset has been well-documented, and at the awkward price of $375,100 there may not be many early suitors even if he lights up the pre-season.
The Crows have had a cleanout during the off-season and their Round 1 team will look very different to the side that ran out in Round 23 last year. New faces could be aplenty, ranging from potential debutants Ned McHenry and Fisher McAsey to the recycled Billy Frampton.
Chayce Jones $271,500 FWD
Jones has been the headline act for the Crows across the pre-season, leading the way in most of the time-trials. He’s likely to be handed a more prominent midfield role in his second season after finishing with a season-high 18 disposals and 86 points in the final home-and-away match last year.
The only negative is his starting price, but if you can manage to squeeze him into your team he’ll hopefully repay you with some solid scores early.
Billy Frampton $165,400 FWD
With a wealth of key position/ruck options already at the Power, Frampton has moved across town to rival Adelaide as he looks to kickstart his AFL career. There is a definite role for him after the departure of Josh Jenkins, however Elliott Himmelberg may stand in his way.
The pre-season will tell us a lot about how the Crows will structure up in attack. If Walker does move to the wing, then we could potentially see Frampton and Himmelberg play alongside one another inside 50.
Frampton racked up some huge scores in the SANFL in 2019 as a forward, scoring 141, 145, 167 and 175 across the season.
CARLTON
After nine seasons as an assistant coach, David Teague will lead the Blues after a successful spell as interim coach from Round 12 last season. The Blues ranked last in the league for marks inside 50 differential and 17th for inside-50s differential and points scored under Brendon Bolton, but under Teague they played a bolder brand of football – ranking 11th for inside-50s differential and points scored over that period.
From a player perspective, Ed Curnow was the main beneficiary after he moved back into the midfield and averaged 108 points from Round 12 – ranked second at the club behind Patrick Cripps. Curnow ranked 14th at the Blues for points per game in the opening 11 rounds as he spent most of his time in attack.
Liam Stocker, a gun onballer as a junior, cut his teeth in defence in his debut season, but there’s every chance he moves further up the field after the return of Sam Docherty from injury.
Sam Docherty $436,100 DEF
Docherty’s return to the Carlton side will provide both Carlton and SuperCoaches with a major boost. Prior to suffering his first serious knee injury, he was the premier defender in the game – averaging 28 disposals, 19 uncontested possessions and 114 points. Even the most optimistic SuperCoaches won’t be expecting him to reach those heights immediately, but at a heavily discounted price can we afford not to start with him?
Sam Petrevski-Seton $443,300 DEF/MID
After spending time in three different positions last season, Petrevski-Seton is likely to be settled in defence in 2020. He finished the year in that role and has featured prominently there in match simulation across the pre-season. He recorded 22 disposals, eight intercept possessions and 108 points against the Eagles as a defender in Round 20 – his best game in that position.
With the acquisition of Jack Newnes to play a wing/half-back role, Petrevski-Seton is a breakout candidate ahead of his fourth season.
FREMANTLE
For eight seasons, SuperCoaches have had a love-hate relationship with Ross Lyon during his time as Fremantle coach. Names such as Michael Barlow, Greg Broughton, Michael Walters, David Mundy and Connor Blakely were prominent selections for SuperCoaches, but in typical Lyon fashion he often made us sweat about late outs and youngsters biding their time in the WAFL.
Now, after nine seasons as an assistant coach, Justin Longmuir will lead the Dockers into a new era as head coach. He’s likely to bring with him a new game plan, potentially mirroring that of Collingwood’s from 2019. The Magpies ranked second in the AFL for disposals and uncontested marks differential and third for uncontested possessions differential. Should the Dockers adopt a similar style of play, it could potentially result in greater scores across the board.
Luke Ryan $520,400 DEF
If the Dockers adopt more of a possession game style, then Ryan could be set for a huge season. He has already increased his disposal average in every season, culminating in a career-high average of 20 last year. He showed signs of becoming prolific – topping the 30-disposal mark in three games.
Ryan’s appeal is boosted by kick-in duties, taking the third-most of any player in the AFL from Rounds 1-18 before his injury, with only Shannon Hurn and Jake Lloyd taking more. Hopefully Ryan retains kick-in duties under Longmuir.
Michael Walters $547,200 FWD/MID
Walters averaged three figures for the first time in his career in 2019 – topping 100 points in 12 games. However, if we break down his scoring, he was far more prominent as a midfielder, averaging 109 points per 100 minutes game time in that position. That’s considerably more than his 74 points per 100 minutes game time as a forward.
Walters also found more of the ball than ever before – averaging 22 disposals. Hopefully he gets plenty of midfield minutes under Longmuir.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Rhyce Shaw’s rise up the coaching ranks has been a rapid one. After retiring at the end of 2015 as a Sydney player, he was an assistant coach in the Harbour City before moving to the Kangaroos. He stepped in as the interim coach after Brad Scott stood down after Round 10 last season, and immediately made changes to the Roos’ style of play.
North Melbourne went from a short kicking team to a long kicking one. The Roos were also a lot slower with their ball movement – playing on after a mark the second-fewest of any side from Round 11.
North ranked seventh on the AFL form ladder under Shaw.
Jack Ziebell $493,400 FWD/MID
Ziebell was the most obvious benefactor of Shaw’s tenure as interim senior coach. He was moved into the midfield and averaged 22 disposals, 1.2 goals and 98 points from Round 11. That’s in an increase from 18.5 disposals, one goal and 81 points in the opening 10 rounds.
Across the season, he averaged 103 points as a midfielder when he played more than 50 per cent game time in that role compared to 73 when playing as a forward for at least 50 per cent of the game.
Aiden Bonar $202,800 MID/FWD
Like many Giants before him, Bonar moves to another club in search for greater
opportunities at senior level. With plenty of young options already at the Kangaroos’ disposal, he could add to that with the ability to play in the midfield and up forward, similar to teammate Tarryn Thomas.
Bonar didn’t dominate the NEAFL competition, but he did average a respectable 94 points which included posting three scores of 125-plus.
He has been a standout on the track across the pre-season and should line up in the blue and white stripes in Round 1.
ST KILDA
The Saints have put plenty of eggs in the one basket ahead of Brett Ratten’s first season in charge. They have made their intentions quite clear after the recruitment of Dougal Howard, Bradley Hill, Paddy Ryder, Zak Jones and Dan Butler, with a spike up the ladder a real possibility.
Ratten added an attacking element to the Saints when he took over in Round 18, ranking ninth in the AFL for points scored – a significant rise from 17th in the opening 17 rounds. They were also more efficient in attack – ranking seventh for scores per forward 50 entry, up from 12th under Alan Richardson.
Hunter Clark $402,200 DEF
Clark’s scoring has been inconsistent to date, but he’s a strong breakout candidate nonetheless. He increased his average from 54 to 74 last season and could he enjoy a similar rise in 2020.
He demonstrated consistency as a ball-winner late in the season, reaching 20 disposals in eight of his final nine games – ranking ninth in the league for total disposals by defenders from Round 15 onward.
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Every KFC SuperCoach score from week one of the AFL’s pre-season Marsh Series
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Sebastian Ross $530,900 MID
Ross underperformed under Alan Richardson last season, averaging 90 points in the opening 17 rounds. He boosted that to 125 points per game under Brett Ratten – averaging 28 disposals, 19 uncontested possessions, six inside-50s and six tackles. He scored 120-plus in three games under Ratten, finishing with two goals, 13 score involvements and 126 points in the final home-and-away round.
Ross is slightly underpriced ahead of 2020 if he maintains those late-season numbers.