All the must-have rookies, premiums and value selections to get your SuperCoach team started
LEFT it until the last minute to get your SuperCoach team in order? The Phantom is here to help. Have a look at his five-minute guide and listen to the latest Phantom’s Lair podcast with special guest Graham Cornes.
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FOOTY is back.
The long, gruelling pre-season for SuperCoaches around the country with The Phantom taking charge in late January.
But, just like at amateur footy clubs throughout Australia, there are always a few who roll up on the last week expecting a game in Round 1.
If that sounds like you and you’ve left it until the last minute to get your SuperCoach team in order, you’re in the right place.
Or even if you are just reshuffling your side one last time after the first game and season lockout, The Phantom’s five-minute guide is here to help.
SIGN UP NOW: START YOUR TEAM HERE
THE MUST-HAVE PREMIUMS
DEFENCE
Rory Laird (Adel) $550,800
The Crow ball magnet is as safe as selections come in defence. Pick him first and go from there.
MIDFIELD
Nat Fyfe (Freo) $597,900
There are plenty of stars price above $600k but not all of them can score like the Docker skipper. He’ll challenge for the SuperCoach crown again in 2018.
RUCK
Max Gawn (Melb) $503,700
The Melbourne big man, who is enormous value after an injury-affected 2017, should be the topscoring ruckman this season.
FORWARD
Isaac Heeney (Syd) $536,300
Forget the top-priced forwards Lance Franklin and Sam Menegola, Heeney is The Phantom’s tip for the No. 1 forward in 2018.
Keep in mind — After an injury-interrupted 2017, one of The Phantom’s favourites, Patrick Cripps, is cheap and ready to explode in 2018.
THE MUST-HAVE ROOKIES
DEFENCE
Tom Doedee (Adel) $123,900
The third-year defender, who will debut against the Bombers on Friday night, will help fill the void left by Jake Lever. Wins the ball in the air and on the ground and should score enough to justify an on-field position.
Sam Murray (Coll) $123,900
Recruited from the Swans at the end of last season, the 20-year-old, who posted a SuperCoach ton in the final JLT Series game, will be a big part of Collingwood’s plan coming out of defence.
Aaron Naughton (WB) $166,800
The 18-year-old’s Round 1 debut has been confirmed and, given his elite intercept ability and senior experience in the WAFL, he’s another great starting selection.
MIDFIELD
Andrew Brayshaw (Freo) $198,300
With scores of 87 and 96, the No. 2 draft pick was the best-performed rookie-price player in the JLT Series and looks like he’s been playing at the level for years.
Tim Kelly (Geel) $117,300
The mature-age recruit, who averaged 118 points in the WAFL last season, will have an impact at Geelong from the get-go.
Keep in mind — Top draft picks Paddy Dow (Carlton) and Hunter Clark (St Kilda), along with mature-age Docker Bailey Banfield are also confirmed Round 1 starters and should also prove great cash cows in 2018.
RUCK
Darcy Cameron (Syd) $123,900
Many SuperCoaches throw the bench position in the ruck in order to take advantage of the captain’s loophole but, if you’re not, Sydney big man Darcy Cameron is your man, given the season-ending injury to No. 1 ruckman Sam Naismith.
FORWARD
Bayley Fritsch (Melb) $117,300
The 21-year-old, who won the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL’s most-promising player last year, is tracking on a similar path to Mitch Hannan; the Demon’s mature-age recruit from last year, who played 18 games in his debut season.
Liam Ryan (WC) $117,300
The excitement machine, who booted 73 goals from 23 games in the WAFL last year, may not score big every week but he’ll be there. A great bench option in the forward line.
Keep in mind — Top draft picks Darcy Fogarty (Adel) and Jaidyn Stephenson (Coll) will debut in Round 1 but with Taylor Walker still to return at Adelaide and a number of midfielders not far away at the Magpies, it’s hard to be sure about their job security.
Given the options available, The Phantom prefers more rookie-priced players on the field in
the midfield and defence, over the forward line.
THE VALUE
DEFENCE
James Sicily (Haw) $402,800
After switching ends towards the end of last season, the 24-year-old announced himself as a premier intercepting-defender, taking more intercept marks than any other player from Round 14 onwards.
DEFENCE
Riley Bonner (Port) $257,300
The Phantom expects skilful 21-year-old Riley Bonner — who has four career games to his name — to establish himself as a regular in the Power’s best 22 in 2018 and, as we saw in JLT Series clash with the Crows, become the No. 1 ball-carrier out of defence.
MIDFIELD
Stephen Coniglio (GWS) $452,400
After a breakout season in 2016, when he led the Giants for disposals, contested possessions and clearances, Coniglio only managed seven games, due to injury, last year. But that’s good news for SuperCoaches in 2018.
Tom Liberatore (WB) $434,600
The talk all summer was about how good Liberatore’s pre-season has been and his first appearance in the JLT Series, which resulted in 123 points, proved that it wasn’t just talk. The inside-midfielder attended the most centre bounces for the Bulldogs, just as he did in his career-best year of 2014.
RUCK
Scott Lycett (WC) $277,100
Lycett, who averaged 83 in 2016, provides genuine value this year, especially with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Nic Naitanui and the injury setback to Nathan Vardy.
FORWARD
Allen Christensen (Bris) $267,300
The 26-year-old, who is a part of the Lions’ leadership group, hasn’t played since Round 11, 2016 after multiple collarbone injuries. But Christensen, who has averaged more than 91 in two seasons, is back and got through the JLT Series unscathed.
Devon Smith (Ess) $439,100
Smith’s off-season move to the Bombers should see him transition into a full-time midfielder and, if an impressive JLT Series campaign with scores of 117 and 82 are anything to go by, a good one.
POINT-OF-DIFFERENCE
DEFENCE
Alex Witherden (Bris) $478,900 — 3 % of teams
In his first nine appearances in the AFL in 2017, Witherden averaged 87 points, posting SuperCoach tons in his fourth, sixth and ninth games. It’s only a small sample but only 18 defenders averaged more points than the then 18-year-old. Price is a concern for a second-year player but it’s — hopefully — only up from here.
MIDFIELD
Scott Pendlebury (Coll) $586,500 — 5.3 % of teams
It’s hard to believe Pendlebury, who is still Collingwood’s best midfielder, will start the year as a point-of-difference. Yes, his average dropped below 110 for the first time since 2009 last year but this is the guy who averaged more than 116 in each of the previous six seasons.
RUCK
Zac Smith (Geel) $586,500 — 0.9 % of teams
Despite averaging 108 points in the final five games of 2017 and scoring 98 in only 61 per cent game time in the Cats’ final JLT Series game, there isn’t a lot of love for Smith, who has arguably the game’s best midfield to hit to.
FORWARD
Michael Walters (Freo) $478,300 — 11.7 %
While his ownership percentage is creeping up, Walters will feature in the midfield again in 2018, just as he did between rounds 7 and 16 last season. During that time, the 27-year-old led the Dockers for metres gained and averaged 111 SuperCoach points and 25 disposals.
DANGERFIELD DILEMMA
Even if he misses Round 1 with a hamstring injury, The Phantom is locking in the No. 1 scorer in the game, Patrick Dangerfield
It’s just going to be too hard, without wasting multiple trades, to bring him in within the first month.
And I wouldn’t want to be going any longer without him.
Whenever he does play, I can’t see him starting slow. This is the bloke who scored 141 SuperCoach points on one leg against the Hawks last year.
If Dangerfield, who scored 239 more points than any other player in the game last season, doesn’t line up against the Demons, given the game is on Sunday, he will still be valuable in ensuring the highest-scoring rookie players count, via the emergency loophole.
That, in itself, could almost make up the difference between starting a rookie and another premium.
ROUND 1 LOCKOUT
Remember, in SuperCoach there is a rolling lockout in place meaning each player is only locked out at the start of their respective game. This means only Carlton and Richmond players are locked out at the first bounce tomorrow night — think Paddy Dow, Patrick Cripps, Matthew Kreuzer, Dustin Martin, Jarrod Garlett, Toby Nankervis.
You will still have Friday to finalise the rest of your side.
And you will need it, given the rest of the Round 1 teams will only be announced an hour before the first game and Sunday squads trimmed on Friday afternoon.
Good luck, SuperCoaches.
The Phantom will be here to answer any of your last-minute questions at lunchtime on Thursday.
Originally published as All the must-have rookies, premiums and value selections to get your SuperCoach team started
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