Doctor’s Orders: KFC SuperCoach premiums to target on a tight budget

You’re running low on trades, haven’t saved money and need a point-of-difference to win your KFC SuperCoach preliminary final. Where do you turn? The experts from Doctor SuperCoach have identified four of the best options.

Daniel Rich could step up in the absence of injured Lions teammates.

With the final two rounds almost upon us and minimal trades left, it is important to make the most of your money in KFC SuperCoach.

In many cases coaches will be left with limited funds to spend on their final upgrades, so you will need to keep your eyes peeled for premium bargains.

This week in Doctor’s Orders, the Doctor SuperCoach team look deeper into some under-priced premium calibre players who can assist those on a budget.

DANIEL RICH – DEF $394,900

When you are looking for the prototype defender for a KFC SuperCoach player, you want an accumulator who has great disposal efficiency — this is Daniel Rich down to a tea.

After a breakout year in 2019 when he averaged almost 97, Rich has been quite consistent to this season despite not setting the world on fire. He has a high floor but a low ceiling.

Without Alex Witherden who has been omitted and Harris Andrews who has gone down with injury, you can expect Rich to get more usage out of defensive 50 and achieve more intercept possessions.

Rich is under-priced heading into the next round of action due to his injury affected score of 22 in Round 8 keeping his price down. If you are in need of a reliable scorer who should pump out 90-plus across the next two games, Rich is one to consider. Carlton and Sydney are two of the easier opponents Brisbane will face, so expect Rich to perform well.

Josh Dunkley returned to his best with a huge score against the Eagles. Picture: Michael Klein

JOSH DUNKLEY – MID $527,500

Dunkley began the year as one of the top-tier premiums in KFC SuperCoach. After a breakout season in 2019 when he averaged 116, many of us expected him to improve upon this benchmark coming into 2020. However, as is often the case, an unfortunately injury cursed his run.

After posting back to back scores of 120-plus, Dunkley went down with a severe syndesmosis injury which sidelined him for the next six games. Upon return, although his scoring was serviceable, it was heavily hampered by a drastic change of role. Luke Beveridge transitioned Dunkley into a back-up ruckman of all things, which meant a drop in disposals and time on ground.

Last round however, Dunkley was back to his best, pumping out a score of 151 after splitting time as a forward and midfielder. Given his cheaper price point and superb ceiling, he is one to consider if you want another cheap premium midfielder who could win you a finals match.

LIAM DUGGAN - DEF $462,000

This is a name who not many would have expected to be a KFC SuperCoach stud, but he is in great form. Typically, when it comes to West Coast defenders, Shannon Hurn is the No.1 player, but Duggan has taken the mantle in the past six weeks.

Since Round 9 he has topped the ton mark in five of 6 games, including three scores of 115-plus. This improvement has come from a rise of intercept marks, intercept possessions and tackles. More often than not, he is taking kick-outs, which heavily boosts his scoring power.

When it comes to defenders, Duggan has the toolset to keep up this form, but history suggests it’s only a short-term punt. If you are on a budget and are brave enough to bring him in, he could be a make-or-break selection. Rich is the more reliable option, but Duggan has the higher ceiling and better recent form.

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Former Saint Blake Acres has settled on a wing at the Dockers.

BLAKE ACRES – MID/FWD $386,100

The former Saints utility has had a mixed start to his career at Fremantle. After missing some time in the pre-season with soft-tissue injuries, he had a delayed start to the year which resulted in poor form and KFC SuperCoach output after finally cracking the best 22. After being on the outer during Rounds 9-14, he has since made sure not to waste his opportunities since returning to the line-up.

Acres dropped scores of 129 and 113 in Rounds 15 and 16, which has been spearheaded by him having a definitive role for the first time in his career. He has a home on the wing for the Dockers and cruises all over the ground as a support player getting back in defence, but also pushing forward.

He has shown premium level scoring as a forward in the past when he averaged almost 89 in 2018. With favourable match-ups against the Kangaroos and Bulldogs ahead, there is no reason why Acres can’t continue this current rich form.

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Originally published as Doctor’s Orders: KFC SuperCoach premiums to target on a tight budget