Jonathan Brown reveals his first SuperCoach team with a big call on a fallen star of the game

AFL great Jonathan Brown believes one fallen star of the game is ready to repay his coach’s faith and dominate in 2019. It’s just one of the key selection strategies in Browny’s first team.

A team full of choir boys might keep your mother happy but it’s not a formula for SuperCoach success.

We’ve got to get the balance right. This year my wildcard is Fremantle’s wild child – Harley Bennell.

As Bennell’s shown over the past few years, he definitely can’t sing in a choir but he does hit the right notes in SuperCoach, if he plays.

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Between 2012-2015 Bennell averaged between 95-100 points at the Gold Coast Suns. I witnessed his talents closely from up the highway in Brisbane.

He was one of the best young talents the game has seen, and at only 26 he should be entering his prime with unwavering support from Ross Lyon. The best shot of confidence a player can get is belief from the head coach.

At just $167,700 Bennell is a bargain for a player who can hold his own against midfielders worth north of $500,000.

Harley Bennell is Jonathan Brown’s big SuperCoach gamble.

I was shocked when I saw Dustin Martin’s price. How are there 17 midfielders more expensive than Dusty?

There’s the sting coming off a preliminary final loss and what some would say was a down season by his lofty standards … which still included an All-Australian gig.

It wasn’t a bad ‘down season’ but it has impacted his SuperCoach salary so I had to snap him up.

And better still, I’ve made him my captain. With a fresh coat of ink he looks more imposing than ever.

I’m expecting Essendon to rise back into finals this year and I really like Andy McGrath, considering he’s listed as a defender yet will play a lot more midfield time.

And let’s not forgot about Aaron Francis’s form towards the end of 2018, justifying Essendon selecting him at No.6 in the 2015 draft.

Aaron Francis in action at Essendon training. Picture: Jason Edwards

Joe Daniher returns from a serious injury in 2019.

You could argue he was the best defender in the competition in the last month of the season. Us SuperCoaches love those intercept-marking defenders.

And then there’s Joey Daniher, who made the All-Australian team in 2017 and was a contested-mark king.

With the added bonus of spending some time in the ruck, so he can pick up some easy touches, priced at under $300,000 I haven’t seen a discount like that since the Myer Boxing Day sales.

Chad Wingard – a multiple All-Australian player – has crossed to Hawthorn and I expect him to be re-energised under master coach Alastair Clarkson.

With the devastating injury to Tom Mitchell it has only enhanced Wingard’s potential to play more midfield minutes, the position he craved at Port Adelaide.

Wingard’s got the happy knack of kicking clutch goals in big moments, which is built for SuperCoach.

And of course I couldn’t forget the mighty Lions. They’re a team on the way up with a stacked midfield.

I’ve gone with Lachie Neale and Dayne Zorko, two ball magnets you can set-and-forget.

I’ll be honest. In my first crack I blew the SuperCoach salary cap after picking just 21 out of the 30 required players.

Good luck.

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Jonathan Brown's 2019 SuperCoach team

Originally published as Jonathan Brown reveals his first SuperCoach team with a big call on a fallen star of the game