Recruiting guru Gary Buckenara reveals his SuperCoach team for 2019

The man who created Hawthorn’s superstar squad has made a massive SuperCoach call. No Max Gawn, no Brodie Grundy. Where is GARY BUCKENARA spending his savings? See his final team here.

Picking a SuperCoach team at the start of every season can be tough. With money to spend and 30 spots to fill, the cash dwindles very quickly — you can only pick so many superstars.

That’s where my two-step strategy kicks in.

1. Pick players who find the footy

2. Pick players who can play a variety of different roles

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This year, I’ve also targeted three clubs — Gold Coast, Carlton and St Kilda — to pick rookies who I believe will get plenty of games and have good scoring potential.

The first thing you’ll notice about my team is the absence of both Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn. It’s a controversial decision because they’re the best ruckmen in the game but let me explain.

At $708,200 and $692,100 respectively, I just think they’re too expensive. There will be a time during the season where I’ll be able to pick the best performer of the two for cheaper than their starting price. I’m going to wait and see which one is backing up their outstanding 2018 season and will formulate a plan to strike.

Max Gawn won’t feature in Bucky’s SuperCoach side. Picture: Getty Images

Instead, Rory Lobb leads my ruck division in his first season at Fremantle.

Lobb has been a player we’ve expected to become a premium ruckman in SuperCoach over the last couple of years and I think his move to the Dockers could be the turning point. I think he’ll spend a lot of time in the ruck as well as up forward and with his athleticism and ability to move around the ground, take contested marks and kick goals, he has all the hallmarks of a dominant ruckman. He’s like a ruck rover and to me, is like an extra midfielder. I think 2019 will be his breakout SuperCoach season.

St Kilda’s Lewis Pierce is my second ruck, which is a high risk/high reward strategy and has allowed me to spend more money elsewhere, particularly in the forward line.

I believe Pierce will overtake Billy Longer as the Saints’ No. 1 ruckman this season and at $235,600, there is money to be made. You know what you’re going to get from him — he’s consistent with his effort, he works hard, takes marks around the ground and he’s a very good tap ruckman who gives his midfielders first use. I think he’s St Kilda’s best ruck option.

I’ve used the money I’ve saved in the ruck in my forward line as I’ve got some concerns over the scoring potential of the forward rookies this year.

The player I’m bullish about is Hawk James Worpel. With Tom Mitchell expected to miss the whole season, I think Worpel will take it upon himself to help shoulder the load because that’s exactly the type of player he is. He rolls his sleeves up and isn’t afraid of hard work.

I was impressed with him during the JLT series — he looks like he belongs at AFL level and will build on what was an impressive debut season. The fact he’s got dual position MID/FWD status made the decision to pick him easier.

I’ve got out on a limb by selecting Darcy Fogarty but sometimes you just have to go with your gut. He will come in and replace Mitch McGovern in the Adelaide forward line and I expect he’ll play every game, barring injury. The best thing about Fogarty is that he can also fill a role down back, so Don Pyke can throw him around if needed. He’s a bull who’s got loads of talent — I had him rated as the best player in the 2017 draft.

Marcus Bontempelli is a lock in Bucky’s midfield. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Blakey is on my bench and he was one of the first rookies I picked this year. At various stages last year I had him rated as the best player in the draft, and I was so impressed with his performances in his two pre-season games. I see Blakey as a trade recruit for the Swans, not a draftee, because he’s been developing in their system for years via the academy. He’s not your regular draftee. He’s ready to play and I’ve got no doubt John Longmire has him pencilled in as a senior regular.

Picking premium midfielders this year was easy. Patrick Cripps — gun. Lock. Nat Fyfe — superstar. Lock. Josh Kelly — star. Lock. And then there’s Marcus Bontempelli. I think 2019 will see the Bulldog get back to that brilliant form of 2016, with the new 6-6-6 rules to help him find more time and space to use his skill, while he can then be thrown forward to have maximum impact.

I’ve picked Carlton’s Paddy Dow. Hear me out.

In trying circumstances last year I thought Dow showed a lot of maturity. He can find the footy and I think being thrown in the deep end will hold him in good stead for this season. He was constantly under the pump last year because the team was, so we didn’t really get to see the best of what he can produce.

Patrick Cripps is set for a massive SuperCoach year. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Hopefully Patrick Cripps and Marc Murphy can have injury-free seasons, and with the addition of Will Setterfield and Michael Gibbons, there is a bit more help in there now so the younger guys like Dow and Sam Walsh can hopefully have a big impact. It’s a risk but I think he’ll be better for the experience of last year and could be one of the players set for a breakout season.

I didn’t have Charlie Constable in my team initially but that changed after watching him in his two JLT Series matches.

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He’s a big lad and he can play. His performances in those pre-season matches has me pretty confident he’ll play Round 1 and get quite a few early senior opportunities.

I have gone for a smoky rookie in the midfield and that’s Eagle Luke Foley. He didn’t feature in the JLT Series but having tracked him last year, I think he has the potential to not only break into the West Coast team early, but keep his spot. West Coast do like to give new players games early in the season and Foley is the type of player who grabs his opportunities with both hands. If he gets in, he’ll stay in because he’s a really smart footballer.

Tom Doedee has the potential to be a star.

James Sicily and Shannon Hurn lead my defence alongside Adelaide’s Tom Doedee because I see similarities between Doedee and Sicily. Doedee plays smaller than what he is, so he’s very versatile as a defender, he finds the footy and he takes intercept marks. He reads the game really well, which allows him to position himself in spots where he’s always involved in the game. He’s also good at anticipating space to win the ball and guys who can do that are worth their weight in gold.

Oleg Markov and Cedric Cox are speculative picks but I’ve heard Markov has had a very good pre-season. He’s been seen before as perhaps a bit of a summer champion who hasn’t delivered much during the season but I think 2019 could be his year.

Cox, meanwhile, can play across halfback or in the midfield and now that he’s entering his third season, I think he’s ready to become a regular for the Lions. He’s got a lot of talent, he’s quick, uses the ball really well and he’s very exciting. He can add another dimension to the Brisbane team.

Gary Buckenara's 2019 SuperCoach team.

Originally published as Recruiting guru Gary Buckenara reveals his SuperCoach team for 2019