SuperCoach Plus: The things you need to know for round 16 of the 2023 AFL season

Who’s in line for the final round of KFC SuperCoach position changes? Find out that, plus the key numbers on Christian Petracca, Luke Ryan and more.

The byes are over and it’s time to finish your KFC SuperCoach team.

Not sure how or when? That’s where SuperCoach Plus comes in.

Features available to SuperCoach Plus subscribers included score and price projections, Break Evens and live trade data. Plus exclusive weekly analysis articles just like this one!

Here are 8 nuggets to lift the lid on the KFC SuperCoach scoring system and help you make the best trade and captaincy calls for round 16.

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Sam Walsh could yet become a forward in KFC SuperCoach. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

DPP win looms

The latest – and final – round of KFC SuperCoach position changes is upon us. And there’s good news ahead of the update which will land in the game at the completion of round 17. After just missing out in round 12, Carlton star Sam Walsh currently sits above the 35 per cent threshold – but it’s a slightly different story from Melbourne skipper Max Gawn.

Max Gawn (Melbourne)
65.5% Ruck – 34.5% Fwd

Sam Walsh (Carlton)
62.5% Mid – 36.8% Fwd

Jayden Short (Richmond)
50% Def – 36% Mid – 14% Fwd

The right Trac?

Christian Petracca’s ownership has increased steadily in teammate Clayton Oliver’s absence, climbing from 28,577 in round 10 to 43,776 last week after another 5000 KFC SuperCoaches traded him in ahead of the Cats clash. In the Thursday night loss to Geelong, Petracca posted his third score of 120 or more in the past four weeks. But, again, it could’ve been more. The North Smith Medallist’s kicking efficiency was less than 60 per cent for the fourth consecutive game and Petracca turned the ball over directly by foot three times and by hand twice. Overall, he lost 19.6 points for negative acts.

Ryan v Ridley

The two underpriced defenders rewarded owners in a big way last week, with Docker Luke Ryan (143) and Essendon’s Jordan Ridley (137) featuring in the top 10 scorers for round 15. And efficiency was the key. The Fremantle gun was deducted just under 10 points for one handball clanger, one dropped mark, a free kick against and three ineffective spoils. Ryan’s career-high 15 marks – from which he scored more than 45 points alone – also played a big part in his highest score since the opening round. The star Bomber was even more efficient on Saturday night, losing just three points from negative acts. Ridley has hit the target with each of his past 39 kicks – going back to early in the second term of round 12 – and he scored another 42.4 points from kicks against the Dockers. But who do you choose this week? Both offer significant value, but Ridley has now posted five KFC SuperCoach tons on-the-trot, to Ryan’s two.

Daicos masterclass

Cometh the hour, cometh the 20-year-old kid – that’s the saying, right? Collingwood young gun Nick Daicos, again, stepped up when the game was on the line, scoring 63 of his 132 KFC SuperCoach in the final term against the Crows. With the Magpies taking the lead as a result, that controversial free kick, 50-metre penalty and goal saw Daicos awarded almost 25 points.

Ben Keays attended a season-high 78 cent of centre bounces against the Magpies. Picture Mark Brake

Where was Keays?

The Crow definitely seem to follow Daicos a lot closer in the final term, especially as the young Magpie got going. But, unlike in the round 7 clash at Adelaide Oval, Keays was unable to quell his influence. In good news for KFC SuperCoaches, though, he was again in the midfield for most of the afternoon. And, even with a defensive-first role like he described in the build-up, Keays posted his fourth consecutive KFC SuperCoach ton, on the back of 21 centre bounces attendances, third only to Rory Laird and Jordan Dawson at the Crows

.

The Round 15 saviour

He may have scored 32 in between, but young Docker Matthew Johnson was huge for many KFC SuperCoaches during the bye rounds. The young Docker scored 99 points against the Bombers, two weeks after finishing with 96. On Saturday night, Johnson hit the target with 15 of his 16 disposals and scored 36.9 points from kicks. He was awarded 24.1 points for his seven tackles – the second-most on the ground – and lost just 10 points for negative acts – a free kick and a 50-metre penalty. In even better news, the 20-year-old is “fine to go” according to the club’s high performance manager Phil Merriman, after copping a corkie in the win. Johnson has now pushed past the $300k mark and is likely to soar higher with a round 16 breakeven of 47. Has money to make and looks pretty solid bench cover, so there’s no rush to trade him, unless it’s your only way to that final upgrade.

It might be time to trade Bailey Humphrey out. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

A different story

But, after he spent more time on the bench than any other Suns player that wasn’t involved in the substitution, it might be time for Bailey Humphrey to go. Before the game against the Hawks, the first-year gun had booted a goal in the final term of each game since round 10, and averaged 96 KFC SuperCoach points in his previous five matches. But the teenager failed to do that, looked tired and finished with just 13 disposals and 34 points after not attending a centre bounce for the first time since round 8. As a result, if he isn’t rested, Humphrey faces a huge breakeven of 120 this weekend.

The Rising Star

Going the other way in regards to cash generation is round 15’s Rising Star nominee Angus Sheldrick. Albeit in the most one-sided game we’ve seen in a long time, the tough 19-year-old tallied 29 disposals, 12 contested possessions, 1.3 and 93 KFC SuperCoach points. With 39 of those points coming in the third term, Sheldrick now leads the AFL for total points scored in the third quarter since round 13. So, if he starts slow on Friday night, don’t stress. Importantly, after spending less than 58 per cent of game-time on the field in the previous two matches, Sheldrick was out there for 73 per cent of the win over West Coast. His round 16 breakeven of -39 is the second-lowest in the competition, behind Taylor Walker. Sadly, we’re not counting Charlie Constable anymore. Even a score of 70 against the Cats will see the young Swan’s price shoot past $300k.