KFC SuperCoach 2023: All the latest Round 1 whispers and pre-season mail
The first lockout of KFC SuperCoach is just days away – and the clock is ticking to make those final calls. See the latest whispers and likely cheapie debuts at every club.
The countdown is on. The first game of Round 1 is just days away.
The clock is ticking to make those final KFC SuperCoach calls, but luckily the gurus from the Jock Reynolds SuperCoach community are here to help.
Who can we lock into our teams right now – and who should we reconsider?
Adelaide
Cash Cow: Luke Pedlar ($173,400, FWD) will be the big cash cow for the Crows this year. He looks to be over the injury issues that plagued him through 2021 and 2022 and is earmarked for a half-forward role in Round 1. He won’t get much midfield time to push his scores super high, but has some contested skills and goal kicking ability to keep the points ticking over.
Locks:Jordan Dawson ($603,100, DEF) and Rory Laird ($703,900, MID) are two players you can safely lock into your side from Adelaide. They’re both expensive, Laird is the highest price player this year and Dawson is the 5th most expensive defender, but they’re expensive for good reason.
Take Caution: Max Michalanney ($135,300, DEF) has been touted at being a solid chance at being a Round 1 selection, but his actual job security is still questionable at this point. He’ll have a host of other players such as Josh Worrell pushing for selection down back and he could find himself back in the SANFL after three or four weeks. Good experience for him, but not enough for him to really gain any value in KFC Supercoach.
Brisbane Lions
Cash Cows - Will Ashcroft ($202,800 MID) I don’t know if I actually need to say anything here. He looks like he has been playing for years, and could be better than Nick Daicos was last season. After appearing in the finals, Darcy Wilmot ($123,900 DEF) has settled on the wing for Brisbane, and looks like he will have solid job security. He may not score too highly, but will do enough to be solid bench cover.
Locks: Josh Dunkley ($596,400 FWD/MID) and Lachie Neale ($676,200 MID) appear to be working in tandem beautifully. Dunkley’s power around the contest, and Neale’s clean ball use in close were both on show in Brisbane’s pre-season matches. There should be no worries about picking either of these guys in your starting line-up.
Take Caution: Conor McKenna (167,500 DEF) was brought in for a reason, but how he fits in is yet to be realised. He played off half back during the pre-season matches but, in his time at Essendon, showed he is proficient at half forward as well. Not a bad starting pick, but there is the worry he may see the sub vest every so often.
Carlton
Cash Cows: There are three Cash Cows at the Blues competing for potentially two spots in the Round 1 side. Ollie Hollands ($162,300 MID), Alex Cincotta ($102,400 DEF/MID) and the aptly named Lachie Cowan ($117,300 DEF) are all in the mix. Hollands seems the most likely to appear come Round 1 after registering 17 disposals and 59 points in his pre-season game but don’t be surprised if Lachie “Cash” Cowan helps fill the void left by Zac Williams, he had 10 disposals and 57 points playing a defensive role against Sydney.
Lock: Sam Docherty ($603,600 DEF) is one of the most selected players in 2023 so far – and for good reason. The veteran defender is coming off a season where he averaged 109.6 points and ranked 13th for total points. He spent some time in the midfield during the pre-season but even in defence he can deliver you some huge scores.
Take Caution: Patrick Cripps ($611,900 MID) was a value pick in 2022 and even managed to walk away with a Brownlow, but beware the Brownlow curse! The last five Brownlow medalists have all dipped in their Supercoach performance the following year.
Dustin Martin went from 119.3 to 103.9, Tom Mitchell averaged 129.1 before missing the entire season, Nat Fyfe dropped from 120 to 113.2, Lachie Neale dipped from 134.4 to 99.8 and finally Ollie Wines backed up his 112.5 season with a disappointing 105.5.
Collingwood
Cash Cows: We’re stretching the definition to give you an answer here, but it has to be Darcy Cameron ($465,900 RUC/FWD). Okay, yes he is essentially a premium selection but he still provides you value! Priced to average 85 and showed us that he’s the number one ruck against Hawthorn, he should be able to give us a triple-figure return in 2023.
Lock:Nick Daicos ($502,500 DEF) is still in 36% of teams despite getting tagged in Collingwood’s pre-season game. At his price and with a touted move to the midfield which we saw in the match simulation against Carlton, Daicos is still a safe pick.
Take Caution: Tom Mitchell ($528,600 MID) has been a KFC Supercoach stud for years and showed that he can still find the ball at will across both pre-season hitouts, but can we justify him as a starting selection? An average around 100 isn’t enough to warrant a spot in your Round 1 team and history isn’t on his side for jumping that average back to keeper-worthy status.
As we count down to round one, @DamoSC and @QuantumJC are joined by Ben from @SCInsider100 to talk their own teams, defence structures, and forward line options. They also touch on captaincy options for round one. #SuperCoach#JockMailbag#sponsoredhttps://t.co/700CeZMeRj
— Jock Reynolds (@jock_reynolds) March 12, 2023
Essendon
Cash Cow: Bomber fans are craving something to get excited about and Alwyn Davey Jr. ($117,300 FWD/MID) looks like he may be about to deliver some hope. Strong performances across the pre-season matches combined with injury interrupted preparations for the likes of Will Guelfi should see Davey Jr. in the side early.
Lock: New coach, new plan, (re)-newed Jordan Ridley ($504,300 DEF)? Ridley looked impressive in the Bombers pre-season hitout against the Saints, albeit against an undersized attack. He looks to have a general defender role to fly for intercepts and take a hefty chunk of kick-in responsibilities. All great signs for his KFC SuperCoach scoring.
Take Caution: Speaking of hope & excitement, Archie Perkins ($314,400 FWD) is already a crowd favourite with the Bomber faithful. However, with the introduction of Will Setterfield into the lineup, and the continued development of the more midfield oriented Jye Caldwell and Ben Hobbs, that excitement may continue to show more in the forward line and less in KFC Supercoach scoring for at least one more year.
Fremantle
Cash Cow: Keep an eye on round one teams but after playing the bulk of the pre-season games Sam Sturt ($123,900 FWD) should remain on our radar. Fremantle were dealing with a few injuries to the forward line, but Justin Longmuir is a huge fan and it wouldn’t surprise me if he squeezes his way in. Job security might be shaky, but the Dockers have tended to back players in to find their feet.
Locks:Andrew Brayshaw ($615,600 MID) did what he needed to over the pre-season games without exerting himself too much. He looked comfortable and racked the ball up with ease. The new Dockers’ vice captain should be carefully considered for your midfield, and picked with confidence. Sean Darcy ($562,200 RUC) has been locked into many teams after his positive pre-season performances, one with and one without Luke Jackson. It appears Darcy may still attend the majority of centre bounces which should keep his scoring fairly healthy despite the addition of Jackson.
Take Caution: Even though there is clear upside in his price Nat Fyfe ($313,600 FWD/MID) still holds injury risk. His performances in the pre-season games shouldn’t deter you from picking him, and positively he also has a distinct lack of taping and strapping, but the risk is still there and steering clear is understandable.
Geelong
Cash Cow: Taking VFL scores into consideration needs to be done with caution but after Esava Ratugolea ($174,000 RUC/FWD) switched to defence in season 2022 he showed a more than handy scoring ability. Jack Henry’s injury has opened up a spot in the Geelong backline and with Esava’s DPP eligibility providing coverage for your ruckmen, he could provide you even more value than just making money.
Lock: There are plenty of quality defenders at the top of the Supercoach scoring tree but it wouldn’t be too hard to make an argument that Tom Stewart ($604,000 DEF) belongs above them all. Geelong seem to do everything they can to involve Stewart in their gameplan which has translated to three straight seasons averaging over 100.
Take Caution: How much does a reigning premier put into a pre-season hitout? That’s the question to consider when we are adding Tanner Bruhn ($311,400 FWD/MID) into our sides. Played a magnificent game against the Lions during pre-season but will he have the same role once we get into round 1? Added risk that with all the talent in the Geelong match day squad, Bruhn could end up being a sub in any given game and bring to a screeching halt any cash/scoring generation he had got going.
Gold Coast
Cash Cow: Disappointingly the Gold Coast Suns have lost a number of defenders to injury across the off-season, positively though, it has unearthed a reinvigorated Charlie Constable ($123,900 DEF/MID).
Constable appears to have found a new role playing off half-back in the Suns best-22 registering 19 disposals for 73 points in his pre-season game against GWS. He should be sitting in your side come Round 1.
Lock: Most of the time we try to avoid players who have had pre-season injuries but in the case of Touk Miller ($662,400) I think we just need to pick him. Yes he had some pre-season hamstring issues but he was the third ranked player in Supercoach last year and posted a whopping average of 120.3.
Take Caution:Sam Flanders ($256,300 FWD/MID) is the talk of the town after arguably two best-on performances during the match simulations and practice matches. His 30-disposal, 103-point effort against GWS was impressive with just six CBAs, but it did come in a Touk-less team. Is there room in that midfield for Flanders when the real stuff begins?
GWS
Cash Cows:Finn Callaghan ($244,000 MID) firmly put his name in the ring for a solid year. A bit pricey as far as rookies go, but if he’s going to be producing well then we can’t pass up cash generation.
Locks: Both Tom Green ($534,600 MID) and Josh Kelly ($582,300 MID) showed us just what they are capable of when allowed to be unleashed. These two will form a key part of GWS’ midfield unit and you could start one, the other or both.
Take Caution:Lachie Whitfield ($473,800 MID) had a really promising pre-season match, seemingly with a friendly role and running fully fit. One of the biggest issues that has faced GWS in KFC SuperCoach is how the scoring will be shared in the mids, but new coach Adam Kingsley looks set to return Whitfield to half-back. There still are safer selections, though.
Hawthorn
Cash cows:Fergus Greene (123,900) and Cam Mackenzie ($180,300) are the two boys in brown and gold to lock into your side in the midfield and forward line respectively. Both appear to be set for bulk games, and, while Greene will play forward in a side which won’t kick a lot of goals, he’s a mature body and should feature heavily in his first season at Hawthorn. Draftee Mackenzie will be given a proper crack in the guts if the pre-season game is anything to go by.
Locks: There’s probably only one lock from the Hawks who you would feel comfortable sitting in your side, and that’s James Sicily ($624,700), who looks to be settling into the same role he had last year – but with more authority under his belt as captain. Will be a top-six defender barring injury.
Take caution: Everyone else. The Hawks will be experimenting this season after a big clean-out last year, meaning, while players like Will Day ($362,100) or Dylan Moore ($521,00) could score fruitful midfield roles, they could also find themselves thrown around in different roles up forward, down back, or on a wing.
Melbourne
Cash Cows: Not a lot of locked in rookies from the Melbourne camp. Judd McVee ($123,900, DEF/MID) filled the Christian Salem-sized hole during the practice match but wasn’t impactful KFC SuperCoach wise.
Locks: Despite some concerning midfield and centre bounce rotations Clayton Oliver ($699,800 MID) still produced a textbook premium performance with little effort. Christian Petracca ($618,600 MID) had a superb practice match as well and serves as a little point-of-difference midfield selection.
Take Caution:Max Gawn ($622,100 RUC) looked great even while splitting ruck time with new addition Brodie Grundy. His new role means scoring will fluctuate based on impact and quiet games will produce small scores.
North Melbourne
Cash Cows: All eyes have been on Will Phillips ($158,300, MID) this pre-season. Every second team that has currently registered for KFC SuperCoach in 2023 has Phillips in their side, with hopes that he’s finally put all his ailments behind him and the former No. 3 draft pick can deliver on his talents. Harry Sheezel ($198,300 FWD) has rocketed his way into many teams after an impressive pre-season and a damaging performance against Western Bulldogs, registering 71 KFC SuperCoach points. Question is, given his premium price, do you pick him over proven players (ie. McLean, King, Allen) who have fallen in price?
Locks: With a new coach, new game plan, lots of unknowns around roles, structures, sleeve policy and a team likely to concede lots of KFC SuperCoach points, it’s incredibly difficult to suggest anyone is a lock at North Melbourne aside from the aforementioned Will Phillips and Harry Sheezel. KFC SuperCoach players are in agreement as only four North Melbourne players have an ownership higher than 10 per cent at the time of writing – and they are all cash cows.
Take Caution: At first glance, there appears to be a number of potential value selections at North Melbourne, with the likes of Ben Cunnington ($419,000 MID/FWD), Jack Ziebell ($356,400 FWD), Liam Shiels ($313,800) and Hugh Greenwood ($416,100 MID) all averaging above 90 in previous seasons. But ask yourself, are you going to get the required return on investment from any of these players? Ziebell is looming as the only likely candidate based on pre-season matches as he’s been taking kick outs once again, but he’s a valuable swingman, and until we actually get to see more of Clarko’s game plan, there’s just no certainty for any North Melbourne player in KFC SuperCoach.
Port Adelaide
Cash Cows: There may not be any immediate rookie selections coming from Port Adelaide, but Josh Sinn ($123,900, Mid-Fwd) looks like he could be the first cab off the rank for the Power in terms of cash cows. He’s had a few injury niggles through the pre-season that may prevent him from being in the Round 1 side, but could feature very early once he gets back up to speed.
Locks: All the signs point to Connor Rozee ($513,800, MID/FWD) making 2023 the year he puts in a consistent scoring effort across a full season. We know what he can do, especially when he gets his opportunities in the midfield and with the talk that Travis Boak is moving back to the forward line, there should be plenty of midfield time coming his way.
Take Caution:Scott Lycett ($429,900, RUC) was an attractive option in the ruck given he looked a safe best 22 pick for Port Adelaide – when healthy – and being in the low $400K range it saves you some money for elsewhere. His form during the pre-season however was not all that encouraging, along with the Power having other options such as Jeremy Finlayson, Todd Marshall and even Brynn Teakle there, ready to take over a share of the ruck duties from Lycett.
Richmond
Cash Cows: You don’t normally expect to see players at this price listed as cash cows, but Jacob Hopper ($332,000, MID) has a serious chance to be a big cash cow this season. Based on previous form he looks to potentially be 30+ points underpriced and could very well find himself as a $500K player by the middle of the year.
Locks: The people have spoken on this one, with Tim Taranto ($503,100, MID/FWD) – at the time of writing – sitting with an ownership percentage of 55. It’s hard to argue with them either, and his form in the pre-season would have only reinforced the decision to pick him in your side. Forward eligible players who look to be playing predominantly as midfielders will always be locks in KFC Supercoach.
Take Caution: He’s still a mind-blowingly-good player, but Dustin Martin ($480,400, MID/FWD) has been on a slow decline in KFc Supercoach these past 3 years. He’s still capable of busting out a big score of 150 points, but those games where he’s only scoring 70-80 points are starting to become a bit more frequent too.
St Kilda
Cash Cows:Mattaes Phillipou ($166,800, MID/FWD) is an uber popular pick this year and with good reason, the tenth pick in the 2022 Draft looks ready to hit the ground running with the Saints and having dual-position eligibility makes him all the more enticing to pick.
Locks:Jack Steele ($604,400, MID) has been a midfield lock the last 3 years for the Saints and this year is no different. He doesn’t always receive the same accolades in the media that some other midfielders receive, but you should be able to lock him away in your side without any worries about his ability to put points up on the board for your team. Next to him in the midfield is another lock in Rowan Marshall ($506,500, RUC), who is currently the highest-owned ruckman in KFC Supercoach and the sixth-most-owned player overall. We’ve seen his scoring potential be in the 110 range when he gets those major ruck minutes, but even if he doesn’t we know he also won’t flame out completely either.
Take Caution: Nick Coffield ($208,800, DEF) currently has 6.5 per cent ownership and the price certainly makes him tempting, but he has been sidelined again by a calf injury.
Sydney
Cash Cows:Lachlan McAndrew ($123,900 RUC) may be set for some games to start the year with Tom Hickey recovering from injury. He will be sharing ruck time with Ladhams if playing so scoring may be capped.
Lock:Errol Gulden ($472,000 MID/FWD) had significant outings in both the match simulation and practice game. As one of the many talented youths running through the Sydney midfield, this looks like it's the year Gulden breaks out.
Take Caution: Callum Mills ($642,400 MID) has always been a role player. Be has an undeniable scoring ceiling but may find himself relegated behind the ball or other outside positions as required. At his price, it’s too expensive to not pay for some level of consistency.
Western Bulldogs
Cash Cow: Outside born-again winger Oskar Baker ($123,00), who should be locked into everyone’s side after nailing down a key spot in the midfield, while two key cogs in Bevo’s backline could provide a slow burn on the rookie front. Returned spoiling maestro Liam Jones ($221,800) is a bit more expensive than your average rookie but did score 101 against the Roos. Meanwhile, potential partner-in-crime Josh Bruce ($161,200) only scored the 61, but could be in line for games early. Another Jones – speedy forward Arthur Jones ($123,900) – was in line for a round one debut after an impressive showing against the Roos, but the second-year Bulldog is likely to miss with injury.
Lock:Marcus Bontempelli ($639,500) and Jack Macrae ($634,400). Both have been there before, will have their roles locked in by the departure of Josh Dunkley, and barring injury will average 110+. Take the key and throw it in your nearest ocean, ladies and gentlemen, because you won’t be needing that little thing any more. Likewise, Bailey Dale ($561,100) is the top dog in the backline now following a 124 in the pre-season game.
Take Caution: Ruckman Tim English ($581,000) was one of the hottest properties going around when KFC SuperCoach opened for subscribers just after Christmas, but after a few niggles and being reminded of his injury history, people have backed off. Can score bulk points when he’s on the park, but you have to ask how often he will be. Former defensive lock Caleb Daniel’s ($495,200) much-publicised midfield move didn’t eventuate during the practice match against North Melbourne, either.
West Coast
Cash Cows: Where do we start? Reuben Ginbey (171,300 DEF/MID) scored 99 KFC SuperCoach points in just over 56 per cent game time making him a popular pick in most defences, and it would be a major curveball if he’s not selected to debut in Round 1 against North Melbourne. West Coast’s top pick from 2021 draft, Campbell Chesser ($123,900 DEF/MID) also appears likely to make his debut in Round 1 as well after playing minutes in the pre-season matches. He hasn’t scored as well as Ginbey did, but the Eagles want to expose him this season.
Locks: It’s hard to pick anyone you need to lock in, but Elliott Yeo ($337,000 DEF) comes pretty close. He breezed through the pre-season games, and his power appears to be back. If the pre-season games are any indication, he’ll be used in rotation with Ginbey splitting time between midfield and defence. Yeo is an underpriced player who can fire on all cylinders, and if you haven’t got him, you don’t want to miss out on what he could do for your team.
Take Caution:Dom Sheed ($332,000 MID) looked like a player who hadn’t played in a long time. He was labouring around the contests, and appeared shaky with the ball in hand. He is clearly underpriced based on his previous outputs, but has he done enough to earn a starting spot in your KFC SuperCoach team?
For more KFC SuperCoach expert advice check out the Jock Reynolds SuperCoach Community.
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