AFL SuperCoach 2024: Dan Batten’s team revealed

We are flush with cheapie options this year and our rookie guru Dan Batten has been tracking their progress closely. He reveals his SuperCoach team – including a few surprises.

Rookies are the cornerstone of any SuperCoach side and this year we are flush with them.

While in previous years we have battled to fill each line with reliable rookies, in 2024 there are more than you can poke a stick at.

This will dictate how our sides will look, particularly in the forward line where the premium stocks are weak and the rookie depth is strong.

The reliability and scoring potential of these rookies should also aid us during the tricky early season byes. With best 18 scoring those weeks, some will be able to help fill the void and contribute valuable points to our best 18.

Likewise, it can allow us to start some risky mid-pricers knowing that there are likely to be rookie options we downgrade to as fall back options if they don’t come off.

The three keys to SuperCoach rookies are a player’s role, job security and scoring potential.

If they tick all those boxes then lock them into your side, but don’t be afraid to consider some options who could go large and consequently cement themselves into their team’s best 22.

DEFENCE

Nick Daicos $650k, MID

Harry Sheezel $556.2k

Hayden Young $525.1k

Elliot Yeo $447.1k

Zac Williams $216.1k

Josh Gibcus $150.7k

Zach Reid $123.9k

Nick Coffield $123.9k

I felt defence was the strongest rookie line when SuperCoach opened, but now I have just three cheapies there. That could become four if Zac Williams doesn’t impress me in opening round, or if I opt to bolster my midfield.

I’d be nervous fielding more than one rookie in defence with Gibcus and Reid key defenders and Coffield not playing an aggressive role as we’d hoped in the pre-season. Nonetheless, intercepting is Gibcus and Reid’s bread and butter and this will allow them to post solid enough scores without a lot of the ball. Reid was also highly regarded for his ball use in his draft year and went at 93 per cent efficiency in Essendon’s community series game against the Cats.

Coffield could become Ethan Phillips, who I tracked closely during his Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal-winning VFL season in 2022 where he was the competition’s intercept king. I will also be keeping an eye on Demons debutant Blake Howes, who looks to have a spot in defence.

I was one of those who jumped on Nick Daicos too late last year and feel he could make non-owners pay early in the season, even with a Finn Maginess tag and an early bye looming. Could Sheezel replicate what Daicos did in his second season? He can definitely come close and after holding him through last season, I feel he can go up a gear in 2024.

Young’s average will be boosted by his strong tackle numbers while playing in the midfield, while Yeo is my point-of-difference punt. His co-captain Oscar Allen said at captain’s day that he could return to his best form in the midfield after a strong pre-season and while he could break down, I feel the upside is worth the risk. I was burnt last year by him but an underdone Yeo was able to score around the 90 mark. Who else is going to score the points in the Eagles midfield?

Marcus Bontempelli is the most expensive player in SuperCoach. Picture: Simon Sturzaker/Getty Images

MIDFIELD

Marcus Bontempelli $724.6k

Christian Petracca $667.7k

Tom Green $621.5k

Touk Miller $545.5k

Nic Martin $492.8k

Colby McKercher $202.8k

Ryley Sanders $184.8k

Henry Hustwaite $184.4k

Matt Roberts $156.8k

Jeremy Sharp $123.9k

Jhye Clark $123.9k

I would be comfortable fielding all six of my midfield rookies. Batting deep in the midfield before Luke Jackson came into my thinking (we’ll get to him later), I have tweaked my structure to allow for an extra rookie. Ball magnets McKercher and Sanders are the standouts, with McKercher’s lucrative half-back role and Sanders’ through the midfield set to make us truckloads of cash. Don’t be surprised if McKercher becomes a keeper once he gains defender status.

Hustwaite has been in and out of my side, but the news that Will Day is set to miss the first few games of the season gives him the chance to shine at centre bounces. The incredibly agile 195cm talent has great upside as a SuperCoach scorer and I feel he will be hard to take out based on his pre-season form. Clark was likely to play even with Cameron Guthrie fit, but his long-term blow only enhances his job security and scoring potential. The No.8 pick presents enormous value and will score points in attack and defence.

Roberts off half-back was not a move I expected but his ton in the official practice game showcased his scoring potential in the role. It wasn’t an easy choice between Sharp and Jacob Wehr, but with Finn Callaghan to return to the Giants line-up I feel Sharp’s spot is more assured.

Henry Hustwaite has had a strong pre-season. Picture: Michael Klein

Onto the premiums. Bontempelli and Petracca have hardly left my side, both such consistent options with captaincy potential. With Clayton Oliver coming in off a delayed pre-season, I’m hoping Petracca can thrive in the early rounds when others might avoid because of his bye. That brings me to Tom Green. Having played Fantasy Premier League over the past few seasons which places a premium on targeting fixtures and chopping and changing premiums, Green is a high upside pick for the first two rounds against North Melbourne and West Coast. I will then make a call as to whether to sideways him at round three, but I may not need to with best 18 scoring and the promising rookies around.

Miller is a similar story, and with 120-season averages under his belt, he screams value. Watching Martin live in his official practice game down at the Cattery convinced me to lock him in, roaming up the ground and taking kick ins. He could quite easily be a top-six defender at year’s end given defender status looks inevitable.

RUCK

Max Gawn $583.7k

Brodie Grundy $481.9k

Finnbar Maley $102.4k, FWD

We’ll keep this short and sweet. Barring a Grundy mare in round zero, I’ll be running with these two. Whether I go Sam Naismith, the only ruck rookie likely to be playing, will depend on Toby Nankervis’ injury update. But with Jackson in the forward line, it makes sense to have a RUC-FWD swing there, and Maley is the cheapest of the lot.

Bailey Laurie looks for an option. Picture: David Crosling

FORWARD

Luke Jackson $547k, FWD

Zac Fisher $378.6k

James Jordon $275.5k

Harley Reid $207.3k

Alex Sexton $133.4k

Darcy Wilson $130.8k, MID

Charlie Lazzaro $181.1k MID

Bailey Laurie $125.2k

Go on, don’t pick Harley. I know there is always scepticism over whether the No.1 pick is worth the high-price tag, but Reid is different gravy. He was ready to play AFL footy a year ago and his role at centre bounces and off half-back will ensure he is a reliable on-field scorer – and as we saw in the final practice game, he can score well without finding a lot of the footy. Speaking of finding the Sherrin, that’s exactly what Sexton will do off half-back for the Suns, and he is just about the biggest must-have of the rookie crop. Who would have thought we’d be saying that two months ago?

Running machine Wilson showed he can be more than trusted on-field in his final practice match hitout, while Lazzaro also shapes a player you can trust. His long-term job security is a bit of a concern with plenty of Roos midfielders, but he looks to have done enough. He could easily become Caleb Windsor if he fires in round zero, who is a high-impact per possession option with high job security. His Melbourne teammate Laurie is in just 3 per cent of sides and should be in more. As a high-half forward who can push into the midfield where required, Laurie averaged 96 points in the VFL last year and is a solid bench pick with a high floor.

At time of writing the severity of Sean Darcy’s knee injury is unclear, but the “early rounds” as specified by the Dockers is more than enough time for Jackson to pile on the points as No.1 ruck. He also offers the flexibility to cover for Gawn and Grundy during their byes in round five and six. It’s hard to look past Fisher after his standout display in the final practice game, while Jordon is a no-brainer with Sydney’s midfield injuries.

Dan Batten's team ahead of Opening Round.

Originally published as AFL SuperCoach 2024: Dan Batten’s team revealed