AFL SuperCoach 2025: The Phantom’s top 50 fantasy draft rankings
Taking part in a SuperCoach draft? To help you decide who to pick – and when – our expert The Phantom has delivered his top 50 player rankings for 2025.
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If you haven’t played SuperCoach Draft before, you’re missing out.
Arguably, it’s a more fun, exciting way to play our favourite fantasy game.
Take part in a league with your mates – or join any available public league – and select a unique SuperCoach team through a live draft where each player is only available once.
You can then trade players with other teams throughout the season and pick up any undrafted player from the free agency pool as you go.
League settings – number of teams, squad size, trading and free agency options, gameplay and draft type, just to name a few – are customisable, allowing you to set up your competition your own way.
With all the pre-season in full swing, here are my Top 50 player rankings for 2025 – for new players, it will give you an indication of how a draft might play out.
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THE PHANTOM’S TOP 50 SUPERCOACH DRAFT RANKINGS
1. Marcus Bontempelli (WB), Mid
2. Tristan Xerri (NM), Ruck
3. Max Gawn (Melb), Ruck
4. Zak Butters (Port), Mid
5. Nick Daicos (Coll), Mid
6. Jason Horne-Francis (Port), Fwd/Mid
7. Harry Sheezel (NM), Def
8. Lachie Neale (Bris), Mid
9. Caleb Serong (Freo), Mid
10. Zach Merrett (Ess), Mid
The top three are all worthy No. 1 picks. With Bontempelli, you’re getting the best scorer in the game – and probably the safest selection in the draft. If you take the Bulldogs skipper with your first pick, though, you’re unlikely to get a top-tier ruckman next time around. If it’s Xerri or Gawn – the clear top two – there will still be a top-end midfielder available at your second selection. If you’re new to SuperCoach Draft, this is the type of pre-draft analysis you have to do, depending on your squad and league size. It’s also why I wouldn’t be letting Horne-Francis slip outside the top 10. If he can find consistency in his fourth year, the Power gun could put a significant gap between himself and the next-best forward in SuperCoach.
11 Izak Rankine (Adel), Fwd
12. Sam Flanders (GC), Def
13. Jack Sinclair (StK), Def
14. Isaac Heeney (Syd), Mid
15. Luke Ryan (Freo), Def
16. Tim English (WB), Ruck
17. Josh Dunkley (Bris), Mid
18. Luke Davies-Uniacke (NM), Mid
19. Lachie Whitfield (GWS), Def
20. Clayton Oliver (Melb), Mid
Gold Coast star, and the man who scored a SuperCoach ton in all but two matches last season, Sam Flanders only sits outside the top 10 given the back issue that has him racing the clock to be fit for the season opener. Rankine is probably Horne-Francis’ only challenger to the forward crown, while Oliver at 20 could even prove to be a steal if he really does get back to his best. Don’t sleep on Isaac Heeney early, just because he’s a midfielder-only, either – he was the ninth-ranked player in the game last season.
21. Rowan Marshall (StK), Ruck
22. Jack Macrae (StK), Fwd/Mid
23. Dan Houston (Coll), Def
24. Errol Gulden (Syd), Mid
25. Caleb Daniel (NM), Fwd
26. Sam Walsh (Carl), Mid
27. Tom Green (GWS), Mid
28. Jordan Dawson (Adel), Mid
29. Max Holmes (Geel), Def/Mid
30. Andrew Brayshaw (Freo), Mid
Jack Macrae has still got it and, given this year’s shallow SuperCoach forward pool, I’d wouldn’t be waiting long to pounce. Same goes with new Kangaroo Caleb Daniel. The Blues say Sam Walsh is on track for round 1 so getting him this late would be great drafting. Tom Green won’t be ready for the season opener, but you won’t be thinking about that when he’s pumping out Tom Green-like scorers during the year – just make sure you plan for midfield cover.
31.Tom De Koning (Carl), Ruck
32. Jeremy McGovern (WC), Def
33. Bailey Smith (Geel), Fwd/Mid
34. Patrick Cripps (Carl), Mid
35. Dylan Moore (Haw), Fwd
36. Jordan Clark (Freo), Def
37. Brodie Grundy (Syd), Ruck
38. Will Day (Haw), Mid
39. Luke Jackson (Freo), Fwd/Ruck
40. Hayden Young (Freo), Mid
Marc Pittonet will be sidelined to start the season so it appears Tom De Koning will, indeed, lead Carlton in the ruck – and that’s pushed him up this list.
41.Noah Anderson (GC), Mid
42. Nic Martin (Ess), Def
43. Jai Newcombe (Haw), Mid
44. Christian Petracca (Melb), Mid
45. Dayne Zorko (Bris), Def
46. Ed Richards (WB), Mid
47. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (StK), Def
48. Tom Liberatore (WB), Mid
49. Jack Steele (StK), Mid
50. Will Ashcroft (Bris), Mid
SLEEPERS: Harry Perryman (Coll, DEF), James Peatling (Adel, MID), Tom Powell (NM, MID), Riley Thilthorpe (Adel, FWD), Connor Macdonald (Haw, FWD), Matt Kennedy (WB, MID), Jase Burgoyne (Port, MID), Sam Darcy (WB, FWB), Hugo Garcia (StK, FWD-MID)
Originally published as AFL SuperCoach 2025: The Phantom’s top 50 fantasy draft rankings
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