KFC SuperCoach 2021: The new rules, scoring adjustments and the players who benefit from them

The 2020 season was like no other, and it resulted in some unusual KFC SuperCoach scores. What does that mean for picking a 2021 team?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused chaos all over the world in 2020.

It was a year unlike any other and one we are unlikely to experience again in our lifetime – hopefully, anyway.

KFC SuperCoach didn’t get through unscathed, either, and, while the scoring formula remained the same, so much was different.

Shorter quarters meant less total acts during each game and more total pressure, which, because the same amount of total points were awarded (3300), lead to adjusted weighting and scaling and, in turn, a greater differential between the best and worst players on the ground.

A revised fixture, featuring less games and no byes, made opponent analysis harder and created a KFC SuperCoach trading strategy like we’ve never seen.

The game changed and, now, with the countdown to the start of the 2021 season underway, will it be different again?

How long do you have?

Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale was the top-ranked KFC SuperCoach midfielder in 2020. Picture: Richard Walker

PREDICTED TEAMS: ANALYSIS ON EVERY CLUB’S BEST 22

REVEALED: THE PHANTOM’S KFC SUPERCOACH TEAM FOR 2021

THE SCORING

The calculation formula of KFC SuperCoach points – or Champion Data Ranking points - is a complex one but it’s fair to assume that more players had minimal impact, given there was less time to affect the match, at the bottom-end than usual, and that most of the scaling was done at the top-end.

The other main reason, apart from the reduced quarter-length, for a few of the bigger scores from the competition’s best players is that they were, simply, better at performing under pressure.

And, as a result of less total game-time, match pressure was slightly higher in 2020, compared to 2019, meaning players were under more pressure on average for longer periods.

The formula also takes into account game state, closeness of the game and match-weighting, making it difficult to accurately compare even two games from the same round.

But, from the data, it’s safe to conclude the better players produced more high-value acts, compared to the ones who struggled to have any real influence - and were less efficient - under more pressure.

As far as percentages go, they also had more time on the ground than in previous years, with Champion Data’s numbers showing some of the competition’s biggest names spent less time on the bench in 2021.

Can Max Gawn maintain his 140-point KFC SuperCoach average this season? Picture: Michael Klein

With the AFL’s interchange cap reduced from 90 to 75 this year, those percentages may not drop all the way back to 2019 levels.

But it’s still safe to assume, given the same amount of points were awarded, these high-value stats, such as contested possessions, intercepts and hitouts-to-advantage, received a greater weighting of the scores.

A statement backed up by the data which showed the adjusted average of disposals per game was almost identical to 2020.

Last season, there was, on average, 296 disposals recorded per game, the equivalent of 370 in a full time.

The competition average in 2019 was 371.

The conclusion?

We might not see as many huge KFC SuperCoach scores as we did last year – and that, potentially, a number of averages are slightly inflated.

RELATED: 11 BIGGEST BARGAINST OF KFC SUPERCOACH 2021

MORE: EXPERTS REVEAL THEIR FIRST KFC SUPERCOACH TEAMS

Jake Lloyd played on with 90 per cent of 94 kick-ins in 2022. Picture: Joel Carrett

THE NEW KICK-IN RULE

This year, the player standing the mark at kick-ins will be required to be 15 metres from the centre of the kick-off line – five metres further back than last year.

On top of the recent introduction of the ‘play-on’ rule, where the player kicking the ball back into play is free to run out of the square without disposing of it, we should see yet another increase in play-on percentage in 2021.

I’ll quote Champion Data’s Fantasy Freako on what this means for KFC SuperCoach: “Just pick Jake Lloyd”.

Over the past three home-and-away seasons, Sydney has taken 698 kick-ins – the most of any side in the competition. Collingwood has taken the fewest (497).

A kick from inside the square is not counted as a disposal.

Regardless, if it hits a target it is worth one point.

But if the player chooses to run out of the square and dispose of the ball, it’s counted like any other stat in general play and, if effective, will be worth more points.

Aidan Corr was another to benefit from the new kick-in rule in 2019. Picture: Ian Currie

THE BYES ARE BACK

As the headline says, the dreaded bye rounds are back for KFC SuperCoach in 2020.

Round 12: Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide

Round 13: Brisbane, Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, West Coast, Western Bulldogs

Round 14: Adelaide, Collingwood, Fremantle, Melbourne, St Kilda, Sydney

Similar to 2019, KFC SuperCoaches will get one extra trade per bye round and the best-18 scoring system will return.

If you’re after overall rankings glory, it’s all about balance and planning ahead with your trades – more on that later.

For now, here are the players who performed best post-bye round in 2019.

BEGINNER’S GUIDE: HOW TO GET STARTED IN KFC SUPERCOACH

THE FIXTURE

The return of 23 home-and-away rounds brings with it the return of standard KFC SuperCoach trade allocation and player price increases.

KFC SuperCoaches will have a total of 30 trades for the season and are allowed to use a maximum of two per week, apart from the bye-rounds, where an extra one – taken from your total of 30 - is available.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach 2021: The new rules, scoring adjustments and the players who benefit from them