SuperCoach AFL 2024: Herald Sun experts reveal starting squads
Clayton Oliver has been avoided en masse in SuperCoach this year – but Herald Sun journo Sam Landsberger says that’s crazy. See why and his other bold moves. SEE HIS TEAM
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Pardon my French, but roughly 146,000 SuperCoach players are cretins.
There are two ‘Cs’ at the Dees they have barely considered.
No, we are not about to enter unsavoury Alastair Clarkson territory.
The neglected Cs are Clayton and Christian.
How only a few thousand have turned to two critical Melbourne cogs is going to prove costly.
Let’s start with ‘Clarry’. He is good to go. I bumped into Oliver when he was grabbing a coffee in Richmond on Tuesday.
Most importantly, he looked happy. He was in good spirits and pumped for Thursday night’s clash against Sydney.
He also looked incredibly fit.
We all know that at his best he is a potential Brownlow Medallist and to be too frightened to pick him because of issues stretching back many months is timid.
Let’s be bold and back in a bloke who at his best can be one of the game’s best.
Should it backfire then his price tag of $674,000 mitigates the risk. Out goes Oliver and in comes a Marcus Bontempelli or Christian Petracca or Nick Daicos.
Simple.
As for Salem, the sad news of Angus Brayshaw’s retirement means he will be required to move into the midfield.
Coach Simon Goodwin predicted that from the boundary line at Ikon Park before the Demons dominated Carlton in a pre-season match.
Priced at $420,800 and positioned as a SuperCoach defender makes him worth the punt.
Elsewhere, I have backed in the intelligence I have heard from clubland over summer.
In December I wrote Richmond’s preview.
Under the subhead of ‘Biggest improver’ I wrote: “New midfield coach Chris Newman has gone ‘wow!’ at Thomson Dow, and so let’s declare it now – the 22-year-old is a lock to line-up against Damien Hardwick’s Gold Coast in round 1”.
Dow is a stoppage star who has looked cleaner than soap in summer simulations.
Lion Kai Lohmann has been one of the standout runners and that has lifted him from a forward pocket on to a wing.
Similarly, Hardwick says Ben Ainsworth is humming. He has reprogrammed other smalls to be his pressure forwards and that will allow Ainsworth to be the ace in attack.
The secret is out about Alex Sexton’s move to half-back distributor while Ollie Dempsey is another the Cats have told me is due to explode.
Remember that hanger he took over Blake Acres in a scratch match?
Tom Green is my Brownlow Medal bet and it he might be at the most centre bounces of any player in the competition this year.
Another lock. Green is a popular pick. Plenty others of mine are unique.
It’s time to be different and roll the dice. It’s SuperCoach after all, not SameCoach.
Good luck. Here’s hoping you need it against my team.
‘NORTHBALL’ KEY TO JOURNO’S SUPERCOACH COMEBACK PLAN
– Josh Barnes
I could tell you I know what I am doing, but that would be a lie.
After a decade out of the game, I have found my SuperCoach password in a bid to come for Scott Gullan’s throne in the Herald Sun office.
Longtime coaches will certainly find some holes in my comeback team but I am confident the belief in top-liners Nick Daicos, Errol Gulden and Rowan Marshall will pay off.
Tom Green will dominate all year.
Max Gawn could not be overlooked after Wednesday, and I am all in on ‘Northball’, opting for each of Harry Sheezel, Dylan Stephens, Colby McKercher and Zac Fisher.
Let’s hope Northball is less about moral victories and more about bulk numbers off half-back.
Up forward, I expect James Jordon to play huge minutes with Sydney’s midfielders dropping like flies and you just have to hope Alex Sexton doesn’t commit enough turnovers for Damien Hardwick to put him in cotton wool.
Look out, Scotty.
SCOTT GULLAN: TIPS FROM HERALD SUN SUPERCOACH CHAMP
– Scott Gullan
I have sympathy for Craig McRae.
Finding the mental strength to climb the mountain again and continually looking for ways to keep a step ahead of your opponents when the scrutiny on you is more intense than ever, it’s tough going.
Like Collingwood, my victory in the Herald Sun office SuperCoach competition was one for the ages. I also took the steps, surging late in the season (think Western Bulldogs 2016) to claim big scalp after big scalp.
But, as McRae says, it’s now back to work – not back-to-back – and again I’ve gone with some strong principles from last year.
First of all, don’t look to save money in the ruck. Max Gawn is a clear lock now that he’s not worried about trying to give another guy a go in the ruck, while Rowan Marshall did the right thing by me last year and remains locked in.
Former studs who have been in the wilderness – Ollie Wines and Nat Fyfe – need to be utilised early to raise cash before they lose their early-season buzz, while having this year’s Brownlow Medallist in Tom Green is also a must. (Don’t let me be saying I told you so at the end of the season).
Another piece of advice while I’m in a charitable mood – focus on getting the midfield full of studs over the first part of the season, don’t waste your time in defence as it can be fixed last.
ROBBO REVEALS HIS SUPERCOACH SQUAD
– Mark Robinson
They don’t hand out Brownlow medals to mugs.
Ollie Wines was pushed to a wing and even half-forward at times in 2023, and finished with his worst numbers since 2018.
Trust Kenny when he says Wines is back as a full-time midfielder in 2024.
That means I can get one of the top scoring players for the bargain price of $463,600 in SuperCoach.
To be honest, I’m not sure Al has fully recovered from being knocked out of the office league finals by Scott Gullan.
What he’s missing is the key to SuperCoach success is picking the best players in their positions. Good luck outscoring this midfield - Petracca, Daicos, Gulden, Green, Wines.
James Sicily leads the defence although he might get overtaken by Harry Sheezel by the end of the year. It’s Gawn and Grundy again in the ruck and speaking of Brownlows, there’s a few more in this bulletproof team thanks to Dustin Martin and Nat Fyfe. Like Wines, they are back in the midfield for 2024.
Who said the forward line was hard this year?
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Originally published as SuperCoach AFL 2024: Herald Sun experts reveal starting squads
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