It's that time of year again. SuperCoach is back, and it's bigger than ever.
SuperCoach can be the highlight and lowlight of the season for many pundits. The peaks and troughs happen so often you roll with the punches.
With Round 1 a month away, the biggest question is how can you build your team to win the ultimate prize.
In every friendship group, there's a handful of mates who reckon their team can go the distance. That false hope often comes around pre-season and disappears when the bye round hits like a nuclear bomb.
We at Zero Hanger have delved into the MUST HAVE's and POD (Point of Difference) players for your Defenders, Midfielders, Rucks, and Forwards.
Strategically, you want to build your side around premiums and rookies, let's look below and see who are the names you should be considering.Â
Jake Lloyd (SYD)
$586,600 (44%)
2021 Average: 107.8.
First picked in most sides, 'Mr. Dependable' Jake Lloyd's numbers speak for themselves. Lloyd cracked the ton 15 times in 2021 and was the third-ranked defender in SuperCoach behind Jack Crisp and Daniel Rich. Lloyd rarely misses matches, he frequently hits 90+, and without Jordan Dawson, I can see Lloyd regularly with the ball in his hands in 2022.
Lachie Whitfield (GWS)
$502,600 (42%)
2021 Average: 92.3.
Whitfield's durability demands answers for SuperCoaches looking to lock their D1-D3 away early, yet at such a low price of just a tick over $500,000 and his ability to hit 150+ scores, the carrot dangling may be too good to refuse. Whitfield is also a DPP (Dual Position Player) for 2022, making his price even juicer, as he can be used carefully as a midfield cover.
James Sicily (HW)
$448,100 (33%)
PROJ 3 Round Average: 84
James Sicily holds the key for cash generation and a cheeky score of 70+ as a D3 or D4 defender. Supercoaches can't expect instant results from Sicily as players notoriously take time to return from an ACL injury. Before his injury in 2020, Sicily was averaging 103 points per game. 33% of SuperCoaches know he has an elite ranking for rebounds from 50, contested marks, and kicking. Sicily has the potential to get back to a premium level with a base price of only $448,100.
Will Kelly (CW)
$123,900 (40%)Â
Job security is a big win for SuperCoach, and I think Will Kelly is a crucial look-in for the injured Jordan Roughead. With Roughead out for up to a month, Kelly and new teammate Charlie Dean could see action early into the season. The young Magpie has also been moved forward at times this pre-season, adding great versatility for Collingwood's selection planning.Â
Will Gould (SY)
$123,900 (32%)
Will Gould has been on the stovetop simmering for the last three years. With Jordan Dawson moving to Adelaide, maybe this is Gould's time to shine after averaging 83 points in the VFL.
Charlie Dean (CW)
$102,400 (32%)
Charlie Dean averaged 85 points for Williamstown in his breakout 2021 season and was crowned the winner of the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medallist as the best young player in the VFL. An intercept defender with a starting price of $102,400, Dean gives much-needed depth for Collingwood's defence and your SuperCoach side.
Luke Ryan (FR)
$540,300 (4%)
2021 Average: 99.3.
Luke Ryan is only in 4% of SuperCoach sides for someone who was on par with many premium defenders. Ryan is still an excellent option for many coaches looking for a POD to go point-for-point with players like Lloyd, Stewart, Hall, and Crisp.
Daniel Rich (BL)
$582,700 (6%)
2021 Average: 107.
Daniel Rich is ageing like fine wine up north. Regarded as one of the most undervalued premium defenders, Rich keeps between 85-120 points every week, which is suitable for Supercoaches looking for consistency. Rich's ceiling capability is relatively low if coaches want their D1 or D2 defenders to push 140+ every fortnight, but with only 6% naming him in their side, his consistency may be a great POD.
Jordan Dawson (ADE)
$550,300 (11%)
2021 Average: 101.1.
Regarded as one of the better ball users in the competition, Jordan Dawson's move to Adelaide could spark a quick rise to SuperCoach premium for the left-footer. Coaches will most likely go for Whitfield over Dawson due to the price, yet be aware that Dawson had three scores over 140 in 2021.
Clayton Oliver (MEL)
$672,000 (37%)
2021 Average: 123.5.
Clayton Oliver offers everything you want from a premium midfielder. He has the potential to go humungous (205 against Adelaide in Round 10), his scores barely deviate from his average of 123.5, and he also averages 20.65 games per season, proving you can back him in every to make a score, as well as putting the C on him and forgetting.
Jackson Macrae (WB)
$699,900 (43%)
2021 Average: 128.6.
The highest-priced player for 2022, and rightly so, Jackson Macrae could find the Sherrin in the Sahara desert. Up there with the great Gary Ablett Jr as the most consistent premium midfielder, Macrae averaged a whopping 128.6 in 2022. The ball magnet dropped below 100 once in 26 games and passed 130 on 14 occasions!
I guarantee the 43% of SuperCoaches who selected Macrae will leave the captaincy on him for the entire season.
Jack Steele (SK)
$685,800 (46%)
2021 Average: 126.
Jack Steele was one of four players who scored 80 or more in every game for 2021. Steele's finish to 2021 will leave many Supercoaches salivating. Steele averaged a ridiculous 137.58 during the last half of the year, with the Saints captain moving into Brownlow contention. If an average of 137.58 is anything to go by, I'm expecting Steele to carry his form across to 2022.Â
Nick Daicos (CW)
$193,800 (63%)Â
If Nick Daicos' NAB League average of 159 was anything to go by, this young star could be breaking new territory in his first season in 2022. With 35.9 disposals a game and two goals, I expect Daicos to float around the midfield and half-forward for 2022 and will generate enough cash to stay in your side for a while.Â
Nathan O'Driscoll (FR)
$123,900 (25%)
Second-year midfielder Nathan O'Driscoll has impressed in the midfield over the summer for Fremantle and could fill the role of Adam Cerra, who made his way to Carlton. In a similar mould to captain Nat Fyfe, O'Driscoll hits the ball hard and loves the contest. I'll lock him in for a couple of handy scores of 60 over the season.
James Tsitas (GC)
$102,400 (18%)
This mature-aged recruit could be the biggest cash-cow of the lot, at a base price of $102,400; Magarey Medallist James Tsitas has averaged 118 and 121 respectively in his last two seasons with Woodville-West Torrens.
In his last 12 matches in the SANFL, Tsitas averaged 130.66 points a game. With young stars like Daicos and Horne-Francis pushing $190,000, this 26-year-old could be a fantastic rookie selection.
Jarryd Lyons (BL)
$640,000 (2%)
2021 Average: 117.6
Alongside Jackson Macrae and Jack Steele, Lions Midfielder Jarryd Lyons didn't drop below 80 for the entirety of the 2021 SuperCoach season, yet is still only in 2% of sides for 2022. 11 of Lyons' 19 SuperCoach tons were above 120, which means when the Lions are playing well, this tough-nut is at the forefront. Surprisingly, Lyons scored more points than Sam Walsh and Tom Mitchell.
Darcy Parish (ES)
$621,300 (5%)
2021 Average: 114.1
Darcy Parish had a year for the ages in 2021, famously winning three medals but not the Brownlow. With a reasonable price of $621,3000 and a 5% ownership, Parish was in scintillating form between Rounds 6 through 16, averaging 127.09 points; I expect another sizzling run from the Bombers midfielder in 2022.
Ollie Wines (PA)
$612,600 (3%)
2021 Average: 112.5
Underestimate the 2021 Brownlow Medallist at your own peril. In a record-breaking medal season, Wines transcended his 2020 form had passed the SuperCoach ton 16 times in his last 17 games. A known ball winner, Wines is never too far away from the Sherrin, averaging 32 for the season, proving he can be a valuable POD option.
Max Gawn (ME)
$657,400 (35%)
2021 Average: 120.8
Big Max showcased a goal-kicking skill to see the Premiership captain become scoreboard hitting ruck. Now, this may dampen Gawn's time in the ruck as the Demons will look to give Luke Jackson in the role. If Gawn spends more than 35% of his game time in the forward line, he could become a RUC/FWD option. Historically many pundits choose the 'set & forget' style with ruckmen, and Gawn is still a must-have.
Sean Darcy (FR)
$642,600 (25%)
2021 Average: 118
Hunting down Gawn, Grundy, and Naitanui is a country Victorian ruckman making waves at Fremantle. Sean Darcy's breakout 2021 season was up there with Darcy Parish's year. Darcy's scoring ceiling is mouth-watering. In three consecutive weeks between rounds 16 to 18, Darcy scored 193, 183, and 156. Anything is possible in 2022.
Brodie Grundy (CW)
$627,100 (38%)
2021 Average: 115.2
After averaging 130.4 in 2018, 130 in 2019, 120.6 in 2020, Brodie Grundy averaged a mere 115.2 in 2021, and now SuperCoaches have written him off. Unfortunately for Grundy, because he has been so dominant for so long, SuperCoaches believe he is no longer one of the best two talls in the competition. You'd be silly to overlook Grundy in 2022.
Braydon Preuss (GW)
$204,700 (30%)Â
At $204,700, Braydon Preuss is the Giants' number one ruckman for 2022. Pruess offers up to six weeks of cash generation and can run with Gawn and Grundy. With the cash space needed for upgrades, Preuss provides an alternative to generate the cash flow quicker while still consistently getting scores of 80+. His selection appears like a no-brainer if you're not following the trend of Gawn/Grundy.
Sam Hayes (PA)
$123,900 (19%)
Although drafted in 2017, Sam Hayes has heads turning at the Alberton. If Port wants to run Scott Lycett through the forward line, Hayes would be a valuable inclusion in the ruck after a dominant SANFL season averaging 14 disposals and 34 hit-outs per game.Â
Charlie Comben (NM)
$123,900 (25%)
Alongside a plethora of good young talent at Arden Street, Charlie Comben has been impressive in intra-club matches and looks set to find a spot in the Kangaroos forward line. Comben would be a valuable R3 option as a DPP.
Jarrod Witts (GC)
$383,300 (10%)
2021 Average: 87.3
Similar to Braydon Preuss, the Gold Coast Suns Captain Jarrod Witts is back from injury and ready to take back the number one ruck duties at the Suns. Witts is a prolific hit-out winner and averaged 99.6 and 93.1 in 2019 and 2020. Four times in those 39 games, Witts hit scores of 140+.
Nic Naitanui (WC)
$627,400 (4%)
2021 Average: 115.3
Nic Naitanui proved last year that he has still got it. Although his game time is restricted, 'Nic Nat' is an excellent POD if you're willing to go against Gawn/Grundy. Naitanui cracked the ton 16 times between Rounds 7 to 23, averaging a tick over 120.
Sam Draper (ES)
$396,400 (7%)
2021 Average: 72.8
In his first 20 odd games, Sam Draper has averaged just above 70. The Bombers tall cracked the ton four times last year, and I expect that number to double as he takes his game to the next level in 2022.
Josh Dunkley (WB)
$558,200 (51%)
2021 Average: 102.5.
Already battling a midfield with Bontempelli, Macrae, Smith, Treloar, and Liberatore, Josh Dunkley had five scores of 87 or lower. Low by his lofty standards, Dunkley is every SuperCoaches first picked forward for 2022 as before his injury, he was averaging 125+ from the first six rounds. I expect all coaches to back Dunkley in for big scores.
Stephen Coniglio (GW)
$261,300 (64%)
2021 Average: 60
Current Giants captain Stephen Coniglio is in 64% of sides for 2022 due to his low price of $261,300. Most SuperCoaches still remember that Coniglio was unstoppable in 2019 with an average of 101, including scores of 207 against Gold Coast in Round 11 and another two scores of 150+. If everything falls into place, Coniglio could be the best value pick of 2022.
Tim Taranto (GW)
$529,700 (19%)
2021 Average: 97.3.
As Marcus Bontempelli and Dayne Zorko lost their DPP, Tim Taranto delighted many SuperCoaches being granted a more flexible status as a FWD/MID. With Toby Greene out till Round 6, I can't see Taranto scoring heavily, but if he comes through with scores of 100+ and a couple of goals, I will classify that as a win-win when he moves back into the centre bounces as a clearance machine.
Elijah Hollands (GC)
$123,900 (59%)
This Gold Coast youngster has flown under the radar after his top 10 draft selection. Before an untimely ACL injury, Hollands was regarded as a number one draft pick in 2020. Near the back end of the VFL season, Holland averaged 27 disposals and 112 SuperCoach points. That's enough to warrant selection on my bench and 59% of coaches for 2022.
Sam De Koning (GE)
$123,900 (29%)
A tall defender/forward at 201cm tall, De Koning appears to be built from the same cloth as Lions defender Harris Andrews. At a low price of $123,900, De Koning could debut quite early into the season, as he starts his third year on an AFL list.Â
Sam Skinner (PA)
$123,900 (31%)
Former Lions forward Sam Skinner turned his career around in the SANFL as an intercept defender. Now, Skinner may struggle to find a best-22 selection in a backline with Aliir Aliir and Tom Jonas; maybe he could get a run in the forward-line to help Charlie Dixon and Todd Marshall.
Jake Stringer (ES)
$506,800 (5%)
2021 Average: 93.1.
Producing his most consistent season yet with the Bombers, Jake Stringer cracked the SuperCoach ton seven times with 180 against Hawthorn on a blowy day down in Tasmania and 147 points in a five-goal performance against the Suns. Stringer is not a bad shout for a POD option with an average of 17 disposals, four tackles and two goals a game.Â
Tim English (WB)
$482,600 (4%)
2021 Average: 88.7.
Although he averaged lower than his 2020 effort of 102.5, Tim English looked more comfortable taking contested marks in 2021. If no premiums stand out, English could hit the scoreboard and could provide a 'Moneyball' forward-line alternative. He cracked the ton seven times, yet also had eight scores of under 70. Tread with caution.Â
Shai Bolton (RI)
$458,600 (6%)
2021 Average: 84.3.Â
No player suffered after the bye round as Shai Bolton. The Tigers livewire averaged 97.81 before the bye and 68.66 to finish the season. The drop of 29.25 points has seen Bolton only selected in 6% of sides for 2022. If he can regain any form he showed at the start of 2021, he could be a tremendous Forward POD at $458,600.