SuperCoach Weekend Wrap

SuperCoach Season Wrap | 2021

Supercoach Season Wrap | 2021

With the Supercoach season complete what better time than now to do a review. After all, the clubs are doing their performance reviews this week (some better than others by the sounds) so why wouldn’t we serious coaches do the same!

This season wrap looks at two things. (1) What was; that is, the players’ scoring and how it all ended up in terms of rankings. And (2), what could’ve been; those opportunities that were provided for us or those harsh realities of injury and selection that dealt us a tough blow. This is probably the more triggering part as we look back on our decision-making and the bad luck we were hit with. 

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What Was – The Player Rankings

Defenders

Rory Laird was the best defender by quite a margin, averaging 116 from 22 games. He was also the ninth best midfielder too, and as a DPP he was an extremely valuable player to have in our side. It’s no wonder nearly 60% of us had him. 

In somewhat of a surprise Daniel Rich took out the second best defender position. He was only owned by 13% of teams, and that’s at the end of the season. His form was solid and he ended up with an average of 107.  

Jack Crisp is also a tad surprising given other defensive options we had. With Darcy Moore’s injury Crisp had a terrific second half of the season and ended with an average of 104. He was only owned by 6.9% of teams in the end and puts himself in contention for our 2021 squads. 

Jake Lloyd was basically a lock at the start of the season with 50% of teams selecting him for round one. He didn’t have the year he had last year, but nonetheless he still averaged 107.8 and was the fourth best defender. A good pre-season and he’ll be a shoe-in again next year. 

His teammate, Jordan Dawson, has had a great season to average 101 and take the fifth best defender. He wasn’t particularly consistent but had some big number games, including the final round. Only 2% of coaches had him and they would have benefited greatly. 

To make up the final six is Jayden Short. He averaged 98.3 but caused his coaches a wide range of emotions with his up and down scoring. His solid performance meant he nudged out the likes of Tom Stewart, Jordan Ridley, and Callum Mills, all of whom had good but injury (or COVID) impacted years. 

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Midfielders

It’s no surprise that Jack Macrae takes out the number one midfield spot, as he’s also the number ranked player across the board. He continues to put together strong seasons and is a lock in most starting lineups. His average of 128 and his durability to play 22 games will continue to keep him in the mix for a few years yet. 

Jack Steele had another great season, ranked number two in the midfield and had his ownership gradually increase as the season went on. This season showed his ceiling and a solid VC/C option for coaches. 

Clayton Oliver had another great season, albeit there were times as a Clarrie owner where I felt his form dipped when I needed him to perform. His average of 123 is nothing to smirk at though, and it’s no wonder he is owned by nearly 40% of teams. 

The Bont, Marcus Bontempelli, is another midfielder who is often one of the first picked in any side. He shared plenty of points with his teammates and was a regular top scorer for the Bulldogs. For 2022 he’ll be priced very competitively and plenty will jump on early if this year’s form is anything to go by. 

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Each year we’re looking for that breakout player and for our midfielders this year that man was Touk Miller. There’s not much to write home about coming out of the Gold Coast Suns, but Miller’s form and solid scoring week in and week out proved that this year was a big one. In the end he averaged 124.5 and was the fifth best ranked midfielder. At the end of the season only 9% of us coaches ended up with him in our side so he continued to be a POD right up until the end. Another to look to start for 2022, albeit at a high price.

Another POD for the season came out of the Brisbane Lions. Jarryd Lyons ended up with 12% ownership and performed solidly throughout, showing off some terrific ceiling on his way to an average of 117.6. 

Other honourable mentions in our midfields are the likes of Tom Mitchell, Sam Walsh, Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish, and Ollie Wines. All of these guys averaged over 112 and played 22 games. It will be a hard decision to work out who to include in our starting teams next season. 

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Rucks

For the first time in a couple of years the final ruck rankings do not start with Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy. 

Gawn did take out the number one ruck position, however it wasn’t as dominant as previous seasons. This was his lowest average (120) since injury impacted the 2017 season (97). Nevertheless, he was a set and forget option and continues to be for 2022, particularly with a lower starting price than this year. 

Nic Naitanui managed to take the second top ruck spot with some great scores and a full season of games. He’s often left off the Supercoach analysis as a sure thing because of previous injury affected seasons, and there’s a sense of not being able to trust him. This season proved he could do the job and will be a good price come 2022 that will make many consider more than they did this year. 

The breakout player for our ruck lines was easily Sean Darcy. Perhaps it’s because he plays for a team in the West that many coaches don’t consider him, but even as we close out the season he is only owned by 3% of teams. As a highlight, his 193 and 187 in rounds 16 and 17 were gems and turned heads throughout the SC community. One to ponder for 2022 for sure. 

Brodie Grundy didn’t really have the season we expected of him, particularly after that neck injury. He still managed an average of 115 from 20 games, and quite some way in front of the likes of Todd Goldsteain (100.8) and Tom Hickey (103.3).

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Forwards

The forward lines were the most troubling of the lot for us, if I remember rightly. There weren’t many on offer, nor were there decent enough rookie options throughout the season, and there were plenty of injuries affecting forwards or DPP’s. 

However, Dayne Zorko showed up to take the number one forward position (keeping in mind he’s a DPP). He has had a good ceiling for many years and a solid performer for many teams. His average of 109 was competitive, but also pushed higher with games of 140, 162, and 173. He can have an off day and when he does it can make a significant impact on our side. However, with Lachie Neale out for a good chunk of time during the season Zorko played alongside Lyons and shared the points with him often enough. 

Do you remember the whole debate about whether to bring Jack Ziebell in or not, particularly after the start he had? By the end of round six he was averaging 127! His scoring wasn’t sustainable, but in the end he was able to keep the second best ranking for a forward through the league, which is impressive given he claimed a wooden spoon and played off half back most of the time. 

Ziebell’s teammate Aaron Hall came in as the best third forward, averaging 105 from 20 games. Not being selected for round one, and his first 3-4 performances really put people off jumping on him quickly. However, since Round 7 he only dipped below 100 once and so made his position secure in plenty of teams and was a solid player for those 18% of coaches that had him. 

Bailey Dale knocked together a solid season. His average was only 95 in the end but he was a decent enough replacement for Josh Dunkley when he went down with injury. 

It’s not all that common to have a true key forward in the top player rankings by the end of the season but Tom Hawkins makes it to number five with an average of 93.9. With the start of the season that Taylor Walker had we may have expected him to still be up here, but that form certainly didn’t continue. However, Hawkins made it this year because plenty of other forwards didn’t average their usual or what was expected of them. 

The breakout player in our forward lines was certainly Essendon’s Nick Hind. A couple of pre-seasons now, and a full season of games into him and look what happens. He only averaged 93.0 but made it into the sixth best forward for the season. In the end only 8% of coaches had him, and were rewarded for their risk-taking. 

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What Could Have Been – The Injuries and Selections

SuperCoach is always a game of what could’ve been. There are sliding door moments each and every week as we navigate trades, captain selections, and strategies around injuries and suspensions. What could have been makes for some of the best banter about Supercoach. 

In 12 years of playing the game I can’t quite remember such a volatile season with injuries, selections (and those dreaded late-outs), and of course this COVID thing. Let me just list off those players who may have impacted you at some point, perhaps even as far back as the pre-season: Lachie Whitfield, Patrick Dangerfield, Matt Rowell, Josh Dunkley, Zac Butters, Bachar Houli, Darcy Moore, Lachie Neale, Jeremy Howe, Luke Ryan, Patrick Cripps, Jordan Ridley, Mitch Duncan, Josh Kelly, Rowan Marshall, Nat Fyfe, Toby Greene, Sam Docherty, Hugh Greenwood, Callum Mills, Dustin Martin, and Tom Stewart. That’s a fairly long list of significant players who were out for a period of time. It was carnage for a few coaches regularly throughout the season. 

On the other side of the ledger there are always those precious rookies and mid-pricers who seem to do more than we think they’re capable of. Think of the Hawthorn duo, Changkuoth Jiath and Jarman Impey. They both made coaches some solid points in the first half of the season and plenty of coin to trade with as well. As mentioned previously, a Crisp, Dawson, Mills type helped considerably along the way. The Sydney rookie midfielders were very serviceable in those opening six rounds, Braedan Campbell, Chad Warner, and Errol Gulden.

James Jordon certainly provided some points and cash for those who timed it right, and North Melbourne’s Tom Powell did the same. And of course, one of the bigger targets for many coaches at the start was Matt Flynn, an R2 strategy for many in the end. He managed to grab the coin we needed but was omitted for a couple of weeks there which raised concerns come bye time. Those mid-pricers or competitive priced players who made good on their promising risk were the likes of Dyson Heppell, Darcy Parish, Nick Hind, Aaron Hall, and perhaps Jordan De Goey for his second half of season. 

Needless to say, there were some breakouts, there were some flops, but whatever the case it was another season to learn from and take the opportunity to improve on for next season. It’s those could’ve and should’ve moments that may make us shudder, but at the end of the day we’ve got to keep it all in perspective and they provide any chance to learn for next year. And sometimes it’s just unlucky. With this in mind, rest easy from Supercoach and sit and enjoy the promising finals series. Well done again on making it through the season, and all the best in your pre-season preparations for 2021. 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 23

What a final round of football! Some close contests, some percentage boosting performances, a kick after the siren to claim the minor premiership, and even a draw. As for our Supercoach results, I hope you were able to take out your GF or at least make the most of the points on offer for a solid rankings boost.

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At this time of the season it’s all about being able to field a full team, particularly considering the volatility of coaches and their selection panels. We were certainly his with that last week, but this week was a little more kind to us. Having said that, if you were banking on Josh J. Kennedy, Tim Kelly, Harris Andrews, Josh P. Kennedy, Jack Bowes, or Jack Ziebell in any way then you would’ve been disappointed. For those of us running close to the line in terms of emergencies then this would have meant you were eating a donut or two. 

The weekend began with a cracker as Port Adelaide solidified their top four position with their sixth win on the trot. The Bulldogs have a little work to do to stay in contention now, which we realise they’ve done before, but it is a concern when Bontempelli is spending time in the ruck! Jackson Macrae topped the Bulldogs with a 113, his lowest score in 10 weeks. This was followed by Caleb Daniel (110) and Bailey Dale (101). For Port though it was Ollie Wines with a monster 161 top off an excellent run since the bye rounds. Travis Boak (134) and Robbie Gray (126) rounded out the top three and showed their experience in important games. 

Richmond v Hawthorn made a game of it despite it not meaning much at all for either side. To be fair, it did have a couple of retirements and it was the final match for Alistair Clarkson as the Hawks coach. It seems then a draw was the ideal result. The Tigers showed they’ve got work to do over the preseason but Jayden Short led the scoring for them this week with a 117. If he was your in for Tom Stewart last week then you made the right choice, he’s ended the season well. While Tom Mitchell hasn’t had his best season he finished off well here with a 127. Jaeger O’Meara (120) and Chad Wingard (117) followed close behind. A little irony there with those three being Clarkson trade targets over the past few years. 

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With some big Sydney in’s including Callum Mills, Jake Lloyd, and Lance Franklin, it gave many coaches the defensive reprieve they needed. While Mills perhaps wasn’t the wisest choice after still dealing with his achilles tendon issue, the other two were very helpful with 154 for Lloyd and 127 for Franklin. Jordan Dawson’s 158 can’t not be mentioned either. He has had a great season and moved into the fifth best ranked defender with this score. A bit more consistency and he’d be owned by more than 2% of coaches. As for Gold Coast, Touk Miller (148). Enough Said. 

For Brisbane it was all about percentage to nab that top four spot and they did it in style with 30 seconds to go before the final siren. A behind has never meant so much. Familiar names of Lachie Neale (133), Daniel Rich (119), and Jarryd Lyons (113) all scored well for the Lions. For the Eagles, NicNat had a monster 165, while Luke Shuey (123) and Alex Witherden (103) made up the top three. If Witherden can get right for next season over the summer then he will be a well priced defender to look out for in 2022. 

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With the minor premiership up for grabs for Melbourne it was somewhat surprising to see them down by up to 44 points against Geelong. But what became more surprising was that they were able to claw that back and win byond the final siren with the last kick of the game. A huge win and a significant one for the team and their supporters. It was also significant for coaches too, particularly if you managed to put the VC or C on the likes of Clayton Oliver (159) or Max Gawn (159). While for Geelong Mark Bicavs (128), Joel Selwood (118) and Cam Guthrie (115) headed their team scoring list.  

Also on Saturday night GWS defeated Carlton. Callum Ward (150) and Josh Kelly (124) led from the front, and Nic Newman (128) and Ed Curnow (113) for the Blues. The main commentary out of this game is all about the poor treatment of David Teague and everyone feeling for him as the Carlton board dilly-dally around. 

On Sunday things weren’t so tense or significant. While Fremantle put up an insipid performance St Kilda finished off their season well in the end with a 58 point victory. Hayden Young (112) and Andrew Brayshaw (112) got the numbers for the Dockers, and it was the familiar names of Jack Steele (129) and Rowan Marshall (120) for the Saints. Steele continued his form from last season, ranking as the second best midfielder and topping his teams numbers time and time again. 

The Dons did a number over the Pies, well and truly solidifying their eighth position. Devon Smith had a terrific 148, followed by Zac Merrett (120) and Jake Stringer (105). Jamie Elliott (113) and Chris Mayne (110) topped for the Pies as they firm up 17th position, begin mad Monday, and select a new coach. 

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The final game of the season was between Adelaide and North Melbourne. Not a particularly inspiring game, however Ben Keays had the score of the round with a 173, followed by Rory Laird (148) finishing off a terrific season. Aaron Hall and Tarryn Thomas both managed 139 for the Roos and sailed off to the season’s sunset. 

And so that’s a wrap for season 2021. In a few days time I’ll knock out an overall season wrap-up, but I hope you’ve had some success in the midst of the ups and downs. Thanks for reading and thanks for joining me. Well done to those who had an improved season compared with other years, and congratulations to anyone who won a GF this past weekend. Make sure you stick it to your mates! 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 22

When it’s carnage before the round starts you know it’s going to be an interesting round for. In the lead up to Friday night we were notified of Toby Greene, Jake Lloyd, Shannon Hurn, Callum Mills, Reilly O’Brien, and Tom Stewart. What a mess, especially for our defences.

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In Friday night’s do or die match-up the Giants delivered the knockout blow to the Tigers. GWS put up a great performance, including the choice of holding the match at Marvel. Jayden Short (126), Nick Vlaustin (118), and Liam Baker (115) were the top for the Tigers. But it was Josh Kelly’s 148 that provided the platform for the Giants. Tim Taranto, even playing forward at times, knocked up 138, and the young Jacob Hopper rounded it out with 114. 

The penultimate match of Clarkson’s reign was a sweet and surprising victory over the Bulldogs. The usuals of Jackson Macrae (136), Tom Liberatore (132), and Marcus Bontempelli (114) all headed the Bulldogs scores. While for the Hawks Chad Wingard (130), Dylan Howe (129), and Tim O’Brien (125) scored were the Hawks top performers. 

In Geelong’s win over the Saints they had half their team score over 90, there were certainly plenty of points on offer. Of significance was Patrick Dangerfield’s monster 169. If you had him as a VC/C option then congratulations to you. Sam Menegola (145) and Rhys Stanley (143) also had some huge numbers and pleased their coaches. Jack Steele, which is commonplace now, headed up the Saints with a straight 100.

Just another week and another disastrous game for the Blues and their coach David Teague while Port certainly solidified their top four aspirations. It didn’t help that Patrick Cripps was a late out, but that wouldn’t have changed the result much. But for us Supercoaches it would have allowed another on field. Matt Kennedy (130) and Sam Walsh (115) were the only tons for Carlton. And for Port Adelaide it was Aliir Aliir (137), Peter Ladhams (118), and Travis Boak (106). 

Brisbane also did a number over Collingwood and in doing so gave coaches plenty of points. Jarryd Lyons had a big, and familiar, 152. Oscar McInerney had 131, and Dayne Zorko a solid 117. Jack Crisp (124), Jordan DeGoey (119), and Tayor Adams (116) were the tons for the Pies. There’s a few names here to consider for our teams come 2022. 

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The final match of Saturday was Sydney’s solid win over North Melbourne. Luke Parker (148), Will Hayward (135), and Harry Cunningham (111). Aaron Hall the only hundred for North, 127. There’s not much more to say really. Mills, Lloyd, and Lance Franklin all being out for the Swans mean our teams were most likely thin on the ground with Sydney players. 

Come Sunday there were more outs, including Steven May for Melbourne. The Dees did the job over Adelaide, with Bailey Fritsch (132), Christian Petracca (126), and Ed Langdon (109) getting among the points. Ben Keays (125), Paul Seedsman (122), and Rory Sloane (122) for the Crows. 

Gold Coast managed to scrap 30 points against Essendon, with Jake Stringer continuing his terrific form and bringing coaches a 147. Nick Hind (133) and Darcy Parish (112) made the top three pack with a long trail of tons following. Brayden Fiorini (119) and Touk Miller (103) were the only decent scores for the Suns. It defies logic why anyone has anyone other than Miller in their team. Perhaps a POD option for this week’s grand finals, if you have the trade! 

In the battle for the West Fremantle made the most of a hapless West Coast, again. Sean Darcy continued his ripper season with a 150. Caleb Serong contributed a great goal and a 135 for those few coaches that have him, and David Mundy got to 134 by the end of it. NicNat (130) led from the front again, followed by Jack Redden (125) and Andrew Gaff (116). 

For all of us this coming week, whether we’re playing for rank or for a league final, it’s a matter of trades available, outs, and those precious POD’s performing well. All the best to those in a granny this week, well done on getting through. And good luck to those fighting it out at the top of the rankings, or those looking to make one last big jump. 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 21

There was no way we were getting an easy run to close out the season was there? Something was always going to pop up as we headed toward the end of the home and away rounds. For Victoria it was being plunged back into a strict lockdown after a week of easing and good numbers, in Supercoach it began with Josh Kelly being a late out, a significant injury to Patrick Dangerfield, and then what looks like a suspension for Toby Greene. What a good way to start the weekend. Hmm. 

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Of course, I allude there to the GWS v Geelong match on Friday night where the Giants took a surprising scalp, particularly considering the run they’ve had with injuries and outs. I’m not sure it was the prettiest of games, but they got the job done. While certain coaches were reeling with the Kelly and Danger issues almost immediately it was good Isaac Cumming (135), Tim Taranto (118), and Lachie Whitfield (107) all tonned up for their respective coaches. There weren’t too many highlights for the Cats, but Rhys Stanley (111), Tom Stewart (107), and Jed Bews (102) topped their scoring. 

I’m not sure if we call it an upset when a lower-placed team defeats Carlton but Gold Coast at least did. Touk Miller (155) again staring and showing he is something else amongst the rest of the 43 on-field. His teammate, Will Powell, also racked up a 153 and pleased over 2000 coaches. For the Blues, Nic Newman’s 126 was the only relevant high score in our Supercoach world, but has such low ownership (744 teams) that perhaps he’s not that relevant right now anyway. 

In perhaps one of the hardest games to watch all weekend the Tigers, a shell of themselves right now, managed to overcome the Kangaroos. In the end there were a few hundreds in this one with Jack Graham (154), Nick Vlastuin (123), and Liam Baker (122) for the Tigers. On the other side of the fence, Luke Davies-Uniacke (119), Aaron Hall (116), and Todd Goldstein (115) were the main contributors. 

In the Showdown Port Adelaide just got over the Crows, who competed well considering the week that’s been going on there. Paul Seedsman (120) and Rory Laird (119) managed some fine tons, while Allir Allir (126), Will Drew (126), and Dan Houston (116) led the Power numbers. 

To add to the already painful round for many coaches Callum Mills was a late out for the Swans. St Kilda seemed to take full advantage of that, and just a poor performance, to take the win in what has to be one of the great rollercoaster seasons of recent time. Jack Steele (155) was again magnificent and a definite VC or C option for any coach. And as Rhyder continues to be out Rowan Marshall made the most of it with a 126. Jake Lloyd (112) and Luke Parker (108) top scored for the Swans but the midfield was really missing this week. 

Clearly Alistair Clarkson is still the top coach in the league so having him finish up at Hawthorn at season’s end will do wonders for them. It all makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Umm. He’s certainly coaching well right now as the Hawks did a number over the Pies with Tom Mitchell in full-beastmode (150). Jack Scrimshaw (127) and Blake Hardwick (125) also brought the points for respective coaches too. On the other hand, the Pies really battled to score points at all and so we’re left with an underwhelming 107 from Brodie Grundy to deal with. 

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In what might’ve been the game of the round the Dons knocked off the Bulldogs. Jackson Macrae (154), Marcus Bontempelli (123), and Tim English (123) led the Bulldogs numbers, and such a shame to see Josh Bruce do his ACL right towards the end of the game. But for the Dons it was two-metre-Peter Wright who put on a stunning forward performance with 7 goals and 146 SC points. Unsurprisingly, Zac Merret was in the mix with a 123 and Sam Draper a competitive 109. The fight for the eighth position is still on for the Dons! 

Brisbane trounced Fremantle and in doing so solidified their finals berth. Dayne Zorko led from the front with a 146, pulling along Harris Andrews (123) and Daniel Rich (122). For the Dockers Sean Darcy continued to top their scoring with a 120 and then Caleb Serong (115) the only other ton.  

To wrap up the round on Monday night the Dees did what was expected, although not without some competitive periods from the Eagles and a lightning storm that put a pause on the match for half an hour. While West Coast look to be giving away their finals spot to a team more competitive, Jack Redden (125), Elliott Yeo (117), and NicNat (107) did top tons for us. And for Melbourne it was Alex Neal-Bullen (138), James Harmes (123), and Christian Petracca (111) who topped scored and helped numerous coaches make it through to another stage of finals. 

As for me, the Kelly and Mills outs really killed my chances. In my only cash league where I had the double chance I’ve been done in straight sets. Disappointing. However, with so few coaches still in the hunt in finals I hope you’re one of them and looking to make your move this week to capture that GF spot! Till next week. 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap UP | Round 20

The first week of league finals is always an exciting one, and you can’t really say this weekend didn’t have excitement. I mean, it looked at one point like we may not even have a full nine matches considering the news that came out late Friday. While contingency plans were put in place the round happened, and wasn’t it a beauty for us supercoaches. Plenty of points to go around with some stunning scoring across the board. Let’s have a look at how it played out. 

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Friday night found me out with some mates watching Carlton demolish a hapless St Kilda. Sam Walsh again led the Blues with a 141, but it was actually Jack Steele and Rowan Marshall for the Saints who provided the most supercoach interest early on in the round. With a 158 each this provided plenty of coaches with hope for some good scoring throughout the round. Steele is now a consistent captain or vice-captain choice, hats off to those who claimed that one this week. As for Marshall, he was helped with the late out of Paddy Rhyder and take full advantage of that he did. 

The Bulldogs did a number over the Crows and as what we’ve come to expect there were plenty of tons in their team. Adelaide had a few, but it was the likes of Jackson Macrae, Bailey Dale, Caleb Daniel, and Tom Liberatore who all hit the helpful 120+ mark. 

In a low-scoring contest Geelong did what was expected of them over North Melbourne. Aaron Hall and Jack Ziebell were up in the tons for the Kangas but it was the Guthrie brothers for the Cats who helped their owners out considerably with a 147 and 142 respectively. 

The final match on Saturday saw the Pies double the Eagles score, who somehow are still in the top eight. Jack Crisp (143) has had a great couple of games and has really put together a top season. He is now the fifth best defender for us as coaches, which is probably not what we expected going into this season. Now that Jordan De Goey (138) is a constant in the midfield he too is clocking up the points consistently for our forward lines. Even Steele Sidebottom got back into it this week with a 123. It’s always interesting to see the change when a new voice is leading a club. As for the Eagles, there’s really nothing much to mention. NicNat topped the ton, that’s about it. They just really don’t like to travel do they? 

Melbourne did to Gold Coast what other teams used to do to Melbourne themselves. A 98-point victory that also saw some huge scores – Clayton Oliver a 166, Christian Petracca a 148, Luke Jackson a 141, and Max Gawn a 138. Just a dominating performance by many we have in our teams. Perfect captain choices. As for the Suns, Touk Miller had a great 142 and really has come into his own this season. 

This exciting weekend was only made all the more so as the Hawks made the decision to dump their experienced and 4-time premiership coach for a junior with only 8 games of coaching in the VFL. Amazing. Despite this, the Hawks did get up over the Lions. The likes of Jaeger O’Meara (156), Chad Wingard (139), and Tom Mitchell (132) all brought the points for us coaches, just like Clarkson brought all three of them into the team in recent years. As for the Lions, Jarryd Lyons continued his great season with a 121, and a few more tons from other players came along with him. 

Sydney had an important win over Essendon. Callum Mills led the Swans with a 129, followed by Jordan Dawson (122), and Justin McInerney (116). However, it was the Dons who brought the points with a mammoth 168 by Zac Merrett, followed by Jake Stringer (123) and Darcy Parish (108). Unfortunately it looks like Dyson Heppell will be out due to injury for at least a week. This will cause a few coaches some issues this week. 

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I can’t say I know exactly what happened in the Dockers win over the Tigers. I didn’t watch it. But, Andrew Brayshaw had a blinder with a 190. Adam Cerra (147) and David Mundy (126) came through with some solid tons too. Sydney Stack provided coaches with a 149, while Dion Prestia (113) and Liam Baker (106) rounded out the tons for the Tigers. 

And in the final game of a rather confusing round of football, Port defeated the Giants who still seem willing to give up their opportunity at a finals spot. The scores in this game didn’t go too big like others this round, but Karl Amon did etch out a 152 while Ollie Wines had 115 for the Power. GWS didn’t prove much, as Nick Haynes top scored for them with a 107. 

The main issue for us coaches, particularly if you’re out of contention for the overall, is how to manage our teams through the finals. I hope you managed a win this week, but I do realise there were just as many losers too. So, whatever it was for you, a W or a L, I hope you were able to take advantage of the points on offer this weekend. 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 19

A quiet lockdown weekend here in Melbourne didn’t necessarily mean a quiet weekend in front of the flat screen. This round of footy may have been one thing, but how good is it that we’ve got the Olympics for the first time in five years!? While there’s a certain oddity to it all without spectators and other pandemic adjustments it’s still the Olympics and can’t not be watched. 

So with this in mind, this weekend’s wrap gives gold, silver, and bronze medals to teams and individuals from the round.

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The Gold Medals

The performances of the weekend surely went to North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, and Geelong. I may be biased, and I know Carlton really isn’t much chop right now, but North winning gives them a chance of moving off the bottom of the ladder and allowing another to take the wooden spoon. But really, the Bulldogs beating Melbourne was the game of the round as they helped themselves to the top of the ladder. A great coaching effort by Luke Beveridge and some terrific performances by names we’re familiar with all worked their magic together. Geelong also beat Richmond for the second time this year, which is the first time the Tigers have lost twice to the same team for over 5 years. 

In terms of players relevant to us as coaches, the gold medals go to Rory Laird (178), Patrick Dangerfield (165), and Josh P Kennedy (154). While Laird and Dangerfield are well owned by coaches Kennedy provided something unique (0.9% ownership) given the need to trade out Dusty this week, well done if you were one of the few who took him into your team. If you missed out of any of the VC options on Saturday, Dangerfield provided an excellent captain option, Laird obviously did too but it takes a certain kind of risk taker to make that choice. 

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The Silver Medals

Brisbane completed an expected win over Gold Coast, and kicked the highest score for the weekend. Adelaide did what they needed to over Hawthorn. And Sydney were comprehensive against Fremantle. All had solid but expected wins, with Brisbane and Sydney solidifying their top eight positions. 

Oscar McInerney was the standout player on-field for Brisbane with a 148 so takes out the first silver medal for an individual this round. Jackson Macrae (146) did what he does and it is rather surprising there are 48% of coaches without him. Lachie Whitfield also scored a 146 after his week off due to concussion, rewarding those who have him or held him. 

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The Bronze Medals

I might be a tough judge but Port Adelaide have also solidified their top eight position while defeating Collingwood on Friday night. GWS and West Coast were also winners for the round, but didn’t do anything overly convincing. 

To round out the individual awards this week we saw Caleb Daniel do what all his coaches wish he’d do most weeks and give us a 145. Clayton Oliver, in the same game, was excellent for Melbourne with a 144. And then a third Bulldog medallist, Bailey Smith (140) takes the final medal on offer. It was certainly a game of high scores, and plenty of VC or C scores on offer. I hope you managed to at least get one of these scores yourself. 

Some honourable mentions for the round include Jack Crisp (140), Tarryn Thomas (135), Brayden Fiorini (139), Zac Jones (140), and Isaac Heeney (128) with a possible mark of the year to go with it.

As we turn to league finals now, and no doubt you’ve got minimal to no trades available, it’s time to find out the place of our teams against our mates, colleagues, and other randoms. All the best for the first round this weekend, I hope you grab some gold yourself.

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap Up | Round 18

I don’t really want to write this. 

I’m still fuming. 

I’m still trying to recover from the SuperCoach weekend that was. Not that I expect you to care about my team at all, but my last seven days in Supercoach-land has hurt big time. 

Down goes Hugh Greenwood. Down goes Lachie Whitfield. Down goes Dustin Martin. Out goes Callum Mills. Out goes Toby Greene. Down goes Josh Kelly. 

I think I’m still in shock. 

I’m more in shock about my team and the sudden turn of events than I am that Melbourne is back in it’s fifth lockdown. Perhaps that’s what is getting to me, another lockdown. I’m comfortable coping the injuries. That’s going to happen. All the injuries happened on the field too, so no worries, I’ll deal with that. What’s tipped me over the edge is losing two players an hour before a match started because of state governments having different policies in relation to isolating. Gee, it’s a hard one to cop. 

I know I need to get over it. I will. Eventually.

As for what happened in the wider SuperCoach landscape, let’s have a look at a few winners from this week. 

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Sam Walsh

With the top score of 193 this weekend, Walsh led the Blues to a win over the Pies. His rolling average for the last three rounds is now an impressive 163. And each of his 55,569 coaches would be well pleased to have him. For those without, it looks like we’ll need to wait until 2022. 

Tom Mitchell

Mitchell led the Hawks this week with an ‘impressive’ draw to Melbourne. This is the kind of score all owners have been waiting for and it’s coming at the right time of the season. His last six outings have all been tons and it will be interesting to see how the fixture falls for him over the coming weeks. 

Sean Darcy

Has there been a more impressive breakout ruck performance than Darcy? His last three weeks have been phenomenal and with only 2.8% ownership it means there are plenty of us missing out on these monster scores. While this week was a sultry 156, he was over the ton at the half and was heading toward somewhere near the 200 mark before having a spell due to injury. Could he be a Gawn or Grundy replacement in 2022? It’s worth pondering. 

Ollie Wines

With a 154 Wines was the fourth highest scorer across the competition. In his last eight matches he’s only been under the ton once, yet I always feel it could go either way with him. He’s certainly a POD option going into finals and the end of the season with 5.7% ownership, but he is $100k more than Dustin Martin so it will take some maneuvering to get him. 

Jamie Cripps

Cripps scored 150 to round out the top five for this week. He’s probably not someone you’d be considering to move in at this stage, he does average 73 and this one looks like one of those out-of-the-box weeks. 

That’s the top five for the week, but the big issues for us centre around two main questions.

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First, who are we going to bring in for Dustin Martin? 

The confirmation that Martin will be out for the rest of the season makes the decision to move him out a no-brainer. And depending on how many trades you have and what kind of cash you’ve got in the bank will depend on who you can go for. 

If you’ve got no cash then you’re probably looking to the likes of Shai Bolton, Sam Menegola, Andrew Gaff, Tim Kelly, Steele Sidebottom, Brayden Fiorini, Jack Viney, or Jaidyn Stephenson. Each of them comes with risk, but could also give good reward depending on the way things go. Some are more midfielders than forwards, so if you can make a DPP move through the Martin trade you also open up a few more options. 

If you have some cash to play with, and for the sake of this scenario let’s go with an extra $50k, then the likes of Cameron Guthrie, David Muncy, Nat Fyfe, Joel Selwood, Hugh McCulggage, Tim Taranto, Rory Sloane, and Nick Hind come into play. 

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Second, and your decision about Dusty is most likely impacted because of this, is how to deal with the moving fixture over the coming rounds? 

As we saw at the end of last week and over the weekend the whole fixture is a moving beast. It’s a little hard to plan more than a week in advance at the moment, perhaps in life as in Supercoach. But to me it doesn’t make much sense worrying about our team until at least Thursday and possibly as late as Friday this week. Every day there is new news about what the AFL are having to deal with and so until things are sorted for the coming weekend let’s hold things loosely. 

Well, that was somewhat cathartic. Rant over. Hope it all goes well for you this coming week!

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 17

Moments. There are moments in life when things suddenly change. Perhaps it’s love at first sight while at the pub with a few mates. Perhaps it’s resigning from a job you just hate. Perhaps it’s when that first child arrives and you never imagined you could love more than you already do. Whatever it might be, there are moments. And for those of us invested in the world of SuperCoach there are moments too. Moments whereby an injury, a poor performance, or even a great performance can change the course of a round and even a season. Of course, let’s not equate these Supercoach moments to the realities of life and living, but in the life of season 2021, Round 17 may well be a moment for our teams and even for the teams we support.  

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It all started on Thursday night when Melbourne defeated Port Adelaide quite convincingly in the end. Christian Petracca had a monster with 173 points, followed by Tom McDonald (132), and Clayton Oliver (118). Their win solidified their top spot and if you had the VC on Petracca I suspect it would’ve done wonders for your overall rank or your leagues. For Port the usuals of Travis Boak and Ollie Wines topped the ton, while poor Zac Butters looks like he’ll be out after succumbing to injury again.

In what has been labelled the worst Friday night game in a long time the Bombers smashed the Crows who gave nothing for us as coaches or for their fans. Well, Rory Laird is the exception. Zac Merrett (143), Nick Hind (134), and Jordan Ridley (120), did what was needed for their teams. However, Kyle Langford did get subbed off with a suspected hammy so there will be 9308 coaches having to deal with that this week. 

Fremantle did Hawthorn by 10 goals and with Sean Darcy (183) romping it in for the second week in a row. How he still has only 2.5% ownership is beyond me. Rory Lobb (132) got in on the action and David Mundy (121) was again amongst it. With Jai Newcombe out, Lachlan Bramble (120) was a terrific consolation prize for those still needing to play a rookie or two in the midfield. For those of us who had him on the pine I only hope you were able to get him onto the field. Tom Mitchell was the main man again for the Hawks with a 131. 

Geelong did what was expected of them over Carlton, but Sam Walsh (158) is clearly the best player for the Blues and will be again highly sought after in 2022 by coaches who missed him this year. Tom Stewart (127), Zac Touhy (126), and Cam Guthrie (111) all helped themselves to tons for the Cats. 

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The debatable upset of the round this week was St Kilda defeating the Lions by a good 32 points. And I won’t dwell on poor old Eric Hipwood, but this match was a moment for Saints supporters as hopes are still alive for a possible finals run. Daniel Rich (128), Lachie Neale (118), and Dayne Zorko (109) all notched up tons. Any of these guys would be worth having in your team. But it was Jack Steele with a 149 that took the cookies on the night. His performance was stellar once again and he is rewarding his coaches big time. It’s hard to believe Tommy Highmore (97) is still performing nearly as well as many of our premium defenders, not to mention the POD of Rowan Marshall (95) for our forward lines. 

Talking about moments. The Suns kicked two goals in the final four minutes to take the points against the Giants, and more likely changed the course of GWS’s season than their own. However it was the first half of football that may have impacted many of us. First, Hugh Greenwood went down with a an ACL meaning he got a donut for the round and will need to be traded. Second, Lachie Whitfield was done with a confirmed concussion and subbed out with only 32 on the board. Again, a likely trade out depending on structure and trades left. He may miss up to two games depending on the fixture over the next 12 days. A big blow for 16% of teams. 

Another moment was the Swans beating the Dogs and in doing so are looking good for a run into finals. Jake Lloyd was back to his best (114) and Callum Mills (127) hasn’t stopped giving his coaches tons for a while now, but it was Jordan Dawson (141) and Tom McCartin (134) who were the big scorers for them this week. All the usual suspects from the Dogs performed well enough for our teams but couldn’t get the job done for their own. Jackson Macrae, for the first time in 30 games, had under 30 touches. It’s been a great run. 

Collingwood was another who had a big turnaround with a seven goal run to clinch it by 16-points against Richmond. None other than Jordan De Goey helped himself to a handy 29 disposals and a 124. But in that run of goals it was Brodie Grundy who ended up blasting to 140 alongside teammate Taylor Adams. While the Pies had eight tons in the end the only Richmond ton came from none other than Jayden Short with another solid 129. 

On Monday night the final match of the round saw West Coast continue to show they’ve fallen off the rails and North Melbourne were hard and skillful enough in the contest to take the points. Nic Naitinui scored a solid 134 despite their efforts, and Tim Kelly also a decent 115. For North, Jaidyn Stephenson had a terrific game with 38 touches and 153 points. His 6000 coaches would’ve been pleased. Ben Cunnington, Todd Goldstein, and Jy Simpkin all had solid tons too. This could be a defining moment for either of these teams. 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 16

By now there are very few who are contending for the cash prize and so what drives your SuperCoach ambitions at this point in the season? Perhaps your team is settled, or almost there with 1-2 more trades to make? Perhaps you’re sitting pretty waiting for the league finals to begin so you can claim victory over your mates? Or perhaps there’s a slight chance you can make a league final series and so it’s all or nothing.

Now that the byes are well and truly gone this is the time of year where big things can happen. And when I say big things, I mean big scores. The premiums are in, the rookies are off the field, and the opportunity for some monster scores keep us coming back. Well, it is for me anyway.

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And this week was case in point. The team of the week scored 2804! Sean Darcy topped the competition with a 193. Sean Darcy! Followed closely by Darcy Parish (190) and back-in-form-ripe-for-the-picking-forward Patrick Dangerfield had 184. This is what we come to see. 

The big scores started on Thursday night as Touk Miller again led the Suns from the front with 153. An excellent VC choice in hindsight. Tom Lynch’s return was impressive with a 126, and now has to be in the conversation as a possible F6 option for some teams. He’s pretty cheap at $346k. Bachar Houli also had a 112 but has succumbed to the dreaded syndesmosis.

Now Friday night brought out the big guns in the wet. Parish and Dangerfield both went big and the eight other tons in the game don’t even seem worth mentioning. What was pleasing was to finally see Dangerfield show us his ceiling like we’d all been hoping for him to. Those 20% of coaches who now have him were richly rewarded. The rest live in regret. 

GWS had a great win over Melbourne while Steven May top scored with 131. Josh Kelly had a great first half but then dropped off to lead the Giants side with a 118. 

Despite getting completely done by the Lions, Rory Laird has a solid 129 and was the standout for the Crows in their loss. He is now ranked number two in defence for the season, and number 10 as a midfielder. He’s having a great SuperCoach season. For the Lion Marcus Adams led with a great 135, with Zac Bailey and Jarryd Lyons slightly behind in the mid-120s. 

Carlton also had a great win over Fremantle, even though Sean Darcy took the rucking department by the horns and ended up with a huge 193. Who’d have thought he’d have been the fourth best ruck of the competition at the start of the season? Andrew Brayshaw and Luke Ryan also performed solidly for coaches who have them too. For the Blues, Sam Walsh was again impressive and will be on the wishlists of many teams come 2022. His 138 now moves him into seventh best midfielder for the season. 

Charlie Dixon was the only plus-130 score in Port’s win over Hawthorn. If we’re talking big scores this week then there’s not much here to see. Lachlan Bramble, the rookie of the week, did manage an 80 though and earned $50k for those who jumped on him. 

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If we didn’t know the Eagles despised GMHBA Stadium then we certainly do after this week. Offt, what a performance. Sydney thumped them and in so doing Callum Mills scored 121 and Lance Franklin had a competitive 113. On the Eagles side of the ledger, there’s nothing much to say. 

Jack Steele was on fire on Sunday afternoon as he led the Saints to beat the Pies. His 154 would’ve been a great captain selection for anyone who missed out on the scores in previous games. Brodie Grundy is the only one worth highlighting for the Pies as he led his team in scoring.

To round out the weekend the Bulldogs did the expected number over the Kangaroos. Jack Macrae found enough of the footy again to help deliver a 138, and gave plenty of coaches a decent enough captain score having missed out on other opportunities. Ziebell, Goldstein, Cunnington and Hall topped for the Roos and are all familiar to us no doubt. 

Whatever your motivation going into the round I hope you enjoyed one or two big scores this week. It was certainly the round for it. All the best as we head toward the finish line, or finals at least. Chat to you next week. 

SuperCoach Weekend Wrap | Round 15
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Death. Taxes. And another round where Dayne Zorko shows us the ceiling he’s capable of. All things true in life and Supercoach. 

For those wise enough to have the VC tag on him on Thursday night were well rewarded with a 174 becoming 348. And for anyone considering grabbing him now he comes at an elite premium cost, rightfully so. Brisbane romped it in against Geelong, which saw the likes of Daniel Rich, Oscar McInerney, and Joe Daniher get amongst the tons. For those who have held Daniher, in particular, their patience is paying off in his current run of form. Lachie Neale battled well after what looked like a serious shoulder injury as well. On the Cats front, Patrick Dangerfield’s 97 keeps him in the mix for our forward lines, especially as he is now under 500k. Expect the 8% ownership to rise significantly in the coming week or two. Joel Selwood was looking sore by the end of the match and Tom Stewart was held well in defence. There’s no need to panic, but it’s worth watching. 

The upset of the round became a talking point across the weekend. The Saints keeping the Tigers to 22 points was quite amazing really. Jack Steele’s 132 continues his great form this season, and Tommy Highmore makes more cash for his owners as well with a 91. Jayden Short nudged another 100 but everyone else really didn’t deliver what was expected of them. I feel for those who bought in Shai Bolton this week too. Ouch. 

Wasn’t it great to see Brodie Grundy back doing his thing? He topped the scoring against the Dockers with assistance from Steele Sidebottom (115) and Taylor Adams (110). Andrew Brayshaw had a good game with 110 for the Dockers, while Sean Darcy continued his decent ruck season with a 90. Those who had held Nat Fyfe through the bye rounds were unfortunately hit a blow with his late out. A watch and see for this week by the looks. 

North’s second win of the season against the hapless Suns provided plenty of high scores. Todd Goldstein helped his 8600 coaches with a 136. Ben Cunnington did it again for his owners and those who have decided to take the gamble on Jy Simpkin are reapingthe benefits with his 122. For the Suns, Touk Miller and Brandon Ellis. Enough said. 

Lance Franklin nearly won it for the Swans in that final quarter but the Power managed to get it in the end. However, those that do own Franklin helped themselves to a nice 130. Callum Mills continued his run of form and Luke Parker also shared in the points. Jake Lloyd had his most underwhelming game of the season with a 73, and those who have held Heeney really have made an error in judgement as his score of 57 dropped his price by $36.6k. Travis Boak and Dan Houston topped scored for Port and showed glimpses of their opening season form. 

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Melbourne beat Essendon in a tight affair. The Dons top scorers were Zac Merrett with 147, then the usuals of Darcy Parish (121), Dyson Heppell (121), and Jordan Ridley (111). A number of teams may own all four of them, let alone one. Melbourne’s scores were okay. Nothing exceptional. And those of us who put the C on Max Gawn are surely now looking elsewhere as he has proved to be lackluster when sharing roles with young Jackson and being placed in the forward line to help their lack of tall options. 

The Hawks over the Giants was also surprising, perhaps more so embarrassing for GWS. Nevertheless they still provided plenty of points for us. Whether you own Lachie Whitfield (116), Josh Kelly (110), Tim Taranto (100), Callum Ward (98), Nick Haynes (94), Matt Flynn still (84) or Toby Greene (84) I’m sure there was something in there for you. For the Hawks, surely it’s only Tom Mitchell who continues to be relevant? He scored a helpful 118 for his owners and stays in consideration for that M8 position. But poor Jarman Impey coaches were dealt a blow after his training incident on Friday afternoon. There’s a trade decision to be made there. 

With an under-firing midfield the Eagles got done by the supremacy of the Bulldogs mids. Low scores by Tim Kelly, Andrew Gaff, and Luke Shuey didn’t help any Eagles owners. Perhaps that only satisfied coaches with an Eagle in their team are those who have stuck with Nic Naitinui all season. Why this guy isn’t talked about more this season I’m not quite sure. He’s ranked as the second best ruck in SC now and while Grundy has been out for a few weeks he averages 113 and has not scored under 90 since round one! Then we turn to the Dogs and see the usuals yet again. Marcus Bontempelli with a monster 156, followed by Jackson Macrae (136) and Bailey Smith (123). 

The Blues did the job over the Crows. Jacob Weitering had a great 143, while it was good to see Sam Walsh nab a 131. Coaches who have held Walsh in his ups and downs this season would’ve been pleased, not to mention any Blues fan. Rory Laird and Tex Walker grabbed tons for the Crows too, but other than that the relevancy of everyone else may be hard to justify. 

It was finally good to get through the byes and have some ripping scores this week. There’s nothing quite like the peace of having 22 players named and playing is there?