Opinion 2024 AFL SuperCoach Planning Thread
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For those who are watching the practice match today, I would love to hear about standouts (so far) and anything else worth noting. Unfortunately, can't watch from work. 
- Fisher genuine seagull role. Aaron Hall 2.0. Came off second half (managed)
- McKercher has become even more of a lock if that were even possible. Took most kick-ins and just racks up the disposals.
- Lazzaro some good moments and some bad. Can find the footy. Looks to be a round 1 starter.
- Reef very solid up forward with multiple goals and marks inside 50. Should play round 1.
- Fin played well and kicked a long bomb from outside 50. Likely for opening round.
Mini write-up for the North/Coll match sim today. Will try to be brief and touch on mostly fantasy relevant players, or anyone that stood out. Nice warm conditions in Melbourne today. First half felt more relevant as the squads got weaker and weaker as the game went on.
North Melb:
Notable absentees: McDonald, Corr, Tucker, Greenwood, Logue, Scott, Taylor, Comben, Duursma
They had a stronger team but pretty much dominated from quarter time onwards. First quarter it looked like the premiers vs the wooden spooners, but that turned around fairly quickly.
Fisher - First half only - Role was fantastic, I like him a lot as a player, just has quick hands, tries to take the game on. Taking most of the kick-outs. Awkwardly priced, still think he hurts Sheezel more than being a great pick himself, but I'll consider him if gets through next week.
LDU - Looked like LDU, not much else to say
Sheezel - Looked good but certainly closer to the midfield today. Coming off the back of the square for centre bounces (unless he was in them) - looked clean. Fisher (and McKercher) getting a lot of the cheap ball, whether kick-ins or handball receives deeper in defence. Definite red flag for me as I expected, but I guess lets see if Fisher gets through next week too.
Mckercher - Nice build, looks fit. Great kicking technique, looked pretty efficient most of the time. I don't think he's going to put up anything like Sheezel numbers (especially with Sheezel/Fisher there) but happy with him on the field and potentially D6 for a few rounds once he gets DPP too. Took some kick-outs when Fisher wasn't out there.
Simpkin - Mostly centre square first half but was forward at times to give others a run through the midfield. Hard to tell how much forward time he gets in the real thing, really depends on the team they name. Second half in particular a lot more forward and looked ok there too.
Xerri - Thought he looked fine, but didn't do much against Cameron (or even Cox). Most of the time he was winning the ruck or taking intercept marks was when he was directly matched up against Steene. Role is good, just not sure on the upside personally if he'll break even against most AFL #1 rucks.
Wardlaw - First half only - Looked fine - I don't see the appeal at his price, don't think he's going to have much of a TOG boost, still throwing his body around like a bull at times. Certainly plays full time midfield though, just might have similarly low TOG as he did last year.
Lazzaro - Interesting game. Role was terrible first half, but looked ok and got the ball a lot up forward. Got more centre bounces with Wardlaw off second half and Simpkin resting forward a lot. Seeing as he's not $123K, I'm not sure the upside is there compared to other rookies.
Pink - I reckon he looked good. Slightly more agile than I imagined. Took a kick-out which was random. Ahead of Nyuon/Dawson for mine.
Phillips - Second half only - Was ok in the midfield but get the feeling he'll be sub or out of the 23 early on.
Nyuon - Looked solid. Did a few poor things but looked pretty settled. Assume only plays if Logue/Corr were both out.
Dawson - Not as noticable as Nyuon/Pink. Just ok.
Stephens - Not fantasy relevant but seemed to be by himself on the wing frequently. No idea who his (loose) opponent was or if he just has a big tank, probably a combo of both. Definitely slots straight into one wing though.
Bergman - Thought he was pretty average, did some ok things, guessing he might be out of the 23.
Comben - DNP and other talls were fairly good, not sure if being managed and we see him next week.
Drury - Second half only - Nothing much of note, kicked a goal in Q4.
Larkey - Kicked a bag, looked great. Maybe a real shot at the Coleman if North can move up a few spots?
Hardeman - Second half only, gave some nice rebound as a fresh player (also a player I had never heard of )
Harvey - Not relevant for mine but played well enough up forward.
Powell - Looked good, seemed to be pretty heavy midfield rotation across the whole match. Not one I'd look at picking but definitely hurts Lazzaro if he puts his hand up for a R1 gig.
Stephenson - Had a good game, kicked a few goals, was clean. Again not fantasy relevant but should be a pretty deep forward this year again.
Curtis - Also good, same as Stephenson
----------------------------------------------
Collingwood:
Notable absentees: Pendles, Sidebottom, Howe, Crisp, Mitchell, Maynard, Elliott, Moore, Mihocek, Murphy
Crazy they were missing that many players, honestly didn't notice that many out until reading the list later, ominous signs..
N Daicos - Probably bit rusty but nothing to put anyone off that liked him. In the centre bounces as expected, especially without Pendles/Crisp/Mitchell.
JDG - Was fine
Lipinski - Been talked up this pre-season, did look good across mids and half-forward. Is FWD eligible but probably hard to get to, especially hard to tell today with Pies missing their midfield.
Finlay Macrae - Did some great things first half including big goal from outside 50. Really need to see where Pendles/Crisp play in the next pre-season game, still might be tight to get him heavy centre bounce rotations.
McInnes - Reef had been talked up pre-season from Collingwood training reports and he looked good. Kicked accurately too which was an issue in some Collingwood intraclubs/match-sims. Hard to fit all the forward rookies but I like him at $123,900 on the bench, pretty confident he'll be in the starting 22.
Cameron - First half only, pretty even battle with Xerri, probably beat him in the ruck marginally
Schultz - Fitted in pretty seamlessly. Be a nice recruit.
McCreery - Didn't notice him get any decent mid time so assume forward still (did start Q4 in there)
Ash Johnson - Not fantasy relevant, but will be ok forward depth for them without McStay. Played better in the 2nd half. Reef certainly ahead of him IMO.
Dean - Was ok, just playing with Moore (and Maynard/Howe etc) out
Allan - Was also ok but just playing with Sidey (and Crisp etc) out
Hill - Very clean as usual
Cox - Second half only, about what you'd expect but probably beat Xerri
Sullivan - Assume second half only, did some good things
Jiath - Second half only, didn't get the ball much
Bytel - I assume second half only as only noticed him in Q4.
Summary:
Collingwood not too much to think about for mine. I would like to squeeze McInnes into my forward line bench though. Give Macrae another look next week and see what the Round 0 team looks like with other Collingwood mids back. Nothing wrong with Daicos.
McKercher a lock, I like Pink on the bench in defence, would be surprised if he wasn't in the Round 1 team. Big Fish watch next week, to see if he gets through the whole game, but he's in the 22 for sure. I've cooled off Lazzaro today, with Powell in particular seemingly ahead today. Nothing wrong with LDU, but I'm not sure Wardlaw is going to take a big enough step in terms of role/TOG. Xerri is just not a dominant ruckman in my books.
North Melb:
Notable absentees: McDonald, Corr, Tucker, Greenwood, Logue, Scott, Taylor, Comben, Duursma
They had a stronger team but pretty much dominated from quarter time onwards. First quarter it looked like the premiers vs the wooden spooners, but that turned around fairly quickly.
Fisher - First half only - Role was fantastic, I like him a lot as a player, just has quick hands, tries to take the game on. Taking most of the kick-outs. Awkwardly priced, still think he hurts Sheezel more than being a great pick himself, but I'll consider him if gets through next week.
LDU - Looked like LDU, not much else to say
Sheezel - Looked good but certainly closer to the midfield today. Coming off the back of the square for centre bounces (unless he was in them) - looked clean. Fisher (and McKercher) getting a lot of the cheap ball, whether kick-ins or handball receives deeper in defence. Definite red flag for me as I expected, but I guess lets see if Fisher gets through next week too.
Mckercher - Nice build, looks fit. Great kicking technique, looked pretty efficient most of the time. I don't think he's going to put up anything like Sheezel numbers (especially with Sheezel/Fisher there) but happy with him on the field and potentially D6 for a few rounds once he gets DPP too. Took some kick-outs when Fisher wasn't out there.
Simpkin - Mostly centre square first half but was forward at times to give others a run through the midfield. Hard to tell how much forward time he gets in the real thing, really depends on the team they name. Second half in particular a lot more forward and looked ok there too.
Xerri - Thought he looked fine, but didn't do much against Cameron (or even Cox). Most of the time he was winning the ruck or taking intercept marks was when he was directly matched up against Steene. Role is good, just not sure on the upside personally if he'll break even against most AFL #1 rucks.
Wardlaw - First half only - Looked fine - I don't see the appeal at his price, don't think he's going to have much of a TOG boost, still throwing his body around like a bull at times. Certainly plays full time midfield though, just might have similarly low TOG as he did last year.
Lazzaro - Interesting game. Role was terrible first half, but looked ok and got the ball a lot up forward. Got more centre bounces with Wardlaw off second half and Simpkin resting forward a lot. Seeing as he's not $123K, I'm not sure the upside is there compared to other rookies.
Pink - I reckon he looked good. Slightly more agile than I imagined. Took a kick-out which was random. Ahead of Nyuon/Dawson for mine.
Phillips - Second half only - Was ok in the midfield but get the feeling he'll be sub or out of the 23 early on.
Nyuon - Looked solid. Did a few poor things but looked pretty settled. Assume only plays if Logue/Corr were both out.
Dawson - Not as noticable as Nyuon/Pink. Just ok.
Stephens - Not fantasy relevant but seemed to be by himself on the wing frequently. No idea who his (loose) opponent was or if he just has a big tank, probably a combo of both. Definitely slots straight into one wing though.
Bergman - Thought he was pretty average, did some ok things, guessing he might be out of the 23.
Comben - DNP and other talls were fairly good, not sure if being managed and we see him next week.
Drury - Second half only - Nothing much of note, kicked a goal in Q4.
Larkey - Kicked a bag, looked great. Maybe a real shot at the Coleman if North can move up a few spots?
Hardeman - Second half only, gave some nice rebound as a fresh player (also a player I had never heard of
) Harvey - Not relevant for mine but played well enough up forward.
Powell - Looked good, seemed to be pretty heavy midfield rotation across the whole match. Not one I'd look at picking but definitely hurts Lazzaro if he puts his hand up for a R1 gig.
Stephenson - Had a good game, kicked a few goals, was clean. Again not fantasy relevant but should be a pretty deep forward this year again.
Curtis - Also good, same as Stephenson
----------------------------------------------
Collingwood:
Notable absentees: Pendles, Sidebottom, Howe, Crisp, Mitchell, Maynard, Elliott, Moore, Mihocek, Murphy
Crazy they were missing that many players, honestly didn't notice that many out until reading the list later, ominous signs..
N Daicos - Probably bit rusty but nothing to put anyone off that liked him. In the centre bounces as expected, especially without Pendles/Crisp/Mitchell.
JDG - Was fine
Lipinski - Been talked up this pre-season, did look good across mids and half-forward. Is FWD eligible but probably hard to get to, especially hard to tell today with Pies missing their midfield.
Finlay Macrae - Did some great things first half including big goal from outside 50. Really need to see where Pendles/Crisp play in the next pre-season game, still might be tight to get him heavy centre bounce rotations.
McInnes - Reef had been talked up pre-season from Collingwood training reports and he looked good. Kicked accurately too which was an issue in some Collingwood intraclubs/match-sims. Hard to fit all the forward rookies but I like him at $123,900 on the bench, pretty confident he'll be in the starting 22.
Cameron - First half only, pretty even battle with Xerri, probably beat him in the ruck marginally
Schultz - Fitted in pretty seamlessly. Be a nice recruit.
McCreery - Didn't notice him get any decent mid time so assume forward still (did start Q4 in there)
Ash Johnson - Not fantasy relevant, but will be ok forward depth for them without McStay. Played better in the 2nd half. Reef certainly ahead of him IMO.
Dean - Was ok, just playing with Moore (and Maynard/Howe etc) out
Allan - Was also ok but just playing with Sidey (and Crisp etc) out
Hill - Very clean as usual
Cox - Second half only, about what you'd expect but probably beat Xerri
Sullivan - Assume second half only, did some good things
Jiath - Second half only, didn't get the ball much
Bytel - I assume second half only as only noticed him in Q4.
Summary:
Collingwood not too much to think about for mine. I would like to squeeze McInnes into my forward line bench though. Give Macrae another look next week and see what the Round 0 team looks like with other Collingwood mids back. Nothing wrong with Daicos.
McKercher a lock, I like Pink on the bench in defence, would be surprised if he wasn't in the Round 1 team. Big Fish watch next week, to see if he gets through the whole game, but he's in the 22 for sure. I've cooled off Lazzaro today, with Powell in particular seemingly ahead today. Nothing wrong with LDU, but I'm not sure Wardlaw is going to take a big enough step in terms of role/TOG. Xerri is just not a dominant ruckman in my books.
A few things with Fisher:-
Disposal issues/did he have many clangers?
Hamstring issues in preseason are a real concern, hard to pick a midpricer that has had multiple hamstring issues despite his perfect SC role.
At his price point, he has to average about 96 to make the magical 150K to make him a good mid-priced selection.At the blues he averaged 86 in that same role.
Wardlaw has the perfect SC game... I don't like picking mid pricers in my midfield but gee he is tempting. Can we trust bis body though after his hamstring issues from previous years?
Disposal issues/did he have many clangers?
Hamstring issues in preseason are a real concern, hard to pick a midpricer that has had multiple hamstring issues despite his perfect SC role.
At his price point, he has to average about 96 to make the magical 150K to make him a good mid-priced selection.At the blues he averaged 86 in that same role.
Wardlaw has the perfect SC game... I don't like picking mid pricers in my midfield but gee he is tempting. Can we trust bis body though after his hamstring issues from previous years?
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Great work @Athomas
I think LDU is just going through the motions to get through the preseason stuff without a hitch. He doesn't have to impress anyone.
I'm more bullish on Wardlaw, I think his TOG is going to go right up.
Sheezel is silk, uncertainty over his role and those of McKercher and Fisher make him a watch for me.
Would prefer Lazzaro as a downgrade target rather than a R1 starter.
I think LDU is just going through the motions to get through the preseason stuff without a hitch. He doesn't have to impress anyone.
I'm more bullish on Wardlaw, I think his TOG is going to go right up.
Sheezel is silk, uncertainty over his role and those of McKercher and Fisher make him a watch for me.
Would prefer Lazzaro as a downgrade target rather than a R1 starter.
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A few things with Fisher:-
Disposal issues/did he have many clangers?
Hamstring issues in preseason are a real concern, hard to pick a midpricer that has had multiple hamstring issues despite his perfect SC role.
At his price point, he has to average about 96 to make the magical 150K to make him a good mid-priced selection.At the blues he averaged 86 in that same role.
Wardlaw has the perfect SC game... I don't like picking mid pricers in my midfield but gee he is tempting. Can we trust bis body though after his hamstring issues from previous years?
Disposal issues/did he have many clangers?
Hamstring issues in preseason are a real concern, hard to pick a midpricer that has had multiple hamstring issues despite his perfect SC role.
At his price point, he has to average about 96 to make the magical 150K to make him a good mid-priced selection.At the blues he averaged 86 in that same role.
Wardlaw has the perfect SC game... I don't like picking mid pricers in my midfield but gee he is tempting. Can we trust bis body though after his hamstring issues from previous years?
Wardlaw is going to polarise. Just an absolute bull so suited to SC but being a 2nd year player and the dodgy hammies are possibly cause for concern.
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Thanks Ben. I'm seeing a lot of concern here that McKercher and Fisher are going to cannibalise Sheezel's scoring ability in some way, but I've also spoken to others who watched the game and said he's a lock for them. What is there to make from this game? (I know it's just a practice match, just curious).
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H/Sun just posted this, I was hoping they would also have stats up for the game
(It didn't copy across very well at all, but I hope it's still easy enough to read)
PIES V ROOS - KEY STATS
Rucks CBAs CBA% Clearances Clearance % Notes
Xerri 32 88.89% 3 9.38% Played Q1-4
Coleman-Jones 4 11.11% 00.00% Played Q1-4
Cameron 10 27.78% 00.00% Played Q1-2
Steene 14 38.89% 214.29% Played Q1-4
Cox 12 33.33% 00.00% Played Q3-4
COL MIDs CBAs CBA% Clearances Clearance %Notes
Macrae 26 72.22% 3 11.54% Played Q1-4
De Goey 17 47.22% 2 11.76% Played Q1-2
N.Daicos 15 41.67% 16.67% Played Q1-2
Allan 14 38.89% 1 7.14% Played Q1-4
McCreery 13 36.11% 2 15.38% Played Q1-4
Sullivan 12 33.33% 2 16.67% Midfield Q3-4
Lipinski 7 19.44% 1 14.29% Fwd Q1-2, Mid Q3-4
J.Daicos 4 11.11% 00.00% Played Q1-2
NM MIDs CBAs CBA% Clearances Clearance % Notes
Powell 28 77.78% 3 10.71% Played Q1-4
Davies-Uniake 20 55.56% 6 30.00% Played Q1-4
Wardlaw 18 50.00% 15.56% Played Q1-2
Lazzaro 17 47.22% 15.88% Played Q1-4
Phillips 15 41.67% 533.33% Midfield Q3-4
Sheezel 5 13.89% 1 20.00% Played Q1-4
Simpkin 5 13.89% 1 20.00% Played Q1-4
(It didn't copy across very well at all, but I hope it's still easy enough to read)
PIES V ROOS - KEY STATS
Rucks CBAs CBA% Clearances Clearance % Notes
Xerri 32 88.89% 3 9.38% Played Q1-4
Coleman-Jones 4 11.11% 00.00% Played Q1-4
Cameron 10 27.78% 00.00% Played Q1-2
Steene 14 38.89% 214.29% Played Q1-4
Cox 12 33.33% 00.00% Played Q3-4
COL MIDs CBAs CBA% Clearances Clearance %Notes
Macrae 26 72.22% 3 11.54% Played Q1-4
De Goey 17 47.22% 2 11.76% Played Q1-2
N.Daicos 15 41.67% 16.67% Played Q1-2
Allan 14 38.89% 1 7.14% Played Q1-4
McCreery 13 36.11% 2 15.38% Played Q1-4
Sullivan 12 33.33% 2 16.67% Midfield Q3-4
Lipinski 7 19.44% 1 14.29% Fwd Q1-2, Mid Q3-4
J.Daicos 4 11.11% 00.00% Played Q1-2
NM MIDs CBAs CBA% Clearances Clearance % Notes
Powell 28 77.78% 3 10.71% Played Q1-4
Davies-Uniake 20 55.56% 6 30.00% Played Q1-4
Wardlaw 18 50.00% 15.56% Played Q1-2
Lazzaro 17 47.22% 15.88% Played Q1-4
Phillips 15 41.67% 533.33% Midfield Q3-4
Sheezel 5 13.89% 1 20.00% Played Q1-4
Simpkin 5 13.89% 1 20.00% Played Q1-4
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