SET-AND-FORGET
Max Gawn (Melb) $751,400
Look at that price.
After Gawn posted 12 KFC SuperCoach tons – a staggering seven in excess of 150 - it’s
the most expensive in our great game’s history.
But we will ever see it again?
I don’t think so – not this year anyway.
That’s not saying he won’t finish as the No. 1 scorer in the game again, his average may just take a hit.
You don’t me need to tell you how influential he is in the ruck and around the ground but you may need to be told this influence appears to have been scaled up further than usual in shortened quarters last year.
Gawn spent longer on the ground, he’s better at performing under pressure and, given there was less time to affect the match, more players had minimal impact at the bottom-end than usual. It resulted in more scaling done at the top-end, and the Melbourne big man was always there.
In 2019, Gawn scored 150 or more in 19 per cent of his matches. Last year, it was 50 per cent.
Big scores – 140 or more – were up across the board, with 16 more recorded despite 90 less total games being played.
Again, while there may not be a repeat of the extraordinary stretch between rounds four and eight, which featured scores of 141, 163, 153, 185 and 157, he will still go big.
Especially with match-ups against Sean Darcy, Braydon Preuss, Rhys Stanley and Ben McEvoy/Jon Ceglar in the opening six rounds.
The Phantom’s Verdict: I’m tipping Gawn to still lead the competition but he may do it with an average closer to 130 – and that means a significant price fall. You’re getting the likely No. 1 scorer in his position and a go-to captain option, but there’s better value.
Brodie Grundy (Coll) $648,200
And this guy is that value.
He played second fiddle to Gawn last year, but in the previous two seasons, the Collingwood big man was the No. 1 player in KFC SuperCoach.
Not just of all ruckmen. Grundy scored more points than anyone else, after posting KFC SuperCoach tons in 38 of his 44 matches.
His other six scores were 81, 84, 86, 99, 95 and 98.
Was he carrying an injury 2020? Was his form a direct reflection of the difficulties of hub life? Did the shorter quarters limit his ability as an accumulator?
Possibly yes to all of the above.
The 26-year-old is also as durable as the come, playing every home-and-away game in the past three seasons and missing just three matches since 2015.
The Phantom’s Verdict: Expect Grundy to meet Gawn in the middle at around the 130-point mark this year. And that makes the $100k difference very, very appealing.
THE CHALLENGERS
Reilly O’Brien (Adel) $570,800
In the 13th game of his career, in Round 13, 2019, O’Brien announced himself as a KFC SuperCoach ruckmen of the future, scoring a huge 181 points against the Tigers.
It was also the confirmation, he was Adelaide’s No. 1 big man, and that Sam Jacobs’ time was up.
He kicked off 2020 with 107 and 161 in the opening two rounds, before struggling with some inconsistency.
But, on the back of a strong finish – he averaged 119 in the final month of the year – O’Brien increased his KFC SuperCoach from 95 to 106.
He may be the sixth-ranked ruckman for hitouts-to-advantage but the 25-year-old finished with more tackles, contested marks and intercepts marks than Gawn and Grundy last year.
And he’s still only played 37 AFL games.
So can the young Crow seriously challenge the top two as his all-round game continues to develop?
The Phantom’s Verdict : Maybe not this year, but KFC SuperCoaches should still expect another spike.
Tim English (WB) $551,200
Tim English is the next Dean Cox, the champion former West Coast Eagle who was just as dominant around the ground, with his ball-winning and foot skills, as he was in the ruck.
That was the statement made by many 12 months again, even earlier by some.
Yes, I was one of them.
And after seven rounds last year, there weren’t many arguing.
After a quiet opening two rounds, out-muscled by Brodie Grundy and then the Paddy Ryder-Rowan Marshall combination, English exploded, posting scores of 120, 145, 125, 105 and 204 in the next five matches.
His influence was then quelled around the ground and in the air for the best part of two months, before finishing strongly with a 126-point three-round average.
Assessing his 2020 numbers per 100 minutes, English, on average, had more disposals, marks, intercept marks, goals and effective kicks than he did in 2019.
The 23-year-old’s hitout numbers were also up slightly, with English winning 5.4 hitouts-to-advantage per game – up from 5.1.
It’s an area he still falls behind in but the arrival of Stefan Martin as both big-bodied support, and as a mentor, will help, as will another pre-season.
Cox’s first big season, number-wise, was his fifth – and that’s where English is at in 2021.
The Phantom’s Verdict: He’s got a way to go, but that’s exciting for the Bulldogs and KFC SuperCoaches. It would still be brave call to start him in 2021, however.
CAN HE MAINTAIN IT?
Nic Naitanui (WC) $593,700
Less matches, shorter quarters and scaling weighted more in-favour of high-impact acts. Was there a player more suited to KFC SuperCoach in 2020 than Naitanui?
No.
But, despite nine KFC SuperCoach tons – five of them in excess of 135 – the answer to the question of whether or not he can better his 2020 average of 110 and seriously challenge Grundy and Gawn is just as definitive.
No.
And, at the price, you would be picking him to do exactly that.
The Phantom’s Verdict: As much as I love watching him play, he’s not a point-of-difference I’d be banking on this year.
DOES HE STILL HAVE IT?
Todd Goldstein (NM) $601,700
In the three years following his dominant 2015 season, which saw him average 129 KFC SuperCoach points as the No. 1 scorer in the game, Goldstein fell, posting season averages of 108, 95 and 101.
Many wrote him off as legitimate challenger to the No. 1 ruck spot.
But after 112 in each of the past two seasons – to rank third behind Gawn and Grundy – the answer to the subhead is yes, he does.
The Phantom’s Verdict: But is it enough to start him? Not with Grundy just $47k away.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...e/news-story/c236398d160f1ba50b3f422959bbcaf0
