AFL Supercoach 2026: SC Bandit Early Team Reveal

AFL pre-season is ramping up which means SuperCoach preparations are in full swing.

Interclub match sims have begun this week, which means we finally get a glimpse of how each side could line up in 2026.

To kick off this year’s SC Playbook AFL expert team reveals, the SC Bandit has released his pre-match sim side.

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DEFENCE

Connor Rozee

Looked like the move to half back last season could continue new coach Josh Carr and that should make him a safe top six option in defence. Even if that role changes and he plays more in the midfield, he’s still going to be one of Port’s top scorers across the season. No early bye is big plus as well.

Jordan Clark

Has become a pretty consistent and reliable player at Fremantle. Notched up 15 tons last year with just three scores under 80, so he’s as reliable as they come even though I think he’s starting 2026 somewhere near his top price-wise. Fremantle not having that early bye this year makes him a pretty safe option and he doesn’t get tagged often. Should be a top six defender or go very close. 

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Keidean Coleman

Last year was a write off for Coleman who just couldn’t get his body right to break into Brisbane’s eventual premiership team. At just $233K to start this season and an uninterrupted pre-season behind him, he looks primed to break back into the Lions’ best 23. Hopefully he gets through the practice matches unscathed and is a lock for early games.

Rookies

I said on the podcast this week that this could be the best defensive crop of rookies we’ve had since the COVID seasons and I stick by that claim. The likes of Xavier Taylor, Josh Gibcus, Josh Lindsay, Jai Serong and Lachie Jaques have all impressed over the pre-season and should see AFL action early. That’s not excluding the likes of Jacob Farrow, Bo Allan, Sam Grlj and Harry Dean who are all under that $200K price and could also be in the mix for their respective teams.

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MIDFIELD

Zak Butters

Could be the number one scoring player in the game this year if he gets an injury-free run. Just so consistent and a great captaincy option particularly against the weaker sides where he tends to fill his boots. Port Adelaide’s early fixture run is as good as you’ll see (North Melbourne, West Coast and Essendon and Richmond in the first month) and there’s a world where Butters could be averaging 140 over that time. Lock him in.

Nick Daicos

I had Matt Rowell in my team reveal on the podcast this week but with the news of his broken finger coming to light I’ve had to pivot to other options and Nick Daicos should be at the top of the list. Yes the early bye is a drawback but this guy has claims on being the best player in the competition. I’m willing to overlook the early game off and back him in to nudge his average close to 120 this year.

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Noah Anderson

With Rowell out I couldn’t overlook the Suns skipper who took his game to another level in 2025. He’s a very consistent player and I think he’s still got room for more growth in his game if he can start hitting the scoreboard more often. Gold Coast’s early fixture does include a bye, but their fixtures outside of that are elite – West Coast, Richmond and Melbourne in the first month should mean there’s big points on offer.

Errol Gulden

Another early bye player who has found his way into my side, I think there’s just a bit too much value on offer to pass up with Gulden. Had the first half of last season wiped out with a broken ankle but now that he’s had a full pre-season I think he’s ready to push that season average back over the 110 mark. The Swans love his ball use through the midfield and he’s a fun player to watch.

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Luke Davies-Uniacke

My one make-or-break selection. Based on his track record, LDU had a poor year last season, averaging less than 100 for the first time in four seasons. Now that he’s signed a long-term deal at North Melbourne, he can be fully focused on taking that mantle of being the Kangaroos’ best player. His best is elite and with a bit more support from the likes of Harry Sheezel and an improved midfield, I’m really keen to see if he can explode early in the season with a nice run of fixtures. 

Rookies

Still a bit to play out here but again this early batch of rookies looks promising. Jagga Smith is the absolute must-have rookie for 2026 and the more expensive types like Zeke Uwland, Dan Annable, Dyson Sharp and Sam Cumming are in line for early debuts. Even cheaper options such as Jack Carroll, Harry Schoenberg, Will Brodie and Josh Smilie could find their way into their respective AFL sides early on. Keep an eye on the practice games to see how the youngsters go.

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RUCKS

Tristan Xerri

Should be one of the top three rucks in the game again this year even with some tweaks to the stoppage rules. Safe captaincy option every week and has a great run of games to start with no early bye. I’m not sure why so many people are keen to fade him, as his last two years have been supreme. 

Luke Jackson

Jackson has spent a fair bit of time training as a midfielder this pre-season, which is interesting. If he’s in the guts there’s no chance of a tag and he could be a huge wildcard as a big man who can cover the ground and go to ruck contests that opposition big boys might not get to. Bye-free early as well which is important, could he get DPP status at some stage? Could be an ideal flex player later on in the year.

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FORWARDS

Harry Sheezel

There’s an argument to say that he’s at his top price to start the year, but the reality is he’ll be one of the top two forwards come season’s end so there’s not much point in going without him at F1. No early bye gets him the nod over Christian Petracca, who I’m also keen on but can’t squeeze him in for now.

Kysaiah Pickett

I like him as an option to break into the top six forwards for 2026. With the Dees batting thin in the midfield I suspect he will be thrown around the footy more while still being able to hit the scoreboard when he’s playing up forward. These X factor type players like Pickett do come with some scoring volatility, but I think he’s ready to elevate himself to being one of – if not the most – important player at Melbourne.

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Sam Flanders

Making the move to St Kilda over the off-season should yield a much more productive SC role for Flanders who was squeezed out of the midfield at Gold Coast last year. Whether he can get back to the 119 average he pumped out in 2024 remains to be seen, but he’s as good a chance as any to be a top six forward at the end of the year.

Rookies

It looks like we’ve again got a solid bunch to start the season. Mattes Phillipou looks ready to take the next step with a full pre-season behind him at the Saints, I expect Latrelle Pickett to get an early start at Melbourne and Todd Marshall has been training as a key back at Port Adelaide which makes him a really enticing pick. Outside of those three, Leo Lombard will be putting his hand up as a best 23 player at Gold Coast and Dev Robertson has made the move to West Coast which should see him get more opportunities at AFL level. 

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FLEX

Joel Freijah

I had Hayden Young in this spot on the podcast, but with the news that Adam Treloar has had another injury setback, I think this paves the way for Freijah to become a regular part of the Bulldogs’ midfield mix. There’s also probably more likelihood of him being a top six forward than Young does of being a keeper midfielder, which would save a trade over the course of the season as Young will eventually need to be upgraded to a top line premo. That could change before Round 1 but that’s the way I’m leaning at the moment.