AFL Supercoach | Round 1 Wrap: 9 Things We Learnt

Round one is in the books, and the AFL SuperCoach season has begun. 

This year, we’re bringing back the SC Playbook AFL Weekly Wrap, discussing the biggest talking points of the round from a SuperCoach perspective.

So let’s get into things. 

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1. The big dogs are still eating

Marcus Bontempelli scored 160 points against the Giants. Max Gawn went 122 against the Saints. Tristan Xerri 128 against the Power. Nick Daicos 126 against Adelaide. Noah Anderson 132 against the Eagles.

Sure, some high-priced players ‘flopped’, but for the most part, the best players in the competition are still the best players in the competition. 

While it’s important to hunt value in our mid-priced players and our rookies build the most cash, picking reliable, premium players is where the majority of our points come from.

In an ideal world, you’ve got a handful of top-end scorers as captaincy options each week, too.

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2. Rookie roulette is in full swing

As is the case every year, working out which rookies to field is half of the battle in the early rounds. 

The likes of Jagga Smith (113), Milan Murdock (110), Deven Robertson (105), Brayden Cook (92), Todd Marshall (90), Lachlan McAndrew (88), Lachie Jaques (84), Willem Duursma (78), and Sam Grlj (73) all produced scores you’d be satisfied with on-field.

But in contrast, Zeke Uwland (23), Mattaes Phillipou (27), Cooper Duff-Tytler (37), Michael Sellwood (38), Zane Duursma (38), Harry Dean (38), Daniel Annable (40), Mitch Edwards (42), Lachy Dovaston (42), Jack Watkins (45), and Latrelle Pickett (45), all failed to fire. 

If you got even 1-2 of those 50/50 calls wrong, that’s potentially 100 points you’ve left on the pine.

The good news? We’ve now got a bigger sample size to work with.

Most of those who scored well have decent roles, whether that be at half-back or through the midfield.

Those who struggled are small forwards and key position players. 

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3. More evidence of the new ruck rules

I’m still finding it hard to wrap my head around the new ruck rules and how they’ll affect SuperCoach scoring. 

Gawn was fantastic against the Saints, while Xerri did some nice work around the ground but was beaten at the centre bounces by young Dante Visentini.

Those who faded Xerri were vindicated in that sense, but I’m hoping his efforts around the ground mean he can still be a great pick.

Tim English was dominant against the Giants and is perfectly suited to the new ruck rules, while Jarrod Witts destroyed the Eagles on Sunday night.

Out of the top eight rucks based on price, five went 120+, there were two 80s, and Rowan Marshall missed with a concussion. 

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4. Luke Jackson is literally a unicorn

The stats behind Luke Jackson’s game against the Cats are wild.

He went to 56 per cent of ruck contests and attended 65 per cent of centre bounces.

Huge tick. Disposal efficiency was just 59 per cent, not ideal.

The best part? He scored 142. This guy’s role is deadset unbelievable. 

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5. Injury carnage strikes

There were plenty of SuperCoach-relevant injuries in round one.

Mattaes Phillipou didn’t play the second half against Melbourne due to a corkie and scored just 27, while Todd Marshall hurt his ankle late against the Roos.

Fingers crossed they’re both on the minor end because both looked like decent forward rookies. 

But perhaps the biggest talking point was the injuries to a pair of Sydney superstars.

Isaac Heeney finished the game on the bench with hamstring awareness and will likely return after the club’s round three bye, but Gulden’s health remains up in the air after a shoulder issue. 

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I’m no medical expert, but apparently it all depends on if he has surgery or not.

Either way, if he’s set to miss more than a couple of games, you probably have to trade him.

Given he was in almost 40 per cent of teams, there’s going to be some space to break away from the pack there.

We’ll discuss all the best options on the podcast this week. 

*News has since come out that Errol Gulden will be getting surgery and will be out for four months

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6. Returning Cat could be the best mid-pricer of all

SuperCoach’s love a mid-pricer or two. Or five.

Hayden Young was on about 90 at three-quarter time before being sent deep forward in the last.

I think he lost about ten SC points in the fourth term and couldn’t get near it.

Super frustrating as an owner, and I’ll be tracking that role closely this week against Melbourne.

Darcy Parish was good without being great. 21 disposals from 54 per cent CBAs and a score of 93, you probably take that given the Bombers were smashed by the Hawks.

Parish had 69 per cent time on ground, which hopefully increases this week against Port Adelaide.

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But the best of them all could be Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn, who followed up from his score of 91 in Opening Round with 110 against the Dockers.

I think I’ll have to find a way to force him in after the bye.

Looked great across half-back and had some midfield minutes as well.

Time on ground should only increase too as the season goes on with more kilometres in the legs.

He’s also just 276k, which means he’s a fair bit cheaper than Young and Parish. 

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7. Don’t go early on rookies

If you were in the six percent of coaches who picked new Eagle Milan Murdock, well done.

If you weren’t like me, then it looks as though you’ll have to find a way to correct that.

Having said that, there’s no need to go early.

Murdock still has to play another two games before he rises in price, so wait another week to have a look and then pull the trigger.

You might be able to make 30-50k out of someone like Jack Carroll before you make that move.

The same goes for someone like Brayden Cook, who looked great against the Pies on Saturday night.

Cook scored 92, which is fantastic for a cheapie, but he could just as easily drop a dud score this week, and then all of a sudden his cash generation is stunted.

Give yourself another week before making a move.

The caveat to the Cook move would be if Phillipou or Marshall were ruled out long-term. 

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8. Back the role, not the score

Don’t throw out months’ worth of pre-season scouting based on one sub-par score, especially before the bulk of the competition changes in price.

A perfect example of this is Sam Walsh, who scored 96 against the Tigers.

For some, it’ll be tempting to try to pivot to a premium who fired in round one, but that’s points chasing. 

Importantly for Walsh, the role was there. The star Blue attended 87 per cent of centre bounces, a team-high.

Had 30 touches and five tackles, and as usual, worked hard all night.

I’m interested to see how the return of Adam Cerra (averaged 66 per cent CBAs in 2025), might increase his CBA numbers, but at the end of the day, he’s one of Carlton’s best two midfielders. 

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Giants captain Toby Greene is another good example.

Given the Giants’ injury crisis, Greene looks set for more midfield time in 2026.

I’d keep the faith in Greene for at least another week, given he had 78 per cent CBAs and 26 disposals.

Yes, the score of 62 is annoying, but he slaughtered his score by giving away four free kicks and operating at 54 per cent disposal efficiency.

If he were to tidy those numbers up, all of a sudden, you’re feeling like a genius. 

On the contrary, a player like Joel Freijah, whose CBA role hasn’t materialised and scored just 63, you could look to move on.

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9. High ownership players are high ownership players for a reason

Everyone loves when a point of difference player fires, but don’t go reaching for one just for the sake of it.

Jagga Smith is the most owned player in the game and will make stacks of cash; likewise, fellow rookies Jai Serong, Sam Grlj, Deven Robertson, Leo Lombard, Dyson Sharp, and Lachlan McAndrew, who are all in the top 10 for ownership. 

Christian Petracca is thriving at his new home on the Gold Coast and has now posted scores of 170 and 152, while Harry Sheezel was great for North Melbourne and scored 134.

Similarly, Power captain Connor Rozee posted a 105 in a big loss to the Roos and is a great defence premium option. 

Taking on a high ownership player is a valid play, but for the most part, the players with high ownership have high ownership for a reason.