AFL Supercoach 2026: Final Word – Round 4

The 2026 AFL SuperCoach season is in full swing and there’s already been plenty of obstacles for coaches to navigate.

In previous weeks it’s been the injury carnage, headlined by the likes of Errol Gulden, Hayden Young, Connor Rozee and Christian Petracca.

Add injuries to popular rookies such as Todd Marshall, Milan Murdock and Dyson Sharp and all of a sudden, most coaches have burnt through early trade already.

This week, there’s been a few boys draw the ire of the match review officer. 

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North Melbourne ruck Tristan Xerri copped a three-match ban for wiping blood on the face of Essendon captain Andrew McGrath. I’ve had Xerri all year, but you’ve got to feel for those who brought him in off the back of his monster 199 against the Eagles, only to cop a score of 68 and then be forced into yet another trade.

Forward cheapie Deven Robertson will also miss a week due to a dangerous tackle on Zak Butters. Power defender Todd Marshall is also still another week away at least with a minor ankle concern.

It looks as though Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks will opt for dual rucks against Fremantle, pairing popular cheapie Lachlan McAndrew with veteran Reilly O’Brien. That’s not great for us SuperCoach’s unfortunately. 

Oh yeah, the Saints and Giants are also on the bye…

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Trade Talk

My biggest issue to deal with is Xerri. I’ve toyed with the idea of holding him, because I think he’s likely to finish as a top-end ruck again in 2026. Problem is, I don’t think I can afford to have close to 700k sitting on the pine over three weeks, while other coaches are cashing in.

I already own Melbourne captain Max Gawn, which means I’m looking at either Tim English, Luke Jackson or Brodie Grundy. At this stage, I’m leaning towards English, who is already owned by 46 per cent of the competition. 

To be honest, I don’t think I can go wrong with any of the three. It looks as though the new rules will suit English, who I’m hoping can return to the heights of his 2023 season, where he averaged 128 points per game. 

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Jackson’s a star wherever he plays, but I still don’t love the fact he’s sharing ruck duties with Sean Darcy. Mason Cox is waiting in the reserves and the Dockers have a stack of players competing for midfield minutes, too. Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw are the stalwarts, while Shai Bolton, Hayden Young, Neil Erasmus, Murphy Reid and Matthew Johnson have also had looks in there this year. 

Grundy is a force to be reckoned with and could genuinely score 200 this week against the Eagles and Matt Flynn, but I’m not sure he’s worth the extra 40-50k compared to English and Jackson. 

Last week I used my first boost, moving Rozee, Petracca and Sharp to Dayne Zorko, Brayden Cook and Jack Watkins, leaving me with 550k in the bank. 

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I was ranked 203rd after round two, but dropped to 717th following a horrible score of 1820 last round. I can’t afford to be a premium short AGAIN this week, which means I’ve got to pull the trigger. 

I don’t love the forward premium options at all, so I’ve crossed those guys off my upgrade list for this week. That leaves me with an upgrade in defence or the midfield. I’d love a midfielder, because I think there’s a plethora of really great options.

Geelong duo Max Holmes and Bailey Smith look like great buys, while Caleb Serong, Zach Merrett and Touk Miller are others who have started the season strongly. My predicament is, bringing in one of these guys would mean benching either Willem Duursma, Jagga Smith or Darcy Parish. Doesn’t feel that smart given I’ve got multiple guys averaging 50s or 60s on-field in defence.

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So, I’ve got to look at the defence. In a non-bye world, I’d be stoked to bring in any of Lachie Whitfield, Lachie Ash or Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. Problem is they’re all on the bye. Unfortunately that means I’m going to have to settle for a ‘B’ grade premium. 

Leading the pack right now is Dockers defender Jordan Clark. I had Clark in my side early in the pre-season, but pivoted in search of some more ‘value’ in defence. After dropping a 75 in round one, he’s put up a 119 and 129 against the Dees and Tigers respectively. What I like most about Clark is that he’s super consistent, having scored 15 SuperCoach tons last year. 

My other option is the rejuvenated Tom Stewart at Geelong. Stewart looks back to his best across half-back this year and has monopoly on the kick-ins at the Cats. Three consecutive tons against sound opposition is a massive tick for him. If he can return to the scoring we saw from him in 2021-2023, he’s a great buy. My concern is that he regresses to the low-to-mid 90s averages we’ve seen over the past two seasons. 

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I’ve also considered Collingwood ball magnet Josh Daicos but I don’t like how often roles seem to be changing at Collingwood and Adelaide defender Josh Worrell, who just doesn’t have the same scoring history as the others. 

Here’s what I’m thinking at this stage…

Xerri -> English

Carroll -> Clark (via Grlj DPP)

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Skippers

Vice Captains

1. Zak Butters
2. Harry Sheezel
3. Nick Daicos
4. Luke Jackson
5. Caleb Serong

Captains

1. Marcus Bontempelli
2. Brodie Grundy
3. Max Holmes
4. Tim English
5. Max Gawn