AFL Supercoach 2026: Final Word – Round 5

This might just be the greatest weekend on the sporting calendar.

Gather Round has arrived, and Adelaide is abuzz with footy fever.

As a born and bred South Australian, I couldn’t be happier having the competition embark on the Malls Balls and see what our beautiful state has to offer.

It will be even more of a privilege to actually witness my SuperCoach players stink it up in real life!

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Contrary to popular belief, my troops rallied in Round 4.

I was lucky enough to avoid Tim English’s injury and Jack Watkins’ score of 7, and managed to post a 1914 to take my overall rank up 46k.

Terrible… I know. But the team structure is there and I’m on the way up.

Let’s get in to the Final Word.

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Trade Talk

So, if you own Tim English, he has to go.

The obvious pivot options are the likes of Max Gawn and Luke Jackson, but if you’re a Lachlan McAndrew at flex operator, then the world is your oyster.

Reilly O’Brien probably played his last game of AFL footy with a dismal showing against the Dockers so, if you do have LMac at flex, you can now have just about full confidence that he won’t lose his spot for the rest of the year.

If I had the cash, and DPP flexibility, Lachie Whitfield and Nasia Wanganeen-Milera would be at the very very very top of my wishlist.

Both are significantly underpriced, and look to have turned a corner with their respective form.

It’s hard to split the two, but I’d be leaning Whitfield given Nas’ evergrowing tag risk.

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Being a non-owner of English, I’m looking at this week as an opportunity to finally make some much-needed upgrades to the side after what seems like an eternity of forced trades.

Not a lot of my rookies are ripe for the picking but, the fact of the matter is, I’m ranked 46k and I need to do something proactive about it.

It’s been pissing down rain in Adelaide all day, meaning the Crows v Carlton clash will be even more of a slog fest than previously anticipated.

It won’t be ideal conditions for wingers, and by the time Saturday night rolls around, I don’t think it will be great conditions for half backs either.

What that means, for my team, is that Brayden Cook and Connor Budarick are in the firing line despite their relatively low breakevens.

With Christian Petracca still touch-and-go, my forwards need some upgrading.

Having a look around, outside of Harry Sheezel and the aforementioned Trac, the pool of premium-quality players is quite slim.

I was hot on Kozzy all pre-season on the assumption he would receive a massive up-tick in midfield minutes following the mass Melbourne exodus.

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However, his role early on in the season looked iffy – leading the CBAs one week then dropping to the second rotation the next.

But over the last two weeks, when games have been on the line, he’s been the focal point of the Melbourne midfield and the Dees are winning as a result.

Against the Blues, he had 23 CBAs (behind only Steele) and kicked a snag to go along with his 33 disposals.

Then in the win against the Suns… Yes, the WIN against the Suns, he led the team in CBAs. 

It was reminiscent of his pre-season practice game heroics, and was, more importantly, reminiscent of why I had wanted to pick him in the first place.

Kozzy can win games off his own boot – and he’s proving that week in, week out.

The Dees are infinitely better when he’s running through the guts and it doesn’t take a genius to work that out.

If picking him purely off his role and star status wasn’t enough, he’s also coming up against the Bombers this week… Put simply, I’d be way too scared NOT owning Kozzy.

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To fund the Pickett move, I’m forced into going a week early on Derksen with not a lot of bubble boys tickling my fancy except for Jacob Farrow who I think is a must have fresh off a 90.

Derksen should, surely, be safe in a Carlton team riddled with defender injuries and plagued by substandard performances.

At $99k, I’m happy taking the risk to bring him in a week ahead of schedule.

Sellwood -> Derksen

Cook -> Farrow

Budarick -> Pickett

Skippers

Vice Captains:

1. Nick Daicos
2. Harry Sheezel
3. Max Gawn
4. Luke Jackson
5. Dayne Zorko

Captains:

1. Marcus Bontempelli
2. Bailey Smith
3. Zac Butters
4. Jack Sinclair
5. Christian Petracca (if named. Could be a huge POD)