AFL Supercoach 2026: Round 8 Wrap – 9 Things We Learnt

Round eight is done and dusted and finally my rank is trending in the right direction.

I posted a score of 2286 this week which saw me jump up to 2100 in the overall rankings. 

After a pretty lean five or so weeks, it’s good to finally have a green arrow. 

Luke Jackson’s VC score proved important, while the likes of Max Holmes and Christian Petracca were also brilliant.

A pretty poor week from plenty of the rookies, which highlights just how important upgrade season will be.

Here’s what we learned in round eight.

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1. Dan Houston rollercoaster continues 

Dan Houston has been such a weird scorer this year.

A score of 135 against the Hawks was his best for the season, his fourth ton of the year.

He’s also had two scores of less than 61, which is so frustrating for owners.

A key factor in Houston’s score this week was the fact that veteran Jeremy Howe was out with injury.

It seemed as though the Pies were more conscious in trying to get the ball into Houston’s hands too and he also had his fair share of kickins. 

2. Bailey Dale is back

The Western Bulldogs half-back struggled in the early stages of 2026, but has now scored over 100 in five of his last six matches.

Price at under 500k, he looks to be a great upgrade option if you’re strapped for cash.

Plus, he is in just one per cent of teams too, so you’re getting a jump on the rest of the competition. 

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3. Todd Marshall’s role is toxic

It’s been a disjointed start to 2026 for Todd Marshall.

He’s missed games through injury and illness and his role seems to change far too often.

A slow start in the defence during the Showdown saw him swing forward which isn’t great for his Supercoach prospects.

In an ideal world, he’s bench cover only, because I don’t think we can feel confident in having him on-field each week.

4. Star Lions are going to be ripe for the picking 

Star midfielder Hugh McCluggage is about 470k, while veteran defender Dayne Zorko is about 485k.

Tough onballer Josh Dunkley will be closer to 450k.

All three could be options in the coming weeks, but especially McCluggage and Zorko.

It was just last year that McCluggage averaged 119.4 SC points per game as one of the most explosive Supercoach assets.

His breakeven will be about 100 next week, but he’s finally getting some continuity in his game after a tough start to the year due to injury.

Then there’s Zorko, who’s in less than four per cent of teams after missing a few weeks with a calf injury.

If you can’t get up to the likes of Luke Parker, Callum Wilkie, Archie Roberts, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera or Lachie Ash, I don’t mind Zorko as a discounted option. 

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5. Low rookie scores highlight importance of upgrade season

Many coaches will have been caught out with the likes of Sam Grlj (34), Patrick Retschko (56), Milan Murdock (61) and Josh Lindsay (68) on field from the Eagles-Tigers clash alone, which is far from ideal.

They’re all highly owned players, so it’s not the end of the world, but it just goes to show why upgrade season is so important.

Rather than moving on mid-pricers who are still scoring well, upgrading the rookies who are less reliable scorers should be priority one. 

6. Tristan Xerri could be R1

The inclusion of Max Heath at the Dees has dented Max Gawn’s ceiling, Brodie Grundy is dealing with some sort of minor niggle, while Luke Jackson often shares the ruck role with either Sean Darcy or Mason Cox.

There’s a genuine chance that North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri is the R1 by the end of the year.

Xerri posted a monster 165 against the Cats, highlighting his scoring credentials in 2026.

He is such a good tackler and gets plenty of the footy around the ground, meaning his centre bounce ruck work isn’t as important as what it is for other rucks.

His next month leading into the bye isn’t easy, but after that it really opens up.

Importantly, he’s a weekly captaincy option. 

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7. Sam Flanders continues to frustrate

I thought St Kilda’s new recruit Sam Flanders was a genuine season long keeper option at the start of the year, but he hasn’t quite hit his straps in his new colours just yet.

Flanders struggled against the Blues on Saturday night, particularly in the first half, and looks to have had a bit of a role change.

While he had plenty of CBAs early in the year, Flanders has attended just 36 per cent in the past three weeks, headlined by a season-low of 25 per cent against the Blues.

He spent time at half-forward and half-back, which makes it tough to gauge what his role will look like moving forward.

Why was his role so different? Jack Macrae’s return from a five-week absence was one factor, while youngster Marcus Windhager also saw a drastic increase in midfield minutes.

It’s not time to panic just yet, but something to monitor heading into the byes. 

8. Max Gawn has become a concern

Are we witnessing somewhat of a change of the guard at the Dees in real time?

For the first time this season, Gawn attended less than 50 per cent of Melbourne’s centre bounces, spending plenty of time deep inside 50 and giving the reins to young ruck Max Heath.

Brodie Grundy and Tristan Xerri are firing on all cylinders, so owning Gawn has become quite frustrating in recent weeks.

However, surely this current role won’t persist for too long.

It felt as though Gawn was spending more time around the footy late in the game and perhaps it’s just a way for the Dees to manage him mid-match, rather than giving him a week off.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got far bigger issues than Gawn at the moment and am certainly not going to jump ship. 

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9. Giants duo raise eyebrows

I was hot on Finn Callaghan in the pre-season before a minor injury forced me into a change.

Now could be the time to jump on.

After being tagged out of games over the past fortnight, Callaghan returned to form against the Suns to post a nice score of 110.

For the first time this year, Callaghan is available for less than 500k.

I suspect he’ll be a trade-in option for many coaches this week and he’s one I’m definitely considering ahead of a matchup against the Bombers this week.

Callaghan’s breakeven still remains at 124, so there is a world where he gets even cheaper again.

Then there’s ex-Dee Clayton Oliver, who has returned to some elite form since heading to the Giants.

Oliver is back to his bullocking best and has scored 106+ SC points in every game this season bar one. A genuine contender to be one of the top midfielders come the end of the year.