AFL Supercoach 2026: Round 11 Wrap – 9 Things We Learnt

The carnage just doesn’t stop.

In round 11, Dockers star Caleb Serong was ruled out with a calf injury on Thursday night, while veteran Lion Dayne Zorko was never named despite pushing his case for selection during the week.

Then there were the late outs, Lachie Whitfield was withdrawn pre-game on Sunday, while Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn was managed on Saturday. 

The cheapies weren’t immune to it either. Angus Anderson was axed, while a host of others, including Liam Henry, Lachie Jaques and Todd Marshall, put up measly scores. 

I posted a score of 2290 this week which saw a very minor rise in rank to 5.2k. I’ve got plenty of work to do.

Let’s get into the things we learned in round 11.

Become a member of the SC Playbook community by subscribing for less than $2 per week! Gain access to additional premium articles on site every week, our Discord community, prize money and plenty more. Check it out here.

1. Pain for Rankine buyers

Adelaide star Izak Rankine looked like a great buy throughout the bye rounds with his increased midfield role, but it’s time to put those plans on ice for the time being.

Rankine suffered a calf injury against the Hawks on Thursday night and is set for a stint on the sidelines, likely missing at least the next fortnight.

It’s such a shame given he made such a hot start to that clash.

What to do as an owner? It probably depends on what sort of cover you have.

Hopefully we get a more concrete timeline this week. 

2. Zach Merrett is a player to target through the byes

Looking for a top-end midfielder that ticks all the boxes right now? Zach Merrett might be your guy.

The star Bomber is averaging 114.7 SC points per game this year, has a friendly round 15 bye and is available for 554k.

He’s a proven top-liner and a great pick. 

Embed from Getty Images

3. Young Saint looks a solid downgrade

We’re in desperate need of some good downgrade options and young Charlie Banfield might be the best of the lot this week.

The son of a gun is tough, works hard and was pretty impressive against the Dockers on Friday night.

Don’t expect 80 scores from him each week, but the DPP flexibility is a huge plus so fingers crossed he gets a decent run at things.

4. LDU is legit

Our guy the SC Bandit has been all over LDU all year and for good reason, because he’s in some ripping form.

The Roos have the bye this week but LDU looks like a great trade-in option from next week onwards.

He has just one score under 90 all year and has a great run coming up with fixtures against Fremantle, West Coast, Richmond, Essendon, Port Adelaide and Collingwood coming up.

He’ll be crucial in North Melbourne’s push in the second half of the year.

Embed from Getty Images

5. Holmes’ DPP makes him close to a must-have

He’s already owned by 22 per cent of teams, but Max Holmes is getting close to must-have territory after earning defensive status this week.

His season average of 117.5 SC points per game is the most amongst defenders and the DPP swing will be handy through the byes as well.

Whether it’s through the midfield or across half-back, Holmes is crucial to how the Cats play and is a great buy. 

6. Darcy Cameron could be the real deal

Given backup ruck Oscar Steene is out for the year due to a knee injury, Cameron all of a sudden becomes very relevant again.

Plenty of coaches jumped on last week and were rewarded beautifully, after Cameron posted a big score of 133 against the Eagles.

Can he replicate that again or was it just a soft fixture? Only time will tell, but the signs are positive.

Cameron attended 85 ruck contests on the weekend, his previous best this year was 59.

Priced at just 412k, he could be an absolute bargain.

Embed from Getty Images

7. Keep an eye on the Blues

I mentioned last week that the change in coach could bring about some Supercoach relevance at the Blues and I’ll say it again.

Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh both fired against the Power, while young Jack Ison had another sound performance.

Jagga Smith posted a second ton in three games, while the likes of Wade Derksen and Billy Wilson also had strong performances.

It’s worth keeping tabs on those at Ikon Park in the second half of the year as opportunities present themselves.

8. Clayton Oliver is the real deal

It seems as though a fresh start was exactly what Clayton Oliver needed in 2026.

He looks rejuvenated and was huge in the Giants’ monster win over the Lions on Sunday.

The most appealing thing to be in regards to Oliver though is that he looks immune to a tag.

Opposition coaches would rather put time into Finn Callaghan, Lachie Whitfield or Lachie Ash it seems, which means Oliver can more or less do as he pleases.

A very friendly bye, you could do far worse than take a look at Oliver as an SC prospect.

Embed from Getty Images

9. Ryley Sanders is a genuine option

Despite dropping a pair of 60s to start his 2026 campaign, Sanders has been on fire ever since.

Five tons and a low of 85 have ensued since then as he’s found some excellent form in the on-ball brigade at the Bulldogs.

Available as a forward, Sanders is well and truly a top-liner right now, but beware the round 16 bye which appears to be one of the toughest to navigate.