AFL Supercoach 2026: Round 14 Wrap – 7 Things We Learnt

Another poor week for me with a score of 2052 which saw me drop to 2392 in the overall ranks. 

Yet again, I’ve got to deal with another premium injury after Essendon defender Archie Roberts went down with a dislocated shoulder. I’ll be eyeing off someone like Lachie Ash as his replacement. 

The likes of Milan Murdock and Patrick Retschko are also ready to go, so I’m ready to make some big moves this week. 

Congratulations if you managed to hit a big captaincy score this week. You’d be pretty happy if you ended up with Jordan Dawson (184), Max Gawn (168), Tristan Xerri (152), Harry Sheezel (142) or Kysaiah Pickett (141). 

Here’s what we learned in round 14. 

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1. Jordan Dawson is the most in-form player in the competition 

I wrote last week about how Jordan Dawson was a genuine top 8 contender for the midfield and I’m happy to take that further and say he’s now a top 8 lock.

An enormous first quarter (the third-highest rated quarter of all-time) laid the platform for a monster SC score of 184.

He stands up in big moments, is a maximum impact sort of player and has already had the bye.

Genuine star who has the best three-round and five-round average of any player in the competition.

2. Sun continues hot streak 

If you’re after an Archie Roberts replacement and want someone with low ownership, Suns defender John Noble could be your man.

In less than five per cent of teams, Noble has been the third best defender this year by average, going at 107.8 points per game.

In his last six matches, a score of 84 is his only game under 113. Priced at $589k he isn’t cheap, but he’s red hot right now. 

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3. Watch on Merrett role

Former Essendon captain Zach Merrett played in defence against the Blues last week and started there again against Melbourne, before interim coach Dean Solomon swung him back into the midfield for the second half.

Solomon has said he wants to play Merrett down back and with Roberts’ injury there’s a void to be filled.

Darcy Parish, Jye Caldwell and Andrew McGrath are all due back post-bye too, so there’s cavalry coming for the engine room.

I prefer him in the engine room from an SC perspective, but perhaps the Bombers are starting to plan for life after Merrett…

4. Tristan Xerri delivers… but is it a trap? 

The curious case of Tristan Xerri doesn’t get any clearer after a huge score of 152 against the Eagles.

Xerri attended a season-low 25 per cent of CBAs on Saturday evening, less than both debutant Taylor Goad and forward Cooper Trembath.

But Xerri was immense in the final term when the game was there to be won, taking some huge grabs.

Those CBA numbers are a pretty big concern, though.

With a breakeven of 141 this week, I think I want to wait and reassess in round 16 before committing to an asset worth $554k, even if he’s averaging 122.6 SC points per game.

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5. New face grabs CBA role for Port Adelaide

A forward priced at $394k averaging 79.5 points per game doesn’t jump off the page, but a guy who has scored 99 and 126 points in the past fortnight with an expanded midfield role does.

I’m talking about Joe Richards, who’s attended 48 and 67 per cent of centre bounces in the past two weeks.

It’s a risky play, especially if you’ve already got teammate Jason Horne-Francis, but those numbers have caught my attention. 

6. Another mid-season draftee shines

We love what Hugo Hall-Kahan, Joel Fitzgerald, Marcus Herbert and Mitch Podhajski have provided, but it’s time we talk about Richmond’s Kye Annand, too.

The $99k defender had some good moments against the Lions for a total of 66 SC points.

If you’re looking for a downgrade option in the backline and already have HHK, Annand could be the guy. 

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7. Defensive duo star in Sunday slot

I’ve been looking at Lachie Ash for the best part of a month and he’ll almost certainly be coming into my team ahead of round 15.

Ash was everywhere in the final term against St Kilda, regularly trying to create things off half-back for the Giants.

He takes the game on, is a good user of the footy and has been a proven Supercoach scorer. At $524k, that’s good buying if you ask me.

Then there’s St Kilda star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera who was dominant all day, racking up 135 SC points.

He’s flown a little bit under the radar in recent times given a slow start to the season and a layoff due to injury, but he could be a great option on the run home.