AFL Supercoach 2026: Round 23 Wrap – 9 Things We Learned

For just the second time this season, I’m into the top 500.

That’s the good news – the bad news is I burnt my last trade going from Sam Durham to Charlie Curnow last round.

Can I hold on? There’s just one week to go and I’m sure there’s plenty of carnage to come.

Here’s what we learned in round 23.

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1. Rankine is in a league of his own

Izak Rankine is unstoppable right now.

The electric Crow had another outstanding performance with 157 SC points, this time against flag favourites Fremantle.

With a five-round average of 151.8, you almost have to factor him into your captaincy plans this week.

2. Star Saint will be a popular selection in 2027

Max Hall will be a very popular starting selection next year if he retains forward status.

The gun Saint has taken his game to another level this year and really stepped up in the absence of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera over the past fortnight.

He’s one of those guys who impacts the game with every disposal and he loves to hit the scoreboard.

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3. Huge Sheezel blow for Roos

Hope you’re in a better position than I am and have a trade or two up your sleeve.

It seems seriously unlikely that Harry Sheezel will play the Roos’ final match against Sydney this week after a cheekbone injury against the Cats.

Owned by 79% of the competition, if you have a trade, switching to someone like Max Hall or Chad Warner looks a good move. 

4. Something has clicked for star Sun

Matt Rowell certainly hasn’t had the best year of his career in 2026, but he’s finding some form in the final months of the year which will hopefully launch him and the Suns into a big 2027 season.

Rowell averages 128.8 SC points over his last five games, the third-highest average during that period in the competition.

He tackles well, loves to put his head over the footy and is an absolute contested beast.

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5. Add another name to the ‘never again’ list

I’ve managed to avoid him this year, but I’m not sure Dan Houston will be a very highly owned Supercoach player again any time soon.

The Collingwood defender, who is still in 13 per cent of teams, scored a miserable 58 SC points against the Hawks on Saturday night, further hurting coaches who have been stuck with him this year.

I think we’ll need to see some genuine evidence to go here again in the future, because the way Collingwood are playing isn’t helping him as an individual from a Supercoach perspective right now. 

6. Gawn will be a no brainer captaincy pick next week

Fresh off a 139 against the Power, Max Gawn could go seriously large next week against an undermanned Western Bulldogs side without Tim English.

Gawn is destined for a record-breaking ninth All-Australian blazer later this year and he could take you to Supercoach league glory this week too.

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7. Young Eagles are starting to tire

It’s to be expected, but Andrew McQualter’s young Eagles are definitely spent right now.

With just one round left in the season, they’ve definitely shown signs of improvement, but there are definitely some tired legs out there.

The likes of Willem Duursma, Josh Lindsay, Milan Murdock and more recently Marcus Herbert have all been great Supercoach picks this year though.

8. Star Dog steps up without the Bont

Ed Richards is a genuine superstar.

With captain Marcus Bontempelli sidelined through injury, Richards stepped up in a big way for the Bulldogs in the engine room against the Blues.

Over the past seven weeks, Richards has averaged 121.3 SC points per game.

To think you could’ve picked him up for less than $500k recently, too.

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9. Swans are cashing in

We know Essendon’s been an easy Supercoach kill this year and the Swans delivered on the weekend.

Isaac Heeney (169 SC points) returned to form, while Errol Gulden (151) and Chad Warner (131) continued their strong form.

Unfortunately for me, Charlie Curnow couldn’t go on with things after a big first term, finishing with just SC 61 points.

Fingers crossed he can kick a bag next week against North Melbourne.