Doc's Starting Supercoach Team For 2026

It’s a new day, and with that – a new Supercoach season.

Last year, I made some pretty big steps in terms of playing for rank and getting wins on the board across the many leagues I participated in.

However, the Achilles’ heel has been the fact I trade like a mad man in the first half of the season – I’m left with no trades at the tail end of the season – which cost me dearly in the end.

By round 17, I was ranked inside the top 2000 Supercoachers in the world – the lack of trades at the end of the season meant I went down to finish 8009 out of around 180000 football nerds – still not bad and an improvement on my 2024 rank.

Still, always room for improvement – and whilst I’ve heard some say starting the wrong players isn’t the be all, end all – I don’t subscribe to that.

Pick the right starters to hold for the whole year (injuries permitting of course) and you’ve already done with 30 per cent of your finished product.

It hasn’t been as tough an arduous summer for research as previous years – becoming a father will do that to you.

But I’ve still done a bit of research to come up with my starting Supercoach team for round 1. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as ready as this.

DEFENDERS

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera ($622.3k)

Connor Rozee ($568.5k)

Colby McKercher ($449.6k)

Keidean Coleman ($233.8k)

Xavier Taylor ($158.5k)

Josh Lindsay ($122.5k)

Jai Serong ($119.9k)

Lachie Jaques ($119.9k)

It’s a bit of a cookie-cutter backline – Everyone who has half a brain about football will want Nasiah in their backline and there’s good reason to: He’s moving into the midfield full time, he’s incredibly skilled by foot and has proven in few games last year he’s a born match-winner.

Connor Rozee will have a favourable draw and has showed through the pre-season of his wares to rotate through the backline and the midfield and that’ll do him some wonders I reckon.

I traded in Colby McKercher midway through last year at a discount price after a bit of a stop-start supercoach role in the midfield – once he was moved back into defence, he genuinely flourished. He had a three-game and a four-game stretch where he went 100+ last year and if he stays half back this year – he’s a chance to be a top-eight scorer.

Keidean Coleman is the one to watch – everyone remembers his 2023 Grand Final – but that’s over two years ago now, and since then he’s played two games in a wretched run of injury. So far he’s been healthy and has been roaming across half back – and if that remains the same he’s going to be a good find and a good stepping stone to a premium – but Zeke Uwland will be  on speed dial here for D4.

Then come the rookies – you’re spoilt for choice here.

Jai Serong speaks for himself – traded in over the off-season after a solid apprenticeship at Box Hill – should get first crack as an intercept defender and should make cash right away. Josh Lindsay has had big wraps with his kicking skills and at a West Coast side in the heart of a rebuild, he should play right away at half back.

I’ve also opted for Xavier Taylor who is only 11 per cent owned, but the word out of the Demons camp is he is doing everything right to warrant games early – It’s unknown where Melbourne’s fortunes lie this year, but there will be games where they get put under the pump and Taylor will be right there.

And Lachie Jaques out of the Dogs is a dark horse – The Dogs have been encouraged with his pre-season off half-back and could be in the frame for some early games – he’ll feature predominantly off half back so money generation is important but it’s also a selection that could be interchangeable by round 1.

MIDFIELDERS

Zak Butters ($654.8k)

Josh Dunkley ($621.1k)

Ed Richards ($602.3k)

Errol Gulden ($566.6k)

Hayden Young ($389k)

Darcy Parish ($334.k)

Dyson Sharp ($149.5k)

Jagga Smith ($119.9k)

Jacob Farrow ($163k)

Harry Kyle ($145k)

Patrick Retschko ($119.9k)

Settling on midfielders has been the biggest ball-ache over the summer.

It started with the Bont debate – can you afford not to start him at over $700k? I went back and forth many times, before ultimately deciding against starting him – but mark my words I will plan to get him in during the season.

For 100k less – you can get Ed Richards instead – who has shown over many games he can score relatively quickly and in a hurry, and I bloody love watching him play when he’s got the footy in his hands.

Zak Butters was first picked in the midfield – similar reasons to Rozee above, Port have a favourable draw early doors and well, he finished last year scoring 191 – so why wouldn’t you start him?

Point of Difference was another thing to consider when picking my midfield premos. Richards is only 2 per cent owned – as is Josh Dunkley – who I’ve opted to put in ahead of guys like Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Nick Daicos.

Dunkley’s ceiling is scarily good, and his floor is around the 75-80 range. I reckon that’s not bad from a premium mid.

The only other mid I was certain of starting was Errol – He’s fit, he’s running around like an energizer bunny and he’ll get plenty of the footy. Getting him at his starting price (as a result of a compromised 2025 season) is a bargain.

Moving to mid-price madness – and I couldn’t leave out either Hayden Young and Darcy Parish despite both being incredibly injury prone. However, word has gone out that both have been healthy, haven’t been injured, and they’re flourishing on the track. I don’t need to finish the year with them, but if they score well and bulk up in price, then I’ve already got a head start on the rest of the competition.

Wary they may break down at any moment, one will be downgraded to someone like a Willem Duursma or a Dan Annable – if both break down it becomes a rookie and a discount premo – maybe Zach Merrett or Caleb Serong come into the fore?

Rookies are very straightforward. Jagga Smith was pick 3 in the 2024 AFL Draft and missed the entire last year due to injury – he’s a no-brainer.

Essendon draftees Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp are no-brainers either – both will play early and given every opportunity to make an impact in an Essendon side that now look like they’re going to build from the ground up.

Harry Kyle has impressed many at Sydney and is a chance to debut early, and Patrick Retschko is a lock to play on a wing for Richmond in the opening stages of the year – he’s been that impressive.

RUCKS

Tristan Xerri ($687.3k)

Luke Jackson ($611.2k)

Kalani White ($99.1k)

Set and Forget rucks – if only that wasn’t so foreign to me.

I plan on it this year, although the new ruck rules will make that very tough to decipher early, so it’s just a matter of sticking with what you know.

What I know is that Tristan Xerri is a walking 120+ scoring beast most weeks and even without bullocking into someone at a ruck contest, should still rack up contested ball, tackles and influence the ground.

Luke Jackson could be a bargain, even at his starting price – because he’s so multi-dimensional and there’s always the prospect of being without Sean Darcy for half the year with some kind of debilitating ailment.

Even if Darcy has a clean year, the word at the Dockers is he has also been doing a lot of work as a midfielder this summer, and if that comes to bear this year, it becomes a no-brainer of a decision to start him.

Kalani White – who’s the son of Melbourne ruck Jeff White – gets the R3 position, mainly because he’s the cheapest and safest loophole option. Also, having grown up watching Jeff White play in the Demons colours as a kid is a nice ‘I feel old’ moment as well

FORWARDS

Harry Sheezel ($580.4k)

Kysaiah Pickett ($494.9k)

Sam Flanders ($396.6k)

Latrelle Pickett (154k)

Todd Marshall ($147.9k)

Deven Robertson ($119.9k)

Liam Reidy ($119.9k)

Leo Lombard ($119.9k)

Since coming back into the Supercoach game, picking and settling on a forward line has proven to be a challenge, but this is probably the most settled on a forward line I’ve been on since 2023, when we had mid-forwards galore.

Harry Sheezel picks himself, given he’ll be front and centre in the midfield this year for North Melbourne this year. I’m a little wary, given I started him as a defender last year and delivered underwhelming performances in the first half of the year – only when I traded him out mid-season did he start playing up to his Supercoach potential.

Sam Flanders also picks himself – traded from the Suns to the Saints this past off-season, it’s been made crystal clear, he will be in the middle for St Kilda and for nearly 200k less than Sheezel – will be a walking 100-point player.

Kysaiah Pickett is a dark horse – has been training with the midfield group at Melbourne this summer and with it being the first pre-season without Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver since the summer of 2013-14, midfield spots are up for grabs at the Demons.

Then it’s rookie city – Kozzie’s cousin, Latrelle, has been very impressive since arriving onto the scene late last year and will be given every opportunity to play early.

Deven Robertson should (finally) get games into him at West Coast after being cut by Brisbane, whilst I’m certain Liam Reidy and Leo Lombard will be given games early on in the piece by their respective clubs.

Todd Marshall is the one everyone is talking about – making the switch to defence as an intercept-rebounding type and the way he’s tracking at the moment, he’ll be a very decent cash cow.

I’ve also thought about Mattaes Phillipou and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan as options to throw in as F4. However, I have been burnt by Phillipou before as a Supercoacher, and Jamarra’s price is just a tad awkward.

FLEX

Sam Grlj ($172k)

Last year, my plan with the Flex slot was to get a third ruckman to help boost my scoring numbers, and it lasted all but one week.

The idea of Flex is in the name – flexibility in moving players around. Supercoach will take the top 22 scorers again this year, but I plan on playing dual-position players in this slot this year. It starts with rookies and it was either Sam Grlj or Jacob Farrow – both are listed as defender-midfielders.

I’ve liked a lot of what Grlj has brought to the Tigers so far this Summer – and I liked what I saw from his highlights package last year – seems so poised for a teenager and you know he makes the best decisions more often than not.

Endgame with Flex is to have a premium who has dual position status – looking at you Connor Rozee and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.