AFL Supercoach 2026: Dylan Bolch's Full Team Reveal


<p>AFL SuperCoach 2026 is finally upon us.</p>



<p>After weeks of pre-season planning, match simulations and practice games, Opening Round has been and gone and now the real stuff starts.</p>



<p>Here’s how I’m placed on Thursday, before teams are announced.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>DEFENCE</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Jack Sinclair&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>I’d had Sinclair’s teammate <strong>Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera</strong> as my D1 throughout the entire pre-season, but after watching the Saints’ clash with Collingwood I’ve pivoted. Wanganeen-Milera was well-held by Harry Perryman and the Pies and scored just 63, meaning he’s likely to drop in price. In contrast, Sinclair took eight kick-ins and was their main distributor off half-back, racking up a whopping 143 SuperCoach points. For what it’s worth I think both Sinclair and Wanganeen-Milera will end up in the top echelon of defenders in 2026, so I’m starting Sinclair purely as a money play.</p>



<p><strong>Connor Rozee</strong></p>



<p>The Port Adelaide skipper hasn’t left my side all pre-season and has an extremely juicy run of fixtures early in the year. In the first five weeks of the season, Port Adelaide plays North Melbourne, Essendon, West Coast, Richmond and St Kilda. Whether it’s across half-back or in the midfield, Rozee is a great pick. </p>



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<p><strong>Caleb Windsor</strong></p>



<p>This is probably the position I’m least confident about as things stand. At different stages I’ve had Giant Lachie Whitfield and Docker Jordan Clark in my draft and I quite like the three premium defenders structure. But if I can capitalize on one of the value picks, it frees up stacks of cash elsewhere. Having seen Windsor’s practice match outing against the Tigers, I’m hoping he can have a breakout season in Melbourne’s new-look midfield. He’s got an extra yard of pace than most others and should be suited by the new centre bounce ruck rules. If I pivot away from Windsor, Essendon ruck <strong>Lachie Blakiston</strong> presents as a nice value option.</p>



<p><strong>Rookies</strong></p>



<p>The defence rookies pick themselves I think. Richmond’s <strong>Sam Grlj</strong> has impressed over summer off half-back and was great in the match simulation against Essendon, while Sydney’s <strong>Jai Serong</strong> has made the switch from the Hawks during the off-season and looks ready to begin 2026 on a wing. Western Bulldogs duo <strong>Lachie Jaques</strong> and <strong>Michael Sellwood</strong> are also made of the right stuff and should feature in plenty of AFL matches this year. Jaques is a neat ball user off half-back, while Sellwood has a bit of mongrel about him which I’m sure Luke Beveridge loves. West Coast Eagles youngster <strong>Josh Lindsay</strong> is also in my side at the moment and I expect him to get plenty of opportunities under Andrew McQualter, given his elite ball use. </p>



<p>Elsewhere, Richmond defender Josh Gibcus has good job security but might be a slow burn, while top end draftees Zeke Uwland and Harry Dean should also see plenty of footy, but I’m not sure they’re worth the elevated price tag. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MIDFIELD</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Marcus Bontempelli</strong></p>



<p>I’ve had the Bulldogs captain in my side all pre-season and I can’t bring myself to take him out this late in the piece. Sure, he’s the most expensive player in the game and will likely be available for cheaper at some point during the season, but the guy is a freak and a weekly captaincy option. He’s averaged 114+ SC points per game for seven consecutive seasons and dropped below 125 just once in his last nine games last year.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Zak Butters</strong></p>



<p>I think Butters<strong> </strong>is one of the best premium picks in SuperCoach this year. The Power star lit the AAMI Community Series alight with a massive 176 against the Eagles, highlighting how good his ceiling can be. He’s entering a contract year and will be keen to add a few dollars to his next deal, wherever that may be.</p>



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<p><strong>Nick Daicos</strong></p>



<p>Daicos is my tip for the Brownlow Medal this year and he’s just so integral to how Collingwood plays. Found the footy at will in Opening Round against Collingwood and is another weekly captaincy option. Early bye is annoying, but I’m hoping some of the rookies can cover that and he can score big enough in other weeks to make the selection worthwhile.</p>



<p><strong>Errol Gulden&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Rounding out my midfield premiums is Gulden, who’s slightly cheaper than the top liners but I’m hoping he can break into that top echelon in 2026. Gulden looks fit and ready to take his game to the next level this year and is someone who should benefit from the new ruck rules given his speed around the contest. Scored a modest 113 in Opening Round but went ballistic in the second half and I’m hoping there’s more of that to come.</p>



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<p><strong>Hayden Young</strong></p>



<p>I’m pretty keen on Young as a mid-priced pick given how good he can be when he’s fit and firing. Young’s had a pretty strong summer and was elite in the practice match against Adelaide, racking up 116 SuperCoach points while dominating the clearances. Despite some murmurings out of Western Australia in the past week about his fitness, it looks as though he’ll take his place against Geelong in round one. I am a little bit concerned about some modified minutes and time forward, though.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Darcy Parish</strong></p>



<p>Another player I’m backing to return to full fitness in 2026 is Essendon ball magnet Parish. He clearly comes with a significant injury risk, but if he can get back to the form we saw in 2021-2023 where he averaged 108+ for three years straight, he’s an elite buy. I’ve also flirted with Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn in my midfield who has a great role off half-back. Bruhn scored 91 in Opening Round against the Suns and found plenty of it, he just doesn’t have the same recent scoring history as Parish and Young.</p>



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<p><strong>Rookies</strong></p>



<p>I’m currently running with number one draft pick <strong>Willem Duursma</strong> at M7, who should play plenty of footy this year. Duursma can play across all three lines but looks likely to start his career on the wing. The elevated price tag is annoying and the scoring could be a bit of a rollercoaster in that role, but I’m paying for the job security. Carlton’s <strong>Jagga Smith</strong> should be in everyone’s team and is a reliable on-field option given his role as a centre bounce midfielder. Smith was elite across the pre-season and is ready to go. </p>



<p>Essendon’s <strong>Dyson Sharp</strong> will likely begin his AFL career off half-back with stints on-ball but is a decent pick, while St Kilda’s <strong>Jack Carroll</strong> has a nice role off half-back. North Melbourne’s <strong>Tom Blamires</strong> also seems a likely type having joined the club via the SSP. He’s a neat ball user and runs hard all day, plus, he’s as cheap as you can get. Other rookies I’m considering are Adelaide’s Brayden Cook, while the likes of Daniel Annable at the Lions and cheapies Jack Watkins<strong> </strong>at Port Adelaide and Harry Schoenberg (suspended Rd 1) and Milan Murdock at West Coast could be correctional trades.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>RUCKS</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Max Gawn</strong></p>



<p>I’m going big here. While others are selecting the likes of Luke Jackson, Brodie Grundy and Tim English, I’m going to pay the big bucks for the big dogs. Yes, the new ruck rules make me nervous, but I’m backing arguably the greatest ruck of all-time to find a way to work through them and dominate. Another guy I can look at each week as a captaincy option.</p>



<p><strong>Tristan Xerri</strong></p>



<p>Like I am with Gawn, I’m backing big ‘X’ to find a way through these new rules. He’s good around the ground, loves to lay a tackle and will need to have a big say in 2026 if the Roos are going to rise up the ladder. No early bye is great and the fixture is promising too, with North Melbourne playing Port Adelaide, West Coast, Essendon, Carlton and Brisbane in the first five weeks of the year. There’s a chance I pivot one of these top rucks to English before lockout, but I’m also keen to pick them against the grain of the template. If they struggle in the first fortnight of the year, I can jump ship before they tank too much cash. </p>



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<p><strong>Rookies&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p><strong>Kalani White</strong></p>



<p>As per SCPlaybook’s Harry West, White is the best R3 loophole option this year. If Zane Zakostelsky holds his spot over Darcy Fort with Sam Draper back then I’d consider him, while Geelong’s Mitch Edwards is another name on my radar. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>FORWARDS</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Harry Sheezel</strong></p>



<p>The North Melbourne jet is an absolute lock and was one of my first players picked. He finds plenty of the footy, hits the scoreboard and looks set for a big season. Another guy you could look at as a captaincy pick.</p>



<p><strong>Christian Petracca</strong></p>



<p>I’ve had him for several weeks now, but you’ve just got to lock him in after what he produced in Opening Round with a 170 against the Suns. Won’t do that every week, but his ceiling is quite clearly enormous and the role as a midfield/forward should see him get plenty of big scores across the year. There’s a big chance Sheezel and Petracca are F1 and F2 this year.</p>



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<p><strong>Sam Flanders</strong></p>



<p>Don’t be put off by his score of 77 points in Opening Round against the Saints, that game had a very low stoppage count given Collingwood’s massive uncontested mark numbers. Flanders ticks every box you look for when hunting value. Great role as a CBA midfielder, fresh environment, proven scorer and value price. Don’t overthink it.</p>



<p><strong>Connor Budarick</strong></p>



<p>Budarick has a great role in defence for the Bulldogs and has found his way into my side after a strong Opening Round showing. The former Sun posted 105 SuperCoach points from 27 disposals and eight kick-ins, generating plenty of rebound for the Doggies. </p>



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<p><strong>Rookies</strong></p>



<p>I think most SuperCoach players have got a similar mix of rookies in the forward half. St Kilda’s <strong>Mattaes Phillipou</strong> looks fit and primed for a breakout campaign this year and has been getting plenty of midfield minutes over summer. West Coast’s <strong>Deven Robertson</strong> is another in line for some decent on-ball minutes after making the switch from Brisbane during the off-season. Port Adelaide’s <strong>Todd Marshall</strong> will take up a new role in defence under Josh Carr in 2026 which is promising for SuperCoach, while <strong>Leo Lombard </strong>is ready to become a regular at the Suns this year having impressed over pre-season. Other cheapies I’ve looked at on this line are Lachy Dovaston at North Melbourne, Sydney’s Malcolm Rosas, Dee Latrelle Pickett and Eagle Finlay Macrae.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>FLEX</strong></h2>



<p>He’s currently in just over 60 per cent of teams, <strong>Lachlan McAndrew </strong>is my flex player at the moment. It looks as though he’ll be given the number one ruck role at Adelaide to begin the season which bodes well for his scoring potential. I don’t have the confidence to pick him at R2 given veteran Reilly O’Brien is still around, but I’d like to benefit from his scoring potential so stashing him at R3 doesn’t make sense either, hence why he’s in my flex spot.</p>


AFL Supercoach 2026: Dylan Bolch’s Full Team Reveal

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