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


<p>The carnage just doesn’t stop.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>Then there were the late outs, Lachie Whitfield was withdrawn pre-game on Sunday, while Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn was managed on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>



<p>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.&nbsp;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>Let’s get into the things we learned in round 11.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1. Pain for Rankine buyers</strong></h2>



<p>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. </p>



<p>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. </p>



<p>It’s such a shame given he made such a hot start to that clash. </p>



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



<p>Hopefully we get a more concrete timeline this week. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2. Zach Merrett is a player to target through the byes</strong></h2>



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



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



<p>He’s a proven top-liner and a great pick. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3. Young Saint looks a solid downgrade</strong></h2>



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



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



<p>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.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>4. LDU is legit</strong></h2>



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



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



<p>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. </p>



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



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>5. Holmes’ DPP makes him close to a must-have</strong></h2>



<p>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. </p>



<p>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. </p>



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



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>6. Darcy Cameron could be the real deal</strong></h2>



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



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



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



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



<p>Priced at just 412k, he could be an absolute bargain.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>7. Keep an eye on the Blues</strong></h2>



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



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



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



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



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>8. Clayton Oliver is the real deal</strong></h2>



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



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



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



<p>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. </p>



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



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>9. Ryley Sanders is a genuine option</strong></h2>



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



<p>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. </p>



<p>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.</p>


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

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