AFL Supercoach 2026: Dylan Bolch's Team Reveal - Finals Week 1


<p>Supercoach Finals are here!</p>



<p>There’s a few notable differences to the Classic format we all know and love.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We have unlimited trades between rounds, while your captain scores triple points and your vice captain double points.</p>



<p>Crucially, you can only have three players per team, so you can’t stack your Supercoach side with players from the same club.</p>



<p>Here’s how I’m looking going into the wildcard round.</p>



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



<p>I’ve locked in Carlton’s <strong>Oliver Florent</strong>, who finished the home and away season in fine style with a five-round average of 114.8 SC points per game, the most amongst defenders. He’s taking some kick-ins and getting plenty of handball receives as one of Carlton’s main distributors out of defence.&nbsp;</p>



<p>At D2 I currently have dashing Dog <strong>Bailey Dale</strong>. Dale averaged 102.3 SC points across the season and will need to be at his best if the Bulldogs are to get past Collingwood in their wildcard clash. He’s got a massive ceiling which is a huge drawcard and he’s had a game to blow out the cobwebs last week after suffering a shoulder injury late in the year. E</p>



<p>Other options to consider are Melbourne’s Jake Bowey and Collingwood’s Josh Daicos. Bowey has been super consistent this year on his way to an average of 102.3 SC points, but it feels as though he’ll likely score in the 90-105 range. That certainly isn’t a bad thing, but right now I’m chasing Dale’s upside. Josh Daicos has been up and down this year, but the major negative to that selection is it takes up a Collingwood slot, and remember you can only pick three Pies.</p>



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



<p>While selecting a point of difference player can really help your rank, I’m not sure the midfield is the place to do it this week.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Nick Daicos</strong> has been one of the best Supercoach assets all year averaging 119.5 SC points and I’m not sure who can go with him in the Dogs’ midfield brigade. He’s a serious captaincy option and a player everyone has to pick.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Western Bulldogs duo <strong>Marcus Bontempelli</strong> and <strong>Ed Richards</strong> are also locked in. Bontempelli returned from a week off last week with a score of 124 and looks primed for a big finals series, while Richards has been in a rich vein of form averaging 130.2 SC points in the last five weeks. Both have massive ceilings, too.</p>



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<p>If you do want to get funky, then I don’t mind looking at one of the Carlton midfielders such as George Hewett, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh or Jagga Smith. Hewett is the sort of player that will thrive in a contested finals game where his ball-winning ability and tackling pressure can come to the fore, while we know Cripps is one of the best leaders in the competition and will do everything in his power to try and lift the Blues into an elimination final.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett is another option here, but his inconsistency scares me and surely the Blues put some time into him given his importance to Melbourne’s winning chances. </p>



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



<p>Pick <strong>Max Gawn </strong>and be done with it. The guy is one of the best Supercoach players we’ve ever seen and is set for a big night against the Blues. The one potential negative is that he may have to spend some more time forward given Melbourne’s injury concerns, but even still, he’s a clear pick for the ruck line. If you’re keen on another ruck, pick them in flex. </p>



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



<p>It’s very slim pickings here. I’ve locked in Collingwood’s <strong>Jordan De Goey</strong> who is a proven finals performer and averaged 86.2 SC points in 2026. That’s over seven points more than the next forward eligible player in <strong>Kade Chandler</strong>, who I’ve currently got sitting at F2.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I’m not completely sold on the Chandler pick, but if I go with my current structure, I have to pick a Dee or a Blue as I’ve already maxed out my Bulldogs and Pies players. I really like Chandler as a player across the half-forward line and the Dees love the ball in his hands.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Having said that, there are a plethora of options that you could look at here. From the Blues, key forward Harry McKay can rip a game apart, while the in-form Francis Evans has also been in great touch recently.</p>



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<p>From the Pies, the likes of Patrick Lipinski, Dan McStay and Lachie Schultz could be serviceable, while Harrison Petty may also entice as a player who’s in strong form for Melbourne.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Joel Freijah is another name coaches will flock to this week, given his increased centre bounce attendance in the past three games. Freijah was tipped to breakout in a major way this season, but that didn’t really eventuate, although he has seen an expanded role in the past month. Who knows whether that will continue into finals, but the role has been there in recent weeks.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Annoyingly for me, I’d have to move Dale to Bowey in order to pick Freijah and I’m not sure if that’s worth it.</p>



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



<p>Collingwood ruck <strong>Darcy Cameron</strong> is my pick here, having averaged 120.4 SC points in his past five games. Cameron is carrying the ruck load for the Pies and should take advantage of the Bulldogs’ depleted tall stocks. I also really like the fact he’s in approximately 10 per cent of teams at the time of writing this. </p>



<p>If I look elsewhere, then I’d probably take a look at either Hewett or Cripps. They’re two players who are really suited to finals footy and have been in strong form since Josh Fraser took over the coaching role earlier this year. Hewett is in just eight per cent of teams, while Cripps is in 15 per cent.</p>



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



<p>The best players stand up in finals, so I won’t be getting too creative here. Nine-time All-Australian Max Gawn will be my captain and I’ve given the VC to Brownlow Medal fancy Nick Daicos. Others might be keen to try something different but I won’t be this week.</p>


AFL Supercoach 2026: Dylan Bolch’s Team Reveal – Finals Week 1

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