The Panic Room – Round 1
The Panic Room is back for 2020!

If this is your first time in the Panic Room, come on in everybody. No time to wipe your feet. Please keep 1.5m apart at all times and practice proper coughing and sneezing etiquette. This is a place full of my questionable SuperCoach wisdom and actual SuperCoach wisdom from people who know what they’re doing. It’s your one stop shop for articles posted throughout the week, team news, breakevens, references to a show 20 years past its prime, and maybe a bit of DFS when time permits.
We’ve added a few new writers in the offseason and it’s resulted in a huge amount of content. To keep it all in one place we’ve got a master post of SuperCoach tools, information, and team reveals (pre-apocalypse) for you to wrap your eyeballs around
We’re facing an unprecedented season where none of us know which direction is up. How many trades we’ll have, what the best strategy is, or even if we’ll manage to get through the season without interruption. My advice? Just do the best you can. Chuck the rule book out the window and back your gut. You do you, fam #yolo

** UPDATE **
It’s all about the rookies, so let’s see who we’ve got.
DEFENCE
Jarrod Brander (DEF/FWD) 133k – With nothing in the 117k or 123k categories, Brander is the only backline cheapie we’ve got. Unless you’re going midprice madness down back he should be a lock for all teams.
Fischer Mcasey 184,400k – Key position. Had 12 touches (3 marks) for 47SC in Marsh 2
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher 189k – Another key position. 104SC against Geelong in Marsh 1 is positive, but probably not the norm.
Zach Guthrie 190.1k – 59 and 84 across the Marsh series. Not the worst option
Caleb Graham 207.8k – Literally the first I’m hearing of this guy. Another key defender so just go Zerk or Mcasey
John Noble 215.4k – Preseason favourite looks pretty safe in Collingwood’s back 6
MIDFIELD
Connor Budarick (MID / FWD) 106.9k
Justin McInerney 123.9k
Tyler Brown 123.9k
Are all cheap and bench fodder.
Tom Green 166.8k – Strong preseason and should continue to see plenty of mid time with Jackson Hately named among the emergencies.
Noah Anderson 202.8k and Matt Rowell (207.3k) – Picks 1 & 2 will debut in round 1. Rowell is the better play here.
RUCK
With no byes and no need for a playing R3, go cheap as possible so you have a captains loophole. I suggest Matt Conroy (102.4k). Also there’s no cheap rookie rucks anyway
FORWARD
Ben Cavarra 123.9k
Max King 123.9k
Sam Sturt 123.9k
Ben Davis 123.9k
Mitch Georgiades 130.8k
Ryan Gardner 136.4k
Billy Frampton 165.4k
Tyson Stengle 202k
Lachie Schultz 208.8k
Never say the SuperCoach Gods don’t have a sense of humour. The forward line is the hottest ticket in town for rookies this year, but on the flipside forward rookies are the WORST. It will be tempting to “go where the rookies are” and save some cash on the line but be prepared for one hell of a rollercoaster if you go down this route
While this goes against everything the Panic Room stands for, but there’s no need to totally panic and freak out (yet). The rolling lockout is still a thing so you only need to sort out your Richmond and Carlton players today and we’ll see the rest of the teams for weekend tonight. Selection for tonight was pretty straightforward, Pickett (MID – $123.9k) is in and should be a lock on your bench or M8. Sam Docherty will play as expected and I reckon Dusty’s stocks have risen as we chase “impact” players. Jayden Short ($349.3k) gets a spot at half back after Houli picked up a calf strain the other day and could be an option . The Blues will have new recruits Jack Martin and Jack Newnes make their debuts for the side, but have been decimated at the top with Eddie Betts joining Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay on the injury list. Cheapie defender Tom Williamson ($146.3k) misses out.
Elsewhere we’ve got a few confirmed debuts, Tom Green (MID – $166.8k) and Tyler Brown (MID – $123.9k) will start for GWS and Collingwood, respectively. I’ll be back later tonight or in the morning to update with full team news for the weekend.
BREAKING:
Smooth Kevy’s Lock of the Week

He may be coming off a broken leg but I reckon Tom Mitchell needs to come under serious consideration for your side. Shorter quarters should help with his lack of match fitness and I don’t need to go into how easily this guy can rack up the possessions. The 3,300 rule will continue as normal which could result in higher scores for other point pigs like Neale, Macrae, and Fyfe to name a few.
That’s all for the moment, community. Jump in the comments with your questions, concerns, and current lineups and don’t forget to join Lek tonight from 5.30pm AEST as teams drop
So – the big question of the day…who does 16 min terms benefit?
Do we look at Nic Nat suddenly?
Do big bodied midfielders (Fyfe, Cripps) gain in value while runners (Whitfield, Gaff) drop?
Will midfielders who can score (McClug, Bont) be even better picks?
Love to hear your thoughts, community. I expect this could define the season.
Also, the tag. Might be easier to go with a guy the whole game. So a guy like Neale who at times could be contained early on would come home with a wet sail and still bang out 120. Does he still do that?
Wow – that's a great point. You'd have to think it does mean the final quarter bullies don't quite clean up as much – the days of watching a Neale/Lloyd/Macrae save our skins in Q4 might not eventuate!
Team is in full panic mode – jettisoning players and plans quicker than the flying paper towels at Woolworths.
But…I have the following team which is a 'in case of no good rookies' which is…innovative. It hinges on Jayden Short – who avg 90 in the Marsh and 85 in his last healthy season for just $340k. If he fails, Doedee is the recovery player.
B: Laird, Sicily, Doch, Short, Zerk, Starcevich (Watson, B. Williams)
M: Neale, Fyfe (or Crippa), Kelly, Danger, Oliver, Rowell, Greene, Pickett (Robertson, Mahony, Brown)
R: Grundy, Jacobs (Cameron) – Jacobs is too much like a cow to ignore
F: Whitfield, Martin, Brayshaw, Smith, Taylor, Brander (Budarick, King)
As few rookies as possible on field. If things get really dire…
Jacobs > Naismith
Zerk > Gould
King > J.Stevens
It's radical….but I actually don't hate it.
One other thought – what's the strategy behind putting Naismith as R3, as I'm seeing a few teams moving towards?
I'd say the strategy behind it is to play 6 ultra premo's in the guts. But really its about point scoring, but if Naismith goes down early in rounds 1 or 2 yr in strife bigtime unless you carry a big wallet into the season. To much risk for me.
That would be the case if Naismith was your R2, and that's risky. This seems the opposite – paying for a very, very premium bench option essentially!
I have gone Jacobs R2 and Naismith R3. I guess he's just an expensive rookie who should make +150K, whilst providing ruck cover. With 30 trades I felt I can do without Gawn, and with the potential short turnaround in games he's just insurance. I'm not sure it's logical to have so much on the bench, but I've gone for lots of value players elsewhere.
I didn't want Ceglar in the Fwd line, as there a plenty of better value options IMO..
This year will be like no other, so I thought I might as well throw logic out the window and do some experimenting!
Oliver and Deven Robertson ( or any other playing rookie)
or
McCluggage and Rowell
I'd go option 2..reckon McCluggs can ave 100 and Rowell is pretty special, should score well.
I gave dusty his marching orders last night with no crowds present I thought he’d go missing too often he loves the big stage & the adrenaline with it but now SC have said it’s about impact players and not accumulators so now I am scrambling to get him back in before tonight. Gotta love this game
Yep it's a bit of Pandemonium at the moment Mav, may as well have just started doing our teams yesterday haha, I just re-arranged my whole deal.
Yeah I was very happy with my team 36 hours ago. Now it is almost unrecognisable ha
I think just I’ve got too keep it simple and not over think it. The season may not finish anyway!
I traded Doc out for Dusty at the last minute. Im laughing and kicking myself. Hope you brought Dustino in
Yup i went dusty!
Unfortunately I went bont & dunks though and passed on Macrae, oops. Whose the best option out of Davis, georgiadis & Sturt for my last forward spot?
All of a sudden seeing a fair few fwd rookies debuting and not many defenders. Obviously have to wait till 6:25 for confirmation but at this stage fwd line looks like giving us more options. If this trend continues should we be rethinking going lighter in defense and bolstering our forward lines? Most of the preseason ive had Laird and Houston D1 and D2 but today i downgraded Houston to robbo, pushed Doch up to D2 which allowed me get an extra fwd premo (Dev smith F4). Just wanted to hear your thoughts community!
Yes, seems the case- Pickett & Bedford, Georgiades, Sturt, King, Buderick and counting..
We just need MID Rookies!!!
I don't have any forward rookies on field, might have to rethink, although the expensive def rookies look like better scorers with better job security.
Footy will provide a nice distraction tonight. I hope the shelves at Dan Murphy's aren't empty!
Option 1 : Oliver + D.Martin
Option 2 : Macrae + petracca/macpherson at F2
Option 1 means I miss Macrae in my side but now accumulators aren’t priority looking more at blokes like dusty & bont who impact Games more so than 40 touches..
Tossing up between these two sides (main differences are Goldy instead of Gawn, Sicily instead of Lloyd, Macpherson instead of Smith and also adding Cogs), any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙂
DEF- Laird, Sicily, Docherty, Williams, Brander, Gould EMG: Watson, Mclennan
MID- Neale, Fyfe, Cripps, Dangerfield, Oliver, Cogs, Rowell, Pickett EMG: Hibberd, Brown, Robertson
RUC- Grundy, Goldstein EMG: Conroy
FWD- Whitfield, Martin, Smith, Taylor, Mahony, Budarick EMG: King, Sturt
$8.4k left
OR
DEF- Lloyd, Laird, Docherty, Zerk-Thatcher, Starcevich, Brander EMG: Watson, Gould
MID- Neale, Fyfe, Cripps, Dangerfield, Oliver, Rowell, Green, Pickett EMG: McHenry, Brown, Robertson
RUC- Grundy, Gawn EMG: Comben
FWD- Whitfield, Martin, Macpherson, Taylor, Mahony, Budarick EMG: Sturt, King
$200 left
B – Laird, Docherty, Roberton, Zerk, Starcevich, Brander (Watson, Gould)
M – Neale, Fyfe, Cripps, Macrea, Cogs, Narkle, Rowell, Green (Mead, Pickett, Budarick)
R – Grundy, Gawn (Cameron)
F – Whitfield, Macpherson, Brayshaw, Smith, Rankine, Taylor (Comben, King)
4k left should I get rid of Gawn to Jacobs and upgrade somewhere else or just leave it
I've gone mid-pricer heavy Shake so I'd say yeah but who knows mate, anything could happen!
Not my team Ranger this is a guy using my name.
Unless you want a fwd donut in round 1 you need to some work on that team bro
Since these rule changes why am I seeing less and less sides without Whitfield… is it because he’s not an impact player? You’d think whit will still out average the forwards by 10-15pts
more to do with unreliable rookies, and free up cash. Whitfield is very expensive
i tend to agree derek but don't want to miss out on those 120+ scores
hasn't left my team
thoughts on dussty derek?
im not sold
locked in. Only because there isn't anyone else. I had heeney early, but he needs to show me more than he has.
i can't see any scenario where Dusty won't be top 6 forward. Get him now
Lot of rookies extended bench. Nervous wait for tomorrow..
I've got 3 on the extended bench, fingers crossed they get a gig.
Dan Butler. $234k
anyone interested?
Will he get enough mid time?
He's a small forward Tommy but will have some quiet games as they all do.
Can't be worse than Bewley who has somehow crept into my team
nah. forget i said anything.
Worked himself to the lofty heights of 234k after playing in a champion side… he's at st kilda now mate. Irrelevant player
No Lipinski. Well that hurts me.
Hurts my draft team Holty, moved him to the bench and put Parfitt on and just realised he isn't named either.
i was snapping him up in Draft leagues very late
I think I play you in Jocks JUNGLELAND this week Derek, good luck 👍
Just traded Parfitt to Darling.
good luck.
i just bought in Kreuzer to match up against the Tiger's rucks. i'll be watching him from behind the couch tonight
Uh oh Derek…
Just went down with an ankle, bad luck mate
Oh crap!!!
Bad luck there mate.
yup. i traded out BigBoy for him
I'll trade you Nicnat or Lycett if you offer someone tasty in return Derek.
Spots left in this League if anyone is interested….196662
Gawn + 123k rookie
or
Dusty and Naismith
My only dilemma..
Who the heck is Tyler Brown and is he keeping someone's spot warm for a week or two?
Treloar and stevo both not playing is concerning for his JS
Son of Gavin Brown I think, played well in the Marsh
no Steven. I'm going with Petracca. To make the cash, no Rowell at M6. 3 cheap rookies on the field in the guts. lord give me strength.
I'm also not running Rowell. Also have Petracca. I won't even mention my rucks… Scary times.
Good luck without Rowell fellas, not a big deal this year though if he's going nuts early, just punt some else for him..plenty of trades this year!
I'm going 7 premo deep in the mids, so will take Pickett 's score or rock in Green.
Wow. Are they 7 ubers or some potential breakout hopefuls?
Jeez I really thought Ash would've gotten the nod, looks like it's Cumming instead, just stuffed my def mid swing…I got rid of Ash and Starcevich..not convinced on Starcevich anyway.
Who'd ya replace them with russty?
Cumming and Mcinerny from Swans Tommy
I ended up going full Guns N Rookies in the mids too eventually.
Not concerned with Mcinerneys JS? very low TOG in marsh 2. Surprised he even got a game tbh
Nah not really, I'll just trade him out for someone who is playing haha
Any spare leagues for me? Usually finish in the top 5k, was 2k couple of seasons back!
Jump in Tommy…196662
Doesn't look like it …isn't that what we're paying for?…sheesh Fanfooty is better and that's free
That’s what I thought. Oh well, they won’t be getting $20 from me this year
Glad I went Doc. Looks very very good. Dusty loving the empty stadium, don't have him. Cripps vc looking questionable.
Cripps has to carry the whole team. i changed in the last hour and jumped on Titch. Cripps a great player, but his team is poor.
Could be a great call Derek. Hopefully he bursts out of the gates after HT. I'm on Titch al also. Reckon he gets going like he never left. Ball magnet.
Poor is very kind Derek, and i am rusted on navy blue. We could'nt hit a barn with a hand full of wheat. 🙁
Yeah he was impressive
McKay, McGovern, Betts, Curnow, Martin, Gibbons…handy fwd line if you can ever get them all on the park at the same time
Jeez defensive rooks under 140k are thin….. Anyone apart from Tobe Watson??
Williams May be
Will know 2mrw night.
Williams, Gould(at some point), Brander, otherwise it's the more expensive guys.
Not even Tobe bro. Check the afl site watson is an emerg
Yeah it's very slim pickings. Might have to just pick Gould and use him as the loophole doughnut
Yes mate, same here, very happy hope Cripps can go 130 plus, that'd be great
No Martin for me, sadly. Was locked prior to covid, but I made a rule not to spend more than $500k for a fwd or def.
Yep. Vc on Dusty
God I hope the whole season isn't like this…feels like watching a 2's game or under 18 game for the lack of atmosphere, guess we should be grateful there's any footy at all. Blues are doing well I reckon considering they're up against the Tigers, nothing to be ashamed of there.
I think my team is just about locked in for the weekend. I have exactly $0 spare which makes me a bit nervous.
DEF: Laird, Sicily, Houston, Docherty, Roberton, Zerk-Thatcher, (Starcevic, Brander)
MID: Macrae, Neale, Dunkley, D.Smith, Rowell, Green, Pickett, McInerney, (Brown, Robertson, Budarick)
RUC: Grundy, Gawn, Comben
FOR: Whitfield, Martin, MacPherson, Petracca, Bedford, Cavarra, (Taylor, King)
No way that squad is within the budget
Only 3 Uber mids. Probably is in the salary cap. Most start 5 min
I posted earlier that Docherty would finish top 3 defender. He might end up even better.
First time I’ve ever owned him. He is good.
I had doubts but the price was too good to ignore. He is still a gun.
Was solid in my SC sides until his injuries, glad I jumped back on, though it's still early days.
And before that you spent weeks telling everybody he was too much of a risk
His Marsh 2 game was a ripper. Until then he wasn’t in my team
Did anyone pick the human meatball this year?…he's a gun.
I did have him but only for a short period of time as I felt he wouldn’t be top 12. He did look very good though
Yeah understandable Holty, he could be a late season pick if needing a pod replacement.
Got him in draft
Yeah I got him in my other draft team too trig, also had Newman and Houli…lol
Don't get too excited bro it's not they had AFL level opposition
I wouldn't pick him in my early regular season team, maybe later as a pod pick, he seems pretty reliable now after playing a full season last year.
Got Prestia in draft
Has doch been out for 2 years?
Wouldn't know it!
He's all class Trig, just like riding a bike for him.
Just so clean with the pill
10 minutes into the 1st quarter I swear I heard the palms slapping against the foreheads of the wally's that reckoned he was too much of a risk. They may as well pack up and go home I reckon
Crippa robbed.
Yeah Andy I was hoping for more, think he made a few errors in the last though, hope Grundy can dominate English now cause 112 doesn't feel like enough for the VC
Yea few clangers. Do I go Fyfe or Neale as captain now?
Don't think Bombers or Hawks tag do they Jorg?…I'd go Fyfe cause I think he's less likely to get shut down.
English part of the hot diggity dogs
Gonna call it now reckon he will break even with Reg 2mrw.
Hope he goes ok for ya this year Trig, I gutted out but went with Saucey boy instead, just hope no Mummy interference now.
Nah mate English will outscore that hasbeen Grundy by at least 20. Pittonet gave Reg a bath, wish I had him on the bench he'll play a lot now that the tractor has broken down again.
Hmmm
He’s always been desperately unlucky. He was drafted by Carlton.
KFC Supercoach stats / live scores non functional tonight…would've been nice to know in advance it wouldn't be working at all.
Pickett’s gonna be a rippa rookie
You're a rippa rookie
I think he is Champion Data’s new pet love
Need some help with forward rookies. Who do we think has best job security and scoring potential out of Cavarra, Sturt, Bedford and Georgiades.
Thanks community!
No idea about those guys Nick..do you already have Brander, Budarick, Rankine, Taylor and King? Brander's named in the 22, Rankine would be if he wasn't slightly injured, King plays but probs doesn't score much..like Giorgediasasses
Yep got all those guys except Rankine, will wait to trade him in once he’s on the bubble as I don’t trust his body. Agreed on king but I like his job security. But still need 1 more from the 4 I mentioned for my f8.
Georgi probs has the best js at the moment I reckon.
Billy Frampton mate named at CHF JS is secure as …..something thats really secure. Rankine slips a disc when he farts. He has heaps of talent but more fragile than Leks ego
A couple of Leagues with participants from last year that haven't responded to the email invite 664146 and 982351 Most teams in both have scored 455 after the Tigers training session against carlton. 10 and 11 spots available
Game on
I'm in too
Going cold on the idea of having Dylan Roberton in the team. I was wondering if Cumming might be a better option? Or is his j/s uncertain?
Wouldn't his JS is great whilst Zac Williams isn't in the side. Still, if he plays well enough there's probably a spot for both. Riverton would also have to be careful of Carlisle
*Roberton
I'm in the same boat. I'm tinkering between Roberton or Noble, anyone knows how good Nobles JS is?
I thought Quaynor would start the season ahead of Noble but it's not the case so he must be doing something the coaches like.
Every team in every league I'm in has those guys
The most popular owned Defender, Midfielder and Forward all scored well tonight.
Everyone goes to bed happy
With Kruezers injury does it give De Koning a shot or does Pinnonet come in for him. Any Carlton people out there know anything about them?
Cheers
Pinnonet will get the nod, TDK is to young and if he gets a gig will play forward if anything
It's Pittonet and I reckon Naismith might be another option for around the same price…not sure who's better out of the 2
Hey NDD, how confident are you that Rivers gets a game soon?
Tempted to park him on the bench for loopholing and to save a later trade.
Mid rookies are bloody thin on the ground too.
I like his DPP
Perfect loophole
Green and Pickett and then not much more
TMitch and Sturt or Clarry and K.Pickett?
Titch and Sturt for mine
Still can't bloody decide.
Worried Titch will go down again or miss games if the fixture gets condensed.
Team has changed so much over last few weeks but think ive settled on a lineup
Def: Laird Ryan Docherty Roberton Noble BZT (Starcevich, Williams)
Mid: Macrae Cripps Dunkley Bont Oliver Rowell Green Pickett (Brown, Robertson, Budarick)
Ruc: Grundy Nic Nat (Comben)
Fwd: Martin Rozee Brayshaw Smith Brander Taylor (King Sturt)
Got 111k left which could turn Rozee into Greene or someone but feel with almost two trades every week can afford to take the punt on players like him and Nic nat
Thoughts
Could also go rozee to whitfield if i go oliver to mccluggage
Good side Stacky..I had Cogs and McCluggage in my mids up until yesterday, then decided to eliminate that risk and go with Titch and Bont instead, rather than hope and see how McCluggs goes towards being a top premo, now I already know I've got 5 in there.
With almost unlimited trades this year, some experimenting can be done but you'll lose points waiting for the results on players like that, compared to other teams.
I would try to get Whitfield in there if you could…Dusty showed last night why it's good to start with a few good premos on each line.
That is a lot of big doggies
If impact players are going to be better should we be taking guys like Fyfe/Bont over a Neale/Titch type player?
I have 3 of those you mentioned, tossing if I should stay with Merrett as POD or go with Fyfe. Will depends on which rookies will play this weekend.
Hmm I thinking on taking Fyfe over Neale
I don't think that means guys like Neale and Titch will score any less points for what they're already doing, I just think it means they'll go back to scoring extra points for acts that change games or change the lead or a winning goal on the siren etc, like they used to, and that depends on the scorer's opinions.
I remember once when they scored a winning goal on the siren 45 points…rdiculous.
Well yeah Walters did that a few times last year!
They actually reduced the amount of points they award out of thin air in the last few years…too many people probably saying "WTF"?
I reckon stitch will still go close to a 50 touch game at some stage this season
I’m looking at the scoring that everything is just 20% more than last year, still have 3300 points, but less time, disposals etc
A big number x20% gets bigger than a small number x20%
It will hurt the high TOG players. Hurn etc they just have less time relative to someone who would usually be off field for 5 mins a quarter to rest, they might not rest as much
Some rookies TOG might be very low
Does anyone know anything about Frampton’s job security?
Not sure mate but I hope for the people who have him that Frampton comes alive.
Stuck on options in a mid price team structure:
A) Robbo / Bont / Greene – 200k bank for correction trades
B) Laird / Bont / Macpherson – 5K bank
C) Howe / Bont / Greene – 30k bank
D) Crisp / Oliver / Greene – 10k bank
B
B
b
Hi Guys, when do head to head matches start for the 18 and 10 leagues ? Thanks
Round one, matchups will come up at the completion of pies vs dogs.
Which of the following two options should I go with for my defence and foward line:
Option 1: DEF – Lloyd, Hurn, Docherty, Roberton, + 4 rookies
FWD – Whitfield, Dusty, D Smith, Brayshaw (Free)+ 4 rookies
Option 2: DEF – Lloyd, Houston/Crisp, Docherty, Roberton/Noble + 4 rookies
FWD – Whitfield, Dusty, Smith, Patton (Haw) + 4 rookies
I like option 1 forwards and option 2 defence
Is that possible?
Thanks Derek. Yes, it is definitely possible and leaves me a bit in the salary to the point that I could even go Stewart, Laird or Sicily instead of Houston. Should I stick with Houston or upgrade to Stewart, Laird or Sicily instead.
I’m actually starting with Laird, Sicily, Houston, Docherty
They will all be there abouts the same, but if I had to pick one it would be Laird. He has already been a top 6 defender, the other 2 still have to do it
I like Lloyd, but I can’t fit both Whitfield and Llloyd in
Is anyone putting in their team the likes of Rivers,Gould,Young ,Rankine who should get games ? I'm not suggesting all them though , thinking Rivers and or Rankine ?
If Williams named he will be my R3, will need a loophole somewhere.
Rivers is DPP is handy. Maybe Rankine will play when ready.
There's no real reason to suggest that Rivers will play early. He is not in the current team and Salem still needs to come back. Rankine could be a good option if you strongly dislike the job security of the forward rookies. When fit Rankine will be playing.