SuperCoach 2025 All-Australian team: Best performers, top cash cows

But we’re here to help.

We’ve crunched the numbers to crown the SuperCoach 2025 All-Australian team, which rewards the best players in the game and those who made the biggest contribution to SuperCoach success this season.

And there was no way we were leaving out Tristan Xerri.

DEFENDERS

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera

Jack Sinclair DEF-MID

Max Holmes DEF-MID

Lachie Ash

Harry Sheezel DEF-MID

Lachie Whitfield

Bench: Zach Reid, Riley Bice

Twelve defenders averaged over 100 points a game, with the Saints’ dynamic duo leading the way. Nas caught fire from rounds 15-22 when he averaged 133.5 over an eight-week stretch, including his insane matchwinning heroics against Melbourne when he scored 62 points in the final minute of the game.

Sinclair was available for $529k in round 9 and you could have picked up Holmes for $519k in round 12. Connor Rozee just missed out after his move to defence, while two other players who played key SuperCoach roles this year were also considered. Callum Mills returned from injury during the bye rounds at a bargain price of $357k and averaged 99.4 over the final 12 games, while Colby McKercher was another season-defining selection at just $333k in round 11. Both finished over $500k, with McKercher averaging 102 after his move to the backline.

Zach Reid wins the first bench spot after averaging 79.8 in his 10 games – including 133 points against Sydney in round 9 – after starting the year priced at $119.9k. When his year was cut short by injury he was worth $438k.

Riley Bice wasn’t selected for opening round, but made his debut in round 1 with a modest 52 points against Brisbane. He followed that with a 96 against Fremantle and was one of the most popular bubble boys of the season after the Swans’ early bye. He finished with a 62 average but he averaged 90 in his first six games, including two tons, to shoot up $262k – $90k of that in his first price move.

Rookies who deserve honourable mentions include Angus Clarke, who scored a PB 106 on SuperCoach grand final weekend, and Jaxon Prior, who played 22 games for Essendon (an achievement in itself) and hit a peak price of $375k in round 15.

Popular mid-pricers Matt Roberts (86.8 average), Jayden Short (84.3) and Harry Perryman (68.9) all flopped, while Keidean Coleman played one game and scored 72. He’ll be cheap again next year!

MIDFIELDERS

Marcus Bontempelli

Zak Butters

Hugh McCluggage

Matt Rowell

Nick Daicos

Josh Dunkley

Andrew Brayshaw

Jordan Dawson

Bench: Levi Ashcroft, Murphy Reid (MID-FWD), Tom McCarthy (MID-DEF)

George Hewett is the unluckiest player to miss out on this team after scoring the sixth-most points of any pure MID this year. But we can’t leave out Bontempelli or Butters, who ranked 17th (Butters) and 19th (Bont) for total points, but a clear No.1 and No.2 for averages.

Bontempelli’s average was a career-high despite two uncharacteristic scores in the 60s in the space of three weeks mid-year. After dishing up a 63 against the Swans in round 16 (when his price dropped to a season-low $584k), his lowest score over the final eight rounds was 125. He finished the year priced at $693k, $12k more than his starting value.

Butters dropped below 100 only three times in 20 games – two of them against Geelong – and finished the season with a grand final winning 191 against the Suns.

Overall, 23 pure MIDs averaged 100-plus, and 14 went over 110.

McCluggage and Rowell joined the elite SuperCoach bracket in 2025, with trusted SuperCoach favourites like Zach Merrett (ranked 20th for total points among MIDs), Lachie Neale (22nd) and Patrick Cripps (36th) slipping down the rankings.

Levi Ashcroft and Murphy Reid will fight out the Rising Star Award but in SuperCoach Levi gets the nod, averaging 75.6 compared to Reid’s 68.5. Both played 23 games and earn well-deserved spots on the bench here.

The third bench spot goes to arguably the best pick of the season, Eagle Tom McCarthy. It’s crazy to think that well into the season he was playing for Richmond’s VFL team. After being selected with pick 1 in the mid-season draft, McCarthy was fast-tracked into West Coast’s AFL side in a lucrative half-back role. He went on to average 23.6 disposals and 93.3 SuperCoach points in the final 10 games, rising in value from $99k to over $420k entering the final round. Harvey Langford, a quiet achiever who averaged 71 over 22 games, can consider himself very stiff.

It was a tough year for midfield rookies but Xavier Lindsay, Nathan O’Driscoll and Angus Sheldrick were important money makers at different stages of the season. Coaches had high hopes back in March for Elijah Tsatas and Mitch Knevitt but both picks bombed; Tsatas played just five games (51.6 average) and Knevitt seven (48 average).

RUCKS

Max Gawn

Tristan Xerri

Bench: Archer Reid FWD-RUC

This is where the big points are, and we had to find a way to fit three players averaging 125-plus into two spots. Hello, Flex!

Gawn is R1 after taking the crown for most SuperCoach points in 2025

Xerri had a strange season with a three-week slump early in the year and a three-week suspension late. But he finished like a freight train with huge scores of 187 and 186 that were decisive in league finals – and deciding the $50k overall winner.

There was a gap to the next group of rucks, but Luke Jackson, Darcy Cameron and Tim English all averaged 110-plus

Tom De Koning was averaging 121 after five weeks and 114 after 14 but fell away in the second half of the year to finish with a 96.9 average, five points down on last season.

Bench rucks can be great money makers but this wasn’t the year for it. We’ve given the AA blazer to young Eagle Archer Reid, who peaked in price at $248k in round 7 despite scoring nine points in round 2.

FORWARDS

Bailey Smith MID-FWD

Luke Jackson FWD-RUC

Jack Macrae

Riley Thilthorpe

Christian Petracca MID-FWD

Caleb Daniel MID-FWD

Bench: Sam Davidson, Sam Powell-Pepper

Befitting this season, the forward line was the toughest position to settle on for the team of the year. Bailey Smith is a no-brainer after averaging 118 – remember when he was $389k – and Caleb Daniel was one of the cash cows of the season, finishing No.7 for total points up forward after starting the year priced at $269,100.

Luke Jackson scored the second-most points in this part of the ground despite missing three games and Riley Thilthorpe comes in at No.3, a huge POD for the 5.8 per cent of coaches who picked him.

Jack Macrae did an amazing job to be one of only three forwards to post 100-plus averages despite starting as the sub on SuperCoach grand final weekend. It’s easy to forget that way back in the first eight rounds he posted two scores over 160.

That leaves one spot, which goes to Christian Petracca, who was fourth for total points in the forward line after earning dual-position status in round 6. Overall it was a disappointing year for the Demons star, who finished with his lowest average (96.5) since 2019. He’ll be underpriced to start 2026 with a new coach and is likely to retain FWD status – watch this space.

Bulldogs mature-age recruit Sam Davidson was a popular starting bench pick, with good reason, shooting to $310k at round 7. Sam Powell-Pepper tested his owners’ resolve with an 18-point game in round 1, but by round 7 he was averaging 75 and pushing $400k.

He pips Dan Curtin, who also started at an elevated price and scored under 30 in his first game. In fact, he averaged under 60 in the first 12 rounds but became a viable trade-in during a hot run home that featured four tons in a five-week purple patch, including 153 points against Richmond.

Other forwards who came into consideration included cash cow Ryan Maric, who scored 123 in his bubble game in round 3 before peaking in price at $499k – a rise of $275k in eight weeks – and Isaac Kako, the ultimate slow burn rookie. It took the Bomber forward 17 rounds to make a $100k profit but he finished strong with long-awaited spike games against the Suns and Blues (98 points in each).

FLEX

Brodie Grundy RUC

Using Flex to deploy a three premium ruck strategy was a tactic that worked to varying degrees this year, and we’re using it here to include the biggest difference maker in the second half of the season. Remarkably, Grundy was averaging 98 at round 9, when you could have bought him for $504,600. The next week he put 121 point on Essendon and didn’t look back. Grundy went on one of the best scoring runs ever seen in SuperCoach, averaging an unprecedented 149.1 over a 12-week stretch, including a magical 200 in a rematch with the Bombers. As his price soared over $700k he became almost unattainable, making him the biggest POD in the game.

SALARY CAP ISSUES

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to start this team in round 1 – it would have cost about $3 million over the $10 million salary cap. That’s why value is so important in SuperCoach! Bailey Smith, Jack Macrae and Caleb Daniel were the standout value picks to start the year, while players like Jack Sinclair, Zak Butters and Matt Rowell were all available at a large discount during the season, if you got the timing right. Overall winner Blake picked up Max Gawn for under $600k early in the season. That’s how you get on the road to $50k.