SuperCoach Draft finals 2025 ultimate guide

If you were lucky enough, or skilled enough, to make finals then this is your ultimate guide to SuperCoach success.

This guide will take a look at the two major considerations you must make when heading into your SuperCoach Draft finals campaign, and will identify some key players I think you should target.

1. THE RUN HOME

In all likelihood your team is in a pretty good spot if you’ve made it this far in the season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a few matchwinning moves along the way, and the first move we might make is based around the run home.

If we take a look at points allowed in each part of the ground it becomes pretty clear which teams we want to target in terms of streaming players against them: West Coast, North Melbourne, Essendon, Richmond, Carlton and Port Adelaide.

These six teams leak plenty of points to multiple different types of players and will henceforth be known as the Leaky Six.

Three teams stand out as the prime candidates for waiver wire success across the SuperCoach Draft finals: Geelong, Gold Coast and St Kilda. Each of these teams plays three games against members of the Leaky Six during your finals campaign.

Other desirable teams are Adelaide, Carlton themselves and Fremantle, all of whom play two games against members of the Leaky Six.

2. RISK OF RESTING

The deeper we get into a SuperCoach Draft finals series, the more likely we are to encounter players being rested.

It may have been a decade ago, but we all still remember when Fremantle rested 11 players in the SuperCoach Draft Grand Final round in 2015, and we must prepare accordingly.

Who gets rested late in the AFL season? Older players when their teams are knocked out of finals. Older players when their team is competing in a “dead rubber”. And injury-prone players who aren’t worth risking so late in the season.

If we look at our Leaky Six fixtures again, both Adelaide and Geelong ring alarm bells.

They both have good runs but are also both looking likely to lock in their final ladder position sooner rather than later.

Adelaide could have their top-four spot all sewn up by the time round 24 rolls around, which could lead to some premium players being rested against North Melbourne – buyers beware.

Geelong is an even bigger risk. The Cats have historically injury prone players like Bailey Smith, older players like Jeremy Cameron or Patrick Dangerfield, and have what is likely to be a dead rubber in round 24 against Richmond. All signs point to disappointment from your Geelong players should you make the Grand Final.

So, who do we target?

THE MUST-HAVES

Using 70 per cent ownership as an absolute maximum give us some players to target against the Leaky Six.

Tom Atkins (MID) – Averaging almost 100 for the year but selected in less than 70 per cent of teams. Unlikely to get rested.

Brayden Fiorini (MID) – Another great game, scoring 126 on the weekend. Available in just under 50 per cent of leagues.

Josh Worrell (DEF) – An amazing SuperCoach year, averaging 88 points per game. Still available in plenty of leagues.

Matt Crouch (MID) – Set to return to the Crows side after returning from injury. A rest risk late in the year.

Marc Pittonet (RUC) – Great back-up for coverage over the run home. Averaging 82 points but sharing the ruck load with Tom de Koning.

Shaun Mannagh (FWD) – Averaging 83 points per game coming off a slightly lower score of 68. Underselected and unlikely to be rested.

Joel Jeffrey (DEF) – A surprising name but averaging 97 points over his past five games. Highly likely to be available on the waiver wire.

Harry McKay (FWD) – Finally back from injury. Probably will be inconsistent but the ceiling is high.

Oliver Dempsey (MID) – Five-round average up above 80 points. Likely to benefit from restings at Geelong.

Wayne Milera (DEF) – Criminally underselected in just 19 per cent of leagues. Could average 80-plus on the run home and is averaging 88 over his past five games.

PODS TO CONSIDER

Tim Kelly (FWD/MID) – Hasn’t given us anything this season outside of a 121 on the weekend, but his DPP would provide some decent cover. Averages at least 90 across his career against each of his four final opponents.

Stephen Coniglio (MID/FWD) – Has been back for a couple of weeks and has only delivered very modest scores, but we know the upside. Plays North Melbourne in the first week of finals.

Blake Hardwick (DEF/FWD) – The seasoned veteran provides some serious flexibility and loves some of his opponents on the run home.

Conor Nash (MID) – Can be inconsistent but midfielders are hard to come by in SuperCoach Draft. Capable of scoring in the triple figures pretty regularly.

Anthony Caminiti (DEF/FWD) – Like Hardwick, offers great flexibility with his DPP status. St Kilda has a great start to the finals and he could go 85-plus against both North Melbourne and Richmond.

Lachie Cowan (DEF) – Cowan’s role has changed in recent weeks and he has been given more room to move up the field. A fantastic scorer as a junior and he looks to be finally playing that same role now as a senior.

Angus Sheldrick (MID) – It has taken a few years for Sheldrick to get his chance in Sydney’s best 22 but he looks locked in now. Capable of some large scores with a floor of around 70.

Dylan Shiel (MID/DEF) – It’s a case of last man standing for Shiel. Essendon has little choice but to play him and he could turn back the clock and deliver some fieldable scores like the 98 he posted this week.

Taylor Walker (FWD) – There is always a risk with a veteran of this calibre, who plays in a good side, getting rested. But he is worth the punt with the Crows’ great finish to the year.