108 rookies in the SuperCoach 2026 pool. Maybe 15 will actually matter. We’ve scraped every player profile, crunched the numbers, and spent the summer watching preseason training sessions to sort the genuine cash cows from the podcast hype. Here’s the list.

The Basement Brigade: $113,500 Picks

The absolute floor price. These are your 2025 draftees with zero SuperCoach history — and the 2025 class is arguably the most SuperCoach-friendly in years. Midfield-heavy, landing at rebuilding clubs, with coaches desperate to play them.

Willem Duursma (West Coast, MID) — Pick 1. Non-negotiable. West Coast have built their entire 2026 stoppage plan around him. He’s getting first-choice CBA time ahead of players with 50+ games experience. At basement price, this is free money. Full profile →

Zeke Uwland (Gold Coast, MID) — Pick 2. The quiet achiever of this draft class. Hearing he’s been matching Rowell at stoppages in match sims, which is genuinely absurd for an 18-year-old. The Suns play kids — always have. Full profile →

Harry Dean (Carlton, DEF) — Pick 3. Defender rookies are unicorns and Dean is the real deal. Carlton need intercept marking depth and from what we’ve seen at Ikon Park, he’s got it locked. Could be the D7 you’ve been looking for.

Cooper Duff-Tytler (West Coast, RUC) — Pick 4. A ruck rookie. Read that again. West Coast’s ruck stocks are thin and Duff-Tytler has genuine tap craft. If he plays 12+ games as a 50/50 ruck split, the cash generation is obscene from basement price.

Daniel Annable (Brisbane, MID) — Pick 6. The risk here is getting stuck behind Lachie Neale and Hugh McCluggage. But when he plays — and he will, because Brisbane manage their mids carefully — he’ll be scoring in a premiership-contending structure. That inflates numbers.

Second-Year Breakouts

These blokes already have runs on the board. More expensive, but you’re paying for certainty.

Taj Hotton (Richmond, MID, $246,900) — 55.0 from 7 games as a teenager in a tanking side. Word is the Tigers have given him the keys to the midfield this preseason. Needs 55 to hold price — already did that last year without really trying. The second-year jump could be enormous. Full profile →

Harry O’Farrell (Carlton, DEF, $249,100) — 55.8 from 6 games in defence. Nearly 5 marks per game as a first-year intercept defender is ridiculous. We were at Ikon Park recently — he looked like a five-year veteran. Untouchable in the best 22, from what people around the club are saying. Full profile →

Zak Johnson (Essendon, MID, $204,400) — 50.6 from 9 games. Nine games as a rookie tells you everything — Essendon trust this kid. Sub-$210K for a midfielder with that much senior experience is undervalued.

Jobe Shanahan (West Coast, FWD, $211,000) — 50.2 from 9 games, kicking 1.3 goals per game. Forward rookies who kick goals are SuperCoach gold — 8 points per major. The Eagles will feed him opportunities because they need him kicking goals, not sitting on a flank.

Hamish Davis (West Coast, MID, $216,900) — Averaged only 40.4 from 8 games, which looks ordinary. But here’s the thing — Davis was being managed in and out of the side last year. The word from West Coast is he’s earned a permanent midfield spot for 2026. A jump to 55+ is very much on the cards.

The Sleepers

The picks your mates haven’t thought of yet.

Lucca Grego (West Coast, MID, $113,500) — One game, 59 SuperCoach points. Yes, one game is nothing. But 59 from a single outing at basement price? The Eagles’ midfield is wide open and Grego’s preseason has been strong. If he holds a spot, this is the steal of the draft.

Will Hayes (Collingwood, MID, $113,500) — 44.0 from 2 games behind Collingwood’s stacked midfield. The risk is game time. But at basement price, even 8-10 games generates cash. And whispers are the Pies are looking to manage their senior mids more carefully this year, which opens a door.

Lucas Camporeale (Carlton, MID, $136,800) — 41.0 from 3 games. The name helps (his dad played 200+ games for the Bulldogs and Carlton), but the talent is legitimate. Carlton are blooding youth and Camporeale is next in line.

Club-by-Club Rookie Map

West Coast Eagles — Rookie Heaven

The deepest rebuild in the comp. Duursma (Pick 1), Duff-Tytler (Pick 4), Shanahan, Davis, and Grego are all pushing for Round 1 spots. You could feasibly start 3-4 Eagles rookies and it wouldn’t even be crazy. That’s unprecedented.

Richmond Tigers — The Other Rebuild

Hotton is the headline act, but keep tabs on Josh Smillie ($176,500, Pick 7 2024) and Sam Cumming (Pick 7 2025). The Tigers are playing everyone young. Their midfield depth chart is basically an U21 team sheet.

Carlton Blues — Quiet Developers

O’Farrell is the must-have, Harry Dean (Pick 3 2025) is the defender sleeper, and Camporeale offers midfield depth. The Blues have been underrated as a rookie destination.

Gold Coast Suns — Always Play Kids

Uwland headlines, plus Dylan Patterson (Pick 5) and Jai Murray (Pick 17) could debut. The Suns’ game style inflates scoring for everyone — high disposals, quick ball movement, lots of marks.

How to Structure Your Rookies

This isn’t complicated. Do this:

6-8 rookies across your bench. Two per line minimum, plus a couple of emergencies. Don’t go fewer — you need the cash engine running.

Job security over talent. A boring rookie who plays 20 games makes you more money than a gun who gets axed in Round 4. This is a cash-generation exercise, not a talent show.

Spread across positions. Defender and ruck rookies are rarer and more valuable than midfielders. Everyone’s got a mid rookie — not everyone’s got a D7 averaging 55.

Watch preseason like a hawk. February–March practice matches are where real team selection gets decided. We’ll be at the games — follow along here for live updates.

Set a sell trigger. When your rookie’s breakeven climbs past 50-60, they’re approaching peak price. Cash out, upgrade to a premium. Don’t get sentimental.

The Verdict

This is a strong rookie class. The 2025 draft landed genuine talent at clubs who need to play them immediately, and the second-year group from 2024 has real upside.

Locks: Duursma, Uwland, Hotton, O’Farrell Strong buys: Johnson, Shanahan, Dean Sleepers: Grego, Duff-Tytler, Hayes

We’ll keep this page updated through preseason as practice match form, injury news, and team selections reshape the landscape. Bookmark it.

Last updated: February 12, 2026