In 2025, I was the unofficial winner of AFL Fantasy, finishing first overall but ruled

ineligible for the major prize due to my brother – Brodie – playing for the Sydney Swans.

After reaching the pinnacle of AFL Fantasy, I have now set myself the challenge of

seeing if my football knowledge can extend into success in SuperCoach AFL Classic.

The two games are often grouped together, but from my experience, success in one does not

guarantee success in the other.

The games have some key differences that are important to understand.

In previous years, these differences have meant that I have stuck to the game I knew.

Although, after becoming an ‘expert’ in AFL Fantasy, I am now embracing a new challenge … can I do it in SuperCoach too?

As I switch from AFL Fantasy to SuperCoach, below are some of my initial thoughts about the key differences between the games.

Scoring Systems

While AFL Fantasy offers a very simple scoring system, easy to follow during the match as the stats have a fixed-point value, something I like about SuperCoach is how its scoring system is more multifaceted.

Instead of being based on set stats, SuperCoach points reward the effectiveness and impact a player has on a game.

This will mean that I will need to alter my criteria for selecting players in SuperCoach.

For example, disposal accumulators are very important in AFL Fantasy, but in SuperCoach you can be burnt by them if their disposal efficiency is off.

This will mean that I will need to watch matches through a different lens, which I am looking forward to.

This will be sure to make viewing matches a more exciting experience!

Player Pricing and Value Growth

In AFL Fantasy, player prices change weekly based on their scores from the week.

A player’s price will begin to move (up or down) after a player’s first game.

Instead, in SuperCoach, a player’s price will go up only after their third game, which means that I can be more patient when looking to trade in players, especially rookies.

This is beneficial to the fantasy football experience because it provides an opportunity to make sure that a player’s role (for example, more midfield time) is locked in before committing to a trade.

Scoring Ceiling

In AFL Fantasy an elite score is often considered between 120-130 points, with elite players hitting over 100 points each round.

In SuperCoach, due to the nature of the scoring system, the scores have much higher variance. Elite players have been known to reach up to 200 points, but they can also drop some low scores if their efficiency isn’t high.

This means with the correct captain decisions, some BIG points are on the table in SuperCoach.

Trades and Squad Management

In AFL Fantasy, coaches get two trades per week and three during the byes.

Alternatively, SuperCoach has a fixed number of trades for the whole season – if you use all your trades early then you will run out at season’s end.

While I think that this makes SuperCoach more realistic, the AFL Fantasy trade system allows for injuries to key players to be covered throughout the season.

If a player gets a 1-2 week injury, they can be traded out easily whereas in SuperCoach, coaches may decide to hold and play a rookie off the bench.

Due to the guaranteed trades per week, it is also easier for Fantasy coaches to make corrective trades (trade players in and trade them out again if they perform poorly).

I am anticipating that getting use to the trading of SuperCoach is going to be one of my steepest learning curves – with a need to be more strategic with my trades and thinking about the long-term implications and value of a trade.

Key position players

I was going to list this as one of the biggest differences favouring the Fantasy scoring system (SuperCoach scoring making more players relevant); however there isn’t much worse than losing a SuperCoach Classic match up because of a random key-position forward or intercept defender scoring massively.

In AFL Fantasy these types of players will usually score poorly however in SuperCoach they can be matchwinners.

For example, Tom McCartin (Swans key defender) scored 128 SuperCoach points in round 24 last year compared to only 74 AFL Fantasy in the same game.

This is unlikely to impact my selection decisions but it does show the value of stats like intercept marks in SuperCoach.

The Foundation

Despite key differences in scoring and strategy, AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach share the same foundational principles. Coaches are required to select a team within a salary cap, track their performance each week, manage trades, select captains and compete against friends or for an overall rank.

I am hopeful that the player knowledge and strategic toolkit that I have built up from years of playing AFL Fantasy will enable me to be competitive in SuperCoach this year.

Think you can beat Grundy? Join SuperCoach today and take on your mates.