One of the hardest lines to pick in your 2021 AFL Supercoach team is your eight defenders - with the variety of different roles for each player affecting their scoring in the game.
Unlike midfielders and rucks, who generally pick themselves, you must carefully select your defence with the knowledge that making a selection mistake with a premium defender can be costly with the wide median of averages.
Will Collingwood star Jeremy Howe play as a lockdown defender or as a loose player? Is Adelaide utility Rory Laird going to remain in midfield despite his defence eligibility?
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Sporting News looks at the prices of the AFL defenders and analyses the questions you want answered.
Top 20 Premium Defender Prices
| Name | Club | 2020 Avg. | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Lloyd | Sydney | 122.2 | $656,400 |
| Luke Ryan | Fremantle | 107.3 | $576,500 |
| Rory Laird | Adelaide | 105.1 | $564,800 |
| Lachie Whitfield | GWS | 104.5 | $561,600 |
| Brayden Maynard | Collingwood | 102.3 | $549,900 |
| Jordan Ridley | Essendon | 101.9 | $547,700 |
| Caleb Daniel | Western Bulldogs | 101.5 | $545,500 |
| Callum Mills | Sydney | 101.4 | $544,800 |
| Tom Stewart | Geelong | 100.1 | $538,000 |
| Jack Crisp | Collingwood | 99.2 | $533,200 |
| Mark Blicavs | Geelong | 98.9 | $531,600 |
| Nick Haynes | GWS | 98.3 | $528,400 |
| Adam Saad | Carlton | 97.9 | $526,200 |
| Jayden Short | Richmond | 96.7 | $519,300 |
| Jeremy Howe | Collingwood | 120.5 | $517,900 |
| Luke McDonald | North Melb | 95.5 | $512,900 |
| Steven May | Melbourne | 94.5 | $507,900 |
| Sam Docherty | Carlton | 92.3 | $496,000 |
| Brad Sheppard | West Coast | 91.7 | $492,700 |
| Dane Rampe | Sydney | 91.6 | $492,300 |
Jake Lloyd's ability to accumulate the ball in Sydney's backline means he is close to a must-have in every Supercoach defence - with this average a whopping 14.9 more than the next best defender. The $656,400 premium you have to pay to snare the Swans defender is a huge amount of money though so maybe it might be worth gambling to get Lloyd later - hoping he drops in price.
Rory Laird and Mark Blicavs look to be attractive options because of their dual playing position ability to play midfield also. The question will be whether either spend at least the same amount of time through the middle in 2021?
While you wouldn't class Sam Docherty as a fallen premium, we all know the Carlton defender's quality and he could be an absolute steal at $496,000 if he returns to near his best form. And Luke McDonald really hit his straps during the back end of last season and could be a player to further step up in 2021.
Jeremy Howe averaged a whopping 120.5 in the four matches he played in 2020 before getting injured and could be a solid option in 2021, but is his role going to be the Supercoach friendly loose man role or will he play key defender and not score as many points?
Cheaper Premium Defender Options
| Name | Club | 2020 Avg. | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Houston | Port Adelaide | 91.1 | $489,300 |
| Bachar Houli | Richmond | 86.7 | $465,600 |
| Zac Williams | Carlton | 85.4 | $458,600 |
| Alex Witherden | West Coast | 94.3 | $456,100 |
| Darcy Byrne-Jones | Port Adelaide | 82.2 | $441,800 |
| Hunter Clark | St Kilda | 81.7 | $438,900 |
While there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of enticing mid-price options about at this stage, there are several players outside the top 20 priced defenders who could be ready to explode in 2021.
Dan Houston was expected to break out as an elite midfielder in 2022 but ended up playing out most of Port Adelaide's season down back. Could he move into the middle of the park?
Bachar Houli averaged 105.3 in 2019 but suffered a dip in scores last season after choosing to miss part of Richmond's campaign because of family reasons. Will he lift in 2021?
After signing with Carlton, Zac Williams could move into the midfield and significantly lifts his scoring average, while Alex Witherden may enjoy more game time and a new lease of life at West Coast.
Hunter Clark is another who could see his scores sharply rise with a move into the midfield, while Darcy Byrne-Jones is an option that could be ready to go to a level this season.
Rookie Defender Options
| Name | Club | 2020 Avg. | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Grainger-Barras | Hawthorn | N/A | $184,800 |
| Tyson Goldsack | Port Adelaide | N/A | $182,000 |
| Nik Cox | Essendon | N/A | $175,800 |
| Will Gould | Sydney | N/A | $123,900 |
| Rory Thompson | Gold Coast | N/A | $123,900 |
While more rookie options will emerge as we see the team's in action during the JLT pre-season series, there are some cheap cash cow options to keep an eye on already.
High draftees Denver Grainger-Barras and Nik Cox could see plenty of game time in 2021 with their teams, Hawthorn and Essendon respectively, both expected to struggle.
Tyson Goldsack might be unlikely to figure in Port Adelaide's defence but the 33-year-old could become an option - especially after watching Trent McKenzie struggle against Tom Hawkins in the finals.
Rory Thompson hasn't played for Gold Coast since 2018 but will be a good cash cow if he gets in the team, while Sydney's Will Gould was tipped to be a Supercoach option last season and could step up.