240 thoughts on “Rate My Team – January I”

  1. Might have the 1st response here – I’m just going to load my current line up. Have picked a few higher priced rooks for the time being.

    DEF – Llyod, Hall, Crisp, Sinn, Aleer, O’Driscoll EMG – Dean, Worner (floating donut d/m)
    MID – Macrae, Steele, Miller, Oliver, J.Berry, F.Macrae, JHF, N.Daicos EMG – Mead, Cooper Stephens, G.Clark
    RUC – Grundy, Darcy, Hayes
    FWD – Dunks, Heeney, Butters, Cogs, J.Rachele, Hollands EMG – Serong, E.Smith

    only $600 remaining
    good chance a butters/heeney gets replaced to allow a D4

    7

    6
    1. I definitely think you need to go with five premium mids by maybe not going the two of Grundy/Gawn/Darcy option.

      0

      0
      1. Emiely supermummers that won last year went in with max and grundy. Plus 4 solid defenders 4 soild mids and the forwards were up in the air. 5 trades only to round six.and two were danger and butters injuries.

        1

        0
        1. 13 keepers were from different clubs thinking of the buys where she got over 2000 in buy one and over 1800 for the other buy rounds saving the trades.also intresting is after round 6 the focus was on the midfield. The backs could wait as long as the four were doing well which they were.The rucks were set from the start so the focus was the midfield until the buys. As the forwards were up in the air the focus was on the forwards after tge buys. As by this time the team had 5 solid defenders 7 solid mids rucks were alway set and 1 maybe 2 soild forwards as long as the forwards performed well. The focus really was on the forwards which were performed well at the end of the year giving a full team. Also the team in round 1 used up all the money only around 50k left but the two early injuries of danger/butters generated some money. The replacement for danger was oliver.

          1

          1
  2. After a few drafts have settled on this structure for now:

    DEF – Hall, Dawson, Ridley, Sinn, Wilmot, McDonagh (O’Driscoll, Bazzo)

    MID – Steele, Oliver, Walsh, Parish, Crisp, Neale, N. Daicos, Hobbs (Valente, Walker, Serong)

    RUC – Darcy, Preuss (Murtagh)

    FWD – Dunkley, T. Thomas, Butters, Coniglio, Amiss, Hollands (W. Kelly, Parker)

    $21,400 remaining. Crisp can swing with Sinn to have 4 DEF/5 MID premos instead of 3/6. Very bullish on Parish having a big 120+ type of year, will only get fitter and better at the midfield role from the get go. Sacrificed a promo at R2 to go deeper in MID and DEF, think it’ll pay off given that I don’t think many rucks will be averaging 120+.

    3

    7
  3. Posted in the December thread but figured it can’t hurt to put it in here 🙂

    First draft, would love any feedback constructive or otherwise

    DEF: Lloyd, Ridley, Whitfield, Marchbank, NWM, Chesser (Brown, Gould)

    MID: Macrae, Oliver, Titch, Neale, Adams, Rowell, JHF, Daicos (Stephens, Sinn, Johnson)

    RUC: Darcy, Preuss (Hayes)

    FWD: Dunkley, Heeney, Butters, Coniglio, C.Curnow, Hollands (Amiss, N.Long)

    $22k left in the bank. Rookies obviously pending selection/pre-season. I feel Coniglio and Curnow are just too much value to pass up (Cogs possibly back to his best and hoping Curnow is the Daniher of 2022). Sean Darcy looks the goods and am a little concerned with Gawn sharing ruck duties with Jackson, Preuss also looks great value if he can claim the #1 ruck at GWS (or as a stepping stone to Grundy). Titch, Neale, Adams and Rowell are all priced unders imo (if they can stay fully fit). Marchbank I am quite iffy about considering he has never averaged over 70 and I would prefer Will Day but I can’t afford him and we don’t know how the Day/Sicily combo will go. I do have a lot of higher priced rookies so hopefully a few of these can drop down the $123-117k range to free up some cash closer to the season.

    Happy coaching everybody!

    6

    2
  4. First draft for the season would love peoples thoughts

    DEF – Rich, Dawson, Maynard, Day, Chugg, Gould (EMG – Brand,McGuinness)

    MID – Macrae, Steele, Walsh, Parish, Neale, JHF, N.Daicos ,Ward (EMG – Johnson, Roberts, G.Clark)

    RUC – Grundy, Darcy,(EMG- Hayes)

    FWD – Dunkley, Taranto, Coniglio, Pedlar, E.Smith, Hollands (EMG – De Koning, J. Motlop)

    Leaving $46900

    4

    0
  5. Defence:
    Lloyd, Hall, Whitfield, Sinn, Aleer, De Koning (Gould, Dean)

    Midfield:
    J. Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Neale, Berry, F. Macrae, Ward (Daicos, Stevens, Clark)

    Ruck:
    Darcy, Grundy (Preuss)

    Forward:
    Dunkley, Butters, Coniglio, Maginness, Hollands, Motlop (Smith, Long)

    7.3k remaining

    7

    2
    1. Hi Micah, I don’t know when it opening but if you are looking for player prices and to play around with team structures, you can go to the Jock Reynolds website and download the team picker. It’s a good resource while we wait for the official SuperCoach app to be open.

      5

      0
  6. Rookies will really dictate the structure, as will Preuss if it looks like he’s worth having as an R3… But here is where we are at…

    DEF: Lloyd, Whitfield, Sicily, Sinn, Kemp, O’Driscoll // Gould, Dean
    MID: Macrae, Steele, Miller, Oliver, Neale, J.Berry, N.Daicos, J.Ward // M.Johnson, Roberts, Clark
    RUCK: Darcy, Grundy // Hayes
    FWD: Dunkley, Butters, Gresham, Coniglio, Curnow, Hollands // S.Butler, C.Parker

    Thoughts?

    9

    1
  7. Feeling pretty good about the team apart from the low remaining budget and my forward rookies feel a bit weak. May need to sacrifice someone for a bit more flexibility, but we’ll see how pre-season and rookies go.

    DEF – Lloyd, Hall, Whitfield, Sicily, S Skinner, G McDonagh (De Koning, C Dean)

    MID – Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Neale, J Horne-Francis, N Daicos, J Ward (M Johnson, G Clark, Z Taylor)

    RUC – Darcy, Grundy (Hayes)

    FWD – Dunkley, Butters, Coniglio, E Hollands, J Motlop, L Pedlar (E Smith, J Peris)

    1.9k Remaining

    11

    1
    1. Nice team! Exact same premiums as me but you’ve managed to squeeze in Sicily where I have Berry and then additional depth on my bench in Daicos and Preuss. As a Hawks fan I wouldn’t be surprised if Sicily returns to average 95-105 after his intensive and cautious rehab, so no doubt a reasonable pick. In a livestream interview he did yesterday he said he wants to start down back and then maybe play forward for patches after he finds his touch again. I am definitely not knocking that pick but could I suggest swapping him to Day. I predict that Day will average 85-95. You could use that spare $104,300 you’ll have to upgrade Daicos or Ward to Berry, too. Alternatively, you could use the cash to beef up some of your rookies. Just some thoughts.

      5

      1
  8. Def – Lloyd, Short, Whitfield, Sicily, wanganeen-Milera, Kelly (O’Driscoll, Gould)
    Whitfield seems underpriced and hopefully Sicily returns strongly. Lloyd is first picked with Dawson gone and Short may boost without Houli.

    Mid – Bont, Mitchell, Petracca, Crisp, Neale, M Crouch, JHF, Daicos (Hobbs, Smith, Johnson)
    Crisp to swing back later as he should be solid and couldn’t afford premium mid for now. Neale underpriced. Crouch could be a solid 100 at M8 end of year if can play. Wanted Macrae and Oliver over Bont and Petracca, but looked at back end of last season and couldn’t justify extra cash. 2 onfield rookies costly, but could be worth it with security and output.

    Ruck – Witts, Preuss ( Hayes)
    Big risk vs reward scenario. Both could be 80 plus for the year and be good cash builders before upgrading. Or both could be injured by round 2.

    Fwd – Dunkley, Duncan, Treloar, Coniglio, Rachele, Hollands (Pedlar, Motlop)
    Dunkley picks himself. Duncan should be solid if fit. Treloar hopefully found his feet and pushes toward his best. Coniglio is too cheap to pass on. Think onfield rookies will play and Hollands should score ok.

    Others considered were Milera in defence, but seemed a high risk. Rowell in mid, but took Crouch as my hopeful instead.

    Thinking def, mid and fwd all go pretty deep, but have sacrificed set and forget rucks to get there.

    Thoughts?

    4

    5
    1. A complete mess start over.

      Your mids are your deepest line but that’s where all the rookies are and you don’t have any of the actual best mids so you will be leaking points all year (Mcrae, Steele, MIller, Oliver, Walsh)

      Rucks you have 2 injury prone players one of whom may have been superseded by Matt Flynn and you don’t have a R/F to cover that and they are so cheap that you have no obvious trade options if something goes wrong. (except burn 2 trades giving up a primo mid for a primo ruck and a ruck for a mid rookie/midpricer.

      Forwards are fine but all your premiums were injured for a big part of last year. thats very risky. You need to do that with Dunkley but not the others

      1

      0
  9. Def
    Lloyd Hall Maynard
    Wangan Voss Worner (Gould, Rankin)

    Mids
    Macrae Steele Miller Oliver Mitchell Berry
    Daicos Ward (Horne, Hamilton, Peris)

    rucks
    Darcy McInerney (Comben)

    Forward
    Thomas Heeney Butters
    Amiss Smith Hollands (Butler, Serong)

    Pretty much a guns and rookies run this year at this stage, apart from Berry and the forward line could be considered mid prices only and rookies I guess.
    All rookies are subject to change. Pumping the cash into D1/2, and M1-5 this year as they need no introduction.

    Forward line I just can’t see value in the higher priced dunks and Duncan, so am taking a jump on potential break out players contingent on pre season form.
    Rucks will be an interesting one as Mcinerney may explode this year, time will tell.

    5

    4
    1. Solid team! Some very self-explanatory picks with sprinkles of sound POD’s. Maynard, McInerney, Thomas, Heeney and Butters all have the capacity to be great picks. Rookies obviously subject to change. One change I would make is swapping Amiss to Coniglio by downgrading Horne-Francis or Daicos to a cheaper mid. Thoughts on that?

      2

      5
      1. Thanks for the feedback the dog,
        I can’t see myself downgrading to cogs as he is so injury prone and we have a couple of premium rookies that you can’t really look past in daicos, ward and Horne Francis. I’ll take the points away from the field to allow for price gains for now. However, The preseason will inevitably change my squad quite a bit and cogs could be sniffing for a selection if he looks too good to pass by. Looking forward to seeing it unfold over the coming months

        2

        0
  10. First pass, I will probably re-think some of the mid-price options as we get closer to round 1….let me know what you think…

    Def: Hall, Short, Whitfield, Sicily, Sinn , Milera // DeKoning Dean
    Mids: Macrae, Steele, Mitchell, Neale, Serong, Constable, JHF, Daicos // Bergman, Johnson, Clark
    Ruc: Grundy, Preuss // Benning
    Fwd: Duncan, Martin, Bailey, Brodie, Coniglio, Hollands // Voss, Windhager

    3

    3
    1. Hey, Maximus.

      Rate a lot of the selections but maybe cull some midpricers and get a 4th uber premo MID. 4x uber premos + Neale looks to be the go this season.

      1

      0
      1. Thanks GD. Oliver has been in and out my team a lot so far. Probably end up in but waiting for pre-season games to see how some others go. I think Serong will be this years “Walsh”, primed for a break ou5 year. Don’t like Dunkley, gets injured too much, same for Treloar. I have capacity to downgrade Bailey and swap Serong for Oliver but will wait and see. Cheers M.

        0

        0
        1. Yep. Totally get Serong pick, could very well be his year.

          You could really trim the midpricers back and have Serong at M6, Neale M5 and then those 4x premos.

          We’ll see.

          2

          1
    2. Brodie has come dead last in every preseason run at Freo, don’t think he is going to play early.
      If you are going with Preuss at R2 consider a R/F in the forward line to swing with Benning to give you a backup.

      2

      0
      1. Thanks. Will wait to see which rookies make it. Going with Preuss at R3 now. Still working on a couple of other changes – Petracca at M4 and Neale at M5……M

        2

        0
  11. quick look at my team. Still very early, have been playing around with some PODS, let me know what you guys think.

    DEF: Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Day, Gould, De koning (skinner, o’driscoll)

    First 3 self explanatory. Day is a bit of a pod, I’ve heard he might play around the wing, and if he stays fit, which im sure he will I can see him scoring upwards of 90. Only downside is that he is still a little pricey. (345k)

    Mid: Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Neale, Daicos, Clark, ward ( Johnson, stephens, Goater)

    A very basic midfield. I do want to squeeze berry into this team, I will keep a very close eye on him.

    ruc: Grundy, Darcy (akuei – loophole)

    fwd: Dunkley, Heeney, coniglio, curnow, pedlar, hollands ( kelly, williams)

    Heeney I have heard is going to play lots of midfield this year. Curnow, probably wont start him and he will turn out being one of Gresham or Rayner, but it all depends what happens in pre-season.

    2

    1
    1. Nice, HH.

      Only definitive change I’d make now is to replace your R3 loop with the Hawks 102k M/F Ned Long. Clearly the best loop option.

      Then at R3 go Hayes from Port, might get a look at some stage. Many of us are also running Preuss as an R3.

      Yeah, if Day doesn’t look the goods you can cull him and get Berry at M6 or Gresham at F3 or even Curnow to Butters, both would push Cogs to F4.

      Good luck.

      3

      0
  12. DEF: Lloyd, Crisp, Whitfield, Sicily, Kemp, Gould // O’Driscoll, Dean
    MID: Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Neale, J.Berry, Horne-Francis, Daicos, Sinn // Butler, Clark, Roberts
    RUCK: Grundy, Darcy // Preuss
    FWD: Dunkley, Butters, Gresham, Coniglio, Curnow, Hollands // Pedler, Motlop

    Thoughts? Other option is to push Sinn back and run one deeper in the midfield?
    🙂

    6

    0
  13. Is anyone concerned about Neale for 2022? Calf injuries can linger, I know his preparation for 2021 was poor and this reflected in his performances and scores.
    Is this pick “the gift” for 2022? Just select and don’t worry? What do we expect him to score? I personally feel best scenario is around 115 for him, which as a starting pick is good for 540ish but I am worried he misses games, and picking a player aged for around 24-27 is better as a starter for higher chance of not missing games.
    Thoughts?

    2

    0
  14. In december i proposed the idea of a 6-1-2-6 structure

    posting a team that reflects this theory

    DEF
    LLOYD HALL CRISP DAWSON SHORT WHITFIELD – NWM, UWLAND
    Should be 6 tons a week with a 650 average if all goes well

    Mids
    WALSH, DAICOS, WARD + rookie placeholders (Hobbs, Hollands, Clarke, Goater, Johnson, Soligo, Worner, Pedlar)

    Pick your favorite Primo MID that isn’t Mcrae/Steele. I’m backing Walsh for a huge year.

    Rucks
    Darcy, Grundy – cheapR/F rookie (just to allow for some cover)
    Lock in 230.

    Forwards*
    Dunkley, Duncan, Toranto, TThomas, Butters, Cogs + Long, Nankervis

    current cash left 48.9k

    Hopefully gets you 600 a week. Cogs is the weak link but most will have him so that mitigates it a bit

    * probably should swap one of these guys out for a primo R/F type but neither McEvoy or English is that exciting

    Works out at 1480 + UPM (120) + Captain (120). thats 1710 so say round down to 1700+ 7 midfield rookies who lets say average 65 after tricks/luck. That’s a 2100 starting team. 15 primo’s to get you to the buys

    assuming you have 4 rookies that get to 400k and can get you a 2 for 1 on primo mids. and the other 3 mids are 3 for 1s (over the buys to avoid wasted trades) Thats full primo at 17 trades and a few more to play with in the back half if things go well.

    4

    9
    1. Actually changing the Math a little

      Defense (650)
      MIDS = ((UPM (120) + Premium mid rookies (80x 4 =320) regular mid rookies looped (60 x 3 =180)) 620
      Rucks = 230
      Forwards = 580
      Captain = 120

      Total = 2200

      3

      1
      1. JSG….I do like it when I see a post like yours that takes a different approach. As many on here know, I have been following footy for a long time….I still have fond memories of the bombers famous 1912 premiership win. So, I ran your numbers through my trusty abacus…none of this PC nonsense…don’t trust em.

        So, some observations, and please take these as constructive comments which I welcome others to respond to.

        Firstly, who or what is NWM and UPM ?? Forgive me if that is a dumb question.

        I looked at 2021 average scores for the players you chose by line and found that the defenders scored 609, whereas you have assumed 650 for 2022…means that your defenders will need to average almost 7% higher this year than last, and even more if any player’s average falls. Looking at the fwds, the 2021 score also based on averages was 525, compared with your figure of 580 meaning that fwds selected will need to average 10.5% higher than last year, albeit Cogs drags last years averages down, but he did play 5 games

        Rucks are fine, as is your assumption re a c.

        Mids are fascinating. Only 1 premo. You suggest that 4 rookies might get to $400k. I’m assuming you include Daicos/Ward/Hobbs in that, or unnamed players who might appear pre-season. These three have an average price of $175.8k, meaning that to get to $400k, they EACH have to rise by $224.2k. The highest price rise last year was GWS Flynn…$276.9k , and $224.2 would have ranked 9th, and each of these three rookies needs to achieve that.

        The fourth would have to come from the remaining rookies, and I count 12 of them, including J Williams who I included as your r/f loop at $117.3 These 12 have an average price of $112.2k. This means two things…firstly, to achieve the fourt $400k rookie, someone has to rise by about $287k !!! Also, this rookie approach allows no wriggle room for correction trades when the early season rookie flyers are available after round 2. Thats one reason I like to go in with several rookies around the $200k mark…much easier to trade down than up if you have no wriggle room.

        Hope that makes some sense, and I look forward to any further discussions from anyone. Now back to the cricket…these Aussies are putting up a great counter attack. Might just ope a ’48 grange before SOW arrives !!

        9

        0
        1. Re Averages.

          Defenders: I’m assuming that 4 of the top 6 defenders will average 110 and 2 will average 105. Which is reasonable for premium defenders.

          Of those players specifically most had down years compared to their past seasons or mid season role changes that an overall season average won’t show. Players can be shuffled. As for the specific players

          Dawson and Lloyd will no longer steal each others chips and Dawson may have a midfield/wing role next season. so thats a minor improvement. Crisp and Hall both scored far higher then their season averages in the back half after role changes which they will hold for the full season. Short is predicted to get a more free role this season, and players like Whitfield, Ridley, Ryan,Lukosious and stewart are all people to watch.

          Forwards.
          again featuring players whose averages don’t tell the whole story

          Dunkley averaged 130 to start the season and 70 post injury in a different role. expected midfield return. penciling in at 110.
          Duncan: 100 (av 99 last year and may do better with better health. has a high ceiling)
          Toranto penciling in for a 100 av (averaged 97 and rounded up)
          Thomas averaged far better in the 2nd half of the season first 5 rounds had 1×70 2×60 2×40 scores. from rd 9 to rd 23 he was over 94 9 times. With progression (he’s young) i’m loosely penciling him in as 100
          Butters: Was an absolute gun before he got hurt. Had close to 96 at the half in the game he got hurt. expecting decent things this season and could also get close to averaging a ton. First 4 rounds last season (98,163,55,96*)

          So Thats around 500 ish. People assure me that Cogs is good and could be around 80 if the role is there/back to form. Some think he can ton up but i adjusted down to a more reasonable number.

          Re Rookies/cash gen. All are placeholders. In theory i have 4 premium rookies (or 200k ish players) Who could reach that 400k mark. In this draft team its Daicos, Ward, Hobbs and NWM ( nasiah wanganeen-milera) who is a premium rookie who i rate. Typically 200K from these players is hard to come by but this is supposedly a special rookie group and a few (Daicos, Hobbs, NWM ,) are going to teams that need them in big roles.

          This rookie class being special is one of the big reasons this will strategy work. Like you said the top 9 rookies rose 200K and i need about 8 of them for this to work perfectly. (although 6 would be fine) (if someone doing this needed need extra rookie cash they could trade down from Darcy to Big O)

          Re Chasing down Uber primo Mids. Did my trade math wrong before but it still works out in front of the usual 22 upgrade trades 8 freebies.

          Assuming a primo mid will cost you around 650k (although you can usually get lucky with a fallen option at 550-600)
          M1 locked
          M2 2x 400k rookie
          M3 2x 400k rookie
          M4 3 x regular rookie rd 12 bye
          m5 3x regular rookie rd 13 bye
          m6 3x regular rookie rd 14 bye
          M7 2x rookie
          M8 2 x rookie

          In practice you plan your buys so you go down 3 in rd 12 and up 2 or even 3 in rd 13 or 14.

          That should give you full primo between 17 trades and 21 trades in a worst case situation where it takes 4 trades each to get to the final 2 Uber primo Mids. Which puts you 1 trade in front of a typical structure.

          Another interesting thing is having a few cheap loops you can limit dud rookie scores looping 2 rookies at D6 (Crisp starts M2) and 2 rookies at F6 (any M/F at M3) and do another rookie loop in the mids

          1

          1
  15. Mathematics, (from the school of realism)

    Utopia (logic) + covid + injury + form / Murphy = Optimism

    (Qualified Degree achieved in my leagues 2021, 2020, 2019…..LOL)

    4

    0
  16. Jsg, it wasn’t the top 9 rookies that rose 200 K, it was the top 9 from all players…Flynn, bramble, gulden, Highmore, stringer, Ziebell, fiorini, Bergmann, Harry edwards. Of those, the highest end rookie price was bramble 362.5

    2

    0
    1. Most cashed out Flynn and Jordan over 400k last season and that north mid at 350.

      Last seasons rookie class were considered under done due to no VFL. Besides the 200k to 400k players don’t have to be rookies. Just 200k ish players Pruess is a good example of that this year.

      That 400k plan also was provided on getting primos at 650 where as last year top 10 mids like Steele and Merrit were available at 550 -600 so there’s some wiggle room there.

      This years impy/Daniher would also fit the description.

      4

      0
      1. You are right re Flynn, but he was an exception…good luck finding a ruck to do that this year or anyone else except JHF possibly. My point re the rookies is that you have few options. How for example would you get JHF into your team….without him you will most likely be playing catch up ?? Only way would be to exchange for a premo, or someone like COGS.

        Lets find a league to both be in when the fun starts. I’d love to see how your starting team and how it goes.

        5

        0
        1. I’m keen.

          Im not sold on this being my no1 team, for instance Jordan Dawson and Lachie Neale are the same price. I don’t think I’d take Dawson over Neale, Or even Duncan + 50k = Neale and an extra forward rookie vs Mid rookie.

          But in theory This structure has has 4 slots set aside for 200k players, currently Daicos, Ward, NWM (185k) Hobbs (150k) and if I need extra cash Darcy to big 0 and short to Sicily gives me almost an extra 150k to spend on rookies. (Although I think this group badly needs captain Darcy and wouldn’t want to do that)

          I’m currently skipping JHF just because I’m worried about his role. North is sneaky loaded in their midfield, but could easily bring him in for one of the above . Pruess at R3, one of Jamarra (230k) or Darcy (200k). Max lynch are all options for that role. Just depends on preseason form/role.

          2

          1
  17. Re COVID comments

    Last year at the end of the season I was 2 games up.
    With injuries and Managed players my finals team was crushed, had a number of donuts and was out in straight sets.
    Very disappointing to have a great season and no hope in the finals.
    At one time checking the AFL injury list there was more than 140 players out. Covid is a sickness (injury), do we get a trade for injuries and Managed Players.

    What is all your thoughts on this.

    Regards
    Gilly

    4

    0
    1. Gilly, up there with the meaning of life, this is the key question. SC must absolutely nail the rules re this before the season starts. I’m playing bbl and it is a joke. I said in the general comments that any player that misses because of covid, must provide you with a free trade..others have suggested that overall trade numbers increase to 40, but I’m thinking that would provide an unfair advantage depending on how lucky one was with effected players.
      I also think that you should be allowed to trade back in the same player/s after they are cleared of covid , also without burning a trade. The SC techs could handle this I’m sure. Thus, if you were forced to trade out Maxy, and Marshall was the only choice because of timing, you could reverse that trade later without penalty.

      Then of course, we have the WA government to consider !!

      2

      1
      1. I think the right answer is you should get a covid substitute for 1 match up to the value of the traded player.

        IE if Bont goes down you can replace him like a substitute mid making as much as him but not more for that game only (doesn’t matter if you have extra cash in the bank. If you do that’s a real trade ) if that player is above their break even you don’t get any change in value. Could be a good rule for long term injuries as well

        4

        2
  18. Wighty
    I don’t think WA will be too much of a problem. Most, if not all their games will be played away. Players on the long term injury list, the AFL allows replacement and when available straight swap back, what if someone retires mid season, your right with technology today SC should without any problems do the same.

    Regards
    Gilly

    2

    0
  19. Thoughts on Hayden Young as a potential breakout?
    take away his injury affected game and his first game back from injury and his average works out somewhere between 90-95. I am quite bullish on him and looking for any justification as I love him as a player. His 420K price tag is a lot and does mean that he would essentially have to be picked as a keeper, but I believe he could easily be a legitimate D6 with his kick-outs, intercepts and natural ability in mind.

    5

    1
    1. I wouldn’t. Seems like most of the top 10 Defenders will be in that 105-110 range which is putting yourself 10-20 points short per game on a keeper

      1

      1
    2. Yeah. I get the appeal, Van Man, but that price is just too steep. Even his injury profile is a worry, 13 games in two years.

      Only way to justify starting him would be a phenomenal preseason and really putting that saved 130k~ to great use.

      I’m just going set and forget with Lloyd, Hall and Ridley.

      1

      0
      1. Agree GD. I’m setting and forgetting yours, but Whitfield for Hall. Like the dpp but will be holding my breath cause of his injury record.

        2

        0
  20. Hi All

    Love this time of the year with SC, 3 mths of competition with yourself trying to get that starting squad.

    Everyone will have that 14-16 set and keeps, it’s the Mids and Rookies that will tell the story, and what a great poll we have to pick from.

    I’ve been listening to everyone’s comments and use my ears in proportion to my ego to come up with my team, of course that last week in March will see some changes, everyone will.

    This is what I’ve come up with and would like your thoughts???

    LLoyd, Ridley, Whitfield. McDonagh
    Sicily, Aleer, Wilmot. Dean

    Macrae, Steele, Mitchell. Johnson
    Walsh, Neale, Rowell. Roberts
    H-F, Daicos. Clark

    Grundy, Preuss. Hayes

    Dunkley, Butters, Gresham. Motlop
    Coniglio, C Curnow, Holland. Jeffrey

    Lloyd and Ridley should get more of the ball.
    Hopefully Rowell regains his brilliance.
    Preuss wii need to be upgraded.
    Forward line is my worry, have 6 as upgrades but should score enough to get me thru.

    regards Gilly

    4

    1
    1. Gilly

      I like this side all the way until R2.

      Sorry but .. Preuss is a pipe dream.

      Even if he can get fit enough to play R1 he is still competing with Flynn for the No1 ruck spot at GWS. ( Briggs is more a Forward/ Ruck and will take back up duties you would think.)

      On any other line you have a choice of 2 or 3 reserves. Not in the ruck.

      Even if Hayes starts the year as a R3 back up theres a big chance he gets dropped at some stage. Any sign of bad weather can stop a coach running 2 rucks. Last year one of the years best rookies ( R3 for most Flynn ) was dropped several times. This will happen to Hayes trust me.

      The only way to truely consider a cheap R2 in my book is to start a R/F at say F3 and a basement R/F at R3. This will at least give you the flexibility to cover. I don’t think this will work for two reasons. Firstly this means you miss Haynes who maybe a great earner. Plus I don’t really like English or Jackson ( yet) that much in this role, I think both will average sub 90, so I won’t go down that road.

      So…basically, mucking around with your Ruck line can be a season breaker, as you burn trades trying to sideways to an average scoring R2. Then you miss out on important opportunities to improve other parts of your side. Remember we only get 2 trades a week.
      So when you are fixing your Ruck line, others are upgrading say their F5. Turning a 45-60 score into a 90 -100. You just never get a chance to make up theses points ?

      There’s a reason people set and forget Rucks, I would if I was you too !

      This may mean you need to downgrade a couple of Midpricers ( Curnow , Gresh , Rowell) or maybe just Sicily. I think there’s some capable if not slightly more expensive rookies in Sinn (Def) and Rachele (M/F) that could get games and score ok.

      My personal preference is for Sam Darcy, or even Max, but you don’t really have to spend all that cash.

      If it means you start an extra keeper , I think both McInerney and ROB have potential to outscore their current price, and serve you well.
      They may be a last upgrade if trades allow.

      I know at this early stage the urge to get as many potential “keepers” into your side is strong. I feel you. I just know from experience that skimping in the Ruck line is not the right way to go about it.

      Best of luck whatever you choose to do.

      Just incase you were wondering..

      This is my current side with $30k spare. I do have a few higher priced rookies as place holders. I feel this is the best way to start as its easier to downgrade rookies than have to drop a premium to afford the best rookie talent.

      Def: Lloyd . Hall . Whitfield . Sinn . Chesser . Aleer.
      De- Konning (DF) . Mc Donagh.

      Macrea . Steele . Touk . Mitchell . Neale .
      JHF . Daicos . Ward.
      Clark. Johnson . Butler (M/F)

      Darcy. Grundy . Haynes.

      Dunkley . Butters . Cogs
      Curnow . Rachele . Hollands.
      Skinner (DF). E Smith.

      This team has only 12 keepers and Cogs , I would love to get to 13 but don’t really want to dilute my team too much atm.

      If enough cheaper rookies show up, I will endeavour to upgrade probably Curnow.

      Let me know your thoughts

      Cheers FT.

      12

      2
    2. I like the ruck structure Gilly but not Preuss, as others have said Flynn might have surpassed him as #1. Maybe look at Witts instead he’s a little bit more costly but more likely to do what Hickey did last year. remember how many people were being called idiots for considering Hick L/Y? I also remember somebody suggesting Parish after the practise games L/Y and the general consensus being that that somebody had no idea.
      There are reasons for no forum experts ever winning the SC overall and those reasons are a total lack of courage in starting squad selection and a preference for playing last years game this year.
      I’m not saying that there isn’t sage advice in these forums but everybody plays safe and playing safe has never won the big prize.
      Personally I’d rather risk finishing outside the top 10,000 and be in with a chance of winning the big prize than play safe and never have a chance of the big prize.

      8

      0
  21. Freo Tragic

    Thank you for your very good feedback, will take it on board and give serious thought as the season comes on.

    Regards
    Gilly

    3

    0
  22. It’s a little different, any advise welcome 🙂
    Thanks in advance

    Def – Lloyd, hall, ridley, whittfield , de konig, Burgoyne (skinner, mcvee)

    Mid – macrae, Steele, Oliver, parish, neale, berry, constable, daicos (c Stephens, g Clark, n long)

    Ruc – Darcy, marshall (akuei)

    Fwd – dunkly, Luke Jackson, cogs, pedlar, e smith, Hollands ( winder, parker

    3

    0
  23. Thought for the day;
    Maybe we should not worry so much about kick-ins……
    StKilda(?) doesn’t play every team each week……

    1

    0
  24. I feel like if you are going to skimp on the Rucks it should be full midpriced Madness and solely dependent on if you think any of the D/R or R/F players are undervalued and could make you enough money to be stepping stones to primo rucks.

    If you had 5 ruck eligible players. 1x Ruck only rookie. (Hayes, Pruess maybe Bryan) and then 4 players making up either 2 separate loops or 1 super loop. You might be able to save about 200K and still be within jumping point of getting back to those primo options. Of course you’d have to stack the midfield to make it worth it.

    Which this year means missing out on some of the midfield rookies

    I probably wouldn’t do it though.

    1

    0
  25. This squad is a mixture of last year and this year. Natural progression is a thing that happens in AFL hence the selections of Serong, Bailey and Jackson. Mature aged rookies having instant impact is also a thing that happens in AFL hence Clark who is only 117k but put up better SC stats L/Y playing in WAFL against grown men than Daicos did playing against kids.
    Witts is risky but he’s a gun ruck and the gold coast mids will be better this year than they were 2 years ago and I believe he is good for a 95+ ave until I upgrade him.

    lloyd-Crisp-Whitfield
    Sicily-WangMill-McDon

    Macrae-Steele-Oliver-Neale
    Serong-Constable-Daicos-Clark

    Grundy-Witts

    Taranto-Bailey-Butters
    Jackson-Kelly-Hollands

    2

    1
    1. Foodie.

      I don’t mind this team but I will add my 2 cents.

      Witts has been a 90-95 type ruck for quite a few years before rupturing his ACL. History shows the most AFL players have lower than average seasons coming off an ACL. My source is Jackson Davey’s You tube channel. He has done a heap of research on this topic and its really worth a look.

      I think for Witts to average 85-90 is a more realistic goal. This is still well under from where he is priced and worth a shot if he plays well in the preseason.

      Also on the natural progression of players like Serong , Jackson and Bailey
      Role is still the major thing to consider.

      Serongs role is solid, with Cerra now gone he will play a heap more Midfield.
      My problem with him is his low time on ground. He scores quite well when on field but as a young player his time on ground is heavily managed sometimes as low as 60% last year. I do think this will improve. ( Brayshaw’s did eventually ) I’m just not confident it can improve enough to push him into the top tier of Midfielders. If you really think he can , then go for it.

      Jackson and Bailey are certainly stars of the future, but their ability to ” Breakout” ( score 95+ as forwards ) is more dependant on their roles than their talent.

      Jackson is only likely to achieve this if he gets the number one Ruck role.
      So unless Big Max succumbs to a major injury. I can’t see it happening unfortunately.I can’t remember a second string Ruck forward that managed Premium status. I love Ruck cover and would certainly pick him if I thought he had a chance to go 95+

      Like wise with Bailey.
      Of all the three he probably has the biggest scope for improvement. He reminds me a lot of a young Heeney.( without the big mark ) We have all been waiting for Heeney to move into the Midfield for like 5 seasons now. He is just too good a forward and seems destined to stay there.
      Bailey is the same, and will improve and may push 90 even as a pure forward.

      He is that good.

      If he somehow gets even a 30% / 70% split mid / forward time he could even do slightly better. The forwards are really hard to pick this year so it wouldn’t surprise me if Bailey works out for you.

      I just think with his low floor, the chances of picking him up later in the season at a similar if not lower price will be possible. Basically its low risk not starting him.
      Where as if you don’t start someone like Dunkley, and he starts like last year. ( he was $635K at Round 7 ) there’s no way to get him in, and your struggling to play catch up. So its high risk not owning Dunkley.

      I’m really no expert ,but I have learnt a heap from this great site and playing the last 8 seasons of SC.
      One of the things I’ve learnt is not to chase PODs just for the sake of it.

      We only get to choose 12-13 keepers in our starting side.

      It sounds boring, but we need as many of them as possible to be proven durable Premiums.
      Due to the salary cap , we also need to pick as many of these that are underpriced as possible.(even if its just by a few points.) Thats why you see players like Lloyd , Dunkley, Neale and Cogs in nearly every side. )

      I’m honestly not trying to talk folks out of starting a few Pods or breakout types .
      I’ve just learnt over the years that the conservative approach gives you the best chance of starting the year well and laying a solid foundation for the SC year. This tends to extend ones enjoyment of the game for longer as you remain competitive.

      There is plenty of time during the year to make some different moves and bring in some lower owned POD type players. I just prefer to do this when we know a little more about their role and how they fit into their clubs structure.

      Best of luck with whoever you choose.

      Cheers FT.

      9

      0
      1. Serong and Bailey (along with the more obvious Thomas and Butters) are my tips for breakout this year.

        But add Jackson and Constable, as well as the reasonably secure cash cow in Witts and that’s a whole heap of midprice madness.

        To be fair, if we don’t get enough starting rookies this could be a good way to go, especially with the 35 trades. Arguments can be made for Cogs and to a lesser degree Sonny and Milera just on that early cash generation too.

        But given the choice of that many midpricers, quite a few are going to fail, or at least not live up to your expectations and still need a trade. 35 trades might compensate for that somewhat, but you also have some other higher risk players like Sicily and Whitfield.

        You have to decide if you think that 5 extra trades is a chance for more cash generation or greater security in yet another likely covid impacted season.

        1

        2
  26. Been fascinated by JSG’s concept of 6-1-2-6 so I worked up my own team but I have used a 5-2-2-5 structure. I have included all rookies who I think will get games throughout the season and bench support of likely rookies to substitute if necessary. I have also included likely scores for each player. Interestingly, it comes out to nearly 2300 points before upgrades. Using Macrae as captain but it could be Grundy, or Lloyd, or Darcy, etc. Let me know where you think I have gone wrong.

    Defence
    Lloyd 120
    Hall 115
    Crisp 105
    Short 105
    Whitfield 105
    Sinn 60
    NW Milera 0
    Dean 0

    Mids
    Macrae 250
    Neale 120
    Constable 80
    JHF 75
    Daicos 75
    Rachelle 65
    Johnson 65
    Clark 65
    Chesser 0
    Draper 0
    Ward 0

    Ruck
    Darcy 125
    Grundy 125
    Hayes 0

    Forwards
    Dunkley 120
    Duncan 115
    Martin 105
    Thomas 105
    Coniglio 105
    Hollands 75
    Long 0
    Pedlar 0
    2280
    Also assumed Neale and Cogs will return to their prior scoring potential.

    M.

    0

    8
    1. Maximus, I ran JSG’s team through my abacus and have done the same with yours as I like analysing concept teams. Some observations/comments.

      1. Only two premo mids, and one of them injury prone, leaves you vulnerable in the highest scoring part of SC
      2. I like your five premo defs, but is EVERY one of them going to score more than 2021 ?? And will Lloyd at this stage of his career be able to boost his pts by 12pg ?? There were six defenders who scored 105+ in 2021, and you are projecting 5 of yours will do that in 2022.
      3. Rucks are fine, but again, you have both scoring more than 2021
      4. I sense problems up forward. Like defs, there were six 100+ fwds in 2021, and the best of them was m/f Zorko. Is Dunkley role going to see him avge 5 ppg less than Macrae ?? Is the injury prone and ageing Duncan going to average 16 ppg more than 2021 ?? Martin I like…big year based on his family situation, and Thomas could really break out. COGS I like, but given his recent past, top 6 fwd, and +45pts versus 2021 ???

      Cheers,

      Wighty

      8

      0
      1. Yep, agree with a lot of what Wighty said. Those projections are too generous by probably 100~ points, I’d say.

        Just a couple of examples:
        – Best case scenario for Cogs is 80, will play a MID/FWD split (especially with Greene out and all of GWS’ MIDs)
        – JHF has the talent but slated for 70:30 FWD/MID at North, idk what to expect
        – Martin’s SC days are well and truly over, hard pass

        Projections aside: I’m not a fan of the structure, M. Limited VC/C options and also banking on a good crop of MID rookies.

        Structure gotta be dictated by rookie availability (eg. going deep down back was the play last year) and I think 5x VC/C worthy MIDs is a must.

        You put a really solid team up the other day, I’d sit on that for now.

        6

        1
        1. Also agree that the projections are too generous, but also that starting at 2280 average seems very high.

          GD – How many captain options overall would you say you need? Assuming UP Rucks are captain options as well. If you are trying to get to 5 then Hall, UPM, Darcy, Grundy(GAWN?) and Dunkley (Hall had 6 scores above 120 after rd 11 last year) seem good enough. Plus you have a few high variance primo’s (Dusty/Thomas/Butters/lloyd/Whitfield ect) Who can put up a captains score on the right opponent. After they Byes you get 3 extra captaincy options. So its only for half the season and you can always pick Titch as your UPM if you want a clean up captain option who plays late in the week for most of the first half

          As far as Maximus’ team goes terms of structure/potential. I’d swap out Neale/Grundy for Big O/Steele. having Mcrae/Steele/Darcy as a captaincy trio seems a lot more secure (+Hall/Dunkley) and you can always swap Crisp for Neale if he seems like a must own.

          0

          0
        2. Thanks GD. I understand where you are coming from and I am not totally convinced on JHF at the moment but I don’t know what other rookies will be available. My gut feel is that Richmond have to play Martin in the guts if they are to challenge for a flag. See what happens preseason. What I am reading on this site suggests that Taranto will play the fwd/mid role in place of Greene. Again let’s wait for preseason to get a read. Also see my reply to Wighty, I have changed some projections. Thanks very much for your input., it all helps me process what I am hypothetically thinking. Cheers…M

          1

          0
      2. Thanks Wighty, Neale was only injured last year, prior to that he played all games so I don’t think that makes injury prone. Plus prior to 2021 he averaged 130+ and 120+. However I have lowered his potential score to 115. Fair call on Dunkley, so I have lowered to 110. Lloyd averaged 130ish prior to 2021 and with Dawson out of the way, I don’t think 120 is too far a stretch. Duncan has averaged 105+ for 4 of the last 5 years. Lowered most premo’s by 5 points. I still get a score above 2200 before upgrades.

        I understand that the mid-field is where most points are scored and that is also true for the rookies. I am interested to see how this challenge to established thinking would go. So I will set up a second team, one traditional g&r and one with is team and see how they go. Might even report back on results at the end of the season.

        Cheers and thanks for the wise input…..M
        PS really this is just an untested theoretical exercise worth thinking about.

        3

        0
      1. Thanks, LOL,…..now that i’ve been given a false sense of confidence for the sledgers league, maybe 5 trades every week would be ideal…….

        0

        0
  27. ‘just read a “report” on Heeney by Mitch Keating;
    My interpretation,…..Steer clear, still has fragile ankles…..

    My assessment;……still keeps his repaired ankles in a shoe box on the boot shelves with his boots…….
    (Info obtained zerohanger.com)

    2

    0
  28. Defenders-
    Lloyd, Hall, Whitfield, Sinn, Aleer, De Koning (McDonagh, Dean)

    Midfielders-
    Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Neale, Berry, Daicos, Ward (Stevens, Johnson, Clark)

    Rucks-
    Darcy, Grundy (Hayes)

    Forwards-
    Dunkley, Butters, Gresham, Coniglio, Maginness, Hollands (Smith, Long)

    My question for the forum: if you were to make one tweak to this side, what would it be?

    Cheers.

    11

    0
    1. No tweaks. That is an EXCELLENT side, HC.

      Especially like that there’s no compromise on the midfield.

      Sit on that till preseason reports/games. Great job.

      5

      0
    2. Great team.

      Nitpicking.
      Potentially the 102k R/D and a mid price R/D if someone pops in the preseason just for some extra ruck cover

      0

      0
  29. Been tweaking my team so here’s a few extra thoughts

    Defense
    LLoyd – Set and forget
    Hall – Averaged 115 after round 6 last season
    Crisp – DPP
    Dawson – This is my swing Breakout spot. I like dawson but could be swung to Neale/Rowell/Cera and/or any other breakout mid if necessary
    Ridley: Has a huge upside if Kelly takes the lockdown role. can be sideswapped to short without needing any extra cash
    Whitfield: DPP and potential captains score
    Potential average points range 600 – 680
    Will Kelly D/F
    P Walker (123k placeholder DPP D/M)

    Mids
    M1 Titch – Hawks play late in the week for most of the first half of the season. while i’m short on captains he will allow me to take bigger risks with my VC options.
    M2 JHF – Enough said
    M3 Finlay Mcrae – opportunity + Y2 hopfully will average 80+
    M4 Nick Daicos- enough said
    M5 Josh Ward – should get lots of time on ground Hawks wont be good
    M6 NWM – DPP will hopefully get lots of possession as the wing Steele is feeding on the outside
    M7 Hollands – DPP – Big things expected
    M8- Clarke – Mature age rookie expected to play
    Bench – Johnson, Pedlar, Nankervis
    Predicted average range – 580 to 640

    Rucks
    R1 – Darcy
    R2 – Big O – will change to Grundy and ditch a premium rookie at any signs of trouble
    R3- cheap R/F
    Points 220 – 245

    Forwards
    F1 Dunkley – Best forward if healthy potential captain option
    F2 Duncan – DPP – should average 100 if healthy
    F3 Butters – Breakout candidate-
    F4 Thomas – Averaged 95 in the 2nd half
    F5 CCJ – really want a R/F for coverage and think an expanded role at North (who should be better this season) should see him average enough to be a D6. Tonne’d up last year at Richmond when given the opportunity.
    F6 – Cogs – People rate him
    F7 – Jamarra – The Bulldogs have one of the best Midfields in the comp. Someone out of Jamarra, English and Darcy is going to kick goals for them and have a few big bags.
    F8- Ned Long
    Av Range 550 – 635 if Cogs Ton’s up and Thomas/Butters breakout.

    Scoring floor 2060 (110 captain)
    Ceiling 2325 (125 captain)

    Left over 30K

    Other thoughts.
    You can push Duncan into the mids and use Jamarra/Darcy as a key position D6 loop with Long and an active Mid/forward. With The Buldogs starting the season with lots of early round games you should be able to watch his scores and only keep the big ones.

    2

    7
    1. JSG very interesting. As you know I have also played around with this concept and I also came to the realisation that you have to have flexibility in order to cover off the fact that rookies will be rested/dropped for periods through the year and you need to cover them. I like the thoughts around Mitchell and I have now done the same in place of Neale. The only issue I have is with Thomas, when Ben Cunnington plays Thomas only averages in the 70’s due to no CBA’s. see what preseason brings and good luck…..M

      0

      0
      1. De Goey, Zac Bailey , Shai Bolton and Thomas are all within 10k of each other.

        I have Thomas in due to being my choice of breakout premium. However if any of the others seem better options i will start them (probably not Bolton after last year)

        2

        0
  30. Hi SC Talk Community.
    I’ve been enjoying reading through these early teams, and have landed on the following first draft, with some thoughts/notes below each line.

    DEF: Lloyd, Ridley, Whitfield, Wanganeen-Milera, Sinn, Wilmot [Gould, O’Driscoll]
    – Lloyd is a must start this year, imo he is the only TRUE premo defender that we can bank on early with Stewart a major injury question mark. I’ve been burnt by Whitfield before, and I’m ready to be burnt again. TBH I have no idea on DEF rookies at this stage, will adjust where needed.

    MID: Macrae, Steele, T Mitchell, Walsh, Neale, Horne-Francis, Daicos, Ward [Stephens, Clark, Parker]
    – Macrae same as Lloyd, I will not spend trades trying to get to him mid-season. I just love Walsh, and was dirty to miss him last year. I really like the idea of Constable, he’ll likely be in my R1 side if named and looks like he has a decent role. Won’t be surprised if Ward is not playing early, looks a gun, but Hawks are such a tease with young players in their first year (RIP Finn Maginness).

    RUC: Darcy, Grundy [Hayes]
    – Not much to say here.

    FWD: Dunkley, Duncan, Gresham, Coniglio, Pedlar, Hollands [Kelly, Long]
    – I can’t decide if Dunks is a must have or an obvious trap, have erred on the side of the former for now, easier to restructure from there than the reverse. Gresh and Cogs scare me, but seem as good value as any other FWDs at this stage.

    Open to any feedback/tips!

    9

    0
  31. After years of going the cookie cutter lineup and finishing top couple percent year after year, I think i am going to go the all or nothing strategy. However, still would love peoples opinion. There is no need for the obvious comments on my ruck line. This is what I’m currently looking at with 50k in the bank.

    Loyd, Whitfield, Sicily, H.Young, De Koning, Kelly (Dean, R.Thompson)

    Steele, Oliver, Walsh, Mitchel, Brayshaw, Neale, Berry, Constable (Clarke, Roberts, Goater)

    Witts, Preuss (Hayes)

    Dunkley, Thomas, Butters, Coniglio, Hollands, Pedlar (Comben, Skinner)

    1

    6
    1. VanMan i know you don’t want ruck advice but…

      if you really want to go all or nothing i’d swap out Mitchell for Rowel or another breakout low level premium in the 450k range. then use the extra cash to get Sam Draper at R2. At least you know Draper will be guaranteed to play. can’t say that for sure of Preuss

      Edit: if he’s allowed to play De Goey will be a must have and the obvious downgrade candidate.

      2

      5
      1. Last years ideal ruck combo to start the season was Nick Nat Hickey Flynn so… set and forget isn’t always the right option it’s just a low risk option that will get a good result.

        This year with covid chaos I think it’s very brave not having ruck cover with a R/F or 2 otherwise it’s a trade or a donut if your Rookie R3 isn’t playing that week

        3

        0
  32. $45k remaining.

    DEF: Seagull, Hall, Ridley, Short, Kelly, Skinner (Michael, De Koning)

    MID: Macrae, Steele, Touk, Neale, F. Macrae, Daicos, Stephens, Johnson (Mead, Goater, Clark)

    RUC: Darcy, Grundy (Hayes)

    FWD: Dunkley, Heeney, Butters, Coniglio, Maginness, Hollands (Comben, Motlop)

    4/4/2/3 structure is the way to go this season. Yes its tempting to go 5 or 6 deep in the midfield, but there are lots of good midfield rookies, while defender and forward rookies are looking sparse. This structure also allows me to start 13 keepers, whereas if I go any deeper in the midfield, I can only fit 12 keepers.

    12

    0
    1. After last years brilliance bAps, which emergency should l have different so it’s not deemed that I’m copying you????…….Onya (again) bAps…

      4

      0
  33. Hi all,

    My performance over the years has been less than stellar, so don’t pretend to know much, but I notice how many of these early teams seem to be including multiple players with extensive injury histories….once a supercoach no-no?
    Mainly the forward line and whitfield down back?
    Outside of who is available for selection, just wondering about this collective think tank approach that seems to have developed?
    Forward line – As an example, I’m going to put in hawkins – over last 4 years he has averaged over 2000 points, very durable and consistent with a pretty good middle feeding him – why not again?
    I understand dunkley, whitfield and coniglio scoring potential, and pre-season will tell more….but interesting to me how many sides have so many recovering injury prone players included already? I was sort of thinking to limit that exposure in my team to maybe one or two total if no other viable options
    Just a thought – as i said, I don’t know much….

    8

    0
    1. Cuzza2, you have made a very good observation. I must admit to being one of the herd this year…there just seem to be so many ex premo players available at prices we would have laughed at years ago. But, we all do so at our peril, knowing what we are getting in for. The temptation of course is that 3-4 such players might allow one or even two additional premos to start with.
      I do like the Hawkins pick…only kpp I would consider up forward.

      7

      0
  34. Remaining Salary – $2,600 (make ur money work for u dawg)

    Backs
    Lloyd, Sicily, Day, Bowey, Kelly, Boyd
    (Wehr McDonagh)

    Mids
    Macrae, Oliver, Walsh, Neale, Crouch, (Jarrod) Berry, Goater, Clark
    (Valente, Johnson, Long)

    Rucks
    Gawn, Darcy
    (Hayes)

    Forwards
    Dunkley, De Goey, Thomas, Butters, Coniglio, Hollands
    (Pedlar, Philp)

    Some notes
    – I take the approach to mid-pricers that they do not have to become premos to be valuable, but rather only need to outscore their price. The whole game is about $ to points ratio, and if you can get a 85 average for a 75 price then its a win. This is especially true for defenders, where there’s always a glut of players who can be relied on to stably improve from year to year and not really hurt if you take a risk and pick them, because there are plenty of side-trade options.

    – I also do *not* trust or rate any of the uber premo backs other than Lloyd this year and have avoided accordingly. Day is, annoyingly, really good and Bowey is new Caleb Daniel book it.

    – I think the meta of 4 uber premos plus Neale is missing value. Crouch is outstanding in his consistency and Berry’s price is absurd for someone who averaged 97(!!!) in 2020.

    – It seems that De Goey, somehow, is not going to miss actual games of footy, which is mind-blowing but also means he probably has to be selected everywhere. The forward line this year is actually pretty fun and love not having to start a no-name small forward who will almost certainly average sub-30 for once.

    1

    3
    1. Based.

      I like the way you think, But SC is not the same as Fantasy.

      You get limited trades, and the goal is to have as many top players on each line. We really want at least 4-5 of the top defenders and Forwards. Two of the top 2-3 Rucks and as many of the 115 scoring Mids ( at least 7 ) as possible. Unfortunately we just don’t have the luxury of carrying too many Midpricers.
      Also every Midpricer that you start takes the place of a potential money making Rookie.
      While you have two mid pricers scoring 80’s others have a Premium ( 95-115 ) and rookie (50-60 ) scoring similar points but their rookie is making enough cash to justify a trade while your Midpricers are very unlikely to do the same.

      So..

      Even if you start a 75 point defender and they score 85 you are still at least 10-25 points shy of a ” Keeper” this means they cost you a trade later in the season. That seems fine but…

      From around Round 6 to post byes ( R 15) its upgrade season.
      This is when others are adding Premium players almost weekly.
      If you’re not doing the same, then you are falling behind the pack.
      So you’re basically forced to keep those mid pricers until much later in the season than you had hoped, or trade them but miss out on a precious upgrade.

      Also we generally value a trade at around $150K so unless the mid pricer is likely to make that cash, then they are costing you money to trade. Making their
      “Cheap ” starting price actually a lot more expensive.

      Basically any Midpricer over about $350K needs to be a keeper. If you start Day you need him to finish at worst with a 95 average. I know he has talent but we don’t even know his role yet. Expecting such a sharp rise in scoring is very ambitious. Especially in a side expected to finish bottom 6.

      Also on M Crouch a simple google search will tell you he went for more surgery on his groin late October last year. He is still unable to run consistently and is still struggling for fitness. With Adelaide rebuilding there’s no way they rush Crouch back until he is fully fit. The chances of him being ready R1 are very slim in my book.

      I’m a little more confident about Jarrod Berry, his price makes him a legit stepping stone option. The one thing to consider is his 95 year was Corona Ball. The shorter qtrs surely helped this score and I wouldn’t expect him to get straight back there, after missing so much footy last year.Will he go straight back in the midfield ? One to watch in the preseason

      Lastly Rookies determine structure and are the key to SC
      Their cash growth and ability to score decent points for their price makes or breaks your year. You need to start players like Daicos. History shows players of his pedigree ( Walsh 2020 was a prime example ) are the most likely to score decent points and make the cash required to be worth trading.

      Miss them and your season is over before it began.

      I would want at least $30K-$60K in the bank so you have the flexibility to get in the best rookies that start R1 without having to drop a Premium player.

      By all means start a couple of Midpricers if they fit the criteria I mentioned .

      Just don’t do it at the expense of the best rookies.

      Good luck and happy planning.

      13

      0
      1. FT – brilliant summary that encapsulates the basics of how to play SuperCoach. Also made me RE-think a couple of my picks.
        Cheers….M.

        4

        0
  35. So with Jack Darling throwing away his AFL career I wonder if this throws up an interesting 3rd ruck line option since his backup is Bailey J Williams (215k R/F)

    Going R1 Premo (Grundy/Darcy/Gawn/NicNat) + CCJ (R/F 360k) + Williams (R/F 215k)

    Then a premium R/F in the forwards to act as cover (English/McEvoy/Wright/Jackson)

    1

    1
    1. Another interesting option might be pairing Gawn + Jackson. If you are so worried about them stealing points from the other treat them as one player. If You think Jackson + Gawn is worth 1M aka 220 points a game then maybe it’s worth hedging with both

      2

      1
      1. Jackson is chance to add another 20 points to his average if he gets more time in the guts. That third quarter in the GF gave a great insight into his ability to influence a game…breakout year looming…

        …if Maxy creeps up forward and bags a few goals or sits back a kick behind the play around the ground grabbing a few marks he might be able to hold his point scoring even with the Jackson factor

        220 points between them a match is certainly a possibility imo

        2

        0
        1. Could be an interesting POD as well since most will have Grundy/Darcy/Hayes

          Melbourne is too good not to score lots of points plus you can shift Jackson to F5/6 if things go bad or use him as a stepping stone to get to a ROB type and ditch a spluttering rookie

          1

          1
          1. Jackson is awkwardly priced but if given more time in CBA’s he may be a better forward option than Cogs or Gresham. He is not coming back from injury either….he maybe an F6 by seasons end….just need to find an extra 80-120k over those two initially

            0

            0
            1. Well if you start him at R2 your saving the difference between Darcy/Grundy aka about 200k. If you think Cogs will be a good money maker you could have both and put that money to good use elsewhere

              Say Rucks Max, Jax, (Hayes/lynch) then a cheap R/F rookie to allow you to shuffle things around

              1

              0
              1. Suppose it’s what would you rather in your starting R1/R2

                TU Darcy, Grundy, 230 points
                TD Gawn, Jackson (eventual F6), +200k 190-200.

                Gawn+Jackson is worse value in a points per $ sense but if that 200k gets you something that evens the equation out there then the extra cover and Max Gawn POD vs top player consensus Darcy/Grundy/Hayes then it’s an interesting choice

                1

                0
  36. ….which is the better midfield to kick off the season?

    TU: Macrae, Steele, Touk, Oliver, Neale, JHF, Daicos, Ward (will mean 7 on field rookies)

    TD: Macrae, Steele, Petracca, Mitchell, Neale, J.Berry, JHF, Daicos, (will mean 6 on field rookies)

    Thinking I might be able to pick up Touk and Oliver for a little cheaper at some point later in the season. Will probably opt for cheaper rookies in the MF should some emerge preseason.

    4

    4
  37. My Team 2022
    First I like one or two different players with less than 5 % ownage so take that into account when browsing this team:

    BACKS:
    Lloyd, Rich, Crisp, Sinn, Kelly, Thompson (Gould, Dean)
    not much in the rookie department here…may need 4th premium??

    MIDS:
    Steele, Oliver, Walsh, Parish, Hopper, Constable, Johnson, Clark ( Goater, Valente, Taylor)
    Hopper on the way up should break 100avg and constable instead of Daicos and Horne-Francis for a bit of a POD.

    RUCKS:
    Grundy, McInerney ( Comben)
    Big O number one ruck and improving year on year….105+ avg from him?

    FORWARDS:
    Dunkley, Duncan, Butters, Rosas, Smith, Motlop (Hollands Winder)
    No idea about rookies on this line yet.

    REMAINING BUDGET: $255,400

    Thoughts on this please 🙂

    1

    4
    1. Oh no, Antinho. Don’t start Hopper.

      Just SC irrelevant as he’s nowhere near close to reaching Top 8. Nor should you be either/or-ing with rookies. If they’re going to have good JS and make cash start them, so it’s not a matter of “Constable instead of JHF and Daicos”. If they all look the goods, they’re in.

      Replace Hopper with another uber premo and be prepared to grab whichever rookies necessary. At this stage, Daicos should be a lock just on the MID rotations he’ll get, JHF slated for a 70:30 FWD/MID so he needs to pass the eye test and need confirmation on Constable’s JS and role (word is he was training at HB the other day).

      On a positive note, I REALLY like a several of your selections. Rich, Crisp, Parish and the Big O all very nice.

      Also, just on a strategy point, you mentioned that you liked players below 5% ownership. That really shouldn’t be in your criteria for starting premos. A POD is useless if they’re getting put away on points. Eg. Hopper will be in less than 1% of teams, sure, but for 100-150k more you can get someone who will put him away by 20-25 ppg on average. PODs should be players who can match/exceed the points of similarly priced players and therein lies the value, no point grabbing a POD for the sake of a POD. One last thing, 250k ITB is waaay too much. Gotta get that cash into your team and on the field.

      Hope the feedback helps. Your team’s still got good bones. Good luck.

      7

      0
  38. With major player news this week, DeGoose and Darling in particular, I’ve been discussing my team with Dad over a case of 74 Grange, and have come up with this.

    Lloyd Ridley Whitfield Sicily Kelly McDonagh (Bergmann Dean)

    Bont Walsh Trac Neale Caldwell JHF N Daicos Clark (N Long Uwland Parker)

    Goldy Lynch (Benning)

    Dusty Treloar DeGoose Thomas Heeney Cogs (B Williams Hollands)

    Backs reasonably settled with 4 Keepers. McDonagh most likely rookie to start, but all four up for grabs.

    Mids only have four keepers, but great cash generation potential. Caldwell a little speculative but if he gets a run at it, his contested ball should see him at 80 ppg or a rise of $160-$170k…pts and cash !!! Other rookies up for grabs….Long a c loop option.

    Rucks are the weak spot but could be the difference too. Goldy is Goldy and can still be a stepping stone later in the year. Lynch was stiff to be at Pies behind Grundy, and with Ceglar leaving Hawks and Big Boy nearing the end, reckon he gets a good look at it. Benning a c loop option and works with B Williams as r/f.

    Forwards are almost set and forget. Reckon Dusty has a lot to play for this year after losing his Dad. Thomas set for break out, Treloar an injury risk admittedly. Cogs a stepping stone. DeGoose just has to go big now he’s back in the fold. B Williams is now a big chance to get good game time with Darling out it would seem. He performed well in tandem with Nicnat and with Benning, has dpp for cover. Six fwds have mid dpp.

    $92.6 itb allows a bit of flexibility for a rookie that comes from the clouds.

    7

    11
  39. not too sure about rookies yet but here we go
    Lloyd, Stewart, Ridley (rookies)
    Macrae, Touk, Oliver, Walsh, Neale, JHF, Daicos, Hobbs (rookies)
    NicNat, Mcinerney (Hayes)
    Dunkley, Danger, Thomas, D Rioli, Cognilio, MacDonald (rookies)

    backs pretty stock standard
    midfielders gotta get the big dogs and still space for upgrade breakouts
    rucks no darcy he looks too fragile for me, might even switch from NN to grundy
    really like the look of rioli at halfback end of last year, especially with houli gone, have to see in preseason tho.
    feedback greatly appreciated

    2

    0
    1. Hey, TT.

      Great team, but I wouldn’t start Stewart. Will be returning from that lisfranc injury, easily reaggravated. Maybe a upgrade target but not a starter for me.

      Love your no expense spared MIDs and your ruck combo btw.

      Good luck.

      4

      0
  40. hey guys,

    what is everybody’s thoughts on the structure for this year.

    I’ve seen most teams only have 3 premiums in defence, 5 in midfield and 2 forward + a midpricer and two premium rucks.

    I personally feel that this structure leaves too many rookies in both the defence and forward lines.

    I personally know little to nothing about the rookies this year, but from what I can tell majority of the best rookies are in the midfield with less rookies in the other lines.

    my current team with a 4/4/2/3+ mid pricer team.

    Def: Lloyd, hall, ridley, dale, aleer, o’driscoll, (skinner, gould)

    mid: macrae, steele, mitchell, neale, JHF, daicos, ward, clark

    ruc: darcy, grundy (hayes)

    fwd: dunkley, bailey, heeney, rayner, maginnes, hollands (kelly, long)

    thoughts?

    5

    0
    1. nice structure…I don’t have JHF and Ward atm as I’m thinking they may spend more time in the FWD line than in the midfield thus impacting scoring and price increases

      1

      0
    2. I just worry about only one forward premium ;It seems risky midpricers like Bailey Heeney and Rayner will need to be replaced at some stage.

      0

      0
      1. who would you have as your top 6 fwds then??
        for me
        1. dunkley
        2.taranto
        3.duncan
        4.butters (I replaced for bailey)
        5.de goey
        6. heeney

        then players like bailey, thomas, dusty are round the mark.

        that means that i would have closer to 3 premium forwards

        1

        0
  41. Updated addition of Holy Cow’s lineup, despite GD insisting I leave it the same:

    DEFENCE:
    Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Aleer, De Koning, Skinner (McDonagh, Dean)

    MIDFIELDERS:
    Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Neale, Daicos, Ward, Clark (Sheldrick, Stevens, Johnson)

    RUCKS:
    Darcy, Grundy (Hayes)

    FORWARDS:
    Dunkley, Thomas, Butters, Coniglio, Smith, Hollands (Motlop, Long)

    Players I have my eye on that are not currently in the team include Whitfield and Horne-Francis.

    8

    0
    1. Only insisted you sit on your previous one because it was so good lol!

      This one is also a banger.

      I’m also starting Lloyd, Hall & Ridley. Looking like the go-to trifecta down back. Lloyd and Hall just the clear D1 & D2 and hoping Kelly’s arrival frees up Riddles as a pure interceptor instead of getting stuck on opposition smalls.

      4

      0
      1. Can’t resist De Goey after you inspired me to check his numbers. Post-bye last season he averaged 110. He has resumed training with Collingwood, right? Will be interesting to see how he goes during the preseason matches. Also want to keep an eye on Treloar.

        2

        0
  42. Gidday Coaches.

    Back for another year of trials and tribulations and if like last year then add trauma as well.

    Here is my rough draft of my team:

    Def – Whitfield, Ridley, Hall, Hewitt, Aleer & Dean (Wilmot & Gould)

    Mids – Steele, The Bont, Neale, Danger, Rowell, JFH, Daicos & J Berry (Johnson, Knevitt & Clark)

    Ruck – Darcy and Grundy (Comben)

    Forw – Duncan, Martin, Butter, Coniglio, Pedlar and Motlop (Kelly & Hollands)

    Bank $34,100

    Defenders – I see Ridley being better than last year. Hall just accumulates points and Whitfield is underpriced. Surely we see Will Gould this year – surely.!

    Mids – Steele and the Bont are no brainers as much for captaincy options. Providing Danger has full preseason rumour has it more midfield time. Can’t go past JHF or Daicos. Berry could easily be Constable or Brodie). Rowell has tremendous upside but watching his preseason.

    Rucks – I reckon Darcy and Grundy will be top 2. As usual I will struggle for rucks thru the round 14 bye.

    Forwards – Not convinced by Duncan (or Dunkley). I reckon Martin will be highly motivated and Butters for a breakout year. Coniglio worth the gamble at that price – another preseason watch.

    Any and all feedback is welcome.

    3

    3
  43. 2022 Supercoach season has been launched.
    We have been allocated a total of 35 trades for the season
    Still only able to use max 2 per week except bye rounds then it is a max 3 per bye round.
    Assuming that the extra 5 trades have been provided to cover for Covid contingencies.

    6

    1
    1. Not quite right Malcom…5 times during the year you can use one extra trade, if needed. So it is possible to use 4 per week during all 3 bye rounds.

      1

      0
  44. Hi Gumboot

    Love the site, it’s great to see so many serious SC players.

    Any thought to inviting players to a serious league, all competitive, no flogs.

    Await your thoughts and from others interested.

    Regards
    Gilly

    1

    0
    1. Gilly, watch this space for competitive leagues as we get closer to the season……some I cant even crack into !! LOL

      1

      0
  45. Positional changes are really gonna cause carnage in the forward line.

    Might make Gawn a must have starter if the emergence of Jackson sees him play more Forward line minutes.

    2

    0
    1. the new rule changes for the dpp is gonna completely change the forward line.

      players like butters, heeney, thomas and more probably wont be close to the top 6 with players like gawn, fyfe, dangerfield, marshall and more probably playing forward and changing them to forwards.

      I think the play is to aim for guys that are gonna go at that 100+ average.

      7

      0
      1. Bontempelli FWD/MID DPP at some stage? You are spot on HH. I am thinking I will only run with two premium forwards in Dunkley and De Goey alongside Coniglio going into round 1, pending on what rookies are available. That leaves room for the players you mentioned. My understanding is there will be multiple occasions of players gaining DPP status. I wonder how often this will happen.

        3

        0
    2. Hi all,

      New to the chat – never knew it existed before about a month ago – you lot are awesome!

      Agree with you JSG on Gawn – I’ll still have him even if he doesn’t move forward.

      Further, for everyone bullish on Darcy, consider his stats against opponents for the first four rounds, and what his price might be when he lines up to feast on the Bombers in round 5 and Blues in R6: (R1 – Crows – high 105, low 68, avg 86), (R2 – Saints – high 99, low 49, avg 73.8), (R3 – Nic Nat – much better high of 150, but low of 32, and avg 80), (R4 – Giants – high 91, low 54, avg69.7).

      After all that he probably drops 100k, you’ll know what kind of shape his injury prone body is in, the shackles are off and then he’s chomping SC points like Pacman.

      I see a similar story for the other premium ruck options in the first four rounds, except for Gawn, Grundy, Goldy, and Hickey. With 35 trades up your sleeve, it might pay to either play a straight bat with these options, or look for an early round cash cow like Preuss, Witts, or Reeves and reassess leading into R5.

      Anyway, how’s this team looking to the SCC brains trust?

      DEF
      Lloyd, Hall, Ridley
      Chesser, O’Driscoll, McDonagh
      Bench – Aleer, Gould

      MIDS
      Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell,
      Neale, JHF, Daicos, G. Clark
      Bench – Erasmus, Knevitt, Goater

      RUC
      Gawn, Grundy, Hayes

      FWD
      Taranto, Thomas, Gresham,
      Cogs, Rachele, Hollands
      Bench – Motlop, Long (C loop)

      On Taranto: agree with sentiments on the risk of him dropping in price early rounds, due to being fwd cover for the perpetually ill-disciplined Greene, but he plays 22 rounds and will avg 100. Versus what else is on offer, I’ll set and forget that.

      – Can’t have Dunkley (who is one of my favourites)- dodgy body.
      – Can’t have Duncan for the same reason – body is as soft as a pillow and the older he gets, the easier it breaks.
      – Dusty seems cooked on account he can’t stand up to getting banged around any more
      – Same deal for Gresham and Cogs, but they’re both gun players when fit, so solid early round cash cow options at the price, and there’s always the chance one of them plays the bulk of the season. Much better price advantage that the injury prone premium options.

      Neale is a worry on that front too, but again with 35 trades, he’s worth the risk on how his form stack up against his first three opponents. There is no doubt he’ll get bashed around in rounds 4 through 7, and I want to take Dangers instead, but his body is equally dodgy, so crossing my fingers that the little squib can grit his teeth and get through that period.

      9

      0
      1. I have a very similar team atm…just one less premium mid….what’s your thoughts on an initial FWD line of Hawkins, De Goey, Heeney and Bailey…all played 20+ games last season…

        1

        1
        1. Solid forward line on potential ceiling numbers. You have to respect any player who grinds out 20 games in the season and scores well, but for SC, I agree with most people’s reservations on the likely frequency of floor number visitations by Heeney and the big Hawk.

          The other two will undoubtedly be in the top 8 forwards if they secure midfield rotation roles.

          1

          0
          1. Fair points re Hawk and Heeney…you never really know what they will bring each week SC wise…will be watching De Goey (who has an incentive to have a big year) and Bailey who is about the right age and experience to breakout…

            My other FWD line option atm is to go Taranto, De Goey, Bailey, Gresham and Cogs.

            Have 36 ITB left if needed

            1

            0
      2. WW.

        My thought on Darcy.

        1: I wouldn’t read too much into his lowest scores. He started getting games very young ( under Ross Lyon) and mainly as the back up. This means he spent a heap of time forward and Freo aren’t known for their huge scoring particularly under Ross.

        2: We are picking Darcy based on what he can do for the whole year. Yes there’s a chance he is cheaper Round 5, but that early there’s very little chance you will be able to afford him even at that lower price.( if that eventuates ) Most of our initial Premo’s will be cheaper at some stage during the year. It’s just the way pricing works. I will explain later.*
        This is to allow for the rising of rookie prices. All SC players drop in price as the season progresses even if they maintain their exact same average.

        For this reason. If you believe a player can end up in the top of their position it’s better to start them and just ride the price changes as you never know if you will be ready to trade them in when they bottom out.

        Just a quick side note ..The extra trades given this year may slightly change how we think about this . Although as a conservative player, I would rather use them for their intended purpose of covering COVID outs, than rely on them for other tactics.

        *On price changes…Its all based on the magic number.

        This year the magic number is approx $5445.

        This will drop gradually as the year progress, by the end of the season its usual closer to 5000.

        So you multiply any players average by the magic number, and you will get ( pretty much ) their price. There are some exceptions as players receive discounts based on how may games they missed due to injury. EG Cogs averaged 60 and would normally be about $326K. He received a 20% discount that brings him down to $261.300.

        I hope this helps you in some way.

        Cheers FT.

        4

        0
    3. Can players lose DPP during season? For example, Treloar is currently DPP – could he be Mid only after SC does it’s position review?

      0

      4
      1. Very good question which should be put to SC and CD…Treloar is a great example. We could otherwise end up with 10-12 gun f/m’s.

        If a mid can gain fwd status, why can’t a fwd lose mid status ?

        0

        0
        1. Wighty, Because CD have been running the dpp changes rules for YEARS in AFL Fantasy and have never removed a DPP because it creates non viable teams where coaches cannot field players based on dpp loses.

          0

          0
  46. Thought for the day……(yes it’s been a long day….)……

    Have we really checked (assessed) why player’s stats have changed around bye time???? ie could it be; injuries, weaker opposition etc.? ref maybe: check Titch, Degoose (love it FOSOW) and others before we praise or condemn………

    1

    0
    1. For De Goey, it was largely a positional change (going into the midfield) that saw his average spike to 110 post-bye. Mitchell’s can’t be explained by opposition- he played 7/11 games post bye against top 8 sides. Probably just comes down to Hawthorn’s relative improvement in form post-bye (along with Mitchell regaining his own form and confidence after breaking his leg).

      1

      0
      1. Fair points, but who was MIA for Hawthorn and now back this year……less responsibility and authority now…..

        …..and DeGoose this year, what awaits……???

        1

        0
  47. thoughts on my current forward line.

    Dunkley, Duncan, Rayner, Coniglio, curnow, hollands.

    I think this team has the two best forwards if fit, with Rayner coniglio and curnow probably being an easy stepping stone towards a new dpp later in the season.

    another foward line i have been playing around with is
    Dunkley, Degoey, Bailey, Rayner, pedlar, hollands.

    However, i dont think this side is quite as good.

    1

    0
    1. All 9 players you have listed could be great picks. My concern is that the new DPP rule that was announced today, whereby players can gain DPP status at certain intervals during the season, will result in an influx of premium ruck/fowards and mid/forwards. Gun mids and rucks that are likely rested up forward for periods of time (like Gawn, Fyfe, Dangerfield, Marshall, Bontempelli) + midfielders who have potentially ongoing high-half forward roles like Josh Kelly) could all become forward eligible at some point during the SuperCoach season. This could push the benchmark for top 6 forward status up to around 100-110 PPG. I am interested to hear what more expert coaches have to say than me, but I am thinking this could mean we start light-on with premium forwards and go deeper in other lines initially, permitting there are enough forward rookies available.

      1

      0
      1. 4/4/2/3 seems to have been the right structure before the new DPP rules.

        I think the extra trades are going to make going with a few more mid pricers at the 250-300 range that can make you 150K and being within jumping distance get to a 600K+ player that you will need a few extra of this year might be the way to go

        2

        0
  48. Here’s my team

    DEF: Lloyd, Stewart, Whitfield, Sicily, Darcy, Sinn (O’Driscoll, Brock)

    MID: Macrae, Oliver, Mills, Neale, Gresham, JHF, Daicos, Goater (Cory Warner, Nankervis, O’Hara)

    RUC: Gawn, Grundy (Hayes)

    FWD: Dunkley, Butters, Heeney, Coniglio, W.Kelly, Hollands (M.Rioli, Motlop)

    Thought I’d go big in the ruck with two guys that are super consistent and obvious choices. Same in midfield with Macrae and Oliver being locks for me. Mills and Neale are two extremely consistent players that can get tons every week. An obvious yet risky bargain in Gresham, injury history now but quality player for cheap price. Obvious rookie choices in Daicos and JHF. Forward line is a bit weak again this year, no options jump out at me. Dunkley is a decent price and also dual position. Heeney I am hearing will get more midfield time so hopefully that improves his scores or at least makes them more consistent and at 450k it’s not a huge risk considering he has potential to get 10 tons a season minimum. Butters and Coniglio are obvious ones too.
    In defence I always love having Lloyd and Stewart in there because they are super consistent. Whitfield is always a dodgy one for me but with his dual position option its always fixable should it go wrong. Sicily is a risk but one worth taking at 450k. Hopefully those rookies come in handy too

    Let me know what you guys think.

    2

    1
  49. With 5 extra trades to use I’m a bit more inclined to go a cash cow at R2 and wait for one of the premos to drop in price before getting them in. Grundy and Gawn at times tend to start a bit slower before hitting their straps so they will an early upgrade target. Going Preuss at R2 allows me to go deeper in the midfield and forward line. Keen to hear thoughts on this lineup.

    DEF: Lloyd, Hall, Crisp, Sinn, Wilmot, De Koning (O’Driscoll, Bazzo)

    MID: Steele, Oliver, Walsh, Parish, Neale, Cogs, N Daicos, Ward (Valente, Walker, Serong)

    RUC: Darcy, Preuss (Akuei)

    FWD: Dunkley, Duncan, De Goey, Butters, Hollands, Kelly (Pedlar, Parker)

    $17,800 itb.

    1

    4
    1. Preuss a huge risk at R2, GKMC.

      Not yet confirmed he’ll get the #1 ruck role, at this stage there’s talk of a 1-2 combo. Remember Flynn and Briggs worked alright for them last year and Mumford could technically return through some rookie SSP wizardry.

      I’ve got him at R3 for now. Not sold on him as the #1 ruck just yet nor as an on field option.

      Rest of your side is great however – no Macrae though?

      2

      0
      1. Cheers for the feedback GD. I keep going back and forth on Preuss @ R2 but after the points you’ve made will pass I think. I had another look after posting and also couldn’t justify keeping Macrae out. Cleared my team and started over with a select few premos who are untouchable, Macrae being one of them. Will work around them and post my next version of my team soon…

        2

        0
        1. Nice, GKMC.

          Preuss at R2 would be sweet, but who knows GWS’ deal is.

          FT has his GWS Preview coming out soon which gets stuck into Preuss, sure it will generate some discussion.

          Good luck drafting. Early days.

          1

          0
  50. I don’t have an AFL background, but I played aussie rules and followed the VFL as a young kid, only returning to following the AFL about 12 years ago. I started playing SC (quite poorly to date) to help understand how a player’s contribution is valued, to help my appreciation for how coaches think, and to better understand how player salaries are structured by AFL clubs, etc.

    I’m left wondering why SC doesn’t score the full suite of player involvements that it seems it should, and if any of you can share perspective on these few examples: –

    1. Defenders spoiling – it’s a critical part of a team’s game, and players that do it well aren’t rewarded in SC. Similar to disposals, you can have spoils to advantage or even significant advantage, and spoil clangers, where the defender should have marked but ends-up gifting a goal, or where the defender was in a good position to spoil but either glances the ball or gets out-muscled and the mark is taken in front of goal. You also have strategic spoils where the defender forces a stoppage that allows an outnumbered defence to regroup. Seems a shame to leave these acts out of player scoring. If I’m a coach in the box and one of my defenders saves a certain or probable goal by shutting a play down when we were outnumbered and under the gun, he’s getting a big pat on the back for that come video review on Monday. Especially if we win the clearance and the ball goes back on the attack.

    2. Sheppard to advantage – especially when it’s a goal assist act, or gets the ball out of the defensive 50 to a mark when you’re under the pump. We see pressure acts rewarded in SC, but why not these acts? As a coach in other sports, this off the ball stuff can make a play, and some players do it selflessly with great regularity, yet SC only rewards the direct ball disposals. Love the SC goal assist points when a selfless player hands-off a goal, but how come it doesn’t work off the ball as well?

    3. I really value how SC only rewards effective disposal, but punishes ineffective disposals and/or clangers. But, wouldn’t it make sense to give bonus points for extraordinary disposals, for example the Eddie Betts type hard-ball get trickery on the sideline that results in an extremely unlikely goal, or the bullocking pack crashing ball get and handball to clear space advantage, when it looked like there was no way forward (e.g. Dangers and Hodge style). It seems silly to assign these types of plays with the same points value as a seagull chip disposal. I know we have the matter of contested versus uncontested possessions, but does the SC scoring system sufficiently cover the weighted scaling of disposals when you look at it this way? It seems to in clearances, but is it the case in general play?

    By no means complaints, these are just a few questions I frequently ponder due to my lack of comparative history with the game and its traditions, and I’m wondering what you all think about them?

    3

    0
    1. WW, love your contribution…keep them coming. While there is merit in what you say, would it be possible for CD to monitor these additions, and the possibility that some of them would have several different degrees of merit. On this site, there are often discussions about pts given or not given to a particular player…I don’t think we need to complicate it any further.
      The things you talk about are highly valued at club level which is why there are often some smokeys in the top five in those awards, but SC is another story !!

      4

      0
      1. WW.

        Welcome to SCT.

        I love these questions. What you are describing is the real “grey area ” of SC.

        On some of your points…

        1: What your describing would most likely to be described as 1% ers
        SC does give points for theses kinds of acts ,it’s just really hard to get a handle on how many and how often. You will often see defenders with low possession counts that should be easy to work out their SC scoring have extra points added for spoils and defensive “wins” These often don’t match their official possession tally. Harris Andrews is a classic example. Try and match his possession count and score. you will find he is often “gifted ” points for these 1%ers..

        2: I agree we should reward off the ball stuff as well. The problem here is it’s very subjective. When collecting stats we need a very rigid formula to help structure when points are given. You may say a player “wouldn’t of scored without that Shepard.” I may see it differently. I’m sure clubs keep tabs on these things, I’m just unsure how an independent organisation like champion data can stay objective when these “acts” are concerned.

        3: What you describing here is often done as “scaling” Often at the end of qtrs or more so post games, players scores can change considerably based on such “clutch “moments. Players have been known to score> 20 points for a single goal if it decides a game in the last few minutes. Bontempelli is often referred to as ” Champion data’s Darling” His ability to change a game at opportune times is often very well rewarded when it comes to “scaling” He can often score 130+ with similar stats to a guy that scored only 90. This is due to the affect on the game he has with each stat, as well as points for score involvements that retake the lead or kick start a fight back. Although this also seems quite subjective, It does happen.
        On the flip side, a really bad “clanger” that results in a last minute loss, often sees players scores drop by a heap more than they usual minus 4.

        Scaling is a big talking point around here once the season starts. It’s not uncommon for people to be leading a close match up post game Sunday night, only to have their opponents score scaled up and end up losing.

        Just another thing that’s makes SC such an interesting game to play.

        Cheers FT.

        3

        0
  51. I’ve tried to balance out the team this year, but have left a lot more room than usual in the midfield area – just too many elite mid rookies.

    DEF: Lloyd, Hall, Whitfield, Sicily, Sinn, Skinner (Dean, Uwland)
    MID: Macrae, Oliver, Titch, *Dangerfield*, Neale, JHF, Daicos, Ward (Hobbs, Johnson, Clark)
    RUC: Grundy, ‘Witts’ (Hayes)
    FWD: Dunkley, Duncan, Gresham, Coniglio, Amiss, Hollands (Long, Parker).

    *Included Dangerfield with the new DPP rules that means he will likely switch to a forward at some point in the season, where I’m pretty sure he will finish Top 6 if he remains somewhat healthy.

    ” I’ve given Witts a go this year after a hefty price slash after his knee injury last year. He has historically averaged around the 90 mark, so hopefully he can generate some cash until Gawn’s DPP changes to RUC/FWD as Jackson develops, at which point I will make the swap. Witts edges out Preuss for me as there is a larger sample size of his production, and I don’t think Chol sees as much ruck minutes as Flynn.

    Let me you know what you guys think.

    5

    0
    1. Fozza.

      Nice team with a few real PODS.

      I don’t mind Witts as a cheaper ruck alternative but I would add I think you need Hayes playing just in case.

      My only real concern is the overall injury profile of the whole team.
      Whitfield is Whitfield.
      Duncan and Danger aren’t getting any younger and both missed chunks of last year. Witts, Sicily and Gresh are cheap and I can see the appeal. They all do pose risk after coming off serious injuries.
      35 trades may help a bit but..
      In would sleep better at night with a few of these swapped out for more durable options.

      Happy planning.

      1

      0
  52. First Draft. Caps are keepers. * denotes Crisp as a keeper in alternate position (defence). Cogs could pull that off as a forward but unlikely I think.

    Def: LLOYD DAWSON WHITFIELD SICILY Milera O’Driscoll (Kelly Gould)
    Mid: TITCH CRISP* NEALE CROUCH Cogs Horne-Francis F.Macrae Daicos (Valente Stephens Roberts)
    Ruck: GRUNDY Witts (Preuss)
    Fwd: DUNKS THOMAS HEENEY BUTTERS Rayner Hollands (Skinner Rioli)

    23k left

    1

    5
    1. Will be amending Crouch based on injury update. Probably Milera and Crouch out to Sinn and a premo.

      2

      1
    2. Take 2

      Def: Lloyd Dawson Whitfield Sicily Sinn O’Driscoll (Kelly Gould)
      Mid: Steele Titch Crisp Neale Cogs JHF Daicos Hobbs (Valente Roberts Long)
      Ruck: Grundy Witts (Preuss)
      Fwd: Dunkley Thomas Heeney Butters Rayner Hollands (Skinner Rioli)

      3

      4
      1. Don’t love the heavy forward line. With DPP swaps happening over the course of the season it seems better to keep the forward line wide open. I was very keen to go forward heavy but with the rule change keeping it light and waiting on who gets DPP over the course of the season seems wiser

        0

        2
        1. JSG

          I do agree with the way you’re thinking ,I’m just unsure if we will see as many changes as you may think.

          Usually it takes a midfielder a fair bit of Starting Forward time before a player is even considered for M/F dpp.

          I think they are bringing in this rule to allow for players like Hall and Zeibell last year. Although they started as Forwards they played almost exclusively down back. I believe these rules were bought in to allow SC to change their status to Forward / Defender status, this would more truely affect their full time role. This would also give more options to cover COVID outs.

          I honestly can’t see Gawn given dual position status unless he spends more than 50% time starting Forward ( unlikely you would think ).

          I’m honestly not expecting a whole host of changes unless we are severely affected by COVID. I just think they are giving themselves room to keep people interested if need be.

          Its really hard to plan for these things so I wouldn’t want to rely on these types of outcomes.

          Just my 2 cents anyway.

          Happy Planning.

          9

          0
          1. IIRC it’s to do with playing position at centre bounce. So if you are int eh forward 50 when the bounce/ball up occurs more than 35% of the time.

            This makes gaining dpp for a #1 ruck even harder than other positions, since you’re usually on the ground as #1 or resting on the bench.

            Gawn might be one of those few exceptions who may get it, but it’s going to be a hard ask to gain dpp for a ruck.

            3

            2
          2. I 100% agree that it’s impossible to plan on these outcomes in terms of specific players ie Will Gawn/Marshall/Bont/Trac be forwards at years end

            However I also think it’s prudent to acknowledge that a 90ppg average scorer won’t be a top 10 forward like they have been in the past and that makes loading up of players costing 450k (aka premium prices) that you do t think will rise to that 105- 110 average a way to start behind the curve.

            Most of the interesting breakout forward options are in that 450 range so I think there’s increased risk starting there

            2

            0
            1. I think when you look at what Tarryn Thomas did at the end of last season, or what Butters did before injury then you see them as pretty reasonable breakout options.

              Heeney is definitely the biggest risk in there, not because of talent but injury. He will play midfield this year too, which in theory might reduce the ankle injury risk, as most clubs blood their young midfield recruits as fwd/mid or def/mid as they don’t have the mass and strength yet to mix it with the Paddy Cripps types. Without the high marking efforts Heeney’s risk profile should significantly improve, as should his scoring with more mid time. Even with injuries Heeney still scores pretty well and doesn’t miss much game time. That’s my reasoning anyway.

              Dunkley’s return form injury was just plain ordinary, but his 129 average before it was not. To be brutally honest Dunkley should have found a new club by now in the same way Titch had to, because it’s clear that the Doggies don’t value him the way they should. The 129 point Dunkley is a lot of upside at a huge discount.

              None of these guys are gonna drop a great deal of coin from their price, and all of them have HUGE upside potential.

              Underpriced players always come with risk versus reward assessments.

              2

              1
        2. Thanks for the feedback.

          It is a good thing to consider but the hurdle of 35% time for DPP is a bit harder for players to achieve than you’d think based on past Fantasy results. There are usually only a handful of players who gain dpp at a time, and it doesn’t kick in until upgrade season is already in force.

          Also, DPP *is* a two way street. Heeney and Butters will probably gain DPP, maybe Rayner too, which will help for injuries, covid isolations and even the byes.

          3

          1
  53. Seeing alot of solid sides being downvoted alot and no idea why… no feedback given either… standards must be high this year … or maybe people are just taking the p*ss

    6

    5
    1. People are very hung up on having 2 premo rucks. if you don’t have them you’re getting downvoted

      4

      0
      1. JSG

        There is actually a reason most folks prefer to set and forget rucks. I think its probably more important than ever going into what will be a COVID affected year. We only get one reserve in the Ruck line and there’s absolutely no way we can be sure that they even play every week. This makes picking a speculative or injury prone R2 a very risky move.

        Most of the coaches on this site have played several seasons of SC and learnt for themselves the perils of not starting two solid Rucks. You don’t have to pick the most expensive guys but JS and durability are naturally highly sort after.

        Its never nice getting lots of thumbs down , but we are honestly just trying to help in the best way can.

        Cheers FT.

        10

        0
  54. For me its always about controlling risk…while the five extra trades does help, starting with six or seven players returning from injuries in what will most likely be a covid ravaged season may come back to haunt…

    3

    0
    1. Reducing risk usually guarantees a top 2% finish but it won’t put you in scope for the win.

      Historically the teams that win the comp involve a combination of risk and luck, but also they usually don’t end up with the “best” team.

      Instead they accumulate more points by ending up choosing wisely on underpriced players, then end up carrying 1 or 2 sub-premium players right through because with limited trades there is always bigger fish to fry due to injury, suspension or form.

      Not saying you should go out and aim to score an 85-90 point forward and keep them all season, but if you get them cheap enough and they end up not being an urgent trade out (looking at you Cogs) or maybe a 95 pointer (say Sicily) down back then I don’t think your season is over so long as you use the savings well.

      3

      2
      1. Totally agree HH.

        The exception to this rule is probably Mids and Rucks. Carrying a player underscoring the best by 10-20 points, can really be detrimental to your side unless you absolutely nail every other selection.

        Nice to have you back mate.

        4

        2
        1. I think also there is a real misunderstanding of dpp players.

          Every year we see comments like “you have to use Cogs (or Dunkley, or Taranto) as a forward” which completely ignore the point of that flexibility.

          We know that if you start with say Dunkley in your midfield he’s going to end up in your forward line once you start selling off rookies.

          Either you’ve put him in the midfield because with the cash you have you rated a forward rookie higher than a mid rookie, or you didn’t like the so called premium midfield options at 550k.

          If it’s the choice between hoping for two breakouts from sub premo midfielders, buying one uber premo and having a punt on a rookie with no preseason and minimal game time in the last 2 years, or taking two definite top 6’s or 8’s and using them in their alternative positions… well hello Dunks and Crisp as midfielders IMHO.

          At least that’s two premos locked away that you don’t have to trade to get in.

          Picking up underpriced breakout layers is much safer done with 20-20 hindsight too, especially when there’s usually early season injuries that can accommodate such a move.

          I get that it can be harder to get the cash for an uber premo mid, though. There is merit in the load up with uber premo mids because getting that level of cash mid season is just so hard.

          People are very quick to thumb down any alternative strategies to that whih they have chosen.

          2

          1
        2. Thanks FT it’s great to have some friendly comment. It does help offset the inevitable vindictive thumbs downs.

          We’ll see how long I can stick it out this year – I’ve made it to the end of season the last two years but at really low priority.

          Working crazy hours still, even worse than the last 2 years, AND doing massive renovations on a house you could stand inside and see sky.

          By massive hours I mean 24 days at workk in the last 25 if people think I’m just being a sook. With start and finish times around the clock.

          I’m sure somewhere along the line there will be late changes and I’ve had to lock in trades or captaincy to meet my work hours and enthusiasm will take a big hit at that point, as it has the last few years.

          I’m also thinking this year I may prioritize the “other” game because honestly I’ve thought in recent times the scoring in SC leaves a lot to be desired.

          It’s just so blatant some times it’s like they’re scoring an entirely different game than what we are watching. We’ll see how they go this year on that front. Some AFL rule interpretations may see Champion Data not quite so free to gift points to their chosen ones.

          Pity the other game has such a bad website though. Every year without fail it stuffs me around on late changes just because their website hosting is so shockingly bad.

          A few extra SC specific rule changes here have improved things a bit, especially on the lifestyle balance front. Hopefully that makes the game a bit easier to manage for not just me but a lot of people, and sees less people dropping out or at least reducing their involvement mid season. We’d all like to see that.

          4

          2
  55. Wighty,
    Just read the new rules update and can’t find where it says you must have a minimum of 4 Essendon players to be eligible to play Sledgers League…….what went wrong???? LOL

    1

    0
    1. Mate…my mail is that in a late pre-season announcement you will need 5 Bombers !!!

      Sledgers league is set up…I’ll announce the league when “join my league” post is up and running.

      0

      0
      1. you just have to select set up my leagues from last year Wighty and it will automatically email everyone that was in it last year ….

        0

        0
        1. Yes Macca, but there were some who didn’t enter into the spirit of things and need to be culled, so we start over. Don’t worry..you are safe…great sledger..lousy team !!

          0

          0
          1. oh you’ll keep Mr Wighty … the gloves are off already!!

            You can make it easy for yourself and get most back in that will beat you again, and just take out the ones you don’t want that re-register??

            Hmmmm, then again, for you I should re-phrase, you could just re-invite all from last year and take out all those who you know will beat you … OH, OK … yes I see, you might as well ask for a whole new league in that case!!!! *wink*

            1

            0
            1. Macca…if thats the best you can do…your place in the league is in jeopardy !!! LOL

              I tried the reset 2021 thingy with another league, but couldn’t get it to work…IT was never my thing.

              0

              1
                  1. I think you need to invest in your own winery!! I can put you in touch with a nice one in the Clare Valley …

                    0

                    0
                    1. Now Macca…you know this sledgers league has nothing to do with political correctness…a winery in an area named after a girl…..spare me !!

                      0

                      1
  56. Thanks FT & Wighty, greatly appreciated comments.

    FT, that all does make it interesting – particular thanks for your detailed descriptions – you make me feel like CD are in fact trying to match scoring to game impact, and to the stuff teams and coaches truly value.

    SC is fun to play, it gives extra interest to the entire weekend and season of footy, and I’m loving the way this community analyses investment value. Ripping stuff.

    3

    0
    1. Why thanks very much.

      I believe this “grey area” actually makes SC a much more entertaining game than the black and white of AFL fantasy, where points are awarded for ever stat with no regard for its effectiveness.

      Keep popping in over the next few months. We have a heap more content coming out , including more Team Previews and other great content like Rookie reviews etc.
      This can really help hone your side before round one.

      Cheers FT.

      6

      0
  57. Thoughts on the ruck situation?

    Darcy and Grundy still the go???

    I was thinking going marshall instead of Grundy, but what value does that really bring to my team, if he gets the DPP and I move him forward and have to get in Grundy.

    Would I not be better off staring Grundy and getting in Marshall when/if he gets the forward status

    7

    0
    1. I thinks so HH

      I have Grundy and Darcy ahead based on age demographic and the fact that they aren’t likely to have to share.

      Marshall Is an interesting prospect. The Saints now have the early Bye so having a playing Ruck R14 is very tempting. He is coming off that injury, so you would think he splits his time with Ryder. I can see them easing him in after such a serious injury last year. This could means he spends more time forward.

      He is definitely an upgrade target, particularly if he gets DPP mid season.

      2

      0
    2. My biggest concerns on that strategy is Covid-22 which as we can see is a real thing.

      The WA border thing may well see Darcy do very well when a string of WA home games happen, but given the WA Premier’s stance (lets ignore the red team/blue team corona politics, we’re talking footy here) it’s going to be hard for the AFL to gift WA teams with long batches of home games yet again.

      With Djokovic I think the Australian public have made it very clear we’re sick of seeing specialexemptions for sports stars and the rich and famous. Combine that with the WA hard border and the AFL are going to have a huge challenge on their hands to say the least.

      Grundy and his supposed reduced form due to lockdowns is another critical thing too.

      Even so, I still rate both as potentially being safer than Gawn with the whole Jackson thing and a likely premiership hangover., and expect them to be the best R1 R2 combo this year.

      I just can’t bring myself to lock in both, deal with the bye issues this creates, and take on those risk factors.

      Not when Witts has an easy 150k of growth and Preuss is rookie priced and has at least that much even if he’s playing a 1-2 role.

      If he’s clear #1 ruck and fit he will be without a doubt the highest cash growth player this year. Big if, I know.

      But even as a #2 to Gawn he was at least a 70 point player, and I cannot see him being #2 to Flynn.

      GWS have had some levels of success in mefical rehabilitation (Mummy anyone) so with a full year and preseason under the belt and at a rookie price I think he’s worth a rookie priced punt at R3 at least until the first preseason injury scare.

      2

      2
      1. Grundy is happier and more motivated this year. He likes Macrae and has dropped a few kilos to be able to cover ground a bit better. I currently have Grundy and Marshall but am waiting for preseason. I may go back to Witts and get Marshall later….

        2

        0
  58. TU or TD appreciated

    TEAM A:
    B: Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Day, O’Driscoll De Koning (McDonagh, Dean)
    M: Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Neale, Daicos, Stephens, Clark
    (Johnson, Parker, McComb)
    R: Grundy, Witts (Hayes)
    F: Taranto, De Goey, Bailey, Gresham, Cogs, Hollands (Motlop, Long)
    …5K ITB

    TEAM B:
    B: Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Whitfield, O’Driscoll De Koning (McDonagh,
    Dean)
    M: Macrae, Steele, Mitchell, Neale, JHF, Daicos, Stephens, Clark
    (Johnson, Parker, McComb)
    R: Grundy, Gawn (Hayes)
    F: Taranto, De Goey, Bailey, Gresham, Cogs, Hollands (Motlop,
    Long)
    ….36.5K ITB

    The FWD line can be adjusted pending form and roles during preseason

    1

    8
    1. I’d say there’s two causes for the huge thumb down percentage.

      1) Everyone gone off Gawn. Where last year unless you had GGR (Gawn Grundy Rookie) you copped massive thumbs down,

      This year now it’s gonna get you nothing but negative feedback.

      2) That forward line has a massive amount of risk.

      2

      4
  59. I realise i’m going to get smashed but first pass is as follows:

    lloyd, hall, sicily, day, skinner, dean (aleer, mcdonagh)

    macrae, walsh, cerra, neale, rowell, cogs, JHF, clark (sinn, hollands, roberts)

    Darcy, English (preuss)

    Dunkley, Mcdonald, curnow, butters, brodie, smith (long, williams)

    $27,200 left

    think i’m too heavy in the mids maybe, light in forwards, and f knows what i’m doing with the rucks lol

    1

    4
    1. Too light in the MIDs if anything, Red. Need 4x uber premos Neale imo. You’ll need to trim a midpricer or two finance that.

      Cogs should be in your FWD line, DEF is great, English just isn’t R2 material (expressly wants to play as a forward).

      Tinker around, it’s early days. Good luck!

      3

      0
  60. Looking at different approaches have come up with this team currently.

    Def – Rich, Hall, Short, Sinn, Aleer, O’driscoll
    ( rookie x2)
    Mid – Touk, Bont, Titch, Parish, Neale, Daicos, Ward, Clark
    ( rookie x3)
    Ruck – Darcy, Grundy (Hayes)
    Forward – Taranto, Dusty, De goey, Cogs, Maginness, Hollands
    (Rookie x2)

    Main focus is durability here with this lineup.. Dusty, Neale, Degoey and Cogs the odd ones out (risks)
    thoughts??

    4

    3
    1. Bar the Taranto (atrocious DE, low CP ratio, FWD role) and Dusty (well past SC prime) picks, I REALLY like it.

      Rich will keep delivering, Short set for Top 6 as long as cleans up his use, bang on ruck combo and your midfield will do some SERIOUS damage.

      Great stuff, Jesse.

      1

      0
      1. GD – I’m learning a lot from you guys, and finding the talk around forwards fascinating.

        Can you talk me through the logic in overlooking Taranto: –

        Look forward to what’s going to happen this year, not what happened last year – I follow that one.

        Poor disposal efficiency versus the likes of say Duncan – yes, I get that one too.

        don’t know what CP is yet.

        And forward risk – yes, absolutely agree.

        Yes he has a suitcase full of confronting low scores, but when comparing his 2021 season total to the rest of the list of forwards, he is 80 odd pts clear of next best Hawkins, and almost 200 season pts clear of the best of the rest. Most likely plays 22 games. Most likely averages 100.

        I think you’ve convinced me that Dunkley is the better option, but purely in terms of resilience, I’m struggling for conviction in the decision.

        4

        0
        1. Hey, WW!

          Great to have you around and wrapped that the discussion is helpful!

          So, Taranto. Or “Trapanto” as FT and I call him. We’ve litigated him as a pick over the site many a time. The low DE, butchering and FWD role you get that.

          Critically, it doesn’t look like he’ll resolve his DE issues and that’s my main objection with him. Poor use has run through his game year after year. In whatever MID time he gets, if he’s coming in at 60%~ DE he’ll be sub-tonning quite often. He opened the season last year with 57%, 61% and then two more 60%’s. If he were a full time MID it would sort of be alright, in that his scoring stream (where points are acquired from) would be so strong and consistent that he’d get enough touches to push past the DE scaling and clangers. The problem is he likely doesn’t get a full time MID role, so for the limited time he’s OB he’ll be butchering it – that’s an issue.

          Onto his CP work. A “CP” is a contested possesion. For players OB (on ball/in the midfield), you don’t want all their possessions to be cheap and uncontested. A decent chunk should be contested. More points, more impact. His CP work is among the lowest of the GWS MIDs, had games where he’s had 25-30 touches and around 5~ contested.

          Now, with that all said, will he put up good scores? Yes. Will he get MID minutes? Yes. Will he finish around Top 6? Until this new DPP rule, I would have said yes just given how poor the FWD options were. Relative to the FWD options is he worth considering? Yes. Would I start him? No, still has those three issues and especially with the aforementioned DPP rule shaking things up.

          It’s up to you though, WW.

          The main thing is to just be aware of the issues he has (DE, low CP ratio, FWD role) when considering starting him. Frustrates me that people seem to think he’s an elite pure MID – he isn’t.

          Best of luck, hope to see you around the site and in a few SCT leagues this season.

          4

          0
          1. Lovely! Thanks GD, greatly appreciated.

            So then, the work-around Taranto is Dunkley or Duncan (or even a De Goey) – with obvious resilience histories. I’m hearing that Duncan isn’t even training at the moment due to an additional injury, so that leaves him as an upgrade target down the track, and to starting with Dunkley.

            In terms of team balance (risk of injury trades), is the better play at the major prize to take Dunkley, and because it also seems wise to take Cogs, bypass the likes of Neale for a bombproof Petracca (who I can see winning the Brownlow this year)? Or, do you go all-in on the potential upside of both Neale and Duncan, and ride the wave?

            SCT leagues – for sure, I’m up for that – No doubt you all have established networks, so I’ll take your lead – just let me know what codes to use to get in a new league, or or how to get invited.

            1

            1
            1. WW

              Hey there.

              Just to answer for GB.

              I believe Dunkley is the stand out Premo Forward this year.He is such a hard worker, and leaves no stone unturned when preparing himself. In 2020 the corona ball year he had a gym and sauna installed in his house so he could do extra training at home. Last year he started at almost the same price he is now. He then started with theses scores..
              113
              132
              132
              117
              148
              132

              We all know he then got injured, but he had gone up in price and was worth $634.100 This meant he was an easy swap to any forward or with some DPP magic you could get in an Uber Premo mid.

              Similar to Darcy, these player with a high scoring power are usually quite low risk, even if there is more injury risk than you would like. Their ability to hold value make them an easy sideways trade if you are forced too. On the flip side if you don’t start them they are often hard to recruit as they rarely slip in price. I have no hesitation locking Dunkley into my side.

              Also on Leagues.

              The site will post a leagues thread closer to the start of the season.

              The site have several leagues of varying levels that you can join but you need to get on it as they fill up fast.

              You will also find people post league codes and invite others to join.

              Myself and Gunboat will both have a few leagues we will be starting.

              You are also welcome to start your own league and invite others.

              Look forward to taking you on in one of these leagues

              Cheers FT.

              4

              0
              1. Thanks GD, FT – awesome. I can’t argue with any of that on Dunkley, Darcy, Neale. With the benefit of collective SCT wisdom, my amended side is:

                DEF
                Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Sinn, O’Driscoll, McDonough / Gould, ?
                MID
                Macrae, Steele, Mitchell, Walsh, Neale, JHF, Daicos, Ward / Constable, Clark, ?
                RUCK
                Gawn, Darcy / Hayes
                FWD
                Dunkley, Thomas, Cogs, Rachele, Hollands, ? / ?,?

                140k aside for rookies on the question marks (All 102K place holders ATM).

                2

                0
                1. Nice WW.

                  Constable probably a little expensive for a bench option but the rest of the side is very solid.

                  2

                  0
  61. IMO it’s to hard to assess the true formats of GWS.

    What’s going to happen when Greene comes back?

    Is Cogs Whitfield etc still going to be fit?

    So many questions, so may lies………

    5

    0
  62. Thoughts welcome:-

    Def – Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Sicily, De Koning, Skinner / Mcdonagh, Dean

    Mids – Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Neale, Constable, JHF, N Daicos, Ward / Clark, Roberts, Parker

    Rucks – Naitanui, Grundy / Hayes

    Fwds – Martin, Heeney, Butters, Coniglio, Rachele, Maginness / Hollands, Kelly

    4

    3
  63. Welcome back everyone to another season. The dpp addition is intriguing and likely to push teams to follow a similiar structure to last year (4-4-2-1/2). Here’s my initial team going into the preseason.

    Def: Lloyd, Hall, Ridley, Short, De Koning, Skinner (Aleer,Kelly)

    Mid: Macrae, Steele, Miller, Neale, Constable, JHC, Daicos, Ward (Clark, Goater, Knevvit)

    Ruck: Grundy, Darcy (Hayes)

    Fwd: Dunkley, De Goey, Cogs, Curnow, Maginness, Hollands (Pedlar, Motlop).

    Lots to ponder over the preseason with GWS/GC’s roles but if the final team resembles something similiar to this I’ll be happy. Cheers

    5

    0
    1. Nice team LG.

      This structure may be the way to go. I was initially worried about being able to afford four midfield upgrades. With the new rules and extra trades, this may not be such an issue. Eg: we can likely do a 2 down 1 up where as this was only previously possible at the Byes.

      Just a few notes.

      Constable training at HB atm. He could score ok there , but it seems there’s a few guys ahead of him for midfield spots at the Suns. If Berry cracks back into the Lions midfield he may be better M5.

      Keep an eye on Sinn for defensive Rookie spot also. Hinkley likes to give the kids a run, so I’m hoping he gets games early.

      I love the De Goey pick. I think he has to play midfield this year.

      All in all a very solid team.

      3

      0
      1. Hey FT.

        Thank-you for the reply.

        I agree with that with the extra trades it should make things easier to upgrade. Especially by minimising risk type players (Fyfe, Whitfield, Jelly, etc) which allows for more streamline trading.

        Will definetely pay attention to Constable, liked him in his rookie year so hoping he can solidfy his spot in GC midfield, otherwise, Berry is a good shout. Rookies at this stage are just placeholder, but Sinn will make his way in based on what you mentioned. Cheers

        2

        0
        1. LG

          Constable , Berry and Sinn high on the Watch list in the pre-season games.

          I totally agree on minimising risky players to start.

          At the moment.I’m trying not to start Whitfield. (more on this in the GWS Preview.)

          But with the new rules…

          The temptation to go a Fyfe or Kelly if they get DPP Forward Status mid season may be too strong !

          Happy Straya day.

          2

          0
  64. Have revamped my team after looking into the new DPP rules and extra trades- going light in the forward line (potentially too light?) and heavier in defence. Don’t think there are any bad picks, but potentially a risky structure. But I want the $50k.

    Def: Lloyd, Hall, Dawson, Ridley, Whitfield, O’Driscoll (McDonagh, Uwland)

    Mid: Macrae, Steele, Mitchell, Walsh, Neale, Macrae, Daicos, Ward (Stephens, Clark, McComb)

    Ruck: Grundy, Witts (Preuss)

    Fwd: Dunkley, Coniglio, Maginness, Smith, Hollands, Skinner (De Koning, Parker)

    Have balanced side according to byes. 5k remaining.

    Thoughts?

    2

    0
  65. Played around for a while today, first draft until some more news comes out about players. Obviously rookies will change as we know who will play.

    Def: Lloyd, Stewart, Dawson, Day, Wanganeen-Milera, Gould (O’Driscoll, Dean)

    Mid: Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Walsh, Neale, N.Daicos, Ward, Valente (Pedlar, Bergman, Nankervis)

    Ruc: Darcy, Grundy (Comben)

    Fwd: Martin, Butters, Rayner, Brodie, Hollands, Rankin (Murtagh, Mitchell)

    $7k left in the bank. Overall, I think the structure of 3-5-2-2, looks to be the early way to go. Maybe moving a mid to def and going 4-4 can work.

    1

    0
  66. Wighty

    Have put myself for your league, followed the Bombers for 69 yrs, does that qualify me as a Sledger, can hold my own.

    Look forward to being in a competitive group.

    Regards
    Gilly

    3

    0
    1. Welcome Gilly.

      On hearing that, Wighty has probably headed to the cellar, jumped on a table and started singing…..see the bombers etc..

      Note: not necessarily in that order……LOL

      0

      0
  67. After a first draft this is what my team looks like. This is far from set so any help is appreciated.

    Def – Luke Ryan, Caleb Daniel, Lachie Whitfield, Will Day, Leek Aleer, Nathan O’Driscoll ( Miles Bergman, Patrick Voss)

    Mid – Jack Steele, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Mitchell, Sam Walsh, Lachie Neale, Luke Dunstan, Jason Horne-Francis, Josh Ward ( Elijah Hollands, Matthew Johnson, Jack Peris)

    Ruck – Sean Darcy, Braydon Preuss (Charlie Comben)

    Fwd – Mitch Dunstan, Dustin Martin, Jade Gresham, Stephen Coniglio, Charlie Curnow, Sean Darcy ( Sam Butler, Ned Long)

    0

    1
      1. GGG

        The bones of this team are very good.

        I just don’t trust Preuss.

        I would develop a plan B

        Try downgrading Day to Sinn ,and drop a mid priced forward to Hollands.

        This should give you cash to upgrade Pruess.

        Best of luck..

        1

        0
          1. Thanks for the comment FT. I will definitely look at doing it but might try and find a way to free up cash that keeps will day

            1

            0
            1. I like Will Day a lot.

              There just not a heap of room for error at his price.

              A rookie is $200k cheaper and, they may also only average 10-15 points less. This is easily off set by spending that $200K else where.

              Also… and this is the critical part…

              The rookie makes money more quickly as he starts at base price.

              While Day limps to $400K the rookie will make twice that.

              I know Day has enormous upside I’m just not sure how he fits into a rebuilding Hawks side. Will he play Defence ? ( Lets lots of mouths to feed down back.) Wing ?

              You really need to believe he can average 95 to make him a good selection.

              I’m just not sure he can do that.

              Happy planning

              FT.

              2

              0
              1. FT – I’m really bullish on day, and honestly think that he can average 95, but that might be the hawks fan in me talking. if he has a good preseason then he will definitely fin his way into my side.

                Thanks for the advice though

                1

                0
  68. Hey everyone! Great to see the banter and friendly nature is back for 2022 with this wonderful site! Just a quick question. Any love for Hugh Greenwood out there? New club, attractive starting price and should get plenty of the pill. Thoughts?

    4

    0
    1. Glen.

      If you like Greenwood, pick him.

      He’s priced at 93.2

      He’s durable, if you think he can increase that by 10- 15 points with more opportunity , He may be a great pick.

      Keep an on his pre season form , If he gets the CBA’s , he could surprise.

      4

      0
  69. Hello everyone. Now that Supercoach 2022 is open, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of obsessive fiddling and redrafting over the next 2 months for lots of us. Here’s my first draft:

    Lloyd, Whitfield, Sicily, NWM (DM), Kemp, Sinn (DM) / Chesser (DM), Gould

    J Macrae, Steele, Oliver, Mitchell, Walsh, JHF, F Macrae, N Daicos / O’Driscoll (DM), Pedler (MF), Long (MF/LH)

    Darcy, McInerney / Preuss

    Dunkley, Butters, Coniglio, Curnow, Hollands (MF), Amiss / E Smith (MF), Winder (MF)

    Any comments, feedback welcome.

    Cheers!

    3

    0
    1. I like it.

      A little light in defence but that Midfield is Killer.

      The different Ruck line could work very well also.

      Tight team this one .

      1

      0
      1. Cheers!
        I expect some cheaper rookies will emerge over pre season, which may mean that I can squeeze another defender in. I’d be looking at a potential break out/injury return to fit in if that’s the case.

        2

        0

Leave a Reply to Shaggi Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *