How To Avoid The Panic Button – 2020 Redux

This article was originally posted prior to the start of the 2019 season, but I feel like it’s even more applicable in these here crazy times. I’ve made some minor updates, but otherwise everything is as it was. Good luck Coaches!

You’ve put in weeks, maybe even months of research. You’ve looked at the past records of dozens of players, analysed draw strengths, agonised over the bye structure and scouted the injury lists of every club, all while trying not to make reactionary changes based on JLT form and keeping an eye on all the pertinent rookies. You’ve finally manipulated your select squad of 30 into some sort of form that doesn’t keep you awake at night, in fact you can almost taste that sweet, sweet $50,000 first prize….

…and then the round 1 teams are announced.

Unless you’ve been absolutely meticulous in your preparation – not to mention more than a little lucky – you will have to make at least one change to your precious squad shortly after 6:30pm tonight, when the majority of teams are announced and all hell breaks loose. For inexperienced coaches (and some experienced ones too), it can be extremely tempting to throw your hands in the air and hit the fabled “clear team” button, all while muttering words that have not yet been invented. At SuperCoachTalk, even though we always encourage you to make your own decisions about the make-up of your team, we must also say: Please don’t do that!

Here’s a short guide to preparing for and surviving Supercoach’s own version of D-Day. A lot of this may seem like common sense, but it turns out that common sense can be a rare commodity when you’re under the Supercoach pump!

1. Don’t panic. Sounds simple enough, but it’s important to stay the course here. You’ve put in the hard work, you know what to do, and you probably have more time than you realise to make the changes you need. Don’t set fire to all that preparation at the final hurdle. Take a deep breath and get to work.
2. Be prepared and have a back-up plan. For each line, it helps to have at least two reserve players in mind beforehand, to be called on in case of emergency: one ‘premium’ (or midpricer, if that’s your thing) and one rookie. This is a good safeguard against making a panic selection and putting someone in your team that you really didn’t want. A few years back, I was stuck with dodgy internet in a remote location on teams night. One of my rookies missed out on round 1 selection, I panicked, and I wound up picking someone called Clem Smith even though I knew nothing about him. Clem averaged 26ppg from seven games that year and hasn’t been seen since. If it’s good enough for the Scouts, it’s good enough for Supercoach: Be prepared!
3. Be certain about your Blues and Tigers. By the time the teams are named tonight, Carlton and Richmond will be in the final stages of their warmup for the season opener. At the first bounce any Blues or Tigers players in your team will be locked in, but thanks to the rolling lockout, you effectively have at least another 24 hours to make any other necessary changes to your team. So the important part here is to be certain about any Carlton and Richmond players in your team well in advance. For example:
   Are you locking in Doc? Is Dusty a must for your forward line? Are you taking a punt on Tom Lynch? And will you pick Pickett? What about your VC options?
   Answering these questions ahead of time can only make it easier later on.
4. Pick expensive rookies, or leave a bit of emergency cash in the kitty. Either option is fine – spare cash can be used, and expensive rookies can be swapped out for cheaper ones. But if you pick cheap rookies and have no cash to play with, then unfavourable team selections could leave you looking at a complete restructure. Trust me, it gets ugly. Leave yourself some room to move, and save yourself a whole lotta rending of garments.
5. When teams are named, check once and then leave. You picked all the players in your team for a reason, probably more than one actually. The only good reason to drop them after all that analysis is if they’re not playing. Making radical unforced changes to your team on game eve might work out for you, but it probably won’t. Nobody likes the guy who turns up in round six and moans “blah blah was in my team all summer and then I dropped him five minutes before the bounce”. Don’t be that guy.
6. Don’t forget the Motts Manoeuvre. OK, so disaster has struck, and one of your premiums is a late out in round 1. Actually, this is not necessarily a disaster at all – because it potentially opens up an opportunity to utilise the high-risk, high-reward Motts Manoeuvre! You can read more about this unique tactic, instituted by SCT founder and creator Motts, right here.
7. Enjoy. Crack open a stubby/wine cooler/soda water, catch up with some mates, and enjoy the game (especially this year!). Remember that Supercoach is good, but footy is great. I’m sure there are a few folks around the world who call themselves professional fantasy football players, but for the rest of us it’s just a bit of fun. So have fun!

Cheers!

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