KFC SuperCoach experts reveal their tips for the run home
There’s four rounds left in KFC SuperCoach and whether you’re flush with trades or holding on for dear life, the run home is going to present challenges. Here’s what our KFC SuperCoach experts have planned.
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The KFC SuperCoach bye rounds are here — again.
And, like the first footy frenzy, you need to be prepared before every round.
Of course, what you do from here will depend on your trade count, team balance and number of premiums available over the next four rounds.
The variables mean there is not one right way of approaching this crucial period at the business end of the KFC SuperCoach season.
To help, here’s what we’re planning.
DAN BEGALA (SuperCoach Investor)
OVERALL RANK: 486th
ROOKIES LEFT ON FIELD: 0
TRADES LEFT: 5
ROUND 14 TRADES: Wait for it…
Lachie Neale to Josh Kelly
Rory Laird to Luke Ryan
[Mic Drop]
ROUND 15 BYE PREMIUMS: Tom Stewart, Marcus Bontempelli, Bailey Smith, Jy Simpkin, Josh Kelly (missing through concussion)
ROUND 16 BYE PREMIUMS: Dustin Martin & Brodie Grundy
RUN HOME STRATEGY (including Round 17-18): The Begala Brigade performed a calculated, albeit highly ambitious, long/short that ended in two key injuries, heartache and no uplift to my R14 score. This week, however, I will likely have to re-introduce Lachie Neale to my squad via Josh Kelly who barely lasted an hour in my FY20 side. Lesson learnt? You bet. I will most likely consider trading Brodie Grundy in Round 16 with Gawn almost perfectly poised for acquisition. I am also hoping to “fatten up” cash cow, Sam Draper, with the hope that his “capital raising” enables both the Gawn trade and a luxury upgrade in PF/GF week elsewhere.
DAN BATTEN
OVERALL RANK: 1381 (up 195)
ROOKIES LEFT ON FIELD: 1 – Irving Mosquito/Lachie Hosie
TRADES LEFT: 4
ROUND 14 TRADES: Izak Rankine and Caleb Serong to Irving Mosquito and Zach Merrett
ROUND 15 BYE PREMIUMS: 5 - Jack Macrae, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Stewart, Jy Simpkin, Hugh Greenwood
ROUND 16 BYE PREMIUMS: 2 – Brodie Grundy, Brayden Maynard
RUN HOME STRATEGY (including Round 17-18): Batten for Glory was tracking OK for Round 15 but Josh Kelly’s concussion leaves me down to just 17 on-field – including Irving Mosquito. I plan to trade Sam Draper once his price fattens up in a couple of rounds to complete my team via a RUCK/FWD swing with Charlie Comben, but I’d like to have a trade or two up my sleeve if injuries present themselves. In a bid to conserve trades I may hold fire and persist with 17 scorers, but I’m leaning towards making one trade this round to at least field a full side. Jake Riccardi for Lachie Hosie looms as the safe option while a roll of the dice could see Josh Kelly make way for Josh P. Kennedy to free up cash for a final upgrade.
TIM MICHELL
OVERALL RANK: 2219 (up 907)
ROOKIES LEFT ON FIELD: 3 (Izak Rankine, Will Day and Jake Riccardi)
TRADES LEFT: 5
ROUND 14 TRADES: Boyd Woodcock to Jake Riccardi
ROUND 15 BYE PREMIUMS: Jack Macrae, Patrick Dangerfield, Todd Goldstein.
ROUND 16 BYE PREMIUMS: Brodie Grundy, Dustin Martin.
RUN HOME STRATEGY (including Round 17-18): Flip-flopping between trading Todd Goldstein to Max Gawn this round or focusing on taking rookies off field. Izak Rankine’s 130 was an incredible boost - I held him expecting a 70-80 against North Melbourne. I’ll likely still cash him in during his Round 15 bye and would love to get Andrew Brayshaw in as his replacement. That would leave one forward spot for Hugh Greenwood in Round 16. I’ve been watching Greenwood for months now so my plans should revolve around leaving enough money spare to bring him in with three rounds left. Trading Brad Close and Jarrod Brander in Round 15 would help free up some cash, although Brander could yet feature in my best 18. Brayshaw and Greenwood would knock out two of my remaining five trades and I realistically can’t afford to be much more ambitious than that. We’re going to get hit hard by players being managed in the last four rounds and fielding 22 in Round 17 and 18 will be tough. Maybe I’ll have to accept Gawn is a lost cause and back Todd Goldstein at R2.
AL PATON
OVERALL RANK: 2509 (down 419)
ROOKIES LEFT ON FIELD: 1 (Will Day)
TRADES LEFT: 4
ROUND 14 TRADES: Lachie Hosie to Jake Riccardi, Andrew McPherson to Will Gould, Sam Simpson to Josh Kelly
ROUND 15 BYE PREMIUMS: Jack Macrae, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Stewart, Mitch Duncan, Bailey Smith.
ROUND 16 BYE PREMIUMS: Brodie Grundy, Dustin Martin.
RUN HOME STRATEGY (including Round 17-18): A week - or, in 2020, two days, is a long time in footy. I made my big move last week to get rookies off the field and it looked like a masterstroke until Shane Mumford dropped a 120kg knee on Josh Kelly’s head. Now Kelly is out in a round in which I already have a decimated midfield. Thanks, 2020! On the positive side my bench depth is good and I should field 20 players in Round 15, so the question is do I trade Kelly or someone like Mitch Duncan to get another premium this round, or hold my fire until the following week - when I will be playing for survival in my leagues after bombing in a bunch of qualifying finals. Zach Merrett is the obvious choice for a sideways swap but Essendon is about to run into three top-four sides (West Coast, Geelong, Port Adelaide) before facing Melbourne on SuperCoach grand final day. After GWS faces the Blues Kelly comes home against the Crows, Dees and Saints - and I think I want him in my side if he gets up for the Adelaide game. Some tough decisions ahead at Don’t Argue match committee!
THE PHANTOM
OVERALL RANK: 20,682. This year just keeps getting worse.
ROOKIES LEFT ON FIELD: Two - Jack Bytel/Harry Schoenberg (M8) and Sam Draper (R2)
TRADES LEFT: 5
ROUND 14 TRADES: Lachie Neale to Clayton Oliver
ROUND 15 BYE PREMIUMS: Tom Stewart, Caleb Daniel, Patrick Dangerfield, Hugh Greenwood, Bailey Smith
ROUND 16 BYE PREMIUMS: Brodie Grundy, Dustin Martin
RUN HOME STRATEGY (including Round 17-18): The plan was to hold off trading last round but after watching Nat Fyfe, Josh Kelly and Luke Parker on Saturday afternoon, I traded Neale to Oliver minutes before the bounce that night. Kelly’s concussion presents the opportunity to get Neale back in but going down to, say, Andrew Gaff, as well as cashing in Andrew McPherson, allows me to bring Michael Walters at M8. My initial thought was to make the final upgrade coming out of the bye-rounds but after another poor score, and the Kelly injury, I’ll consider doing it right away, increasing my Round 15 depth at the same time. But then again, I can get to 18 players without trading - pending teams of course - which will make it easier to bring in a cheaper Neale ahead of the next best-22 round. Holding off, as per my original thinking, may help me to pull back a few places - and some respect - in the final two rounds. Is it 2021 yet?
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