Seven selection strategies you can use to build a winning KFC SuperCoach team

There is more than one way to win in SuperCoach. Do you go with the trusted ‘guns and rookies’ approach, follow the crowd or gamble in the ruck? Here are seven options that could deliver SuperCoach glory.

AFL coaches love to talk about “structures” and in KFC SuperCoach it’s no different.

If you’re serious about taking out your office premiership, you need a plan before you start the recruiting process.

In the AFL there is more than one winning strategy, and the same applies to SuperCoach.

Here’s a run-down of seven selection strategies you could employ this year.

1. GUNS AND ROOKIES

A popular strategy with long-time SuperCoach players based on picking exclusively high-scoring stars and cheap players with scoring potential.

The idea is simple — when building your squad, pick one gun (priced over $500,000) then one rookie (priced under $210,000) through all the lines (defence, midfield, rucks, forwards) until you run out of money to pick any more premium players. Then fill the remaining spots with rookies.

PROS

— This strategy allows you to pick more premiums than any other. The sample squad below features 13 SuperCoach A-graders who you can bank on for big scores every week.

— Information on newly recruited AFL players becomes more detailed every year. With just a little bit of research SuperCoaches can quite successfully select rookies who will play and increase in value. They can then traded for more established stars during the season.

— Avoids the risks associated with picking mid-priced players.

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Marlion Pickett and Dustin Martin are ideal candidates for a guns and rookies team.

CONS

— You get more premiums but also more rookies on the field who can deliver regular low scores.

— Most rookie-priced players are unknown quantities. Just because they are named in Round 1 doesn’t mean they are safe in a team’s best 22. Remember Relton Roberts?

— We remember the big rookie scores but 40s and 50s are much more common from first-year players. You can lessen the risk by picking as many mature-aged rookies as possible and starting some of the higher-priced rookies who traditionally have better job security.

SAMPLE TEAM

What a guns and rookies SuperCoach team could look like.

2. MID-PRICE MADNESS

A team based around a core of mid-price players allows you to spread your risk and get maximum value out of players underpriced at the start of the season.

Generally, a mid-price player is valued from $215,000-$500,000. When picking one of these players SuperCoaches are looking above all for value for money.

PROS

— If you can pick the right mid-pricer in your initial team you gain a significant advantage over the rest of the pack.

— A mid-priced strategy is likely to outscore a guns and rookies team early in the season. SuperCoaches who adopt this tactic are more likely to gain valuable wins in the early stages of their leagues and keep them in the hunt for the $50,000 grand prize.

— There is a multitude of mid-price options this year especially in defence and the forward line with the likes of Sam Docherty, Jack Steven, Devon Smith and Hunter Clark priced well below their potential output.

CONS

— For every Rowan Marshall who breaks out and becomes an elite scorer, there are just as many “value” selections who stagnate or even go backwards (remember Tom Liberatore last year?). Finding that diamond in the rough isn’t as easy as many think.

— Picking fewer rookies means you could miss out on a success story like Sam Walsh, who was a must-have last year.

— Trading your way out of a large number of mid-price misses can turn into a downward spiral you can’t escape all season, leading to sideways moves to other dubious selections and missing out on other trades that would improve your team.

SAMPLE TEAM

What a mid-price madness team looks like.

3. LOCKED AND LOADED MIDFIELD

This approach is as simple as loading up the midfield with elite and super elite players, throwing away the key and forgetting about them for the rest of the year.

PROS

— Midfielders make up most of the elite SuperCoach players. By picking as many of these elite premiums as possible in your starting squad, you maximise your midfield scoring potential over the entire season.

— Stacking your team with top-scoring players guarantees you will make a flying start to the year.

— It looks amazing on paper. Just admire that midfield for a minute!

Devon Smith has had an excellent pre-season returning form injury.

CONS

— Just as the best scoring premiums are midfielders, so too are most of the highest-scoring rookies. SuperCoaches who go with this strategy will most likely be forfeiting some of the best rookies in the competition, which will limit their team’s ability to generate cash for later trades.

— These players are also the most expensive and will leave you with a lot less money to spend in other positions. In the sample team below the midfield alone uses up more than half the $10 million salary cap, meaning you’re cutting corners (see the ruck) or taking big risks in other parts of the ground.

— By stacking your midfield from the start you might be stuck with a player who performs below expectation and not have spots to add surprise stars or a premium who becomes available for a bargain price.

SAMPLE TEAM

What a SuperCoach team with a fully loaded midfield looks like.

4. ROOKIE MIDFIELD MAYHEM

Instead of loading up the midfield with elite players, fill your midfield positions with rookies instead. You can then fill all your other lines with elite premiums.

PROS

— The best rookies are almost always in the midfield so it makes sense to pick a cheapie who could average 80 in the mids compared to picking a rookie in the backline that might only average 50.

— By selecting so many of the higher scoring rookies, SuperCoaches who adopt this strategy will ensure fast cash generation for their sides.

— Putting all your rookies in the midfield means you avoid having to play unreliable and generally low-scoring rookies in the forward line (remember Noah Balta?)

CONS

— Rookies remain dicey propositions even in the midfield, with a high chance of being rested at some stage early in the season. One player listed below (Nakia Cockatoo) is already out injured.

— If you don’t start with the gun midfielders you will have to spend a lot to trade them in during the season. While you might get a star in defence or up forward for a bargain price, midfielders tend to hold their value and you will probably have to cough up more than $600,000 to bring the elite stars into your team.

— There is big gulf between an 80 average from a rookie and a 120 average from a super elite player. If this margin can’t be made up by your forward and defender premiums, then you might struggle early until you can upgrade those rookies.

— If you employ this strategy, make sure you select at least one super elite player in your midfield who can be your captain in the early rounds of the season. Can’t go wrong with Patrick Dangerfield.

SAMPLE TEAM

What a rookie midfield team could look like.

5. RUCK ROULETTE

The ruck is causing the most headaches for team selection in 2020, with SuperCoaches agonising over whether to cough up almost $1.5 million to partner Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn.

If they both score as well as last year it’s a no-brainer, but the fact is player averages are rarely that predictable. Is anyone brave enough to gamble on two cheapies in the ruck?

PROS

— Check out that midfield! Saving about $1 million in the ruck allows you to load up on top-scorers in the middle — where historically most points are generated — and take advantage of potential scoring boost up forward. Is that enough to make up for points lost in the ruck?

— This strategy relies on finding two cheap ruckmen who can score at premium levels, ideally within 15 points of Grundy and Gawn. Sam Jacobs and Nic Naitanui have both averaged over 100 in the past and present great value.

— If Grundy or Gawn drop in output this season, you’ll gain a huge advantage over most of the competition.

CONS

— If Grundy and Gawn don’t slide, you’re in massive strife. You could be giving up 120 points before the ball is bounced by starting two 80-average rucks.

— The two big rucks were also great captaincy choices last year. That points gap will only grow if you’re opponent has the C on Grundy or Gawn the week they score 150-plus (which was a lot of them).

— Both Naitanui and Jacobs come with significant risks. Nic Nat has suffered numerous injuries throughout his career, missing most of last season after knee surgery. Jacobs is 31 and expected to be the No.1 ruckman at GWS, but the Giants could rest him or ask him to share the role with Shane Mumford.

— If a cheap ruck fails, it’s a very deep hole to climb out of. You’ll either have to find another bargain ruck to swap to or a stack of cash to get up to the big two.

— If you’re plan is to get Grundy and Gawn in your finished side, you’re relying on a lot of cash generation and a number of trades to get there.

SAMPLE TEAM

What a ruck roulette team could look like.

6. COOKIE CUTTER TEAM

This is a simple strategy — just pick the most popular players in SuperCoach.

Taking this approach will likely give you a well balanced, low-risk team.

PROS

— If you’re new to the game, this is an easy way to avoid poor SuperCoach players. This team is bound to be competitive from the start.

— You won’t be caught out by missing a popular player who goes on a big early scoring run. If a lowly-owned player catches fire you might miss out, but so will most other players.

— Likewise if one of your expensive stars or mid-pricers flops, you won’t lose too much ground because most SuperCoaches will be in the same boat.

MORE SUPERCOACH TIPS:

Every KFC SuperCoach score from week one of the AFL’s pre-season Marsh Series

Gary Buckenara names the best KFC SuperCoach cash cow prospects for 2020

KFC SuperCoach: The case for starting Western Bulldogs guns Jack Macrae, Josh Dunkley and Marcus Bontempelli

Champion Data expert Fantasy Freako explains the science of selecting a KFC SuperCoach captain

KFC SuperCoach 10 commandments: Follow these rules for success

KFC SuperCoach: Which young guns can replicate Clayton Oliver’s 2017 emergence this year?

CONS

— Part of the fun of SuperCoach is backing your own judgment, research and instincts. The game is a bit boring if everyone has the same players.

— This is far from a guaranteed path to victory. Captaincy choices each week and trading during the season is what really decides who comes out on top over the SuperCoach season.

SAMPLE TEAM

Every player in this squad is in at least 20 per cent of teams.

7. LET’S GET CRAZY

Throw caution to the wind and back your gut!

You certainly won’t die wondering by rolling the dice on a squad full of risky left-field selections.

PROS

— All of these players have the potential to be SuperCoach stars, no one is suggesting picking stingy full-backs. They are all potential bargains.

— You can just about guarantee exciting league match-ups with your team featuring a long list of unique players compared to your opponent.

— If this comes off you’ll be a SuperCoach legend and your mates will never hear the end of it.

— You still need to start Brodie Grundy in the ruck as a safe captaincy choice each week. Let’s not go totally nuts.

Lance Franklin is in doubt for Round 1. But on his day he can score like few others. Picture: Phil Hillyard

CONS

— See the mid-price madness “cons” above but on steroids. These players come with big upside and also huge downside through injury risk or inconsistent form. The chances of every selection coming off are next to zero.

— Scores are likely to fluctuate wildly from week to week which could lead to high doses of SuperCoach stress.

— Seasoned SuperCoach players start to trade out their rookies from about a third of the way into the season, steadily replacing them with more gun players. Trade strategy with a team like this is likely to be dictated by injuries and selection rather than optimum timing for upgrades.

SAMPLE TEAM

It would take a lot of guts to start with a team like this.

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Originally published as Seven selection strategies you can use to build a winning KFC SuperCoach team