SuperCoach AFL 2024: Cult hero Abdul reveals his mid-season bye strategy

Abdul has used his left-field approach to SuperCoach to finish as high as fourth overall, now he’s just outside the top 100. This is his plan to make it to the top.

Hellooooooooooo everybody.

AwwMyGawwwd the bye rounds are almost here.

But don’t panic!

Now, for those of you that are new to SuperCoach, the upcoming bye rounds are similar to what we experienced earlier on in the season, however they are a lot tougher.

A lot of the good teams that have prepared well for these byes will jump up in rankings during these four rounds, whereas teams that haven’t really prepared themselves may find that their rankings will drop.

But Just Calm a Down.

We have a plan.

Before you make any trades this week, I need you to look at your teams and identify which bye round will cause you the most problems, or we can even say headaches.

I’ve added a small chart below for the amount of “premo” (top-priced) players that ideally will be missing from your teams for each of these four rounds.

Round 12: 4 missing premos

Round 13: 4 missing premos

Round 14: 7 missing premos

Round 15: 7 missing premos

The higher your premo count, the higher the chances of your team outscoring many of the others.

Let’s see how this plan can work over the next five weeks.

our Spuds are still knocking on the door of the top 100
they are a little bit shy this bunch
they are supposed to be smashing the door down 😂 pic.twitter.com/s4NtbHeSSh

— The SCodfather (@magicmoments000) May 19, 2024

ROUND 11

Let’s start from round 11 (this week). If you’re bringing in a premo player this week make sure that player suits your bye round structure (follow the chart above for guidance). For example, there is no point bringing in a player that has the round 12 bye if you already have four or more players that will be missing that round. Even if you really like a player, you are better off passing on them and bringing in a player that has a bye round that fits for your structure.

It is also vital that you bring in rookie players that have decent job security. The two that I can Tink of are:

Joel Freijah (mid/fwd) $117,300

Joe Richards (fwd) $123,900

Most of the good rookies that are in your team now are likely to be upgraded as you will need cash, so you will have to replenish them with playing rookies as they will most likely be needed on-field over the byes.

ROUND 12

Bye teams: North Melbourne, GWS Giants, Sydney, Brisbane

Trading in the week leading into the first bye is risky.

If you don’t have many players missing on the Round 13 bye, then you can grab a premo that is missing that round. Otherwise it is more advisable to hold your trades and only bring in rookies if there are any available on the bubble.

SuperCoach teams will have to cope without Isaac Heeney in round 12. Picture: Phil Hillyard

ROUND 13

Bye teams: Port Adelaide, Fremantle

Only bring in players that have had their bye in Round 12, plus any rookie that has job security, although finding these rookies might start to become very difficult.

ROUND 14

Bye teams: Essendon, Gold Coast, Carlton, Melbourne, West Coast, Geelong

This arguably is the toughest bye round to deal with, as the most popular players happen to be missing this round, plus there are six teams missing,

Only bring in premo players this week that have had the Round 12 and Round 13 byes.

You may also sideways trade one or two premos that are missing in this round that have been spuds in your team if you need to make up the numbers to have 18 on field.

ROUND 15

Bye teams: Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, St Kilda, Richmond, Hawthorn

This is the second-hardest bye round to deal with, as six teams are missing again. However, it is also the easiest when bringing in premo players.

The rule is simple – bring in any premo that is available to play.

Once all the carnage of the bye rounds are over, you would want your team to be completed with 22 premos in it.

The top-end teams are most likely going to score 8000-plus points over these four weeks.

That’s why it is vital to keep your team balanced with a high number of premo players playing in each round.

At absmagic we are aiming for the following amount of premos for each bye round:

Round 12: 16 premos, 2 rookies

Round 13: 17 premos, 1 rookie

Round 14: 16 premos, 2 rookies (includes sideways trading one premo)

Round 15: 16 premos, 2 rookies

To get these numbers, I will be starting round 12 with 20 premos.

Nick Daicos has a bye in round 15. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Luck is going to be a huge factor, as we don’t want any of our players to be either injured or suspended during the byes.

Also, you will notice that the amount of trades remaining after the bye rounds will be extremely low. At absmagic we have always run out of trades by Round 17.

Just Calm a Down!

This year we are hoping to last until Round 18.

I wish you all good luck during the bye rounds and for the remainder of the season. I hope you can all rise up in the rankings.

And remember 1 Ting.

It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.

Ciao for now.