SuperCoach winner Ayden Potter reveals his strategy for 2018

IT may sound counterintuitive but SuperCoach winner Ayden Potter believes resisting the temptation to load up on premium midfielders can help you claim the $50,000 grand prize.

RESIST temptation.

Patrick Dangerfield, Dustin Martin, Tom Mitchell and Nat Fyfe might look pretty all together in the midfield but it can backfire spectacularly if you’re weak in defence or attack.

SuperCoach winner Ayden Potter has learnt a lot since taking home the $50,000 grand prize.

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“In previous years I’d gone in with too many premium midfielders, too top heavy,” he said.

That means Dangerfield, at $749,800, is out of the The Night’s Watch and Dustin Martin is no certainty either.

Instead, the super consistent Mitchell looks set to lead the midfield brigade as Potter looks for more value in 2018.

Tom Mitchell at Hawthorn training. Picture: Chris Kidd

Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett. Picture: Alan Barber

And there’s plenty of it with a raft of star midfielders underpriced this season.

“I’m looking for more value this year, I’ve gone in with too many high-priced midfielders before and it’s burnt me,” Potter said.

“Trades are crucial, if you don’t get your balance right, then you can burn through them early, which hurts.

“This year is pretty open (for premiums) ... Mitchell will definitely be in there and I think Dusty will be at some stage when he’s cheaper.

“Danger is still a wait and see with Gaz (Gary Ablett) there.”

Potter agrees with the majority of SuperCoaches that Max Gawn and Nic Naitanui look like set-and-forget ruckmen.

While he’ll be watching Naitanui pre-season closely, Gawn looks ready to bounce back to form.

“Gawn is just too cheap to pass up,” he said.

Max Gawn at Melbourne training. Picture: Michael Klein

Nic Naitanui at West Coast training.

“I think it’s set-and-forget in the rucks depending on Nic Nat’s pre-season, if he plays in the JLT, he’s in.”

The 2015 winner is an advocate of the guns and rookies strategy but one mid-price risk has taken his eye this off-season.

“Christian Petracca looks like he’s ready to break out,” he said.

“Isaac Heeney is more expensive but can still improve.”

For a successful guns and rookies strategy to work, picking the right cash cows is crucial and Potter will be keeping a close eye on youngsters in the lead up to Round 1.

“I don’t think the AFLX will translate to SuperCoach but it will be good to see which young players are pushing their case,” he said.

“I think if Jack Higgins is named for Round 1 he’s a must-have and can score really well for a first-year player.”

Originally published as SuperCoach winner Ayden Potter reveals his strategy for 2018