SuperCoach Investor: How to survive the dreaded Round 13 bye

We’ve been dreading it all season, and now Round 13 is here. It’s not too late to navigate the most damaging bye round and come out on top — if you have a plan.

Port Adelaide player Robbie Gray.

It’s time to catch your breath, collect your thoughts and gear yourself up for what looms as the most challenging week of the byes.

There’s an enormous list of absentees this week, so don’t be alarmed if your side is awash with flashing blue dots and non-scoring players.

We’re all in the same boat, after all, and there’s still time to reinforce your side with much-needed cavalry for the remaining byes.

Our resident expert, Daniel Begala, shares his strategies for safely navigating the upcoming fortnight and trying to finish your team with 22 top-scoring players once the siren sounds on Round 14.

STEP 1: ROUND 13

Pat yourself on the back if you’ve survived the first week of the dreaded byes.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but it was child’s play in comparison to what investment analysts are expecting for Round 13.

They’re forecasting economic (and scoring) conditions comparable to the Global Financial Crisis such is the dearth of players available for selection this weekend.

It’s not the end of the world, but I suspect there will be a significant gap between the best and worst performing portfolios in Round 13 with Collingwood, Melbourne, Sydney, West Coast, Geelong and Brisbane all notable absentees.

In preparation for this week’s carnage, I executed three pre-emptive acquisitions (Luke Ryan, James Sicily and Brett Bewley) to ensure my team, the Begala Brigade, could field at least 18 scoring players.

WHISPERS: WOOSHA WARNING ON TAGGER

TARGETS: ROUND 13 TRADE GUIDE

DR SUPERCOACH: ROOKIES TO SAVE OUR SEASON

PHANTOM: WHO IS BEST DEFENSIVE PICK?

None of them suited up last week, but they’ll be pivotal to my performance in Round 13.

I am extremely conservative and “bearish” on the likes of St Kilda’s Robbie Young being selected, so at this stage, I have 15 players available to play.

To address this shortfall, however, I’ve proposed the following trades to my Investment Committee ahead of team selection on Thursday night:

OUT: Jordan Clark ($292K), IN: Patrick Naish ($124K)

OUT: Jack Petruccelle ($244K), IN: Ryan Gardner ($102K)

OUT: Will Hayes ($203K), IN: Robbie Gray ($406K)

It’s hard to go past the emphatic SuperCoach “arbitrage” that Gray presents this week, so he’ll most likely join my side as a floating M9/F7.

Robbie Gray is too cheap to ignore.

Your priority this week should be stockpiling your side with premiums, underpriced stars and rookies who have served the Round 12 bye.

Naish, unfortunately, doesn’t meet that criteria but I am more than happy to take a calculated plunge on him to ensure I have 18 players available this week.

If you’re looking to beef your side up with some bona fide “blue chip” assets then Travis Boak ($518K, FWD), Nat Fyfe ($606K, MID), Jack Macrae ($574K, MID) and Marcus Bontempelli ($543K, MID) must be top of your wish list.

STEP 2: ROUND 14

It’s taken almost half the season, but I cannot wait to welcome the services of Lachie Neale ($578K) as the cherry on top of my completed engine room.

As a non-Neale owner, it’s been excruciating watching his performances across the first 12 rounds, but I have no doubt he’ll be the most popular trade-in option on the verge of Round 14.

How will I get there? I’ll have a heavy heart, no doubt, but it’s a no-brainer trade decision with pocket change (about $120K) all that is required to upgrade Carlton rookie sensation Sam Walsh to Neale.

Walsh will be a SuperCoach stalwart for years to come, so it’s not the end, it’s simply farewell for now.

Sam Walsh is about to play his farewell match for the Begala Brigade.

It’s still early days, but I’m planning the following manoeuvres for Round 14:

OUT: Sam Walsh (~$459K), IN: Lachie Neale ($578K)

OUT: Michael Gibbons (~$323K), IN: Dylan Clarke ($148K)

Other than Marty Hore (D5) and Xavier Duursma (D6) my side will be bursting with premium stars on all lines as the curtain draws on the byes.

When the time arises, I will most likely transition Duursma to Lachie Whitfield (again) and Hore to Shannon Hurn when the price is right.

There’s plenty of water (and luck) to go under the bridge, but I am looking forward to finalising my squad by Round 15 or 16 in preparation for the most important time of the year: SuperCoach finals.

Originally published as SuperCoach Investor: How to survive the dreaded Round 13 bye