Doctor’s Orders: Final tips from the experts at Doctor SuperCoach to nail your starting team

Best-laid KFC SuperCoach plans can unravel in the final hours before Round 1. Follow these vital tips from the experts at Doctor SuperCoach to set your team up for success.

It’s panic time in KFC SuperCoach land.

Coaches are desperately trying to get their side in good shape before the season opener on Wednesday.

Fortunately, the team at Doctor SuperCoach have put together some final hints and tips to look at as we wrap up a massive pre-season.

ROOKIES

If it has not been clear by now, every team needs to have not only enough rookies on field that will play early, but also a playing bench.

One non-playing rookie is allowed for captaincy loopholing purposes (and make sure it is a team that plays late in the round on a regular basis like a West Coast, North Melbourne or Gold Coast player) but every other rookie will need to be named in Round 1.

If you haven’t been paying attention, there is likely going to be a lack of playing rookies down back early in the season, which means the backline in our sides will need to comprise of a majority of premium-priced players – one or two more than we would usually have in our starting squads.

The defence rookies are also not cheap, with all of Mitch Hinge, Josh Gibcus and Paddy McCartin – three who look likely to feature in Round 1 – exceeding $155,000. Don’t get caught out with having two defensive bench rookies not named because you have selected cheaper defenders and can’t restructure your sides to pay up!

Adelaide’s Mitch Hinge is a popular selection in defence. Picture: Mike Burton

The forward rookies pose an interesting conundrum. With all of Hugh Dixon, Nick Martin and Jack Hayes a chance to play at just $102,400, it would seem ideal to pick all three.

However, while Dixon is likely to play, the others are a coin-flip chance of being named. It will take some considerable capital to raise at least two of them to $123,000 playing rookies should the two of them miss out. Structurally, it might be best to make a side that has just one of Jack Hayes or Nick Martin in it, so that if worst-case scenario happens and both aren’t named, it is a lot easier to find $20k to fix your team compared to $40k.

TAKE NOTE OF THE ORDER OF GAMES

On Thursday night, all the teams for the round will be named. However, for the Sunday matches, an extended bench will be listed. This can significantly impact our starting side selections because if rookies are named on the extended bench and then inevitably aren’t named on the Friday, we will officially be locked out of Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, Richmond and Carlton players, vastly reducing our flexibility of selections.

On Sunday, the big red flags will likely come from our forward line selections from these clubs – Hawthorn in the form of Finn Maginness, North Melbourne with Tristan Xerri and Paul Curtis, Adelaide with Luke Pedlar and Lachlan Gollant, Fremantle with Will Brodie, West Coast with Patrick Naish and Hugh Dixon, and finally Gold Coast with Elijah Hollands.

You will not want to take too many of these forward-eligible options in your forward line, because if they are not named, you will have missed out on Cory Durdin from Blues or Hugo Ralphsmith from the Tigers, who will already be locked out. This is just one strategy to minimise starting side risk.

If Carlton’s Corey Durdin is named you’ll have to make a decision on whether to pick him before 7.25pm Thursday. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

LAST-MINUTE PANIC

In the final few hours before Round 1 begins, sitting in front of your computer starts to feel like a nightmare. Being able to hold your nerve and lock in your pre-season thoughts, and not do anything crazy, is usually the best approach.

Keep in mind that anyone you hadn’t considered until this very point in time should not enter your side. There are reasons that you hadn’t considered them and therefore you must back your research and gut!

One way to help with this process is to take one last good long look at your side and ask yourself the question: ‘Why is this player in my side?’ for every player. If you have chosen a player because other people have told you to, or feel like you’re trapped into selecting a pick that you don’t like, quite simply do not pick that player.

Have a Plan B in case a selection like North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri (left) is not named. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Restructure your side, swap them out or even perhaps research them more heavily. There were plenty of players last season who were complete flops after promising pre-seasons – owners of Orazio Fantasia, Jordan Clark and Tom Phillips probably don’t need a reminder of this.

At the end of the day, the pre-season isn’t an exact science and all players who scored well in the practice matches have no guarantee they will score well during the proper season. Every player must have earned their spot in your side.

Make sure you have no regrets!