Golden rules: The 23 do’s and don’ts of KFC SuperCoach AFL
From rucks and rookies to trades and taggers, follow these simple rules to ensure you enjoy more of the highs and a lot less of the lows of the SuperCoach rollercoaster.
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KFC SuperCoach can deliver incredible highs. There’s nothing quite like watching a player you just recruited dominate a game, winning a league match on the last play of the round or nailing your captaincy choice.
Things don’t always go to plan but the good news is there is always next week and another two trades (if you haven’t used them all already), and some planning ahead at this point in the season can make sure you’re riding a lot more of the highs than the lows of the SuperCoach rollercoaster.
Based on years of experience, intense research and a bit of gut feel, here are our SuperCoach golden rules.
DON’T ... LET YOUR HEART RULE YOUR HEAD
It’s amazing how often you look at a just-completed SuperCoach squad and realise it is half-filled with players from the team you barrack for. And it’s a cold, hard fact that your favourite player might not be the best SuperCoach scorer. The smart play is to spread the talent around. Why not enjoy watching your team without worrying about SuperCoach at the same time? This also avoids a massive problem when your side has the bye!
DO ... PICK PLAYERS YOU LIKE
You want to enjoy cheering for your SuperCoach players, so don’t put a blanket ban on guys from your own team. And one of the best aspects of SuperCoach is it gives you a chance to pick players you love who might play for other teams. Always wanted to cheer for Buddy but aren’t that fond of Hawthorn or Sydney? Now’s your chance.
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DON’T ... THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND
It’s easy to get carried away with the possible scoring potential of every player and imagine bargain stars like Sam Docherty, Stephen Hill and Jack Steven or sneaky selections like Dylan Roberton or Taylor Walker scoring 100 points every week. History tells us that doesn’t happen and most players score around what their priced at. A team full of high-risk, high-reward selections is asking for trouble.
DO ... TAKE SOME RISKS
You can’t get ahead of the pack by selecting the same team as everyone else. Take a look at those risky players and select the two or three you think have the best chance of success. We have enough trades to correct a mistake or two without our entire season running off the rails.
DON’T ... PICK INJURY-PRONE PLAYERS
Grant Birchall is incredibly cheap this year for a four-time premiership player, but he was really cheap last year too before breaking down with injury — again. The same goes for Harley Bennell, who is likely to be available at a rookie price despite once having finished with a season average of 102 points a game. That was four years ago, and he’s played only two games since. History says he’ll struggle to play a full season this year, costing you trades and SuperCoach heartache.
DO ... TAKE THE TIME TO GET YOUR STARTING ROOKIES RIGHT
This is the No.1 tip to give yourself the best shot at a successful season. Having cheap players on your bench who are getting games means they can be available to play in your best 22 and, crucially, they will rise in value to fund future trades. There’s nothing worse than reaching the midpoint of the year with players on the bench who aren’t scoring and aren’t worth enough to trade them for someone better. There will be plenty of advice between now and Round 1 to help you get these picks right — start with the early rookie bible.
DO ... TRY SUPERCOACH DRAFT
SuperCoach Draft is a totally different game that allows you to run your own draft in which each player can only be selected once — if you’re best mate picks Nat Fyfe then no one else can have him. This also opens the door to mid-season trades between teams and lots of other fun features. The game has been completely revamped for 2020 to make it easier to play, so sign up your friends and start planning your draft party!
DON’T ... GET CUTE IN THE RUCKS
The quickest way to divert from the SuperCoach pack is to pick a ruckman other than Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn. Don’t try it. The superstar duo will cost a small fortune but they are the two best scorers in their position by a country mile, and starting with another player will only leave you in the position of formulating a plan on how to trade them in — all while watching everyone else gain the benefit of their huge scores. In the unlikely event one or both bombs out this year, just about every SuperCoach will be in the same boat.
MORE SUPERCOACH TIPS:
KFC SuperCoach: The premiums that start the season on fire, who is slow to get going
Seven players you will need in your SuperCoach team this year
Tim Michell’s first draft SuperCoach team
DON’T ... PICK TAGGER TARGETS
Beware Matt de Boer. The Giants master stopper curtailed stars including Dustin Martin, Patrick Dangerfield and Marcus Bontempelli last season, while young Bomber Dylan Clarke held Patrick Cripps to just 11 disposals. Some players, like Bomber Zach Merrett and Crow Rory Sloane, have struggled with taggers in the past so it might be wise to steer clear in your starting squad. For the rest keep an eye on the fixture — and don’t make them captain if they’re facing GWS.
DO ... LOOK FOR RELIABLE GUNS
The lure of the 130-point score is tempting for everyone who plays SuperCoach, but the reality is producing numbers like that every week is almost impossible unless you’re last name is Grundy or Gawn. Players who can produce 90-plus every week will allow you to sleep a lot easier at night than guys who score 120 one week and 50 the next. Jack Macrae only dipped under 100 three times last season and Shannon Hurn only scored under 80 twice last year (and one of them was a 79).
DON’T ... PICK PLAYERS WHO WILL DRIVE YOU MAD
Experienced SuperCoach players have a term for players like this: “burn men”. These are the guys who you put your faith in, only to be let down again and again. Often that’s by something totally within the player’s control, making it even more infuriating. James Sicily, Heath Shaw and Toby Greene are serial offenders.
DO ... LOOK FOR PLAYERS WITH UPSIDE
Maximise your $10 million salary cap by finding players with the most scope for improvement, whether that’s a natural career arc (Hugh McCluggage), putting an unusually quiet year behind them (Jack Steven) or through returning from injury (Sam Docherty) — but keep in mind the warning on injured players!
DO ... PICK DUAL-POSITION PLAYERS
Players who can be selected in more than one position are worth their weight in gold. Try to have at least one on each line (with the possible exception of the ruck, although even there a ruck-fwd can come in handy). DPPs give you extra flexibility to cover missing stars during the season without using trades.
DON’T ... PICK LANCE FRANKLIN
Having Buddy in your SuperCoach team is great fun and he has delivered some of the biggest scores in recent years. And he’s also extremely cheap this season at $394,200. But after an injury-prone 2019 season he has suffered another knee setback and might not be fit for the start of the season. Even if he is, save yourself the stress and pick someone else (but not Joe Daniher!)
DO ... PICK LACHIE WHITFIELD
The SuperCoach brains trust did us all a huge favour when they made Whitfield a MID/FWD player this year. Last season he averaged 111 points a game which would have made him clearly the topscoring forward (he was a defender in SuperCoach in 2019). He scored over 150 three times, making him a good captaincy option as well. Just lock him in your forward line and throw away the key.
DO ... USE YOUR TRADES WISELY
Thirty trades for the season sounds like a lot but it’s amazing how quickly they can disappear. Going hard early is fine but make sure you apply the brakes at some point. Experienced players like to use most or all of their available trades over the first few rounds to correct any pre-season mistakes then ease off until Rounds 8-9 when you can start upgrading rookies who have appreciated in value. Try to have at least seven trades left after the byes for the run home.
DON’T ... TRADE YOUR STARS
SuperCoach is littered with tales of players who offloaded what they thought was a dud selection after a bad game or two only for the decision to come back to bite them. Last year both Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn scored under 100 in Round 1, sparking a SuperCoach panic. But trigger-happy SuperCoaches who traded them out quickly regretted the move as both went on to score 10 consecutive tons. Talent doesn’t disappear overnight — keep the faith and save a trade.
DO ... WATCH PRE-SEASON MATCHES
The Marsh Community Series (as it’s now known), interclub practice matches and even intra-club hitouts provide valuable intel on new roles and are often the first chance we get to see draftees and trade recruits in action at their new homes. That can be invaluable when deciding who to take a punt on in SuperCoach.
MORE SUPERCOACH NEWS:
Jonathan Brown learns from rookie mistakes when picking 2020 SuperCoach AFL team
The Phantom’s SuperCoach 2020 Pre-Season: Premium midfielder anaylsis
Tim Michell reveals his first SuperCoach team for 2020 and the stars he can’t live without
DON’T ... GET SUCKED IN BY PRE-SEASON FORM
Take the above advice with a grain of salt. Pre-season games usually have modified rules and shorter quarters, and coaches like to rest older players and experiment with moves that are abandoned when the real stuff starts.
DO ... JOIN LEAGUES
The best fun in SuperCoach is taking on your family, friends and work colleagues in head-to-head league matches. You can create an 18-team league in which teams play each other once (starting in Round 3) or a 10-team league in which all teams play each other twice (starting in Round 2). Both end with a four-week finals series from Rounds 19-23 culminating in the SuperCoach grand final in Round 23.
DO ... CONVINCE YOUR MUM TO PLAY
DON’T ... LOSE TO HER
DO ... HAVE FUN!
Remember — it’s only a game!