How a 17-game AFL season will impact on your KFC SuperCoach plans
Football is going ahead, but with some big changes that will affect KFC SuperCoach scoring. Here are 10 factors you should consider before deciding your plan of attack.
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Who could have seen this coming?
After months of KFC SuperCoach homework, the best laid plans are out the window.
But it’s not all doom and gloom.
KFC SuperCoach is still going ahead as the AFL pushes on with plans for a 17-round season.
The final details of the competition (including number of trades) are still being determined.
Many SuperCoaches have already started plotting what five fewer rounds, no byes and the potential for disruptions during the season will mean for their teams.
There’s only so much we can plan for in what is an unprecedented global pandemic.
From a purely KFC SuperCoach perspective, a 17-game season presents a new challenge for coaches who have nailed their formulas over 22 matches in recent years — and gives the rest of us a chance to take it up to the seasoned experts.
Here are 10 factors you should consider when making your plans before Round 1.
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1. NAIL YOUR MID-PRICERS
Five fewer rounds will make it tougher to get your team to “full-premium” status using the popular guns-and-rookies approach. The fastest way to trade to a top scorer will be by nailing your starting mid-price selections. Say Lachie Whitfield ($604,100, FWD-MID) starts the campaign slowly and Christian Petracca ($441,300, FWD) dominates from the outset in his new midfield role. In one trade, you’ll be able to turn a player who started in the dangerous mid-price bracket such as Petracca into a season keeper.
HERE’S OUR MID-PRICE BIBLE TO HELP YOU OUT
2. THE MATT DE BOER EFFECT
The most-feared tagger in the game was set to lock horns with popular premiums Patrick Dangerfield (rounds 1 and 21) and Marcus Bontempelli (rounds 3 and 13) twice in 2020. That second meeting won’t be a part of the 17-round fixture, so don’t leave Dangerfield or Bontempelli out based solely on the likelihood of two De Boer shutdown jobs. Dylan Shiel, Dion Prestia and Luke Parker were others facing a likely De Boer clamp twice who now won’t have that concern.
3. RETHINK YOUR ROOKIE STRATEGY
How many rookies do you want to field when cash generation is going to be tough? KFC SuperCoaches found it tough to pinpoint the standout rookies throughout pre-season and that’s arguably only going to be more difficult now. You need a combination of strong job security and scoring potential and outside Marlion Pickett, there’s hardly a standout rookie who ticks both boxes. For example, would Brandon Zerk-Thatcher ($189,000, DEF) be squeezed out of Essendon’s team if the league went into lockdown and Patrick Ambrose recovered from a knee injury before footy started again?
4. BE PREPARED FOR THE SEASON TO STOP SUDDENLY
The coronavirus situation in Australia is changing daily and understandably, the health of players, staff and the fans is paramount. If the peak of the virus in Australia is still months away, there could come a point where KFC SuperCoach takes a break. Think about this when making your trades or punting a premium with a short-term injury.
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5. DON’T BANK ON VENUES STAYING THE SAME
Carlton has already declared it wants to play games at Princes Park while fans are unable to attend and it appears certain fixtures will be shifted. If you’d been banking on Jack Macrae, Josh Dunkley and Bontempelli dominating due to Western Bulldogs having five of their opening seven games at Marvel Stadium, you’ll need to rethink your strategy. The new AFL fixture will be a key KFC SuperCoach consideration.
6. NO BYES TO PLAN FOR
The bye rounds — which take into account a KFC SuperCoach team’s best 18 scores — won’t be a factor this year. There’s no need to think about bye planning, such as Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy missing in Round 13, when choosing your starting side.
7. ROOKIES WILL STILL CHANGE IN PRICE, POSSIBLY AFTER TWO GAMES
We’re still working through the finer details, but rookies still have a role to play. As stated above, cash generation is going to be tricky, particularly when making mid-season downgrades. However, price changes may take effect after two matches instead of three to compensate for five less rounds being played. This is still being discussed and we’ll keep KFC SuperCoaches informed about any rule changes.
8. FORGET CHARLIE COMBEN BEING THE BEST R3 LOOPHOLE
Dual-position status and a swag of Sunday fixtures made North Melbourne's Charlie Comben ($117,300, RUC-FWD) the best ruck loophole of 2020. But KFC SuperCoaches will need to do another set of analysis when the 17-round fixture is released to determine if that’s still the case. It would be handy for coaches if bargain-basement big man Matthew Conroy ($102,400) picked up a few extra Sunday games to be used for the captaincy loophole.
9. POINTS PER MINUTE WILL BE CRUCIAL
Amid talk of shorter quarters, players who amass KFC SuperCoach points quickly will be crucial. West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui often doesn’t play more than 60 per cent of matches, but recorded 1.38 points per minute played in 2019 — the best ratio in the league. Others who were prominent included Max Gawn (1.23 PPM), Brodie Grundy (1.21 PPM), Jack Macrae (1.19 PPM) and Adam Treloar (1.19 PPM). If it’s going to be a rapid-fire season, you want the quickest point scorers in your team.
10. BE FLEXIBLE
The AFL landscape is changing daily. KFC SuperCoach will be flexible this year should extra trades or other changes be required to compensate for an AFL hiatus or a coronavirus diagnosis. We’re here to provide the most enjoyable experience possible in Australia’s favourite fantasy game and will be making decisions based on the enjoyment of every KFC SuperCoach.
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