How Merryl McNaughton plays SuperCoach using only pen and paper

NOT owning a computer or a smart device would be an insurmountable handicap for most SuperCoach players. Not Merryl McNaughton. Meet a living SuperCoach legend.

PLAYING SuperCoach without an internet connection is no easy feat, but Swan Hill’s Merryl McNaughton doesn’t let that stand in her way.

Despite never owning a computer, smartphone or tablet, the aircraft maintenance engineer has played SuperCoach for seven years, scribbling down players and points in notebooks.

After short-listing players, McNaughton, 60, calls the Herald Sun sports desk in January, asking for the SuperCoach price list to be posted to her.

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So begins the finessing of Bloomin-Mez to stay under the $10 million salary cap.

“Every day you’re looking at it you say ‘Oh yeah I’ll take a chance on him’ and then two days later you go ‘No, no he’s not going to be any good’,” McNaughton said.

“Constantly adding things up and down, up and down, trying to get within the mark and you’re trying to get the best players available. I love football.”

The list build takes “a couple of hours” — without a calculator, mind you.

SuperCoach fanatic Merryl McNaughton, 60, plays the fantasy game without a computer. Picture: Pamela Blackman

McNaughton sits on Bloo­min-Mez for several weeks ­before it is lodged, over the landline, with her sister Susan, who manages the friends and family league The Supremes.

“I’m not computer literate, it would take me forever,” McNaughton said.

“There are about 16 of us, ­although a couple of times we’ve had ring-ins like Robbo and the rest (SuperCoach ­experts) when we haven’t been able to make up the numbers.

“Every time I want to change the team I ring her (Susan) up and find out the prices of the players during the year and get whatever I can out of the Herald Sun and my AFL Prospectus.

“I haven’t submitted my team this year because alth­ough I’ve been sitting on it for a few weeks now, I don’t want to ring and let her know — she gets ideas you see.

“She doesn’t really cheat or anything, she’s good that way.”

McNaughton finished in the top four last year only to exit quickly, but the avid Carlton supporter is set on doing better this year.

“I’ve gone against Paddy Dangerfield because he’s just too expensive … he’ll still be a consistent player, but I’ve gone for Dustin Martin,” she said.

“I’ve got about three or four really good players and then the rest are newbies, ones that have been there a while and a low price. I go for ball magnets, it doesn’t matter if they’re not fantastic, if they get the ball ­accumulated and points accumulated, that’s what I’m going for.”

McNaughton tends to stay with one captain all year, barring injury or suspension — last year it was Dangerfield.

“I used to jump around but it just became a hassle, it was just ridiculous, so I just chose who I think is going to be the best captain of the year and I stick with them,” she said.

The 2018 Bloomin-Mez team includes “Mr Reliable” Kade Simpson, Jake Stringer, Jaidyn Stephenson, Isaac Heeney, Matthew Kreuzer, Brayden Maynard, Nat Fyfe and Paddy Dow, while Christian Petracca will debut.

“I’m hoping for him to get his act together and score some big numbers,” McNau­gh­ton said.

Sleepless nights in California

SHAYLA Chalker loses sleep over SuperCoach.

Living near Los Angeles, the Melbourne-born US college volleyball coach stays up past midnight to ensure her SuperCoach team is primed.

“With the time difference and working (playing games on Friday and Saturday) I’d have to set my team hours before and hope that there were no late outs,” Chalker said.

“Unless the Bombers are playing I don’t usually stay up for the late games, so it can be a bit of a gamble.

“As with everyone, all the loopholes can catch me out, especially if you need to make a decision halfway through a game to stick with your VC (vice-captain) or chuck the captain on someone else.

“I’ve fallen asleep on the couch many times trying to catch the start of a 1.30am game.”

Shayla Chalker, who plays women’s football for the Los Angeles Dragons, still has time for SuperCoach.

The self-confessed “hopeless SuperCoach fanatic” joined the newly-formed Los Angeles Dragons women’s football team last year.

They finished runner-up in the USAFL National Championships in San Diego this year.

“We were absolutely stoked since it was our first year and we had a lot of girls who had only just started playing the game,” said Chalker, who started playing SuperCoach in 2013.

“I’m one of only three Australians on the women’s team.

“It’s been awesome being around more Australians who I can talk footy with. I’ve missed those conversations.”

Snow time for fantasy game

Daniel Begala

HE’S a two-time Winter Olympian, but for Cameron Bolton, SuperCoach remains a passion.

Reaching the top of his sport — snowboard cross — has required dedication, perseverance and many, many spills along the way.

But SuperCoach, much like his preparation for the 2018 Winter Games, is no different.

While competing on the slopes at PyeongChang, Bolton kept a keen eye on the guns, rookies and speculative picks he believes will propel his SuperCoach team — “Girls Gawn Wild”.

“The boys at the snow give me a lot of grief for checking SuperCoach scores all weekend,” Bolton said.

“I watch the JLT (Series) closely for my rookies and relevant positional changes.”

Competing at the Winter Olympics didn’t stop Cameron Bolton from staying up to date with SuperCoach. Picture: Getty Images

Bolton’s view, however, is a little more relaxed for proven stars such as Patrick Dangerfield and Nat Fyfe, who need only to “tick boxes” to earn a berth in GGW.

A Melbourne tragic, it’s no surprise that Max Gawn, Michael Hibberd and Christian Petracca occupy key positions in his starting line-up.

Bolton’s all-time favourite is Port Adelaide recruit, Tom Rockliff, who boasts an unrivalled scoring capacity and penchant for “leather poisoning”.

With four consecutive top one per cent SuperCoach finishes, Bolton is a guru of the game.