Six strategies for picking a winning KFC SuperCoach defence

How many rookies should you start in defence this year? Here are five strategies to help you pick up a gun KFC SuperCoach backline. SAMPLE TEAMS

Premiership teams are built from the backline, and the same is true in KFC SuperCoach.

The most expensive defender in the game — Sydney’s Jake Lloyd — is in almost 50 per cent of teams. After that it gets tricky.

There are lots of great scorers in defence at attractive prices — but you can only pick six (or eight, including the bench).

Do you load up on proven scorers, take a punt on mid-pricers or throw the rookies to the wolves — or some combination of those, or something else entirely?

Here are five selection strategies you can adopt when picking your squad. Note that the players listed here can be interchanged for others of a similar value while keeping the same structure — this is about having a plan that you’re backing for the season. And you can take it as a given that each suggested line-up also includes two cheapies on the bench who we are confident will get early games.

1. STACKING THE BACKLINE

The backline usually provides a good supply of top-scorers — last season 11 defenders averaged at least 100 points a game compared to six forwards who reached that mark — so it makes sense to invest in this part of the ground.

Defenders are also usually more reliable scorers with fewer wild swings in their scoring, which means less stress and also fewer opportunities to pick up a gun at a bargain price during the season.

MORE: SEVEN WINNING SUPERCOACH SELECTION STRATEGIES

Jake Lloyd is the standout premium in defence. Picture. Phil Hillyard

And you’re not paying through the nose. This year you buy players like Rory Laird, who could average about 110, for $100,000 cheaper than midfield top-liners like Clayton Oliver or Jack Steele.

Stacking the defence with premiums also reduces the risk of playing low-scoring rookies on field — Sydney’s Will Gould is the fourth-most popular player in KFC SuperCoach and we still aren’t sure if he’s actually going to get a game.

You might also get a jump on the competition by picking players like Luke Ryan, Jordan Ridley or Caleb Daniel who have very low ownership.

The downside is spending big in defence slashes the budget for other positions, especially if you’re locking in the two expensive ruckmen. That means exposing more rookies or risky mid-pricers in the midfield and up forward.

SAMPLE TEAM:

What a stacked KFC SuperCoach backline could look like.

2. GUNS AND ROOKIES

The classic, trusted approach to building a SuperCoach team — in any position.

This strategy is based on limiting your selections to top-line defenders priced above $500,000 and cheapies priced under $200,000.

This approach makes it easier to select three of the likely top-six defenders for the season, who you shouldn’t have to trade all year, without breaking the bank.

The main benefit is reducing risk by avoiding awkwardly-priced players who history tells us are likely to have to be traded out at some stage of the season. It also fosters cash generation from the best rookies to fund your future trades.

The downside is potentially missing out on bargain mid-pricers who might score as well as your premiums while saving a heap of cash.

And we are still waiting for more rookies to present themselves who we are confident in starting on the field in defence.

SAMPLE TEAM:

What a guns and rookies KFC SuperCoach defence could look like.

3. MID-PRICE MADNESS

Did we say mid-pricers are too risky? Forget that!

This approach limits your key defensive picks to players valued between $250,000-$500,000, who all have the potential to score way above what their price tag suggests.

If it works out, this strategy can give you five high-scoring players without breaking the bank, and also avoids playing rookies on the field who could be dropped or rested while leaving money in the bank to spend up in the ruck, midfield and forward line.

Picking multiple mid-pricers in one position normally sets off the alarm bells, but there do appear to be a plethora of value options in the backline this year. And if they pay off, you’re a genius.

Demon James Harmes could be a backline bargain in KFC SuperCoach. Picture: Michael Klein

But buyer beware — picking five mid-pricers in one team who all work out would be just about a first in KFC SuperCoach, doing it in one position would be close to a miracle. Dealing with failed mid-price picks can take over your season, forcing you to pass on top rookies that emerge during the year.

And you’re missing out on the A-grade scorers like Jake Lloyd and Rory Laird.

SAMPLE TEAM:

What a mid-price defence could look like in 2021.

4. ROOKE DEFENCE

Taking the totally opposite approach to the stacked defence, this strategy allows you to save big down back to finance a spending spree in other parts of the ground — especially the ruck and midfield.

There are doubts on many of the top-end defenders this season, and you could make a case for Jake Lloyd being overpriced at more than $650,000. Do you really want to spend top dollar on players who are a good chance to drop in value?

On the other hand, the defensive rookies show plenty of promise this year and this could be the line to load up on cheapies.

The team below is a pretty extreme version — picking three rookies in the backline is a more viable strategy that limits the risk somewhat.

A word of warning — watch the AAMI Series and Round 1 teams like a hawk, and have a back-up plan ready in case some (or all!) of your cheapies miss out on selection.

SAMPLE TEAM:

What a rookie-heavy KFC SuperCoach backline could look like.

5. BALANCED BACKLINE

This strategy allows you to have your cake and eat it too by picking the best of the selection approaches above — a couple of top-liners, the best rookies and a throw at the stumps with a couple of risky mid-price selections.

This is a flexible approach — depending how much you want to spend you could pick an extra premium or an extra rookie, going with just one mid-pricer.

Tom Stewart is a reliable KFC SuperCoach option.

The downside (apart from still relying on a mid-pricer or two, which some seasoned SuperCoach players swear off), is that it is too defensive. You’re picking a team to avoid major pitfalls, but is it brave enough to set you apart from the pack?

And where’s the personal stamp?

SAMPLE TEAM:

What a balanced KFC SuperCoach defence could look like.

6. FYFE IS LIFE

A potentially smart strategic move this season is picking Gold Coast’s Aiden Fyfe on the bench in defence.

Fyfe is unlikely to play but he can play a valuable role as a “floating doughnut” —a zero-scoring player who can be deployed to make use of the vice-captain loophole, giving you two cracks at a top captain score most weeks (click here to see how it works).

If you are confident you have the best rookies down back you can potentially afford to take a risk by sacrificing one of your bench spots for Fyfe, who is ideal for this role at just $102,000 and with DEF/MID status — allowing you to flip him with another DPP like Rory Laird who you could start in the midfield.

And who doesn’t love having a Fyfe in their team?