Starting David Mundy in SuperCoach was a terrible idea. But it can be fixed

I admit it. I was sucked in by the idea of a clever SuperCoach pick that would make me look like a genius — but has instead blown up in my face. But it’s not too late to fix the mistake. ROUND 2 TRADE RULES

Fremantle’s David Mundy. Picture: Matt Turner

Damien Hardwick labelled Richmond’s performance against Collingwood on Thursday night as “un-Richmond-like”.

This morning an unnamed work colleague described my left-field starting SuperCoach selection as “very un-Al like”. She has a point.

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ROUND 2: SUPERCOACH HEROES AND VILLAINS

On the eve of Round 1 I made the decision to include Fremantle veteran David Mundy in my team, coughing up $520,900 on the 33-year-old because:

— He had averaged at least 89 points a game for every season since 2010

— I couldn’t make up my mind who else to start in that position

— He was in just 2 per cent of teams and I thought I was being extremely clever

Mundy made a slow start in Round 1, scoring 73 points, but things really went pear-shaped yesterday. When I checked my phone at a country wedding and saw his score at halftime of the match against Gold Coast (12 points), I thought either he was injured or there was a problem with the SuperCoach score feed.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK’S VITAL TRADE RULES

As it turns out there were some technical gremlins (now fixed), but that didn’t help me. He wasn’t injured, either. So, to be completely honest, I have no idea why he scored just 35 points from 15 disposals (going at under 50 per cent efficiency can’t have helped).

What I do know is that I regret going out on a limb and picking him in my team.

The good news is it’s not too late to fix the error. Although I’ll never get the points I missed out on, SuperCoach prices haven’t changed which gives all of us the opportunity to make some urgent corrections before player values for most players are adjusted following their third game.

David Mundy has performed well below expectations in the first two rounds.

Mundy has a break even this week of 194, meaning that’s what he needs to maintain his current value. If he scores around 80 against St Kilda, he’ll lose more than $50,000. Ouch.

Other players with high break evens and set for big price falls include Elliot Yeo (185), Lance Franklin (183), Kade Simpson (176), Isaac Heeney (155) and Dustin Martin (152).

The last two are in a lot of teams — including mine. Which means we need to do some SuperCoach triage to prioritise which issues need to be fixed with our two available trades.

1. MUST-HAVE ROOKIES

The first priority is to make sure you have the best rookies in each position before their prices shoot up next week. These guys will finance your trades for the rest of the year so as much as it might hurt, it’s better to live with an our-of-form star like Dusty or Heeney than miss out on a key cash cow.

Port Adelaide’s Willem Drew tops the rookie shopping list after scores of 103 and 90 in his first two games, giving him a break even of -121 and an expected price rise of $98,000 next week. That’s cash you can’t afford not to make.

The other names you need are Matthew Parker (break even -108), Charlie Constable (-97), Xavier Duursma (-69) and Zak Butters (-63). Guys like Jack Scrimshaw (-48) and Sam Walsh (-31) are also set for healthy price rises but aren’t essential if you need to fix other problems.

Young Cats Charlie Constable (left) and Gryan Miers are both set for big price jumps. Picture: Peter Ristevski

2. MID-PRICE MADNESS

If you were considering starting with a risky mid-price selection but waited to see how they performed in the first two weeks, now’s the time to make your move.

Most of the popular mid-price picks have started well, with the likes of Tom Rockliff, Dom Sheed, Darcy Moore and Tom Liberatore all shaping as bargains.

If you went to get on board, do it now.

3. DON’T TRADE PREMIUMS ... OR DO YOU?

A golden rule in SuperCoach is to never trade your top-priced players — ask anyone who hit the trade button on Clayton Oliver after he scored 71 in Round 1, then bounced back with 141 against the Cats.

One, or even two, bad games isn’t enough to throw out an entire pre-season of thoughtful decision making. A bank of 30 trades seems a lot but that number can disappear very quickly so every trade must be carefully considered.

However, there are exceptions to every rule. If a player has had a significant role change, is carrying an injury, or there are other reasons to think he isn’t the guy you selected before Round 1, there could be a case for making a move. Sometimes being aggressive early is the winning play.

John Longmire says Heeney is still hampered by a minor ankle injury he suffered in the JLT Series. Martin seems off his game and might have to play forward a lot more as the Tigers adjust to life without Jack Riewoldt.

The case for a trade gets stronger when you realise you could swap Dusty for Liberatore and have more than $250,000 left over to fix a problem somewhere else on the field.

Having said that, it wouldn’t surprise to see either star turn it on this week to answer their critics and make every trigger-happy SuperCoach regret giving them the boot.

Then there are players who just have to go, like Mundy. I’ll get back to you on what I do with trade No.2.