SuperCoach 2018: How many premium midfielders should we start with?

DANGER, Dusty, Mitchell ... the temptation to pick all the big midfield guns in SuperCoach is obvious. But could it lead to disaster? A guide to a winning 2018 midfield strategy.

HOW many premium midfielders should we start with in 2018?

I have found that it isn’t the midfielders that make this decision, it is the other positions on the ground. That might sound strange, but let’s unpack it in more detail.

When we first start picking our teams there is always a temptation to go heavy in the midfield, and this year the lure is greater than ever with rolled gold super scorers at the top of the price list and lots of potential value.

Who doesn’t like opening their team and seeing names like Dangerfield, Mitchell, Fyfe, M. Crouch, Rockliff, Martin, Selwood, Ablett and Pendlebury all in the one side?

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Spending up big here will earn you a lot of points and it might pay off for you, but it could create big problems down the road by making your team harder to upgrade.

Good quality rookies are just as important in this game as the guys that are scoring 120-plus. It is the rookies who generate the cash to allow you to get more of these top-scoring players and ultimately bigger scores. The best rookies are those that are going to have good job security and play week in and week out while also scoring above their breakevens to ensure a steady price rise.

This season we are already hamstrung in defence with the No.1 lock Sam Docherty out for the season with an ACL tear. Thankfully, there are other premium options at our disposal. But it is the rookies I am most interested in.

Patrick Dangerfield will set you back nearly $750k. Picture: Getty Images

At first glance there aren’t too many locks in that department. Tom Doedee seems the most obvious selection, but after that we are looking at maybe only two or three more that look the goods to play Round 1 and get regular games while scoring well.

Let’s assume you can rely on four of these rookies for your side (two on field, two on the bench). This leaves you with another four spots to fill with mid-pricers and premiums.

Up forward the premium stakes are a little more covered but the rookie reserves aren’t much better than in defence.

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We have lost one of our main locks and that was Will Setterfield, also to an ACL, and we didn’t see popular picks Willie Rioli or Paul Ahern in Week 1 of the JLT Series.

On the positive side West Coast did play Liam Ryan and Daniel Venables but they didn’t really set the world on fire, scoring 46 and 31 points.

Here we may have only three rookie-priced players we can trust. This results in us having to fill five spots with premiums and mid-pricers.

Now, why all this talk about other positions, you ask? Well, the amount of money we spend up forward, in the ruck and down back will determine how much we can spend in our midfield. Also consider that five of the top seven draftees from last season are classified as midfielders-only. They are usually the ones that have good job security and are the safer picks.

So the number of premium mids you can afford will be determined by your appetite for selecting rookies in the other positions.

Our aim is to make money and fast. It is usually the midfield rookies that get the most game time and can score best early on. It is there that the cash will be made.

It is for this reason that you may look to sacrifice one of those coveted midfield premiums for a rookie and spend that cash on another quality forward or defender.

The quicker your rookie matures and you can trade them, the quicker you can upgrade your side to a higher quality and higher scoring unit.

We’ve yet to see Willie Rioli. Picture: Getty Images

So what is my position? Well at this stage I have five premium mids, one mid-pricer and five rookie-priced players. I believe that these midfield rookies are the most likely to generate the cash I need to quickly upgrade my squad. But this is all personal preference, and it can change year on year, you must reassess based on what is available each season. Ultimately it comes down to what works for you. If you have a plan that you believe in, go for it. That’s what makes SuperCoach fun.

Get more SuperCoach tips from Dunny on Twitter @pkd73

WHICH ROOKIES CAN WE TRUST?

DEFENCE

Look safe: Tom Doedee, Jeremy Finlayson (def/mid), Aaron Naughton

Maybe? Nick Coffield, Sam Murray, Brody Mihocek, Alex Morgan, Mitch Hibberd, Isaac Cumming, Lachlan Murphy

MIDFIELD

Look safe: Andrew Brayshaw, Paddy Dow, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tim Kelly, Dom Barry, Nick Holman,

Maybe? Lachlan Fogarty, James Worpel, Nick Shipley, Brayden Ainsworth, Bailey Banfield, Hunter Clark, Will Brodie

RUCK

Safe: None

Maybe? Tim English, Darcy Cameron

FORWARD

Look safe: Luke Ryan, Willie Rioli

Maybe? Bailey Fritsch, Jarrod Garlett (mid/fwd), Paul Ahern (mid/fwd), Jaidyn Stephenson (mid/fwd), Zac Giles-Langdon