SuperCoach Investor: Think outside the square for final premium upgrades
You’ve got zero chance of winning SuperCoach if you recruit one of the ‘Big Five’ stars who is already in all your opponents’ teams. Which left-field guns should be on your trade radar?
Supercoach
Don't miss out on the headlines from Supercoach. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The market was oozing with prosperity over the weekend with some coaches – including yours truly – finally unveiling their finished SuperCoach sides with premium stars in every position of the ground.
It’s the ultimate proud parent moment as your team of pre-season misfits blossoms into a fully-fledged portfolio with premium stocks capable of tickling the weekly 2500-point barrier.
You’re probably on the verge of autopilot once your side is complete, but that’s no excuse to rest on your laurels, as we’re only a fortnight away from the “real” SuperCoach season.
If you’re one, two or maybe even three upgrades away from a fully premium side, it’s time for one final burst.
The SuperCoach Investor, Daniel Begala, reveals the key tactics that you should consider if you’re looking to differentiate yourself from the herd and propel your team to rankings and league success.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Cash is King. That’s what they say in Finance 101.
The only issue, however, is that we’ve been bereft of income-generating rookies since the byes, other than the likes of Sam Walsh, Sydney Stack and Reilly O’Brien.
It’s made upgrading trickier than normal, but astute investors have responded with calculated acquisitions of underpriced stars such as Robbie Gray or Marc Murphy, who presented unrivalled value.
Value is a key word at the tail end of the season.
Typically these SuperCoach bargains are returning from injury or, in the case of Murphy, benefiting from a fresh set of eyes and significant change to their weekly roles.
It’s a spike in SuperCoach output that catches the eye of only the seasoned campaigners.
Blink and you’ll miss it kind of stuff.
This is SuperCoach “arbitrage” and traditionally only available for fleeting moments during a season, so there’s no room for hesitation.
With trades dwindling, injuries mounting (Exhibit A: Stephen Coniglio) and finals fast approaching, it’s integral that you get bang for your buck with all of your remaining trade decisions.
Using the Coniglio injury as an example, it’s paramount that you consider the next tier of midfielders as a primary solution for filling his void and, importantly, generating additional liquidity for the latter stages of the season.
You’ve got to exercise discipline and avoid the obvious allure of the Fantastic Five – Lachie Neale, Nat Fyfe, Patrick Cripps, Jack Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli – and instead chase SuperCoach value at or around $500K.
EXPERT COLUMN: AMAZING FINDS IN BARGAIN BIN
THE PHANTOM: BEST CONIGLIO REPLACEMENTS
TRADE GUIDE: TOP ROUND 18 TARGETS
Outside of these five standouts you can almost throw a blanket across the scoring output of the next tier of AFL midfielders, it’s that tight.
The SuperCoach Investor advocates for the likes of Zac Merrett ($497K, in 9.7 per cent of teams), Mitch Duncan ($502K, 2.5 per cent) and Andrew Gaff ($506K, 4.6 per cent) as the most attractive replacements for Coniglio this week.
They’re the go-to men if you’re looking to solidify your midfield (“M8”) with cash left over to deal with any injuries and trades that may arise between now and season’s end.
Merrett, Duncan and Gaff are proven scorers and sure to ratchet you up the rankings should they deliver top-tier dividends commensurate with their output of season’s past.
They’re the calculated decisions you’ll need to make as you’re no chance – literally, no chance – of making up rankings ground if you conform to the popular suite of replacements such as Adelaide pair, Rory Sloane and Matt Crouch.
You’ll need to disregard all of their scoring to date – and I mean all of it – as we’re simply focused on selecting the replacement players who we suspect will score the most points between now and Round 23.
Round 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. That’s it.
Who does The SuperCoach Investor envisage will score the most points from now until season’s end from Merrett, Duncan and Gaff?
I suspect Merrett – with a combination of soft games and a pursuit for finals – will reign supreme with an average north of 115 points for the remainder of the season.
He hasn’t been Merrett of season’s past, but if you disregard his injury-affected game against the Swans (R16), the Essendon maestro is averaging almost 110 points per week.
Get the chequebooks out, folks, it’s arbitrage time (again).
Bargain watch: AFL Trade period SuperCoach specials
It’s never too early to start planning 2025 SuperCoach success, and the trade period has delivered some potential steals. Here are the names and numbers you need to know.
AFL obsession to NBL addiction: How SuperCoach hooked me on hoops
I hadn’t watch the NBL since the Andrew Gaze and Shane Heal days. Now I’m taking my son to United games and watching Phoenix on Kayo because of one reason.