SuperCoach Investor warns players to trade carefully, especially in the early rounds of the AFL season

TRADING — as we all know — can be the making (and breaking) of SuperCoaches, but we need to be careful about the decisions we make early in the season.

INVESTORS are now entrenched in the rollercoaster that is SuperCoach.

There will be some investors — the astute investors — who thrive, but more often than not, there will be the humble “Mum and Dad” types that fall for the allure of hyped stock.

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Round 3, as the experienced campaigners will attest, has always been known as “market mover” round with investors keen to lap up the stocks set to skyrocket and disembark those, often premiums, who are poised for depreciation.

Trading — as we all know — can be the making (and breaking) of a coach and investor.

This week our resident expert, DANIEL BEGALA, shares the pitfalls and essential investment tenets we need to remain conscious of in wake of last week’s trading fiasco.

THE SUPERCOACHES BOX: GILBERT GARDINER, BEN HIGGINS AND DAN BATTEN ON BUBBLE BOYS AND PREMIUMS UNDER THE PUMP

A LEOPARD NEVER CHANGES ITS SPOTS

I’ve been playing this game for a long time.

Never, have I ever, made a more “brash” investment decision than what was conducted on that fateful weekend that was Round 3.

OUT: Michael Hibberd (DEF) & Luke Dahlhaus (FWD).

IN: Riley Bonner (DEF) & Tim Taranto (MID-FWD).

The #SuperCoach Investor is considering the following "long short" trade strategy this week:

SHORT ('Sell'): Hibberd
LONG ('Buy'): Bonner

SHORT: Dahl🐎
LONG: Taranto

Investment Return: +$400K

Next Steps: Gray & Dangerfield.

What are people's thoughts?

— Daniel Begala (@danbegala) April 6, 2018

The Begala Brigade maintain the utmost vigil with investment policies, but unfortunately, one rogue trader saw the allure (+$400,000) and executed the trade of not one, but two, seasoned premiums of our great game.

He’s no longer with us, fortunately.

The outcome, although still to be truly realised, has been nothing short of a disaster and reiterates that importance of backing your premiums at all costs!

They’re stars of our game, boast extensive scoring pedigree and should only — in the rarest of occasions — feature in your weekly trade discussions.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

This week our attention — unfortunately — turns to Saving Private (Liam) Ryan who suffered a serious ankle injury in the final throes of Sunday’s win over Geelong.

LIAM RYAN. #SuperCoach pic.twitter.com/Mgb0ngfqam

— Daniel Begala (@danbegala) April 9, 2018

We were home. We were hosed. We even had a forward rookie we could count on.

SuperCoach can be a cruel game, but with Liam Ryan’s recent injury, comes an opportunity to differentiate ourselves from the masses.

The rookie stocks are beginning to wear thin, so it’s essential — given Ryan will miss the next three months — that you pull the trigger and trade the popular Eagle.

There are two options, it’s up or down, according to The SuperCoach Investor:

DOWNGRADE

We’ve only seen a small uplift in value, +$77K, but as investors we have to understand that timing is paramount and in this instance, it’s time to reap our capital gains and move on.

Leverage the dual-position status of your squad, if possible, to guarantee the services of young pup, Ed Richards ($135K, DEF) who looms as this week’s “bubble boy” and should be destined for a string of opportunity at Whitten Oval.

Another target, albeit not on the bubble, is Richmond’s Jack Higgins ($130K, MID-FWD) who burst onto the scene with goalscoring nous and incredible Champion Data pedigree from the TAC Cup.

Power skipper Travis Boak and star midfielder Robbie Gray lead the way at training. Picture: Sarah Reed

UPGRADE

If you, like I, have been building a war chest for Patrick Dangerfield’s services maybe it’s time to reconsider the timing and execution of that acquisition.

Danger, by his lofty standards, has not lit the world on fire and insiders are forecasting a sizeable decline in lieu of his early season form (130 and 100).

The forward line is traditionally fraught with challenges, but why not solidify those burgeoning issues by transitioning Liam Ryan into one of the Blue Chip stocks you envision holding in your SuperCoach portfolio until the pointy end of the season.

The SuperCoach Investor has been very impressed with the early season form of this week’s premium “bubble boy”, Robbie Gray, who’s blending time up forward with significant centre-bounce and midfield attendance.

There is a bye to contend with, however, but relatively low ownership levels and a penchant for top-tier scoring ensures he’s a standout in the eye of The SuperCoach Investor.