The SuperCoach Investor’s trade advice after Round 1

Don’t be afraid to admit you’ve made a mistake. Many experts are urging caution, but investment and SuperCoach expert Daniel Begala says there is one player we need to act on now.

Willem Drew was fantastic on debut.

The dust has settled and we’re now on the six-month pilgrimage towards SuperCoach stardom.

If you ticked over the 2000-point barrier in Round 1, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

But if you’ve fallen short – like many did – it’s time to supercharge your team and consider an urgent course correction.

WATCH LIST: ROUND 2 TRADE TARGETS

START HERE: HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRADES

HOLD FIRE: THE PHANTOM’S TRADE ADVICE

The SuperCoach Investor, Daniel Begala, is back at the helm and keen to share his insights and strategies throughout the rollercoaster that is season 2019.

QUICK DRAW MCGRAW

The rage trade is back in vogue.

It’s a hallmark of SuperCoach and helps distinguish the contenders from the pretenders.

There were plenty of underwhelming performances over the weekend, but Clayton Oliver (71), Brodie Grundy (81) and Max Gawn (87) have attracted the greatest coaching ire.

You paid top dollar. You had high hopes. You didn’t receive a dividend. You did not pass GO.

They were supposedly our greatest assets, but they’ve become glaring liabilities in the minds of many investors.

But guess what?

It’s Round 1 and you don’t have any insight – other than 120 minutes of football – to make telling conclusions on their prospects for 2019.

They’re stars of our game, perennial scorers and very rarely – if ever – deliver back-to-back disappointment.

So back them in, throw away the key and reassess their viability at the close of Round 2 once the pricing dynamic becomes relevant.

Brodie Grundy had a disappointing score in Round 1. Picture: David Crosling

Gold Coast defender Sam Collins had just five disposals against St Kilda.

THE BIG SHORT

Last season The SuperCoach Investor deployed a long-short strategy on the eve of Round 3 that saw two underperformers, Michael Hibberd (DEF) and Luke Dahlhaus (MID-FWD), be jettisoned from my side prior to a predicted seismic drop in their prices.

This strategy, “The Big Short”, enabled me to short (“sell”) two stocks prior to their first price change and go long (“buying”) on the two most promising mid-priced players that I’d overlooked in my initial squad (Riley Bonner and Tim Taranto).

The application of this strategy was aggressive, but it was highly successful as it generated additional liquidity (cash) for allocation across my side and helped facilitate a successful in-season restructure that firmly positioned me in the rankings peloton.

If your prime pursuit is overall rankings, it’s time to take notice of the tried-and-tested long-short strategy.

It will be hard to resist the urge of discounted stars like Tom Rockliff ($408K, MID) and Dom Sheed ($394K, MID) should Oliver fail to fire at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.

It may seem crazy, but it’s food for thought.

Willem Drew was fantastic on debut for Port Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed

ROOKIE RECALIBRATION

There’s no better feeling than watching SuperCoach rookies like Willem Drew (103) and Bailey Scott (103) outshine seasoned veterans in their first game. It’s like their first day of school and you couldn’t be prouder.

These are the diamonds in the rough and should – if they’re not already – be entrenched in each and every SuperCoach side.

Sadly, they’re not, but that’s no reason to despair.

We have 30 trades, and that should be more than sufficient to develop your side to a premium-filled scoring juggernaut.

Don’t hesitate to reconfigure your side before the Round 3 price changes to ensure you have the rookies with the best job security and cash-generating abilities.

First on the chopping block for The Begala Brigade is Gold Coast’s Sam Collins (27), who seems grossly overpriced and unlikely to yield the dividends most coaches expected.

It’s a “no tolerance” approach for high-priced rookies like Collins given Cameron Wilkie (70) and Darragh Joyce (67) were available for a smidgen of the price.