SuperCoach 2017: Start your squad with one of these six midfield line-ups

NOT sure where to start in picking a SuperCoach squad? Lock and load one of these midfield line-ups and start your chase for the $50,000 grand prize.

NOT sure where to start in picking a SuperCoach squad? Lock and load one of these midfield line-ups and start your chase for the $50,000 grand prize.

SuperCoach is fun and free to play and with awesome prizes on offer including:

$50,000 to the overall winner.

$1000 for the top score every round.

START a private league and fill it before Round 1 and you’re in the running for $9000 cash ($500 for everyone in the league).

JUST by registering you go in the draw for one of four double passes to a corporate box hosted by Matthew Lloyd.

It’s as simple as picking a squad of 30 using your $10 million salary cap. But where to begin?

The midfield is a great starting point because there are more players in your squad in this part of the ground than any other, and midfielders also score the most points — last year 17 of the top 20 scorers were midfield-eligible (the exceptions were rucks Max Gawn and Todd Goldstein and Carlton defender Sam Docherty).

THE PHANTOM: PRE-SEASON MIDFIELD BOLTERS

EXPERT TIPS: PICKING THE PERFECT SUPERCOACH CASH COW

Save time by picking one of the six midfield line-ups below then choosing the rest of your squad. We’ll have suggestions for other positions soon.

Our advice is to use this as a starting point then tinker as much as you like — we all have unlimited trades until Round 1 — based on pre-season form, injury news and your own preferences. It’s a lot more fun to back a team with a personal touch.

But this should give you a head start.

This SuperCoach midfield is chock full of big-scoring superstars.

1. ALL GUNS BLAZING

A guaranteed way to get your season off to a flyer. This midfield is stacked with players capable of scoring well above the magical 100-point barrier every week, starting with Patrick Dangerfield who led all-comers with a ridiculous average of 132 points a game last year.

The downside is it chews up a large chunk of your salary cap meaning you’ll have to find cheaper options in other parts of the field, and fewer rookies (players priced under $211,000) could make trading harder in future weeks.

Do you homework over the pre-season to find the right rookies.

2. YOUTH POLICY

This line-up flips the first selection policy on its head, instead cramming as many rookies as possible into the midfield.

This will cost you points early on but rookies are the best way to generate cash for future trades — player values increase (or decrease) based on their on-field performances and young midfielders have the best chance of playing games, scoring points and going up in price.

A ward of warning — make sure you pick youngsters who will get games in the home-and-away season (the pre-season comp is a good guide but can be misleading if best-22 players are rested). You don’t want to be stuck with a team full of players who aren’t scoring any points.

The ultimate ‘set and forget’ midfield — good for the time-poor SuperCoach.

3. SAFE AS HOUSES

These guys won’t let you down. Not only have they been reliable point-scorers for years, they also have a great record of not getting injured — an often overlooked selection priority (Gary Ablett averaged 114 points a game last season compared to Travis Boak’s 91, but the Port Adelaide skipper played all 22 games — compared to Ablett’s 14 — and scored 500 more points for the year).

A good approach if you already have enough stress in your life.

Picking value midfielders allows you to spend more on premium forwards, rucks and defenders.

4. FEELING BRAVE

This is the ultimate boom or bust line-up. These players all represent great value as they are underpriced for their scoring potential. The reason for the price discount is simple: they all missed games last year — which means they could fall over again at any moment.

Jaeger O’Meara averaged 97 in his last full season, which is way more than anyone else in his price bracket. But that was in 2014. Will his knees hold up?

A spate of injuries could leave you in a big hole but if these selections pay off, you’ll be a genius.

Don’t follow the herd.

5. FORGING YOUR OWN PATH

Like being different? These players all have a great scoring history but for some reason have been largely ignored by the SuperCoach masses this year.

Luke Parker averaged 112 points a game last year but is the 93rd most popular pick this season; he is in fewer teams than Swans teammates Ollie Florent and Nic Newman, who have played zero games between them.

Zach Merret, Dayne Zorko and Dustin Martin were all popular picks last year as forwards but now they are classified as midfielders only, SuperCoaches are avoiding them like the plague — making them a great point of difference for your side.

There’s nothing like the feeling of knocking off a mate with a team that’s all your own.

UNIQUE PICKS: WHERE’S THE LOVE FOR SUPERCOACH MIDFIELD GUNS?

Carn the Pies.

6. MAGPIE MADNESS

Collingwood’s midfield is the best in the competition according to Champion Data, so this makes sense. Sort of.

Pendlebury, Treloar and Sidebottom will all be great scorers, Jordan de Goey could jump into the top bracket this season and Josh Thomas represents value after a year out of the game.

But Daniel Wells has injury risk written all over him while Jack Crisp and Levi Greenwood are solid performers but not guys you would normally consider in SuperCoach — in the midfield you should be looking for genuine 100-plus stars or cheaper options who will jump in price.

Also one of the best things about SuperCoach is being able to pick players from every team in the competition — so you can barrack for Patrick Dangerfield or Nat Fyfe even if you’ve never supported Geelong or Fremantle.

And you would be in big trouble in Round 13 when Collingwood has a bye.

START PICKING YOUR SQUAD NOW!

Originally published as SuperCoach 2017: Start your squad with one of these six midfield line-ups