Expert Panel: The key lessons from SuperCoach BBL to remember for BBL|11
That’s a wrap for SuperCoach BBL|10, with plenty of coaches already beginning to turn their attention to AFL or NRL seasons, but it’s easy to not reflect on the key lessons learned.
Indeed, given the length of time between BBL seasons doing this is of paramount importance in order to improve your ranking or win your cash league next year. Some may also be applicable to other Fantasy sports.
So with that in mind, we’ve assembled our final Expert Panel of the season, including Dylan Bolch (overall rank 30), Tyler Maher (overall rank 36), Dan Anderson (overall rank 42), ex-Sixers media guy Max Bryden (overall rank 350) and myself Ben Somerford (overall rank 105) to discuss the lessons learned.
Also big congrats to Chris’ Chrispys Critters taking out the overall rankings by a whopping 280 points with an overall season score of 13,214!
Well done to everyone who finished in the top 10, top 100, top 1000 or anywhere above their expectations. Ultimately it’s a game of luck mitigation and it doesn’t always go your way, so it can be a roller coaster and we hope you enjoyed the ride!
Tyler Maher (36th), Shepp Sloggers
Get the guns!
It sounds simple, but always pick the best players possible during a double game week (DGW). In the past I’ve been lured in by the siren call of a number six batter who doesn’t bowl far too many times, all because he plays twice in a round. This season I made a really pointed effort to fill my side with only the best DGW options, plus an opening batter or two, to leave room for single game week guns. It also helped that this season was set up with less DGW rounds and almost no byes, so there was less temptation to go crazy.
And keep them
You will not be able to start with the best player from every team, but once you get them in try everything you can to keep them there. In campaigns gone by I’ve been far too trigger happy with my guns. Unless they cop an injury like Daniel Sams or Mitch Marsh did late this summer, pick and stick. Glenn Maxwell was a prime example when many jumped off after his early DGW and bye before he swiftly made coaches pay. The ideal setup you want for your late charge up the rankings is simply the best player from all eight franchises and three other players on the double. It never works out like that, but if you keep it in mind you can save yourself plenty of heartache by avoiding watching a gun go big after you’ve traded him out.
Dylan Bolch (30th), Bolch’s Legends
All-rounders are King
So often we can get enticed by an in-form batsman, or a bowler playing against a poor side. But more often than not, the guys who get a job with bat and ball are still the best option. Labuschagne, Sams, Maxwell, Christian and Short were just some of the names who pumped out some massive scores and provided a solid captaincy option each week.
Take advantage of loopholes
Whilst the beginning of the season is all about rookies and cash generation, there comes a time where it’s more beneficial to look at loopholing players. Personally, I have a floating donut from RoundOne1 but as the end of the season nears, I think it’s awesome to be able to loop off both your BAT and BWL bench. Instead of having 11 cracks at a decent score, you get 13. Ultimately, this can be the difference between a H2H final or top 100 rank!
And a bonus thought, be sure to take in as much information as you can throughout the season. I’ve loved being a part of the Jock Reynolds crew producing podcast content for the community, Brice Mitchell is an absolute superstar when it comes to all things SuperCoach and Honeyball is your go to place for breaking news throughout the season! Thanks for a wonderful season community and I hope to see many of you involved throughout AFL SuperCoach in 2021.
Dan Anderson (46th, was the early SuperCoach BBL leader), Dan’s Dominators
Double up
A massive lesson I’ve learnt about SuperCoach BBL is that double game players are the absolute key to success. The only reason I got to first and maintained it for six rounds is because I had between seven and nine double game week players. As soon as I didn’t do this for the Thunder double, as I had other injury problems, my score and rank went flying down.
Keep up to date
Another lesson I’ve learnt it is that it is essential to make sure your always checking teams and injury news as the rounds have such quick turnarounds so you have to be on the ball. Throw in a crap ton of luck to with SuperCoach BBL, if I’m being honest.
Max Bryden (350th , cricket commentator and ex-Sixers media guy), Maximum
Break evens matter
I was shocked to read ahead of the season on Honeyball how many of the top players didn’t buy into the need to track break evens. Maybe this was a bluff tactic, but I still find them one of the most pivotal stats to track each week when selecting my team, especially given the increase in SGW rounds this season. Making cash is pivotal towards being able to afford a team capable of scoring big in BBL SC, and it’s impossible to make cash when not tracking BEs. They’re not the number one metric, but they’re really important and it’s been worth investing in a ‘plus’ account to be able to track these stats easily alongside three/five-game averages and other metrics. We all know that a team full of bowlers and all-rounders is key to a consistent high score and watching BEs helps achieve this.
Consistency is key
You don’t need to be top 1-2% each week to have a strong overall position in SuperCoach BBL. Each week there’s always a batter or bowler who comes out of the woodwork to score a huge score which makes coaches fret. But you need not – I’ve rarely finished rounds inside the top 5% of overall scores this season but have been able to maintain my position within the top 100-200 coaches due to consistent high scores. Rather than chasing batters, all-rounders and regular wicket takers will allow you to record consistent scores and if you combine this with nailing around six players in a DGW, it’s possible to be right near the cash prizes without fluking a few batters scores.
Ben Somerford (105th, Honeyball founder), Prolific Jims SC
Don’t shuffle the deck
In my role at Honeyball, a lot of people throw trade plans and scenarios at me constantly and one of the things I always say is ‘are you just shuffling the deck?’. By that I mean, you always want to be upgrading your team, rather than chasing players who are in form. If a gun player has an off week, don’t bin them. Or if an average player has a great round, don’t think you need to chase them. In T20 cricket, player scores always fluctuate. You’ve got to ride that over a few rounds, rather than judge round-to-round. Over the course of a few rounds, the guns will always perform best. So defining the guns is the key, which can be hard for someone new to BBL. A good solid form line is more compelling than one good game. Figure out who the guns are, get them and keep them. Don’t shuffle the deck.
VC/C is the most important decision
Again, a lot of people spend time between rounds discussing their three trade options, which is totally fine, and arguably the most fun part of Fantasy sports, but I find not enough discussion is had around vice-captain and captain options. Nailing your VC/C is huge in BBL SC. Don’t make it a last-minute throwaway decision.
When you think about the average score on a DGW – usually around the 1000 mark – or 6-700 for a SGW and then consider the percentage of that which a good captain can score you (from 200 to 400 points), then it sways your thinking. There’s plenty of factors to help guide your VC/C decision too, such as match-ups, form, venue preference, opposition’s susceptibility to offering big scores etc.
Finally… thanks!
And that’s it for Honeyball’s BBL|10 coverage. I sincerely hope you enjoyed all of our content and banter on social media. Hopefully it helped you rise a few rankings or win a cash league. We’ll put out a survey this week on social media to get your feedback moving forward, so we can keep creating the content you want.
I must also say thanks to all our followers and fans for your support. As a platform, HB is nothing without our audience. We don’t profess to be an advice service, rather an info service with facts. Any opinion is provided by the actual experts, people playing the game, and they generously offer up their time and knowledge for this. For that I say thank you!
Of course, our role takes time and effort, so if you appreciate our help and are financially able, we’d love a small donation to say thanks for our work via this link. But as always, no stress if not.
In case you weren’t aware, the HB team will switch the site into AFL mode in the coming weeks, and be publishing another Honeyball Season Guide (register your interest here) in early March. Make sure you follow our AFL social channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook too. We’re already putting out nuggets of key info!
Many thanks for your support! Enjoy the short break and I’ll see you on the socials!
