SuperCoach Brains Trust: How to tackle the final nine-round stretch?
With the awkward bye rounds done, SuperCoaches are turning for the final nine-round stretch, where we’re putting on the final touches to ‘finish’ teams although there’s always the need to be crafty or unique.
But where should our teams be at right now, with trades remaining and on-field rookies to upgrade? And what should we be aiming to do in the next few rounds to finalise our on-field teams?
With those head-scratching dilemmas in mind, Honeyball sat down with the Brains Trust, a group of dedicated SuperCoach players/podcasters/bloggers/tweeters/gurus, to discuss plans for the remainder of the season.
Among our Brains Trust are SC YouTuber Jordan Petito (currently rank 1,402nd), former SC round winner and 2020 top 200 finisher Casey McDonald (current rank 4,102nd), Doctor SuperCoach and Jock Reynolds content producer Dylan Bolch (currently rank 1,399th), SC spreadsheet god Empr (current rank 8,326th), seasoned SC veteran The SuperCoach Bull (current rank 8,800th) and SuperCoach Edge podcaster Damon Jackman (current rank 4,811st).
HB: How many trades do you have left? And which premos are you trying to bring in in the next 1-3 rounds and why?
Jords: Currently have 4 trades left with one upgrade to go. I am looking to use two trades to bring in Dangerfield as the final forward.
Casey: I’m in a little bit of strife with trades, got 4 left and 2 upgrades. I will play the waiting game for the next week or two. I may go Jones to 102k def just to squeeze some cash.
Dylan: I’ve got 9 trades left with two upgrades to go. I’ve got Dangerfield/Bolton in mind for my final forward upgrade and Mills/Luke Ryan are targets for my final defender.
Empr: Eight left and 191k in the bank with a Mid and Mid/Def required. Clarry (Oliver) is one target and a number of other defenders/midfielders are in line for that final spot.
The Bull: At the start of the round I have 5 trades remaining with 2 upgrades left until my team is completed. I’m looking closely at Dangerfield (FWD) and then one of Neale, Lyons or Boak (MID) to round out my side. It will all come down to what cash I can generate from the rookies across the coming weeks. Dangerfield is the priority, so I may need to look elsewhere in the midfield if strung for cash.
Damon: Eight left heading into Round 15, with Lyons coming into my side this week to fill one of the two remaining premo spots I need filled. Leaves me with a single upgrade vacancy in my FWDs, with my sights set firmly on Danger next week once he bottoms out in price. Longer term, looking to bring in Rowell as a bonus loop off the bench as M9, and sit on my remaining 3-4 trades for LTIs.
HB: What’s the strategy now with trades and why?
Jords: I am happy to wait two weeks for cash generation to get the premium I want, which means fielding CCJ (Coleman-Jones) for two weeks, rather than just trade in a lesser premium this week.
Casey: I will focus on my major cash league match ups now. Im hoping CCJ and Madden get a couple of more games to generate some cash. Hopefully CCJ can generate a few more 80s because that is matching some ‘premo’ forwards anyway.
Dylan: There’s always a points vs cash gen debate at this time of the year. At this stage I am likely to hold CCJ, Weightman, Madden and Bianco for another few weeks until they are maxed out. I think it is important to get to full premo as soon as possible, but you also don’t want to cull rookies who still have lots of cash to make.
Empr: I’ll be going 1 up and 1 down this week, and then banking on the cash Madden, Highmore and CCJ make to hopefully leave me with 2 trades and some decent cash to make a couple of luxury Upgrades and play premos off the bench
The Bull: The plan is to complete my team in the next 2-3 weeks using 4 of my 5 trades. I am looking to generate as much cash as I can from CCJ and Weightman before moving them onto premiums. This week I will most likely move Lachie Jones on to a basement rookie. I can utilise dual position players like Bianco to cover defence and midfield bench spots, so it will be a matter of a warm body vs a non playing $102k rookie. From here I will then look to move CCJ and Weightman to 2 premiums in the same week.
Damon: Going 1 up, 1 down this week (and opening up a handy DPP FWD/DEF switch between Briggs and Madden), and then bringing in Danger next week to complete my side. From there I will have DPP switching between all positions, and then aim for a value Rowell as the X-Factor M9.
HB: If you’re trying to conserve $$$ or trades, can you nominate any value options for a final 22 and why?
Jords: Nick Haynes ($366k DEF) has his intercepting/rebounding role back from last year, Harry McKay ($323k FWD) said his shoulder feels much better and played well on the weekend. Pendlebury ($424k MID) is averaging 94 with some injury affected games. One to look out for in a few weeks is Rowan Marshall assuming surgery has fixed his foot issues, so there is risk attached.
Casey: I tweeted my thoughts on Haynes ($366k DEF) last week and was stoked to see a few got on. It was only $97k to go Jones to Haynes last week. Stringer ($375k FWD) got loads of CBAs and kicking 4 on the weekend. Rozee ($361k FWD) has gone 126 and 94 and of course Jiath and Impey are still great value. For me if you need a cheap option I’d try and find it in defence or forward because less points can be lost there.
Dylan: Guys like Whitfield ($517k), Ridley ($457k), Houston ($440k) and Haynes ($367k) are budget options in defence, whilst I think Dangerfield ($516k), Bolton ($525k) and Greene ($472k) are some of the slightly underpriced players in the forward line. As Casey has mentioned, target these underpriced players in forward or defence where there are less clear cut uber premium options.
A slightly left-field option is Jack Scrimshaw ($473k DEF). As a Hawks fan I think he has taken his game to another level this year: he’s a quality ball user and has a five-game average of 98.4, the tenth best among defenders. He’s an absolute gem if you ask me.
Empr: Shannon Hurn looks a really good cheap option down back at $454k and is in just 1.7% of teams. If you’re at the point where you need cheap options to fill out a team, injury risk shouldn’t factor in. Scoring power and value is key.
The Bull: There’s plenty of value everywhere in SuperCoach. You just need to do your research and use what I like to call ‘the eye test’. Nick Haynes at $366k provides tonnes of value if he can replicate past performance. Based on the last fortnight of play, Haynes is doing what he did in 2020 (intercepting and rebounding), and could become a nice D6 option. I jumped on Dan Houston last week and was impressed with what I got. He is sitting at $439k, and is currently in 6% of teams currently. Another juicy option is Matt Rowell. Sitting at $425k with a BE of 129, we could see Rowell at around $400k next week (cheers Brice <3). I will have a close eye on him this week to watch his role and how he attacks the contest. We all know what the kid is capable of. You could do much worse at M8!
Damon: There are quite a few value options in the market at present, which is handy for those running low on coin and trades! Hurn probably tops the list at $454k for mine if you’re after a cheap option in defence. Dominating the kick-ins for the Eagles, which helps build a very stable and consistent floor. Provided he remains fit, could be one of the biggest scorers in defence in the back part of the season. Nick Haynes ($366k) also fits that bill, whilst Pendles ($424k) comes with one of the most sound histories in SC at a super bargain price, and Rowell at a low $400k next week is ripe for the picking!
HB: Once you’ve ‘finished’ your team, how many trades is enough in case of emergency/injury?
Jords: Three or 4 should be sufficient. Might be able to get away with 2 if good rookie cover. Anything less would be concerning but it’s mostly luck from here. Still holding short term injuries at this stage, and trading the long term injuries.
Casey: This season seems to be a bit of an exception. I have never seen so many injuries and its come down to survival of the fittest! Ideally you’d want 3 or 4 but only a minority will find themselves in this position. Good luck legends!
Dylan: I always like to have approximately three or four trades left for injuries, suspensions or rests at the end of the year. There is nothing worse than copping an injury late in the season and being forced to field a guy averaging 40, or copping a zero, when if you had a trade you could just sideways that 600k player to another premium.
Empr: Two or 3. I would look at trying to trade in a key forward or a cheap player who can score big when covering or loopholing instead of holding trades to cover for injury, and then keeping a final trade for an uber premo that suffers a season ending injury, and hope for the best.
The Bull: In the past I have tried to keep around 3 trades up my sleeve for a rainy day. This year has proved very tricky to navigate, both through injuries and the dreaded Round 14 bye. Although we were given an extra 2 trades, most coaches will be running low coming into the backend of the season. Given I am playing for league wins, I am planning on rolling the dice with 1 trade in the bank (should injury strike). Once we get to the final round, I will most likely sideways a premium, or grab a smokie POD and use it as a loophole to try and get an edge on my opponent. Fingers crossed we can hold on and see out the year. Good luck everyone!
Damon: Going on history, 3-4 trades is ideal for LTIs in the back part of the season, with a view to using one potentially as a luxury sideways trade (or a bench upgrade to loop) deep in SC Finals if injuries are kind. Best of luck!
HB: Thanks all, best of luck for the run home!
Editor’s note: Make sure to follow all of the Brains Trust on Twitter for more tips too!
