Team Selection in SuperCoach AFL is the single most important step. Get this right and the rest of the year will fly by, without major headaches. In saying this, team selection is also the most difficult element of the SuperCoach AFL experience.
30 players and 20 trades. That means, at bare minimum, that 10 guys must stand up for the entire season. 10 is too few a number. 12 is not good enough - 1 RK, 4 DFs, 4 MFs & 3 FWs. 10 players need to be beefed up throughout the year. Equals half of trades spent upgrading - need the injury gods to bless all stayers.
I like to work at 13-14. 14 is better. Forwards tend to fluctuate the most and so are often the best delayed pickups. 13 -14 solid players should something look like this : 2 RKs, 4 DFs, 4 MFs & 3-4 FWs. The #2 ruckman spot can often be a quandry. Ruck #1 & #2 will get a post each in the next few days.
If a SuperCoach can spend the cash in the right areas - a target of 15 or 16 stayers (on the field) can be achieved. This is a big goal. They have to be good enough to stay for finals.
Solid players may need to be overspent on. The over-valuation of 1/16th cannot be avoided. A SuperCoach needs to be sure that they will continue to perform at the same/slightly higher level than the previous year. The usual trick is to pick a few young upcoming stars. Vince ($512k 22gms, 98 avg) is an easy example. Will he cope with the inevitable tagging pressure he will endure this year? That is the only query for Vince.
Play the cards right, and 14 can turn into 17, or 13 into 16 - a SuperCoach dream. This is counting a solid (maybe not the best) start of season bargain/rookie player as an emergency through the finals. The team selection to achieve this should be the aim. They need to be under $200k. Bench players are often underated by SuperCoaches. They are tempting to sell for the money, and upgrade. Indeed, this is the major purpose of bench players. Do not be caught short in finals.
Rookie selection (under $180k) is more crucial than bargain player (under $300k) selection. Bargain players will mostly not be good enough to graduate to finals' players. They will need to be traded out. Due to their higher price, they will earn less money. The only benefit comes in the early season. Which is silly. Unless you are attempting a genuine tilt at the overall SuperCoach crown - Forget about the early season. AFL finals are a sporting joke. 8 teams out of 16 progress. Top 4 is very important. However, a strong team come finals is more so. More cash = better finals team.
If you can find bargain players who stay the whole season, you have done very well. Hurn (~$300k) & Higgins (~$220k) come to mind from 2009. Higgins had injury concerns towards season's end and didn't end up a great finals player.
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