Spy Talk: Answering the big questions ahead of Rd 2


<p>G’day Peeps!</p>



<p>Round 1 is done. It was a bit of a rollercoaster with some really big scores.</p>



<p>I was generally happy with things, but not skippering Teddy hurt of course.</p>



<p>Angus Crichton scoring 98 was great as captain, but it’s no 162.</p>



<p>Outside of that, an early hammy injury to Matt Lodge cost us any chance at seeing what his output across a whole match would be. A shame, but that’s SuperCoach.</p>



<p>My man Brian Kelly was subdued but still scored 47 while basically doing minimal by his standards. He now has a busted hand.</p>



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<p>Crichton is also out for one match suspended, but it’s not time to panic.</p>



<p>If you are in a similar boat check the depth or your squad and see how your 17 looks before trades.</p>



<p>This will determine how crucial it will be to trade. For the record, I scored 1,237 which was okay without being great.</p>



<p>If you scored well below this don’t worry as things can change quickly and if you were well above great stuff and good luck moving forward!</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1 – So do we trade now?</strong></h3>



<p>The short answer comes down to two things. If you are happy with your squad and can field a strong 17 then you may be able to hold trades while we wait and see which of the round 1 cash cows and duds were real and which were maybe a little misleading.</p>



<p>On the flip side, if you are confident in a trade or simply need too then it could be beneficial to get one out of the way ready for next week when we will likely need two trades to try and capitalise before prices change.</p>



<p>If you have a weak 17 leading into Round 2 then you simply may be forced to trade to ensure you have a crack at decent points.</p>



<p>I will definitely sell Kelly for Brian To’o because I want him anyway. On Matt Lodge however, I’m just not sure who to replace him with yet.</p>



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<p>There are guys in a similar price range going well, but with question marks on minutes I don’t want to trade someone in who then becomes a dud. I may cop playing Spencer Leniu for a week and hopefully he knocks out a solid 40-45 before loading up next week!</p>



<p>Or I may bite the bullet and get Fuimaono this week and play him…</p>



<p>Decisions already and that does free up $40k for next week! I am conscious however that trades will run out late in the year, so don’t throw them away unless it’s for a good reason.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2 – Freeing up cash in order to make cash?</strong></h3>



<p>One thing that could be an option over the next two weeks which I think is feasible is to downgrade an underperforming stud who is at max price to a mid-ranger who is on fire.</p>



<p>This way you don’t only free up cash for your squad, but you are every chance at being able to ride the cash rises of the mid-ranger to then trade to a SC gun who has lost cash without costing you too much money.</p>



<p>Long term this would add plenty of value to your squad. Obviously the key is not to drop a star who will then come out and average 90 points for the next month.</p>



<p>It has some risk, but watch combinations and work rates closely as well as upcoming opposition if you are looking at a backline player.</p>



<p>I currently have an eye on Matterson to Arrow pending how he looks on the left edge this week and how many minutes Arrow plays.</p>



<p>Matterson ran a lot of decoys last week, but this may change.</p>



<p>Another option is to go hard at picking cheapies up prior to major cash rises and selling them at the right time.</p>



<p>Let’s review next week as everything will be a lot clearer! In the meantime don’t do anything drastic, but there is no harm in dropping an injured guy or a guy who has his role blatantly reduced/changed.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3 – The forecast is wet!!</strong></h3>



<p>More of a statement then a question, but this could be one of the most weather affected rounds of the year by season’s end.</p>



<p>This means high scores from backs may be somewhat limited, so trade wisely in this sense and if you have an opportunity to lock in a worker over a guy that relies on tries maybe do so if the match is in Sydney and it’s going to be played on a lake.</p>



<p>I don’t mean not playing a stud of your team, but more so if you are choosing your bench I like the idea of a couple of guys who may work their way to 50 odd just in case two of the bench centre options don’t see much ball and perhaps only score 20.</p>



<p>Each side will be different, but something to keep in mind. Just keep an eye on the radar.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>4 – Do I pick up guys who tonned up last week?</strong></h3>



<p>The answer is not necessarily. Great Round 1 scores will only see one major price rise and sometimes a guy who in the past was only okay may have tonned up but may not do so again.</p>



<p>Reed Mahoney for example could go onto become one of the stars of 2021 SuperCoach, but he could also come back to the pack as he doesn’t have Brisbane every week.</p>



<p>The point I’m trying to make is that if a guy seemed to have scored well above what he has in the past it may be wise to take another look before bringing him in.</p>



<p>On the other hand, someone like Tedesco or Papenhuyzen who were expected to be elite and did so off the bat are obvious season long superstars, so there is absolutely no harm in grabbing them right now if you need too. In fact, find a way to get Teddy ASAP!</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Sum Up</strong></h3>



<p>After one round it’s all about not panicking, backing your initial instincts and being careful with trades.</p>



<p>Only pull the trade trigger once you are confident enough that you are doing it for a purpose and aren’t simply chasing someone’s points from last week with no real certainty they will do it again anytime soon.</p>



<p>As always, points are also crucial so make sure you have 17 players who will do a job for you and if not that may force a trade.</p>



<p>Overall, don’t drop a star without a clear plan and even if you do have a plan then I would suggest waiting one week to see how player X goes, especially if they are expensive as they are just that for a reason.</p>



<p>I would also add that if you are confident you have made an error or punted on the wrong guy then feel free to back yourself and make that trade now. See you over the weekend on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/SCSpy1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@scspy1</a>!</p>


Spy Talk: Answering the big questions ahead of Rd 2

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