SuperCoach 2012 rules revealedSUPERCOACH will be bigger and better than ever in 2012 with a series of new rules to deal with an 18-team competition.
SuperCoaches will have more flexibility than ever to manage their team with reversible trades for the first time, and the ability to trade for players in other positions.
Squads will return to 30 players after a year of expansion to cope with the weekly bye. But coaches will retain the 24 trades they had last season at a maximum of two per week - with one exception. More on that below.
As the AFL expands to 18 teams with the introduction of Greater Western Sydney, SuperCoach private leagues will also feature 18 teams allowing you to take on more mates and win bigger bragging rights.
Private league matches will start in Round 3, allowing two weeks to get your team settled before the real battle begins.
League matches will run from Round 3-19 without a break, with the finals over the last four weeks of the home-and-away season.
That means leagues will continue playing during the AFL bye rounds 11-13, presenting a challenge for coaches with six teams having a rest in each of those weeks.
To help, coaches can make a maximum of three trades during each of these rounds.
In 2012 coaches will also be able be able to hit the "undo" button and reverse trades right up to lockout.
This "Heath Shaw rule" will save coaches from situations like last year's suspension of the Collingwood defender, which occurred on Friday afternoon and caught out thousands of coaches who had traded him in the night before.
Hitting the undo button will reset your squad to its status at the last lockout.
Another innovation will be a big help for coaches especially during the bye rounds.
Coaches will be able to complete two trades at a time - three during the bye rounds. This will come into its own with the use of dual-position players.
Many coaches jumped on board dual-position players (DPP) last season - that is, players who can be selected in more than one position and can be moved on the field during the week.
Next season the new trade screen will allow coaches to swap DPP players for a replacement in any of their available positions, provided you have another DPP player to cover them.
For example, if Brendon Goddard (listed as a midfielder and defender) is in your midfield and you want to trade him out, until now you only had the option of swapping him for another midfielder.
Next year you can trade out Goddard from your midfield, switch another mid/def player (say, Bryce Gibbs) into the middle and trade in a defender.
This presents a whole new set of possibilities and opportunities for smart coaches.
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:15 pm
