DaVe86 shares his Fantasy Footy tips.

Have you ever wondered why certain fantasy coaches always seem to crack the top 100 every year? Regardless of which form of the game you play (Dream Team, AFL Fantasy or Supercoach), there is no doubt that being a good fantasy coach is a talent and takes commitment. It also requires a very clever strategy and crucial decision making.

Given the abundance of knowledge and resources on the Internet these days, the difference between the highest ranked and middle ranked sides is minimal considering most sides look fairly similar, especially at the start of the year. So how do good coaches differentiate themselves and make those extra points every round?

Every coach has different theories and there is no doubt that luck is a factor as well. However, just like the real life AFL, coaches can’t lay all the blame on injury and poor fortune.

Find the 1%

I’ve been playing the game for 13 years, from a time when you only had 2 trade windows all year and your selections were separated between premiums and non-premiums. You could only trade a non-premium to a premium if his price exceeded a certain amount during the trade windows. In this time, I’ve had to adapt significantly to the new rules, however in some regards it is now harder than ever to play fantasy competitions given the fact that it is so hard to differentiate your side. The odds are that if you have found a smokey, he’ll pop up on a fantasy footy article somewhere and everyone will jump on him.

Therefore, finding that 1% on your opponent is difficult, but it is ultimately the difference between the best coaches and the average coaches. To do this, you need to have a very clear structure in your initial starting line-up, and have a trading strategy which you try and stick to. You also need to make wise decisions about the amount of money you spend on your bench players and whether you want to build depth in your squad, or alternatively use your bench purely on cash generating players which you will utilise in future trades. Personally, I don’t like spending more than rock bottom price on players who are on my bench. If a player has value, he should be top 22, not a bench player. Otherwise it’s a waste of money. You only score off your top 22!

This year, I’ve written an AFL fantasy handbook catered for all major forms of the game, where I go through all my top secrets and hints with picking your initial squad, and then how to trade correctly throughout the year. I also go through club by club to identify the players you need to have on your radar. It is a 31 page book full of all my best tips to play fantasy footy, including 12 golden rules I have devised.

Head over to www.cheatafl.com to purchase the product. We use a secure payment method and the book is easily downloaded from the site. We will also notify all buyers of the second release.

Tomorrow, I give you my number 1 tip for improving your Super Coach score.