Since there is likely a fair amount of fresh meat now perusing this site, might be timely to look at the different approaches in going for overall victory (highest points for the year and some good loot) and in going for a win in your league. On the surface there may not seem much difference. Everyone wants their team to score maximum points every week. However, the risk taking and the strategies are quite different, as hopefully some of the overall masters on here will point out. This season is unique in that there are 5 rounds where there are no head-to-head in leagues, but points still count towards overall. If your interest is leagues you can take a holiday during these 5 rounds (4,5,6,16,19) and not have to worry about bench cover for players from the 3 teams who are having byes. Do not go to sleep entirely though because there will still be movement in player values. The byes also have an influence on when you decide to trade. However, if you are going for overall you will need to develop a strategy for not only cover, but also eking out the max for those rounds. These 5 rounds also mean that league players do not have to worry as much about injury. For example, if one of your stars is not feeling well and has the dreaded TBA hanging over him, this is an extra week (some would argue two) for him to recover without any loss of league games to you. Such a scenario would have been particularly interesting with J. Brown last season. During the 4 weeks of league finals, cover will need to be found for players from North (W1), Geelong (W2), Carlton (W3) and Essendon (GF). Whereas those aiming for overall are less concerned or affected by these byes. Also this year we have 3 phased lockouts, and fortunately get them out of the way relatively early. Phased lockouts offer an opportunity to switch your Captain (and other) choices if set up the right way. League players need only consider this for R1. For overall players, the phased lockouts for R5 and R6 could prove decisive, given that these two rounds coincide with the 3 teams having byes. Why phased lockouts or split rounds do not sit well with SC players is because information on final teams is not always fully available by either the first or second lockout. Trying to cover for players from 3 teams missing, maximizing your score and being faced with a phased lockout will do a few heads in. Anyway, let’s open the debate on the finer points of each approach and how both are affected by this unusual season.
The big difference for me is the urgency and timing of points. For league, the idea is to get the big scores in the final 4 rounds of the season - during finals. Up until then, the focus is on making sure you make the top8, and keeping ~4 or so trades up your sleeve for the final rounds. Conversely, for overall, points seem to get considerably harder to make up with each given round as team makeups become increasingly similar so that there are less points of difference. For this reason, the focus is on getting the strongest possible team on the field as soon as possible (before everyone else) in order to start churning out those big scores while others are still a few premium players behind. In any given league, you'll inevitably have stronger opponents and weaker opponents. Planning your trades accordingly can help ensure you win enough matches throughout the season to make the top8. All things considered, try to time your upgrades when facing stronger opponents to give yourself the best shot at beating them. Conversely, consider holding onto trades or doing your cashing in when coming up against weaker opponents (of course, if it's ideal to cash someone in due to a high BE, or to trade someone in due to a low BE, then do so). There is a lot more flexibility in terms of starting teams as well for those people going only for league. Because the last 4 are really the only ones that matter, you can afford to take a punt on a handful of midpricers and value players, and wait for the guns like Goddard/Swan/Ablett to fall their usual 50-80k as they tend to do, and then pick them up at their cheap points. I tend to find league teams end with very high "team value" figures at the end. Conversely, because of the need to get the points on the board early when going for overall, one really can't afford to take the "they'll be cheaper later in the season" mentality due to the points forgone in the meantime.
If you are going for league wins, selecting players from Sydney, Brisbane, Fremantle and Melbourne is advantageous, as they have their byes in the 3-team-bye rounds, meaning any players from these 4 clubs will never miss one of your league games. In this sense the choice of going for league wins from the start could change your team quite significantly. For example if you're tossing up between ROK and Higgins, it could sway you towards ROK. It also sends Sandi's stocks upwards, as having a ruck that will never miss a (league) game would be very attractive. This type of thinking applies to many players as well. I always aim for overall but then end up going for league glory, as most on here would unless in touch with the top 11 for most of the season. That's why this year is hard, either: 1. Sacrifice players you want for players you need to cover the multi byes (particularly round 6) 2. Choose players from the 4 clubs mentioned above if in a Player A vs Player B situation and never have to worry about byes. Or a bit of a mix from both? I think RTP is more of indication of success in a team but when all your mates in your leagues are going for league wins solely it does come in contention in your head.
I guess one question that may need to be asked is: How close is close enough when vying for the overall? If you are 1000th after 3 weeks you might be a chance but 1000th after 18 weeks you have no hope. I think a lot of people have a bet each way. If they get off to a flyer they'll dream the dream and hang in for the overall as long as possible. If not they take a step back and it's all about the league. I'm sure there's been past winners who didn't take it seriously until they saw they were ranked 3rd of 300,000. You need a lot of things to go your way to win the 50K so anyone who finds themselves in the top 100 or so should be changing tack regardless of their intentions coming in. The pragmatic folks who only play to win their league face different circumstances this year. League matches in round 1 mean they'll have to be a bit more attentive from the start. I know some 'leaguers' who didn't even bother naming captains or emergencies until round 4 in previous years. The big advantage those going for league wins have over opponents going for the overall is trade conservation. If you have an easy league match then copping a donut or two might not matter. Eating donuts in the overall, especially if you're chasing the leaders, can only end in tears. Personally, I'm all about the overall. I've scored more points for the year than anyone in my friends league every year I've played but I've never won the grannie. I get enough satisfaction from smashing my opponents during the year - giving a bit back come finals is only fair Seriously though, the increase in trades is a major boon for trade tragics like myself. If I have one or two trades left come finals time, I'm patting myself on the back for my admirable restraint. Hopefully this year I can find a better balance, but I'll still be more interested in improving my overall position than winning my league, even if I'm out of the race for the prize. Learning how to eke those few extra points out of your squad could be the decisive factor if you find yourself in the running in future years.