So, the last post has gotten over 250 posts- is that a record here? So its probably time to fire up a new discussion, and today?

Playing rookies in the midfield.

Were all done the research, so we all know that the rookies in the midfield are looking by far and away the best position to run the mids.

But how many is too few, and how many are too much risk?

And leading off todays discussion is my boy, Lucas.
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Firstly as I’ve said before we don’t really know much until the NAB Cup has been run and we start to see some of the rookies and how they can interact with the rest of their team. Some later chosen ones will get a spot just because of injuries to other personnel, or because there was just a space waiting for them.
That said, as with most posters it appears the midfield has the most rookie benefits. So is there a case for loading up? What defines loading up?
In the old days of Supercoach, loading up in the past has even been playing rookies in your starting 22! But after seeing the success and readymade nature of the rookies now, teams have experimented with starting three rookies – one forward, back and mid.
This year the danger is that there is not three good forward and back rookies, and there are more than four good midfield ones.

My advice. Look closely at team balance. A quality team has had good strong rookies across the board. You can’t just rely on strong midfield, you must get the value from all positions to be upgrading them successfully. 2 starting midfield rookies would be the absolute max. Given their quality though, I can’t see you using less and staying competitive in the competition after Rd10.
I would think 1 starting rookie in defence and forward will also be required – and this is where I would think the overall will be won and lost – picking the right three rookies in these positions.

And one final note – don’t discount MPP if they work for you.
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Im gunna jump in the middle here with my thoughts.
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I look at this draft and only one thought crosses my mind- The top 5 picks this year are a mile above everyone else. And they are all midfielders.

Now, Cunnington is a danger with his hot spot foot, I wouldnt touch him with a barge. But with Scully looking good for round 1, that make 4 rookies who in my opinion *must* be in every squad. The downside of that plan is- at 170k each, youre down 80k each from where you would have been a year or two ago- Which means youre already a keeper down AND your players are going to be generating less cash than in the past.

So the solution- Get them on the field. The off side of this is that you wont be starting with the premium mids in your squad that are oh so important in generating big scores early. Though you do get to spend the money elsewhere so its not the end of the world.

Of course, starting with 4 rookies on the field means that youve got the 5th and 6th "best" rookies covering from the bench, which might not be optimal if you find yourself with an injury to cover, so taking one of those big 4 and using the as cover might be the smart thing to do.
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And finally, we have Chriss take on the question.
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Rookies are the key to a successful SuperCoach season. Without a doubt they are the most important selections in the initial team. As for how many to have in a team (including the bench) i would put the magic number somewhere between 10 and 14. So obviously we have 8 rookies warming the pine. The next step is trying to find a rookie to start in the backs and forwards which as we all know is looking quite tough this year. This could be the key early this year, finding that magical rookie in the backs and forwards that comes out and delivers a Greg Broughton year. If you can find this player, things are already looking very nice.

Then there is the midfield which looks to be a rookie gold mine this year. So how many to start on the field? The minimum is 2 i would think. The high risk/high reward strategy would be 3 starting rookies. This does seem possible this year with some real quality and most of those players should be playing nice and early and regularly.

Starting 2 rookies would then lend itself to a midfield of either (depending on team structure) 2 premiums, 1 hopeful premium (eg Vince) and 1 returning, undervalued star (Burgoyne, Palmer etc). This will let you spend more money in the more troublesome positions and lessen the risk of bottoming out in those areas. Or one could hit a 3 premiums and 1 under priced star. A bit more expensive than the previous, but probably a safer bet as far as reliable points on the board is concerned. Talk around town has this as the go to option.

3 starting rookies could be a little excessive as you are probably going to miss out on a premium score (eg 120+) each week. However, if a player like Martin can deliver consistent 90+ scores, this strategy could have MASSIVE reward post round 11 when all lines are fully stocked. Risky, but if it works you should find yourself safely entrenched in the top 500.

Personally, i would prefer to a less risky approach at the start of the season, and then reasses at about Round 6 before the trade season starts.
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So there we have it, stacking the midfield is going to look very popular this year- and with good reason.

However, as with all things in the first week of the NAB, a lot can change in the next 4 weeks, so nothing is set in stone.