What I am referring to is the possible dilemma we all face this year with the issue of selecting a Captain for our SC team. In previous years, it was pretty simple – pick Gazza, Swanny, Goddard or Sandilands, sit back and watch the points build. Easy.
The addition this year of the substitute bench player – who only comes on to completely replace another player – suddenly throws a little bit of concern into your captaincy selection. Completely ignoring the fact that one of your players might be selected as the substitute, thus giving you the possibility of zero points (something clubs aren’t obliged to reveal until 90 mins before the game), the substitute could also have an effect on many other aspects of the game – including SC captains.
How, you ask? Well, step into Guy McKenna’s shoes as coach of the Suns for a second. It’s ¾ time and the team is 72 points down. Gazza has been tagged and scragged all day for his 20 possessions. Next week you are playing Brisbane – a game you believe you can definitely win. Tempted to sit him off for the last quarter to freshen him up for next week?
Equally, get grumpy and imagine being Mick Malthouse. At ¾ time you are 10 goals up and cruising – any thought to give Swan a rest for next week’s Grand Final replay against the Saints?
These are the issues that we will only see pan out as the season progresses, but some of the more creative coaches will certainly try and use the substitute to their advantage. Will older midfielders like Lenny Hayes be told “Go hell for leather for the first three quarters and we’ll sub you out for the last and bring on Armitage”? We will all have to keep an eye on how the bench substitute is utilized – particularly because players actually score more Supercoach points towards the end of games, especially close ones. Will the better option be to choose a captain from a match that you think is going to be a close one, rather than from a one-sided thrashing?
It remains to be seen what will happen with the substitutes, but it is worth thinking about, and monitoring how each individual team plays it – particularly those teams with players you are considering for captain. There could be little more demoralizing in SC terms than losing a match (or a final) when your Captain Sandilands is given a rest for the last quarter and you end up losing by 10 points. Ouch.