r0scr0w wrote:
Hi guys, it's my first attempt at this.
Obviously not asking for players name etc, but is there any 'right' way to go about setting up my team? Ie go cheap on props/2nd rowers and load up on the point scoring backs etc? Or is it best for balanced side?
Any honest advice welcome. Thanks.
In order to be able to afford two goal kickers you will have to get at least two players on the cheap to fit under the cap. Props are never likely to be troubling the scorers too often (though there are some occasional exceptions) so its sensible to go cheap with these to balance the excessive spend on kickers. A cheaper prop that you expect to play regularly is probably best to go for rather than a big name that eats up the budget as the difference in points yield is likely to be less drastic than for other positions.
Having a balanced spend throughout the side (as much as possible) can make it easier to replace an injured/out of form/non appearing player as you will usually have a reasonable budget (ie what you were spending on the man being replaced) to find one with. This means you may well only need to use up one of your changes (unless they are one of your goal kickers).
With a less balanced spend you run the risk of struggling to make replacements if one of your cheaper squad fillers gets injured (and one that may have been yielding a good number of points) as you have to look only at cheap options (you may also need to make more than one change in order to free up a bit more of the budget to fund a replacement). You also run the risk of having a team where the majority of tries are scored by only one or two players and if they are injured, despite having lots of money to spend, not being able to replace them with as effective a source of points.
Having a more balanced team means that the loss of one try scorer can be less devastating, as if your try scoring points are coming from 9 or 10 players, rather than 3 or 4, the loss of one try scorer is likely to be less noticeable and more easily replaced. Managing to pick a team that can give you that however does not look easy.
