The AFL Supercoach bye rounds have always been tough to navigate but it will be further complicated in 2024.
Last season, only four bye rounds featured, but in 2024 there will be a total of eight, and there is also the addition of the Opening Round (Round Zero).
During these eight rounds, teams won't be playing and this will mean players absent from your Supercoach team.
However, with the rules slightly adjusted for these rounds, you can develop a strategy that allows you to excel during the byes and get the jump on your less-prepared opponents.
The Sporting News helps you through one of the toughest Supercoach periods.
SEE: ALL SUPERCOACH 2024 CONTENT FROM THE SPORTING NEWS
JUMP TO: When your AFL club has a bye in 2024
MORE: AFL Supercoach 2024: Rookies, cash cows and cheapies to keep an eye on
How will the Opening Round affect AFL Supercoach 2024?
The Opening Round (Round Zero) will not be included in AFL Supercoach 2024, with the game to commence scoring during Round 1 when nine matches are played.
Players won't be locked in Supercoach teams until the first bounce of their Round 1 game, meaning teams can be changed up to this point.
Supercoachers can follow the scores of players in the Opening Round, but the scores won't be counted from these games.
However, this information can be used to help select your Supercoach team.
It's also worth noting that players future prices and breakevens will be affected by Opening Round, meaning those that played in it will have price changes a week before players making their season debut in Round 1.
With the below-mentioned extra byes, all players will have the opportunity to have played six games by the completion of Round 6.
What are the AFL Supercoach 2024 bye round rules?
With the addition of four extra bye rounds in AFL Supercoach because of Opening Round, the byes will be a little more complicated in 2024.
This will mean a total of eight rounds across the AFL season where the full 18 teams won't be playing.
In Rounds 2, 3, 5 and 6, the eight teams who played in Opening Round will have a bye, with two sides not playing each of those rounds.
While the 'usual' Supercoach bye rounds will occur in Rounds 12, 13, 14 and 15, with all teams in the competition having a bye during this period.
In usual Supercoach weeks, your 'best 22' of your squad of 30 will score points - but during the bye rounds only your 'best 18' will score, making it easier to field a team despite the player absence carnage.
Every Supercoacher is given 40 trades to use across the season, which is four more than last year, with two able to be used in normal rounds.
During the bye rounds caused by Opening Round, the usual maximum of two trades will apply.
However during the Round 12-15 bye rounds, Supercoaches can make up to three trades per round to help with the volume of players absent.
Also, up to five times during an individual round per season, you can activate a 'Trade Boost' which will allow you to use an extra trade that week.
This means you can use three trades in weeks you usually have two, and four trades when you usually have three in bye rounds - but all trades come out of your 40 total.
How to prepare a bye strategy?
Having a successful bye period can make-or-break your season and there is a good chance many of your opponents won't think about this period until it's much closer.
When you pick your squad to start the season, you will select premiums to be your top individual scorers for the whole season.
This is where you can get an advantage - by ensuring that you spread your premium selections out among the teams as much as possible and also try not to pick too many from the same bye period.
A balanced selection strategy of premiums prior to the season starts will also mean it will be easier to trade in any premium once the season starts because your won't upset your distribution of players across the bye period too much.
You don't need to take this into consideration too much when selecting your rookies and cash cows in pre-season but as the game progresses closer to the byes, you must ensure you don't unbalance your team significantly.
It's worth noting that the 12-to-16 trades you can use through the mid-season bye period do allow for surgery to ensure you can field enough players. These trades can be used strategically to bring in premiums once they have already had their bye.
However, the less trades you need to use to fix your team, the more you can use to make your squad stronger for the latter stages of the season.
AFL 2024 byes
Round 2
- Brisbane
- Carlton
Round 3
- Gold Coast
- GWS
Round 5
- Collingwood
- Sydney
Round 6
- Richmond
- Melbourne
Round 12
- Brisbane
- North Melbourne
- Sydney
- GWS
Round 13
- Port Adelaide
- Fremantle
Round 14
- Gold Coast
- Carlton
- Geelong
- Essendon
- Melbourne
- West Coast
Round 15
- Adelaide
- Collingwood
- Western Bulldogs
- Hawthorn
- St Kilda
- Richmond
AFL Supercoach 2024 content from The Sporting News
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Rookies, cash cows and cheapies to keep an eye on
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Bargains, value and mid-priced madness
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Defender bargains, prices and selection guide
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Ruck bargains, prices and selection guide
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Midfielder bargains, prices and selection guide
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Forward bargains, prices and selection guide
- AFL Supercoach 2024: Bye round rules, round zero explanation, strategy
