NAB Cup: A DT Guide to the NAB Cup

So the NAB is nearly here.  Thank god the footy is back right!  Now if you are someone new to DT or you haven’t really taken it all that seriously before… welcome.  In the past you have watched the NAB hoping your team does well and doesn’t get any injuries.  Well now all of that has changed, the way you watch the NAB is now changed forever.  Now you will be looking at every game, pouring over every stat and medical report.  You have been tinkering with your team for a couple of weeks and now it is time to see how the guys that you have in your team are going and what their role will be.  But beware, there are a few things you need to remember when watching the NAB Cup series.  I have had a look at a few of them below for you.

1. Beware of First Round Lineups.
   Remember what the NAB cup is for…. Experimenting!  Each coach is going to want to see how their youngsters and the guys coming back from injury are going.  So they are going to give their rookies and their 2nd and 3rd year players a bit more of a run.  So when you see your rookie that you have had your eye on (and no one else is considering because they think this guy isn’t going to get a run) get himself a near full game in the first week, don’t get all excited and lock him never to review him again.  Keep an eye on how much game time he gets later in the competition.
2. Out of Position
   As with the experimentation above, you will see coaches give a guy a different role to see if he can do it.  They will do this to see if the guy can play out of position during the season to cover an injury or to inject a bit of a spark.  As with the above, this is generally going to happen early in the competition rather than later.
3. Take more notice of round 4 lineups
   So the opposite of point 1 above, but what you will find is that coaches will generally use a pretty much round 1 line up in the last week of the NAB with guys playing in their regular positions in that week.  They have done their tinkering and are fairly settled on this line up.  Take detailed notice of what happens in this round and give it more weight than the previous 3 weeks.
4. Where is my Premium?
   Don’t stress if your premium isn’t getting a full game or is even missing from a preseason game.  This is particularly true if it is an older guy.  The AFL season is a long and arduous one.  Coaches are going to give these guys a bit of a run to get some game time into the legs, but they sure as hell don’t want to risk them getting injured or having them wear out before the real stuff starts in September.
5. Read, Read and Read some more!
   Check out the reviews of every game, read about coaches press conferences, make sure you sign up for Freako’s newsletter as he sends out the info on each of the NAB games.  Make sure you take into account the above 4 points when analysing data and points.  Just beware of hype.  I know that for me, living in a two team town, the media pick up on absolutely everything and they will talk up a guy even though he may never see the inside of the changerooms.  So balance your readings with fact and opinion/fluff pieces.

So those are just a few of the things that those of you that are new to DT need to consider when you watch the preseason.  I know that for you seasoned DT’ers these things are all second nature, but for those that are just joining us at the DT Anonymous meetings, these are some things that need to be considered that can really help you set your team for round 1 with the best possible chances for the season ahead.

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