The basics
- You select across defenders, midfielders, rucks and forwards under a salary cap, with an interchange bench.
- Midfielders are the highest-scoring line and usually where your budget goes.
- The bye rounds force planning: you need enough available players in those weeks to field a full side.
How scoring works
- Scoring rewards effective disposals, contested possessions, marks, tackles, clearances and goals.
- Kicks and handballs are weighted by whether they hit a target — efficiency counts, not just volume.
- Ruckmen score off hitouts to advantage plus their around-the-ground work.
Strategy that actually moves the needle
- Buy midfield time. A player moving from half-forward into the centre bounces is the classic price-rise pick.
- Rookies with locked senior spots generate the cash that funds your premium midfield.
- Plan your byes from pre-season — most teams that fall apart do it across those three weeks.
Your first week
- Lock your premium midfielders first, then work backwards to the cheap end.
- Check the JLT/practice-match minutes for your rookies before committing.
- Avoid mid-priced players unless you have a clear reason they improve.