Seeing Double: Strikers, Renegades round 4 focus

Round 3 was as much about who you avoided, as it was about who you owned.

Already through the first three games we’ve lost Tom Curran, Jack Edwards and Tom Rogers (Stars) to injury, while some big names failed to fire in their first match of the double – I’m looking at you Xavier Bartlett.

Spencer Johnson’s enormous return was another timely reminder on the importance of role. He bowls almost exactly the same overs as Xavier Bartlett and was $80k cheaper to start the round yet most went the more expensive option.

And the Stars inability to take wickets once again reared its head in the form of a record run chase by the Sixers. At least my man Peter Siddle looked the goods despite not taking a wicket, fortunately he bounced back in game two with a few scalps.

No doubt we are starting to see some separation in the teams moving up and down the rankings. 

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It’s clear Sam Harper was the correct call at keeper to start the season, granted failure in the second game of the double wasn’t ideal.

And as we enter another round with the three best options – Matt Short, Jamie Overton and Will Sutherland – all at a super premium price point over $180k – the importance of cash generation is going to start showing.

If you’ve generated good cash, you should be able to move lesser players to stack your double options. If you’ve missed some cheapies – like I have – you’ll have to shuffle some stars out to bring in other guns.

Let’s look ahead at this round’s double.

Round 4 double teams: Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers

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Overview: If last round was season defining, Round 4 is where the teams off to a fast start can consolidate and put a gap in the pack. We are well and truly at a point where the planning two and even three rounds in advance will begin to pay off. And your ability to manage your cash and trades will prove critical.

Both of these teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Renegades have been flying high off the back of some major home ground advantages – specifically just how awful their pitches are. The Strikers have been in games but failed to finish on top mainly thanks to a thin bowling group that lacks a little class in their pace bowling ranks.

Once again, I believe it’s crucial to deeply consider any player you bring into your side as someone you’re comfortable owning for the upcoming single game week. 

As the injuries this round have taught us, it’s not good enough to bring in someone for a deliberate ‘one week play’ just because of their double. The best laid plans can change quickly so you should only target players you’d be comfortable playing in your side on a single game week.

Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder (game 1, Showgrounds), vs Adelaide Strikers (Game 5, Docklands).

Overview: One of the surprise packets of the tournament so far has been the Gades who’ve scored well courtesy of some dominant victories. 

Their recipe so far has been to rely on their pace bowling quartet of Will Sutherland, Tom Rogers, Fergus O’Neill and Kane Richardson to exploit the difficult surfaces and dismiss teams cheaply.

We know bowlers are the key to SuperCoach and when teams are up and about they can score a lot of points. 

We also know they’ve got as much batting fire power as any side. And while only Tim Seifert has gone past 50 in their three matches, anyone in their top six could explode and it wouldn’t shock me. If you’re a gambler, that’s where to look.

Who has the best roles at the Renegades:

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• Will Sutherland; bowls big overs and scores runs. Sutherland has been on fire to start the season and while there may be technically better roles, the form line and eye test for this man has been irresistible. 
• Tom Rogers; one of the consistent good performers around the BBL circuit for the last few seasons. Bowls death overs and swings the new ball too. $40k cheaper than Sutherland and with a huge negative break even, he seems like a fantastic pick.
• Kane Richardson; hasn’t yet fired like his teammates with two wickets in his three games but is still being called on to bowl the big overs. A breakout performance isn’t far away.
• Fergus O’Neill; was a bit off the pace in game 1 at the SCG but has come into his own while operating in Geelong and at Docklands. The favourable pitches in this double should suit him.

Who else is worth watching:

• Tim Seifert; a gloveman in form. He doesn’t come cheap, but is well suited to play an anchoring role in this lineup and has cashed in a couple of times already.
• JFM/Josh Brown; toss a coin on these two if you’re keen. Both explosive and with a high ceiling.
• Jacob Bethell; not an ideal role as a number 4 but has so much class and a handy dual to boot. Could bowl the odd over too.

Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers (Game 2, Adelaide Oval) vs Melbourne Renegades (Game 5, Docklands)

Overview: They’ve looked a bowler light all year but have persisted with trying to find one from within their existing XI instead of making changes. Of course we cannot forget the loss of Fabian Allen which would’ve changed their plans.

The Strikers have batting firepower and can score runs. They are just losing the big moments with the ball – mainly the surge and death overs. They’ve relied on Henry Thornton and Liam Scott to perform those roles. And probably learnt that’s not going to be enough.

Coming up against two good bowling teams won’t make it easy for them to use their strengths.

Who has the best roles:

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• Jamie Overton; if there’s one man who can challenge Matt Short for the leading scorer in SuperCoach over the course of the season, it’s his teammate. Get him in.
• Matt Short; certainly bowling a lot less this year but has taken a wicket in every game. Has also barely fired with the bat this year (only making it to 20 once) and is still on fire for SuperCoach. If you’ve avoided him all year – like I have – this is the round to change that.

Who else is worth watching:

• Liam Scott; it remains to be seen if he will maintain it, but Scott’s role has grown markedly since coming into the side in Game 2. He bowled four overs in this side’s last match, including the 20th. A decent cheapie option if you need one.
• D’Arcy Short; seems to have overtaken Jake Weatherald for the openers slot and has returned scores of 60, 1 and 41. Seems in good form.
• Chris Lynn; went mental in a double game week last year. He has been quiet with just a 15.0 Supercoach average this season. He had the highest batting average last season with 60.80 at a strike-rate of 164.32. He’s dropped $68.5k so far to make him a far more affordable price for anyone interested.
• Lloyd Pope; natural wicket taker. Super expensive now after a star turn in the last double for the Strikers, but has the capability to do well.

Verdict and strategy:

I’m leaning towards the Renegades bowlers as the best targets for a few reasons. 

Firstly, they’re playing at two grounds which I believe will suit their skills. 

Secondly, if I do get stuck with any of them for the single game week they get the chance to face the Stars which is SuperCoach gold. 

Thirdly, there’s some really low breakevens going around which make them relatively risk free.

With the injuries to well-owned all-rounders Tom Curran and Jack Edwards, I think the priority this week is to target Matt Short, Jamie Overton and Will Sutherland who can both occupy one of the BAT positions for me during the upcoming single game weeks.

Either Fergus or Tom Rogers would be next on the list given they both offer a low breakeven for buyers who could be flipped in coming rounds to a genuine keeper.

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As someone who hasn’t owned Matt Short to-date, I do believe this could be another fine opportunity to go against him. 

Perth’s bowling attack is still one of the best, and the batting track at Marvel isn’t the easiest. It’s also hard to make up ground on those in front by copying their tactics.

Personally I am looking at him as someone to build my team around for the single game weeks so am keen to buy.

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If you’re chasing something different, the three game stretch for the Gades also could offer a chance to try to capture lightning in a bottle for one of their batters. 

Outside of Seifert, their top four are all around the $100k mark and won’t break the bank. And with Sutherland and Short costing a combined $440k~ it’s going to be crucial to free up funds somehow to bring them in.