That’s interesting. I'd like to have an Adelaide player benched, preferably on every position. There is TWO D.G.W.s back-to-back for the Strikers, so, when you think about, with a bye in the first round and the fact that we'll also have to be focused on getting enough Hurricanes involved, as they have the same D.G.W., it becomes obvious we need to have at least 2 Strikers on our bench. But who? I'll break down Adelaide's full squad:
Asides from the first game, I don't think Nielsen gets a single game after that – with Carey there. As far as Carey goes, I think he costs too much money to have benched – especially since he'll miss the first game of the D.G.W.. With these two ruled out, it means we can't possibly start with 3 Strikers benched. Unless, of course, you double up in the batting or bowling section – which I think is stupid, as you need to test a player with the bench-loophole. Salt, Wells, Siddle, Briggs: all a little too pricey for their input. Don't see too much value there. I also believe Rashid Khan is
way too much to have benched. Harry Conway and O’Connor are both decent options, but they probably won't get a game. Head is unavailable until the end of the tournament. Neser is unknown, also due to Australia and Australia A duties.
That leaves our decent options all the way down to Wes Agar, Weatherald, Renshaw, Short, and Worrall – all could work in some way or another, in my opinion. But here's where it gets sketchy: ...
Agar is $150K – (definitely on the pricey side) – Weatherald is $122K, but also with the unknown of his mental health and lack of recent cricket under his belt; Renshaw is $137K – (again, also on the pricey side, and you
could just spend $13K more to get Agar) – lastly, there’s Short and Worrall... But let’s be honest: they're hacks. I don't even think I'd even USE Short for his double game in Round 2 – (just keep him on the bench) – and Worrall has never done anything to warrant our faith for a massive score. I think, out of these, Renshaw and Agar seem to be the best options here.
Of course, there's the option of picking
Hurricanes players instead, alternatively benching the likes of Ellis, McDermott, Wright, or Handscomb... But with no bye in the first week and with only
one D.G.W. compared to Adelaide's two, it's obvious that it's better to have Strikers there instead. What do you guys think? Who are
you running with?