Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

How much does it cost to play TheBench?

There are two versions of TheBench.

  1. There are FREE competitions with default settings which are set in place and can’t be changed.

  2. For those who want the complete fantasy experience, the most customisable version of our game is to create a custom ‘league’. Creating a custom league costs $10 for each club competing. Competition Admins are able to customise field positions, customise scoring rules, employ rolling lockouts, create a custom draft order, manually override results, enjoy inter-league banter, use the waiver wire feature and download statistics reports.

Can we change the scoring options for our competition once the season has started?

YES. However, it is a good idea to consult other coaches in the competition via the banter page before the scoring options are changed. Different scoring options could potentially affect other coach’s recruitment strategies so a change in scoring options after recruitment is not advised.

Can we start a competition after round one of the competition?

YES. Competitions can be customised to run for any length of time. The only limiting factor is that the final week that can be run is the final regular season round of the competition. TheBench does not operate during the AFL, NRL or Super Rugby finals.

Can I have uneven number in my competition?

TECHNICALLY NO. If you have an uneven number of teams in your competition, a computer team will be entered in your competition and draft automatically.

Another option is to create a team of your own called the bye and draft players that you know are unlikely to play this season.

A club has named a new player in their squad this week and he is not available on the player list. When will he be available to recruit?

We try as hard as possible to keep the player list up to date. New players are added to the list as soon as they are named for a team.

In extreme cases where a player randomly plays for a team without being previously named OR a new player is rumoured to be joining a club (eg. from the ESL or Rugby), we will notify coaches as to when that player will be added to the player list. This is to ensure that all coaches have the same opportunity to recruit that player.

Where do you get your stats from?

All our statistics for AFL, NRL and Super Rugby are provided from Champion Data.

A player in my team did not receive a score while another website shows he did, what can I do?

For Super Rugby scores are finalised on Monday, for NRL scores are finalised on Tuesdays. AFL scores are typically finalised within an hour of the last game for the Round. If a coach feels that their player/s have not been awarded with the right score, use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page to let us know will be met with a prompt reply, but we will not change statistics sent directly to us from our official statistics provider Champion Data.

Does TheBench run during the finals?

NO. The last week of TheBench is the final round of the AFL, NRL or Super Rugby regular seasons.

Why is TheBench better than the other Fantasy Sites?

Just 'cause.

Oh, and also, TheBench allows the user to fully customise their own competition. Competition size, Player position limits, Recruitment Method and Scoring Method are just a few of the many variables that can customised when creating a competition. TheBench also favours Draft style competitions over Salary Cap competitions where once a player is recruited, that team has exclusive rights to that player until they are traded or dropped.

TheBench has a recruitment method to suit any user or competition. It suits both Live Drafting or Offline Drafting if you want to enjoy a night at the pub with your mates whilst drafting.

Check-out a dirty big long list of features here: https://thebench.com.au/page/features

I have this great idea to make TheBench even better.

TELL US! We are open to feedback and requests for features. Post your ideas in our suggestions box (https://thebench.com.au/feature-requests) and the things that get the most votes will typically get added.

You can also send us a message on our facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/thebenchfantasysports

For send us a message directly here: https://thebench.com.au/contactus

Can I run a Mid-season Draft?

YES. You can run a mid-season draft to give your Competition a mid-year shape up. Have a look at this article to understand more: http://thebenchnews.com.au/2014/05/23/midseason-drafts/

Do you support Keeper style Competitions where we carry some players over from the previous season?

YES. When the Competition Manager resets your Competition at the start of the season, they can choose to either reset and keep the squads or reset and delete the squads. Check out this article for for info: http://thebenchnews.com.au/2015/01/11/prepare-your-competition-for-a-new-season/

NRL Specific

Does a player’s game during State of Origin or Test matches count towards my team total for the week?

NO. At this stage, scores from NRL matches only influence NRLCEO on TheBench. This is a hot topic with NRLCEO coach’s and we are happy to discuss any thoughts on the matter.

We review the features on the site all the time so if it is something you want, add it to the suggestions box (https://thebench.com.au/feature-requests) and get it votes to the top of our to-do list.

Can backs score Workhorse Tries?

YES & NO. Backs will be able to score a workhorse try should your competition admin choose to include the scoring option for the position that you have selected them on the field, but the default setting only allows forwards to score workhorse tries.

When are scores updated for the round?

Scores are updates regularly throughout the weekend about 1-2 hours after each game. For NRL however, the scores will not be final until Tuesday at approximately noon, AEST.

What are kicking points and how do I know who has them?

Kicking points are NRLCEO’s version of a salary cap for the most valuable players in our game. The default number of kicking points in a competition is 10. Each player is assigned a kicking points based on how likely and how many goals they will kick for the season. The best couple of goal kickers in the NRL playing for the side likely to score a lot of points are generally 9 points and their backups are 1 or two points. You can tell how many kicking points a player is worth by checking their value in the player list or squad page.

My player doesn’t have any kicking points but he might be kicking this week can I choose him as my kicker?

Absolutely.