Short version: The VC loophole is a free captaincy re-roll. Set your vice-captain on a premium playing the earliest game. If they score 90+, park your captain on a non-playing bench spot so the VC double locks in. If they don't, switch the C to your main pick. Zero downside. Takes 30 seconds. Every coach should run it every round.
What is the VC loophole?
The VC loophole is the single most powerful free tactic in NRL SuperCoach. It exploits a quirk in how captain and vice-captain scoring work: if your captain scores zero (either because they're on a non-playing bench spot or because their game hasn't happened yet), the vice-captain's score is automatically doubled in their place.
That means if you set a VC on an early-game player, wait for their score, and then manage your captain armband correctly, you effectively get to see one captain candidate's score before you commit. It's a guaranteed free re-roll — the best deal in SuperCoach.
When the loophole works
The loophole works any round where your vice-captain plays in an earlier fixture than the rest of your team. The ideal scenario is a Thursday or Friday night VC whose game finishes before your other premiums have even kicked off — that gives you a full weekend to decide.
When the loophole burns you
The loophole has almost no downside — as long as you check. The one way it burns is forgetting. If you set a VC, don't check the result, and your captain ends up on a player scoring zero while the VC scored 40, you'll lose 80 points of captaincy. The tactic is free; forgetting is expensive.
Step-by-step execution
- Pick an early-game VC. Pick a premium who plays in the Thursday or Friday fixture and has a reasonable floor (ideally projected 70+).
- Wait for the VC game to finish. Don't touch anything until the full 80 minutes are done. Watch the score.
- Decide: lock or roll. If the VC score is 90+, you're locking. If it's under 75, you're rolling. In between is a judgement call based on your other captain options.
- Set the captain position. To lock: move the captain armband onto a non-playing bench player so the captain scores zero and the VC double kicks in. To roll: leave or move the captain to your main pick for the later game.
- Confirm before lockout. Open your team before Saturday lockout and visually check: VC is on the early-game player, C is where it needs to be, emergency is set. Done.
Using the SIF VC loophole calculator
The decision of "lock or roll" is usually obvious at the extremes (110 = lock, 50 = roll) but murky in the middle. That's what we built the VC loophole calculator for — punch in the VC score and your main captain's projected score, and it tells you the break-even point for the lock. It updates automatically each round and is free to use.
The calculator also overlays fixture difficulty on the main captain projection, which often tips borderline calls. If your main captain is in a brutal fixture, even a 75-point VC score might be worth locking.
Live examples from 2026 so far
Round 3 — the textbook lock
Premium fullback VC in the Friday night fixture scored 118. Lock. Captain parked on a non-playing bench forward, captain scored zero, VC double = 236 captain points. Anyone who forgot the loophole ate a 90-point captaincy hit.
Round 4 — the textbook roll
Premium lock VC in Thursday game scored 58. Roll. Captain armband moved to Saturday premium, who returned 102. No regret — rolling was correct and the coach ended up with 204 captain points instead of 116.
Round 6 — the borderline call
VC scored 82 on a Friday. Main captain had a soft Sunday fixture. Borderline — calculator said lock, and the Sunday option ended up scoring 74. The lock paid off: 164 vs 148. Small edge, but the kind that compounds across a season.
How the loophole fits the captaincy framework
The VC loophole isn't a replacement for captain selection — it's a layer on top of it. You still use the captain selection framework to pick your best two candidates. The loophole just lets you pick both and choose the higher score after the fact. Free edge, every round.
Beyond captaincy, the loophole interacts with the trade hierarchy — if your VC is a player you're about to sell, you can squeeze one more doubling out of them before the trade. Small things, compounded across 25 rounds, are how rank is built.
Frequently asked questions
What is the VC loophole in NRL SuperCoach?
The VC loophole is a tactic where you set your vice-captain to an early-game player and use their score as a re-rollable captain option. If the VC scores big, you leave your actual captain on a non-playing bench spot so the VC auto-doubles. If the VC score is weak, you move the captain armband to your main pick before their game starts.
When does the VC loophole work?
The loophole works any round your vice-captain plays in an earlier fixture than the rest of your premiums. Thursday and Friday games are perfect — you get the VC score locked in before most of your other players have even kicked off.
What score should I chase on the VC?
The threshold depends on the round, but 90+ is the standard VC lock trigger. A 90 doubled equals 180, which outperforms most standard captaincy picks. If the VC scores 75–89 it's a judgement call. Below 75, you should roll to your main captain pick.
Can the VC loophole burn you?
Only if you forget to check. The VC loophole has zero downside if executed correctly — if the VC score is bad, you simply switch to your main captain. The only risk is forgetting to act before lockout.
What's the best emergency player to park the captain on?
Park the captain on a non-playing bench spot — usually a cheapie who's been benched for that round or a player on a bye. The captain slot must be on a player scoring zero or not playing.