It has been a long, hard pre-season for AFL Fantasy coaches. Some who were seeking redemption from last year, like Warnie, started as soon as the 2016 season finished. While others have been quietly absorbing information over the last couple of months and are happy with where their squad sits.

For quite a few, this is the week when the first virtual step is taken on the Fantasy training track.

Teams need to be finalised before the first bounce on Friday night, but if you wish to have a Tiger or a Blue, then they'll need to be locked away before 7:20pm AEDT on Thursday night.

The Traders guide you through every step of the way on the all-important final podcast ahead of round one.

Also in this week's podcast:

- The Traders' team is unpacked.
- Roy discusses team structure.
- The best of the sub-$250K players.
- Calvin's captain tips including the loophole.
- Team Vanilla - the most popular picks this year.
- Warnie catches up with Russell Shore, the winner of Fantasy Classic in 2016.
- Your social media questions answered.

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