NRL SuperCoach VC Loop Explained: How to Use the Vice-Captain Loophole

If you've been playing NRL SuperCoach for more than five minutes, you've heard someone mention the VC loop.

Elite coaches treat it like a cheat code. Casual players either ignore it or botch it badly enough to cost themselves a head-to-head result.

This guide will make sure you're in the first group.

What Is the NRL SuperCoach VC Loop?

Captaincy decisions are the most important ones you will make in any given NRL SuperCoach season.

In a traditional sense, the purpose of a vice-captain has been to cover for your captain being ruled out late in the round – a relic of the days before SuperCoach enabled a rolling lockout for team changes.

This flexibility has given rise to the VC loop, in which coaches intentionally place the captain’s armband on a non-playing reserve (NPR) in order to double your vice-captain’s score.

In practice: if your VC posts a monster score before the player you intended to captain takes the field, you have a window to "loop" that initial score instead of relying on your intended captain later in the round.

The VC loop allows you to bank the points and stave off risks of your captain getting injured, a game day downpour hurting their scoring output or simply a bad performance.

NRL SuperCoach VC Loop – The Risks

The obvious risk factor to the VC loop is there’s always a chance your intended captain exceeds your vice-captain’s score – but this is not the biggest risk to consider.

Because the VC loop relies on putting the captaincy on a player who is not going to take the field, it means an auto-emergency (AE) score will be inserted into your 18-man line-up.

Remember: When you position yourself for a VC loop, you are effectively replacing the score of the player you otherwise would have played, with an AE score.

Your AE will be the lowest scorer above zero, so having a player who is liable to score poorly – otherwise known as an AE nightmare – on your NPRs or even in your selected 18 could counteract the benefits of using the VC loop.

The other risk is the NPR you choose to bring in to your on-field 13 so you can captain them to activate the VC loop is a late inclusion on game day and takes the field.

Ideally, you will captain an NPR not named when NRL team lists are released on Tuesday, a player you know is injured or – in an ideal scenario – a player on bye.

How the Flex Position Changes the Looping Game in SuperCoach

Introduced in 2025, the Flex position means SuperCoaches now pick 18 players to start on field each round, with weekly totals (other than in major bye rounds) made up of the best scoring 17 of those 18 – dropping the lowest score each round.

This is a significant change for looping strategy.

Previously, looping was a higher-stakes manoeuvre because you knew your AE score would count.

With the Flex and best 17 scoring, it’s now highly likely your AE score will ultimately drop out, slashing the potential risk of the VC loop.

Remember: Your AE is a player on your NPRs you intentionally left out of your side because you expected they would not be a strong scorer.

This means you need to consider your 17th best scorer. If the AE score that comes into your 18-player squad is 20 points, it drops out. But if you’re activating the VC loop and your next best player scores 21, that score will count.

In those cases, you may be better off avoiding the VC loophole, selecting as a Reserve the player you originally backed to score well in your 18 and opting for the traditional captain route, potentially making your previously 17th best into your 18th best player so their score doesn’t hurt your team’s round score.

How to Loop: Activating the NRL SuperCoach cheat code

• Make sure you select a VC who plays in a game prior to your captain.
• Check your team has the flexibility to enable the loophole. Think:
• Who will I drop out of my selected 18 to allow for my NPR to enter my starting 13?
• Do I have a suitable NPR who plays after my vice-captain who I can bring in to my starting 13?
• What is my AE score?
• Do I have, or is there a risk of, another low score in my best 17 scorers?
• If your VC scores well – say at least 100 points – substitute your NPR into your starting 13 and Captain them before the player you previously set as captain takes the field. The player you substituted out may be a player you expected to be in your best 17 scorers. If so, make sure you make them a Reserve.

Now you can sit back and (semi-)relax knowing you’ve secured your captain score for the week.

What Is a ‘Free Loop’?

A free loop is the most valuable, lowest-risk version of the VC loop, but not something you generally play for.

A free loop occurs when you have exactly 17-18 available players across your entire 26-man squad, which can happen due to byes, injury or suspension and often happens during the State of Origin bye period.

In this situation, when your VC fires and you switch your captain to a non-player, you know there’s not going to be the risk of a rogue AE score – and you’re in the same boat if you select your Captain in the traditional manner.

When should I trigger the VC Loop?

There is no hard and fast answer when it comes to the threshold for using the VC loop – it changes week to week in NRL SuperCoach.

In general, you will start thinking about the VC loop when your vice-captain scores more than 100. When your VC goes past 120, you know you’re in a great window.

When you hit 140-150, don’t think twice. Smash that VC loop.

But if you’re taking a free loop because you have got the bare minimum of players, some coaches will accept 90-100 as a reasonable score.

When NOT to use the VC Loop

Knowing when to hold is as important as knowing when to pull the trigger.

Skip the loop if your VC score is below 100, if your captain is a premium player with a juicy match-up, if the playing status of your NPR is uncertain or if you have other low scores in your best 17.

A bad loop is worse than going the traditional captain route. If you're hesitating, skip it.

Such is the unpredictable nature of NRL SuperCoach, the VC Loop can even backfire on experienced coaches, so don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t work out.

The Bottom Line

The NRL SuperCoach vice-captain loophole is one of the most powerful tools in the game.

The Flex position has reduced the risk of the standard loop provided the rest of your squad is structured correctly.

Master your NPR management, target your VC strategically each week, and understand which type of loop is available to you before the round kicks off and you’ll be up there with the best – and winning the bragging right with your mates – in no time.