Deliberate trick: team initially rocked (8)
I believe the answer is:
consider
'deliberate' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'trick team initially rocked' is the wordplay.
'trick' becomes 'con' (a con is a fraud or trick).
'team' becomes 'side' (both can mean a sports team).
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'rocked' is 'r'.
'con'+'side'+'r'='CONSIDER'
(Other definitions for consider that I've seen before include "view" , "Look at someone or something thoughtfully" , "Think about - judge" , "Think about, reflect upon" , "Attend to" .)