The Phantom’s Final Word: How to handle the Gawn-Lycett dilemma, the latest on Whitfield, an R3 trade warning, the best captain options and more

SuperCoaches might not know the fate of Melbourne big man Max Gawn until Sunday morning. By then, Port Adelaide’s Scott Lycett would be well-and-truly locked out. The Phantom looks at how you should handle the tricky situation.

• The case for Scott Lycett
• What to do with Caleb Daniel
• Ultimate guide to Showdown 47

Star ruckman Max Gawn has been named in Melbourne’s side but he’s still in serious doubt for Sunday’s clash with the Blues.

Gawn didn’t train on Thursday but the Demons will give him every chance with the big man set for a fitness test on Saturday.

“We’re going to give him right to the end. We’re certainly not going to risk him because he’s such an important player for us,” coach Simon Goodwin said on Thursday.

While Goodwin should find out on Saturday, SuperCoaches might be kept in the dark right up until the final team sheets are handed in on Sunday morning, ahead of the lunchtime clash at the MCG.

Max Gawn will hope to prove his fitness on Saturday.

Power big man Scott Lycett is a great trade-in target this week but, just remember, he will be locked out tomorrow afternoon.

Problem is, popular trade-in option — and the highest-scoring player in the game over the past month — Scott Lycett takes the field at 4.05pm local time in Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.

If you are one of the many SuperCoaches who has Lycett in the forwardline or plan to trade him in this week, you’ve got a big decision to make.

Lycett will be locked out at the start of Showdown 47, meaning you will not be able to swing him from the forwards into the ruck to cover for Gawn if he is a late-withdrawal on Sunday.

To avoid a potential zero, you might need to relegate Gawn to the bench and start Lycett in the ruck — hopefully you’ve got bench cover in the forward-line.

Sure, there’s a chance Gawn does end up playing and scoring 150 but that’s just the risk you will have to take.

What would make things even worse was if Lycett was to score 70 in that situation.

But let’s not go there.

From all reports, however, the chance of Gawn, whose ankle was still “pretty big” on Thursday, actually running out on to the MCG on Sunday is slim.

And if he does, his influence is unlikely to be as great, given the injury.

If you’re going down another path for ruck cover, in the form of rookie-price Bomber Zac Clarke ($182k), who replaces No. 1 ruckman Tom Bellchambers this week, just step back and ask yourself one thing before you trade.

How many points is a trade worth?

Will you happy with trading for, let’s say, 70 points?

Even if the trade gets in the way of your — near complete — upgrade plan?

The Phantom will be trading in Scott Lycett for Caleb Daniel this week and, if we don’t hear anything before the start of the Showdown, playing Lycett, in place of Gawn, at R2.

I’ll also be trading in Tiger Mabior Chol, who is on the bubble this week with a breakeven of -111, for cover in the forward-line.

WHITFIELD ALERT

There’s been some other big news for SuperCoaches on Friday afternoon with star Lachie Whitfield withdrawn from the Giants’ side for the Sunday twilight clash with the Lions.

The 24-year-old was named in the initial team on Thursday night but the Giants have decided to delay Whitfield’s return from a broken collarbone.

Giant Lachie Whitfield will not make his return against the Lions on Sunday.

“Lachie trained really well in our main session yesterday but we’re just going to take a cautious approach with this one,” coach Leon Cameron told the club’s website.

“We’ve erred on the conservative side when it comes to selection quite a few times this year and we believe that giving Lachie another week will give him the best chance to finish the season on a really strong note.”

Thankfully, it’s given SuperCoaches plenty of time to change their plans.

Take note, Goody.

But in good news, Kyle Dunkley ($102k mid), younger brother of Bulldog Josh, will make his debut for the Demons on Sunday.

Dunkley, 19, was picked up in the mid-season draft and has impressed in his four VFL games for Casey, averaging 17 disposals and booting five goals.

CAPTAINS

I’ll keep it short this week.

Brodie Grundy.

Friday night.

VC.

The end.

OK, I’ll expand slightly.

In his past three Friday night matches this season, Grundy has posted scores of 160, 108 and 165.

And he’s averaging 126 at the MCG — the venue for the clash against the Hawks — this season.

While his lowest score in 2018 came against Hawthorn in Round 1 — the last time the two sides met — Mason Cox did a lot of ruckwork that day.

Grundy dispelled any match-up concern The Phantom raised last week, finishing with 133 points against Todd Goldstein — his first score of more than 114 against the North Melbourne big man.

But if he does fail, there are a number of great captain options to fall back on.

Dustin Martin (Rich)

v Gold Coast, Saturday

In his past three matches against the Gold Coast, the Tiger star has posted scores of 91, 142 and 167. And while he’s still spending plenty of time forward in the absence of Jack Riewoldt, Martin has recorded SuperCoach tons in five of his past seven matches. While he’s only passed the 115-point mark on one occasion this season — after achieving the feat 18 times in the previous two years — a trip to Metricon Stadium on Saturday could be Martin’s chance to go big.

Adelaide co-captain Rory Sloane, left, with Port’s co-captain Tom Jonas ahead of Showdown 47.

Rory Sloane (Adel)

v Port Adelaide, Saturday

Adelaide’s co-captain loves a Showdown. In his past four matches against the cross-town rival, Sloane is averaging 142 SuperCoach points, after scores of 138, 111, 151 and 168. And if you take the injury-affected 35-point performance against the Demons in Round 11, Sloane is averaging 116 points per game this season. The best fallback-VC option this week.

Jack Macrae (WB)

v Geelong, Saturday night

After a season-low 84 points against the Eagles in Round 11, the ball-magnet has responded in a big way, scoring 140 points or more in each of his past three matches. Macrae’s 147-point three-round average is second-only to Port’s Scott Lycett and he’s back at Marvel Stadium, a venue he averages 125 at this season.

Bulldogs start Marcus Bontempelli has a great record at Marvel Stadium this season.

Marcus Bontempelli (WB)

v Geel, Saturday night

Like Macrae, Bontempelli likes Marvel Stadium, posting scores of 109, 112, 118, 146, 104, 124 and 158 there this season. And, while he finished with 130 points, the star midfielder had passed the three-figure mark by half-time against Port Adelaide last week, in another reminder of his scoring power.

Tim Kelly (Geel)

v WB, Saturday night

The Geelong star has gone 162, 87, 140, 92, 121, 76 and 128 in his past seven matches. Can he buck the trend in a midfield-shootout against the Bulldogs this weekend? He enjoyed Marvel Stadium in Round 8, tallying 36 disposals and two goals against the Kangaroos in Geelong’s only appearance at the venue this season.

Nat Fyfe (Fre)

v WC, Saturday night

Fyfe has posted scores of 114 and 126 in his past two Western Derbies despite copping some pretty heavy attention. But, again, he’s showed this season he’s almost unstoppable, finishing with SuperCoach tons in nine of his past 10 matches, seven of them in excess of 120. Another captain option you can trust.

Josh Kelly (GWS)

v Brisbane, Sunday

Another round, another SuperCoach ton for the classy midfielder. Kelly’s 104-point performance makes it eight on-the-trot this season, with five of them scores of 128 or more. And Kelly tallied 30 disposals, two goals and 149 points in his last meeting with the Lions. Expect a huge midfield battle with an impressive Brisbane engine room on Sunday.

Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale will play his 150th game against the Giants on Sunday.

Lachie Neale (Bris)

v GWS, Sunday

Leading that engine room will be the former Docker, who bounced back after a season-low in Round 14 with 38 disposals and 137 points against the Demons last week. While he was playing for a different team, Neale boasts a career average of 114 against the Giants.

LEFT-FIELD

Scott Lycett (Port)

v Adelaide, Saturday

With scores of 115, 111, 180 and 165, no player has recorded more points than Lycett over the past month. The former Eagle averages 140 points per game when he plays 85 per cent or more game-time as a ruckman — and that looks set to continue with Paddy Ryder likely to stay in the SANFL. Can he get the upper-hand on in-form Crow Reilly O’Brien?

THE PHANTOM’S CALL

Easy for me this week — Grundy VC into Sloane C.