The Phantom’s Round 1 review: Remain calm and resist trading premium guns such as Grundy, Gawn and Oliver for now

Round 1 is over and SuperCoaches are already in panic mode. But you must remain calm. The Phantom looks at all the highs, lows and what to do from here. Join in the banter now!

• Every Round 1 SuperCoach score
• Phantom’s Lair crew’s SuperCoach team reveals

See you later Brodie Grundy, you’re out.

Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver you can join him, too.

Said no good SuperCoach, ever.

We’re only one round in, people, just try and remain calm.

It’s a long year. There’s 21 rounds and 189 games remaining in 2019.

And, remember, you’ve only got 30 trades. If you’re new to this game, trust me, they can disappear very quickly.

You pick your premium players for a reason, back them in. For two rounds at the very least.

However, I can understand your frustration.

If, like The Phantom, you paid $1,400,300 for the top-price ruck combination of Grundy and Gawn, you have every right to be disappointed with a combined score of 168.

But don’t even think about trading them.

Grundy tallied 18 disposals, 14 contested possessions and a number of hitouts to advantage but six clangers — five of them free kicks against — in a tight game, hurt his score in a big way.

Gawn looked a touch off, however and the Power players knew it, getting stuck into the Melbourne big man at every opportunity. Gawn had little influence in the third quarter but still managed to finish with 87 points on a day he’d rather forget.

But I want to trade him to Justin Westhoff, I hear you say. Well, on the back of the Power veteran’s five-goal, 149-point performance, on the surface, it’s not a silly statement but, I assure you, there are better ways to fit Westhoff in. Let’s talk about that later.

Port Adelaide first-gamer Willem Drew. Picture Sarah Reed

Star midfielder Clayton Oliver, like some of his team-mates, appeared a little underdone compared to a young, enthusiastic and desperate Port Adelaide side. If I was a betting man, I’d say that will be his lowest score for the season.

Leading the charge for the Power were the four debutants Willem Drew (103 points), Xavier Duursma (67), Zak Butters (67) and Connor Rozee (67).

If you don’t have Drew, in particular, and he’s scores well again next week, you might have to jump on because, after his 21 disposals, 10 contested possessions and five tackles, it’s hard to see him going anywhere. In fact, it’s hard to see Ken Hinkley dropping any of the four anytime soon.

Oh, and a bloke by the name of Tom Rockliff had 44 disposals, 10 marks, eight tackles and 138 points. Well played to those who took the punt at $405,900. For those who didn’t, let’s assess the situation after next week.

Elsewhere, there was plenty of scores which had SuperCoaches pulling their hair out, as well as jumping for joy.

Mid-price midfielder Brad Crouch was good with 28 disposals and 91 points first-up but he wasn’t Dom Sheed-good. The Eagle midfielder, who has been in a purple patch of form since last year’s finals series, tallied 38 disposals, 21 contested possessions and 144 points against the Lions. By the looks of it, yes, his JLT Series form will carry through into the season proper.

Nic Newman impressed and racked up the SuperCoach points in his first game as a Blue. Picture: Ian Currie

On the other hand, team-mate Elliot Yeo’s 83 points wouldn’t have been what owners were hoping for from the midfield point-of-difference.

Top-price stars Jack Macrae (132) and Jake Lloyd (131) showed they are worth every cent, while underpriced Crow Rory Sloane made mockery of his price tag with a 155-point performance against Hawthorn.

Speaking of underpriced, in the same game, second-year Hawk James Worpel lived up to the pre-season hype with a best-on-ground performance, on the back of 27 disposals, 12 contested possessions, two goals and 110 points.

And Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe made sure those who doubted him didn’t enjoy their Sunday night, posting a game-high 150 points against the Kangaroos.

I almost forgot, how good was Carlton’s Nic Newman!? Those who stuck by me and my big pre-season call that Newman will be a top-eight defender, were rewarded for their show of faith. The others? Well, who cares!?

#BantsWithPhants

I’ll be back on Tuesday to talk trades — not that you should be making any yet — but for now, let me know your studs, duds and total score for Round 1 below. Or if you just want to start some banter, I’m all for it.

The Phantom

Round 1 score: 2140

Studs: Nic Newman (134), Jack Macrae (132), Jake Lloyd (131), Willem Drew (103)

Duds: Brodie Grundy as captain (81)