The Phantom’s Round 11 Review: The good, the bad and the bye-round swing

THE bye rounds have finally arrived, SuperCoaches. Which dual-position player could give you more flexibility over the next three weeks? And find out what made The Phantom destroy not one but two phones over the weekend in the Round 11 review.

The Phantom's Round 11 SuperCoach Review

• SuperCoach Rage Trades Round 11
• SuperCoach trades to help through the byes

DON’T worry, SuperCoaches, my phone is back and working.

If you missed it over the weekend, I smashed it on the ground when Port coach Ken Hinkley played Tom Rockliff as a tagger in an attempt to quell the influence of Hawk ball magnet Tom Mitchell.

As a result, Rockliff, who posted scores of 98 and 102 in the past two matches after re-joining the Power midfield, only tallied 10 disposals and 41 SuperCoach points.

Of course, it was the week I traded him in at what I thought was the bargain price of $374k.

I then threw the replacement phone out of the car window after Geelong’s Tim Kelly, the player who made way for Rockliff, scored 130 points in the Cats’ big win over the Suns.

Apologies to the SuperCoaches, who, on my advice, made the same trade.

Let’s hope it was more of a once-off, rather than an on-going role and Rockliff is allowed to play as a ball-winning midfielder against the Tigers.

Although Mitchell could only find the ball eight times in the 55 minutes he was opposed to Rockliff in the second half, a match-up with the explosive Dustin Martin or Trent Cotchin is a different challenge altogether.

Sorry about no posts yesterday. Smashed my phone on the ground when Ken played Rocky as a tagger. Then threw the replacement out of the window after Tim Kelly's 130.#SuperCoach

— The Phantom (@ThePhantomSC) June 2, 2018

But the bye rounds are here so Rockliff is unlikely to be your biggest problem over the next few weeks. At least he will take the field in each of the next three rounds.

While the most challenging weeks appear to be in Rounds 13 and 14, Carlton, Hawthorn, West Coast and the Bulldogs have the bye this week, meaning there is still plenty of quality players missing from SuperCoach teams across the country.

One of those is Hawk James Sicily, who boasts dual-position status as a forward-defender.

But, beside Giant Lachie Keefe, who has come and gone as a SuperCoach option, there has been no worthwhile selection to facilitate any dual-position swing.

Until now.

Melbourne’s Tom McDonald trains under the watchful eye of coach Simon Goodwin.

After scores of 164, 80, 118 and 135 in the past four weeks, Melbourne’s Tom McDonald boasts the highest average of all forwards and defenders.

While he’s only played six games, McDonald’s numbers are hard to ignore.

Against the Bulldogs on Saturday, McDonald tallied 24 disposals, 11 marks – six of them contested – five tackles and four goals, on his way to a round-high SuperCoach score.

And the 25-year-old has proven he can score at either end of the ground, averaging 96 SuperCoach points per game, playing as a key defender in 2015.

Yes the Demons have the bye in Round 13 but, at this stage of the year, it’s all about planning ahead.

THE GOOD

The Phantom talked about the new SuperCoach kids on the block last week and two, in particular, impressed on debut in Round 11.

Collingwood’s Brody Mihocek opened his account with 97 points, on the back of 12 disposals and four goals in the Magpies win over the Dockers.

Kangaroo Paul Ahern’s debut in Round 11 was worth the wait.

While Kangaroo Paul Ahern’s first senior game, 1285 days after he was drafted, was worth the wait. The 21-year-old attended 24 centre bounces and tallied 29 disposals, 13 contested possessions and 84 points.

These two could be the most-traded in players ahead of Round 14 after their bye.

If it helps your trading plan, go early on Ahern, just ahead of Mihocek.

After a point-of-difference in the midfield? Magpie Tom Phillips, who has posted three scores in excess of 120 in his past four matches, is worth some thought. On Sunday, the hard-running midfielder, who has had at least 30 disposals and one goal on five occasions in 2018, tallied 36 disposals, 10 marks, three goals and 131 points.

After returning to the side in Round 6, mature-age Demon and popular SuperCoach cash cow, Bayley Fritsch scored 87 or more in four of the following five matches. And the SuperCoach community was raving about his form.

But this week, he’s gone one step further, posting the first SuperCoach ton for his career.

The 21-year-old, who is playing an important link role on a wing for the Demons, registered 26 disposals, 14 marks and 111 points.

Maybe we can’t trade him next week.

Nic Naitauni’s game time pushed over the 60 per cent mark for the first time in three weeks against the Saints in Round 11. The result was a season-high 129 points. Let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come.

Patrick Cripps has limped to the bye after carrying Carlton through the first 11 games. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

THE BAD

If the bye rounds weren’t hard enough, Docker Nat Fyfe, the fifth-highest scoring player in the game, has been handed a one-match suspension for a hit on Magpie Levi Greenwood on Sunday. While it’s not ideal, it’s better this week than next.

Hey, Richo, I’m still waiting for Jack Billings to come around that corner. As loyal as I am, after just 15 disposals and 58 points against the Eagles, even I’m losing faith in him as a bench option going forward

As one of his biggest fans, it was hard watching Carlton’s Patrick Cripps, armed with heavy strapping, struggle to a hard-earned 54 SuperCoach points on Friday night. The bye has come at the right time for Carlton’s midfield warrior.

An ankle injury to Jack Darling hurt almost 10,000 SuperCoach teams with the in-form Eagle tallying just 14 points before leaving the ground late in the first quarter. There is no time frame yet but when Darling does return, he’s up against a huge breakeven of 235

Still waiting, Richo.

THE PHANTOM’S MENACE

Ken Hinkley

I like you, Ken but please release Rocky this week. No one likes to see him as a tagger.

THE PHANTOM ROUND 11

Score: 2129

Overall rank: 23,607