The Phantom’s trade talk: Your options for Ryder, Kreuzer and Libba

IN the Round 1 edition of Trade Talk, The Phantom is here to help you decide who to trade, who to hold, who to bring in and everything in between. Re-cap the live chat with The Phantom below.

The Phantom's Trade Talk Round 1

• SuperCoach rage trades
• The Phantom’s Round 1 review
• Round 1 rookie report

WELCOME to The Phantom’s Trade Talk.

Every Wednesday, The Phantom will be here to help you decide who to trade, who to hold, who to bring in and everything in between.

Given it’s only Round 1, this week’s message will be short …

DON’T TRADE.

Yes, I’m serious.

Well, unless you have injuries.

And, unfortunately, there were a few big ones to come out of the first round.

Bulldog midfielder Tom Liberatore will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee, Power ruckman Paddy Ryder will miss 4-6 with an achilles problem and Carlton big man Matthew Kreuzer is battling a groin issue ahead of Round 2.

Matthew Kreuzer is racing the clock to be fit for Saturday’s clash against the Suns.

Kreuzer ($603,700) and Ryder ($566,500)

Ryder is a must trade given the extended period he will miss but the Blues still hope Kreuzer will be right to face the Suns on Saturday. Here are your options …

Ryder to Nic Naitanui ($465,900)

Many SuperCoaches — The Phantom included — weren’t brave enough to start with Naitanui, after a less than convincing pre-season. But, well done to those who were. The star big man put the concerns to bed with 113 points and by the way he leapt for the ball and threw himself at the contest on Sunday. There was also the concern the Eagles may look to rest Naitanui at some stage but it looks as if they may manage his game-time instead. The 27-year-old, who had not played an AFL game since Round 22, 2016, played just 55 per cent of the game against the Swans but, like The Phantom suggested during the pre-season, SuperCoaches don’t need Naitanui playing much more. This trade makes you some cash, too.

If The Phantom had Ryder, this is the move I would be making.

Nic Naitanui was impressive against the Swans in his first AFL game since Round 22, 2016.

Ryder to Todd Goldstein ($521,400)

In tough conditions for everyone, let alone big men, Goldstein was his side’s top scorer against the Suns, with 108 points.

And, at one stage, it looked as if the final score would be a lot bigger, given Goldstein raced to 85 points by half-time. While Braydon Pruess — and to a lesser extent Majak Daw — remain on the outer, Goldstein, once again, will be one of the highest-scoring ruckmen in the game.

The Phantom has never bought into the claim Goldstein will struggle with a lack of a-grade midfielders around him. The 29-year-old is good enough to hit it to anyone, as he showed with 12 hitouts-to-advantage — the fifth-most for the round — in the wet on Saturday night.

Could go big against Billy Longer and the Saints on Friday.

Ryder to Jarrod Witts ($518,300)

Witts is only in one per cent of SuperCoach teams so this is the real point-of-difference option. But, after the 208cm Gold Coast ruckman posted a game-high 131 points against North, it’s definitely worth some thought. The 25-year-old will continue to play as his side’s solo ruckman and that’s a big tick in itself.

Kreuzer to the bench and Tim English IN ($134,700)

As mentioned earlier, despite suffering a minor groin injury against the Tigers, Carlton is still hopeful Kreuzer will take his place against the Suns in Round 2. If he doesn’t, it’s unlikely he misses more than one or two matches, meaning you should try to hold.

Of course you don’t want to play with zero in the ruck so look to English as cover.

The highly-rated, yet still developing, 20-year-old tallied 13 disposals, six marks — three of them contested — and 83 points in his third game of senior footy, prompting coach Luke Beveridge to declare that English “looks ready to take on the challenge of being and AFL ruckman.”

Bring him in at R3 or, if you would rather keep that spot open for captain’s loophole purposes, consider trading English on to your forward bench.

But, obviously that throws up more issues with who to trade out and the fact you cannot do that without burning two trades unless you already have a ruck-forward dual-position player at R3.

Kreuzer to Nic Naitanui ($465,900)

The Phantom isn’t a fan of trading in Round 1 unless you have to but, if you’ve also got the Tom Liberatore issue to deal and you need the money, this trade is also worth some thought.

Bulldog Tom Liberatore will miss the rest of the 2018 after rupturing his ACL in Round 1.

Tom Liberatore ($434,600)

Scans have confirmed the worst; Liberatore will undergo a second knee reconstruction — this time on his right knee — and miss the rest of the 2018 season. He’s a must trade.

It’s likely you selected Liberatore in the first place with the thought he could average 105+ and potentially be a keeper. So you should be either trading to someone else you think will do the same or bringing in someone who will make you some quick money.

Stephen Coniglio, right, scored 129 SuperCoach points in the opening round.

Liberatore to Stephen Coniglio ($452,400)

If you didn’t start with the underpriced Giant, who scored 129 points against the Bulldogs, this is your move.

Liberatore to Patrick Dangerfield ($452,400)

If you left out Dangerfield, who is set to return on Monday, this could be your chance to get him in. Of course, it would take two trades unless you left some money in the bank. Definitely consider it if you’ve got Ryder or Kreuzer.

Liberatore to Patrick Cripps ($537,300)

You might not have enough money to get into the top-price bracket but the Carlton star, who recorded 25 contested possessions in the season opener, will only cost you $100k. And he will be in the top-price bracket very soon.

Liberatore to David Armitage ($310,100)

While Armitage is unlikely to be a top-15 midfielder by the year’s end, at that price, he will still act as a nice stepping stone after 79 points in Round 1. The Phantom has this option at the bottom of the list but I know some SuperCoaches won’t have money to spend.

If you are one of the 48 per cent of coaches who didn’t start with mature-age Geelong recruit Tim Kelly, who posted 118 points on debut, go with him instead because he’s a must-have cash cow.