The Phantom’s Round 18 Review: Big men taking over, Patrick Cripps’ four kicks, the Giant bargains, Shannon Hurn’s calf and the young Docker to keep an eye on
Out the top-10 scorers over the past five rounds, six of them are ruckmen - how are we going to choose two next season? Plus all the SuperCoach highs and lows from Round 18.
We were all expecting a super-hero performance from Patrick Cripps at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
The Blues were hosting Gold Coast and Cripps had posted scores of 169 and 173 in his past two matches against the Suns.
But, instead of Thor, we got more of an Ant Man-like performance, with the Carlton superstar tallying just four kicks.
Not in the first quarter. Not even in the first-half. For the entire 126-minute duration of the match.
While he recorded 14 handballs and 11 contested possessions, to finish with 73 points, those SuperCoaches who put the VC on him weren’t happy.
Yes – if you can’t tell, I was one of them.
Thankfully – unless you overlooked him as captain, not mentioning any names - Brodie Grundy was there to save the day.
Well not the entire day with the Sydney-Fremantle epic still to play out that night.
Not even Luke Ryan’s 119 points – his first SuperCoach ton since Round 14 – made that enjoyable viewing.
The Collingwood ruckman finished with 31 disposals, 22 contested possessions, 10 clearances, nine tackles and 157 points against the Giants.
Oh, and 48 hitouts – eight to-advantage.
Yes, he is, in fact, a ruckman.
Speaking of ruckmen, choosing two of them next season might be a little more difficult than we first thought.
Young St Kilda big man Rowan Marshall starred again for the Saints, tallying 21 disposals, 14 contested possessions, six marks and a game-high 142 points in the win over the Bulldogs.
Marshall has now gone 139, 122, 119, 161, 126, 116 and 142 since Round 11.
He’s available as a forward in SuperCoach this year – and well done to those who traded him in – but that’s unlikely to be the case in 2020.
And what about Reilly O’Brien?
The 23-year-old Crow, who signed a two-year contract extension in the lead-up to Round 18, will have to remain in the conversation after another big performance against the Bombers.
O’Brien finished with a career-high 27 disposals, 17 contested possessions and a game-high 149 points.
Then, of course, there’s Max Gawn, who posted another SuperCoach ton – his 14th for the year – against the Eagles on Sunday.
Throw in Todd Goldstein and Scott Lycett and it’s going to get tricky.
All six big men rank inside the competition’s top-10 for five-round average - ruckmen, officially, rule SuperCoach.
Gawn’s 132-point performance came against an Eagles side missing captain Shannon Hurn, with the West Coast skipper a late withdrawal from the clash in Alice Springs due to a calf injury, leaving many SuperCoaches with a zero in defence.
A 31-year-old and a calf injury don’t usually mix well so watch this space.
I’d also like to use this moment to apologise to Fremantle coach Ross Lyon for all of my SuperCoach-related jibes.
All is forgiven after you re-called Griffin Logue – his 55 points were much better than 0.
Thanks, Ross.
Staying at Fremantle, young midfielder Andrew Brayshaw stepped up in the absence of Nat Fyfe in the Dockers’ engine room, recording his first SuperCoach ton of the year.
The 19-year-old, who was very important late in the one-point win over the Swans, tallied 20 disposals, 12 contested possessions, eight tackles and 116 points.
In terms of 2019, in a SuperCoach sense, it’s not relevant.
But at this stage of the year, it’s always important to keep scoring trends – and spikes – in mind for the following season.
And 2020 will be Brayshaw’s third year in the competition which has been the breakout season for many young stars before him.
Well done to those who went with Toby Greene at $420k ahead of Round 18, after the stand-in Giants skipper finished with 27 disposals and two goals, again, playing through the midfield in the absence of Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio.
He’s still a good buy at $451k if you need to make a final upgrade with limited cash.
Speaking of good buys and GWS, if you haven’t already, it’s time to jump on – or, in many cases, re-join – the Lachie Whitfield train.
The classy Giant was one his side’s best in the victory of the Magpies, finishing with 29 disposals – at 79 per cent efficiency – and 119 points.
Whitfield lost another $17k off his price tag but with a Round 19 breakeven of 93, he’s unlikely to be getting any cheaper.
The time is now.
THE PHANTOM’S ROUND 18
Score: 2286
Overall ranking: 1932
Studs: Brad Crouch (129), Josh Dunkley (127), Luke Ryan (117), Tim Taranto (113)
Duds: James Sicily (77), Tim Kelly (74), Rory Sloane (73), Rory Laird (23)