AFL SuperCoach 2024: The Phantom’s team revealed

The team sheets threw up a number of SuperCoach surprises on Thursday night – and The Phantom has spotted an opportunity. See the late changes and final side here.

A cheap forward line was so last week.

Now that end of the ground – well mine anyway – is about three big names.

Yes, I’m starting them all – Luke Jackson, Sam Flanders and Isaac Heeney.

As expected, opening round confirmed my thought that Flanders can still score well even as the fourth-choice centre bounce midfielder at the Suns.

But what I didn’t expect was to be trying to squeeze the man that’s hurt us all before, Heeney, into the side ahead of the first lockout.

It’s not something I was hoping would happen, but after Heeney attended 14 centre bounces and tallied 18 contested possessions and 13 clearances against Melbourne as he filled the void left by Callum Mills, Luke Parker and Taylor Adams, it’s now something I believe has to happen

At the worst, he reverts to a predominantly inside-50 role in a month when Parker and Adams return, and finishes on the fringes of the top-six forwards. Or you trade him at his bye.

At best, he stays in the midfield and averages 110 for the first half of the season – we know scoring isn’t an issue for him.

Nick Daicos is back in the Phantom’s team. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

I’m a positive kind of guy, and I think, with extra trades this year, it’s a risk worth taking in chase of a fast start.

That’s why Jackson is staying in, too. If Sean Darcy misses only four games, is that enough?

Like, sure, in an ideal world, Jackson is the No.1 man without Darcy for rounds 5 and 6 when Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy have the bye. But you know what really isn’t ideal? Not having Jackson when he averages 120 across the opening month.

If Jackson’s flying, maybe it’s more a 50-50 ruck split when Darcy first returns, anyway.

Heeney and Flanders will miss a game early in the season, but with a few more serious rookies and value picks putting their hands up, allowing for a deeper bench – and therefore reliable cover during the early byes – I’ve decided an extra opening round player, or two, isn’t so bad after all.

With a high scoring ceiling, of course.

FRIDAY CHANGES

I’m staying strong – but, after Thursday night’s team sheets were submitted, slight changes were needed. I already had my eyes on Sam Berry and when the Crows tackling machine was named on-ball, I decided I was ready to commit. And when the Hawks overlooked Henry Hustwaite, the move became an obvious one. To get the extra $40k, someone had to make way and that was Roo Charlie Lazzaro. I’m not overly comfortable dropping him, but going down to Berry’s teammate Chris Burgess or Cat Shaun Mannagh – depending if the latter is sub or not – leaves enough cash to go from Hustwaite to Berry and Ethan Phillips, who also missed out at the Hawks, to Nick Coffield.

DEFENDERS

Nick Daicos (Coll) $650,000

Harry Sheezel (NM) $556,200

Hayden Young (Freo) $525,100

Connor Budarick (GC) $301,200

Zac Williams (Carl) $216,100

Josh Gibcus (Rich) $150,700

Bench: Blake Howes (Melb $123,900), Nick Coffield (WB $123,900)

With a 91-point score in his price cycle already, Blake Howes is a must-have rookie, while Connor Budarick is the only other change in defence, coming in for Kiedean Coleman, who tore his ACL in opening round. The young Sun is smart, clean and efficient, and I’ve been tracking him closely over summer after he recorded 24 effective kicks in the final two games of last season.

Nick Daicos was back in last week, along with young North Melbourne star Harry Sheezel – at the expense of James Sicily, given the uncertainty around Hawthorn’s defence. Sure, Zach Fisher is alongside him now, but that’s unlikely to stop Sheezel, who was at his ball-winning best over the pre-season, finishing the year as a top-six defender. And, if you know me, you’ll know there’s no way I’m missing the year Hayden Young – the midfielder – hits three figures.

The Roos are ready to release the shackles on George Wardlaw. Picture: Michael Klein

MIDFIELDERS

Marcus Bontempelli (WB) $724,600
Zak Butters (Port) $636,100
Matt Crouch (Adel) $490,800
Ollie Wines (Port) $463,600
George Wardlaw (NM) $365,400
Sam Berry (Adel) $226,900
Colby McKercher (NM) $202,800
Ryley Sanders (WB) $184,800
Bench: Jackson Mead (Port $199,800 Fwd), Matt Roberts (Syd $156,800), Jhye Clark (Geel $123,900)

To allow for the addition of the big forward trio, someone had to make way. And, after he scored 77 in opening round, the easy choice was Errol Gulden – as much as I love him. You can almost guarantee he’ll be cheaper after Sydney’s round 5 bye.

Matt Crouch and Ollie Wines at M3 and M4 looks thin on the surface, but look a little deeper and the value is obvious. Wines is fit and back on the inside and at his best in that role, he’s a 110 guy – just like he was in his Brownlow year of 2021. It’s a similar story for Crouch, who had 114 points in just over a half against the Eagles. There’s never been a problem with his scoring, and he’s back in vogue at West Lakes. It appears so, too, is Berry, the 22-year-old who lead the competition for tackles in 2022 and scored a SuperCoach ton in the practice match.

A sub-par score from Luke Davies-Uniacke in the practice match hasn’t scared me – it shouldn’t put you off, either – but how many North young guns is too many? I’ve been on George Wardlaw from the get-go and, while 65 points isn’t huge, the fact that the second-year Roo played under an injury cloud and recorded team-high tackles and centre bounce attendances against St Kilda, has me confident the shackles are coming off. The bench trio are all worthy of on-field consideration, which will help offset the early premium absence. With more seemingly-reliable rookie-price options than in previous years, I’ve deliberately spent more on the bench – here and in the forward line.

Just pick Max Gawn in the ruck. Picture: Michael Klein

RUCK

Max Gawn (Melb) $583,700

Brodie Grundy (Syd) $481,900

Bench: Coen Livingstone (WC $102,400, Fwd)

The old set-and-forget combination is back. With Gawn as the solo ruckman at Melbourne again and Grundy up in Sydney as the No.1 man, at their prices, it’s hard to do anything else. With Jackson in, I’ve reverted back to the non-scoring loophole at R3 to open up the dual-position swing.

Isaac Heeney the midfielder is too good to pass up. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

FORWARDS

Luke Jackson (Fre) $547,000, Ruck

Sam Flanders (GC) $494,200, Mid

Isaac Heeney (Syd) $483,700

James Jordon (Syd) $275,500, Mid

Harley Reid (WC) $207,300, Mid

Alex Sexton (GC) $133,400

Bench: Darcy Wilson (StK $130,800, Mid), Chris Burgess (Adel $129,100)

With those injuries at the Swans, James Jordon will play a significant role for his new club early on – and he did just that in opening round, finishing with 19 disposals and 81 points against Melbourne after a slow start. He does that for a few weeks and the cash will start flowing in. Harley Reid hasn’t left the team and Alex Sexton now won’t, either. Like in the midfield, Darcy Wilson could easily fill on an on-field spot, a deliberate strategy to – hopefully – ensure adequate early-season coverage. Veteran Docker Nat Fyfe was the other to make way for Flanders’ return to the side. I’m not off him, as such, but can it really all go right? If Mannagh isn’t named as Geelong’s sub on Saturday night, I will pick him over Burgess, whose game starts 40 minutes later.

The Phantom's final SuperCoach team for 2024

Originally published as AFL SuperCoach 2024: The Phantom’s team revealed