SuperCoach bye plans in disarray with Lachie Whitfield and Shannon Hurn ruled out, but Brodie Grundy set to play

Collingwood has provided an update on Brodie Grundy’s fitness after SuperCoaches were sent into a tailspin when the gun ruckman was named on the injury list.

Throw those bye plans out.

So many of us planned to use Shannon Hurn and Lachie Whitfield as two of our defensive bedrocks, with Round 12 the week where both the Eagles captain and Giants star would feature.

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But with Whitfield out for at least a month due to a broken collarbone and Hurn to miss due to a hamstring injury, thousands of coaches will need to restructure without two of the top defensive scorers.

Whitfield, who has an average of 110.9, features in 87,530 teams.

Hurn, who has risen to $599,700, is in 37,895 sides.

If you’ve got both, you might need to consider a complete restructure to not only see your team through the byes — but until the end of the season.

Shannon Hurn will have to prove his fitness this week after a hamstring scare.

Check below for the latest SuperCoach whispers from your club

HURN RULED OUT IN EAGLE BLOW

The No. 2 SuperCoach defender of the year has officially been ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Sydney. West Coast captain Shannon Hurn missed the last quarter of his side’s win over Western Bulldogs with a hamstring complaint and won’t play again until Round 14. There were reports Hurn ‘looked a million bucks” at training on Tuesday but by the evening the club had ruled him out. West Coast has a bye next round so he will have two weeks to rest before a likely return against Essendon. Hurn had an average of 113.5 this year, second only to Jake Lloyd after Round 11. “Shannon obviously missed that last quarter on the weekend. It’s a very low grade strain that we have diagnosed. On doctor’s advice we are going to take the week off, get him right and have him available post-bye,” Eagles general manager of football Craig Vozzo said.

Shannon Hurn is looking a million bucks at training today. Rumours of his demise could be a bit over cooked. @7NewsPerth

— adrian barich (@adrianbarich) June 4, 2019

WHITFIELD OUT FOR AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS

GWS has frustrated coaches with its conservative injury prognosis in recent weeks but wasted no time ruling out Lachie Whitfield after he underwent surgery on a broken collarbone. The Giants have ruled Whitfield out until after their Round 14 bye, leaving coaches with a huge trade call to make. While he’ll almost certainly score premium numbers when he returns, can you afford to hold $564,100 of value on your bench for the next three weeks? In more positive news, Zac Williams is a chance to return to fill Whitfield’s role.

LC: it’s hard to replace a player like Whitfield but we expect Zac Williams and Sam Taylor to both be available.

Lloyd, Langdon, D Buckley, Hately and Bonar are all putting their hand up to play the Crows.#NeverSurrender

— GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) June 4, 2019

WHY IS GRUNDY ON INJURY LIST?

Collingwood expects gun ruckman Brodie Grundy to face Melbourne on Monday after he was listed as having an ankle injury. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, coach Nathan Buckley said: “He got through the game well after tweaking it a little bit early in the game. We’ve got a longer week (which) gives us a little bit more time to recover and prepare, and we don’t think we’ll have a problem there.” There were reports on Saturday his leg and ankle were assessed during the Magpies’ loss to Fremantle but he played out the game and finished with 21 disposals and 47 hit-outs.

Will need to keep a close eye on this one. #SuperCoach #AFLFantasy pic.twitter.com/ISXN8JnVYv

— Fantasy Freako (@FantasyFreako) June 4, 2019

CROUCH’S CONFIRM RETURNED

Adelaide star Matt Crouch has given patient SuperCoaches a boost by confirming his return to face GWS Giants this weekend. The ball magnet has been battling an abdominal issue in the past three weeks but has been past fit to feature in Round 12. Rory Sloane pressed his case at training on Thursday, but his owners won’t know whether he features until Saturday. Don’t be surprised if the Crows name their co-captain and then put him through a fitness test at the weekend.

. @Adelaide_FC assistant coach Ben Hart says he is confident Matt Crouch will return from injury against @GWSGIANTS . Also won’t rule Rory Sloane (hamstring) out. Says he is a 50-50 chance to play. @TheTiserSport pic.twitter.com/6HZW7gWFFM

— Andrew Capel (@andrewcapel) June 3, 2019

SUPERCOACHES SWEAT ON MARTY HORE NEWS

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin spoke confidently of Marty Hore’s likely return after his side’s loss to Adelaide on Saturday. Goodwin said he expected both Christian Salem and Hore, who is in 99,406 SuperCoach teams, to be fit for Monday’s Queen’s Birthday game against Collingwood. Hore was a late withdrawal on Saturday after he was pictured on teammate Angus Brayshaw’s Instagram last week with his leg heavily strapped. With an average of 86.8, Hore’s return would be welcome news for coaches wanting to hold onto Shannon Hurn and Lachie Whitfield.

That Marty Hore twitter photo during the week seems legitimate now. He’s out! #SuperCoach #AFLFantasy

— Fantasy Freako (@FantasyFreako) June 1, 2019

IS CLARKE WORTH RISK AFTER ONE GAME?

We’d normally never take the risk on a player after one game, let alone one who has a bye this week. But Dylan Clarke’s disciplined tagging role on Carlton captain Patrick Cripps on Sunday was tough to ignore. Clarke ($147,700, mid) racked up 99 points and kept Cripps to 89, his second lowest score of 2019. Only Matt De Boer has limited the Carlton captain to less points this year — when he scored 66 in Round 9. Could Clarke get the job on Jaeger O’Meara and Elliot Yeo in coming weeks? “It’s something that we have had a look at him doing in the VFL and he has generally done it pretty well. He’s been tagged himself in the VFL so he understands what happens in that regard. I think in his own right he will be able to become a midfielder that just plays and wins the footy,” coach John Worsfold said after the Bombers’ win over Carlton.

Mid-season draftee Ryan Gardner jostles with Aaron Naughton at Western Bulldogs training. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images.

BEVERIDGE PRAISES MID-SEASON DRAFTEE’S DEBUT

Every SuperCoach loves a mid-season downgrade where they can pocket the maximum profit. After his Round 12 bye, Western Bulldogs mid-season draftee Ryan Gardner ($102,400, Def-Fwd) will provide exactly that. Gardner made his AFL debut against West Coast and although he only scored 41 SuperCoach points, his efforts impressed coach Luke Beveridge. “He’ll just keep getting better and better. He’s a great competitor. They are all great characters, our players, and he is going to really add something as time goes on to our group.”

LOGUE IN LINE TO FILL PEARCE’S DEFENSIVE ROLE

Fremantle’s loss might soon prove SuperCoaches gain with rookie defender Griffin Logue in line to replace injured key backman Alex Pearce. The No. 8 draft pick from the 2016 draft, Logue has been flagged by coach Ross Lyon to replace Pearce after he suffered a fractured ankle against Collingwood. While he might not score huge numbers and has a bye this week, Logue is only $164,300 as a SuperCoach defender and has a great chance to cement himself in the Dockers’ back six. “We have got Griffin Logue, he may come up … we feel like we have still got a bit to build.” Logue averaged 43.2 from 13 games in 2017.

Griffin Logue could be set for an extended run in Fremantle’s team. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Media/Getty Images.

KENNEDY TO RETURN IN ROUND 14 FOR SYDNEY

Josh Kennedy is due to return from a knee injury after Sydney’s Round 13 bye in news which will come as a welcome boost to the SuperCoaches who love a point of difference. While he’s still only in 2386 teams, Kennedy has averaged 107.2 and is worth consideration. John Longmire said on Monday: “Zak Jones, Josh Kennedy, Harry Cunningham and Kieren Jack will be back after the bye and Sam Naismith might be back a bit after that.”

Originally published as SuperCoach bye plans in disarray with Lachie Whitfield and Shannon Hurn ruled out, but Brodie Grundy set to play