KFC SuperCoach: The Phantom answers the burning questions ahead of Round 19

Who’s the best Dusty replacement? What to do with Mills and Greene? Will Lachie Neale miss again? The Phantom answers the big Round 19 KFC SuperCoach questions.

There will be no ‘something can – and will – happen’ statement this week, because that something keeps happening.

And in 2021, ‘something’ could be absolutely anything.

I mean, if I told you during pre-season that Josh Dunkley would miss a game after ordering chilli scrambled eggs and an oat latte for breakfast, would you believe me?

And if I told you Callum Mills and Toby Greene, in the same week, would withdraw from their respective side’s minutes before the first bounce after attending a rugby union match, while Dustin Martin was in hospital with a kidney injury, you would’ve laughed.

Rugby union?

As you can see, this season continues to throw curve balls at us, and there are plenty of burning questions that need be answered on and off the field this week.

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Josh Dunkley will miss Round 19 after being ordered to isolate for 14 days. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Star Swam Callum Mills, picture on his hotel balcony on Tuesday, will miss for the same reason. Picture: Michael Klein

What is an oat latte?

Great question. I am not that hip.

You’re not that funny either, Phantom, give me some advice… do I hold Mills and Greene?

Unless you have a stash of trades, or are within striking distance of the $50k, you’re holding.

Both won’t play this weekend but are likely to return in Round 20, so a one-week lay-off is unlikely to be your biggest concern at the minute.

What about if I don’t have cover?

An interesting one. Is it worth trading in bench cover for what could be 50 points? Not if you only have two or three trades remaining.

Sure, it might make the urge to sideways trade a Greene or Mills stronger, but that trade could potentially be better used to cover a potential multiple-week donut in the final month of the year.

It’s conservative thinking but, after what’s happened over the past four days, let alone three weeks, it’s fair to assume KFC SuperCoaches will have more issues to deal with - especially with South Australian joining Victoria in NSW in lockdown on Tuesday evening.

I have a bigger issue to deal with right away – who should I trade in for Dusty?

With the Tigers star ruled out for the rest of the season, this is the trade to prioritise.

Rowan Marshall ($464,600 RUCK-FWD) scored 127 KFC SuperCoach points after playing 97 minutes of game-time against the Power – the most since his return from injury. He’s my No. 1, if you don’t have him.

Well, he was before he, too, was ordered back into isolation, ruling him out of this weekend’s clash with the Eagles.

On value, Martin’s teammate Shai Bolton ($420,800) is a close second, given his return to form in the past two matches, and the fact he’ll need to play a bigger role in the midfield with Dusty missing.

The Martin to Bolton move is an easy, one-trade move for KFC SuperCoaches, too, and they are the types of trades you want to be doing at this stage of the season.

TRADE GUIDE: MORE DUSTIN MARTIN REPLACEMENT OPTIONS

Shai Bolton bounced back with a KFC SuperCoach ton in Round 18. Picture: Michael Klein

Unless you have more than five remaining, using two to trade Dusty up to an absolute top-liner is just not worth it.

If you the cash, though, Patrick Dangerfield, Dayne Zorko – even though he will be significantly cheaper next round – and Aaron Hall have to be in your thoughts.

I like Jordan De Goey ($490,600), too – there’s absolutely no denying his scoring power in the midfield now – and Tom Hawkins ($461,900) is a great buy after this 128-point display in the wet against the Dockers.

Could I hold Dusty?

If you have just one trade left, and cover in the forward line, there’s reason to consider it.

Would that trade be better used to sideways trade a premium in a position you don’t have cover – say in the ruck or defence – over the next five rounds?

It’s hard to say no.

Of course, another injury may never come.

But it’s hard to say it won’t happen, either.

Another reason to hold Martin is Zorko’s 180-point breakeven, which could see his price fall to $570k, even with a KFC SuperCoach ton in Round 19.

Could your Round 19 bench cover and Zorko for four weeks outscore the value option you settle for over five weeks?

Hmmm.

Is Josh Kelly going to play?

A question I’ve asked myself too many times over the years.

But, like it has been in 2021, the answer is a good one this time.

“He had scans yesterday and he’s likely to be available this week,” Giants footy boss Jason McCartney told SEN on Tuesday morning, after Kelly hurt his previously-injured ankle on Sunday.

“That’s a real positive, there was no serious damage there.”

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Lachie Neale copped a knock to his shoulder at training on Tuesday. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

What about Lachie Neale?

Another ‘something’ almost happened – again – on Tuesday when Neale sent a scare through the KFC SuperCoach community and left training early with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

If this is your first time hearing the news, it’s OK, it sounds like the Brownlow Medallist is fine.

“He fell down on his shoulder and jars his back a little bit,” Lions high performance manager Damien Austin said after training.

“He’s fine. We expect him to play.

“He’s pulled up sore because it’s a bit of a stinger but we expect him to play on the weekend.”

Doesn’t matter, Phant, I’ve got Lachie Bramble as cover…

Lachies rule.

The mid-season draftee has posted KFC SuperCoach scores of 120 and 91 in the past two weeks after hitting the target with 39 of his 45 disposals and tallying a combined 12 rebound-50s, 11 intercept possessions, 29 pressure acts and just three clangers.

The injuries to most of Hawthorn’s key playmakers in defence have almost made Bramble the No. 1 man back there now – he’s even taking some kick-ins.

His form is another reason you shouldn’t be trading to cover one-week premium lay-offs

Marcus Bontempelli lost 42 KFC SuperCoach points to negative acts in Round 18. Picture: Michael Klein

93 POINTS FROM 36 DISPOSALS, WHY DO CHAMPION DATA HATE BONT?

We really have come full circle.

Bramble’s scoring in the past two weeks has been help considerably by a low clanger count, given their negative effect on KFC SuperCoach scoring.

Against the Suns, Marcus Bontempelli recorded 15 clangers and lost -42 points through negative acts – the most lost by any player in a single match this season.

The Bulldogs star gave away five free kicks and hit the target with just eight of his 17 kicks.

As a result, he lost another $49k off his price tag and looks set to fall to close to $600k with a breakeven of 165 in Round 19.

Speaking of bad scoring, is Max Gawn officially out of the CV/C conversation?

After scores of 103, 100, 100 and 95 in the past four matches, it’s hard to say no.

While they aren’t horrible scores, the decline in a number of key areas is concerning.

STAT: RNDS 1-15 – RNDS 16-18
Disposals: 18.6 - 17
Contested possessions: 10.8 – 6.7
Hitouts-to-advantage: 10.7 - 8
Hitouts-to-advantage rate: 20.4% - 16.7%
Clearances: 3.6 – 4.3
Goals: 8 - 0

Look elsewhere for now.

Any final thoughts, Phant?

Go Wallabies.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach: The Phantom answers the burning questions ahead of Round 19