It’s SuperCoach carnage with Lachie Whitfield set for an extended stint on the sidelines after collarbone surgery and Shannon Hurn to miss this week

Is there enough hope to hold Lachie Whitfield? And what should you do with Shannon Hurn who also won’t be back until after the bye. Recap The Phantom’s SuperCoach chat.

Giant star Lachie Whitfield won’t play until after the Giants’ Round 14 bye with coach Leon Cameron confirming the 24-year-old had surgery to repair a broken collarbone on Monday night.

RECAP THE PHANTOM’S TRADING ADVICE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

On the eve of the first of three bye rounds, it’s the news SuperCoaches didn’t want to hear.

Especially with fellow SuperCoach defender Shannon Hurn to miss this week’s clash with the Swans after scans revealed a minor hamstring strain.

“On doctor’s advice we’re going to take the week off, get him right and have him available post-bye,” West Coast general manager of football Craig Vozzo told the club’s website.

That’s two of the top three highest-averaging defenders in the game potentially missing at least this round — a week when another six teams will already be out of action.

West Coast skipper Shannon Hurn, right, will miss the clash with the Swans after suffering a minor hamstring strain last week.

But Hurn should only miss one match plus the bye and that means you should be holding.

But the Whitfield decision is a harder call to make.

The third-highest averaging SuperCoach defender, despite two injury-affected scores of less than 65, is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Going by this outlook, at best, Whitfield returns in Round 16 after missing three matches and the Giants’ Round 14 bye.

Giant Lachie Whitfield’s injury is big blow for SuperCoaches ahead of the bye rounds.

Three games for a must-have SuperCoach player — when fit — makes it a borderline call.

Anything less, you hold. Anything more, it’s trade time.

And it really is hard to be sure if it will be any less or more.

😰#SuperCoach pic.twitter.com/BN3FbljvMG

— The Phantom (@ThePhantomSC) June 4, 2019

Last season, Sydney veteran Jarrad McVeigh broke his collarbone in Round 16 and was expected to miss six weeks after surgery.

But he was back in the side by Round 20.

It was a similar story for Demon Joel Smith who returned through the VFL four weeks after he had surgery to repair a broken collarbone in August.

He was picked for the preliminary final against the Eagles, following two VFL appearances, six weeks after the injury.

And only on Saturday, Michael Hibberd returned to senior action after missing just two weeks following collarbone surgery,

Given Whitfield is part of the runaway top-three in defence and a player you want in your final team, the want to hold — and hope — is strong.

And with these examples and Whitfield’s toughness — something which his coach often refers to — there is hope.

But with the difficulty of the bye-rounds and the chance he does miss even longer, given the Giants are travelling well enough to win without him, trading will be the right call for many SuperCoaches.

If you’re struggling for numbers over the next two weeks — premiums in particular — and do decide to move him on, it should be to a player with a Round 14 bye, who will be on the park over the next two weeks.

And that leaves three standout options.

Adelaide Crows training at Football Park. Rory Laird and Cameron Ellis-Yolmen. Picture SARAH REED

Rory Laird (Adel)

$504,600 Average: 99

At $504k — a huge $84k discount on his starting price — the Adelaide defender appears the best option. While Laird is yet to reach the heights of last year’s 108-point average, he’s still been consistent in 2019 and sits as the sixth-ranked defender for total points after 11 rounds. Laird has scored 84 points or more in every game this season, with five SuperCoach tons, despite averaging four less disposals than in 2018. The only immediate concern is the threat of Giant stopper Matt de Boer, if teammate Rory Sloane doesn’t play on Saturday night.

Bachar Houli is the highest-scoring SuperCoach defender over the past three weeks.

Bachar Houli (Rich)

$541,100 Average: 111

Along with the top three, Jake Lloyd, Hurn and Whitfield, the Richmond veteran is the only other defender to average in excess of 110 points per game. Houli, who has tallied more disposals than any other player in the competition in past three matches, boasts the best three-round average of any defender — and the fifth-best overall — after scores of 102, 142 and 139. But with Jayden Short due back in the second-half of the year and with Houli missing 26 home-and-away matches in the past four seasons, the selection doesn’t come without risk.

Zac Williams (GWS)

$505,100 Average: 94

If he does return this week, as Leon Cameron expects, trading Whitfield to his teammate is another move to consider. The long-kicking right-footer’s two highest scores of 121 and 140 came when Whitfield was injured early against the Swans and missing against the Saints. And the game he was injured against the Blues, Williams tallied 12 disposals and 75 SuperCoach points in just 37 per cent game-time.

The other option this week is to trade Whitfield to either one of star teammates Josh Kelly or Stephen Coniglio in the midfield — via DPP — depending on your financial situation.

Otherwise, if you’re structured your team well for the byes, meaning you don’t need the extra number this week and can afford the trade ahead of Round 13, consider Hawk James Sicily ($491,600) and Docker’s Luke Ryan ($523,100) and Connor Blakley ($455,700) coming off the bye.

THE PHANTOM’S VERDICT

I want to hold and the recent examples of recovery time gives me hope. But the more I think about it, the more I’m leaning towards trading Whitfield to Laird. But I’ll leave a spot open in defence for Whitfield once he returns.

Originally published as It’s SuperCoach carnage with Lachie Whitfield set for an extended stint on the sidelines after collarbone surgery and Shannon Hurn to miss this week