KFC SuperCoach 2023: The Phantom’s burning questions and all the Round 11 late mail
The “alarm bells” went off in the Dogs coaches box when Marcus Bontempelli hurt his knee last weekend. Selection whispers on Bont, Harry Sharp, Blake Drury and more.
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The Western Bulldogs have given Marcus Bontempelli the all clear to tackle Gold Coast on Saturday night.
The superstar captain and No.1 scorer in KFC SuperCoach this year sent a scare through the Dogs camp – and fantasy world – when he came off the ground in last week’s win against the Crows after appearing to twist his knee in an awkward tackle.
He returned and played out the game but had a quiet second half by his lofty standards, finishing the game with 12 kicks – his fewest since round 5 – and 18 handballs.
Coach Luke Beveridge said on Wednesday Bontempelli had pulled up well and was ready to get on the plane to Darwin.
“The alarm bells always go off when any of your players need a bit of attention during the game, and the way it happened, with a tackle from behind, can really be nasty, but he’s OK,” Beveridge said.
“He’ll train today and we think he’s going to be fine to front up against Gold Coast.”
Beveridge said Adam Treloar was unlikely to return from hamstring injury this week “but I won’t totally close the door on it”.
Adam Treloar (hamstring) is moving well under the eye of Luke Beveridge, who says he’s unlikely to be risked for the Dogs trip to Darwin.
— Joshua Dawe (@joshuadawe9) May 24, 2023
Marcus Bontempelli (knee) given the all clear, while Vandermeer is an option to replace JJ, leaving Caleb Daniel in midfield @FootyonNinepic.twitter.com/BdONteqyJN
WHO WILL FILL INJURY VOID?
More than 10,000 KFC SuperCoaches have at least one premium midfield problem – and likely two – after Josh Kelly was ruled out for a month due to a hamstring injury.
SuperCoaches already reeling due to Clayton Oliver’s hamstring blow were thrown another curve ball when GWS revealed Kelly suffered the same injury against St Kilda.
Kelly was injured in the second quarter against the Saints but played on, having 12 disposals in the second half.
You’ve got to respect that.
His absence will put even greater onus on Tom Green and Stephen Coniglio – two popular SuperCoach picks – to lead the charge against an undermanned Geelong midfield.
The Cats gave up 134 points last week to Andrew Brayshaw and 135 to Caleb Serong, and Green has a three-round average of 117. He could be a captain option this week.
And watch for the Dockers ball-winners to go big again against a depleted Melbourne midfield that gave up three 120-plus scores against Port Adelaide last week, plus 110 to Ollie Wines – his first ton of the season.
Serong was on light duties at training this week after “tweaking his ankle” in the words of Channel 10 Perth reporter Steve Allen, but there could be another midfield wildcard for Fremantle. Coach Justin Longmuir has forecast Nat Fyfe will play a full game after being used as the sub for the past three rounds. Priced at just $243,400, the dual Brownlow medallist could be a bargain option to help us through the byes if he shows he’s back at full fitness.
DRURY OUT?
Coaches hoping North Melbourne rookie Blake Drury would form part of their best 18 from the start of the byes next week could be in for a rude shock.
The Roos have revealed Drury, who went up in price by $9700 after his third game despite a successive scores of 17 and 12, has a hip issue.
“Blake had some hip impingement and adductor weakness after the game which was restricting his high intensity running,” North’s head of performance Kevin White said.
“He will be managed early in the week, and we’ll assess his function after training Thursday on to determine his availability.”
While he’s unlikely to feature on-field for many teams this week, losing Drury for the early rounds of the byes would be a setback.
Meanwhile, Harry Sharp owners will be watching the Lions team sheet keenly after the popular rookie was subbed out of the QClash.
Brisbane has almost a full list to choose from after Daniel Rich was cleared to return following three weeks out with a calf injury, but will have at least one forced out for the clash against Adelaide with Jack Payne in the AFL concussion protocols. Noah Answerth will miss another week with concussion and clever defender Keidean Coleman is listed as a fitness test with glute soreness, which could help Sharp hold his spot in the side.
RAT POWER
More than 20 per cent of coaches who took a punt on Rory Atkins look set to be rewarded with another Gold Coast defender succumbing to injury.
Sean Lemmens has joined Lachie Weller on the sidelines and is expected to miss about a month after suffering a hamstring injury in the QClash.
Weller was the most likely player to take Atkins’ spot in the Suns backline, but he has again been ruled out and Gold Coast’s latest injury update sounded less than optimistic.
The Suns reported that “Lachie Weller continues to manage a minor knee injury and needs to progress to full training before he is considered for selection”
Connor Budarick is about 3-4 weeks away from returning from an ACL injury, but seems more likely to make his comeback through the VFL.
Atkins has already made almost $90k but will make another $70k if he can average 75 until the end of the byes.
His KFC SuperCoach value is increased by having the round 13 bye and playing during the toughest bye rounds – 14 and 15.
The Phantom has covered off the question of whether it’s too late to buy Atkins in this week’s Burning Questions (see below)
The Phantom answers this week’s burning questions
Remember last week, when I presented the perfect KFC SuperCoach trade plan for the next six weeks?
Yeah, me either.
There’s really no such thing as perfect in KFC SuperCoach.
The trouble that I thought I’d run into during the bye rounds, popped up within four days.
Alex Cincotta was dropped, the bloke that’s missed one game in the past six years, Clayton Oliver, did a hammy and Sam Simpson was subbed out on 20.
The cash generation from Cincotta and Simpson I factored into the plan isn’t going to eventuate – not in the time frame I need it to, anyway.
Phant, enough, what are you going to do about it?
Sorry, I needed that.
But I do have a solution – on paper, at least.
Don’t worry, this entire piece won’t be just about me again – but I do know many KFC SuperCoaches will relate to my money and bench problems.
Those problems will hopefully be alleviated by jumping on Gold Coast pair Bailey Humphrey and Rory Atkins.
I know I’m a week late but with Break Evens of -54 and 3, respectively, there’s plenty of money to be made yet.
Even without a three-figure score, Humphrey’s price is set to soar past $350k. Atkins will get there, too, if he can score in the 70s over the next fortnight.
What these two also do is proved reliable on-field scoring this week and, with Gold Coast’s weekend off with Geelong in Round 12, through the difficult bye weekends.
You’re confident enough about their scoring?
A lot more confident than some of the other rookie options currently occupying the last few on-field spots in my team and plenty of others around the country.
Humphrey’s CBA numbers went up by 12 per cent against Brisbane and he, again, showed his array of scoring avenues and ability to fill the stats sheet.
The draftee tallied 26 disposals, 11 contested possessions, seven score involvements, seven inside-50s, six intercepts, five clearances and two score assists.
“He’s powerful, he has impact and just a competitor and so clean,” coach Stuart Dew said on Saturday night.
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And Atkins, sure, he’s only played four games, but his 13.3 effective kicks per game ranks 10th in the AFL.
Jack Ziebell, Luke Ryan, Tom Stewart, Jack Sinclair, Nick Daicos, Jayden Short, Mason Redman, Jake Lloyd and Jordan Ridley are the nine names that sit above him.
That’s fair company.
Yes, it’s easier to inflate those numbers when you play on with all six of your kick-ins, as Atkins did against the Lions.
But I don’t make the rules. An effective kick is an effective kick.
He’s also taken six marks or more in each of his four appearances this year – three of them intercepts against Richmond in Round 7 – as a key part of Gold Coast’s ball-movement out of the back-half.
You’re going to pay $290k for the same Rory Atkins who played just 21 games in his first three seasons at the struggling Suns?
Trust me, I’m finding it difficult to believe it’s come to this, too.
But here we are.
His role is there, Lachie Weller is still listed as TBA on Gold Coast’s injury list and he did average 79 and 77 at the Crows in 2017 and 2018.
And he’s been very honest in his self assessment of his early years at the Suns.
“I probably took it for granted. The game probably went past me a bit I reckon. I have done a lot of work on myself the last few years, fitness, mental, everything to get me back to where I am today,” Atkins told Code Sports earlier this month.
Again, nothing is perfect in KFC SuperCoach, especially in a season that’s thrown up so many surprises.
What length should I go to get him, then?
That’s the interesting question.
Yes, Simpson to Atkins will cost me $30k and a trade, but, given Simpson’s new Break Even of 59 – and the chance he may be dropped with Ollie Henry and Gary Rohan back in full training – I would need to use an extra trade to upgrade him anyway. And I wouldn’t have that bye cover.
Not sure I’d want to be spending much more than that to get him, though.
The $75k from Cincotta might not be worth it – George Wardlaw might be your man there, if you need to cover Oliver.
Despite the chances of another $20k after an 86-point performance against the Power, I’ll be trading Kade Chandler in this play, too.
His teammate Jacob van Rooyen probably works as well, but his Break Even is much more achievable in Round 11.
First-year Hawk Josh Weddle is in a similar boat to Atkins and Humphrey and, at a cheaper price, has the potentially to make money even quicker. But I’ve got him just behind those two for on-field reliability.
So, we should be holding Oliver?
I will be – for a number of reasons.
Firstly, we’re one week away from four rounds of best-18 scoring.
Secondly, he was out at training on Monday and the Dees have said “his return to play will ultimately be guided by his ability to deal with increase loads and reconditioning”.
So, at worst, he’ll miss three games before Melbourne’s Round 14 bye, two of them when your bottom end will protected to some degree by the revised scoring format.
Thirdly, this is not just anyone, he’s a player you absolutely want in your final team for the last 10 games of the season. Do you have enough trades to complete your side and get him back in?
In what circumstances would you trade him, though?
If you answered yes to my last question and have enough trades to get him back, or you’ve exhausted all other options in your quest for cash.
Trading Oliver down to Jack Steele ($532,600) might give you enough to make an upgrade.
What about Zach Merrett?
As good as he was last week, I’d be avoiding him this week with a looming Xavier O’Neill tag.
Sure, Merrett has more runs on the board then Noah Anderson and Will Day, who were both restricted by the Eagles midfielder in the past few weeks, but the 22-year-old is disciplined, tough and a great runner.
Anderson and Day both ended up getting their hands on the ball a bit by the final siren, but everything they did early on was under serious pressure from O’Neill.
I prefer the value of Steele, Lachie Neale and Andy Brayshaw instead.
Cycle back, Phantom, is it too early to bring in Wardlaw?
I went early on Blake Drury, so you’re probably asking the wrong person.
But, seriously, no. Like Humphrey, the tough teenager passed the eye test after being thrown straight into the Kangaroos midfield on debut, attending the equal-third-most centre bounces against the Swans.
The result was 16 disposals, nine tackles, eight contested possessions, six clearances and 85 KFC SuperCoach points in just 63 per cent game-time.
So, if you’re worried about who you have to cover Oliver, Wardlaw could be the man.
Cincotta to Wardlaw might only make you $25k in a trade but, if the mature-age Blue remains on the sidelines after being dropped, he is getting you nowhere.
Another solid score for the young Roo – and it’s a chance given the way he wins his own ball – and $300k won’t be far away.
Perfect, right?
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