The Phantom’s Round 7 SuperCoach review: Dunkley, Westhoff and Darling bounce back into form
It was a big week for the SuperCoach forwards with a number of once-popular names bouncing back in a big way. But can we trust them? The Phantom looks at their form and the highs and lows of Round 7.
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The forwards are back.
No, I’m not confusing my words, despite still coming to terms with my horrendous Lachie Whitfield to Zac Williams trade two week ago.
But more on that later.
Actually, maybe not.
Anyway, back to the forwards.
After big Round 7 performances, are once-popular SuperCoach names Josh Dunkley, Justin Westhoff and Jack Darling back?
The young Bulldog, who averaged 82 points across the first four rounds, was back in the midfield against the Tigers, attending a team-high 16 centre bounces, on his way to a season-high 134 points.
Dunkley tallied 35 disposals, 15 contested possessions, eight marks, eight tackles and seven intercepts on Saturday night, in an all-round display reminiscent of his dominant run at the back-end of 2018, which saw him average 116 points per game in the final nine rounds.
The 22-year-old recorded three scores of 93 or more - two of them in the past two weeks - in his six games this season but he had finished with more than 20 disposals just once prior to Round 7.
Unfortunately, however, for what Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has given, he’s also taken away.
Clearance-machine Tom Liberatore spent time forward, finishing with just four kicks, one tackle and a season-low 58 points.
Liberatore led the competition for tackles in a career-best year in 2014 and laid 26 in the first four weeks of this season.
So four in the past three weeks is a big concern.
But if Dunkley’s role does remain - and that’s not something we can be sure of yet - a $479,500 price tag is very appealing.
If we look even further down the price chain, Port Adelaide veteran Westhoff is an intriguing prospect at $402,300 after scores of 92 and 108 in the past two weeks.
While he still spent 79 per cent of Friday night’s loss forward, the return of Todd Marshall to the Power’s attack has allowed Westhoff to roam further up the ground.
Against the Magpies, the 32-year-old tallied 29 disposals, 16 contested possessions, eight marks and three score assists.
His SuperCoach ton could have been a big one if it wasn’t for a disappointing 1.3 in front of goal.
A trade from teammate Willem Drew, who added $29k to price after 69 points in Round 7 but faces a Round 8 breakeven of 58, will only cost you $80k.
And then there’s Darling.
After recording an unbelievable 31 points combined in his past two matches, the premiership Eagle responded - finally - with four goals and 132 points against the Suns.
His price still fell to $322,600 but a Round 8 breakeven of 35 means his staggering fall will likely come to an end next week.
But I’m more confident on the first two at this point.
Before we move off the forwards, Patrick Dangerfied’s injury-affected 26-point performance has to receive a mention. The star Cat battled a knee issue for most of the day, spending majority of the clash with the Bombers forward to finish with his second-lowest ever score.
My thoughts are with those who had him captain.
Back to Darling - well, sort of.
His midfield teammates Andrew Gaff and Elliot Yeo are great buying ahead of Round 7 after scores of 154 and 132 respectively.
After a very slow start, Yeo, who faces a breakeven of 64, won’t be available for $533,000 for long.
And, just to finish, after four scores between 84 and 90, young Adelaide ruckman Reilly O’Brien broke through for his first SuperCoach ton against the Dockers.
The 23-year-old tallied 22 disposals, 13 contested possessions and 121 points to add another $62k to his price tag and bring about a breakeven of -11.
Show me the money.
THE PHANTOM ROUND 7
Score: 2032
Overall ranking: 5132
Studs: Josh Dunkley (134), Max Gawn as C (127), Tim Kelly (120), Jay Lockhart (86)
Duds: Tom Rockliff (58), Tom Liberatore (58), Patrick Dangerfield (26)
Originally published as The Phantom’s Round 7 SuperCoach review: Dunkley, Westhoff and Darling bounce back into form