SuperCoach Finals are here! I hope you made it into the Finals in your leagues. If you did, nailing your Captaincy will go a long way to winning your matchup.
If you are playing for overall rank, with only four games left of the season, and many teams looking similar, we need to nail our Captaincy options to climb the ranks. Read on for my advice.
Follow me on Twitter @Pig_Mentality for more SuperCoach VC/C chat.
Vice Captains
1. Zach Merrett
Zach returned to form last week with a 139, and the Bombers fell agonizingly short of a much-needed win. This week they play West Coast at Marvel Stadium. Percentage is becoming incredibly important for both Essendon and West Coast (for different reasons), and I expect Essendon to win this one by a lot. Merrett only scored 110 on the Eagles earlier this season, but he is averaging 130 in his last four games at Marvel Stadium. The Eagles are also the easiest matchup for opposition midfielders this season.
2. Marcus Bontempelli
Marcus was tagged last week with his lowest score since round 3 (101) and the Bulldogs lost. This week I expect him to bounce back at his home ground against a team that doesn’t tag. He averages 125 across his entire career (9 games) against Richmond, including 122 and 136 in their last two matchups. The Friday night spotlight suits The Bont and much like Zach Merrett last week, I predict a big game from the Captain in a must-win game for his side.
3. Tim English
Tim plays against Toby Nankervis and the Richmond Tigers this week. Nank is a reasonably difficult Hit Out matchup, but English is so good around the ground that his ruck matchup doesn’t seem to matter. He scored 145 on them earlier this year, although that was at the wide-open MCG, where he has plenty of space to peel off for marks. Marvel Stadium seems to be a safe 130 score for English this year, where he has five scores between 130 and 139.
Captains
1. Max Gawn
I just have to keep writing about Max. A three-round average of 170 will do that! This week he plays against North Melbourne, who are one of the most restrictive matchups for opposition ruckmen this year. I don’t care. Gawn is tallying these huge scores without dominating the Hit Out battle. He is doing it through contested possessions and clearances. Plus, he travels down to Hobart this week to play at Blundstone Arena, a ground where he averaged 140 (from 4 games) and has a high score of 212.
2. Jordan Dawson
Dawson is averaging 123 at Adelaide Oval this year, as opposed to 111 away from home. His last two matchups with Gold Coast have netted him scores of 106 and 140. The Suns are the fifth-easiest team for opposition midfielders to score against, and with Touk Miller suspended this week there’s no potential tag like he executed against Lachie Neale last week, so Dawson will be allowed to run free.
3. Rory Laird
Rory returned from his shoulder injury and did not miss a beat. 129 against a difficult Port Adelaide matchup is impressive, led by 13 tackles, which indicates that the shoulder is not bothering him. This week he plays against the easy-to-score against Gold Coast midfield, made easier with Miller suspended. Josh Dunkley (133), Stephen Coniglio (114) and Jack Steele (160) have all dominated the Suns as inside midfielders, and Laird should do the same.
4. Josh Dunkley
Josh has bounced back from his injury with a 115 (in essentially three quarters) and a 133. This week he plays against Fremantle, who give up the second most points to opposition midfielders this season (behind only West Coast). 109 and 155 in their last two meetings. Dunkley has only played at Optus Stadium five times, for an average of 100 points (high of 143, low of 42). The 143 was in his most recent game there.
5. Christian Petracca
I have been wary of Captaining Petracca recently in his move to the forward line. That changed last week, as his CBAs went up to 69% (from 45% the previous two weeks) and he scored 141 while only kicking one goal. This week he plays against North Melbourne, who give up the third most points to opposition midfielders this season. He scored 167 on them earlier in the year. With Melbourne’s top 4 chances hanging in the balance, we have seen Petracca, Viney and Gawn flick a switch and lift their game in the last few weeks.
POD Captain?
1. Stephen Coniglio
Last week I identified that a trend was emerging; Sydney is becoming a very productive matchup for opposition midfielders. Merrett (139), Brayshaw (116), Libba (149), Bont (131), Bolton (158), Martin (131) and Tuohy (126) have all dominated against the Swans’ midfield. This week it is the Giants who play against the Swans. Any of Kelly, Cogs or Whitfield could be an option here, with Coniglio being my preference. He is having a career-best season across many statistics and has compiled 63 disposals in his last two weeks.
My moves
I scored 2,670 last week which had me climbing up to rank 259th for the season.
Last week I chose Stewart as Vice-Captain (101) into a Sicily Captain (102). I took Sicily’s score as Captain.
I predict Zach Merrett to be my highest scorer of the week and he will get my VC armband. Josh Dunkley will be my fallback Captain.
Read Thursday’s injury news, with updates on Touk, Daicos, Walsh, Gawn and many more
