Only 2 weeks left of Fantasy footy, and we are still getting mixed results from our Captaincy options.
So who should we take a look at to get a leg up on our league opponents to win a spot in the Grand Final? Backing in the guys that are in form, or relying on someone to bounce back into it? Let’s take a look.
Vice-Captains
We are all going to go back to the well and try again, even after disappointment last week, right? Errol Gulden let owners down last week with an abysmal score of just 69, but he plays Friday night again this week and you don’t want to be the one that misses out when he goes bang. Lining up against the Bombers, who he scored 117 against earlier in the year, I will be backing him in to bounce back.
Zach Merrett is also an option here with Sydney opting not to use the tag of late as heavily as they were earlier in the season. When these teams met in round 2, Merrett scored 122 and last year he scored 140 against them. Butters and Rozee both filled their boots against the Swans a couple of weeks ago on their way to 120+ scores, and Merrett could do the same this week under the roof. The only reason he is behind Gulden is because of Errol’s ceiling, and being extremely confident in the number 1 fallback option this week.
I wouldn’t be straying far from these two guys on the Friday night, but if you want to hold onto your VC for later in the week, or you need a fallback option, my top 5 Captains for round 23 are below!
Captains
- Tristan Xerri
How could he not be at the top of the list again? Averaging 158 in his last 3 games which have all been over 150, a career high 168 last week, and a match up with the dogs with no Tim English in the side. Since the bye, Xerri has averaged 127.4 (10 games), has scored 124+ 6 times in that span, only 3 scores below 118 and a low score of 94. He’s a genuine gun, and even if he has a bad day, he wont hurt you as your Captain. But he wont be having a bad day with Sam Darcy his most likely opponent. He genuinely could make it 4 scores of 150+ in a row.
- Rowan Marshall
Another big fella who is in some remarkable form. 9 tons in a row, a 3 and 5 game rolling average of 135, 3 scores of 130+ in a row including 140 last week. Already scored 118 against the Cats this year, and he will pump out something huge again. Not much more needs to be said, these rucks are what our premium midfielders used to be.
- Marcus Bontempelli
This guy is doing everything he can to get his side into the finals, and potentially have a shot at a Brownlow. 126 last week in a loss, 135 the week before that. A friendly match up with the Roos this week, who he scored 126 against in round 16. Bont has a ceiling, a friendly match up, and everything to play for. It could be a monster.
- Connor Rozee
The quality of this guys season is going under the radar slightly due to the injury hiccups in the middle of it. 113 and 126 are his two most recent scores, and I am expecting him to continue hitting these kinds of areas this week in the showdown. 5 tons in his last 6 games, Butters cops any attention the opposition may choose to give to someone leaving Rozee to run free. Reliable.
- Jack Sinclair
It has been a major return to form for Sinclair in the second half of the year, with 6 tons from 7 games since his bye and 2 of those over 130. Not a conventional Captaincy selection, but coming up against the Cats in a week where our Captaincy options drop off quite quickly after the top few, Sinclair makes the cut. Last week against the Cats, Luke Ryan (152) and Jordan Clark (126) found plenty of marks with 15 and 10 respectively, and Jeremy Sharp had 13 of his own. If this trend continues, look for Sinclair to cash in across half back and through the middle and pump out another solid ton this week.
