Ben Ashton from AFL SuperCoach 360 weighs up the best vice-captain and captain options for Round 10.
Bailey Smith / Max Holmes vs Brisbane
Tough matchup against the reigning premiers. If choosing between the two, I lean Smith purely for the higher ceiling. Neither feels like a convincing VC option though.
Neale / McCluggage vs Geelong
Mullin tag risk is enough for me to steer clear. Too much uncertainty for captaincy.
Brodie Grundy vs Collingwood
No Darcy Cameron changes everything. Grundy against his former side with essentially no recognised ruck opposition is a massive VC shout.
Isaac Heeney vs Collingwood
Also benefits from Cameron being out…. Grundy tap to Heeney will be on full show IMO. Excellent VC option.
Nick Daicos vs Sydney
Likely James Jordon tag and hasn’t exactly been pumping out huge scores recently. Danger game for owners — I’d avoid the VC/C here.
Christian Petracca vs Port Adelaide
Form hasn’t been elite, but he’s always capable of exploding. Solid VC option, although I prefer someone in the opposing team who is ELITE.
Zak Butters vs Gold Coast
Absolutely loves this matchup. Anything under 130 would genuinely surprise me. Elite VC selection.
Tristan Xerri vs Adelaide
Should dominate McAndrew in the ruck. Massive VC shout and my VC
Harry Sheezel vs Adelaide
Consistency machine. Against a fairly average Crows midfield, you can’t argue with the VC play here.
Izak Rankine vs North Melbourne
Coming off a huge score but likely Finn O’Sullivan tag. I’d steer clear.
Max Gawn / Kozzie Pickett vs Hawthorn
Hawks are playing strong footy and I’m not overly confident here. Both could go large, but I prefer safer options this week.
Marcus Bontempelli vs Carlton
The doubters keep questioning the injury concerns and Bont keeps reminding everyone who he is. If Xerri fails, Bont is one if two in my captaincy plans.
Archie Roberts vs Fremantle
Recent averages around 130 and absolutely feasting in his current role. Hard to argue against a bold captain punt here.
Luke Jackson vs Essendon
Essendon essentially have no ruck setup right now and Jackson looks unstoppable. 140+ average across his last three and playing with enormous confidence.
If Xerri doesn’t deliver, Jackson feels like the safest captain choice on the board.
Jack Sinclair vs Richmond
Hasn’t completely exploded lately, but Richmond plus no NAS should equal plenty of opportunity for Sinclair to hero their backline. Strong POD captain option.
Finn Callaghan / Clayton Oliver / Lachie Whitfield vs West Coast
All three could go massive. Personally, Whitfield feels like the safest captain selection of the trio given the consistency concerns around Oliver and Callaghan recently.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tristan Xerri feels like my safest VC play of the round against a rookie ruck vs Adelaide. If he goes 130+, I’ll happily take it.
If he goes below that, I’ll likely pivot the captaincy to either Marcus Bontempelli or Luke Jackson.
Best of luck this weekend, and remember to always double check your loophole options!
About The Author
Ben Ashton
