Captainancy Candidates – Round 8

Captainancy Candidates – Round 8

Round 7 Recap

Round 7 gave us a pretty clear reminder of one simple SuperCoach truth…

When in doubt, trust the rucks.

Brodie Grundy was our top VC pick and he delivered exactly what we wanted with 151, finishing as the highest scorer of the round. Clean matchup, clear ruck advantage, easy decision. Sometimes this game really is that simple.

Max Gawn and Zach Merrett, our other main VC options, were a little quieter with 105 and 104 respectively, but Luke Jackson more than made up for that with a huge 147, while Kysaiah Pickett chipped in with 129 for those looking for something a little different.

Our Captain options were solid without being spectacular. Nick Daicos gave us 105, Bailey Smith 106, Harry Sheezel was disappointing with 99, while Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was the standout with a huge 149 and rewarded those who backed the matchup again.

And what happened to all the tag talk?

Well… it was there. But quality will always find a way.

Zak Butters copped plenty of attention and still managed 112. Marcus Bontempelli was dealing with a sore knee, a close James Jordon tag, and a side that was getting beaten, and still found 135.

Sometimes the tag matters… and sometimes the superstar just says “not today.”

Round 8 – West Coast and Richmond… Playing Each Other

The first thing we normally ask every week is simple:

Who plays West Coast?
Who plays Richmond?

This week, the answer is… Each other.

Honestly, I tried. I looked for a VC or C option from that game and I just couldn’t get there. It feels wrong to ignore a West Coast game entirely, but Richmond vs West Coast feels a bit like trying to pick the best salad at McDonald’s.

Yes, technically there are options……but are we really doing that? Probably not. So we move on.

Essendon vs Brisbane – Saturday VC Territory

The next question becomes:

Who plays Essendon?

This week it’s Brisbane, and the game is at Marvel Stadium, where the Lions don’t play that well at.

Brisbane have been one of the harder teams to trust this year. They’ve been hot and cold… if we’re being honest, mostly cold. That makes it difficult to confidently land on one of their premiums.

But if you had to pick one, it’s still Lachie Neale.

His last three scores of 132, 111 and 132 show he’s building nicely, and when Brisbane are playing well, he still tends to be at the centre of it. He feels like the safest Lion option.

On the other side, Zach Merrett continues to do what Zach Merrett does. His last three of 127, 150 and 104 show both consistency and ceiling, and his role across half-back continues to help his scoring.

Then there’s Archie Roberts.

At some point, we stop calling it a “nice little run” and just admit he’s a serious option. A five-round average of 130 demands attention.

This game is the early Saturday fixture, which makes all three excellent VC or C options depending on how aggressive you want to be.

Thursday Night – Daicos vs the Hawthorn Handbrake

Thursday night gives us Hawthorn and Collingwood.

There aren’t too many genuine SuperCoach captain options from Hawthorn, and really only one from Collingwood.

Nick Daicos.

Normally, that’s enough. But this matchup comes with a bit of caution.

His last four against Hawthorn read 102, 106, 99 and 116. Not bad… but not exactly “take the VC and walk away” territory either.

Hawthorn have been quite restrictive through the midfield this year, and their recent ruck dominance has made life harder for opposition mids getting clean looks at stoppage.

Daicos still plays Thursday night, which always makes him attractive as an early VC loophole option, but I’d be keeping expectations a little more realistic.

Friday Night – Bont vs Jackson

Friday night gives us Bulldogs vs Fremantle, and there is a lot happening here.

Let’s start with Marcus Bontempelli.

Last week he was dealing with a sore knee, a James Jordon tag, and a Bulldogs side getting beaten around him, and he still managed 135.

That tells you plenty.

And then you look at his record against Fremantle: 182, 162, 102 and 144.

That reads less like form and more like a personal grudge.

If Tim English returns, Bont’s stocks rise again because good hitout service makes life a lot easier for elite midfielders.

On the other side is Luke Jackson.

And right now, he might be the form player of the season.

His season average sits at 127, and without Tim English playing, his stocks only rise further. If English misses, Jackson gets a genuine ruck advantage and immediately becomes one of the best VC plays of the round.

Even if English does play, Jackson’s ability to score around the ground means he still carries enormous upside.

Friday Night – The Showdown Means Butters

The other Friday game is the South Australian Showdown.

And Zak Butters loves a Showdown.

His last four scores against Adelaide are 124, 156, 124 and 117.

That’s not form. That’s tradition.

Add in the fact he is averaging 130 across his last five games and suddenly you’ve got one of the best VC options of the week.

Saturday Afternoon – Xerri Time

Let’s talk rucks again.

Because once again……it feels like the safest place to look.

Tristan Xerri comes up against Geelong, who continue to operate without anything resembling a proper ruck department.

Remember Xerri?

He was that guy who scored 199 against West Coast before getting suspended.

He returned last week and casually said hello again with 150 against GWS.

North play Saturday afternoon, and for owners, this feels like the standout Captain option of the round.

This is the kind of matchup where he can dominate both the ruck and around the ground, and when that happens, the score takes care of itself.

If you own Xerri, life is pretty simple this week.

Geelong – Smith and Holmes Again

In that same game, Bailey Smith and Max Holmes continue to do Bailey Smith and Max Holmes things.

Running. Accumulating. Making everyone who doesn’t own them slightly uncomfortable.

At GMHBA Stadium, with Geelong controlling possession, both are again strong options.

Smith continues to find uncontested ball like he’s got the cheat codes, while Holmes keeps turning strong matchups into strong scores.

Neither carry major tag concerns, both are in excellent form, and both fit perfectly into the safe Captain conversation.

Carlton vs St Kilda – Saturday Night Could Get Ugly

This game deserves its own section, because from a SuperCoach point of view, it looks very juicy.

Carlton are simply not having a good season.

Their ball movement has been messy, their defensive structure has been inconsistent, and they continue to allow opposition defenders to control games far too easily. They’re giving up cheap marks, easy exits, and plenty of uncontested ball, which is basically Christmas for good players.

That brings us straight to St Kilda.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera showed exactly why everyone will eventually own him with that 149 last week. When he gets time and space, he scores ridiculously quickly. His role has grown, his confidence is clearly there, and the Saints are happy to keep using him as a key distributor.

I really doubt Carlton send a tag to him, but If they leave him alone, this could get ugly very quickly.

Then there’s Jack Sinclair.

Over the last few weeks, Sinclair has almost been quietly cruising along in Nas’ wake, but let’s not forget who he is. He is still one of the safest premium defenders in the game and one of the easiest players in SuperCoach to trust.

He scores without drama. No big speeches, no flashy moments, just 110 points by three-quarter time and you somehow missed how it happened.

Against this Carlton side, both are genuine Captain options.

Sunday – Gawn vs Grundy (Please Don’t Make Me Choose)

The party pooper of the week is Sunday.

The two biggest ruck dogs, Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy, meet each other.

Nobody likes this.

Last year when they met, Gawn still managed a very captain-worthy 153, while Grundy was held to a more modest 109.

So yes, Gawn clearly handled it better.

But this is still not the type of matchup I want to be trusting with the Captain when there are cleaner options earlier in the round.

They play Sunday.

If your week has gone sideways by Sunday, there are worse emergency exits than handing the C to Gawn or Grundy.

I’m giving the nod to Gawn (mainly because I don’t own Grundy), be Gawn seems a Sunday specialist

Final Thoughts – Captain & Vice-Captain

Strong VC options on Friday, strong Captain options through Saturday, and enough Sunday fallback options if things don’t quite go to plan.

Vice-Captain Options
1. Luke Jackson (Friday) – Form player of the season and a huge boost if Tim English misses
2. Marcus Bontempelli (Friday) – Massive history vs Fremantle and still scoring through tags and injury
3. Zak Butters (Friday) – Showdown specialist with elite recent form
4. Lachie Neale (Saturday) – Strong form and the safest Brisbane midfield option
5. Nick Daicos (Thursday) – Still elite, early loophole option, but the Hawthorn matchup keeps expectations slightly in check

Captain Options
1. Tristan Xerri (Saturday) – The standout Captain option of the round
2. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (Saturday Night) – Huge ceiling, role building, and Carlton may simply let him run free
3. Bailey Smith / Max Holmes (Saturday) – Strong form, clean matchup, and safe scoring
4. Zach Merrett (Saturday) – Proven premium with strong recent form and a role that keeps producing
5. Max Gawn (Sunday) – Tougher matchup against Grundy, but still Max Gawn, and always capable of a huge late save

For me personally, i will be bringing big Xerri into my team this week and putting the big C on him, it is Jackson VC on Friday night.

Thanks fellas