Captainancy Candidates – Round 13

Captainancy Candidates – Round 13

Round 12 Review – No Damage Done

Let’s start with last week. Our number one VC option, Brodie Grundy, was rested.

Seriously. Against Richmond. That’s a bit like arriving at Bunnings on a Saturday morning and finding out they’ve run out of sausages. It was the perfect matchup on paper and then suddenly it wasn’t.

That meant many of us moved to Plan B. For me, that was Max Holmes. Unfortunately, he never really got going and finished with 91. Thankfully the other VC options largely did their job. Bailey Smith continued his ridiculous season with 119, Jack Sinclair produced another strong 128, and Isaac Heeney reminded everyone why his owners are having a wonderful season with a huge 173. At only 11% ownership, the Heeney owners are living a very different SuperCoach experience to the rest of us.

Our fallback captain options were perfectly respectable. Max Gawn scored 118, Bailey Dale 106, Nick Daicos 111, Zach Merrett 97 and Marcus Bontempelli 119. Nobody set the world on fire, but nobody ruined your weekend either. During the first bye round, that is often exactly what you’re looking for.

Before we get into this week’s games, it’s worth noting that the really big SuperCoach scores seem to be getting harder to find in 2026. Through the first 12 rounds we’ve seen just 27 scores above 150, compared to 36 at the same point last season.

It probably explains why captaincy has felt a little tougher this year. We’re still seeing plenty of players score between 110 and 130, but those monster scores that launch you up the rankings have become much rarer. It also explains why players like Gawn, Grundy, Heeney and Smith are so valuable. They’re among the few players who still look capable of producing genuinely week-winning scores.

With that in mind, let’s work through the round in fixture order.

Thursday Night – Adelaide vs Geelong

The round begins in Adelaide and unfortunately for Jordan Dawson owners, we all know what is likely coming. The Mullin tag. At this point it feels about as inevitable as a rookie being named on Thursday night and omitted on Friday afternoon. Dawson is a good enough player to still score reasonably well, but the tag probably takes him out of serious VC calculations.

On the Geelong side, Bailey Smith continues to be impossible to ignore. As a non-owner, watching him this season has been genuinely unpleasant. He comes into Round 13 averaging 125 points and has an outstanding recent record against Adelaide, posting scores of 172, 126 and 121 in his last three meetings.

At this point it feels less like a favourable matchup and more like a personal grudge.

Max Holmes remains a quality option, but his scoring has cooled slightly over the last month. He is still capable of producing a big number, but if I’m choosing one Cat for the VC this week, Smith is clearly the preferred option.

Friday Night – Bulldogs vs Hawthorn

Friday night’s game is a little trickier. The Bulldogs have struggled against Hawthorn recently and when these teams met earlier this season, Ed Richards’ 105 was the only Bulldog to reach triple figures. That’s not exactly the sort of history that inspires confidence when looking for a captaincy option.

The Hawks’ dual ruck setup has also been one of the most restrictive matchups for opposition rucks this year. Only Max Gawn and Luke Jackson have managed to score 100-plus against them, this isn’t good for Tim English.

Bont is always capable. Dale is always capable. Richards is always capable. But none of them scream must-have VC this week. There are probably better opportunities elsewhere.

Of course, this is also the sort of game where Bont casually scores 145 and makes this entire paragraph look silly.

Saturday Afternoon – North Melbourne vs Fremantle (Bunbury)

This is one of the most fascinating SuperCoach games of the round.

The Xerri versus Jackson battle is worth the price of admission alone. They are two elite rucks who score in completely different ways. Xerri dominates stoppages, clearances and contested work, while Jackson accumulates points through his athleticism, mobility and ability to impact contests all over the ground.

I actually think both players can score well here.

The game is being played in Bunbury and while that may sound like one of those meaningless statistics people throw around in June, both North Melbourne premiums have some good memories there. Xerri scored 153 in Bunbury last season and Harry Sheezel posted 137 at the same venue.

Both players return from the bye fresh and both deserve serious consideration as VC options. Sheezel in particular feels like one of the safer premium selections this week. He doesn’t always produce the huge ceiling score, but he very rarely hurts you.

Saturday Night – West Coast vs Port Adelaide

Whenever we’re struggling to find captaincy options, one of the first questions we ask is:

“Who plays West Coast?”

This week the answer is Port Adelaide.

Which immediately puts Zac Butters into the conversation.

His last three scores against the Eagles are 126, 154 and 117. West Coast have been much more competitive at home this season and deserve some credit for that, but Butters is one of those players where the matchup almost stops mattering.

He scores in wins. He scores in losses. He scores with a tag. He scores without a tag.

The Saturday night timeslot makes him a near-perfect VC option.

Sunday – Sydney vs St Kilda

Grundy returns after his controversial rest last week and should be fresh. St Kilda have actually restricted opposition rucks fairly well this season, but Grundy has a terrific record against them and scored 154 in this fixture last year.

The week off may end up being a blessing in disguise for owners.

Then we get to Isaac Heeney. He comes into the round after a massive 173 and now faces a St Kilda side that has struggled badly against the competition’s better teams. Sydney are very much one of those better teams. If Grundy gets on top around stoppages and gives the Swans midfield first use all day, Heeney could be in for another huge afternoon.

The other Sydney player worth discussing is Nick Blakey. St Kilda continue to concede points to attacking defenders and there may not be a more damaging running defender in the competition. Three weeks ago Blakey piled on 156 against Collingwood, another team that leaks points to defenders. For the 5% of coaches who own him, this matchup looks outstanding.

Sunday – Essendon vs Carlton

A few weeks ago Carlton were a complete basket case. Now they’ve won three straight. The coaching change has clearly had an impact, but the question is whether the honeymoon continues.

From a SuperCoach perspective, Sam Walsh and Patrick Cripps are worth mentioning. Walsh has quietly put together a solid run of form and is owned by around 20% of teams, but neither player feels like a genuine captaincy option this week.

The more relevant names are on the Essendon side. Zach Merrett continues to produce premium scores week after week and remains one of the safest midfielders in the game. Archie Roberts is enjoying one of the breakout seasons of 2026 and has shown enough scoring power to be taken seriously.

If I needed a Sunday fallback captain, Merrett would be my pick. Roberts probably has the higher ceiling. Merrett simply has the lower chance of ruining your Sunday afternoon.

Sunday – The Battle of Queensland

The Battle of Queensland is usually one of the better games on the calendar and this year should be no different.

From a captaincy perspective, Lachie Neale remains the standout Lion. The Suns very rarely use a hard tag and generally back their midfield group to win their own football. As a result, opposition midfielders have actually scored quite well against them this season, which should suit Neale nicely. He’s not the highest-ceiling captain option of the round, but he’s one of the safer ones. If Brisbane bounce back from last week, you’d expect Neale to be heavily involved.

The Suns certainly aren’t short on premium talent of their own. Noah Anderson, Christian Petracca and Matt Rowell are all capable of producing huge scores on their day. The interesting question is whether Brisbane decide to pay close attention to one of them. If they do, Anderson feels the most likely target given his role and influence around stoppages. That could potentially open the door for one of the others.

Rowell remains one of the best contested-ball players in the competition and Petracca is beginning to look more comfortable after his interrupted start to the season. Both have the ability to post a 140-plus score when things click.

I wouldn’t have any of the Suns ahead of the premium captain options this week, but if you’re looking for a unique captain selection to make up ground, both Rowell and Petracca are capable of rewarding the brave.

Of course, picking the right Suns midfielder is a bit like choosing which checkout line to stand in at Woolworths. Whichever one you pick, the other one usually moves faster.

Monday – Melbourne vs Collingwood

The final game of the round could end up deciding a lot of captaincy outcomes.

Max Gawn gets Darcy Cameron and Collingwood and his recent record against the Pies is exceptional. His last four scores against them are 131, 137, 132 and 122. That’s about as reliable as it gets in SuperCoach.

If your VC fails, Gawn looks like the perfect Monday captain.

Nick Daicos also deserves plenty of consideration. It’s been a “quiet” year by his standards, which is amusing because he’s still averaging over 111. He has attracted more attention than ever this season and opposition teams continue to structure their game plans around stopping him. If Melbourne decide not to put serious attention into him, he could absolutely produce one of the biggest scores of the round.

But if I’m choosing one player from this game, it’s still Gawn.

Final Thoughts

One thing to remember during the bye rounds is that the VC options are usually driven by the earlier games, while the Captain options are generally the later fallback selections.

The VC rankings are built around chasing ceiling and trying to bank a big score early.

The Captain rankings are built around safety and giving yourself a reliable option if your VC attempt falls short.

Vice-Captain Rankings

1. Bailey Smith (Thursday) – Averaging 125, loves playing Adelaide and already has a 172 against them this season. The standout VC option to open the round.

2. Zac Butters (Saturday Night) – Scores against everyone and has a terrific record against West Coast. A safe way to attack the Eagles matchup.

3. Tristan Xerri (Saturday) – Fresh off the bye and returning to Bunbury where he scored 153 last season. Tough matchup on paper but ceiling is enormous.

4. Harry Sheezel (Saturday) – Rarely lets owners down and has happy memories of Bunbury. A safer VC option if you’re not chasing maximum ceiling.

5. Marcus Bontempelli (Friday) – The matchup isn’t ideal, but it’s still Bont. Never be surprised if he decides to remind everyone who the best player on the ground is.

 

Captain Rankings

1. Max Gawn (Monday) – Outstanding record against Collingwood, solo ruck duties and the perfect late-round captain fallback.

2. Isaac Heeney (Sunday) – Coming off 173 and facing a Saints side that has struggled badly against the competition’s best teams.

3. Brodie Grundy (Sunday) – Fresh after his bye and has already posted a 154 against St Kilda in this fixture. Looks primed for a big return.

4. Nick Daicos (Monday) – Averaging over 111 despite receiving plenty of attention this year. If Melbourne don’t clamp down on him, he can go very large.

5. Lachie Neale (Sunday) – Not the flashiest option, but the Suns rarely tag and opposition midfielders have scored well against them all season. Safe and reliable.

 

Personally, i’m going Butters VC and Gawn as my Captain

thanks fellas