Captainancy Candidates – Round 15

Captainancy Candidates – Round 15

Round 14 was one of those weeks where the big scores actually arrived.

After a few months of complaining that 150-plus scores have become harder to find, the premiums finally delivered.

Our VC options were excellent. Max Holmes opened the round with 124 and personally I was happy enough to take that and not risk a captain. Marcus Bontempelli had a quieter night with 101, but Jordan Dawson exploded for 184 and reminded everyone why he remains one of the best fantasy players in the game. Harry Sheezel continued his outstanding season with 142, while Archie Roberts was tracking beautifully before injury put an end to his afternoon.

The captain options were even better.

Tristan Xerri did exactly what Tristan Xerri does against West Coast and pumped out 152. Max Gawn was enormous with 168, Brodie Grundy managed 119 and Lachie Neale posted 102. Jack Sinclair was really the only disappointment with a score of 90.

Hopefully you found one of the big scores because Round 14 rewarded aggressive captaincy decisions.

The good news?

Round 15 looks pretty good as well.

Vice-Captain Rankings

1. Jordan Dawson (Saturday) – Five-round average of 131 and a brilliant matchup at home against Melbourne. Looks the standout VC this week.

2. Luke Jackson (Thursday) – Back home in Perth against a Geelong ruck division that doesn’t exactly strike fear into opposition coaches.

3. Matt Rowell (Friday) – Due for a big one. Only four tackles last week and still reached 100. Feels like a tackle-heavy 140 could be coming.

4. Zac Butters (Saturday Night) – Scores everywhere and has only dipped below 100 twice all season.

5. Finn Callaghan (Saturday Afternoon) – GWS back at home where they play their best football. If they get on top of Carlton, Callaghan could be a big beneficiary.

Captain Rankings

1. Max Gawn (Saturday) – Up against McAndrew and looks perfectly placed for another huge score.

2. Tristan Xerri (Sunday) – Richmond and opposition rucks. Need we say more?

3. Harry Sheezel (Sunday) – Loves Richmond and is spending more time through the midfield.

4. Lachie Whitfield (Saturday Afternoon) – Back at home and one of the safest premium defenders in the game.

5. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (Sunday) – Back to his best, back in the midfield and involved everywhere.

Thursday Night – Fremantle vs Geelong

The round starts with a beauty in Perth.

Luke Jackson immediately jumps off the page.

Even with Sean Darcy expected to return, you would expect Darcy’s time on ground to be managed after such a long layoff. That should leave Jackson as the primary ruck and most influential tall around the contest.

The Geelong ruck division has battled all season against quality opposition and Jackson’s ability to score around the ground makes him even more dangerous.

This feels like a Luke Jackson game.

The only concern for Fremantle midfielders is who gets the Mullin treatment. Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young owners will all be nervously watching team sheets and wondering who draws the short straw.

On the Geelong side, Bailey Smith has been discussed all week as a potential rest candidate. If that happens, Max Holmes immediately becomes the number one Cat to consider.

The question is whether Fremantle decide to pay Holmes more attention than usual. They probably should.

But even if they do, he’s shown this season he’s capable of scoring against anyone.

Friday Night – Gold Coast vs Hawthorn

The Suns at home. Enough said.

Gold Coast transform when they play in Queensland. They run harder, move the ball better and suddenly look like a team nobody wants to play.

The obvious names are Noah Anderson, Christian Petracca and Matt Rowell.

If I had to pick one this week, it would be Rowell.

His form has been steadily building, but we still haven’t seen one of those classic Matt Rowell games where he lays 12 tackles, wins 15 contested possessions and leaves opposition midfielders questioning their life choices.

Last week he scored 100 despite only laying four tackles.

That feels important.

The Suns were well beaten and I expect a response at home.

Anderson should also score well. His outside running and ability to accumulate possessions suits the way Hawthorn like to play, while Petracca remains capable of producing a huge score whenever the game opens up.

Saturday – Adelaide vs Melbourne

Jordan Dawson is probably the standout VC option of the round.

His five-round average now sits at 131 and he looks every bit the leader Adelaide need him to be.

He’s winning contested ball, finding space on the outside and impacting games in multiple ways. Adelaide at home has traditionally been a very friendly fantasy environment for premium midfielders and Dawson looks perfectly placed to continue his hot run.

At the other end of the ground, Max Gawn gets a matchup that should excite owners.

McAndrew has had a terrific season and deserves plenty of credit, but he is starting to look a little tired. That’s understandable given the workload he’s carried.

Unfortunately for him, tired rucks and Max Gawn generally aren’t a great combination.

This has all the makings of a vintage Gawn performance.

Saturday Afternoon – GWS vs Carlton

This is one of the harder games to assess.

Carlton have been much improved recently and have won a few games on the trot, but I think GWS end that run fairly comfortably.

The Giants are a different side at home.

If GWS win well, there are plenty of captaincy options.

Lachie Whitfield remains one of the safest premium defenders in SuperCoach. Lachie Ash has had another excellent season and continues to find plenty of football.

Then there’s Finn Callaghan. Callaghan is one of those players who scores well when GWS win.

When the Giants control territory and dominate possession, he tends to be heavily involved. That’s exactly how I see this game unfolding.

I’d prefer him as a VC rather than a captain, but a big score wouldn’t surprise.

Clayton Oliver also deserves a mention. His form has quietly been very good and he continues to reward owners after a difficult start to the season.

Saturday Night – Collingwood vs Port Adelaide

Collingwood’s season is on the line.

These are exactly the types of games where Nick Daicos tends to remind everyone how good he is.

There is also talk that Josh Daicos will spend more time around the midfield this week. The brothers have always seemed to enjoy playing together around the ball and Collingwood will be looking for every advantage they can find.

On the Port Adelaide side, Zac Butters remains one of the easiest players in the competition to recommend.

He has had only two scores in the 90s this season.

Everything else has been triple figures.

He’s a superstar, a great leader and one of the most enjoyable players in the game to watch.

Especially when you have the captaincy on him.

Sunday – North Melbourne vs Richmond

Whenever Richmond appear in these articles, the same names seem to follow.

Tristan Xerri. Harry Sheezel. Luke Davies-Uniacke.

This week is no different.

Richmond continue to struggle against opposition rucks and Xerri shapes as one of the standout captaincy options of the entire round.

Sheezel has also enjoyed this matchup.

His last two against Richmond have produced scores of 141 and 185, and his increased midfield role only adds to his appeal.

LDU is another player capable of going huge if North control the game through the middle.

This could be a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon for Kangaroos owners.

Sunday – St Kilda vs Bulldogs

The final game of the round gives us a few interesting options.

Marcus Bontempelli still doesn’t quite look himself and there remains a feeling he is managing some soreness. That doesn’t mean he can’t score, but it does make it difficult to trust him with the captaincy this week.

The player that jumps off the page is Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.

He’s back. The midfield minutes are back. The kick-ins are back. The confidence is back. Most importantly, the scores are back.

When Wanganeen-Milera is playing through the middle and getting involved behind the ball, he becomes one of the most damaging fantasy players in the competition.

As the final game of the round, he shapes as an excellent fallback captain option.

Final Thoughts

This feels like another strong week for captaincy options.

Jackson, Dawson, Rowell, Butters and Callaghan all appeal as VC selections, while Gawn, Xerri, Sheezel and Whitfield give us some excellent late-round captain choices.

If I had to pick one VC and one captain right now?

Jordan Dawson and Max Gawn.

But don’t be surprised if Luke Jackson reminds everyone on Thursday night that he is still one of the most dangerous SuperCoach players in the game.

thanks fellas