Captaincy Candidates – Round 2

Captaincy Candidates – Round 2

Form vs Fixture – The Weekly Battle

When it comes to picking a Captain or Vice-Captain in SuperCoach, the decision almost always comes down to two key pillars, form or fixture.

Form is about identifying the players who are scoring well right now, who look dominant, who are getting the right midfield minutes or role, and who are building consistency week to week.

Fixture, on the other hand, is about targeting the opposition, the teams that give up points, the matchups that can be exploited, and the historical trends that suggest certain players will go big.

In a perfect world, the best captain picks are where those two things overlap, where a player in red-hot form comes up against a soft opponent, but in Round 2 we simply don’t have enough information yet to confidently lean on form alone.

The Round 2 Problem – No Real Form Yet

The reality is we’re working with a very small sample size, essentially one full round and a bit of noise around the edges, which makes it dangerous to draw strong conclusions. A big score in Round 1 doesn’t necessarily mean a player is “in form”, just as a quieter game doesn’t mean they’re out of it. Because of that, fixture becomes the more reliable guide in the early rounds of the season.

Having said that, there are already a handful of players who have shown enough to suggest they’re set for big years, and when those players line up with the right matchup, they naturally push themselves into serious Captain and Vice-Captain contention.

Start With the Rucks

The first place I always start, and where I think most coaches should begin their thinking, is with the rucks. Historically, rucks have been one of the most consistent sources of big captain scores, and that largely comes down to the clarity of their role and matchup. Unlike midfielders, who can be tagged, rotated or shifted around the ground, rucks have a very defined opponent, you know exactly who they are going head-to-head with, and that makes it much easier to assess the likely outcome.

This season, however, there is a slight complication. The new rules have had a noticeable impact on ruck scoring, and there’s still a bit of uncertainty around how that is going to play out over a larger sample size. Hitout scoring looks different, around-the-ground impact is being weighted differently, and as a result, the traditional ruck scoring patterns have been a little less predictable. For now, the form line is a little bit out the window, so we go back to what we can trust, fixture.

Looking at the competition, there are a handful of teams that stand out as clear targets when it comes to ruck matchups. Essendon, Geelong, West Coast and Port Adelaide are not blessed with dominant ruck stocks at the moment, and these are the teams we will be circling most weeks when looking for captain options.

The Obvious One – Xerri vs West Coast

In Round 2, the fixture lines up perfectly for Tristan Xerri, who comes up against West Coast, and it’s very difficult to ignore both the matchup and the historical data. Xerri’s last three scores against the Eagles read 131 and 185 in 2024 and a very tidy 153 in 2025, which tells you everything you need to know about how well this matchup suits him.

Even with the uncertainty around the new ruck rules, Xerri still managed a strong 128 last week against Port Adelaide’s Visentini, and this week he faces Flynn, who I don’t rate as highly. If anything, this shapes as an even more favourable matchup. Add in the fact that it’s the final game of the round, and it becomes even more appealing from a captaincy strategy perspective.

Midfielders & Non-Rucks – Where Form Starts to Matter

Moving away from the rucks, this is where the form line starts to look a bit more appealing. Round 1 gave us some huge scores from the premium midfielders, headlined by Bontempelli’s 160, Petracca’s 152, Serong’s 150, Ash 136, Sheezel 134 and Anderson 132, all very genuine captain-worthy numbers. While we don’t want to overreact to one week, these are players with proven ceilings, so when they start well, it’s usually a sign of things to come.

Fixture still plays a huge role here as well, and once again West Coast, Richmond and Essendon stand out as teams we want to target, particularly when they’re playing away from home.

In Round 2, we have some excellent opportunities to do exactly that.

Butters & Rozee – Prime Bounce Back Territory

Port Adelaide at home to Essendon is one of those matchups that immediately jumps off the page. Last week, Hawthorn’s midfield trio of Ward (104), Newcombe (104) and McDonald (103) all scored well against Essendon. No disrespect to that group, but they’re not operating at the same level as Zak Butters and Connor Rozee.

Butters, in particular, looks primed for a bounce back after a quieter Round 1, and with this game sitting late on Sunday, he shapes as a very nice Captain option if your VC hasn’t quite hit the mark. This has all the signs of a classic “we overthought it last week” correction game.

Anderson vs Richmond – Computer Says Yes

The Gold Coast pair of Anderson and Petracca head to Richmond, and this one has the potential to get ugly, especially for Richmond fans and anyone without Noah Anderson. His last six scores against the Tigers read 154, 144, 122, 128, 105 and 147, which is exactly why so many coaches started him.

The only small concern is his record at the MCG, where he’s only played five times for an average of 109 and a top score of 133. It’s not bad, but it’s not quite at the same level as his dominance against Richmond overall. Still, if you’re one of the 21% who own him, you’ve got yourself a premium Captain option this week.

Petracca – The Safe Alternative

For the remaining 79% who don’t have Anderson but do have Petracca, he shapes as an outstanding alternative. His last two scores have been boosted by kicking seven goals, which might raise a slight eyebrow, but at the same time, he’s clearly in great form and heavily involved. Even if the goals don’t flow at the same rate, his midfield role gives him a strong scoring base and a very high ceiling.

Sheezel – Can He Do It Again?

Sheezel gets West Coast in Perth this week, and North Melbourne head over as clear favourites after a strong win against Port Adelaide. The Eagles didn’t look to tag anyone last week, which opens the door for Sheezel to do what he does best, accumulate. He scored 137 against them last year, and there’s no reason he can’t go big again.

Bontempelli – Harder Matchup, Still Elite

We always need to talk about Marcus Bontempelli, but this week presents a slightly tougher matchup against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. The numbers show he has averaged 123 at the ground, but he’s only played the Crows there once since 2018, scoring 119 in 2024. Last year, he went 174 against Adelaide, but that was at Marvel. It’s not the easiest matchup, but with Bont, you never completely rule it out.

Defenders vs St Kilda – The Lachie Problem

The final matchup worth highlighting is defenders against St Kilda, which once again looks very appealing. We only need to look back at Round 0, where Josh Daicos, Dan Houston and basically the entire Collingwood defence over-achieved against the Saints.

That brings Lachie Ash and Lachie Whitfield firmly into the conversation. The problem, as always, is picking which one goes big. Last year against St Kilda, Ash went 137 and 105, while Whitfield went 86 and 174, it tends to be a case of one goes big while the other plays more of a supporting role. They play Saturday afternoon, which makes them perfect VC options, but be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of picking the wrong Lachie.

Captaincy Strategy – Don’t Overthink It (But Also Overthink It)

So where does that leave us for Round 2? In a slightly awkward spot where we don’t quite trust the form, we’re leaning heavily on fixture, and we’re all still trying to figure out what the rucks are actually doing under these new rules. It’s the classic early-season SuperCoach experience, equal parts confidence and complete guesswork.

The safest approach this week is to build your plan around the VC loophole, and the good news is that just about everyone has access to it. With multiple teams on the bye, most coaches will have a non-playing player sitting on the bench, which gives you a free swing at a Vice-Captain. It’s one of those rare weeks where not using the loophole almost feels like a mistake.

You can start early with a VC on the GWS defenders and hope one of the Lachies turns into a 150-point machine. If that hits, you’re done for the week and can enjoy the rest of the games stress-free. If not, you move on quickly, pretend it never happened, and line up your next option.

From there, Anderson and Petracca loom as huge midfield plays, Butters offers the classic late-round bounce back, and all roads eventually lead to Sunday.

The Final Call

After weighing up form, fixture, timing and overall safety, here’s how it all stacks up for Round 2:

Captain Options (C)

1. Tristan Xerri – Best matchup of the round, proven history vs West Coast, last game safety
2. Harry Sheezel – Also in the final game, soft matchup and huge accumulation potential
3. Noah Anderson – Richmond matchup + elite history = massive ceiling
4. Christian Petracca – Strong form, great role and very reliable scoring base
5. Zak Butters – Perfect bounce-back setup against Essendon

 

Vice-Captain Options (VC)

1. Lachie Whitfield / Lachie Ash – Ideal Saturday VC play vs St Kilda (pick your Lachie and accept your fate)
2. Marcus Bontempelli – Elite player who can go big anywhere, even in a tougher matchup
3. Connor Rozee – Same matchup as Butters, slightly more volatile but high ceiling