Captaincy Candidates – Round 21

Well, we’ve made it. Round 21.

If you’ve survived this season with your sanity intact, congratulations. We’ve dealt with injuries, mystery illnesses, managed minutes, late withdrawals, role changes that made absolutely no sense, and enough captaincy disasters to fill an entire highlights reel.

And now…League finals begin.

For many coaches, this is what we’ve been building towards since Round 1. The overall ranking might already be cooked (mine certainly has its moments), but league finals are a fresh start. One good captain choice can win you a final. One bad one… well… there’s always next year.

Good luck to everyone still alive.

Vice-Captain Rankings

1. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (Saturday vs Sydney)
Coming off an incredible 194, Nas has become impossible to ignore. James Jordon is expected to spend time with him, but St Kilda continue to find ways to get the ball into his hands. If anyone can score through a tag, it’s him.

2. Bailey Smith (Thursday vs Collingwood)
Smith has become Geelong’s main midfield accumulator and continues to produce premium scores. A very safe Thursday night VC if you don’t want to wait until Saturday.

3. Darcy Cameron (Thursday vs Geelong)
Geelong continue to leak points to opposition rucks and Cameron is coming off 154 himself. A brilliant POD option if you’re looking to get ahead early.

4. Jason Horne-Francis (Saturday Night vs GWS)
Every week Port seem to rely more heavily on JHF. When he’s on, few midfielders have a higher ceiling.

5. Caleb Serong (Friday vs Western Bulldogs)
Reliable, consistent and playing in what could be the fantasy game of the round. Don’t overlook him.

Captain Rankings

1. Jordan Dawson (Sunday Night vs Essendon)
Essendon continue to concede plenty of midfield points and Adelaide should control large periods of this game. Dawson is my number one captain this week.

2. Harry Sheezel (Saturday vs Hawthorn)
Hawthorn rarely use hard tags, allowing Sheezel every opportunity to continue his remarkable season. If North stay competitive, another huge score looks likely.

3. Will Ashcroft (Saturday Night vs Carlton)
A five-round average of 133 says it all. Brisbane are flying and Ashcroft has become one of the easiest premiums to trust.

4. Max Gawn (Sunday vs Gold Coast)
Monitor the Thursday teams. If Gold Coast recall Jarrod Witts alongside Ned Moyle, the matchup becomes significantly tougher. If not, Gawn remains capable of another trademark monster.

5. Noah Anderson (Sunday vs Melbourne)
Gold Coast are still mathematically alive and Anderson continues to carry their midfield. At home, he’s always a genuine captain option.

 

Collingwood v Geelong

Thursday night gives us a couple of really interesting vice-captain options.

The obvious one is Bailey Smith. He’s become Geelong’s main midfield man and continues to find plenty of football. If you’re someone who likes getting a VC score on the board early, Smith is about as safe as they come.

The player that really interests me though is Darcy Cameron. Seriously… what is going on with Geelong against opposition rucks? Every week someone seems to post another monster score. Cameron already comes into this one off a 154, and if you’ve somehow got him sitting in your side, this could be the perfect POD play to start league finals.

Nick Daicos obviously remains a premium option too, but I think he will get very close attention from Mullins, and we know what that does to Supercoach scores.

Fremantle v Western Bulldogs

This should just be a cracking contest.

From a fantasy perspective, neither side generally sends hard tags, so the premium midfielders should all get their chance.

Caleb Serong continues to be one of the safest premium midfielders in the game. Week after week he turns up, wins plenty of contested football and walks away with another premium score. He probably doesn’t get talked about enough because he isn’t producing 180s every fortnight, but he’s remarkably consistent.

Luke Jackson is another who could explode. His ability to score around the ground means he never needs to dominate the hit-outs to produce a huge total.

Then there’s Marcus Bontempelli. It’s Bont. We all know how this works by now. He went missing last week when we all needed him, but he didn’t have to try that hard. This week, the Dogs need him.

Ed Richards has also found some nice form over the past couple of weeks. I’d just be careful reading too much into those scores. They’ve come against weaker opposition and Fremantle at Optus is a very different assignment. I still expect him to score well, but I’d be surprised if he repeated last week’s heroics.

St Kilda v Sydney

This game could almost become a game of tag.

James Jordon is expected to spend plenty of time with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. Normally that would be enough to make us nervous. Normally. After watching Nas pump out 194 last week, I’m not convinced anyone can completely stop him at the moment. The Saints are making a real effort to get the ball in his hands, and confidence can be a dangerous thing.

At the other end, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Windhager or Garcia spend time with Isaac Heeney.

If that happens, Errol Gulden suddenly becomes very interesting again after reminding everyone of his class with 147 last week.

Grundy will get the double-team of TDK and Marshall, so he might struggle.

 

Hawthorn v North Melbourne

Sam Mitchell prefers backing his own midfield rather than trying to shut someone down, and that’s great news if you’re considering Harry Sheezel.

If North can stay competitive, Sheezel should see plenty of football. The bigger question is whether they can actually stay with Hawthorn. If the Hawks get their running game through the corridor going, they can score quickly, and that often changes the way SuperCoach points are distributed.

Either way, I’d still be very comfortable handing Sheezel the captaincy.

Port Adelaide v GWS

Finn Callaghan’s injury is a real shame for owners like me who are low on trades. It also means the Giants will rely even more heavily on Oliver, Ash and Whitfield. It is a hard game to predict with both teams not having a great season. Not sure if i could confidently select any of the GWS players anymore.

For Port, Jason Horne-Francis continues to grow before our eyes. Every time Port need someone to drag them back into a contest, he seems to be the player throwing himself into the contest. He’s risky. He’s explosive and having a great season.


Carlton v Brisbane

Will Ashcroft is making this game very difficult, especially for non-owners. I might be fixing that issue this week.

Normally, I’d automatically lean towards Lachie Neale. Instead, Ashcroft has become Brisbane’s number one SuperCoach option over the past month. A five-round average of 133 is ridiculous.

Sam Walsh has quietly put together a really nice month himself and could easily reward anyone looking for a genuine POD captain. But Lions are in some serious form at the moment.

Richmond v West Coast

Look…Let’s not pretend we’re picking captains from this game.

Someone will score well.


Gold Coast v Melbourne

The Thursday night team announcements are going to be really important here.

If Gold Coast bring Jarrod Witts back alongside Ned Moyle, Max Gawn suddenly has a much tougher matchup than many coaches are expecting. If they don’t… Well, we all know what Max Gawn can do.

For the Suns, Noah Anderson just keeps producing. Gold Coast are still mathematically alive and he’s carrying their midfield every single week.

Essendon v Adelaide

I think this is where the best captain of the round comes from.

Essendon continue to concede plenty of midfield points and Adelaide should have enough of the football for Jordan Dawson to do what Jordan Dawson does.

He’s my number one captain this week.

I also wouldn’t be shocked if Izak Rankine produces another huge score. Every time Adelaide get on top, he seems to be involved.

Final Thoughts

For me, Jordan Dawson is the standout captain, with Harry Sheezel and Will Ashcroft close behind.

If you’re looking for an early VC, I’d be more than happy rolling with Nas or Bailey Smith. Unless you happen to own Darcy Cameron.

thanks fellas