SuperCoach captains: Brodie Grundy is an option on Saturday but it’s hard overlook the numbers of star midfielders Patrick Cripps and Patrick Dangerfield
He won’t be there on Friday night but that doesn’t mean you can’t make Brodie Grundy your VC. It’s just hard to overlook the other options. The Phantom looks at all the numbers.
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We’ve had two weeks of Collingwood - and Brodie Grundy as VC – on Friday night.
But with the Magpies playing in the Saturday afternoon twilight fixture, is the star big man’s VC run over?
Maybe not but there are other options.
Rory Sloane’s Crows are in action in the weekend’s primetime fixture but Bomber Dylan Clarke is likely to be waiting, meaning he’s not one of them.
THE TOP PICKS
Zach Merrett (Ess)
V Adelaide, Friday night
While The Phantom is expecting Clarke to go to Sloane, Adelaide hasn’t shown anything in the past few weeks to suggest it will put a hard-tag on the dangerous Essendon midfielder. And we all know Merrett’s scoring potential when given space. While a head knock saw Merrett struggle to 59 points the previous week against the Swans, a 34-dispoal, 109-point performance against North Melbourne in Round 17 suggests he’s back in form. In his last trip to Adelaide to take on the Crows, the 23-year-old finished with 35 disposals and 120 points.
Patrick Cripps (Carl)
V Gold Coast, Saturday
After missing two matches through injury, the Carlton skipper tallied 28 disposals and 118 points on return against the Swans last week. On the same day, Gold Coast gave up a staggering 15 SuperCoach scores of 90 or more to the Crows. And Cripps has posted scores of 169 and 173 in his past two matches against the Suns.
Brodie Grundy (Coll)
V GWS, Saturday
GWS big man Shane Mumford is set to return this week and in the pair’s last ruck battle, Mumford outscored Grundy 87-82. But that was back in early 2017, before Grundy took the competition by storm. And before Mumford retired and conceded 181 points to inexperienced Adelaide ruckman Reilly O’Brien in Round 12. In the past four matches, following the 84-point performance against the Demons, Grundy has posted scores of 174, 133, 145 and 137. If you can make a Cripps VC-Grundy C combination work, it might be the way to go. But you’ll have to be on top of the action come Saturday, given the start times.
Lachie Neale (Bris)
V North Melbourne, Saturday night
Despite the over-the-top attention from Port Adelaide on Sunday, Neale worked his way into the game, finishing with 24 disposals, 17 contested possessions, 10 clearances and 118 points. And the Lions are back at the GABBA, a venue where Neale has posted scores of 137, 114 and 148 in his past three matches. When the two sides met at Marvel Stadium in Round 2, Neale tallied 43 disposals and 140 points.
Patrick Dangerfield (Geel)
V Hawthorn, Sunday
There’s been some big numbers in this week’s analysis already but they don’t compare to Dangerfield’s. In his past four matches against the Hawks, Dangerfield has posted scores of 127, 160, 130 and 141. And the star Cat is in some serious form, passing the 140-point mark in four of his past five matches this year.
Max Gawn (Melb)
V West Coast, Sunday
With no Nic Naitanui, expect the Melbourne big man, who averages 135 points in his past four home-and-away matches against the Eagles, to dominate Tom Hickey just like he did in Perth in Round 9.
Josh Dunkley (WB)
V St Kilda, Sunday
After you post a double SuperCoach ton, you just have get a mention in the following week’s captain analysis. And that’s what Dunkley did on the back of 39 disposals, 24 contested possessions and two goals. But the 22-year-old might cop some attention from St Kilda’s defensive midfielder Jack Steele, who restricted the influence of Geelong’s Tim Kelly last week, at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Jack Macrae (WB)
V St Kilda, Sunday
That’s why Dunkley’s teammate might be the better option, given Macrae has posted scores of 150, 148, 142, 116 and 120 in the past five matches.
THE PHANTOM’S CALL
I still like Grundy bit I think I like Dangerfield even more this week so it will be Cripps into Dangerfield for The Phantom.