The Phantom’s captain analysis: Max Gawn is the standout VC candidate but what score do you take?
Max Gawn boasts an impressive record against the Tigers and at the MCG. But Brodie Grundy takes on Gold Coast and Jack Macrae and Patrick Cripps are in-form. The Phantom looks at all the numbers.
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Forget the first four games of the round, all the best SuperCoach captain options take the field on Saturday night and Sunday this weekend.
And, again, it’s the ruckmen putting their hands up the highest.
THE VC
Max Gawn (Melb)
V Richmond, Saturday night
The Tigers will give No. 1 ruckman Toby Nankervis another week in the VFL after an extended injury lay-off, meaning Gawn will be up against 16-game big man Ivan Soldo. But not that the competition’s second-ranked SuperCoach scorer, by average, needs any help.
In his past three matches against Richmond, Gawn has posted scores of 145, 151 and 160 and he’s averaging 133 at the MCG — the venue for Saturday night’s clash — this year.
He’s your VC but with a number of great captain options on Sunday, the question becomes what score do you take? You have to take any score of 130 or more, despite the temptation. The only reason you wouldn’t is if you’re behind in your head-to-head league’s final.
Rowan Marshall (StK)
V Adelaide, Saturday night
At the same time in Adelaide, Marshall is the other vice-captain option to consider. The 23-year-old has posted scores of 139, 122, 119, 161, 126, 116, 142 and 125 since Round 11. Despite the young Saints’ outstanding form, it’s unlikely you take him over Gawn, unless up-and-coming Adelaide ruckman Reilly O’Brien — who likes to win the ball on the ground, like Marshall — fails to overcome concussion.
THE CAPTAIN
Brodie Grundy (Coll)
V Gold Coast, Sunday
The Suns have been leaking SuperCoach points to opposition midfielders this season but co-captain Jarrod Witts has been harder to score against in the ruck. In recent matches against Witts, who is averaging 10 points more than the second-ranked player at the Suns, O’Brien (73), Todd Goldstein (91) and Gawn (109) have failed to dominate, recording their second-lowest — non-injury affected — scores for the year.
But, hey, there’s only one Brodie Grundy. And he tallied 23 disposals, 15 contested possessions, nine tackles and 136 points against Witts in the pair’s last meeting in 2018.
Patrick Cripps (Carl)
V West Coast, Sunday
The Carlton skipper stuck true to his form against the Crows last week with Cripps posting a SuperCoach ton followed by a score of less than 100 for the past nine weeks. But it was a pretty impressive showing. The contested-ball beast tallied 39 disposals, 24 contested possessions, 19 clearances and 152 points. And in his clash with the Eagles, the 24-year-old finished with 33 disposals, 11 tackles and 151 points. Can he break this year’s trend?
Lachie Neale (Bris)
V WB, Sunday
It will be a midfield shootout at the GABBA on Sunday afternoon and Neale will be leading the charge for the Lions. The Bulldogs engine room has been on fire but the Saints, Demons and Cats on-ballers have been among the points in the past month, too. Neale tallied 30 disposals and 114 points against the Bulldogs in Round 8 and, after a quiet patch which included two scores of less than 80 between Rounds 10 and 14, his five-round average of 125 is the sixth-best in the league.
Jack Macrae (WB)
V Brisbane, Sunday
The midfield ball-magnet’s price fell by more than $100k following three sub-100 scores between Rounds 5 and 11. But apart from that, Macrae has posted a SuperCoach ton in his other 15 matches for the year, 11 of them in excess of 120. And six of those scores of 120 or more have come in the past seven matches. The 24-year-old, who tallied 38 disposals and a game-high 153 points in the win over the Dockers last week, finished with 135 against the Lions in Round 8.
Josh Dunkley (WB)
V Brisbane, Sunday
After posting eight consecutive SuperCoach tons, including tallies of 173 and 202, Dunkley scored just 88 points against the Dockers last week — his equal-lowest since Round 4. Of course, The Phantom, like many other SuperCoaches, had the C on the 22-year-old. But in the Round 8 contest, Dunkley outshone teammate Macrae by one point, kickstarting his impressive second-half of the season.