The Phantom’s in-depth analysis of all the Round 11 captain and vice-captain options
A Saturday afternoon clash makes placing your Round 11 VC and C selections tricky. Fortunately, The Phantom is here to help. Recap Wednesday’s chat here.
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Brodie Grundy against the Dockers at the MCG into a red-hot Lachie Whitfield or Josh Kelly against the Suns at home.
Perfect.
Well, it would be if both games didn’t start at the same time on Saturday afternoon.
So who should get the VC armband in Round 11?
RECAP THE PHANTOM’S WEEKLY CHAT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW
VC OPTIONS
Brodie Grundy (Coll)
V Fremante, Saturday
Curls get the girls. pic.twitter.com/Wzk7RcCu3F
— Brodie Grundy (@brodiegrundy) May 22, 2019
It really is hard to go past the Collingwood big man at the MCG. Grundy, who has posted scores of 141, 144 and 165 in the past three rounds, is averaging 133 points at the MCG this season – and that includes the 81-point performance in Round 1. While he’s been great in the absence of Aaron Sandilands and Sean Darcy, Rory Lobb went home to Fremantle to play as a forward. Expect Grundy to have another field day.
Lachie Whitfield (GWS)
V Gold Coast, Saturday
Grundy is the safe bet, sure but if a player were to post a double SuperCoach ton this season, it might be Whitfield or Kelly against the Suns.
Whitfield tallied 40 disposals, 18 marks, two goals and 170 points against the Blues two weeks ago and broke through a Corey Wagner-tag to record another 29 disposals and two goals against the Demons. The Gold Coast give up more SuperCoach points to opposition midfielders than any other team this season and if Whitfield runs around by himself again on Saturday, look out.
Josh Kelly (GWS)
V Gold Coast, Saturday
Speaking of SuperCoach double tons, Kelly posted one against the Blues last season and, after an interrupted start to the season, could still be building into his best form. Which is a scary thought for non-owners, given the classy Giant’s three-round average of 144, on the back of scores of 154, 131 and 148, is second-only to Grundy in the competition.
The Verdict: As I mentioned, Grundy is the sure-thing but Whitfield and Kelly might explode this weekend. The Phantom is leaning towards taking the risk on Whitfield.
CAPTAIN OPTIONS
Lachie Neale (Bris)
V Hawthorn, Saturday night
After a season-low 79 points against the Dockers in Perth, he’s been overtaken by Grundy as the top-scorer in the game. But the Lions are back at the GABBA and Neale is averaging 130 points per game at his new home in 2019.
Max Gawn (Melb)
V Adelaide, Saturday night
The pick of the captain options this weekend, even if Crow Sam Jacobs makes a surprise return to the senior side.
Reilly O’Brien has done a terrific job stepping up in Jacobs’ absence but his tap-work has been exposed at times this year. And there’s no better tap ruckman in the competition than Gawn, who should dominate in the ruck again, as he has done in the past two weeks with scores of 144 and 149 against the Eagles and Giants. The third-ranked scorer in the game posted scores of 130 and 114 in his two meetings with the Crows last season.
Patrick Cripps (Carl)
V Essendon, Sunday
The Carlton skipper continues to carry his side on his back in search of another victory and he’ll be doing the same against the Bombers at the MCG on Sunday. Cripps posted a SuperCoach ton in the corresponding fixture last season.
THE PHANTOM’S CALL
At this stage, I’ll be taking the punt and going Whitfield as VC, over Grundy, into Gawn as captain.
BY THE NUMBERS
Brodie Grundy (Coll) Ruck 128
Mitch Duncan (Geel) Mid 125
Adam Treloar (Coll) Mid 118
Tom Rockliff (Port) Mid 119
Patrick Cripps (Carl) Mid 117
Dayne Zorko (Bris) Mid 113
Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) Fwd/Mid 111
Lachie Neale (Bris) Mid 109
Josh Kelly (GWS) Mid 107
Dustin Martin (Rich) Mid 101
Originally published as The Phantom’s in-depth analysis of all the Round 11 captain and vice-captain options
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