SuperCoach AFL stats dossier: Full CBAs, kick-ins, time on ground for round 9, best captain picks for round 10

The two ruck giants of SuperCoach are the most popular captain picks this week. Do the stats back it up? See who has the hardest and easiest match-ups plus full CBAs and kick-ins.

Two players stand head and shoulders above the rest when selecting a captain and vice-captain in SuperCoach this week.

And potentially every week for the foreseeable future.

Click on ‘three round average’ on the Player page in SuperCoach and you’ll see Max Gawn at the top with a ridiculous 171.3. Tristan Xerri isn’t far behind on an almost as crazy 163.3. Then it’s daylight.

Andrew Brayshaw (132.7), Zak Butters (129.3) and Bailey Smith (128.3) are all in amazing form, but if you want double points, go straight to the big two.

SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL CBAs, KICK-INS & TIME ON GROUND STATS

The other potential headache is both ruck goliaths play on Sunday this week. But Harry Boyd can save us here – St Kilda plays in the final game of the round, so it’s possible to putthe VC on Xerri with Gawn as back-up.

That’s plan A.

If you don’t have one of Xerri or Gawn – or Boyd – or want to fully consider your options for round 10, here are our top targets, and some insight into who else might score well or struggle based on Champion Data’s exclusive match-up stats.

Max Gawn knows where he ranks in SuperCoach. Picture: Michael Klein

WHO TO TARGET THIS WEEK

Rucks v West Coast , Richmond, St Kilda: Rowan Marshall has a great opportunity against the easiest ruck match-up in the game, and he also gives up plenty of points – Matt Flynn’s 97 Break Even isn’t out of reach. Richmond has conceded the third-most points to opposition rucks this year – including 174 to Gawn – and Xerri put 144 points on Toby Nankervis in round 21 last year. This one could get ugly.

Midfielders v Melbourne, West Coast, Richmond, Adelaide: Brisbane faces Melbourne in the second-last game of the round, making Lions mids good back-up captain options again. Lachie Neale has been banished to VC-only territory for a while, though, after dropping a surprise 81 against North Melbourne. It’s a different story for Josh Dunkley – he’s fresh off a 139 and averages 127 in his past three against the Demons.

Lachie Neale hasn’t had 30+ disposals against Melbourne since 2021 – the only team he hasn’t had 30-plus against in the last four seasons.

Clayton Oliver awaits. 😉#SuperCoach#AFLFantasy

— Fantasy Freako (@FantasyFreako) May 14, 2025

Jordan Dawson has had some huge games against Collingwood – 149 and 150 in the past two years – and Luke-Davies Uniacke loves playing the Tigers (average 123 in his past three against them).

Andrew Brayshaw has a neutral match-up in GWS and the highest projected score of the round (144), but he could also be followed by Toby Bedford if the GWS tagger passes a fitness test this week.

Adelaide has allowed some big scores for opposition mids this year. Do we trust Nick Daicos again?

General defenders v Gold Coast, Richmond, West Coast, Fremantle: Changkuoth Jiath could provide an instant sugar hit for new owners against Gold Coast, which has leaked more points to defenders than any other team this season, including 127 to Bailey Dale, 117 to Matt Roberts and 165 to Nick Vlastuin.

Ryan Maric was a surprise captain recommendation last week and he backed up the call with 126 points. And this week he gets another great defensive match-up. Harry Sheezel could go big if he stays behind the ball and expect big scores from some of this year’s top-tier defenders – Jack Sinclair, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash. Sinclair scored 140 in his last meeting with the Eagles.

WHO TO AVOID THIS WEEK

Rucks v Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide: This is the big test for the Big O, but no one has gotten hold of Brodie Grundy this season – he kept Xerri to 94 and his highest conceded score is 126 to Lloyd Meek in opening round. Tom De Koning’s 146 Break Even looks safe.

Midfielders v Brisbane, Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs, Fremantle, Hawthorn: Brisbane’s reputation for stopping opposition rucks took a hit last week, but the restrictive midfield held up, giving up 101 points to Harry Sheezel, 97 to Davies-Uniacke and 63 to Tom Powell. Melbourne’s onballers can expect a tough week.

The Bulldogs midfield is also hard to score against, and Zach Merrett’s best in his past three against the Dogs is 108. GWS and Gold Coast midfielders also have tough match-ups this week.

General defenders v Carlton, GWS, Essendon: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera threatened to run riot against the Blues last week but finished on 103 — this week the Blues will aim to shut down Sydney’s fleet of running defenders, including Matt Roberts and Riley Bice. The Bombers kept that pair in check last week – something for Bailey Dale owners to be wary of. The Giants are also a tough match-up for defenders like Jordan Clark.

AL’S TOP CAPTAIN PICKS

1. Tristan Xerri

2. Max Gawn

3. Josh Dunkley

4. Ryan Maric

5. Jack Sinclair

CHAMPION DATA STAT REPORT: CROW’S BIG MIDFIELD MOVE

The bucket hat is back.

Adelaide recruit James Peatling made a big impact when he donned the hat on the track over summer. The weather might be cooling off, but Peatling is very much back in the frame as a SuperCoach option.

Interest cooled in the former Giant when he was pushed out of the stacked Adelaide midfield over the pre-season, but now we can dig up one of our favourite summer stats – when he played as a full-time midfielder at GWS, Peatling averaged over 100 SuperCoach points.

So it’s no surprise he is thriving after being handed the keys to the Crows engine room in the past two weeks.

With Matt Crouch missing – and out for at least another month – Peatling has attended 64 per cent and 75 per cent of centre bounces, clearly his highest numbers for the season. The result? A combined 46 disposals, 17 tackles, 10 clearances and tallies of 109 and 117 SuperCoach points.

Can’t afford one of the big dogs in the midfield? At just $452,300, Peatling could get a rookie off the field and produce premium-level scoring through the first three bye rounds before Adelaide has a week off in round 15. That’s the perfect time to use the cash he’s made to grab an elite mid off their bye. His Break Even is 41 – jump on now.

James Peatling is thriving with more responsibility in the Adelaide midfield. Picture: Ben Clark

Other numbers that jump off the page from Champion Data’s stat report this week include:

ADAM Cerra’s CBAs fell 39 per cent in round 9, from 17 to seven. He spent most of Friday night’s game in defence, even taking two kick-ins.

RYAN Maric has taken more kick-ins than any other player in 2025, including 10 against Richmond. Lachie Whitfield is No.2 after he took 12 against the Cats on Sunday.

MATT Roberts had just one kick-in against Essendon after taking eight the week before. His cause wasn’t helped by the Bombers kicking an accurate 11.5.

Nick Daicos’s CBAs dropped 29 per cent as he tried to shake a Corey Wagner tag.

Izak Rankine attended just 36 per cent of CBAs in the Showdown, his second-lowest figure for the season. Taylor Walker registered his first CBA for the year against the Power.

HUGH Boxshall played just 49 per cent of game time against Carlton.

See the big mover and sliders and search every player in the full Champion Data stat report below.

Originally published as SuperCoach AFL stats dossier: Full CBAs, kick-ins, time on ground for round 9, best captain picks for round 10