NATE’S CAPTAINS - Round 22
This week’s article is written by Damo so it’s actually Damo’s Captains, but I’m not going to change the artwork.
Last week the best options came early in the round, with Izak Rankine proving a home run hail mary pick with his 158. Well done if you took the plunge.
Round 22, three more weeks to go. Some great match ups this week, and a few matches where we could some incredibly high individual scores.
Ninja VC
First game of the week. In your league head to head match ups your opponent cannot see changes to your team you have made until the Thursday night game starts. Catch them by surprise with a big VC.
Last week: Bailey Smith (79) Average: 113.2
Collingwood wouldn’t let Smith get away in the second half, after racking it up in the first two quarters.
Marcus Bontempelli: Feels weird that I may not be mentioning him later, so I’ll put him here. Faces the Roos at Marvel on Thursday night to open the round, and after a few frustrating weeks you can probably expect Bont to go ballistic. Averages 137.3 in his last 3 against North Melbourne.
Boom or Bust
This will be a high variance option. Hoping to hit it out of the park and make it an easy decision for you. Either hell yeah or hell no.
Last week : Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (117) Average: 97.2
117 isn’t bad, but it’s not a score that would make you avoid your captaincy plans. A rib/hip issue in the last quarter stopped Nas going huge.
Zac Bailey: Brisbane were embarrassed last week, and one of the players who epitomised that performance was Zac Bailey, who’d be itching to show it was a one off.
VICE CAPTAIN
Last week: Harry Sheezel (123) Average 123.4
Harry Sheezel looked pretty good against the Hawks, even spending a little bit of time up forward.
1) Brodie Grundy: If you can wait until Saturday afternoon, it holds what I believe to be the best VC of the week. Grundy averages 139 in his last 3 against the Power, and Port Adelaide have been giving up some big ruck scores this season as well.
2) Will Ashcroft: Even last week, Ashcroft was the Lions shining light. He was clearly their best player and should continue his blistering end to the season.
3) Harry Sheezel: Has never scored that high against the Bulldogs, but the Dogs don’t tag and Sheezel is in rare form as North still attempts to secure an unlikely wildcard berth.
CAPTAIN OBVIOUS
Last week: Jordan Dawson (110) Average 125.7
It wasn’t looking good until the second half, but still only managed to get to 110. Wasn’t an awful return, but plenty who were banking on him would’ve been disappointed.
1) Nick Daicos: Nick averages 130 against West Coast, and will be a popular choice this week. If West Coast is going to let Taranto get to 159, it’s not fanciful to think Naicos could do similar.
2) Bailey Smith: Smith scored 141 last time he played Essendon, and will enjoy the freedom against a team that isn’t renowned for a close check. A big score is on the cards after a light fortnight.
3) Max Gawn: If you’re going with a Thursday or Friday VC, then Gawn on early Saturday makes perfect sense as a captaincy option. The Dockers allowed Tim English to score 131 last week, and Gawn scored 141 against Freo back in Round 2.
Hail Mary
Last game of the week. Just in case your team hasn’t performed and you need that last moment magic to win some head to head matches.
Last week: Izak Rankine (158) Average (124.3)
Rankine had a day out against the Bombers. Well done if you went with him.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera: Despite a potential Hewett tag, you just can’t shut down a guy like Nasiah. Takes the kick-ins, attends stoppages, and floats forward to kick a snag or two. Will require a full team plan from Carlton to stop him, and even then, he still might eek out a good score.
OUR PICKS
Nate: Last week Max Gawn (148)
Gawn delivers a monster of the score. Aging like a fine wine.
AVG: 139.5
3 Week AVG: 🤷♂️
VC: Brodie Grundy
C: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
Damo: Last week Jordan Dawson (110)
Captaincy and Damo doesn’t mix this season
AVG: 121.2
3 Week AVG: 🤷♂️
VC: Harry Sheezel
C: Nick Daicos
Clarky: Last week Jordan Dawson (110)
Not the sure thing everyone thought
AVG: 128.8
3 Week AVG: 🤷♂️
VC: Max Gawn
C: Nick Daicos
