Captains Corner - Round 20

Howdy, IFS community! Let's have a look at last week's Top 5 and dissect how they went. My Top 5 last week were:

• Brodie Grundy

• Errol Gulden

• Marcus Bontempelli 

• Max Gawn

• Lloyd Meek

Straight off the bat, Grundy was sublime, yet again. He scored 153 and looked damn good. I predicted that one of the Sydney mids would get a hold of North Melbourne, sadly it was not Gulden, who only managed 93. His counterpart in Isaac Heeney was the one who went huge. Bontempelli was serviceable with 126 - a score I took as my VC, which unfortunately cost me two league victories. Gawn was also serviceable with a 128. Finally, I took a big gamble chucking Lloyd Meek in hare, thinking he would demolish Sweet. Unfortunately the intense winds and rain resulted in a score of only 87. His opponent managed to crack the double ton, which was quite unexpected. If you watched the game you would have seen how many times the ball hit the ground during the ruck contest due to the wind taking hold of it. I think the last few weeks have shown me that I need to stop making risky calls in my top five!

Thursday 

Hawthorn v Carlton

As a Hawks man, I’m excited we’ve got a Thursday night game, which will either make my weekend spectacular, or turn me into a mopey prick for a week. There’s a lot riding on this one for Hawthorn, they need a win to stay in touch with the top 4. There’s not a great deal of Supercoach relevance in this one; however, Hawthorn tagger Finn Maginness is likely to be an omission, as he lacerated his kidney against Port Adelaide. This means that the Blues mids will likely run free, and George Hewett is not a bad option tonight. He is averaging 112, and scored a 135 two weeks ago. He’s been a bit up and down in recent weeks, though, so I think it’s a no from me, dawg. From the Hawks, Lloyd Meek is the highest averaging player, but comes up against the double team of Marc Pittonet and Tom De Koning. Not worth your VC. Keep an eye on team sheets, as Will Day may be a return to the Hawks line up. It’s unlikely you have him, but some may end up bringing him in as a cheap keeper option. You’d be brave to chuck the VC on him, though. All in all I think this one is a bit of a fizzer from a Supercoach perspective. 

Friday

Essendon v Western Bulldogs

Now this is more like it for Supercoach. Brushing right past the fact that Essendon somehow have another prime time game, this looms as a high scoring game for the Bulldogs mids. Last time they met, Marcus Bontempelli smashed them with a 140, and he currently holds a three round average of 144. Yes. Please. He’ll be my VC without a doubt. Also good options are Ed Richards and Tom Liberatore. Richards is in a bit of a form slump, but has the ceiling, evidenced by his four scores over 130 this season. Libba is in good shape at the moment, with a three round average of 130, and a 140 against the Bombers last time they met. Any of these three would be great VC options for you. 

GWS v Sydney

The Battle of the Bridge is on, and it looms as a great match up for our Supercoach king, Brodie Grundy. His three round average is 144, and he has dropped below 153 once since Round 12, and that “low score” was 127. He comes up against Keiran Briggs, who is playing well, but will be no match for Grundy. Backing him to continue this amazing run of form. If you have him, he should be either your C or VC. Isaac Heeney is fresh off a 197 against North Melbourne, and appears to have finally started playing with some form. His three round average of 124 is around the mark I expect him to hit this week. 

Saturday 

Gold Coast v Brisbane

Continuing the theme of two state teams going at it, this is the Battle of…the Big Pineapple? Yeah, that’ll do. A few good options here, with Matt Rowell boasting a three round average of 138. Noah Anderson has arguably been Gold Coast’s best midfielder this year and has gone over 125 in three of his last five. Expecting a big score from him this week. Gold Coast tend to give up big scores to rebounding defenders, so if you’re Dayne Zorko owner, he’s a good option. His last three scores against the Suns were 95, 138 and 160. That’s an average of 131. With the 95 in there, he’s a high risk option, but that 160 and 138 mean it’s high risk, high reward. 

Fremantle v West Coast

Another state battle, what are we going to call this one? Hold on, let me Google “WA landmarks” for a moment. Well that was disappointing. Let’s just call this one “The Andy Brayshaw Show”. Coincidentally, Andrew Brayshaw is currently averaging 117, and his last three against West Coast were 131,137 and 83. Excellent option given the scores West Coast have been conceding to opposition mids. Luke Jackson is another who could get off the chain. West Coast’s ruck stocks are severely depleted, and Jackson is primed to take full advantage of this. This is the second meeting between the two sides this year, and the last time they met, Jackson scored 165. Caleb Serong is in the same boat as Brayshaw, and should score well against the Eagles. A few safe options in this one. 

North Melbourne v Geelong

Only a couple who are really catching my eye here. Max Holmes and Bailey Smith are likely to hit the North midfield hard. Smith is averaging 112, and Holmes 108. Don’t be put off by these mediocre numbers, they both have the potential to go huge. Holmes has a great ceiling, and has gone 125 + seven times this season, including multiple scores over 150. He’s in a bit of a slump at the moment, look to this game as the one that pulls him out of it. Smith is also capable of big things, with several ceiling scores over 150 this season. Usually one of them gets off the chain against lower teams, but not both. Personally, I think Holmes will be the one this time. 

Adelaide v Port Adelaide

The SA match up is here! With Adelaide flying, and Port essentially out of the finals race, this could be a bit of a dud game, but hopefully they turn it on for the Showdown. From a Supercoach perspective, Zak Butters is the best option from Port, averaging 120, with some huge ceiling scores this year of 154, 130, 143, 162, 164 and 135. He was tagged out of the game last week and will look to bounce back on the big stage. Adelaide are currently a really balanced team, with no one being a massive stand out. If you’re really keen on an Adelaide option, Jordan Dawson is in good form at the moment, with a score of 157 two weeks ago against the Dogs. Another one who loves the big stage and could score highly.

Sunday

Richmond v Collingwood

The relevance of this game sits mainly with Richmond's inability to stop opposition midfielders. Enter Nick Daicos. The little master is hitting his straps at the right time, with a five round average of 134. The last time he played the Tigers he scored 127. His last five scores are phenomenal, being 169, 85, 127, 131 and 157. Daicos is a great option this week against the lowly Tigers. Richmond also give up huge Supercoach scores to opposition rucks, ranking dead last in this metric for season 2025. In light of that, Darcy Cameron simply has to be in the conversation. Fresh off a 130, he’s a great late option if your VC fails. 

St Kilda v Melbourne

Finishing off the round we have the Saints taking on the Dees. Some decent options in this one, starting with Nasiah Wangamemameera. Nas is in great form at the moment, with his last five scores of 149, 86, 155, 117 and 142 showing he's worth every penny that St Kiida are throwing at him. Melbourne's one wood remains Max Gawn. The big man is averaging 124, and regular readers may remember my deep dive a few weeks ago into Rowan Marshall's opponents. In a nutshell, they've been scoring well against him. Gawn has the ceiling, scoring over 120 10 times this season, including a monstrous 198 against West Coast in Round Eight. He plays well against St Kilda, scoring 180 against them last year. Him playing in the last game means you can vice just about anyone and use him as your safety net. 

Top 5

My top five captains this week are: 

• Brodie Grundy

• Nick Daicos

• Max Gawn

• Darcy Cameron

• Andrew Brayshaw