Bandit’s skippers: Round 19 captains to target and avoid

Round 18 was unquestionably the toughest round of the year so far, with highly owned premos going down with injury and suspension alike to culminate in a perfect storm for many coaches.

Thankfully many coaches would have found a good captaincy score, mostly in the rucks. Max Gawn (215) was back to his SuperCoach best in his customary solo-ruck role and duly dropped a double ton, while Tim English (173) dominated the Swans as predicted in the first game of the round.

Rory Laird (151), Marcus Bontempelli (131) and Nick Daicos (130) also provided good service for those who opted for more mainstream choices.

It was a car crash for those who had the C on Zach Merrett in his 200^th however, the Bombers skipper failing to fire as his side had a torrid night against Geelong. Hopefully he can bounce back against the Bulldogs this week.

Let’s get into the best captain options for Round 19.

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Tim English

Essendon hasn’t conceded a lot of points to rucks this season, but English’s record against the Dons is outstanding with an average of 144 from his last three outings against them. Looks a safe play this week especially with Draper missing.

Last 3 v ESS: 123, 204, 105

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Marcus Bontempelli

Bont continues to just tick along nicely with a five-round average of 132. Three tons in his last three outings against Essendon reads very nicely for this fixture.

Last 3 v ESS: 115, 123, 105

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Zach Merrett

Coaches would have been tearing their hair out watching Merrett put in one of his worst performances for the year against Geelong under a heavy tag. Would be a point of difference VC this week with many coaches likely to choose English or Bont in the same game.

Last 3 v WB: 99, 123, 96

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Tim Taranto

Back over three figures against West Coast last week after a couple of below par scores in the previous two weeks. Good record against the Hawks who gave up big midfield points to North Melbourne last week despite tagging a couple of players.

Last 3 v HAW: 111, 100, 104

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James Sicily

Copped some very close attention last week and scored accordingly, which would have been disappointing for coaches who traded him in for top dollar. I’m backing him to bounce back, but if he was in my side I would want to see a decent score from him first before trusting him as a VC or C.

Last 3 v RICH: 118, 141, 128

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Patrick Cripps

As Carlton has turned its form around, so too has Cripps. He’s now averaging 109 from his last three games and there’s another big score in the offing this week against West Coast in Melbourne. Could be a huge POD.

Last 3 v WCE: 153, 92, 81

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Lachie Neale

Had a quiet first half against Melbourne before exploding in the third term but the damage was done and his score wasn’t a great one, so fingers crossed he can bounce back this week. In saying that, Geelong is a tricky match up and I’m probably looking elsewhere this week.

Last 3 v GEEL: 128, 98, 75

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Errol Gulden

Make no mistake, this guy is now a bona fide captaincy option every week. A five-round average of 131.8 has seen his price skyrocket to well over $600K and given his record against Fremantle there’s no reason why it won’t stay in that price range for a few weeks yet.

Last 3 v FREM: 156, 113, 127

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Nick Daicos

Speaking of bona fide captain options, this guy just continues to dominate. Started a little slowly on the weekend but still ended up with 30+ touches and another 130 SC points. Remember the last time Port tried to tag him?

Last 2 v PORT: 149, 77

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Christian Petracca

Has to be in the mix this week given his most recent performance against the Crows. Playing forward still concerns me, as shown by last week – he kicked four goals in a one-point win and only scored 113.

Last 3 v ADEL: 189, 126, 116

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Max Gawn

Provided he keeps that solo ruck role, he has to be in the mix as well. Record against the Crows is solid.

Last 3 v ADEL: 100, 124, 107

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Rory Laird

Just quietly building a very good season yet again. Probably not my first choice this week but should score well.

Last 3 v MELB: 130, 105, 123

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Jordan Dawson

Had an excellent game against Melbourne last time out, hard to see why he can’t do it again. Scored 149 against Collingwood in Adelaide’s only MCG game this year.

Last 3 v MELB: 144, 104, 66

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SC BANDIT RECOMMENDS

VC: English / Bontempelli / Merrett

C: Daicos / Gawn / Dawson

Best POD: Gulden