Captain’s Call – Round 5 Skipper Analysis

It’s El Capitano, Not El Capitanos as Kat said on Beers and Breakevens.

And it’s Max, not Clem this week on duties to bring you my picks for the skip.

Round 5 feels like it’s shaping up to be a little different. 

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So far we’ve looked fondly at Turbo and KP each week to deliver us the goods (sorry about the disrespect, Payne) but with the Manly man injured and the Novocastrian taking on the Bulldogs I think we are going to need to look elsewhere.

The biggest factor last week was the weather. The biggest learning – skipper someone in the pigs when it’s raining. 

This weekend is looking heaps better from a weather perspective, so we can consider getting a bit more exotic. Let’s dive into some of the options.

Game 6: Payne Haas vs Tigers: 

It’s the year of the FRF so why not play it safe and captain the best one of all? As great as the Tigers have been this year, it feels like the truest test of their steel will come this Saturday night at Suncorp. 

As a Tigers tragic, I’m concerned the loss of Jarome Luai from a communication and vibes perspective might be a bigger loss on the defence side than people realise.

Game 6: Terrell May vs Broncos:

I mean if I am going to advocate for one, why not the other. 

In a battle for ‘who’s the best prop in the NRL right now’, we do expect May to get more minutes than Payne. If you feel like banking an 80+ score then this could be the move.

Game 3: Nathan Cleary vs Cowboys: 

Prior to the Cowboys demolition of the Raiders, Cleary owners would’ve been happier about this week’s matchup. But on paper it’s still a good one.

The Cows have conceded some monster scores to right halves so far this season with DCE and Reynolds both laying on big tons. Nathan’s been a little quiet this year by his standards but this week and this matchup could be where he gets going.

Game 1: Nicho Hynes vs Raiders: 

Hynes’ ability to accumulate SuperCoach points is matched by few. And in a Thursday night fixture against the hot and cold Raiders, he represents a nice VC play – but beware that doing so may prevent you from getting on Cleary as C if that’s your go.

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Game 4: Clint Gutherson vs Eels: 

The revenge match we have been waiting for. This one should be fun!

Gutherson is everywhere for the Dragons in attack and has already shown his scoring potential with two tons to start the year in SuperCoach, including a 143. Throw in the defensive issues the Eels have had with their edges and it’s a recipe for a great skipper move.

Yes, the Eels could turn up in this one. They’ve been slowly improving. But keep in mind the Dragons haven’t had to put on huge scores for Gutho to go big so far – it’s just what he’s capable of while sweeping both sides of the ruck this year.

Game 5: Jayden Campbell vs Dolphins: 

Similar to Nicho, Campbell oozes SuperCoach points and in a favourable matchup could go big. 

The Dolphins have been weak both through the middle (giving up a lot of tries to hookers) and edge attacks. If the Titans turn it on, Jaydos will have his hands all over it.

Verdict

We need to talk about the VC loop.

In years gone past we’ve had to work with the notion of an acceptable VC score being around 130. The Flex changes everything however given our lowest score now drops out of our total.

The threshold for looping now sits at 100 in my eyes. And as such, trying to find a VC who plays early is critical. 

As is having a non player you can swing into your side as needed.

In essence you can look at the fullback options as one with ceiling, and the forwards as ones with a great floor.

Ideally you could VC the ceiling player and C the great floor. The reverse also works depending on your appetite. Luckily the first option is available to me this week.

My plan this week is to VC Clint Gutherson who plays the first game on Saturday.

I can loop using the Titans players Tino and Tuki who play the second game on Saturday.

And my Captain will be Payne Haas if I do not choose to loop.

To unlock this it means changing my reserves to bring in Seyfarth instead of Tom Jenkins. Seyfarth gives me the player to drop if I take the loop.

I’d prefer to play Jenkins who has gotten similar base stats plus more chance of attacking stats, but I’ll gladly take Seyfarth if I need to.

This is a week where there’s options deluxe and they all feel good. So as Clem would say (I’m sure of it) if she was here, trust the vibes.

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