AFL Supercoach 2026: Bandit’s Skippers – Round 12

The bye rounds are here. I hope you’ve prepared for best 18 as each team has its mid-season bye across the next five weeks.

One advantage of the bye rounds is that you’ll almost always have a loop option for captaincy scores. If your VC posts a big score, you can bring in a blue-dot player to act as your loop. Those players won’t lock out until the final game of each bye round begins.

With the logistics covered, let’s get into this week’s top picks. We are missing some genuine top liners this week – the likes of Butters, Sheezel, Petracca and Xerri – so getting your captaincy choices right it crucial. 

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Bailey Smith – L3 vs CARL: 120, 102, 38

That 38 isn’t a typo, so it’s fair to say Smith has had mixed results against Carlton. He’ll almost certainly have George Hewett for company on Friday night, but I don’t expect that to limit him too much. He’s the safe play this week.

Max Holmes – L3 vs CARL: 70, 103, 109

For those who don’t have Baz, Holmes may well be worth a look with his newly minted DEF DPP status making him a must-have in defence for the remainder of the season. I’ll be working around him this week however based on other match ups.

Brodie Grundy – L3 vs RICH: 155, 114, 81

Lock. Lock. Lock. If you’ve got Grundy he simply has to get the VC this week despite a moderate showing against Geelong.

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Isaac Heeney – L3 vs RICH: 123, 148, 144

Love Heeney as a VC play this week as well and his recent record against Richmond suggests there’s a big score on offer here. If you haven’t got Grundy he’s the next best VC option.

Luke Jackson – L3 vs BRIS: 57, 113, 65

LJ has come off the boil a bit in recent weeks with a three-round average of 108, relative to his season average of 123. Brisbane is usually a tough match up for rucks so I’m happy to let him go this week.

Marcus Bontempelli – L3 vs COLL: 186, 123, 125

Bont loves playing Collingwood (just look at that recent record) and perhaps the Dogs might be able to get on a run after a gutsy win over Melbourne. As long as he’s playing, he’s a captaincy option.

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Nick Daicos – L3 vs WB: 125, 156, 139

My only concern with Nick this week is does he get some attention from a Matt Kennedy type? Yes, West Coast put Hough to him last week which didn’t slow him down much, but I would have someone like Kennedy – who’s a more mature body at AFL level – as a tougher prospect if that’s what Luke Beveridge decides to do.

Zach Merrett – L3 vs WC: 106, 135, 121

I’m fascinated to see how Essendon responds this week after sacking Brad Scott. Will Merrett see the back half of the season as an opportunity to show his wares to other clubs? A big game against the Eagles would be a good start.

BANDIT’S RECOMMENDATIONS

VC: Grundy / Heeney

C: Bontempelli / Daicos