Footy Tragic

Kristian runs through all the best Captain choices for both AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach in the semi finals. Who will you be locking in for the big score this week?

 

So another week, and another round where Dane Swan was the obvious captain choice, and he delivered.

 

There are a few juicy options this week with favourable match ups if you’re keen to look else where, even with Geelong having the bye.

 

The Dogs play Port Adelaide, Collingwood come up against Brisbane at the MCG and Scott Thompson owners will be pleased to see the Crows play the Gold Coast this week.

 

DANE SWAN VS BRISBANE

Andrew Raines has done some pretty decent tagging jobs over the past month but I don’t think he’ll go to Swan on Saturday night. I think he’ll go to either Dale Thomas or Scott Pendlebury to be honest, which means Swan will be left to his own devices once again. Swan is undisputedly in the best Dream Team form of his career, with his past month and a half being absolutely outstanding. Swan averages 116 DT and 110 SC in his last five games against the Lions, but I’d be expecting him to push the 150 barrier in both forms once again this week. If you have him, I wouldn’t think twice.

 

SCOTT PENDLEBURY VS BRISBANE

In comparison to his lofty standards, I think Pendlebury has been a little down the past couple of week even though he’s still churned out solid scores. His influence on the game on Friday night was minimal, and to be honest, I hardly noticed him all game. I think he’ll be the guy to get the hard tag but I wouldn’t be too worried either. Pendles rarely has a shocking game as he has too many avenues to scoring, but I doubt he’ll score more than Swan head to head on the night. He’s a good vice captain though, just in case. Pendlebury has averaged 106 DT and 128 SC in his last five games against the Lions.

 

SCOTT THOMPSON VS GOLD COAST

This is a great option if you’re not keen on the Collingwood boys this week. Thompson’s in career best form and when he played against the Suns earlier on in the year, he scored 134 DT and 135 SC. There won’t be a tight tag on him, unlike recent weeks, so he’ll run around and rack up the possessions at will. As a Thompson owner, I’m extremely tempted by this option.

 

MATTHEW BOYD VS PORT ADELAIDE

Port Adelaide is so bad, that I don’t see how it’s physically possible how Boyd doesn’t get a monster score this week. The only negative I can see is that the game is at AAMI Stadium, but I don’t see how that should be any problem for the Doggies skipper. Port Adelaide just do not man up at all in the midfield, so it could be party time for Boyd. He has averaged a solid 118 DT and 108 SC in his past five outings against the Power.

 

 

OTHER OPTIONS TO CONSIDER………

Lance Franklin was huge on the weekend, kicking eight goals straight. If Michael Jamison is back, as rumoured, it’s probably best to stay away, but if he isn’t, I’d give Buddy a good look as it’s the big stage he’ll revel in on Friday night.

 

Chris Judd will be keen to cement the Blues top four position, and his record against the Hawks is very good. He averages 115 DT and 125 SC in his last five against the Hawks, so I wouldn’t think twice about making him my SC captain.

 

Sam Mitchell is in career best form in all aspects, but I’d stay away in this type of game against the Blues. They’re a pretty stingy team, and there are much better options.

 

Nick Dal Santo is still riding a hot streak of form, and he comes up against the tired looking Swans this week. He only averages 106 SC against them in his last five, but he’ll step up this week in this important match.

 

MY TOP 3 DREAM TEAM PICKS:

1. Dane Swan

2. Matthew Boyd

3. Scott Pendlebury

 

MY TOP 3 SUPER COACH PICKS:

1. Chris Judd

2. Scott Pendlebury

3. Nick Dal Santo

 

Kristian runs through all the best Captain choices for both AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach. Who will you be locking in for the big score this week?

We apologise for the very late article today! There’s been a swap in our fixtures, and now Kristian’s TAC Cup article will be on a Thursday.

Anyway, onto another week of captains, and really, unless you went with Cox, there wasn’t a whole lot to be disappointed about coming from the weekend. Dane Swan continued his outstanding form; Stevie J provided another master class, as did Joel Selwood and Sam Mitchell and Scott Pendlebury, who recovered from a very slow start to end up with a great score!

 

DANE SWAN AND SCOTT PENDLEBURY VS ST.KILDA

Swanny is currently in arguably the best Dream Team form of his career, after coming back from Arizona. He’s averaged 135 DT since he’s gotten back, and that has been against some solid opposition as well. You could make a very strong case for just locking him in as captain for the rest of the year, as I most likely will be doing, but then this article would be pointless. Against St Kilda, he’s been relatively quiet in recent times, with an 83 DT and 94 SC against them earlier this year; however that was the week before he headed off to Arizona. In the Grand Finals, he was fairly huge, proving too good for Clinton Jones on both encounters, and he only stopped when Farren Ray went to him in the first Grand Final for the second half. Swan is just in too good-a-form to ignore and he’ll no doubt score heavily again this round.

 

Pendlebury started off VERY slowly last week, but still ended up with a score in excess of 120. He could be the man for the Clint Jones tag this round, as I don’t see any point in the Saints sending him to Swan. He has very good form against them, with a Norm Smith medal in the second last time they met, and 129 DT and 149 SC earlier on this year. The Saints are now a different proposition though, and they’ve shut down many of the big guns from their opposition in recent weeks, staying true to their form in recent years, so I wouldn’t expect it to be a walk in the park for these two guys this week.

 

JOEL SELWOOD VS ADELAIDE

Selwood’s an obvious option this week, considering his form, and how fresh he is as a result of the four week suspension he served. Adelaide bleed points from the midfield, as they really don’t have a designated stopper, especially as Doughty is just simply not quick enough for that role anymore, so Joel should have a field day. In his young history, he averages 112 DT and 129 SC in his last five games against the Crows, so that’s as safe as you’re going to get this week if you don’t like the Collingwood boys.

 

OTHER OPTIONS TO CONSIDER………

Matthew Boyd is fresh off the bye this week, and he’s coming up against the Bombers. Interestingly, he has only reached the ton in both DT and SC twice in his last five games against them. His highest score in these games against the Bombers is only 112 DT. Do you ignore history?

 

Nick Dal Santo is the in form player in the competition, in every aspect. He might reach a speed hump here against the Pies, as you think they’d put particularly close attention on to him this time around. Amazingly though, he averages 118 DT and 125 SC in his last five outings against the Pies, showing he can step it up against the quality outfits as well.

 

Dean Cox comes up against a struggling Melbourne, in which Robbie Warnock monstered on the weekend. His new stomach injury is a concern though, so that’s something to keep an eye out for.

 

Chris Judd is just powering through, and you really can’t go past him in SC. He’s back at Subiaco where he once was king, against the Dockers. Lock him in for 3 votes and 140+ SC.

 

Sam Mitchell is up against Port Adelaide. Surely this is set and forget and stuff, but no. Mitchell averages 74 DT and 80 SC in his last 5 games against Port. I’d hazard a guess and say that Kane Cornes has a large role to play in this so I wouldn’t be too alarmed. History sometimes can be misleading. He is in the best form of his career, so don’t ignore him completely.

 

MY TOP 3 DREAM TEAM PICKS:

1. Joel Selwood

2. Dane Swan

3. Scott Pendlebury

 

MY TOP 3 SUPER COACH PICKS:

1. Chris Judd

2. Joel Selwood

3. Nick Dal Santo

 

Kristian runs through all the best Captain choices for both AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach. Who will you be locking in for the big score this week?

KRISTIAN’S KAPTAINS ROUND 19

Hey guys, you were probably expecting an U/18’s article today, but there was a general bye in the TAC Cup this weekend so there is obviously not much to talk about.

The captain’s article is back for a week, and I think it turned out to be fairly convenient, as there are a few options to consider this week, as well as quite a few to reconsider.

There is a multi bye round for three fairly insignificant teams in Brisbane, Richmond and Sydney, so all the good options are available for captaincy this week, except Nick Riewoldt, who got given a one week suspension for a bump. I’ll say nothing further……..

Anyway, on to some individual options…..

 

GEELONG STARS VS MELBOURNE

The three Geelong big boys in Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel and Paul Chapman all present as brilliant options this week at Skilled Stadium against the Demons. Melbourne was pretty dismal against the Hawks and have continually displayed that they struggle against the very best sides. This game shapes as one that could get pretty ugly if the Demons don’t put the clamps on early.

Paul Chapman has been in weird (probably the best word to describe it) form lately. Last week he was coming off the back of a few tonnes, and looked as though he was back to his finest Dream Team form, with a very good 70 in the first half against Richmond. Then he totally faded out of the game and scraped through to get a 90. He’s really not someone you can trust at the moment for captaincy as was the case in years past. Having said that, he’s not delivering any dismal scores, but the days of his big 140+ games appear few and far between. Against Melbourne, in his past five games, he’s averaged 122 DT and 124 SC, so he loves playing against them.

Joel Selwood is always a safe option in both Dream Team and Super Coach, and this week should be no exception. He does have a few games a year where he goes berserk and gets a really big score, and I’m predicting this week might be one of those occasions. He averages 117 DT and 136 SC in his last four games against the Demons.

Jimmy Bartel has finally hit a good run of form with 3 tonnes in a row, and his record against Melbourne, basically over his entire career suggest this might continue. Over his last nine games against Melbourne he’s averaged 116 DT and 126 SC with only 2 matches less than 100 points in both DT and SC (two of those were 99 DT and 97 SC). There are probably better options out there, but never forget sir Jimmy.

 

SAM MITCHELL VS FREMANTLE

Sam Mitchell is in some seriously good form at the moment and now MUST be at least considered every week for the captaincy. The Dockers did a very good job in limiting the effectiveness of Priddis and Embley on Sunday, so that’s probably the only concern, but Mitchell has been breaking tags quite easily this season; something I’ve been critical of him about in seasons gone past. He has averaged 116 DT and 125 SC in his last five games against the Dockers.

 

DANE SWAN AND SCOTT PENDLEBURY AGAINST ESSENDON

This should be another walk in the park for the Pies, and again, Swan and Pendlebury seem like standout options. Surprisingly, even though Dane Swan averages 110 DT and 111 SC in his last five games against Essendon, they aren’t really a team he dominates against traditionally. You have to go back to early 2009 to find his highest score against them, 141 DT and 123 SC. Having said that, really, I don’t see who can stop him in his current form.

 

Scott Pendlebury, in his last two games against Essendon especially, has been HUGE, averaging 148 DT and 125 SC. Overall he averages 115 DT and 124 SC against them. There were some doubts over Pendlebury during the week with a shoulder injury, but he showed no signs of that in the game against the Gold Coast and ended up scoring a very nice score.

 

OTHER OPTIONS TO CONSIDER………

Luke McPharlin has been suspended (although there is talk he may contest it), so you’d think Buddy Franklin could have a picnic this week. Just hold that thought though; he only averages 65 DT and 78 SC in his last five games against the Dockers. McPharlin does play a big role in his poor record against them however.

 

Scott Thompson is another player in fine form. He’s carrying the Crows by himself, and doesn’t seem too bothered. Against Port Adelaide he’s a fine option, and averages 127 DT and 119 SC in his last two games against them.

 

Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, and Leigh Montagna play the Gold Coast this week. All of these guys should be in for massive games, especially Goddard, who in Riewoldt’s absence (if they choose not to contest), will walk into this game as the skipper – a role he has stated he longs for – expect him to lead from the front and make a real point (or 120 points… Get it!?).

 

Gary Ablett against St.Kilda historically isn’t brilliant. He averages 106 DT and 121 SC in his last five games and he still looks like he might be getting over that knee injury. I’d wait another week before locking him in again, especially with Clint Jones and Sean Dempster both in great tagging form at the moment.

 

The Carlton boys come up against North Melbourne, but none of them have great records at all. Marc Murphy averages 83 DT and 91 SC, Bryce Gibbs averages 83 DT and 89 SC and Chris Judd amazingly only averages 72 DT but a respectable 99 SC. You’d think these days are now over though.

 

I’d be cautious with Matthew Boyd against the Eagles. They’re such a good lockdown team and he barely got to the ton against them earlier this year. He averages 110 DT and 104 SC in his last five games against them.

 

Dean Cox looks a solid option this week, having played much more ruck time in the past two weeks. He averages 98 DT and 101 SC in his last five games against the Bulldogs, but I think there are much better options going around.

 

MY TOP 3 DREAM TEAM PICKS

1. Scott Pendlebury

2. Dane Swan

3. Brendan Goddard

 

MY TOP 3 SUPER COACH PICKS

1. Chris Judd

2. Brendan Goddard

3. Joel Selwood

 

KRISTIAN’S KAPTAINS

In case you’re wondering, I’ve kicked out Dan for the rest of this year because he’ll be delivering a pretty special weekly article from tomorrow that I think everyone will find very useful, so make sure you’re on to that!

I’ll be following pretty much a similar format to Dan in relation to the captain’s article, looking at mainly match-ups and history against that opposition.

Also, one thing worth noting is I really don’t follow Super Coach that much, so if I make some type of outlandish captain suggestion, please, whack me back into line!

When looking at my potential captains for the next round, I cast an eye over the fixture first to see if there’ll be any potential ‘smashings’. All the games are fairly even this week, which seems to be a growing trend since the competition is now so even. Probably the two games that stand out would be Adelaide vs Gold Coast at AAMI and Sydney vs Port Adelaide at the SCG. Carlton has the bye this week.

What I found interesting while collating my stats, is that not one of the premiums this year actually has an outstanding record against their opposing team this round.

What I’ll do in my captains articles is list a good number of players who I think will do well this week and provide their last five performances against that particular team in both Dream Team and Super Coach. Then I’ll narrow it down to about five genuine captain choices and provide a description of why I think they’ll do well.

*NOTE: The first score is from the game most recently played.*

 

JIMMY BARTEL VS COLLINGWOOD

DT: 117, 78, 125, 147, 106

SC: 108, 51, 114, 131, 81

Jimmy’s looking somewhat back to his absolute best this season and still remains one of the most reliable captain choices out there. He comes up against the Pies on Friday night at the MCG, a team that he has a very good record against in the past. There’ll be no tag on him you wouldn’t think, as Wellingham will most likely go to Chapman or Selwood. I can see Jimmy going to head to head with one of Pendlebury or Swan and finding a ton of space all night. The question is whether the Cats will be able to keep up with the Pies after their bye. I think either way, Jimmy will provide a solid captain’s score, he’s all heart this guy and will give his all to get the Cats over the line. I don’t think you can go wrong.

 

PAUL CHAPMAN VS COLLINGWOOD

DT: 92, 100, 107, 130, 152

SC: 71, 99, 114, 142, 160

Here’s another Cat that likes to play against the Pies. I for one was burnt on the weekend by Chappy, as I’m sure many others were. He’s been in blistering form to start the season, yet against North Melbourne on his home turf he turned in a miserly 76. I think Collingwood will take a good look at Chappy this time around, now that there’s no Ablett running around for Geelong, but I don’t think it will be a hard tag as such. I don’t think he’ll be given as much space as in previous encounters, but we also have to factor in that Collingwood is now a much better team. If you feel forgiving, Chapman isn’t a bad choice at all as he’s just as likely to pull out a 150 this week.

 

DANE SWAN VS GEELONG

DT: 141, 127, 94, 68, 112

SC: 141, 131, 106, 79, 116

What a disastrous round it was without the great man. Thank goodness he’s back (well, unless disaster strikes come Thursday night). Putting the ‘C’ straight back to Swan shouldn’t come without consideration though. In my opinion, having watched his last two games pretty closely, I don’t think he’s been quite right. In round four against the Tigers, young Jake Batchelor tackled Swan from behind (was an absolute ripper), and Dane didn’t get up too well. He seemed to have hurt his arm and I’ve noticed in his last two games he hasn’t been entering many packs or laying tackles. I might be totally over-analysing here, but he was definitely uncomfortable. The week off would’ve done him no harm, and I’m sure the Pies wouldn’t have risked him if he was seriously hurt. His last two games against the Cats have been superb and I don’t think Cameron Ling has the game anymore to run with Swan an entire game as he has done in years previous. Lock in Swanny for a big game this week I think!

 

BRENDON GODDARD

DT: 109, 146, 88, 124, 78

SC: 97, 133, 85, 143, 90

BJ’s going to cop it from all angles in the footy media this week unfortunately after his very lack lustre start to season 2011. One thing that champions do well however, is bounce back from adversity. He might have a little injury that’s worrying him I feel, but he’ll get up for this game, I have no doubt. His record is pretty healthy against the Hawks with a solid average of 109 in their past five encounters. Bare in mind, Goddard has only played the Hawks five times in six years. Make no mistake, for every negative article there is about BJ this week, lock in fifteen points to his score. Smash em’ buddy.

 

Joel Selwood vs Collingwood

DT: 100, 96, 96, 114, 93

SC: 83, 94, 83, 108, 101

 

Scott Pendlebury vs Geelong

DT: 113, 101, 81, 74, 108

SC: 113, 110, 96, 95, 141

 

Colin Sylvia vs North Melbourne (YUCK!)

DT: 87, 68, 81, 78, 91

SC: 76, 51, 92, 62, 94

 

Gary Ablett vs Adelaide

DT: 81, 92, 155, 78, 83

SC: 76, 115, 197, 91, 86

 

Brent Stanton vs Brisbane

DT: 89, 88, 73, 174, 98

SC: 91, 93, 78, 133, 106

 

Adam Goodes vs Port Adelaide

DT: 89, 97, 66, 65, 94

SC: 118, 111, 106, 95, 108

 

Jobe Watson vs Brisbane

DT: 58, 103, 128, 91, 98

SC: 81, 111, 117, 117, 91

 

Nick Riewoldt vs Hawthorn

DT: 90, 79, 126, 109, 114

SC: 106, 77, 139, 122, 95

 

Sam Mitchell vs St Kilda

DT: 95, 90, 117, 61, 59

SC: 85, 111, 143, 79, 54

 

Dean Cox vs Fremantle

DT: 79, 93, 103, 98, 96

SC: 94, 96, 72, 81, 86

 

Aaron Sandliands vs West Coast

DT: 89, 88, 116, 85, 57

SC: 58, 114, 136, 93, 77

 

Matthew Pavlich vs West Coast

DT: 98, 119, 136, 92, 96

SC: 93, 125, 130, 111, 124

 

David Mundy vs West Coast

DT: 80, 92, 62, 94, 78

SC: 106, 125, 64, 107, 113

 

Alan Didak vs Geelong

DT: 104, 128, 79, 86, 72

SC: 118, 137, 97, 59, 97

 

Brad Green vs North Melbourne

DT: 135, 114, 70, 86, 72

SC: 114, 100, 115, 93, 70

 

Ryan O’Keefe vs Port Adelaide

DT: 110, 108, 72, 86, 37

SC: 101, 100, 95, 123, 51

 

Leigh Montagna vs Hawthorn

DT: 68, 79, 114, 143, 80

SC: 49, 75, 125, 133, 80

 

Nick Dal Santo vs Hawthorn

DT: 85, 52, 131, 105, 65

SC: 77, 58, 158, 155, 67

 

Daniel Cross vs Richmond

DT: 100, 64, 115, 90, 111

SC: 127, 67, 116, 105, 129

 

Matthew Priddis vs Fremantle

DT: 101, 106, 107, 113, 90

SC: 139, 109, 116, 122, 75

 

Matthew Boyd vs Richmond

DT: 105, 97, 81, 106, 81

SC: 121. 112, 92, 93, 80