first bounce of 2014 and the final pieces of our SuperCoach puzzle fall into
place, getting your season off to the perfect start with the perfect skipper
will be the cherry on top.
We do have a split round to kick things off, but also the rolling
lockout will allow us to use the captaincy loophole once again. For those not
familiar or unsure on the concept, here is a basic outline of the
“loophole”.
The rolling lockout simply gives you two cracks at picking your captain with a slight element of risk; you can implore it anytime now. In past years this was only relevant with a Thursday match with a partial lockout etc. In order to reap the rewards you can have two players from your
side, let’s say Pendlebury and Cotchin, that you think will explode on the
weekend, the one who is playing first (e.g. Pendles), put him as your vice
captain. Here’s the slight risk, you bring onto the ground someone who you know
will score zero (ideally R4) and put him as your captain for
now.
If Pendlebury goes bang and racks up 150, leave this set-up and given your captain is a non-scorer, Pendlebury will bring you in 300 points. Otherwise if he gets you a decent score of 90-110 but you want more, you simply move the ‘C’ onto Cotchin. Of course you must have your scorer who is now on the bench as emergency, with the slight risk of a late out. Hence I
suggest using this with your ruck stocks.
Now onto the first edition of Shorty’s Skippers for 2014, this year
“Ablett watch” has been scrapped (for now), while again I will look to put in
the occasional smokey. Given the split round, this week’s selections will be for
this weekend only, so many may well be loophole options prior to round one
concluding next week. Here’s to another great year of fantasy football!
Aaron Sandilands
What a pre-season Sandilands has had, he may well be the bargain of the
year. He monstered All-Australian ruckman Will Minson a couple of weeks ago and
now as the real stuff rolls round, he faces seven-gamer Brodie Grundy. Sandi is
well worth the punt with the ‘VC’ on a Friday night, he could produce a mammoth score.
Dane Swan
The once ever-popular fantasy gun has now become the forgotten Swan.
With coaches flocking to Dayne Beams and Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan bodes as a
huge POD for any team. While Crowley will surely go to the skipper, Swan’s
average against the Dockers in recent years certainly draws its own attention.
In his past four matches he has averaged 34 touches and an impressive 125 SC
points, if you have him he is one to consider.
Josh Kennedy
Kennedy has owned the battle of the bridge, proving seemingly
unstoppable against the young Giants. In the clubs four meetings, he is yet to
drop under the three figure mark while dominating the contested ball. Kennedy’s
average of 129 speaks for itself; expect more of the same from
JPK.
Gary Ablett
A no brainer really, whacking the ‘C’ on Gaz has become so familiar in
recent years, it doesn’t need much explaining. His scintillating pre-season
scores dismiss any doubt about a move forward or a slow start. Lock him
in.
Trent Cotchin
Another pre-season flyer, Cotchin looks to be back to his 2012 form,
which is music to any SuperCoach’s ears. Cotchin has only played the Suns twice,
but he has delivered on each occasion, returning scores of 109 and 141.
Certainly one to consider in what will be a huge match for both
clubs.