As we take one last glance at last week, the rounds top scorer was Port Adelaide skipper, Travis Boak. After a slow start to the year for Boak, he went bang with a huge score of 157 in his sides drubbing of the Lions. Matty Boyd (153) turned back the clock, gathering 39 touches. Steve Johnson (150) and Dayne Beams (145) were prolific while Sam Mitchell produced his best performance for 2014, returning 149 points.
Here are my captaincy selections for round 5!
Joel Selwood
Selwood has had an unbelievable start to the season and he has been a constant standout throughout the rivalry of Geelong and Hawthorn in recent years. He has cracked the ton in his last six encounters with the Hawks, equating to an average of 124 SC points a match. He is certainly one to consider for Monday’s blockbuster.
Trent Cotchin
Great players always bounce back, and Cotchin is a great player. Whether the tactics were fair or not, legal or otherwise, he had his colours lowered last week – as did his side. Cotchin has a strong record against the Lions and will be hungry to stamp himself upon every contest, he is definitely worth a loophole gamble later tonight.
Nick Riewoldt
What a star Riewoldt is, he simply just keeps producing year after year. With an average of 122 over the opening month, his form warrants attention. He is one to consider if you want someone unique and given he plays the night before Ablett, it brings the VC loophole into play.
Tom Rockliff
Another Thursday night loophole option here. Rockliff knows how to produce mammoth scores, he has already delivered a 155 this season. Last time he played the Tigers, he racked up 34 touches and 126 SC points, he is a fantasy favourite and should be in consideration when selecting your captain this week.
Finally, this week Shorty is bringing something new to the table. When it comes to your captain there are two obvious choices that everyone inevitably uses, whether it be through the vice-captain or the traditional ‘C’. They are Gary Ablett and Scott Pendlebury. Gaz is owned by 65% of all coaches while Pendles boasts 40%, with many opting to pay the big cash for both.
So from now on I’ll be looking at both their records against their upcoming opponent while giving my general thoughts of both these elite scorers for the round to come. As well as providing four alternative options as is the usual for this column – enjoy!
Ablett
Past 5 vs Melbourne – 67, 152, 165, 125, 138.
Yes you read that correctly – 67. Ablett’s worst score for the year and part of a three match period where he didn’t reach the 100 mark late in 2013. However, I'm sure that won’t scare anybody off, it is hard to go past the little master and given he plays on Sunday, it gives great versatility for our captaincy choices.
Pendlebury
Past 5 vs North Melbourne – 157, 160, 86, 160, 162
Pendlebury has an insatiable record against the Roos, with just the one 'down' game in amongst four 155+ scores! He was superb in the opening half against Richmond before cruising through after half-time. Is he carrying an ankle problem? A calf worry? Whatever it is, come game day he still delivers.
So who will you be whacking the VC and C on this week?