A captain choice is a pivotal cog in any sporting team, but in a SuperCoach team, the captain is arguably just as important. The captain is a player selection that needs to be nailed with perfection, so that your team can soar to SuperCoach stardom. This is why Lineball has decided to construct a list of some of the main captain options heading into the 2024 SuperCoach season.
Within this list I have a set criteria that I will follow, which involves:
CBA numbers
120+ scoring power
Bye rounds
Early fixture (first 6 rounds)
Marcus Bontempelli $724k
The Bont is one of the greats in SuperCoach history, as he has shown undeniable scoring power through the years, thus pushing his price tag to its new extraordinary height of $724k. Regardless of his price, many coaches will pick solely as a captain choice, due to his consistency last season. Bontempelli was able to score 120+ fifteen times across 2023, with an average of 81% CBA's. The Dogs fixture is favourable as well, with no opening round early bye and no bye until round 15. His only downsides coming with ankle surgery over the summer and possible integration as a part-time forward, which has been spotted by eagle-eyed fans in pre-season training.
Tim English $715k
Another Western Bulldog that has shown incredible scoring prowess in recent seasons is young gun ruck, Tim English. Just like the Bont, English amassed fifteen 120+ scores across 2023, with a season average of 128. He is also the only other player to be priced in the $700k range, alongside the Dogs captain. The fixture (Rucks specifically) isn't ideal for English in the first six rounds, as he comes up against the Dees (Gawn) and the Suns (Witts) in the opening two rounds, who are both typically tough matchups. Despite this, Tim English is in the prime of his career at 26 years old and still has all the capabilities to provide captain scores throughout 2024.
Nick Daicos $650k
The undeniable Daicos has been mentioned plenty of times across Lineball posts, but that will not be enough to keep him out of the captaincy conversation. Daicos managed twelve 120+ scores with an average of 116.3 SC, from 20 rounds. This includes an injury-hampered 41, which brought Daicos' average to a sudden halt. The Rising Star had lower CBA numbers than most gun midfielders (42% average), but this is due to his rotation between inside mid and half-back, which still warrants incredible scoring. The Pies early fixture is tough for Daicos, as he faces Sydney, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide in the first six rounds. All of these clubs have attempted to tag him in the past, with Hawthorn succeeding when utilizing Finn Maginness. Collingwood also have two byes due to opening round, so owners will miss him in round 5. With all that being said, Daicos is still an incredible scorer and can easily supply numerous 120+ scores as your captain.
Christian Petracca $667k
Petracca is coming off his best season in SuperCoach last year, averaging 119.5 SC and scoring the third most points in the game. Petracca was a picture of consistency in 2023, with 95 being his lowest score of the year. His scoring did improve slightly when Oliver was out of the Dees team, as two of his lowest scores (97, 97) came when Oliver was in the side. He still compiled eleven 120+ scores, which is impressive considering he can have spurts in the forward line. The Dees have a couple of tough games in Hawthorn (Maginness tag) and Port Adelaide (Drew tag) early in the season, alongside a round 6 bye. Christian Petracca could turn out to be an interesting captain option if Clayton Oliver is out, but his promise might already be hindered by the fixture.
Rory Laird $653k
Rory Laird was a popular starting pick in 2023, with coaches wanting those guaranteed captain scores each week. That is when the infamous round 1 came along and surprised everyone, as Laird only managed 50 SC against the Giants. Many decided to captain him that round, which resulted in many frustrated owners and no doubt some rage trades. But Laird quickly changed things, restoring his scoring power back to what it was and eclipsing the 100 mark seventeen times for the season. He also returned ten 120+ scores for the year, pushing his season average to 116.9 SC. His CBA numbers remained healthy at a 79% average, whilst playing alongside both Jordan Dawson and Matt Crouch. The Crows have a nice fixture early, with no glaring opposition that use taggers or run with players, just a tough contested Carlton team in the opening six rounds. Adelaide also have no round zero bye, making Laird a strong captain choice for the early stages of 2024.
Luke Davies-Uniacke $635k
LDU was a beacon of hope in a lackluster North team that languished down in the bottom two. He produced a 143 and 155 SC to start the season, exciting coaches for what was to come, before being a late withdrawal from round three with calf tightness. He returned to mark his career best average of 113.6 SC, with eight 120+ scores from only 14 matches. His CBA numbers were also the highest amongst all North Melbourne players, with an average of 81%. The Roos early fixture is fairly mediocre, with imposing matchups against Carlton and Hawthorn (Maginness tag). But they do have the advantage of no round zero bye, which could make LDU's stocks rise. His only main issue is durability, which he has faced in every year of his career, but there is significant promise that shows he could be the no.1 mid in SuperCoach.
Zak Butters $636k
Butters had somewhat of a breakout season in 2023, as he made a significant Brownlow push and improved another 17.6 points on his previous best SuperCoach average. As both he and Port Adelaide stocks skyrocketed, Butters' ceiling became more apparent, as he amassed nine 120+ scores. This also came after a slower start to the season for the young bull, as he posted scores of 101, 67, 79 and 89 from a starting position of half forward, which clearly limited his scoring output. From then on Butters began to feature heavily in Port's midfield, averaging 67% CBA's from round 5 and 62% CBA's for the season. There is reason to believe that this number could rise further, as Butters is only 23 years old. The Power have a great first six rounds for Butters, as they face the Eagles in round 1, no glaring teams that tag and Melbourne who Butters famously tore apart for a giant score of 184 SC. Port also have no round zero bye, as well as arguably the best bye in round 13, in which they only share with Fremantle.
Tom Green $621k
A huge factor in the Giants' unexpected finals push in 2023 came from their other Green machine, Tom Green. Green was all class in 2023 with an average of 111.2 SC, as well as a final four round average of 129.75 SC. He also managed seven 120+ scores in 2023, which could have easily been added to if not for his four missed games, due to injury and suspension. His CBA numbers were also as good as any on this list with an 84% average, alongside only five matches where he dropped below 80% for the season. The Giants opening round bye (Round 3) is his main negative, otherwise his opponents in North Melbourne and West Coast in the first two rounds look super appealing.
I thank you all again for reading and best of luck heading into the 2024 SuperCoach season.
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