Calvin’s Captains – Rd. 23

Arrgggg welcome my scaly wagging seamen! Check out my work from last week.

LAST WEEKS TOP 5

Dane Swan 119
Scott Pendlebury 94
Matthew Boyd 123
Scott Thompson 151
Gary Ablett 142

Solid effort really. Would have been great if Ablett and Thomo were higher up the list but overall we must always be happy if our captain cracks the 110 mark. This week we are after something massive from our captains to get us over the line with just 2 weeks to go.

For Just 2.7% of my Audience

The other 97.3% of you who aren’t Brent Stanton owners… skip forward to the next part cause this is only directed at the 2.7% of DT coaches who own Brent Stanton, a guy who should kill Port this week. Stants has averaged 124 over the last 5 weeks and has previous scores of 102 and 122 Vs the Power. He averages 126 at Etihad in his last 3 games there and is coming off a massive 153pts in his very last game under the roof. If you are a lucky owner, consider him this week as your opponent will most likely not have him.

When to Risk it?

Do you go against the flow and pick a captain that your opponent will not?

This is a question I often get asked through twitter town (@CalvinDT) and I always answer the same way… Will you beat your opponent this week if you match their captain and is your team better? If the answer is… “No, I have no chance of winning” then go against the grain and pick a ‘roughie’ to go against their ‘Swan’. DT is a funny game, if Swan tweaks an ankle after 20secs (heaven forbid) then you’re back in with a chance. But as I know… predicting injuries are tough, so just pick your best dude and see how the weekend rolls out… or be bold bald!

After a baldman to be your captain this week then consider these two guns. Scott Thompson had an amazing 51d last week against the Suns for 151pts and has a CRAZY GOOD record against his opponent this week in Richmond. With previous scores of 122, 121, 124, 115 and 129 in his last 5 against them he must be on your radar this week. His highest score is just 104 at AAMI in his last 4 games there but this doesn’t bother me too much. Richmond suck and Thomo is on fire and has a record to match it.

Then we have the other bald nut… Gary Ablett. He had 142pts last week against the Crows and averages 122 in his last 3 games this year. He scored 124 in his last game against the Demons and has 4×100+ scores on them in his last 5 games against them. Ablett has not played at the MCG this year but loves the big stage. In 2010, he averaged 132 there as a Cat and I’m tipping him to carve Melbourne to bits!

Swanny at the Playground

Yep, this week our beloved Dane Swan travels to Paterson Playground and with 131 and 158 there in his last 2 games… things might just get nasty. As we all know, the big fella has been in ripping form recently with a lowest score of just 118 in his last 5 games this year and carries a record against the Dockers that has DT coaches extra excited this week. With previous scores of 131, 158, 72, 122 and 150 you see what I mean. Even with that yucky 72 in there, he still averages 127 over this 5 game period. Crowley is still tagging for the Dockers but failing to do the job on our stars like he has done in the past. Daniel Wells had 115pts on him last week and therefore he’s not even an issue of concern. Last week in that game, the Kangaroos had 7×100+ scores on Freo and I’m thinking all the arrows are pointing at Swanny this week with a few pointing towards the 150+ mark as well!

Ok… Very Quickly

Matthew Boyd – Had 119 on the Hawks earlier this year and had 121 and 154 before that and after averaging 121 in his last 3 games this year, he looks very promising.
Dean Cox – Had just 86 and 52 on Brisbane in 2010 and this week against the inform Leuenberger he might find it difficult.
Nick Dal Santo – Had 31d (120) on the Roos in Rd. 15 this year and is going for his 10^th straight 100+ this week and his 6^th straight 100+ at Etihad. Should be good, but for some reason I have a bad feeling. That might bite me…
Sam Mitchell – Has a low of just 110 at the MCG in his last 6 games there and was one of 10 Hawks who had 100+ on the Bulldogs in Rd. 10 this year. Scored 128 and 112 on them in 2010 and after averaging 118 in his last 3 this year, he should be on your radar for sure.
Scott Pendlebury – His 117 on the Dockers in his last game was his highest and only 100+ score on them in his career of 5 games. Had 94 last week, averaging 107 in his last 3 for 2011. Not overly impressive.
Joel Selwood – 92, 111 and 107 are his last 3 scores Vs the Swans but is back at Skilled Stadium where he has had his 2 biggest scores for 2011 in his last 2 games (135, 178). Look out!