Weekly Wrap: Round 20 highs, lows and shocks

Well that’s all she wrote for 2020 NRL SuperCoach!

Firstly thank you to all the SC playbook readers, I hope you all enjoyed the content we produced this year including my weekly wrap ups that started with a one sentence comment about the game that led into an 1800 word recap that took far too long to produce!

I had an absolute ball able to recap the games with a light hearted look and hope you all can join up again next year, with the possibility of having the Overlord Tim Williams as Supercoach 2020 champion on board!

We won’t know until lockout is over, but I’ve done some sums and investigation and I can officially say that… I beat the Spy by about 500 points!! Thanks also to the Spy.

He was my punching bag for jokes this year and by hiding behind a pseudonym you get all that you deserve! Don’t forget you still owe me a steak dinner! 

Well done to all those head-to-head winners! I hope you were able to take home the bragging rights in your respective leagues. It was an effort just to field a team this week so hats off to you all.

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Broncos v Cowboys

We were able to witness something that hasn’t happened all year. Payne Haas scoring a try!

It was a dream start for owners of Haas who fell over the line in the fourth minute leaving us hoping that he might go large, but that’s about where it ended as he only finished the night with 55.

Not a great start alongside Kotoni Staggs who blew his knee out the poor bugger.

Thankfully owners of Pat Carrigan got a Pat Carrigan like performance, banging out a respectable 74. He’ll nearly be everyone’s first pick next year if he gets dual position status again.

Those who had to play the Hammer for one last week should have had about 100 extra points if he could stay onside and in the field of play!

Thankfully he found the line late and scraped to 30. In a week of teams with 16 players, 30 points is like a 70!

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Titans v Knights 

2021 is a tantalising prospect for anyone. Just to get this year over but gee I’m looking forward to watching the Titans next year!

AJ Brimson is an out and out star of the game and he showed it on Friday night.

96 points in a performance that all but got him a spot in the Maroons side for game 1.

The FLB position looks tasty next year with the likes of Papy, Teddy, Turbo, Ponga, DWZ and now Brimson!

For Newcastle is was another inept performance and one that should have them worried.

Ponga just had no answers and couldn’t break through the Titans defence. One last great captaincy choice from yours truly as 29 times 2 is 58..

The Knights were bashed in the forward pack with D Saifiti non-existent for his 20.

Kurt Mann owners were given one last solid performance as he finished the year with a 70 and unofficially one of the SuperCoach players of the year.

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Rabbits v Roosters

I’m not sure where to start with this wrap up but what a performance from the Rabbits!

They collectively scored 1199 points which I’m guessing is a Supercoach record, but the night belonged to Cody Walker who knocked off James Tedesco as the single highest scoring SuperCoach match of all-time! 203 points in a near flawless performance, he played like an NRL auditor.

The Roosters didn’t want to go near him!! I haven’t seen the Roosters edge get torn apart like that for a long while and Walker may have single handedly ended the Roosters premiership hopes. It’s hard to come back after a thumping like that! 

Johnston, Reynolds, Allan and Murray all joined Walker in breaking the triple figure mark, with Murray finally coming good for owners all be it about 10 rounds too late.

Friday was only his second 100+ performance of the year, with the other coming against the Chooks in Round 3! 

20 rounds. 160 odd games of footy and our SuperCoach season came down to either owning Walker or not.. I started the year with him.. just didn’t end it with him! 

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Bulldogs v Panthers

Thankfully Ivan Cleary didn’t follow suit and rest all 18 of these Panthers players enabling most of us to have a somewhat respectable side.

Jarome Luai continued his blistering late season form and all but wrapped up head-to-head matchups for those who played him.

Luai incredibly was the season’s highest scoring five-eighth and had finished his last six matches with an average of a tick over 90!

He should also go home with the Dally M for Five-Eighth of the year! Cleary was underwhelming but appeared to just want to get through this match without a problem.

To’o and Mansour found the line again unsurprisingly catching the Bulldogs short and my favourite ever dual position player Daine Laurie – available at CTW and FRF, played fullback on the weekend – work that one out and scored 71! 

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Sharks v Raiders

With the Raiders resting all their SuperCoach stars and the Sharks having no SuperCoach relevant players after Toby Rudolf was ruled out, it had little to no bearing on any matches for the weekend which was great as I really haven’t been able to enjoy a game without worrying about players for a long long time!

If the Overlord had any heart he would have traded his brother in for this game which would have paid off nicely as Sam Williams finished with 73 in his captaincy debut.

It could be a hell of a weekend in the Williams household if the Overlord gets the job done.. I wonder if their eldest brother – the Dean Waugh of the siblings – had a weekend as good as his brothers?

One last word on Tommy Starling. What a star! The Raiders will probably have Hodgson back 100% for next year but if that’s not the case for any reason, he has to be in your side! He scored 157 on Saturday night and is getting better and better every week.

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Tigers v Eels

Well I do have to admit to being wrong here as I quoted a few weeks ago David Nofoaluma was fixture proof.

Two weeks straight of below par scores was a disappointing end to the year’s best CTW.

However, he still managed over 50 following updates, freak!

Scores were pretty solid for the blue and gold side with Junior Paulo finally coming good after about six weeks of rubbish.

He finished with an even 100 and Matterson with 71. Moses finished a disappointing year with 67 and dropped $150k from his starting price! I’d like to buy him at my price and sell him at his.. 

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Warriors v Sea Eagles

It was a tough year for this poor Sea Eagle! Much like my own SuperCoach season, a couple of good rounds and just nothing for the last 10 weeks!

With both teams looking forward to breaking the bubble there was never going to be much tackling done and the score line showed.

DCE or Jake Turbo didn’t have the game that owners would have needed come the second last matchup of the year.

As for the Warriors, what a season! They showed that class isn’t all that is needed at clubs. It’s effort and lots of it. 

Tohu Harris and Jazz Tevaga had a somewhat disappointing end to the year. Unless Tevaga gets 60+ minutes next year and doesn’t get injured he is a must but if that’s not the case it will be a watch and see. 

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Dragons v Storm

A few out there would have been watching Zac Lomax very carefully. Owners would have been praying for a performance just like last week and non-owners one like the week before!

He was great again and finishes the year as the second highest scoring CTW as he notched up 88 points. He looks a lock for sides next year. 

Cam McInnes rounded out the year with a massive 14  without a try! He did set a couple up but as a dual position player averaging 75 he has all but cemented his spot in a number of sides next year. A well deserved Origin call up too!