Squad Breakdown: Team insights, Round 9

2020 NRL SuperCoach runner-up Tim Williams analyses all the key SuperCoach ins and outs following the release of Round 9 teams.

Squad Breakdown

It’s a really exciting year for SuperCoach, and we can thank the quicker game for it.

Past years have seen SuperCoach teams become far too similar from very early stages of the season, but with the high scoring individual efforts we’re witnessing there is a need to nail players with friendly draws.

It’s seeing positions like fullback and 5/8 blown wide option with a plethora of options, while the hooking role is becoming a little less base reliant and more focused on those playing for sides with momentum through the middle (leading to easy attacking stats).

It’s enjoyable and makes it far more appealing to cheer on players that aren’t all owned by 85% of active SuperCoaches.

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Unfortunately it’s not helping the Cooma Stallions who notched 1,241 points in Round 8 only to drop to 9k overall, brutal!

It started on Thursday night with Cody Walker sizzling as my POD 5/8, only to be undone by Cam Murray’s injury that saw him play just 17 minutes.

SuperCoach luck comes in waves, so enjoy it while it’s on! I certainly wasn’t the only one to cop injuries on a tough week for many.

Let’s see if we can find some form in Round 9, here’s the teams.

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RABBITOHS v STORM

Thursday, 7.50pm, Stadium Australia, Sydney

Rabbitohs: 1. Alex Johnston 2. Steven Marsters 3. Dane Gagai 4. Braidon Burns 5. Taane Milne 6. Cody Walker7. Benji Marshall 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Damien Cook 10. Tevita Tatola 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jai Arrow

Bench: 14. Mark Nicholls 15. Liam Knight 16. Jacob Host 17. Patrick Mago

Reserves: 18. Jed Cartwright 19. Hame Sele 20. Troy Dargan 21. Dean Hawkins

Analysis: It’s a new look Bunnies side with injuries hitting the club hard.

Campbell Graham is out for a decent chunk of games and is a sell. Cody Walker again looked great in the absence of Latrell Mitchell, setting up three tries against the Raiders for 89 points.

He’s averaging a very solid 74PPG and in a show of his consistency he has a low score this season of 57.

The big score has eluded him though which isn’t far off, however the might of Melbourne will likely restrict him this week.

With no Round 13 coverage and a tough upcoming run I wouldn’t be buying, but he’s a safe hold for owners.

Damien Cook has six scores under 56 this season (including four of his last five), and two tons.

He’s been disappointing this season and is a sell to a hooker with early bye coverage, but there’s probably no real need to do before Round 13 if you have more pressing issues.

He has an attainable breakeven of 87 by his standards so there’s no urgency in the sell, and he may rediscover some SuperCoach form in the meantime.

Just as Cam Murray hits his straps he gets injured, a huge blow for owners as he looked a great POD.

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With news he’ll be out for around 3/4 weeks, then Origin duties, he’s a sell. 

Keaon Koloamantagi has hit his straps big time with 83 points against the Raiders giving him a 3RA of 78.3.

He has a -40 breakeven and the injury to Murray should only help solidify his minutes.

I won’t be buying, but congrats to anyone who does own.

Murray’s injury makes Jai Arrow an extremely interesting prospect at just $398k.

Expect his minutes to jump significantly as starting lock where he can regain SuperCoach gun status.

With a breakeven of 43 he’s probably a wait and watch for a week, especially with a tough game against the Storm who stifle SC scoring, but Murray/Condon/Wilton owners will be tempted.

He’s averaged just 42MPG this season and is a gun of the past. I’m very interested.

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Storm: 1. Nicho Hynes 2. George Jennings 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Harry Grant 10. Christian Welch 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Brandon Smith

Bench: 14. Dale Finucane 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Reserves: 18. Dean Ieremia 19. Chris Lewis 20. Ryley Jacks 21. Aaron Pene

Still no Ryan Papenhuyzen, huge news for SuperCoach. It’s a cruel blow for his owners, while those who jumped on Nicho Hynes last week will be elated.

Reimis Smith has found form with five tries in his past two games to record back-to-back tons.

He’s $465k and has a -60 breakeven with Round 13 bye coverage, so there’s a case to be made.

Beware though, he already has four scores under 33 this season so there’s big risk associated, although he’ll make serious coin regardless.

Harry Grant got his first start of the season playing 69 minutes for 102 points.

He’s a great target as many will hold the likes of Brailey/Mahoney for early bye coverage.

While Grant will be missing over Origin, he could punch out monster points in the meantime.

With a breakeven of 88 there’s no urgency on the trade from a financial perspective, but you’d nearly expect Grant to hit that anyway so there’s no harm at all in going this week.

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PANTHERS v SHARKS

Friday, 6pm, BlueBet Stadium, Penrith

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Charlie Staines 3. Stephen Crichton 4. Matt Burton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Api Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Isaah Yeo

Bench: 14. Tyrone May 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Matthew Eisenhuth 17. Liam Martin

Reserves: 18. Scott Sorensen 19. J’Maine Hopgood 20. Robert Jennings 21. Mitch Kenny

Analysis: Kurt Capewell has been named to start in huge news for his owners with other injuries to deal with this week.

This certainly doesn’t mean he’s locked in to play, but at least we’ll know early in the round.

With three scores under 44 and five under 52 this season and Origin looming he is a decent trade anyway I think as an anti-POD play.

There’s decent value in him at $482k so look to move him on in coming weeks regardless.

Depending on the results of the injury as the week unfold, Liam Martin is a sneaky option who will play Round 13. But Capewell being named probably ruins this.

There’s not too much more to be said about Brian To’o in this analysis, just make sure you own him at all costs.

While a big chance, he’s far from locked into a wing spot for Origin so he may even provide Round 13 coverage.

Stephen Crichton scored 41 against Manly with a try and doesn’t have a score over 65 this year, yuck. 

At $382k there’s nothing to be gained in trading, I’d just hold him as a fifth CTW and play against friendly opposition until he makes some value as a trade.

He’ll also play Round 13, so look to sell after that.

With back-to-back scores of 57 and 65 Jarome Luai has a breakeven of 109 and may be set for price drops, although he could easily hit that this week.

As a non-owner, I’m eyeing off in Round 13 should he miss Origin selection. 

Both he and Nathan Cleary are strong captaincy options this week.

He’s $347k and plays Round 13. Last season he averaged 55PPG in 75MPG, so as a potential 80 minute player he could make serious coin before being traded after that first bye round. Let’s wait for further news on Capewell though.

There’s a lot of chat around James Fisher-Harris, I’m not sold.

He has a 3RA of just 56PPG and likely played a few extra minutes on the weekend with Capewell injured.

While a very strong workhorse, he has a poor ceiling in SuperCoach with one score of 75 this season, a 90 which included a try-assist and line-assist.

He averaged 59PPG last season which is below SC gun status, although the Round 13 coverage is tempting.

While obviously some risk involved, you have an 80 minute stud in TPJ available at an affordable rate also with early bye coverage and a monster ceiling!

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Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Mawene Hiroti 3. Will Chambers 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Connor Tracey 6. Shaun Johnson 7. Chad Townsend 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Toby Rudolf

Bench: 14. Braydon Trindall 15. Teig Wilton 16. Jack Williams 17. Billy Magoulias

Reserves: 18. Matt Moylan 19. Josh Dugan 20. Franklin Pele 21. Jenson Taumoepeau

Analysis: Not a lot of note at Cronulla, especially now that Teig Wilton has peaked at a $165k profit with a breakeven of 50.

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EELS v ROOSTERS

Friday, 7.55pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Tom Opacic 4. Marata Niukore 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Ryan Matterson 13. Nathan Brown

Bench: 14. Oregon Kaufusi 15. Shaun Lane 16. Haze Dunster 17. Bryce Cartwright

Reserves: 18. Joey Lussick 19. Keegan Hipgrave 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Jordan Rankin

Analysis: Congrats to new (and old) owners of King Gutho who is now the second top scoring player in SuperCoach and number one at fullback.

He belted the Dogs for 140 points and now averages 89.5PPG.

He’s risen to $772k and has a breakeven of 10. While I think the ship has probably sailed at the price, that probable Round 13 coverage is very enticing.

He’s had a decent run of late, can he keep it up against the Roosters? It’ll be great to watch having now scored three straight tons.

The Eels face the Warriors, Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs after this week so the run is decent.

This season is fast becoming a case of those who brought Isaiah Papali’i and those who didn’t.

Sadly I’m in the latter grouping and it’s a killer. He’s the third top-scoring player of the season.

He kept his starting role with the return of Ryan Matterson which was great news for owners, however we didn’t find out if he’ll play the full 80 as Nathan Brown went down injured early on.

To be honest I don’t think it matters too much if he plays 60-65 anyway, gun!

I keep saying the ship has sailed at $760k as the attacking stats have to drop off at some point, but that line is getting old as Big Papa continues to go from strength-to-strength.

Blake Ferguson hasn’t seen much quality ball in recent weeks with Maika Sivo getting it all.

With a breakeven of 68 some may be tempted to sell, but Parra’s nice run is way too hard to pass up, then he’ll play Round 13.

I’m holding, then will likely move on after that.

On Sivo, he backed up his huge ton with a 99 against the Dogs. With the Eels seemingly favouring the left edge more he’s a big trade in option.

At $567k he’s pretty expensive, but he has a breakeven of -47, so even if he does flop he should make money through till Round 13 where you can reassess.

He does have three scores under 35 this season, so it’s a bit of risk v reward, but the reward is very high with Sivo.

Junior Paulo, what happened mate? 29 points against the Dogs! He played just 43 minutes and hasn’t played over 50 in his last three games.

He has three offloads in his past four games, awful. I can’t advise the sell at just $424k as there’s a SuperCoach stud in him, but boy is he battling.

With a breakeven of 125, Ryan Matterson will be well under $600k and will be a huge trade in option in a few week’s time if he gets through unscathed.

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Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Josh Morris 4. Joseph Manu 5. Matt Ikuvalu 6. Drew Hutchinson 7. Sam Walker 8. Isaac Liu 9. Ben Marschke 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Angus Crichton 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley

Bench: 14. Adam Keighran 15. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 16. Fletcher Baker 17. Daniel Suluka-Fifita

Reserves: 18. Egan Butcher 19. Naufahu Whyte 20. Lachlan Lam 21. Joseph Suaalii

Analysis: James Tedesco returns thankfully, let’s see if the guy who was the undisputed king of SuperCoach just a month back can repay the faith of those who held.

Thanks to the brilliant Sam Walker, Daniel Tupou has found his try-scoring form to post consecutive scores of 102 and 78.

Walker’s cut ball to him is magic. At $504k with a breakeven of 6 he’s a huge POD play at just 2% ownership with a terrific run of games against the Cowboys and Broncos to follow the Eels.

Walker scored 163 against the Knights. He has already made $321k and is now at $494k with a breakeven of -109, my word!

The only downside is that the halfback picture is pretty well locked and loaded for the season with he and Nathan Cleary.

Shaun Johnson is the only player I can really see threatening that combo down the track.

Sitili Tupouniua remains affordable at $419k with a -4 breakeven, but he’ll miss a week due to suspension.

Siosiua Taukeiaho returned from injury in decent fashion with 60 points in 45 minutes.

With Lindsay Collins gone for the season it should see his minutes rise, making him a hold for the time being.

Once again, it’s amazing how much can change in one week in SuperCoach. Walker is now the fulltime goal-kicker which hurts, but a big minute TKO is still rock solid.

Matt Ikuvalu becomes an interesting option coming onto the right wing where Brett Morris has scored 11 tries this season.

He’s $486k at 0% ownership making him a super POD play, although he won’t play Round 13.

With a breakeven of 96 the trade can wait a week till the draw opens up as he drops in price.

He averaged 58PPG in 71MPG last season, including a high score of 172 when scoring five tries against the Cowboys.

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RAIDERS v KNIGHTS

Saturday, 3pm, McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga

Raiders: 1. Caleb Aekins 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Sebastian Kris 4. Curtis Scott 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. George Williams 8. Josh Papalii 9. Tom Starling 10. Emre Guler 11. Corey Harawira-Naera 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Ryan Sutton

Bench: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Hudson Young 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Joe Tapine

Reserves: 18. Sam Williams 19. Ryan James 20. Matt Timoko 21. Dunamis Lui

Analysis: Not much at all happening in the land of the Green Machine SuperCoach-wise.

Corey Harawira-Naera adds to the list of extremely intriguing mid-range back-row options that have emerged from nowhere this week.

He has two 80 minute starts in recent weeks for scores of 45 and 65. He’s just $302k with a breakeven of 0 and has a strong SuperCoach pedigree.

He averaged 60PPG back in 2019 in a lacklustre Dogs outfit with a few big scores to his name over the years.

He has a very SuperCoach friendly game and could make serious cash, but how much can we trust Canberra’s forward rotation?

The side are out of form and have plenty of depth in the forwards. Look no further than Kiwi international Joe Tapine averaging well under 40MPG in the past three weeks off the bench, and that’s without Josh Papalii on the weekend past.

Add in the form of Hudson Young and it’s a tough call to make.

Ryan James has been dropped from the 17.

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Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Brayden Musgrove 3. Enari Tuala 4. Bradman Best 5. Hymel Hunt 6. Kurt Mann 7. Phoenix Crossland 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Connor Watson

Bench: 14. Sauaso Sue 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Brodie Jones 17. Pasami Saulo

Reserves: 18. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 19. Starford To’a 20. Josh King 21. Tex Hoy

Analysis: Kalyn Ponga owners, relax! Many brought him in last week as a POD option instead of Tommy Turbo, I’ve legit seen people wanting to sell him this week, talk about short memories!

It was against a rampant Roosters outfit who are very tough to score against.

Just two weeks ago he smashed out 163 points. He put 159 on the Raiders in Canberra last season and that was in the first game he played under the new rules.

He’ll pay you back before Origin comes around.

Bradman Best is $509k with a breakeven of 76. I’m very strongly considering bringing him in next week as Round 13 coverage and upcoming games against the Tigers, Sea Eagles and Cowboys.

He’s a base stat beast for a CTW with huge upside, and he’s playing on Ponga’s preferred left edge. Exciting! I may even bite the bullet and go a week early as a direct replacement for Capewell.

I’ve spoken at depth too often about Jayden Brailey and Mitch Barnett who I think are holds through till they play Round 13.

Connor Watson is much the same who knocked out 59 in just 47 minutes. I sold a few weeks back, but he’s fine to hold, however there’s a very close watch on minutes in coming weeks.

I suspect with the blowout score line and his injury history they played cautiously with the early rest on the weekend.

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TIGERS v TITANS

Saturday, 5.30pm, Campbelltown Sports Stadium

Tigers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Joey Leilua 4. Moses Mbye 5. Zac Cini 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Luke Brooks 8. James Tamou 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Alex Twal 11. Luke Garner 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Joe Ofahengaue

Bench: 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Stefano Utoikamanu 16. Alex Seyfarth 17. Thomas Mikaele

Reserves: 18. Michael Chee-Kam 19. Zane Musgrove 20. Tom Amone 21. Shawn Blore

Analysis: Daine Laurie finally broke through with what will be the first of many tons against the Dragons. He’s a hold through till Round 13.

David Nofoaluma isn’t getting the same quality ball as he did last year.

He has an average of just 57PPG this season (only bad by his lofty standards), and has a breakeven of 102.

He should be under $500k in a week or two and will be a prime pickup for Round 13.

I’m not convinced he’s a buy at the moment though. Keep a close eye on whether or not the Tigers can better utilise him in the next few rounds.

Jake Simpkin wasn’t great with just 37 points in a concerning 57 minutes.

The good news though is that the Tigers put in one of their best performances of the season in the win over the Dragons.

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Owners need him playing 55+ minutes in Round 13 to get their value alongside the obvious cash generation.

If they start losing, his position will be on shaky ground. So far so good, but unless he returns to big minutes he’s not as safe a play in 17s as we’d anticipated.

Moses Mbye starts at centre this week, meaning Jacob Liddle comes onto the bench and will likely steal 30 odd minutes.

Adam Doueihi remains a POD option at 2% ownership with upcoming games against the Titans, Knights, Warriors and Dragons before playing an Origin affected Panthers in Round 13.

However, with his availability at 5/8-FLB I think there’s better options in far superior teams who have greater point scoring potential.

Debutant Zach Cini impressed on debut with 59 points and could be a valuable buy ahead of Round 13 at bottom dollar if he can hold a spot in the top grade.

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Titans: 1. AJ Brimson 2. Anthony Don 3. Brian Kelly 4. Beau Fermor 5. Phillip Sami 6. Ash Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Mitch Rein 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. Kevin Proctor 12. David Fifita 13. Tyrone Peachey

Bench: 14. Moeaki Fotuaika 15. Herman Ese’ese 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Erin Clark

Reserves: 18. Sam McIntyre 19. Tanah Boyd 20. Jayden Campbell 21. Esan Marsters

Analysis: Apologies to David Fifita owners (aka everyone in SuperCoach), who had his lowest score of the season on the week I brought him in.

He hardly touched the ball and still managed 66 points though in a show of his safety as a skipper option each week.

Despite only playing 52 minutes, Tyrone Peachey still scored well for back-to-back 80s.

Corey Thompson had plenty of new owners last week and was injured early on in a huge blow.

He’s out for an extended period and must be sold. Brian Kelly couldn’t get in on the scoring action against the Broncos, notching just 34 points to now sit at $444k.

He’s averaging just 50PPG this year and will need to start to deliver far more to gain my attention prior to Round 13.

You’d expect Esan Marsters is a big chance to replace Beau Fermor at centre come kick off.

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COWBOYS v BRONCOS

Saturday, 7.35pm, QCB Stadium, Townsville

Cowboys: 1. Valentine Holmes 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Javid Bowen 4. Connelly Lemuelu 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Scott Drinkwater 7. Jake Clifford 8. Coen Hess 9. Reece Robson 10. Jordan McLean 11. Shane Wright 12. Ben Condon 13. Jason Taumalolo

Bench: 14. Jake Granville 15. Lachlan Burr 16. Francis Molo 17. Corey Jensen

Reserves: 18. Peter Hola 19. Mitch Dunn 20. Tom Gilbert 21. Kane Bradley

Analysis: Val Holmes managed a decent 62 points in a beaten side.

At 9% ownership he remains an excellent POD with a fairly nice upcoming draw against the Broncos, Roosters, Knights and Warriors.

Ben Condon can be sold having made owners $164k. With a breakeven of 48 he can be moved on this week or next depending on how many issues your side has.

Jason Taumalolo scored just 39 points in 44 minutes on return from injury, leaving him with a breakeven of 158.

When fitness, form and minutes return, he’ll remind us very quickly how much of a SuperCoach superstar he is.

I’m tipping him to be the most traded in player in Round 14 at a dirt cheap price.

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Broncos: 1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Xavier Coates 3. Herbie Farnworth 4. Jesse Arthurs 5. Corey Oates 6. Anthony Milford 7. Tyson Gamble 8. Matt Lodge 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Jordan Riki 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. Pat Carrigan

Bench: 14. Danny Levi 15. Thomas Flegler 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Rhys Kennedy

Reserves: 18. Dale Copley 19. Brendan Piakura 20. Tesi Niu 21. John Asiata

Analysis: Jamayne Isaako, take a bow. He’s proving all the doubters who claimed he was a specialist winger very wrong, including yours truly.

After a slow start to the game, he was exceptional and at one point appeared only one or two major attacking stats away from breaking the SuperCoach record with about 15-20 minutes to play. 

He finished with 156 points to take his season average to 70PPG. He’s at $503k with a breakeven of 2 and plays Round 13.

While enticing, don’t forget in the four games prior to that he had scores of 25, 49, 67 and 31. He plays the Roosters and Storm before Round 13 where he could go very low so I’ll avoid, but I see the appeal. 

I just don’t trust the men around him to deliver the fight they showed on the weekend going forward, but it was good to see.

Tevita Pangai Jnr notched 71 to continue his form, he had a dubious try-assist taken off him at final updates otherwise it would have been another score around 90.

Importantly, he played 80 minutes again and Brisbane won, so that role looks even more assured.

He remains a great trade target at a very affordable $562k with a breakeven of 33.

He has a ceiling as large as most forwards in SuperCoach, so I think the injury/suspension/benching risk is one worth taking.

His dual FRF-2RF status should also prove invaluable down the track.

With a breakeven of 75, Payne Haas has just about bottomed out at $605k. He played a solid 62 minutes against the Titans and is a great target every single week as the most reliable FRF in SuperCoach.

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SEA EAGLES v WARRIORS

Sunday, 2pm, Lottoland, Sydney

Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Sean Keppie 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Josh Schuster 13. Jake Trbojevic

Bench: 14. Cade Cust 15. Moses Suli 16. Zac Saddler 17. Toafofoa Sipley

Reserves: 18. Ben Trbojevic 19. Tevita Funa 20. Christian Tuipulotu 21. Jorge Taufua

Analysis: Tommy Turbo owners would have been more than happy with his 68 against the best side in the game at the moment.

He made $63k and has a breakeven of 52 ahead of seriously exciting games against the Warriors and Broncos where he could go massive.

Owners have a seriously tough decision to make as to whether they should skipper him for the clash.

If it weren’t for injury risk he’d be a lock in option this week, but as we know with Turbo that’s unfortunately not the case.

Jason Saab has scored in four consecutive games and has made $84k in the past three weeks.

With a breakeven of 11 the rises will continue to flow in, so thankfully for patient owners they’ve got some value out of the big fella.

He’s a hold for the time being, but I still wouldn’t let him anywhere near my 17.

Josh Schuster scored 53 points against a resilient Panthers defence, not bad at all. 

A shout out to an actual Cooma Stallion in Zac Saddler who debuts for Manly, on ya son!

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Warriors: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Edward Kosi 3. Adam Pompey 4. Rocco Berry 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Reece Walsh 7. Kodi Nikorima 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 9. Wayde Egan 10. Kane Evans 11. Josh Curran 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Tohu Harris

Bench: 14. Jazz Tevaga 15. Leeson Ah Mau 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Bayley Sironen

Reserves: 18. Jack Murchie 20. Chanel Harris-Tavita 21. Tom Ale 22. Euan Aitken

Analysis: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is averaging 81PPG and has hardly had a look in in SuperCoach discussions such is the immense quality of the fullback position.

After years of consistent 70-90 point scoring he’s starting to improve his ceiling with three tons this year, something you can largely put down to the quicker game.

Not for me, but with games against the Sea Eagles, Eels, Tigers and Cowboys over the next month he’s a serious POD play. Unfortunately the Warriors don’t play Round 13.

Reece Walsh is on fire, but it’s not quite translating to SuperCoach scoring with scores of 53 and 46.

The kid has serious talent, but are you willing to trade a genuine gun at fullback with a ceiling of 150+ for him? I’m not.

Cheapies are popping up everywhere due to the injury plague across the NRL, so I think we can bypass, but the trade could pay off.

Speaking of cheapies, Josh Curran delivered a very crafty try-assist for 66 points and an initial rise of $90k.

He’s played 80 minutes three weeks in a row to sit with an average of 66PPG and a breakeven of -15, he’s still a great buy this week and is a safe play in 17s with nice base.

Tohu Harris will be popular this week with plenty of movement in the back-row. He has a low score of 66 this season and may find some attacking stats against weak opposition in coming games.

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DRAGONS v BULLDOGS

Sunday, 4.05pm, Jubilee Stadium, Sydney

Dragons: 1. Matthew Dufty 2. Cody Ramsey 3. Jack Bird 4. Tyrell Fuimaono 5. Max Feagai 6. Corey Norman 7. Ben Hunt 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Kerr 12. Tariq Sims 13. Josh McGuire

Bench: 14. Poasa Faamausili 15. Billy Burns 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Kaide Ellis

Reserves: 18. Jackson Ford 19. Junior Amone 20. Mathew Feagai 21. Adam Clune

Analysis: The Dragons didn’t excite me when they were winning games, and they certainly don’t having now lost to the Tigers.

Compound that with the fact their most relevant SuperCoach player Zac Lomax is out for an extended period and they don’t appeal much.

Josh McGuire is the only one worth considering, he started last weekend and scored 65 points in 80 minutes.

Due to his lack of ceiling he’s never come into consideration too much, but he did average 64PPG last season.

At $506k as a dual FRF-2RF he’s worth some thought, but on the same note TPJ and Payne Haas are $50-100k more, so I’d just sway that way.

Keep an eye on Max Feagai as a cheapie next week who plays round 13, base will be the key to his prospects.

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Bulldogs: 1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Nick Cotric 3. Will Hopoate 4. Corey Allan 5. Nick Meaney 6. Jake Averillo 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Dylan Napa 9. Sione Katoa 10. Luke Thompson 11. Adam Elliott 12. Chris Smith 13. Corey Waddell

Bench: 14. Brad Deitz 15. Renouf Atoni 16. Ava Seumanufagai 17. Matt Doorey

Reserves: 19. Lachlan Lewis 20. Joe Stimson 21. Tuipulotu Katoa 23. Ofahiki Ogden

Analysis: Nothing to add here as I think Luke Thompson is a bit of a replica of McGuire above with a lack of ceiling and better options for not much more.

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SUPERCOACH TERMINOLOGY KEY

MPG = Minutes per game

PPG = Points per game

PPM= Points per minute

BPG = Base per game (point accrued in tackles + runs + missed tackles)

POD = Point of difference

3RA = Three round average

5RA = Five round average

BREAKEVEN (B/E) = The score a player must record to earn a price rise.

*Please note all our stats are taken from the geniuses at nrlsupercoachstats.com

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