Weekly Wrap: Highs, lows and shocks, Rd 18

I’m sitting here wondering where I start with the weekend that was! 

We started with an absolute bang with Gutherson, Matterson and Mahoney going large and things only got better on Saturday when Sammy Walker scored another ton and 2021 saviour Nicho Hynes belting out a massive 166.

Then we had SJ, Tohu and AE nightmares to put the brakes on what could have been a record breaking week.

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Despite the ups and downs of the week, I was able to bang out a massive 1564 thanks to CHN, captain Nicho and Matt Lodge. 

I only had the 17 fit players so looping Nicho knowing Brian To’o was my AE was a superb planning if you ask me.

Very keen to see how the next 7 weeks pan out though! Some like the Overlord will have a very solid roster and can chop and change players at will, while others will be running very low on trades and might find the final two weeks very difficult. 

I’ve kept eight trades up my sleeve so it’ll be interesting to see if that was the right move or if I’ve been too cautious on that front?

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Titans v Eels

When I logged in to check the scores, I actually thought the app had glitched and doubled everyone’s score! Ryan Matterson, Clint Gutherson and Reed Mahoney went huge with Matterson knocking out his first 100+ score of the year. He’s starting to play more minutes which is music to the ears of owners as he has struggled to make the same impact he had in 2020.

Clint notched up his fifth 100+ score of the year and owners now have a tough decision on their hands. Take the money and upgrade to a real fullback or run with Gutho and know he will inevitably disappoint you at some stage in the final rounds?

It wasn’t all smooth sailing to kick the round off with Isaiah Papali’i picking up an injury and only playing 54 minutes. He did score 54 though so hopefully will be back to 80 minutes next week.

For the Titans, the Bunker robbed David Fifita of a big score as they denied him a try in the remaining seconds. I didn’t see it but Twitter seemed to think it was a try and that’s where I get most of my info. Still a must have for the run home.

Brian Kelly finally found the stripe, notching up 99 points. I wouldn’t be trading him in but he’s a handy fifth CTW if you have him in your squad.

Minute Watch – Fifita 58, Tino 56, Peachey 56, Matterson 72, Mahoney 70, Papali’i 56 (Injury)

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Sea Eagles v Dragons

I think we can all agree now that even without Turbo and DCE, Manly are still a dominant force!

Dezzy’s mantra this weekend seemed to be forget everything we have done at training and just play a bit of footy! 

This was mainly due to the return of Josh Schuster who was a very welcome addition to my side as I held him for reasons unknown, but they became clearer on Friday as he banged out a massive 96 in 80 minutes, setting up a couple of tries and making two linebreaks. 

It will be interesting to see his role once DCE and Turbo return but the future looks bright.

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Garrick went scoreless for the second week in a row but still managed a massive 78 which included 10 tacklebusts. He will be five times the player once Turbo and DCE return even on the wing.

Speaking of their return, another week without them and Jason Saab may be released from the squad. He has scored 23 points in the past 160 minutes of football and failed to beat his BE of 19. Well done Jason…

Minute Watch – Lawton 38 (Injury), JDB 71, Kerr 80

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Cowboys v Roosters

It was a good game of football this one! End to end stuff with either side a chance to win it with 15 minutes to go, but it was the Chooks who flexed their muscle late with Sammy Walker going huge! 

The much maligned half scored a late try and set up two others to finish the afternoon with 120. 

I said a few weeks back Sammy Walker may be the difference for those in the top 1,000. Play him at your peril, but know you could get a 120, followed by a 22.

I wouldn’t be banking on him holding onto the goal-kicking duties going forward either…

Angus Crichton started from the bench which would have given owners a headache as to play him or not. 

Despite coming from the pine, he scored a try and finished with 79 in only 57 minutes of footy. Expect him to be back to the full 80 next week.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow gave us a glimpse on Wednesday night how good he can be and he backed that up on Saturday with a big performance. I doubt many reading this will have him but he’s one to keep tabs on for next year.

Jason Taumalolo banged out another solid score of 72 and is starting to show signs of the player he was two years back. He’s priced at a tick over $500k so it makes a trade in all the more tempting.

Minute Watch – Taumalolo 60, JWH 58, Radley 70, Crichton 57

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Raiders v Sharks

It seems like every week we unearth another future superstar and this week that was Xavier Savage! 

He showed some real X-factor (see what I did there) carving up the Sharks defence. 

He scored 114 and bagged his first ever try in the NRL. Sebastian Kris must owe him some money.

In a match that didn’t feature too many Supercoach guns, there was one that had all owners absolutely seething. Shaun Johnson. What a stinker! 

He barely got involved, I think he had one run that was a more catch and surrender in the tackle as he scored a grand total of 17 points. He needs to make up for it next weekend against a resurgent Bulldogs.

Siosifa Talakai wasn’t much better and got sin-binned late to add salt to an already seriously open wound for owners. Talakai finished with 22 and has been very disappointing since Wade Graham went down. He now becomes an AE nightmare.

For me though, my POD play in holding CHN paid off with a huge performance!! He had the Sharks retreating every time he touched the ball. He finished the night with 124 with 28 of those being offload points. 

Minute Watch – CHN 80, Papali’i 32, Wilton 80

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Storm v Knights

In a side that seems to spend more time waiting for the other side to kick off, Nicho Hynes seems to be in everything! 

He was the player of the round setting up three tries and scoring one himself, not to mention the 8/8 with the boot, he finished with a massive 166 to please all that captained him – or in my case VC’d him and was able to take the loop.

I have no idea what Craig Bellamy is going to do once Papenhuyzen comes back but surely he cannot drop him! Despite how good he was to start the year, Hynes has been the form Melbourne player for 2021 and Supercoach owners have been the main beneficiaries. 

If Bellamy does and puts him to the bench we will have a tricky call on our hands but one I’ll let future Nick worry about.

Jahrome Hughes was also on track for a massive score but was rested after a calf complaint. He still managed 90 in his 49 minutes. Fingers crossed it was only precautionary.

Kalyn Ponga should put this one behind him and quickly. He was sent from the field with a HIA and didn’t return. Great for non-owners looking to bring him in with a price drop, bad for owners who had the gun fullback already. He takes on the Chooks next week so will be first one in for me in two weeks.

Minute Watch – B Smith 80, Barnett 80, Watson 58

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Warriors v Panthers

Oh Tohu this was not how it was meant to go… 

After being recalled after only a week out from a shoulder injury, much to the delight of those who held, he lasted all of 15 minutes before succumbing to an ACL injury. When a player like him does an injury like that, his score of 6 didn’t really matter.

After Tohu’s injury, the knocks kept coming for the Warriors as they were left with no one but the COVID Safe Officer on the bench for the second half. 

A gutsy performance, and one that I enjoyed immensely as an AFB and Matt Lodge owner. I’m not calling for injuries like that every week, but the more minutes the two of those boys get the better! AFB ended up playing 76 minutes whilst lodge lasted the whole 80! AFB finished with 78 and Lodge a season high 116.

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And imagine if Reece Walsh was available at CTW to start the year! Oh the teams we could have had. Hopefully some Supercoach nerd within the Warriors can leak to the media prior to 2022 that Walsh is set to play five eighth and we can get him as a dual position.

As for Tyrone May’s Panthers.. Seriously mate you are not Nathan Cleary! 

Poor Matty Burton barely got any footy. I’m not sure what Tyrone has on Ivan Cleary but if Nathan gets home late one night from the drink you can guarantee Tyrone will wear the 7 the week after.

Burton did set up a try to finish with 67, but he has been a shadow of his usually dominant self since both Cleary and Luai have been missing. A late season trade out is on the cards.

Minute Watch – Lodge 80, AFB 76, Tevaga 80, Nikorima 66, JFH 48 (injury)

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Broncos v Tigers

It was good to see the Holden Cup back! 

I expected both these sides to concede at least 30 points so when the tries kept coming it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

The big winners out of this match were those who still have Adam Doueihi! (His name gets harder to spell right every week! I swear he has added some vowels).

I know the Spy is an owner so his 154 back in the 6 jumper would have given him something to cheer about in lockdown.

I’ll be keeping an eye on Kotoni Staggs in the coming weeks who could be a massive difference to teams come the final few rounds. 

He didn’t feature too heavily in this one but the signs are promising. The down side though is he does play for the Broncos who may not win again until 2023.

Payne Haas did Payne Haas things, scoring a huge 89. He will likely be the most traded in player this week and is a set-and-forget for the remaining 7 rounds.

Nofoaluma scored twice and finished with 80 points. He’s still awfully cheap for a proven gun. The Tigers have a pretty good draw so he’s not the worst option out there.  

Minute Watch – Haas 64, Twal 39

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Rabbitohs v Bulldogs

The last match of the round and a lot had their captaincy riding on the shoulders of Cody Walker, but Lachlan Lewis and Co ensured they did their best to throw (literally – what was going on there?) Cody off his game! 

It was a gallant effort from the Dogs with Cody having a somewhat quieter game than most would have liked. 

He finished with 79 and now loses his left wing mate (Not in a political term) in AJ who appeared to pick up a hamstring injury. 

Wait and see how long he could be out for, but it’s not the news many would have hoped for with trades running low.

Cam Murray also bagged a try helping him on his way to a score of 87. A good option for Tohu owners to consider.

Minute Watch – Johnston 44 (injury), Murray 80, Thompson 52