Clem’s NRL Supercoach Captains: Round 11

I have learned a new word. And it is throbber.

And it is a weekend for throbbers according to the great Nick Moon.

And he’s not wrong, because it’s finally here! The best weekend in the calendar.

Magic Round!

The round where everyone descends on Caxton Street for a throbbing good time.

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And so, in the spirit of Magic Round, I thought I’d get a bunch of the Playbook contributors who are heading to Magic Round together for our own mini-Magic Round, where we compete on who can choose the best Vice/Captain for this week. Whiskeys essential.

Also, before we go on. Friends. Exciting news! I have an exclusive scoop.

SPY HARD LAUNCHES HIS MAIN MAN IN THIS VERY ARTICLE!!!

It’s getting THIS good and the weekend hasn’t even started yet…

But without further ado, and with every single player we normally captain in this article out, everyone just take a wild stab at whoever and may the best man win!

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And let’s kick proceedings off with the great OverLord himself. Timmy Williams!

VC – Josh Curran Curran has one of the biggest ceilings in the game and is due for a hat-trick, 150 is plausible making him a great loop… Kidding, it has to be a Dog or a Raider because my captain is… C – Reece Walsh Manly will miss Turbo even more than they think, if possible, and the Broncos are near enough full-strength and will put on a show for Magic Round. Walsh could have a field day against the weaker edge defences of Manly, 100+ and the rest incoming, being at the game will make it even sweeter.

5 minutes later…

Tim Williams: Walsh out FMD

Nick Moon: Timmy look at the positives. Least you can straight C Curran now

Me: Go rogue with me Timmy and let’s just chuck it on Dom Young!

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Timmy Williams – take two:

Vice-captain – David Fifita

Big Fifi gets the nod for the Stallions as VC for a fairly favourable match-up with the Knights. Losing his halves hurts his output for sure, but at the same time with Brimmo and Foran out he’ll have to lift in attack. If any big VC’s lob this week, it may allow Supercoaches to run an easy auto-emergency at halfback (if Nicho is out) or fullback and save a trade if they’re short in those positions.

Captain – Scott Drinkwater

I was locked and loaded on Reece Walsh, so this hurts a bit, but it’s also forced my hands with trades, so Trai Fuller moves to Drinky. It does make him an easy skipper choice with an extremely soft match-up with the Bunnies whose right edge defensively is shot to pieces.

Let’s go son…

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And onto Nick Moon who is all about the throbbers this weekend:

My VC choice for this weekend is going to be a toss-up between good and evil.

Garrick has the looks, charm and is the type of guy you would def take home to the fam. Being a weekend for throbbers he is one you can’t pass up. That, and even if he gets 30, it’s a well-made 30 and you feel ok about it.

The evil is Dom Young. The Yang to Garrick’s Ying. That sugary treat you know can give you an immediate high but also bring you crashing back to earth pretty quickly.

Garrick is exercise. Good for the mind and body. Dom Young is a sugary donut followed by a kebab. Great at the time but you know it’s not good for you… so with that in mind…

Stuff it. This weekend ain’t about fitness! My captain choice is now going to be Dylan Edwards. He’s coming into my team.

Won’t play Origin and if one of those 2 hot boys can’t get the job done then it’s time to lean on Mr Reliable. The man whose hairline is still playing in the 2022 grand final. He’s an angry ant, will have to do everything with Cleary and Schneids out and will be secretly upset his game is on a Sunday and won’t get a chance to join us at the Caxton.

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Now let’s take a quick look behind me, 23 places back on the ladder…straining my eyes to see…aha there he is! It’s the SC Spy:

Let’s go a bit rogue here and lock in Dylan Lucas as a VC.

Now look, this is predicated on you needing a VC option by 3pm Saturday and if Hynes is ruled out late you might be able to take a free loop of say 80-90.

On Lucas, any bloke who can keep the Spy’s own Pearce-Paul on the bench must, logically be a futurer immortal.. But on a more serious note, I can see a world where he scores a try and bags an easy 85.

Can he double up and push that to a 115 against a Titans halves pairing who trying to fill a void ?

For skipper I am going no further than my main MAIN man (aside from SJ, Papi, Kiraz and others), Scotty Drinkwater!

He has been inches from a big ton in recent times and I can all but assure you he scores a try this weekend with my good self in proximity sinking schooners (whiskeys by 7:30) and providing the uptick in confidence he may need.

I can even tell you how it will happen. Short ball to a back rower, Scotty of his hip, offload for a try untouched! Thanks for coming…

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And finally, it’s me! And there’s no question about it. I am ready to get hurt again…

Now, up until 4pm Tuesday, my Captain for this round was going to be Joey M, my Vice Captain, Reece Walsh. But the injury curse has put paid to those plans, so I am now putting all my Captaincy faith in one man…

Dom Young.

Take an absolute bow. You sir are a gentleman and a scholar.

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY POINTS.

Honestly. What’s a little -15 between friends. All is forgiven.

I’ll take the sugary donut followed by the kebab, thanks Moon! (Especially if it’s an Abbra Kebabra kebab in the early hours of Sunday morning, enjoyed after celebrating my Captain score his third 150+ of the season…)

Okay…okay…I’m not THAT ready to get hurt. It’s the Vice Captaincy for you Sir Dom and then that leaves just one man to do the Captaincy job for the Friday Beers.

And I’m sorry Spy, I know you’ve just hard launched, but I’m going to be jumping on your main man.

Welcome to the team Captain Scotty D.

Verdict

Will Timmy’s VC on big David Fifita pay off or will he rue the day he didn’t keep the VC on Josh Curran because he was, in fact, due for that hattrick and he does, in fact, score 150?

Will Nick Moon find happiness in a throbber or will he Captain Mr Reliable, his angry ant, Dylan Edwards?

SC Spy has many boys, but with his hard launch of Scotty D as his “main man” in this article, is Dylan Lucas really just a little distraction on the side?

Will Dom Young repay the second chance faith once again and score 150…or will he break my heart again with a -15 leaving me with no choice but to quench my thirst with a Spy’s main man, Scotty D?

Whose Captains will come through for them and whose will fail? Stay tuned…

And I’m really not kidding when I say take a wild stab at whoever and may the best man win. It’s Magic Round, anything can happen.

Believe in the magic and may Danny Levi score you a ton…

Clementine xxx