Clem’s NRL Supercoach Captains: Round 22

The Teddy Manifestation Mission.

It was on. Me, Spy, a race to Allianz because an in-person manifestation was most definitely required to help him to a double ton.

We sat up there in the stands everything was perfect – Mariah’s Hero played in the Uber on the way there, the chant was ready to go, beers flowing, pies and chips in hand…

The stage was set!

Until I reached in my pocket and realised in our haste, I’d gone and left the crystals on the kitchen bench!

An absolute rookie error and my apologies to everyone who VC looped Teddy – if only we’d had the crystals a double ton would have most definitely been on the cards!

But we did our very best, I promise, and I like to think we helped get him to 126 with all the chanting, and we then celebrated that 126 with all the whiskeys at Molly Malones post-game, congratulating ourselves on a loop well done… until Sunday hit…

And Cleary decided to rip the Dragons a new one and reward his faithful Captainers with 350 Sir Captaincy points.

But how nice is this week friends?

We have SJ back, and CNK back, and Joey M back…NZ won the gold in the Women’s Rugby Seven’s…it’s just a big old Kiwi love fest this week!

Tu meke bro! 

And we’re already at Round 22 (HOW?!) and so we must start thinking about how we can make some big last ditch pushes up the rankings.

And I’m VERY much into the Vice Captain loop option this round. I’m truly not scarred by the VC loop debacle of last round – a few whiskeys fixed that.

And EVERYBODY will Captain Cleary.

And so, if you’ve got a loopable loop somewhere in your team, you could throw the VC on a Dom Young or a Teddy or even a Lil Papi and possibly make some BIG ranks if they go off…

But as of Thursday arvo, there is clearly one Captain who is bearing the weight of the majority of SuperCoachers on his shoulders, and that is of course:

Embed from Getty Images

Nathan Cleary

And playing Sunday arvo vs the Knights at home, coming off 175 points which included a hatty and a couple of try assists, boasting a 3-round average of 104 –  there’s a reason 90% of the Top 10% ranked coaches in SuperCoach have the Captaincy armband on the man. 

BUT will it be an assassination of Dragons-levels proportions ala last week….because what Knights side turns up to take on the Panthers?

And there’s some sort of Dragons/Knights joke in here but my brain is too tired from the last five nights worth of Olympic-marathons so I cannot quite connect it.

But yes. If you own Cleary, by all means put the Captaincy on him, but think about your VC too, because for me – get the VC right this week, you soar up those rankings…

Embed from Getty Images

The Roosters vs the Dolphins Friday night

Can I just start this by saying my favourite player of all time, Joey Manu is back, and actually a quick look at Timmy W’s team tells me that he does not own him at this time so a little bit of basic physics tells us we might we expect a casual ton from the spectacular Sir who has finally been released from the curse? 

But our VC in this game is of course, that vintage delight, Sir James Tedesco, he of the backfired VC loop of last week.

But that was last week, and he still scored 126 points including a try and two assists, which is honestly glorious, and as the number one ranked player in SuperCoach 2024 so far – can you really forgo a VC on the great man? I think not.

Especially if it’s dry over in Perth and the Dolphins continue their trend of conceding bulk points to fullbacks.

But of course, you may like to go a little bit of a poddy rogue option with the highest of upside, and that is of course Dom Young. 

An average of 76, 15 tries in 15 games…will he go on a try-scoring frenzy vs the Dolphins? If you’re looking for a POD VC – Dom Young could be your man.

Embed from Getty Images

Titans vs Broncos 

A sunny Saturday at CBUS. 

And this could be a try scoring frenzy where those who sneak a VC on a player on the attack might just reap some rankings rewards. A spectacle if you will.

Let’s start with Jayden Campbell.

A 3-round average of 84, three HUGE tons in his last four games, and playing a Broncos side who have leaked points to left-side playmakers.

All aboard the Jayden Campbell express – we’re going straight to ton city baby…

Then of course we must think about Reece Walsh. 

Because now I’m going to showcase why they commonly refer to me as the mathematician of our generation:

In Reece’s last four games:

Round 21 he scored a 57. Round 20 he scored a 113. Round 18 he scored a 82. That was his first game back after Round 12 – the game in which he scored a, you guessed it…113!

So, using clever mathematical equations we can determine that the man works in a MATHEMATICAL PATTERN!

Now using the pattern above, we can deduce that this round the pattern repeats to a 113.

BUT we can further add weight to the sum of our equation by using probability physics and adding in the fact that 113 back in Round 12 was vs…

THE TITANS!

Conclusion: Reece Walsh is scoring a 113 – it is simple maths and also physics.

Embed from Getty Images

Storm 

And honestly, vs last week’s Panther’s punching bag – how can we forgo a VC on a Storm player?

The crew’s all back together and you’d expect there’d be a few tons getting about on the field come the final whistle on Saturday evening. 

My fave is Our Lord and Saviour, Ryan “The Glorious Mullet” Papenhuyzen. And how nice that we can type those words again. They’re like a warm hug.

The Dragons have let in 77 points to the last four opposing fullbacks. Lil Papi whacked out a 94 last week vs the Eels including a try. 

He is going to go big one of these next few games – and don’t be sleeping on him when he does…

Of course, you might like to go for our try assist KING, Jahrome Hughes.

A couple of quiet weeks by his standards have dropped him to a 3-round average of 62, but he’s playing the Dragons this week – and we all saw what Nath did to them last week – and in this week of Kiwi happiness – expect a bounce-back game from Hughes too.

Now let us finish with the voice memos of the one we all love to hear from, the one and only SC Spy.

And my sources tell me there’s about 127 savvy Bundy Mixer players in line for that exclusive ‘Win a Date with Spy’ prize after one round – so get excited it’s most definitely up for grabs!

Embed from Getty Images

Spy’s Captains and Other Such Voice Notes

Now for this episode of Spy’s Captains and Other Such Voice Notes, he actually went all out with about 10 five-minute-long voice notes which was absolutely above and beyond – but I have a word limit here, so allow me to give you the abridged version, which is:

“Dom Young. Could be his time for an explosion. Teddy of course, you know what, could be Teddy over Cleary – he wasn’t that far off him last week – it could be his time. 

“I don’t like the creepy path, but glad you hit Olympic heights (in response to my Olympic-level sprint up the creepy path in the dark on my way home last night)

“Cleary obviously, but everyone’s going to do it. Do Newcastle front up? Saints certainly didn’t, Newcastle might.

“Obviously a happy days option if you go Nath, but if you’re chasing ground or you need a POD there, I think Teddy’s your man because he’ll be lesser Captained.

“The Kiwis, I do like you guys. Good to see. (in response to my detailed voice memo of a play-by-play recap of how NZ won the gold in the Rugby Sevens and the silver in the men’s triathlon)

“Maybe a looping option, VC on Teddy or someone like a Jayden Campbell or even a Jahrome Hughes if you’re just chasing something. And then you might be able to loop if necessary. 

“Is there ever too much whiskey I say? (when, after investigations of our bank accounts we realised we’d drunk 24 whiskeys between us on Saturday night in celebration of what we thought was a pretty bloody successful VC loop manifestation).

“Target Storm vs Saints, maybe a high scoring game – Titans/Brisbane if the weather is good. 

“And you’ve got to check the weather in Perth if the weather’s good, Friday night, I’m starting to like the old Dom Young/Teddy option.

“Many a whiskey had last week, while manifesting the Teddy VC free loop. Came to fruition and then backfired on Sunday while Daine Laurie was on track for 478 and then got HIA’d. I was very very very upset. But that’s the game on to the next one! 

“Huge week incoming in point score I think!

“Also, the shades of spring have all but disappeared and it’s freezing again. (poetic times in Spy-world – I’m impressed).

“But the pool is ready for summer and the beach is almost ready for swimming and soon it’ll be finals footy and swim time – what a double!”

Embed from Getty Images

Verdict

Captain Cleary, but choose your Vice Captain with one eye on that loop.

My picks are Teddy, Dom Young, or even a sneaky Lil Papi vs the Dragons.

And on that note, I must run as I have to have a nap before tonight’s double of all the footy into an Olympic all-nighter binge… and yes, it is inevitable that I will be attempting and failing a wolf turn or two in my lounge room…

Hope you have the most beautiful weekend and your Captain scores you a ton and your Vice Captain scores you even more…-

Clementine xxx