NRL Supercoach Round 10 Wrap: 8 Things We Learnt

Well, the points kept coming and they don’t stop coming!

Not sure what the scorers are getting paid, but it’s been a big couple of weeks for them!

Another monster week in the books, thanks largely to a Melbourne Storm side hell bent on righting some wrongs after the previous couple of weeks.

They were unstoppable putting 64 on the hapless Tigers, and I think if it were any other team, a similar score line might have occurred.

Our usual suspects went big too, with Kiraz bagging a late try, Drinkwater doing his normal thing and the front row trio of Haas, May and Tino combining for 259 points.

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And whilst it’s great to see the SC Playbook crew do well and post some big scores, when I saw what the Spy ended up with, I nearly sent out a beware message to the WhatsApp group

He loves a gloat, and ended up sending more messages than the Trumpet for Patriots accounts…

But fair play to him, when you knock out 1,734 you have every right to say what you want

The Reapers were looking at a great week, but the Cleary captaincy hampered any significant green arrows, finishing with 1.492, seeing moving up 2,064 spots to 30,945 overall.

There’s ground to make up… And there’s ground to make up! 

Here is what we learnt in Round 10 of NRL Supercoach…

1. Paps lights up Melbourne

Never been so upset to own a bloke who scores 182!

What a performance and what a way to round out a cracking weekend of NRL!

The weekend was blown open by the Storm’s number 1 man in an afternoon that not many will forget in a long time!

48% owned, meaning some 52% of players would have switched off the TV within 17 minutes after he crossed for this 3^rd.

Another try came in the second half to go with his swag of goals, assists and anything else that for a mammoth 182!

Now I was in the boat that didn’t captain.. And if there is a way to ruin a good Sunday, this is it!

Watching on as everyone and anyone joined the crowd and captained him, banking an extra 182 points whilst I was hoping for some monster Cleary updates that never came, made for a tough watch.

Anyway.. it’s nice to own when someone goes nuclear like that!

Just hope next time it’s one of my PODs or I have the armband on him.

2. It’s time to go.. Nath

Oh captain, my captain.. Where art thou?

In a 90-minute performance, where his side scored 30 points, he did not register one try assist!

Not one!

Not even the updates were kind to him when I and plenty of others needed it the most.

The fast track of Townsville was supposed to be a point’s haven, and in going the POD captain option was hoping for a bigger return on my investment.

Not for lack of trying, but he just couldn’t find a way to be the last pass for any of the Panthers’ tries as Blaize Talagai had his best game in Panthers colour to date, setting up 4 of the Panthers’ 5 tries. 

So whilst the 77 points were ok, it was, as it turned out, about 105 less than what could have been.

Anyway, it wasn’t to be, but it begs the question.. Where to with Nath?

Bye next weekend into Origin 1, Ivan has reportedly already said the Panthers players won’t back up after Origin 2 where they play the Warriors in NZ.

So I have him playing 4 games up until Round 19.

Jahrome Hughes? He went off late for an early shower and that shoulder doesn’t seem 100%.

Back to Metcalf? Scores are solid but we know what his floor looks like.

Isaiya Katoa? I would do it purely for how good it looks. After that, it’s pretty slim pickings. 

3. Knights are sending us insane

That may have been one of the worst losses in Newcastle’s history.

And they have had some bad ones!

Up 20-6 at halftime, they couldn’t strike a blow against the Titans and let them run away with it, all the while looking as out of sorts and incohesive as a side that hasn’t played before.

Marzhew went off injured, which might be a saving grace for him.

For all the good he does, he has some awful defensive reads in him and can drop the ball at will, it seems

But despite them being close to the worst side in Round 10, they still deliver on a Supercoach front*

Dylan Lucas scored first to settle any new owner’s fears.

He finished with 90, bringing his season average to 82.

A DPP, he is a must-have and I hope Laurie doesn’t have his number because what a gun he will be to own in the Origin period.

Sharpe too was at his electric best, finishing with 89 coming off last week’s 128.

He is another that is as close to a must-have for the next 6 weeks as anyone.

Ponga. What to do with him.

Maybe Billy will make the call for us, but he couldn’t build on last week’s 98, finishing with only 33.

One score over 46 in his last 7 games.

But next week will be different right? And the week after that? And so on until Round 27…

4. Scotty drinks up all the points

Missed a trick, didn’t I!

I can already see the end of year article where I will ask myself where it all went wrong.

And after pointing the finger at about 15 different thoughts, it might come down to not bringing in Drinky 3 weeks ago!

Even this week I considered it, but thought the Panthers might be back.. and maybe JFH, Luai and Turuva were somehow playing and their defensive unit was back together.

Wouldn’t have mattered in the slightest, as he still posted 100+, finishing with 117 despite not being involved all that much with the Cowboys’ earlier try scoring efforts.

Setting up the last try to Dearden and playing the extra 10 minutes really helped owners, but for us non-owners, he now becomes nearly impossible to get as his price touches $900k.

Looking forward to Round 12, where he has a bye, and we can get some relief.

5. Erin Clark keeps on keeping on

Feel like we have been talking about this bloke since about Round 3 but another week, another Erin Clark masterclass and another week of going.. “Ill get him next week”

Played 65 minutes on Saturday afternoon in Wollongong, netting 103, 75 of those in base stats alone.

He has upped his minutes in recent weeks, with Webster seeing the benefits he is giving his side when he is on the park. 

He has been a key man since Walker left, and his Supercoach scores tell that story and more.

Has scored under 52 once this year, and runs into the bye period coming off a 3-round average of 92. 

Plays the next 4, then has a bye, then into the Panthers resting all their Origin stars.

With plenty of Origin stars set to miss some time with resting’s, backing up etc,

I’m tipping his ownership will climb massively in the coming weeks.

6. Origin looms.. Who to hold

Now it gets tricky.. 

With Laurie and Billy starting to make some phone calls, we will have to look at our sides and work out who needs to go, who you’re happy to hold and who you will want to get back in.

You will spend far too much time debating over whether X player backs up or whether they miss the game and try and sell/hold accordingly.

This can then all get thrown in the bin if we get a David Fifita situation.

Still have flashbacks to his 33-minute, 16-point performance after backing up from Origin in 2023.

So what are we going to do with the likes of Haas, May, Tino, Munster, Watson, KP and Cleary…

And can someone tell me if the 18^th man won’t pay for their side?

Got a sneaking suspicion either Paps or Drinky might be wearing a blue bib.

7. Purdue scorns previous lovers

“And Purdue streaks away” or something along those lines.

Wouldn’t be a Cowboys masterclass without a Purdue line break.

Selling him this week seemed the most sane option, but he just continues to deliver for owners!

Set up Clifford after making a line break and beating a few tackles, those 2 plays netted him about 40 points (not checking but probably close) as he finished the 90-minute game with 85 despite not scoring a try.

All those who sold, me included, are now wondering if that was the right play, as the Cowboys’ edges are flying and the points seem to be coming with limited effort. 

Starting to wish I held now…

8. Minute Watch

Eels v Dolphins
Hopgood 40, Smith 80, J Williams 54, Gilbert 57, Stone 64

Knights v Titans
Lucas 80, KPP 80, Marzhew 70, Fermor 80, Tino 70, Campbell 80

Rabbitohs v Broncos
Hubner 46, Keaon 73, Aitken 80, Haas 62, Piakura 80, Willison 25

Raiders v Bulldogs
Tapine 60, Nicholson 79, Starling 80, Hosking 62, Kikau 80, Mahoney 80

Dragons v Warriors
Couchman 24 :(, Liddle 29, Stewart 44, Egan 50, Halasima 80, Clark 65, Barnett 64

Cowboys v Panthers
Robson 90, Bateman 90, Nanaii 90, Patea 22, Smith 60, IPap 90 

Storm v Tigers
EKat 80, Garlick 65, Hughes 67, NAS 35, May 73, Seyfarth 80, Api 50

Sea Eagles v Sharks
Bullemor 35, Ola 80, Taukeiaho 54, Jazz 49, Nikora 80, McInnes 57, AFB 51