NRL Supercoach Round 25 Wrap: 8 Things We Learnt

Right. What just happened?!

Absolutely everything you could have thought of and more! And just in time for our H2H finals.. again!

Seemed like last week was where the action was, but that was just a curtain raiser for this weekend.

Turbo goes nuclear, Walker and Doueihi crash out, Grant earns himself a spell and the less said about Teddy the better.

Oh, and Walsh just continued on his merry run.

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How did you all end up?? Seemed the scores were so far spread out it wasn’t funny.

Had guys winning H2H finals with 1,100 or so, and some losing with 1450+.

The Reapers missed most of the damage, but still had some shockers to contend with.

Grant and Teddy, to name a couple, but managed a fine 1,387, after captaining Haas.

The short ball from Carrigan, which led to his try, netted me close to 80 points.

Never cheered a Broncos try quite like it.

That score was enough to see 1036 green arrows, into 11955 overall and hunting down that top 10k. 

But more importantly, landed a knockout blow on my old nemesis, the Spy. and took him out of the H2H finals.

Never really a contest. 

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1. Walsh for the win

The nous of the man. The cajones. The absolute strut heading into this one..

Whatever was said to Reece Walsh about a month ago has not only worked, but should be studied for years to come!

The man has single-handedly brought Brisbane back from the dead, and plenty of other Supercoaches with him. 

Another elite-level performance, and there is none better to own when he is going well than Reece Walsh! He’s going so well, he can even dish off tries to his teammates!

Sunday afternoon matchup against the depleted and checked out Knights, it was a given he would go large again. 

He not only went large, but sounded an alarm for those non-owners wondering whether they can trade any of their existing fullbacks to the man with the magic touch.

I went into this one ready to pull the trade trigger and bring him in, but held firm and was able to watch it without much pressure on.

Has a 5RA of 104 and takes this red hot form into the Cowboys at Townsville..

Huge match, but which Cowboys will turn up?

And is Scotty Drink to Walsh the move? 

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2. Walker and Doueihi owners needing more than Panadol

I have used enough headache jokes this season for players going down with head knocks. And this week won’t be any different!

It’s probably past a headache now for owners who are waking up to the realisation that they have lost 2 gun halfbacks for next week!

Not to mention how early both Doueihi and Walker headed to the sheds. The pair scored 11 points between them before they were both asked what day it was, who they were playing and the current Prime Minister!

For Doueihi, it appears it’s season 2025 done for with a reported fractured cheekbone.

Has been a huge part of the Tigers’ late-season form and now will be eating steak through a straw.

Back-to-back hundreds and now a single-figure score.

Owners will be hurting big time as he was likely a last throw at the stumps to win a H2H or for a run home number. The Garrick to Doueihi trade lasted mere minutes.

For Walker, his injury left the Chooks looking for answers for points.

No Tupou and his replacement didn’t do the family name any justice.

After a big few weeks, Walker owners were eying this game and the Rabbits in Round 27.

He will miss Storm next week, which could have been a low scorer for him anyway.

Patient owners will be hoping for a bang to end the year against the Chooks. 

The problem is it’s H2H finals next week, so if you moved Hynes to get to him, that Sharks v Knights might be one to avoid watching.

Doueihi joins Ramien, Garrick and Herbie on the injured CTW list.

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3. Oh Harry, what have you done

I have spent the last 4 weeks praising the man, only for him to turn in one of the all-time shocking performances when we needed him the most, and to top it off, got himself a little holiday whilst he was at it!

Has been great without being spectacular of late, but he can only be compared to his class, and they haven’t set the world alight either. 

But his 25 points on Friday night might have been in the works for a while. Was on 50 last week until his try, and this time, the lack of running game and attacking opportunities really showed true.

But don’t need to worry about that now because he’s gone and rested himself.

Shot out of the line, landed the softest shoulder charge, and now will spend the next 2 weeks in the coaches’ box. A decision he will soon come to regret once Bellamy gives him a side eye.

Owners will now have to turn to their backup, which, judging on the landscape, is either R Smith, S Smith (both will play at least), Going or Tevaga.

An AE might be the more attractive option, but it’s too late to be trading at HOK. 

Only a madman would make a trade there at this time of year, hey Spy..

JMK looking like Cameron Smith right about now.

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4. Manly 2021 has arrived

To borrow a quote from Gus, “We haven’t missed the eight, we have just run out of games to play!”

A few more weeks of this Tommy Turbo nonsense and who knows where we could end up!

Actually, I might even just go back to the archives and pull out one of my 2021 articles, replace Garrick with Hopoate and send it to the editors.

It’s going to be very similar, sunny afternoon at Brookvale, Tommy Turbo scoring 180, and a winger scoring 160.

The Dolphins were diabolical which led to a massive day for the scoreboard attendant.

I said a few weeks ago that I didn’t think Herbie made much of a difference in defence, but since he was ruled out a few weeks back, the Dolphins have gone on to concede 1,000 points.

But we are not here to read about the Dolphins, it was all about Tommy on Saturday afternoon!

If you own him this late in the season, you obviously have no trades left and especially after last week’s performance. 

That was last week. This week, continuing on with the trend of fullbacks against the Dolphins going absolutely ballistic, he topped them all with 180 points, scoring 2 and setting up three more.

What surprised me the most though was the 5 offloads.

The man is back!

Lehi was the beneficiary of that, scoring a double and seeing as much open space at Brookvale Oval as the bloke who will be mowing the lawns tomorrow.

He shrugged off a disastrous few weeks to post a monster 160, which was a delight to see in my H2H final.

So, Turbo next week against the Dragons? Yes please.. 

And does AJ Brimson continue the run of FLBs going mad against the Dolphins? Also yes.

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5. Teddy Captainers can cry all they want

Dumbfounded by the number of people who ended up captaining James Tedesco!

Now my contributor handle at the SC Playbook doesn’t have expert next to it, and there’s a good reason for it – Zac Laybutt trade, the Ed Kosi panic trade of 2023 and this week’s new addition, Tommy Talau but I thought that the Tedesco play was mad!

Turns out I was right and it’s great that I can write about these things after they happen, but the Eels’ defence of late has been very good and back at home, on a Saturday night, trying to ruin another Sydney club’s season, it just seemed to me that the play was to leave that game alone!

Tedesco even managed a try on his way to 40 points, (didn’t get the line break, no idea why, and I don’t care to ask the Spy) for the 50% of top players who captained him.

Crushing blow, looking for those preliminary H2H finals wins.

Want all Teddy’s doing, with Walker obviously going down with a head knock, leaving Watson to push to five-eight and Savala to do all the kicking and attack.

It was a long night for Roosters players, not named Nawaqanitawase, who held his own with some pieces of brilliance that will be seen on highlight reels for a long time. 

Chooks now need to win against Melbourne and the Rabbits for a lock into the top 8.

A loss in either one, and Robbo might be swapping the Powerade for Penfolds, if he hasn’t already. 

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6. Tallis rolls on

The Thursday night game doesn’t get much love in the wrap-up articles, and there’s a good reason for it.

By the time I get around to writing this, it feels like a lifetime ago, and the scores have all updated, and that’s all there is to it!

But for owners of Tallis Duncan, it would have felt vastly different, and those points, be them on a Thursday night or Sunday afternoon, are points nonetheless!!

Another standout performance from the Rabbitohs back rower and one that will be in plenty of sides come Round 1 of season 2026 – just might be at an insane price.

Huge start for Duncan owners as he finished Thursday with 115 points, including a try and an assist.

A POD who is fit, firing and has a game built for Supercoach.

He’s like a Black Swan at this time here.

We didn’t think there were black Swans that existed at this time of the year, but here we are with one looking at us right in the face. 

Takes on the Dragons and then gets a crack at the Roosters in the final round.

What a blessing it would be to own him and the stress it would take out of a weekend.

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7. Its go time on H2H finals!

25 rounds done, we have made it to H2H finals!

Wouldn’t say we have arrived with the biggest entrance, more like slipped in via a back door, just glad to be here and will leave if asked nicely.

With so many injuries, suspensions, underperforming players and trades at 0, what we have to take into the finals will have to do!

No chance of using a sneaky 2 or 3 trades to try and outwit your opponent. It will be set and forget, and fingers crossed for 8 games of footy.

At least our sit v start options are going to be easy.

The question is to what extent do you start playing silly buggers, trying to throw a red herring out?

I know how stressful this weekend was and how little I had to move players around. I showed my cards early, and my king high was enough.

Playing the almighty Timmy in the in-house SC Playbook league final and with trades at 0, will be hoping for a R Smith lesson in Rugby League.

Or is what I have said a ruse, and I have 3 trades, a boost and am ready to pounce and win all my fixtures?

Tune in next week for my gloating or list of excuses.

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8. Minute Watch

Rabbitohs v Dragons

Keaon 70, Hubner 48, Duncan 80, Liddle 70, 

Panthers v Raiders

IPap 41, Yeo 63, Smith 45, Taps 60, Hosking 84, Young 84, Horse 72, Starling 56

Storm v Bulldogs

Grant 70, EKat 80, Hayward 67, Kiks 80, Presto 80

Sea Eagles v Dolphins

Tevaga 43, SST 46, JMK 58

Titans v Warriors

Tino 64, Fermor 80, Crandall 80, Kini 20, Egan 50,  Clark 58

Eels v Roosters

Smith 58, Williams 80, Guymer 33, Hopgood 61, Walker 7, Whyte 58, Watson 73

Knights v Broncos

KPP 80, McEwen 80, Haas 69, Carrigan 58, Paix 45

Tigers v Cowboys

Api 80, May 74, Hunt 19 Nanai 80, Robson 54