NRL Supercoach 2026 Round 8 Wrap: 8 Things We Learnt

Have they stopped adding up the points this week?

Another massive weekend of scores with 1400 being about par! Where will the madness end?

It’s nearly at the point where if Cleary or Latrell score 100, it’s probably unders! Everywhere you looked, someone was going big.

If Sharpe can get in on the action, we might have a 5/8 that’s worth playing. 

Popular trade-ins did their job as Teddy, Nicho, and Marky Mark all scored well, and captains went big…

It’s come to the point of not trying to outthink anyone, and just captain Teddy, Trell, or Nath. Trell v Newcastle next week is probably the easiest decision to make all year.

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Koula than Kaeo bounced back with Sammy Walker leading a charge and Willison paying me back for showing early faith to bring him in.

Finished the weekend with 1427, despite owning Purdue, Sharpe, and Martin. Saw 4216 green arrows into 37772 overall.

Tim has said I can come to Magic Round, but I can’t be within 20m of him

1. All rise for V’Landys ball

8 Rounds in, we have finally seen the fruits of V’Landys’ ball! Massive scores around the board with 22 players going 100+, and a further 12 scoring 90 and above.

There is every chance we will see the first 2000 score if all the cards fall right. Players like Duncan, Edwards, Latrell, and Iro all went massive with the open field, quicker play, and the ball being in play more and more.

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Where does that leave us?! Might be time to play “Player roulette” and just try to find the most suited player to bring in for that week only.

Targeting the weaker sides is also a ploy as the year goes on. Teams that lack depth will really be caught out, and the swings could be massive.

Anyone thinking they are out of the running just needs 3 good weeks and could find themselves in the top 1000 in no time.

Landing a captain that scores 160+ and watching as a popular one falls flat could send you flying.

Holding onto players that should and could score you well might be better served by a downgrade to a nuff. 

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2. Latrell keeps being Latrell – Time to sell?

Just one week. Just one week of a low score, please!

He made a mockery of Melbourne and their right edge, laying on a couple of tries for AJ on his way to a 128, his fourth 100+ score in 4 weeks. Scored just shy of 300 points in the last 2 weeks alone.

Doesn’t get much better for owners either with a match-up against the Knights on Sunday afternoon. If he scores sub 150 ill probably take that as a win.

Every big score he gets, I think back to not starting the year with him and can only imagine how I would be tracking with him in my side.

Would be absolute madness to sell him this week, but he has a BE of 17, and come this time next week, he will be worth over a million dollars. Supercoach has always been about buy low, sell high, and moving him and a cheapie on could bag you 2-gun CTWs.

Origin will come and go, and we will all want him back, but selling before the fact might just get you further up the ranks than holding him. 

Imagine selling both him and Jenkins in one week. 

The ATO will come after you for not paying capital gains tax!

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3. National Touch Football Champs featuring Cowboys and Cronulla 

Whoever was doing the stats for this game on Friday afternoon surely deserved a beer or 5 afterwards, trying to keep up with the scoring!

Absolute Touch footy at its finest!

21 line breaks in the match, 80 points, over 2000 supercoach points given out.. and Jaxson Purdue and Braydon Trindall scored 39 between them!

That right there should be cause for concern, but Scotty Drinkwater owners won’t be complaining as he dined out on the Sharks’ disdain for making any tackles.

The Cowboys’ number 1 took his signing with the Dragons to heart, scoring 1 and setting up 2 more for 127 points. His only blemish in the past 6 weeks was his 38 against Manly, but removing that, he has a low of 88 in that time without the goalkicking.

Luki owners kicked him home like they were riding Winx as he broke away in the dying minutes to score a try and post 80. Non-owners again shook their head in disbelief. He was tracking for sub-50 before scooping up a loose ball.

Tommy Chester couldn’t have done much more not to score. He is a play each and every week and does more work than required. IF he can find some attack, glory be to the highest.

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For the Sharks, KL Iro owners finally got a reprieve, with the centre scoring 3 tries in quick succession. He was looking like Morgan Harper for the first 40 and finished with a massive 128. Hold now, and the combo with Nicho might finally be clicking.

Nicho too was back to his best for new owners, laying on 2 tries and kicking 5 goals. Averaging 94 alongside Cleary and Doueihi. Running 3 gun halfbacks is the new age thing to do. 

4. Melbourne dynasty vanquished

Uncharted territory, Melbourne losing and their Supercoach guns not doing anything!

Awfully hard to get used to. That and the Tigers winning is making me think it won’t be cold in Cooma in Winter.

Grant, I will touch on later, but he has been a lost soul since Round 2, and nothing is going right.

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Hughes was a target for the bold, with a good bye run coming and a history of scoring well. That fell flat as he mustered only 34, was sent from the field for a HIA, and now is set to miss a week at least. Those who jumped on must be wondering why Sammy Walker didn’t come into calculations, 70k cheaper and owned by fewer.

Stefano keeps plodding along but scoring well. The minutes don’t seem there for him, and when they are so well dominated in the middle, it seems hard for him to spark something. A hold for owners, but one that could have been a Twal or Ford.

Chan, if you still own like me, will join Martin and wave goodbye as soon as lockout lifts. Seems a different man since Bellamy gave him both barrels, and with Clarke showing some promise, he could be on the outer

Sua seems the only bright spot, and owners were given a get-out-of-jail card, as he scored a late try to get up to 67 points. He has a knack for that recently, even going way back to Round 2, where he piled on 4 against the Dragons late into the contest.

He is a hold for now, but if the trend of Melbourne losing by a lot continues, he will lose all the cash he has made so far.

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5. Hooking highs and lows

Bring back 2016 Damien Cook and Cam Smith…

Even a 2024 Jacob Liddle would be enough right now!

Another dire weekend for most owners in the hooking spot, with Brandon Smith going down with a calf injury, the same one he did to start the year. Started on the edge, only to last 20 or so minutes, scoring 10 points. He will likely sit out 4-6 weeks now, and they won’t be rushing him back.

Many brought him in, moving on from Mahoney, Ioelu, or Hayward, hoping for some good cash gen. It’s another trade wasted, and there aren’t any clear signs of who, of the cheapie, mid-range crop to bring in. 

Harry Grant has gone cold on us, even to the point I considered not playing him!

His rounds 1 and 2 efforts seem an age ago, and he now only has 1 score over 72 since Round 2.

Those with him and Smith would call it a headache, but it must be bordering on migraine territory.

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But we do have some good in the world, with Blayke Brailey scoring back-to-back hundreds, with 110 in the points fest, and jumping to the top of the heap for total points. Looks like he will miss Origin at this stage, which, if it is the case, is a must-have.

Crossland, though, is another you could pivot to with the Knights rake, making a thousand tackles week in week out and playing 80.

6. Reed finds feet in cauldron-like conditions

Couldn’t be much tougher conditions to debut in!

Sent to the wolves, Kade Reed made a real fist of his first NRL match up against the Roosters on ANZAC Day. There wouldn’t be too many tougher conditions to come into, let alone trying to lead a side around that was 0-7 and looks like they wouldn’t beat the Cooma Stallions on a good day.

He didn’t look out of place, taking the line on and throwing a couple of nice cutout balls, but the fact is, he is playing behind a well-beaten pack, and there just doesn’t seem to be any attack coming. 

Many moved quickly on the cheap 5/8, priced at only 200k, but he only managed 11, meaning any potential cash gen is all but stunted. Did play in the 7, so time will tell if he gets dual, but there is a potential that once he gets it, he may be back in Cup.

Mind you, there isn’t much to cheer about in the 5/8 spot, so he has come company.

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7. Let the Tigers Roar

Lids are off over at Leichhardt Oval!

They were always well supported when they weren’t winning, now they sit 3^rd, and the place is humming!

Great win on Thursday night, and their Supercoach guns are really starting to fire up!

Adam Douehi might be the best running half-back I have ever seen (recency bias) and has surely played himself into a blue jersey, which is probably the only glimmer of hope we non-owners have. Scored a double, kicked 4 goals, and only Kaeo Weeks, making an incredible tackle, stopped him from a hat-trick. His 113 was his 4th 100+ score of the year and takes on the Sharks, who have shown they are averse to tackling.

Alex Twal. What more can I say? I don’t own, can’t believe he is pumping out the scores he is, and I don’t intend on buying anytime soon! 

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Scored his first-ever 100+ score on Thursday and made it a bigger one, going 125 after a late assist to Hunt. 57 tackles, 3 offloads, and 30-odd points in runs, he was tracking for another 90+ in base. Dual FRF/2RF, those who own must be in hysterics at what he is producing. Hasn’t played under 70 minutes since Round 3, and that does not look like it will change anytime soon.

Wasn’t all Doueihis and Twals, with KPP succumbing to a HIA, and will miss next week’s clash against the Sharks. He only scored 39 before leaving the field.

Terrel May banged out an easy 79, with only the 1 offload. 

8. Minute Watch

Tigers v Raiders

Twal 80, May 63, Api 65, KPP 53, Martin 43, Hosking 80, 

Cowboys v Sharks

Luki 80, Luke 27, Mahoney 53, Colquhoun 41, Brailey 80, AFB 53 

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Broncos v Bulldogs

Willison 75, Talty 53, Hayward 31, Preston 80, Kiks 21

Dragons v Roosters

Rouchman 74, Touchman 71, Stewart 59, Cook 80, Crichton 80, Wong 80, Watson 24, Robson 80

Warriors v Dolphins

Leka 80, Egan 67, Ford 80, Barnett 22, Gilbert 65, FinaAF 80, Lemuelu 80, Flegler 42

Storm v Rabbitohs

Grant 80, Chan 68, Clarke 52, Hughes 65, Duncan 80, Murray 67, Smith 13

Knights v Panthers

Mooney 46, Crossland 80, Manuleleua 65, Yeo 74, IPap 75

Sea Eagles v Eels

Burbo 80, Ola 73, SST 37, Paseka 45, Paulo 56, Smith 45, Williams 80