NRL Supercoach | Clem’s Captains, Round 17 Skippers

Friends! We are nearly there…

Only ONE set of major/mini byes to get through and we are on the final stretch!

But before we get to that last major bye – we have a week of bye-relief, and with it a full eight games of footy and all the Captains and Vice-Captains we could possibly need.

Weekend sorted.

And I hope last week’s mini-bye treated you well. The Friday Beers had a stroke of luck, where we went against our anti-trade-hoarding ways, masterfully bringing back Sua for the Captaincy and his 139 points.

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The absolute relief – the space behind my couch would have never fit me and that amount of regret.

And a miracle – green arrows! And we are now millimetres away from the top 100! 134^th place… 

(For those playing at home it’s Groundhog Day – Spy is still trying to make up ground behind me etc etc. )

Anyway, let’s get straight into the Captains this week, starting with our regular feature:

Herbie Farnworth

Base, offloads, tackle busts, attacking stats – It’s just a copy paste every week.

The top-ranking CTW in SuperCoach so far, with a 104-point 3-round average and a 67-point average in base+power – if you own Herbie Farnworth how can you not VC?

(Except I cannot VC, because the Dolphins are playing the Warriors so I am sorry, but my manifesting will be all tied up during this game – you’re on your own here).

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Nathan Cleary

He’s back!

And it’s Christmas for everyone who held Nathan Cleary and can now reap the rewards of an armband on the top ranked halfback and second ranked player for the SuperCoach season so far.

All his averages tell the story of how scary it is to not have Cleary in your team – average score: 102, 5-round average: 114, 3-round average: 122…

Coming off 148-points vs the Tigers back in Round 14 followed by a post-Origin week off, this game vs the Cowboys is a mouthwatering one for those who own Cleary.

You only need to look at the Cowboys performance vs the Warriors last week to know that you have to put some sort of armband on Cleary for this week’s masterclass.

Plus, if we do some casual weathergirling, we’ll note that this game up in Townsville is one of the driest games of the round.

Thomas Jenkins

If you don’t own Cleary, you might like to take a punt on prolific try-scorer, Thomas Jenkins, instead. 

Charnze Nicoll–Klokstad scored FOUR tries vs the Cowboys on that side last week – in his first game starting at winger since his debut. And if un-noted winger, Charnze, can put four over them, imagine what Jenkins can do?

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Sua Fa’alogo

Sua Fa’alogo and PV Ball go together like wine and cheese. 

The top ranked player in SuperCoach this season, second-highest scorer of Round 16 with 139 points, an 85.4-point average and a 104-point 3-round average…

With 13 tries for the season, 8 try assists, NINETEEN line-breaks, and the kicking – what on earth was I thinking when I followed my heart and traded him out for Reece…

Every time Sua touches the ball and starts running, you just know something is going to happen. And if you are one of the 14 people trading him out – may my two Sua-free weeks and the wasted trade serve as a word of warning to you.

But now he’s safely back in my team, the Storm are getting their mojo back just in time for the run to finals, and if I wasn’t a slave to a Ponga Captaincy, I would consider a VC or Captaincy on him in this Saturday night game vs Manly.

Word of warning on this one – it is WET in Manly right now (I didn’t even need to weathergirl, I just walked outside and got soaked), so keep an eye on the weather for Saturday… just in case…

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Kalyn Ponga

Can you have Kalyn Ponga in your team and not put the armband on him? 

3 tons in his seven games – including 123 points vs the Storm, a 92-point average – Ponga is the spark in the Knight’s attack with 7 try assists, 9 try contributions, 4 line-breaks, 10 line-break assists, a bunch of points in goal kicks…

The Knights are taking on the Tigers in a 4pm Sunday game in Newcastle, the teams all back together, and after a post-Origin week off, Ponga will be firing to put on a show at home.

And while the Tigers also have the troops returning – you’re a braver man than me if you don’t at least consider the Captaincy on Ponga.

I’ll have a special couch of regret delivered to the Community Hall for you to practice hiding behind before Sunday’s game… If you are a Greg Marzhew trader, you can come too.

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Terrell May

Of course, if you’re not a Ponga owner, you might like to look to the other side of the field in this game to the one who is basically out-safe-ing Mr Safe as Haases himself, with an 87-point average including an INSANE 83.5-point average in Base+Power.

Terrell May has proven week in and week out, that if you want a nice safe Captaincy play to get you through the round, he’s the go-to man – all that base and if he finds an attacking stat or two, you’re looking at a guaranteed ton. 

With Twal back, there’s a bit of a minute watch, but even guns need to rest their shoulders when they’ve been taking all the tough carries – and he can still whack out a tidy score in just 60 minutes… even if the Tigers aren’t performing. 

One for those who want to get through the round without the risk of a high-upside player getting stuck on their floor.

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Verdict

The armband is wide-open this week and after weeks of bye-rounds and restings we finally have a full complement of Captaincy choices to choose from. And the right Captaincy choice this week could split the pack and send you up the rankings.

With Cleary, Herbie, and Ponga leading the way as the most popular Captains across the board, a sneaky punt on a high-upside VC like Jenkins or Sua could be a play if you’re looking to go against the crowd and make up ranks. 

I’ll likely play it safe with a Cleary VC into a Ponga Captaincy (if Herbie wasn’t playing the Wahs I’d be looking there for my VC), but I am VERY tempted on the Jenkins play.

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Now, as a renown Hoarder of Trades and as your SC Playbook Support Group Coordinator, it is my very duty to bring you this un-Captaincy related advice.

If your trades are looking low, say you have only 10/11 left – step away from the trade button unless you are significantly strengthening your team or bringing in a number for next week’s major bye because you’re playing short.

There’s still 10 weeks to go, and over the past few weeks we’ve seen how easy it is to lose an ‘end game’ player to injury or be forced to factor in an unplanned resting. If you’re low on trades, don’t just look at a one-week play or follow the pack for the flavour of the week.

Take a look at the player’s BE too. Jackson Ford to Alex Twal is the easiest trade of all time, BUT a first game back from injury and a 109 BE – you can easily wait this week. Simi’s Sasagi’s BE is 140 – and it’s his first game back since Rd 10 after a significant injury and then he’s straight into a bye. Look to bring him in in Round 19 at a discount.

And think about who you’re trading out. After a couple of down weeks, Greg Marzhew might look like he’s an obvious trade, but he’s got Ponga back this week, he’s a number for the major bye next week, AND then he’ll have post-Origin Ponga sparking up his side of the field post-Origin too…

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 

And on that note, I hope you have a lovely weekend and whoever you Captain scores you a ton…

(unless it’s Herbie, then 78 points and a Warriors win will do).

Here’s to a full four days of footy with ALL the games!

Clementine xxx