NRL Supercoach 2026 Round 23 Wrap: 9 Things We Learnt

Tricky game this Supercoach when our Captains fail, the blokes who usually score 130 don’t, and the wrong wingers score all the tries!

From the absolute peak of Round 22, we are back to base camp, bruised but not beaten as Head-to-Head finals move past week 1 and into knockout territory.

Nicho carrying all of us did not hit any great heights, which seems to be a Dragons thing? Whenever we have relied upon a gun to score big against the Dragons, they have fallen well short of expectations – especially when our expectations are they score 180. 

Well done to those who won through to next week. Those with trades might be the ones with the advantage as we look at some PODs to flip the script on our opponents 

Koula than Kaeo saw green arrows for the 6^th week running, but not many, moving only 954 spots into 34991 overall. Top 35k completed. Top 30k incoming.

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1. The weight of expectations 

Maybe he started reading all that good press about him. Maybe he started to believe he could break the goal kicking record. Maybe we all started to believe he was going to take us to Supercoach glory.

But carrying the entire playing community on his shoulders was too much for Nico as he stuttered and faulted in a Sunday afternoon to forget.

All the talk during the week was about the goal kicking record, and his first shot at goal looked like my first attempt after a season of cricket 

From there it was all downhill. Finished with only 61, breaking the hearts of those who captained him and needed a miracle for a head-to-head win…

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It was, weirdly, his third score of 61 this year, which has all coincided after a massive Supercoach game. His 61 against the Roosters was preceded by 116 against the Bulldogs, his 61 against the Knights was preceded by 196 against the Dolphins and his 133 last week, well, we should have seen it coming.

A Raiders side who probably have spent the week with their ears ringing after a Ricky spray awaits Nico and his Sharks to see if they can bounce back 

If there is a pattern, he tends to bounce back after a low game with a pretty good score…The 3:00pm game back at Shark Park is as good a spot as any to put the C back on him, but it might be boom or bust by then for a lot of players in their head-to-head knockouts.

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2. Walkers Off

Walkers on Walkers on would have been the cries last weekend, but there wasn’t a Blues trainer this week screaming the same thing, as Sammy Walker could not even get close to replicating his superhuman Supercoach effort last week.

I’m not sure those who bought Walker were expecting another 200-plus performance, but he certainly wasn’t running at that Cowboys’ edge on Friday night with the Bulldogs showing some ticker in defence. He was handcuffed pretty well, managing only 39 in the Roosters’ come-from-behind victory 

I mean, buyers probably got exactly what was expected. A flash in the pan performance followed by.. Meh. Probably the best way to describe it. 

And I have owned before this year, so I know what it’s like, but he just does not accumulate points that aren’t attacking stats. You’re sort of screaming at the TV for him to do something, and then when he does, for some reason it doesn’t feel like he gets the same amount of points as a Cleary or Hynes! 

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I don’t know how to explain it, but sometimes when Nicho or Cleary sets a try up, they get 10 more points than if a halfback like Walker did the same. 

A tougher assignment awaits the Roosters and Walker next week with Penrith looming on Thursday night. If owners can get through that okay. It’s smooth sailing from there with the Tigers, Dolphins and South to finish. 

Plus if you were bold enough to bring him in at this stage, you’ve either got trades to play with, or that was your last one. 

3. That’s SIR Francis to you…

What are they feeding these left edge back rowers in Steel City? 

Maybe the raw material from the BHP plant because whoever puts on that Jersey just turns into something from out of this world! 

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After Lucas went down, I’m sure many Knights fans were worried about who could plug the hole, but after 3 weeks of Francis Manuleleua, I had already forgotten Dylan Lucas previously held that Jersey! 

What a 3 weeks it’s been with 111 against the Roosters, followed by 76 last week against the Broncos, into a Sunday afternoon special down at the Capital finishing with 114. 

For those with trades, he’s a serious option for the next 3 weeks. The bye in round 27 does not help, but by then, if he scored you 400+ points, does it really matter? Running up against the Titans, the Eagles who we know can’t tackle, and then the Warriors, who will be eyeing off a top 4 spot. 

On one hand, it’s a shame he’s had this run so late this year because we could have all been owners and got to enjoy it. Plus, come kickoff next season he will be 600k plus. But on the other hand, if he did it and was underpriced, well, everyone would only, wouldn’t they. 

For those who have got the trades, what do we always say? You must own the fun players and Supercoach, and they don’t come much funner than Sir Francis at this stage of the season. 

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4. Duncan the distributor

If all Duncan’s role in the next few weeks is to catch and pass to AJ, then he is going to be very hard to watch as a non-owner!

Returned from a lower leg injury that is about as popular as myxomatosis for the Rabbits, much to the owner’s delight, with 84 against the Eels. It was looking like another monster score if not for an Eels fightback. 

Picked up a lot of his points just shifting the ball onto AJ, who ended up doing the rest. And as I said at the top, if that’s all his role is to do in the next few weeks, then he’s in for some big scores! 

Another one of those players that owners can play with confidence in the next few weeks as Sit v starts become a little bit trickier.

Be sure to find the line a couple of times between now and finals footy. It’s just whether non-owners can get out of it unscathed.

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5. Walsh gets a reprieve 

I feel like instead of becoming that shiny toy we all played with, Walsh has turned into that weird piece of wood we leave in the shed because we “might need it one day for something”.

I don’t know when that day will come, and I don’t know what that something is, but I won’t be throwing him out this week.

He was lucky to stay in plenty of sides this week as Tedesco was ruled out and found a little bit of form early on in their clash against the Dolphins, managing to finish with 86.

But, like Timmy at Magic Round, he was unsighted when the going got tough and is now staring down the barrel of a matchup against the high-flying Warriors at Suncorp Stadium, where he has a high score of 62 against them.

Does he make it another week? I don’t want to throw him out and find that he turns out to be very useful right when I don’t have him. He still has an Australian Jersey to play for, so let’s see if he can find something for the last month.

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6. Second row stars

Another week and I’m writing about the 2RF position and the superstars that are currently residing there! 

We already spoke about Francis, but Simi, Couchman (Ryan), Stewart and Luki were all enormous for owners in round 23, hopefully setting up some H2H Victories. 

Luki crossed for a double way back on Thursday to finish with 109, and each and every week that passes, I just wonder how he hasn’t ended up in my team. His 109 was his highest score for the year, with a low of 45, but apart from that it’s been all consistency from the Cowboys back rower.

Just when it looks like he’s had a quiet month and non-owners might come out on top, he pulls out a performance like that to remind us all he started the year at 404k…

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Simi did what we’d come to expect from him this season, scoring his fifth 100-plus score for the year, which obviously doesn’t include a 95 and a 97. 

He will do well to end the year playing 80 minutes, as he seems to have picked up a few bumps and bruises along the way but was the Raiders’ best in their loss on the weekend. With the Raiders all but out of finals contention, let’s hope Ricky doesn’t put him out to pasture for season 2026.

And casting an eye to 2027, Hamish Stewart might be our first pick alongside Francis and Oryn Keeley, with the latter two playing the football of their lives.

Keeley is playing like he owes Bellamy a significant amount of money, and Stewart has been arguably the game’s best back rower not named Olakau’atu.

Scored 97 on Sunday afternoon to bring his 5RA up to 88. In fact, a look at his numbers tells you a story that probably hasn’t been shouted about enough!

Low score of 63 since round 7, and has only once scored under 74 since Round 12. Lock in for 2027.

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7. Metcalf rises again

From the Ashes of Mount Smart Stadium, Luke Metcalf has risen again! 

Thankfully hadn’t packed his Warriors gear away and sent it to Kogarah, as he was a late call-up after TMM was ruled out with a hamstring complaint, which looks like it could sideline him for a couple of weeks, and didn’t he make a fist of it! 

In only his third game of the season, and first since round five, he scored a double and set another one up to finish with 112 against high-flying Panthers outfit. 

Why am I talking about him at this late in the season? Don’t we have enough good halfbacks? 

Well, we certainly do, but we’re at the crux of head-to-head finals, and if 2026 is anything to go by, doesn’t a goal-kicking halfback against the Broncos pique your interest as well as mine? 

I have some trades left over to have a bit of fun with, hence why I brought in Hamiso last weekend, but if things are looking grim come Saturday afternoon, I might just be silly enough to bring him in! 

After a Broncos side planning their Mad Monday outfits, it’s Souths who nearly let a 28-point lead slip, the Knights at home and then Manly at home also. 

The more I write about it, the less I hate it!

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8. Head-To-Head horror stories 

Well, week one of the head-to-head finals is done, and I want to know if any of you have got some horror stories to share! 

Depending on how your final structure was set up, you were either playing for a qualifying spot in the preliminary final or wearing a straight knockout.

Did Corey Horsburgh cost you your head-to-head matchup? Did you need Nicho to score 62 as a captain? Or were you coasting that you were already looking ahead to see who you might be playing in a fortnight’s time?

Did any last minute throw at the stumps trades do you any good? 

It can be a tricky time, trying to be sensible, but also having some gumption to make a bold play and hoping it comes off…Remember: we don’t have any control over what they do, despite how many times you can yell at your TV. Trust me, I have tried!

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9. Minute Watch

Titans v Cowboys

Tino 71, Pascoe 51, Luki 80, Lolo 42

Warriors v Panthers

Leka 80, Egan 59, Laban 80, Clark 44, Yeo 33, IPap 80

Roosters v Bulldogs

Whyte 51, Watson 30, Foketi 80, Kiks 80, Preston 80

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Storm v Sea Eagles

Keeley 76, Clarke 41, Stefano 53, Ola 80, Paseka 25

Dolphins v Broncos

Kuli 80, JMK 80, Haas 71, Willison 57, Carrigan 66

Rabbitohs v Eels 

Fifita 80, Keaon 80, Smith 49, Williams 80, Pryke 53, 

Raiders v Knights

Hosking80, Taps 49, Pattie 51, Manuleleua 80, 

Dragons v Sharks

RCouchman 80, Stewart 80, Liddle 80, Nikora 80, AFB 40, Wilton 80, Brailey 80