KFC SuperCoach NRL 2022: Wilfred Zee’s 10 left-field cheapies

Former KFC SuperCoach champion Wilfred Zee first wrote this article more than a month ago — and boy did he nail it. Almost every word still rings true.

Young South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Davvy Moale. Picture: Lars Roy

Most KFC SuperCoaches know all about cheapies, but the value of a lower-ownership, left-field cheapie cannot be understated.

Landing on a sleeper cash cow can pay off dividends when your team value is sneakily $150,000 or $200,000 more than other teams just off the back of one really good, left-field cheapie.

So it pays to do your research, and with that in mind, let’s take a deep dive into some potential low-ownership cheapies for 2022.

Just like the Colonel’s 11 secret herbs and spices, I’ve picked out 11 left-field cheapies that everyone should at least know the name of!

Kelma Tuilagi (Tigers) – 2RF $253,900 0.5% ownership

A situation borne out of extremely unfortunate circumstances, but if the suspected ACL injury to Shawn Blore is confirmed, there’s an opportunity here for young Tuilagi who debuted last season. In his five games off the bench, he showed a decent workrate and also a knack for running great lines that resulted in two tries in his five games off the bench.

There is an argument to suggest he may also be worth considering for your Round 1 KFC SuperCoach teams whether he starts or not.

Kelma Tuilagi of the Tigers celebrates a try (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Davvy Moale (Rabbitohs) – FRF $205,100 1.5% ownership

The Rabbitohs have seen some movement in the engine room, with a mix of starting and depth options finding new homes in the off-season. There appears to be at least one, if not two, opportunities that have opened up in the top 17 for the forwards.

Moale played two games last season (curiously, both were against the Dragons) and passed the eye test so far. However, he faces competition from the incoming Siliva Havili and Michael Chee-Kam, who are both obviously far more experienced. But if named for Round 1, Moale could be well worth considering for one of your two FRF bench spots.

Young South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Davvy Moale. Picture: Lars Roy

Billy Walters (Broncos) – HOK/FE $296,300 – 1.6% ownership

Now being coached by his father, Walters has officially become a Bronco and is hoping to find a permanent home in the halves. One of the options vying for the No 6 jersey beside Adam Reynolds, Walters has demonstrated his ability to score well in KFC SuperCoach in his time at the Tigers, even if that was impacted due to injury. He has had some Covid-19 related setbacks this pre-season, which have limited his availability and therefore hindered his chances at the starting jersey, but if he nails down that spot come Round 1, he will be an interesting prospect at either hooker or five-eighth for our KFC SuperCoach teams.

Tukimihia Simpkins (Tigers) – 2RF $209,000 – 1.6% ownership

There is somewhat of a disclaimer here, given he has found himself in some off-field trouble this pre-season, but provided that is resolved without any impact on his availability for selection in Round 1, Simpkins may find himself on the bench to start the season. We saw in limited opportunities last year that Simpkins has a game that is friendly towards KFC SuperCoach scoring (nine offloads in five games as a rookie) and is expected to improve with more game time. One to watch!

Cory Paix (Broncos) – HFB/HOK $203,100 – 1.9% ownership

This is definitely an “only if” nomination — but if Cory Paix is able to steal the starting hooker jersey from Jake Turpin, he looms as an appealing option given his dual position availability. Paix has been “training the house down” #TTHD as well as providing some genuine spark out of dummy half and offering up attacking opportunities. Word out of the Broncos is that Paix is firmly in mind for the No 14 jersey and continued high level performance at hooker, could see him take the No 9 jersey off Turpin. Obviously if Paix doesn’t start, he’s not an option, but this is a situation that needs to be monitored.

Billy Smith (Roosters) – CTW $294,600 – 2.0% ownership

Young Billy keeps teasing us with his KFC SuperCoach potential year after year, but in his two full 80 minute games at left centre, where he was playing ahead of Josh Morris on form, scores of 40 and 77 gave us a glimpse of his potential for KFC SuperCoach. He also had a shot at goal (and missed) in one of his games, which may help him in nailing down a starting spot given the Roosters’ goalkicking woes last year. Obviously he’s one of several options the Roosters have available to them, but strictly for KFC SuperCoach purposes, he’s my preference!

Billy Smith is at just two per cent ownership (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Josh King (Storm) – FRF $255,800 – 2.2% ownership

King has been somewhat of a ‘plodder’ at the Knights the past two seasons, with uninspiring numbers for KFC SuperCoach purposes as well as limited on-field impact. He is reportedly a very hard trainer and someone with work ethic, but it has not really shown on the field. The Storm have taken a chance on King, who has the potential to earn bigger minutes after being limited to 20 to 25 minutes per game for the past two seasons. We did see a glimpse of potential in Round 25 last year, when King, as a starting prop, played 52 minutes for 50 points. King’s chances of earning minutes appear dependent on the prospects of Tui Kamikamica (currently stood down) and Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s vaccination status (appears to have been resolved).

Josh Cook (Bulldogs) – HOK $175,400 – 2.4% ownership

Cook left the Rabbitohs with the hope of earning a bigger role, or even a starting role, with the Bulldogs. Once the understudy to his namesake Damien, Cook was usurped for the back-up position by the promising Peter Mamouzelos at the Rabbitohs. At the Bulldogs, he has the chance to steal the starting jersey from the incumbent Jeremy Marshall-King, who appears to have a tenuous grip on the No 9 jersey at best. He otherwise could find himself on the bench as Marshall-King’s back-up, which we know for KFC SuperCoach purposes is not good.

Jordan Pereira (Broncos) – CTW $266,500 – 3.7% ownership

Pereira is well and truly in the mix for a wing spot for Round 1 at the Broncos, and we’ve seen Pereira put up some decent numbers for KFC SuperCoach purposes in the past. Priced at approximately 30.4 points per game to start, Pereira has averaged around 40 points per game in his base and base attack stats alone in the past two seasons (in his 80 minute games) at the Dragons, which means he should make some cash even without scoring tries!

The biggest question mark is whether or not he gets the start, and even if he does, will he hold his spot?

Erin Clark (Titans) – HOK $300,000 – 3.5% ownership

Justin Holbrook has recently come out and proclaimed Erin Clark to be the Titans’ starting hooker for Round 1, which on paper seems exciting. However, priced at approximately 34.2 points per game (which is based off his 2021 season average that includes numerous bench games playing 30 or less minutes), there may not be as much value as anticipated given Clark is not known for being a ‘base stat beast’.

In his six games as a starting hooker in 2021, he averaged just 39.3 points per game in 66.3 minutes per game. If starting with Clark, you may need to hope for some attacking stats, which when you can throw the ball to David Fifita, could happen at any time!

Jirah Momoisea – FRF/2RF $205,100 – 4.3% ownership

With the departures of Connor Watson and Josh King, and the only forward signings being development players, Momoisea has a definite opportunity to become a regular first grader in 2022. He was looking at a Round 1 debut last season until a ruptured Achilles set that back.

Six months of hard rehab later, Momoisea managed to still debut in 2021, playing the final three games of the regular season. He flashed his potential in Round 25, where he scored 50 points in base and base attack stats in just 26 minutes of game time, due to two effective offloads and two tackle busts, boosting his 38 points in pure base stats.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach NRL 2022: Wilfred Zee’s 10 left-field cheapies