Mid-season review: Tom Sangster’s top 50 SuperCoach NRL players

AS new talent emerges and old stars fade, Tom Sangster reveals the current crop of top 50 SuperCoach players and how the list compares to his pre-season predictions. INTERACTIVE

JUST prior to season kick off, I put my bollocks on the line to predict the top 50 SuperCoach players of 2018.

Just over halfway through the season and I’m willing to give my predictions an overwhelming “meh”.

So far I’ve picked 21 of the top 50, which hardly makes for great reading.

However, when you take into account that 14 of my players have spent significant time injured, I’m willing to give myself a “respectable pass”.

GOOD PREDICTIONS

* Predicted 21 of the top 50, with 14 injured and only 15 air swings.

* Picked Jake Trbojevic (fifth) and Angus Crichton (17th) in their exact current rankings.

* Predicted Kalyn Ponga as the revelation of the season to rank 24th. He currently ranks first.

PODCAST! The teams are in and there are a host of shocks to deal with. Join Tom Sangster and Rob Sutherland.

BAD PREDICTIONS

* Predicted just one of the top 10 in Jake Trbojevic.

* Predicted Bryce Cartwright would rank ninth. He currently ranks 238th.

* Predicted Damien Cook would finish outside the top 50. He currently ranks fourth. I also missed the likes of Blake Ferguson (seventh), Esan Marsters (eighth), Lachlan Fitzgibbon (10th), Manu Ma’u (14th), Jai Arrow (19th), Daniel Alvaro (21st), Aidan Guerra (24th) and John Sutton (25th).

Correct picks (21): James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Cameron Smith, Jake Trbojevic, Johnathan Thurston, Jason Taumalolo, Jack De Belin, Angus Crichton, Cameron Munster, Paul Vaughan, Andrew Fifita, Kalyn Ponga, Daly Cherry-Evans, Gareth Widdop, Josh Papalii, Ryan James, Martin Taupau, Tohu Harris, Cody Walker, Coen Hess, Matt Eisenhuth

Wrong picks (15): Bryce Cartwright, Anthony Milford, Jordan Rapana, Trent Merrin, Matt Moylan, Aaron Woods, Josh McGuire, Andrew McCullough, Jarrod Croker, Luke Keary, James Graham, Boyd Cordner, James Roberts, Greg Inglis, Felise Kaufusi

Injured picks (14): Shaun Johnson, Paul Gallen, Nathan Cleary, Simon Mannering, Sam Burgess, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Billy Slater, Matt Gillett, Nathan Brown, David Nofoaluma, Jarryd Hayne, Dylan Edwards, Josh Mansour, Michael Morgan

Originally published as Mid-season review: Tom Sangster’s top 50 SuperCoach NRL players