SuperCoach NRL 2022: Wilson Smith’s final team revealed

Draft expert Wilson Smith has moved mountains to get Tom Trbojevic into his KFC SuperCoach team for 2022, but he’s had to make massive sacrifices elsewhere.

It’s that time of year again SuperCoaches! Footy is back, we have the team lists for Round 1 and now we need to lock in our teams for the 2022 season. After hacking and slashing at my team for the last two months, I’ve finally come up with a team I’m happy with, which includes my boy Tom Trbojevic. In the first rendition of my team I tried to fit in as many guns as possible, while also looking for value in mid-rangers, but I’ve switched up my strategy a bit with the Nathan Cleary injury news and the plethora of cheapie options. There’s a few things I may still change before kick-off depending on late mail, but for now here is my team for 2022!

HOOKER

Damien Cook HOK ($575,700)

Cook has been in my team since the beginning and while I have flirted with the idea of the suspended Harry Grant and even Brandon Smith, I have decided to stick with Cook. Despite a healthy average of 65.7 in 2021, Cook was extremely boom or bust (with 12 scores below 60 and four scores above 80) and I jumped ship mid-season and regretted it. With Adam Reynolds gone I have a feeling Damien Cook will have to step up his running game to get the Bunnies attack firing and I am hoping for a bump in his SuperCoach output. That being said if money was no issue I’d still be going with Harry Grant.

Can Damien Cook take his game to another level with Adam Reynolds gone? Picture: Getty Images.

Chris Randall HOK ($245,500)

With Jayden Brailey facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines with an Achilles injury, it seems Chris Randall will be the next man up. It remains to be seen what his gametime will look like, how many minutes he plays and whether Kurt Mann affects his output, but for now Randall looks like one of the only budget hooking options that will actually play enough minutes to make some decent cash.

FRONT ROW

Payne Haas FRF ($595,800)

Arguably the best front-rower in the NRL and he comes at a slight discount on his 2021 starting price ($668,600) after a ‘down’ year due to a reduction in minutes ... but he still averaged 68. Lock him in. Isaiah Papali’i is overpriced and his usage toward the end of 2021 has me worried, Luke Thompson is a suspension risk, James Fisher-Harris is inconsistent, Josh Papalii has a very low floor ... all signs point to Haas.

Stefano Utoikamanu FRF ($457,200)

I think Stefano has the potential to be one of the best value buys of the 2022 season and consider him a must have. Based on an average score of 52, his price is extremely low when you see his average over the last eight weeks was just over 65. Now he did score three tries over those games, but still it was a breakout for him and it seems like he’ll have a big role at the Tigers in 2022.

Stefano Utoikamanu could be one of the best value picks of 2022. Picture: NRL Photos.

Josh King FRF ($255,800)

I originally planned on going with three main front rowers and had Matt Lodge in this spot, but needed to free up some cash to afford Tom Trbojevic so have gone with a cheapie in Josh King. King has won the starting lock spot for the Storm in Round One and while I do expect he will move back to the bench from Round two I think he will still be able to make some decent cash.

Jirah Momoisea FRF/2RF ($205,100)

I had Franklin Pele as a placeholder, but have moved him on for Jirah Momoisea at the Knights who has won a bench spot and should see some decent game time following the leg injury to Daniel Saifiti. Plus he has that handy FRF/2RF dual position and provides a lot of flexibility for my forward pack.

SECOND ROW

David Fifita (2RF) $745,200

I originally had Tevita Pangai Jr in this slot but have abandoned ship after his antics in the pre-season trials. TPJ has a massive suspension risk and it’s not one I’m willing to take in 2022. David Fifita on the other hand has very little risk and if his efforts for the Indigenous All Stars are anything to go by looks set for another big year in 2022. He was benched towards the end of last year but was still scoring well for SuperCoach purposes, but is back in the starting side for Round 1 against Parramatta. I missed the boat on him in 2021 and don’t want to miss out again this year so am locking him in early.

Jai Arrow 2RF/FRF ($457,700)

The injury to Cameron McInnes forced a bit of a reshuffle in my forward pack and although it looks like he’ll only miss a couple of games there is a lot of risk around him in his return from an ACL injury. Jai Arrow looks set to play big minutes on an edge for Souths in 2022 and when he played big minutes last year he looked really good. He only averaged 52 points but that included games off the bench. When he played 60+ minutes his average was actually 60 so I think given he is set to see more minutes this year I think he is pretty underpriced. Great value!

David Fifita is one of the few players that can crack 100 points off just a few plays.

Liam Martin 2RF ($428,500)

This is another value pick I’m liking, with Martin likely locked in for big minutes on an edge for the Panthers after the departure of Kurt Capewell. Priced at an average of 49, but that includes a bunch of scores below 40 after playing off the bench. But when he started his average did slightly jump to 51.5. It was when he played big minutes that he really scored well, with an average of 56.1 when he played 60+ minutes. Now these numbers aren’t anything crazy, but he is someone you can get at a bit over $400k with great job security, is set for a jump in gametime and could ideally score you 56+ points a week.

Izack Tago 2RF/CTW ($287,900

In my first team reveal I had Tago in my CTW’s, but the emergence of several outside back cheapies and the lack of many great 2RF cheapies I have moved him up to my forwards. Tago has won the starting centre spot at the Panthers after the departures of Matt Burton, Brent Naden and Paul Momirovski. He starts a tad expensive compared to other cheapies, I think it’s still a small price to pay for a starting centre in one of the best attacking teams in the NRL.

Brendan Piakura ($188,700)

He is suspended Round One, but after getting a big payrise from the Broncos I think he has decent job security and could see decent gametime in 2022. He’ll probably be more of a slow burn but he is pretty explosive and could still score well off the bench.

Kelma Tuilagi 2RF ($253,900)

Tuilagi impressed during the trials and has won the starting backrow spot. I had my concerns that he would be out of the side once Luke Garner was fit, but after seeing Round 1 teams he has won the spot fair and square, with Garner on the bench. We saw a bit of him in 2021 and he has a SuperCoach friendly game and could be a great money maker.

HALFBACKS

Unfortunately the cost of getting Turbo means you have to go cheap somewhere and I’ve decided to go cheap at halfback! With Nathan Cleary injured, there just aren’t any other gun halfbacks I really like. Nicho Hynes is overprice and Daly Cherry-Evans was inconsistent, and while I did give consideration to Sam Walker and Jahrome Hughes, but ultimately I’ve decided to go cheap here and hopefully upgrade my cheapies to a gun later on in the season

Jackson Hastings HFB|5/8 ($350,700)

The last time Hastings was in the NRL he was pretty inconsistent and was not at all KFC SuperCoach relevant. But then he went off to the Super League and quickly became one of the best halves in the competition and developed a very KFC SuperCoach friendly game. The Tigers spent decent money to bring him to the club and with Adam Doueihi injured I think his job security is great. If he can replicate his Super League form in the NRL he could be a big money maker.

Brad Schneider HFB ($188,700)

With Jamal Fogarty out long-term, Ricky Stuart has opted for Schneider over the more experienced options like Sam Williams. Normally I avoid Raiders players like the plague given Ricky’s propensity to chop and change his side on a whim, but I think the fact that Schnieder earned the starting spot over other more experienced options means Ricky will stick with him. And he is a near bottom-dollar priced halfback option, who will also likely kick goals with Jarrod Croker dropped to reserve grade. He ticks all the boxes!

Jackson Hastings developed a very KFC SuperCoach friendly game in the Super League, but can he replicate it in the NRL? Picture: Getty Images.

FIVE-EIGHTHS

Lachlan Ilias HFB|5/8 ($205,200)

Speaking of cheapie halves and Lachlan Ilias has won the starting halfback spot at South Sydney following the departure of Adam Reynolds. We got to see a little of him in 2021 and although he didn’t set the NRL world on fire we saw enough to know he has all the makings of a great SuperCoach cheapie.

Cameron Munster 5/8 ($649,900)

Munster may be suspended for the opening round, but I’m willing to pick him anyway after seeing his very impressive trial form. Munster admitted off-field issues affected his form in 2021, and he was still very good in terms of his SuperCoach output. But I have a bold prediction that he is in for a career-best year and could even be pushing for Dally M contention! Plus with no Cleary I want at least one gun half and am willing to cop a zero in Round 1 to get who I think is the next best option.

CENTRE/WINGS

Euan Aitken 2RF|CTW ($486,200)

Aitken is my only non-cheapie CTW for 2022. It’s been some time since we’ve had a super reliable backrower available to play in the CTW position, but whenever we do have someone like this always try to get them. While super consistent in the past, his numbers dropped off drastically while playing at centre in 2021, but his game went to another level after moving to backrow. In five games in the forwards (not counting an injury affected Round 25 score of 12), he averaged an insane 80.8 on the back of four tries and solid base stats. Now while I’m not expecting him to maintain this kind of output, I think if he can come even remotely close to it he is extremely underpriced.

Euan Aitken took his game to another level after moving to the forwards in 2021. Picture: NRL Photos.

Talatau Amone CTW|5/8 ($284,500)

Also known as Junior Amone, he looks set to start the year for the Dragons in the halves and there was a lot to like from what we saw in 2021. His average was only 32, but that was mostly playing off the bench and he looked solid when starting in the halves. The dual position is nice, and like I said before I like having CTW’s who aren’t actually playing in the outside backs. He looked solid for the Dragons in the pre-season trials and I feel confident locking him in.

Will Penisini CTW ($255,700)

He looked very impressive in his three games in 2021, with a healthy average of 42. While not at bargain price he will still see some decent price rises if he can nab some attacking stats... which given his pre-season form is very likely I think.

Sean Russell CTW|FLB ($285,400)

Sticking with Parramatta Eels outside backs, and the injuries to Maika Sivo and Haze Dunster means Russell has great job security and the Eels have a pretty cruisy start to the year so I think he could be a fast money maker!

Viliami Vailea CTW ($205,100)

Vailea kind of came out of nowhere this pre-season to claim a starting spot at the Warriors (on merit) over the likes of Adam Pompey and Jesse Arthars, so I think it’s safe to say his job security is pretty good. He only played two games in 2021 with scores of 23 and 31, but that was pretty much all pure base stats. If the attacking stats come, I think it’s safe to say he will make some decent cash!

Tolutau Koula $175,400

There was some pre-season chat that Koula could earn a starting spot for Manly but we will have to settle for a bench spot for now. The injury to Dylan Walker has opened up a chance for one of the fastest players in the NRL to show off his skills. And while a bench back doesn’t scream money maker for KFC SuperCoach I think there is a chance he can nab some attacking stats off the bench and make a bit of cash to start off with. Once Dylan Walker is back I’m not sure how he slots in, but any injury to the outside backs likely means he is back in the starting side of one of the NRL’s best attacking teams. And that’s enough for me to lock him in.

Joseph Suaalii CTW|FLB ($259,500)

This one is a little controversial given Suaalii is currently injured and was not selected for Round 1, but he is a prodigy and I believe that once he is fit he will be in the Roosters starting team. The only question is where? Billy Smith was a bit of a surprise selecting for the Roosters in Round One, but he is highly rated at the club so will likely keep his spot. That means Paul Momirovski could be the odd man out when Suaalii is fit. He only averaged 37 in 2021 but there was a lot to like from his game and he is still just 18 years of age.

Wilson has moved mountains to get Tom Trbojevic into his team. Picture: Getty Images.

FULLBACKS

Tom Trbojevic FLB ($1,256,100) & Ryan Papenhuyzen FLB ($694,700)

After going back and forth on my fullbacks all pre-season, the injury to Nathan Cleary means I am going with Tommy Turbo. Manly do have a difficult start to the year and a tough draw overall, and I am expecting him to drop in price. But even if he does drop say $350k, he will still be almost impossible bring into your team later in the year, without trading out two guns basically. If he starts putting up numbers even close to his 2021 points then he is a must have player. And at his price tag you may not be able to get him later. So why not just lock him in now. Paps on the other hand had an up and down season after playing just 13 games on the season due to injury (including 14 minutes in Round 10, and four games off the bench on return. But he was on fire to start the season and Nicho Hynes scored well in his absence, so I see no reason why he can’t replicate it again in 2022.It’s also worth noting that while you are missing out on some insane Turbo scores going this way, Tedesco and Papenhuyzen are more than capable of scoring 200+ between them so it’s not the end of the world.

Originally published as SuperCoach NRL 2022: Wilson Smith’s final team revealed