SuperCoach NRL: Trent Copeland reveals who to captain in round 14

ORIGIN hangovers permitting, SuperCoaches have a smorgasbord of captaincy options available this week but a particularly tasty one comes in the form of Rabbitohs gun Angus Crichton.

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TAUMALOLO or bust.

That was the story of round 13, and thankfully he was front and centre as the best VC/C option last weekend — many of you locking in the MASSIVE 232 points in a big bye round which is absolutely priceless.

Each week I will delve into the SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — stats that stick out, the best match-ups, form and even sometimes a gut feel to find you the best skippers of the week. This week it will be key to watch late mail for Origin guns backing up, and how that will directly affect your captaincy choice.

Without further ado …

VC options

Nathan Cleary HFB (Panthers) v Raiders

Now, this one is reliant upon Cleary getting through his debut Origin match unscathed and backing up less than 48 hours later — no guarantee whatsoever. Should he do so, though, Cleary is right at the top of the list in terms of upside in this clash with the Raiders — a team he averages a remarkably good 76.5PPG against. Hopefully the goalkicking duties are back in his possession also.

Nathan Cleary could add to his fine record against the Raiders. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Damian Cook HOK (Rabbitohs) v Titans

Ditto with regards to the Origin concerns, but given Cook has been the most popular captain option (oh, and he’s the No.1 overall pointscorer in all of SuperCoach) in recent weeks — quite simply if he takes the field you have almost have to VC him against a lacklustre Titans outfit. SuperCoach Stats projects the star NSW hooker to score 79 points, and given he’s averaging 76.7PPG this entire season it really does make sense. The Rabbitohs are one of the hottest teams in the entire NRL, so any of their attacking weapons are worth a look.

Shaun Johnson could put you in the box seat early. Picture: Getty Images

Shaun Johnson HFB (Warriors) v Sea Eagles

Heeeeeee’s back! SJ is the highest-averaging HFB-eligible player in all of SuperCoach at 73.3PPG with the next best being Mason Lino (60.4PPG) and Nathan Cleary (60PPG). This may be listed as a Sea Eagles home game, but if you delve a little deeper this game is to be played at AMI Stadium, the home of Canterbury Rugby in Christchurch, New Zealand. SJ averages 69.4PPG across nine previous meetings with the Sea Eagles with a high score of 111 points. Plus, he’s just so bloody fun to watch as your VC!

Other options … Cody Walker, Sam Burgess, Marty Taupau, Tom Trbojevic (backing up)

LISTEN!!! Tom Sangster, Rob Sutherland and Tim Williams have the big news and views heading into round 14.

Copes’ Captains

Jason Taumalolo 2RF (Cowboys) v Eels

BEASTMODE — activated. Taumalolo’s 116 points in the FULL 80 minutes in round 13 bye week was far beyond our wildest dreams, but one thing to note is that Lolo has been building toward this for some time now. Have a read of his last eight scores since his ‘slow’ start to the season following herculean efforts for Tonga at the World Cup … 100, 84, 68, 94, 58, 61, 61 and 116 for an average of 80.25PPG. Wow. This week, Lolo gets a matchup (in Darwin mind you) with last-placed Parramatta who have been conceding a truckload of SuperCoach points. The risk is an early shower if the Cowboys are well ahead, but the upside is pretty hard to ignore. Currently over 15 per cent of teams have the former Dally M winner with the Orange Armband on.

Angus Crichton ran riot against the Titans last season. Picture: Mark Evans

Angus Crichton 2RF (Rabbitohs) v Titans

So, the disclaimer here is the same for all Origin players that you must track the minutes played off the bench in Origin, and particularly late mail regarding his injury thereafter. But, let’s get to the good stuff …

Crichton has played this week’s opponent, the Titans, once in his young career in round 15 of last season for a score of, wait for it … 166 points! Three tries, 23 tackles, 20 points in tackle busts, four line breaks and 26 points in hit-ups. Amazing really, and good enough for the eighth-highest score ever. On to the right here and now and Crichton could hardly be in better form, scoring his debut Origin berth on the back of scores of 112, 61 and 94 points the past three matches. At just 14 per cent ownership, Crichton is the POD skipper of the week.

Storm stalwart Cameron Smith is back in form and ready to do some damage.

Cameron Smith HOK (Storm) v Broncos

Smith is no longer playing Origin, notoriously one of the detractors on his SuperCoach scoring this time of year. So, looking at recent form Smith is back to his best with 64 and 123 points in his past two matches. Given the absence of Billy Slater and the amount of Broncos backing up from Origin this week, expect the legend of the game to stand up at home this weekend. By way of career averages against the Broncos, Smith has played 17 matches against them for an average of 79.5PPG. Not bad, eh?

Other options … Gareth Widdop, Andrew Fifita, Tohu Harris, James Tedesco (backing up)

Good luck everyone, may the Orange Armband fall on the right man this week!

Originally published as SuperCoach NRL: Trent Copeland reveals who to captain in round 14