NRL SuperCoach Round 19: Rolling coverage of weekend action
KEEP up to date with the SuperCoach action in our rolling coverage. Highlights, lowlights, injuries, judiciary dramas and talking points — it’s all here.
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KEEP up to date with the weekend’s SuperCoach action in our weekend rolling coverage.
Highlights, lowlights, injuries, judiciary dramas and talking points — it’s all here.
Bookmark this page and keep coming back throughout the weekend so you never miss a big SuperCoach moment.
SHARKS V ROOSTERS
Injuries/reports:
* Jake Friend (broken nose) didn’t finish the game.
* Andrew Fifita (suspension) was ruled out pre-game.
* James Maloney was rested for the last 10 minutes, with ice on his groin.
Talking points:
* Joseph Manu, the most popular cheapie from the last two weeks, was a late withdrawal, replaced by Origin star Blake Ferguson.
* Paul Gallen (48) didn’t produce anywhere near his usual involvement following Origin.
Highlights:
* Connor Watson (81) started in the halves and produced his best game in the NRL, notching a try and try assist.
* Ben Barba (68) continued his scintillating form, producing two try assists.
Lowlights:
* Popular cheapie Ryan Matterson (7) was benched and then forced to play hooker when Jake Friend went off - and his score suffered.
* Did Latrell Mitchell (24) even play? He was on -2 at half time and zero with 20 mins to go, but saved complete embarrassment with a late try assist.
* Plenty of SuperCoaches had James Maloney (28) pencilled in as a POD next week, but must now be second guessing their judgement following a quiet display.
PANTHERS v EELS
Injuries/reports:
* Michael Jennings (hamstring) went off in the first half and will go for scans
* Reagan Campbell-Gillard (elbow) suffered bone bruising and didn’t return
* Danny Wicks and Tim Mannah (concussion) both passed tests
* Corey Norman (disciplinary) - pre-game
Talking points:
* Tom Trbojevic (86) and Josh Mansour (102) were the most popular replacements for Semi Radradra this week - but Mansour just took the chocolates. The NSW rep notched a try, two linebreaks, 10 tackle busts and 18 runs over eight metres in a powerhouse display.
* Bryce Cartwright (66), the most popular captain this week, and had failed to move out of the teens at half time. He went on to produce a brilliant second half, including a try with linebreak. But if his teammates could catch, the NSW shadow player could easily have notched three try assists (with linebreak assists). The one that got away.
Highlights:
* Clinton Gurtherson (89) was a revelation at five-eighth following the withdrawals of Corey Norman and Brad Takairangi.
* Tyrone Peachey rewarded those who hung on as a POD, scoring a try (with linebreak) and busting six tackles.
* Manu Ma’u (50) played plenty of the game at centre but still produced a solid score for the 15 per cent who own him.
* Michael Gordon (52) has hit form, notching a base stat beauty that included nine tackle busts.
* Trent Merrin (62) produced another solid base stat display.
* Nathan Cleary (46) notched a final $15,000 price rise before many will sell to a keeper next week.
* Bevan French (50) again displayed his freakish skill to score two tries. But as we have become accustomed to, he scored just 10 points in base stats.
Panthers: 1 Matt Moylan 2 Josh Mansour 3 Waqa Blake 17 Tyrone Peachey 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 Bryce Cartwright 7 Nathan Cleary 8 Leilani Latu 9 Peter Wallace 14 Suaia Matagi 11 Isaah Yeo 12 James Fisher-Harris 13 Trent Merrin. Interchange: 4 Zak Hardaker 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 16 Chris Grevsmuhl 20 Sitaleki Akauola
Tyrone Peachey is promoted from the bench to starting centre after missing last week through disciplinary issues. Zak Hardaker drops back to the bench. Suaia Matagi starts at prop with Reagan Campbell-Gillard dropping back to the bench. Jeremy Latimore, Dylan Edwards and Will Smith drop off an extended interchange.
Eels: 1 Michael Gordon 19 Bureta Faraimo 3 Michael Jennings 11 Manu Ma’u 5 Bevan French 6 Clinton Gutherson 7 Jeff Robson 8 Danny Wicks 9 Isaac De Gois 10 Tim Mannah 12 Tepai Moeroa 13 Beau Scott 15 Peni Terepo. Interchange: 14 Ken Edwards 18 Rory O’Brien 16 David Gower 17 Daniel Alvaro
Corey Norman (stood down) is replaced at five eighth by Clinton Gutherson. Bureta Faraimo takes Gutherson’s place on the wing. Manu Ma’u shifts to centre, with Brad Takairangi (hamstring) again ruled out. Peni Terepo moves to the starting side with Rory O’Brien a late inclusion on the bench.
STORM v KNIGHTS
Injuries/reports:
* Marika Koroibete (ankle) succumbed late in the second half
* Brad Takairangi (hamstring) - pre-game
* Dane Gagai (quad) - pre-game
* Ryan Morgan (knee) - pre-game
Talking points:
* Coach Craig Bellamy resisted the temptation to rest Cameron Smith (46) following Origin, but the Melbourne captain produced his worst score of the season in a surprisingly gruelling battle against the probable wooden spooners.
* Cameron Munster (60) was a welcome late inclusion from an ankle injury and didn’t disappoint with a try assist, linebreak assist and linebreak.
Highlights:
* Tohu Harris (85) was cleared of a rib injury pre-game and promptly produced a stormer, scoring a crucial late try (with linebreak).
* Sione Mata’utia (63) has averaged 66 since moving into the back row. He looms as a future SuperCoach star in the position and a potential buy for round one next year.
* Suliasi Vunivalu (55) continued his brilliant tryscoring form, taking his season tally to 17 in 11 games.
Lowlights:
* Cheapie Mitch Barnett (53) continued his rich vein of form at his new club, securing a $50,000 price rise.
* Like most Storm players, Jesse Bromwich (57) could quite cut loose against a very committed Newcastle outfit.
Final teams:
Storm: 18 Cameron Munster 2 Suliasi Vunivalu 3 Cheyse Blair 24 William Chambers 5 Marika Koroibete 6 Blake Green 7 Cooper Cronk 8 Jesse Bromwich 9 Cameron Smith (c) 16 Matt White 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Tohu Harris 13 Dale Finucane. Interchange: 1 Young Tonumaipea 10 Felise Kaufusi 14 Kenny Bromwich 15 Christian Welch
SuperCoach stars Cameron Munster (ankle), Tohu Harris (ribs) and Cameron Smith (resting candidate) have all been named. Will Chambers (foot) returns after three months out. Young Tonumaipea drops from fullback to the bench due to Munster’s return. Chambers replaces Ryan Morgan (injured) at centre. Matt White starts at prop in place of Felise Kaufusi. Ben Hampton drops off the bench.
Knights: 18 Pat Mata’utia 2 Nathan Ross 3 Brendan Elliot 4 Peter Mata’utia 5 Jake Mamo 6 Jarrod Mullen 7 Trent Hodkinson (c) 8 Robbie Rochow 9 Danny Levi 10 Korbin Sims 11 Sione Mata’utia 12 Mitch Barnett 13 Jeremy Smith (c). Interchange: 14 Josh King 15 Sam Mataora 16 Daniel Saifiti 21 Chris Adams
Dane Gagai (quad) has been ruled out following Wednesday’s Origin fixture. He is replaced at fullback by Pat Mata’utia. Hooking recruit Chris Adams comes onto the bench for Mickey Paea. UPDATE: Jake Mamo ended up playing fullback with Pat Mata’utia at centre.
RABBITOHS v BRONCOS
Injuries/reports:
* Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds injured his quad in the warm-up and didn’t play. Damien Cook was called on to the bench.
* Brisbane hooker Andrew McCullough was placed on report for a high shot on Rabbitohs debutant Angus Crichton (49), who left the field for a concussion test but returned with five minutes to play. If it were earlier in the season the CTW-2RF dual-position Crichton would be on a few SuperCoach radars after an impressive first-up performance.
* In his first match back since he was injured in Round 14, Broncos winger Jordan Kahu (16) reinjured his right pectoral muscle in the early minutes of the match and did not return to the ground.
Talking points:
* The out-of-form Broncos were forced to go into the match without Queensland Origin players Corey Parker (suspension) and Matt Gillett (shoulder) but were still able to brush the Bunnies aside.
* Despite an injury-interrupted season, hulking Broncos winger Corey Oates (75), who is still owned by around 24,000 SuperCoaches, backed up from his first Origin series with a barnstorming display. The Broncos bulldozer scored two tries, two line breaks, four points from tackle busts and 20 from hit-ups.
* Popular SuperCoach players Sam Burgess (60) and Anthony Milford (46) were solid, without setting the world on fire.
Highlights:
* James Roberts (85) repaid the faith of 10 per cent of SuperCoaches who continue to hold the Broncos winger. He followed a 72 against Melbourne in Round 17 with his second highest SuperCoach haul for the season, taking out the Perfect 8 honours before updates. He scored a try, made two line breaks, 14 points from tackle busts and 24 from hit-ups. However, he has been too inconsistent this season to be a serious CTW option for the run home.
* Lively Rabbitohs fullback Cody Walker was again one of South Sydney’s few attacking threats on his way to 80 points. After working tirelessly all match he scored a late try to go with his 20 points from line breaks, 12 points from tackle busts and 28 from hit-ups.
Lowlights:
* SuperCoaches should cash out Broncos forward Tevita Pangai now. A top bye period cheapie, Pangai is now on the way to becoming an auto emergency nightmare, scoring 29 points in his 29 minutes.
Final teams:
Rabbitohs: 1 Cody Walker 2 Alex Johnston 20 Edward Murphy 4 Aaron Gray 5 Joe Burgess 6 Luke Keary 7 Adam Reynolds 8 Thomas Burgess 9 Cameron McInnes 10 Nathan Brown 11 John Sutton 12 Kyle Turner 13 Sam Burgess Interchange: 15 Jason Clark 16 David Tyrrell 17 George Burgess 18 Angus Crichton
Edward Murphy replaces suspended Queensland Origin star Greg Inglis in the centres with Damien Cook dropping off the bench.
Broncos: 1 Darius Boyd 2 Corey Oates 5 Jordan Kahu 4 James Roberts 20 Lachlan Maranta 6 Anthony Milford 7 Ben Hunt 8 Josh McGuire 9 Andrew McCullough 10 Adam Blair 11 Sam Thaiday 3 Alex Glenn 21 Jai Arrow Interchange: 14 Jarrod Wallace 15 Tevita Pangai Jnr 16 Joe Ofahengaue 17 Herman Ese’ese
Queensland Origin players Corey Parker (suspension) and Matt Gillett (shoulder) are both out of the team named on Tuesday. Alex Glenn shifts into the back-row with Jordan Kahu moving from the wing to the centres. Lachlan Maranta replaces Kahu on the wing and Jai Arrow will start at lock.
SEA EAGLES v WARRIORS
Injuries/reports:
* Manly centre Matthew Wright was in the hands of the trainers after a tackle midway through the second half but played on.
Talking points:
* Warriors forward cheapie Bunty Afoa (101) replaced injured POD Bodene Thompson in New Zealand’s second row and took over from where the in-form Thompson left off, scoring two tries in his second NRL game for his 790 SC owners. More importantly for SuperCoaches, it was Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson (78) who sent him through the holes in Manly’s defence on both occasions.
* Played in heavy rain in Perth, the match went into golden point and still provided some strong SuperCoach scoring despite the slippery conditions.
Highlights:
* The most traded-in SuperCoach player this week, Tom Trbojevic (84), made a great start to his permanent fullback role for the Sea Eagles, scoring a try within the first five minutes of the match. Tommy Turbo also made a try assist, six points in tackle busts, a forced line dropout, a line break and a line break assist, along with 28 points from hit-ups.
* Despite a slow start and still without the Warriors goal kicking duties,the highest scoring player in SuperCoach, Shaun Johnson (78), continued his rich and consistent vein of form this season. Two try assists, 19 tackles, 18 points from forced line dropouts and 16 points from line break assists provided further proof that he is a must for the run home.
* Despite Bodene Thompson’s absence SuperCoach stalwart Simon Mannering scored a solid 63 points, including a mammoth 53 tackles, while another Warriors POD Ben Matulino was at his best, scoring 69 points on the back of 41 tackles and 27 points from hit-ups.
Lowlights:
* Those poor coaches still holding Warrior Tuimoala Lolohea (2) were again left wringing their hands in frustration. Not only did the potent attacking weapon start on the bench, he only came on in extra time, playing just three minutes.
Final teams:
Sea Eagles: 1 Tom Trbojevic 2 Jorge Taufua 3 Lewis Brown 4 Matthew Wright 5 Brad Parker 6 Jamie Lyon 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Darcy Lussick 9 Apisai Koroisau 10 Martin Taupau 11 Nathan Green 12 Jamie Buhrer 13 Jake Trbojevic Interchange: 14 Blake Leary 15 Josh Starling 16 Addin Fonua-Blake 17 Siosaia Vave
The Sea Eagles are 1-17 from the team named on Tuesday.
Warriors: 1 David Fusitua 2 Ken Maumalo 3 Blake Ayshford 4 Solomone Kata 5 Manu Vatuvei 6 Thomas Leuluai 7 Shaun Johnson 17 Charlie Gubb 9 Issac Luke 18 James Gavet 16 Bunty Afoa 12 Ryan Hoffman 13 Simon Mannering Interchange: 10 Ben Matulino 14 Tuimoala Lolohea 15 Sam Lisone 21 Jazz Tevaga
Charlie Gubb replaces Jacob Lillyman (ankle) at prop while Bunty Afoa replaces Bodene Thompson (ankle) in the second row. James Gavet will start with Ben Matulino moving to the bench. Jazz Tevega has been added to the interchange.
DRAGONS v TITANS
Injuries/reports:
* Greg Bird was placed on report in the first half
Talking points:
* CTW target Konrad Hurrell ran over Gareth Widdop to help set up a try for Anthony Don. The centre finished with 50 points which included a tackle bust, one line break and made 184 metres giving SuperCoaches plenty to think about.
* Once again Euan Aitken delivered without crossing the line for a try. Thanks to his workrate, the potential POD notched up 66 points, which included 32 tackles, three tackle busts, one linebreak and 20 points from hit-ups over 8 metres.
Highlights:
* Josh Dugan’s injury meant Kurt Mann shifted out on to the wing. Despite the Dragons inability to score points, Mann managed to find the try line twice taking his points haul to 79. He also made four tackle busts and two line breaks.
* Chris McQueen notched up 77 points and was once again found himself on the scoresheet. He also made 36 tackles, three tackle busts and a linebreak.
* Titans winger Nene Macdonald earned 71 points from two tries, two tackle busts, one linebreak and 20 points from hit-ups over 8 metres.
Lowlights:
* Those who VC’d Ryan James would have done so confidently but are no doubt disappointed with his 45 points. The forward only played for 46 minutes which no doubt had an impact on his score. He made 23 tackles and 16 points from hit-ups over 8 metres.
Final Teams:
Dragons: 5 Jason Nightingale 2 Kalifa Faifai Loa 3 Euan Aitken 20 Tim Lafai 4 Kurt Mann 6 Gareth Widdop (c) 18 Josh McCrone 8 Russell Packer 9 Mitch Rein 10 Tyson Frizzell 11 Jacob Host 12 Joel Thompson 13 Jack de Belin. Interchange: 14 Tariq Sims 15 Leeson Ah Mau 17 Jake Marketo 21 Mike Cooper
Josh Dugan suffered a broken jaw in game three of Origin and Jason Nightingale shifts to fullback. This sees Kurt Mann move out to the wing and Tim Lafai comes into the centres. Benji Marshall misses out due to injury and Josh McCrone replaces him at halfback. Dunamis Lui drops off the bench for Mike Cooper.
Titans: 1 David Mead 2 Anthony Don 3 Josh Hoffman 4 Konrad Hurrell 5 Nene Macdonald 6 Tyrone Roberts 7 Ash Taylor 8 Luke Douglas 9 Nathan Peats 10 Ryan James 11 Zeb Taia 12 Chris McQueen 13 Greg Bird. Interchange: 14 Eddy Pettybourne 15 Leivaha Pulu 16 Agnatius Paasi 17 Nathan Friend
The Titans are as per program.
Originally published as NRL SuperCoach Round 19: Rolling coverage of weekend action
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