SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 5
FORMER SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round Five.
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- NRL teams and Late Mail for round 5 of season 2018
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FORMER SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round 5.
Eels v Panthers (6 – 12)
This was not a pleasant game to watch. It was exciting and tense towards the back end, but it was also uncomfortable viewing as there were a lot of simple dropped balls, penalties and generally just not a lot of nice-to-watch footy. The Eels continue to struggle, and the Panthers, while sloppy and nowhere near their performance from last week, did more than enough to get the job done (despite looking like they were trying to hand the Eels the win for about 20 minutes in the second half).
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Nathan Brown (76)
Brown bounced back after his mediocre score last week, playing 71 minutes and just churning out the base stats. 37 tackles and 17 runs combined for 66 points in pure base stats, plus he found time to bust three tackles and also throw an effective offload. The concern however is that he may have a high ankle sprain (a syndesmosis injury if you will) which could see him spend some time on the sideline. But major respect for the guy, after the Eels were out of interchanges, he just got his ankle strapped, and stayed on the field for the final four minutes. Even took a hit-up during that time too!
Josh Mansour (63)
Mansour has been going quietly under the radar as a CTW option, because his highest score before this round was 59. It’s worth noting that he scored 59 once this season without a try, try assist, linebreak or linebreak assist – he sure is a base stat beast when he gets going! This week he scored a try, broke the line once, busted three tackles and scored 38 points in pure base stats. His price will stay steady for now, but he’s certainly worth consideration.
The Bad
Dylan Edwards (23)
Edwards had an unhappy day at the back, recording FIVE errors and a penalty conceded to lose 12 hard-earned SuperCoach points. Otherwise his base stats were closer to where they usually are.
Will Smith (21)
Maybe it was a tough day for custodians, with Smith also having a relatively quiet game, as well as making two errors and conceding a penalty.
Trent Merrin also gets a shout out for getting sinbinned, but he actually was quite productive during his 41 minutes on the field.
The Ugly
Waqa Blake (22)
Blake came off in the 68th minute with what looked to be a bad ankle injury. The prognosis will be interesting to say the least.
Kirisome Auva’a (26)
Auva’a left the field in the 64th minute with a knee injury – he also needs to be monitored for injury prognosis as George Jennings becomes interesting as a result.
Nathan Brown’s injury was mentioned above, but this will be critical for some decisions coming up.
Titans v Sea Eagles (32 – 20)
Garth Brennan has somehow managed to get the Titans back on track after a concerning opening three rounds which featured an absolutely flogging at the hands of the Dragons. After pulling the Broncos’ pants down last week, they came out and bashed an admittedly understrength Sea Eagles team into submission. The Sea Eagles were outmuscled from the outset and it’ll be a tough time for them as their fringe players get up to speed (if they do at all) given the losses they have suffered. Some interesting weeks coming up for them…
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly in this game.
The Good
Jai Arrow (138)
I am absolutely stunned at this score. He played 60 minutes, helped partially due to a concussion to Dale Copley, but the amount of work he got through in that time is impressive. 21 runs (for 44 points) and 25 tackles (with one missed) gives him pure base stats of 68 in his time on the ground. Of course, he also found time to score two tries, both with linebreaks, bust eight tackles and throw three effective offloads. Just incredible!
Michael Gordon (100)
Gordon has had a mixed start to his time at the Titans, putting in some barely-okay performances and mixing it up with this good one. He set up two tries, broke the line once, assisted one linebreak, offloaded effectively once and busted three tackles. He also kicked five goals from six attempts, and scored 26 points in pure base stats. With a floor of around 30 to 40 points, given his goalkicking, and the dearth of genuine CTW keepers, he looms as a viable CTW POD option after the round 13 bye, given his draw also opens up a little as well.
The Bad
Akuila Uate (20)
Uate has had a rough start to 2018 but the return of Dylan Walker has helped him a bit. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great game this week as he made a critical error which lead directly to a try.
Kane Elgey (22)
Elgey backed up what was a much-improved showing last week, with this. Base stats are just too low to really consider him as an option, especially in such a stacked position.
The Ugly
Lachlan Croker (17)
He suffered a bad head knock which saw him off for HIA, which he passed… but then we all saw him get up and play the ball the wrong direction. He was taken off again after that! Crazy. Interestingly, Koroisau filled in at five-eighth when Croker was off the field, with Hastings coming on to play hooker.
Dale Copley (24)
Copley suffered another concussion, playing just 53 minutes before leaving the field for the game. We saw Bryce Cartwright (!) play left centre for the final 27 minutes of the game.
Knights v Broncos (15 – 10)
The Knights continue to show some real positive signs of improvement, with what Coach Brown described as their “best team performance” in the past few years. They certainly defended strongly and repelled the Broncos’ attack time and time again. The Broncos have been poor to say the least but despite the fuss over Kevvie Walters stepping down, they put in one of their better-controlled performances this season – even if they weren’t able to put the Knights to the sword despite having plenty of opportunities to do so. Still, there are some signs of life, even if fans are going into meltdown (don’t venture into Broncos’ social media haha). Unfortunately, all that is being spoken about is the post-game press conference dramas right now – even though it was an epic mic drop moment!
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Anthony Milford (100)
This was the game that had been threatening to bubble over – plenty of us expected it last week at home against the Titans. It’s not entirely surprising that Milford was going to start a bit slower after his disrupted (non-existent) preseason due to shoulder surgery, but he has slowly looked better each week. Milford scored a try, broke the line three times, busted 10 tackles, made one effective offload but had just 15 points in pure base stats. What was pleasing however was Milford’s improved kicking game, not just that he forced three dropouts but he also made a number of well-placed kicks which allowed the Broncos defence to pin the Knights down their own end. So for now, Milford has bottomed out…
Lachlan Fitzgibbon (83)
Fitzgibbon has had a solid start to the year, averaging 53 points per game over the first four games as he has locked down 80 minutes on the left edge each week. His base stats are somewhat mediocre but he is certainly getting plenty of attacking stats. He scored a try, broke the line twice, busted five tackles and racked up 36 points in pure base stats. At slightly over $500,000 he is a great POD at only one per cent ownership – if you’re confident those attacking stats can keep flowing.
The Bad
Jamayne Isaako (21)
Isaako has had a bright start to the year but in the past two weeks his workrate has dropped to concerning levels. His goalkicking is a nice addition to his floor but the Broncos still need to score points for that to happen. Owners have to decide if they are ready to cash him in this week, or hold and hope for more attacking stats in weeks to come.
Jack Bird (30)
The much-maligned star recruit for the Broncos, Bird hasn’t had a happy start to the year. Having said that, he is looking a bit better each week. That’s my deluded Broncos fan side writing that bit haha!
The Ugly
Mitch Barnett (21)
He played reduced minutes because of HIA – yet again! He is bordering on Sione Mata’utia and Kaysa Pritchard/Tim Mannah levels of head knock magnetism.
Warriors v Cowboys (22 – 12)
The Warriors are the real deal. They are 5-0 and they have won games which they ordinarily don’t win. It’s really great to see, and it’s refreshed the competition. The Cowboys will finish this week firmly entrenched in the bottom four with a 1-4 record. It’s certainly an upside-down season this year! The Warriors just keep on keeping on, whereas the Cowboys seem really off the pace this year. Some really curious coaching decisions going on as well…
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Issac Luke (94)
Luke has settled comfortably into an 80 minute hooker role again at the Warriors, and the common compliment seems to be “he’s the fittest he’s ever been”. Luke took plenty of opportunities to run the ball, 15 times in fact! Luke scored 56 points in pure base stats, but then added a linebreak, four tackle busts and SIX effective offloads to his total.
David Fusitu’a (86)
That Warriors right edge is POTENT, with SJ, Tohu, Hiku and the Fus generating points aplenty – sometimes out of absolutely nothing. Fusitu’a picked up two tries, two linebreaks, four tackle busts and 24 points in pure base stats. You get the impression there will be plenty more tries in the future for the Fus!
The Bad
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (33)
Now 33 isn’t a poor score at all, given that is mainly base stats (with two effective offloads in his total), but compared to his hot start he’s certainly cooled off a little. It may be that when the rest of the team are performing well, he can take it a bit easier!
Gavin Cooper (31)
After a bright opening two rounds, Cooper’s scores have since dropped dramatically. It’s no coincidence that Cooper’s scores the moment Morgan starts dominating the play a bit more, leaving no time or space for Cooper to get his hands on the ball as much.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Tigers v Storm (11 – 10)
One of these teams now sits with a 4-1 record, and the other with a 2-3 record. You would never have expected the Tigers to be sitting pretty in the top four at the end of Round 5. Ivan Cleary has the bus travelling very smoothly and if they can maintain such a high level of commitment to defence, the Tigers will not only be in contention for finals but more than capable of some big upsets. The Storm on the other hand, look like they miss Cooper Cronk. Who would have thought that Brodie Croft might actually struggle to replace one of the Storm and Queensland’s most successful halfbacks?! You would a brave man or woman to write off the Storm though, not when they still have Bellamy, Smith and Slater.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Luke Brooks (83)
Brooks continues to thrive under Cleary’s watch, with Benji Marshall taking a lot of the game management pressure off him as well. Brooks is able to be more selective as to when he gets involved, and it’s paying off. Brooks set up a try, broke the line twice, assisted a linebreak, forced two dropouts, busted four tackles and had an effective offload. Interestingly, he has also increased his runs, taking on the line far more often, which has contributed to his increase in base stats (25 in this game). His inconsistency makes him very hard to rely upon in SuperCoach though.
Josh Aloiai (76)
He had only been on for a few minutes when a JAC brain snap saw Marsters combine with Aloiai for one of the luckiest tries they will ever be involved in. Aloiai was immense nonetheless, playing just 37 minutes but getting through a massive 16 runs and 25 tackles (with one miss) for 53 points in pure base stats. He also busted two tackles and had an effective offload.
The Bad
Tui Lolohea (20)
This is not a good floor when you’re a goalkicking fullback. Maybe he’s still not 100 per cent after his injury, but either way this is too low for him to be considered as a SuperCoach option.
Kevin Naiqama (18)
This is a curious score given Naiqama is usually quite willing to take a run out of his own end. He did miss five tackles though which is not helpful from a SuperCoach perspective.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Dragons v Rabbitohs (16–12)
The Dragons maintained their perfect record but the Rabbitohs were impressive in defeat. There was a great potential for the score to blow out in this game but to the Rabbitohs’ credit, they hung in tough and kept the game close. There was even a sniff of an upset in the final five minutes, which made for a great finish. The talk unfortunately may end up revolving around the referees again though, due to several interesting calls.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good
Cody Walker (69)
A glance at the two top scorers and you might think that the Rabbitohs had won. Walker was on only 19 points before the 70th minute, before he scored a try and then set one up for Inglis two minutes later. Walker also had a line break, a line break assist, three tackle busts and 24 points in pure base stats. He also had one held-up in goal tackle. Unfortunately, he also kicked the ball dead once and made four errors for a total of -11 in negative points. His score would have looked a lot nicer without that …
Damien Cook (80)
Still one of my best decisions this year, Cook is firming as a legitimate season-long keeper. I mean, he’s averaged 63.3 points per game so far this year, easily more than Smith. Cook had a line break, two offloads and also two tackle busts on top of 46 points in pure base stats. More importantly, he looks so good on the field and was a big reason as to why the Rabbitohs were able to stay competitive.
The Bad
Gareth Widdop (30)
Yep, I am 100 per cent cursed. My suggested Captain Pick looked safe as houses on paper. In incredible form, playing at his (seemingly) favourite ground where he had averaged 109.8 points from his past five games there, and against a team missing their best forward – the stage was set for another Widdop master class. And to be honest, he did have a few try assists go begging. However, non-owners like myself are certainly not complaining about this low score!
Ben Hunt (33)
I might as well throw Widdop’s halves partner in here right? The bad part is that his score actually includes a try assist. Not great base stats at all!
Special shout-out also to Matt Dufty, who managed to score just 30 points despite him having a try in his score!
The Ugly
Adam Reynolds (21)
He left the field in the 70th minute and went straight up the tunnel in what has unfortunately become a familiar sight for the Rabbitohs faithful. I’m not sure of the injury but no doubt we’ll find out more soon. Doueihi came on and replaced him for the last 10 minutes.
Sharks v Roosters (10–28)
The Roosters probably looked the best they have on the field all year in this comprehensive victory over the Sharks. Most importantly, after “leading” the competition in errors over the first four rounds (56 errors, that’s 14 a game), they cut their errors down to only 10. It’s amazing how much of a difference holding on to the ball just that little bit more can make to your chances of success. The Sharks on the other hand, well, their attack needs fixing. They haven’t scored more than 16 points all year, and if their defence can’t hold out the other team, then they lose.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Ryan Matterson (95)
Matterson was potentially touted as “this year’s Angus Crichton” by some SuperCoaches; on the surface, yes he’s available at CTW and 2RF; yes he’s playing as the right-edge backrower, and yes, he likes the odd attacking stat! Aside from that, there are some question marks over his minutes due to the fact that he only played 60 minutes last week – and possibly only got 80 minutes due to Manu’s injury (as Aubusson took over at right centre). Matterson still has a penchant for being around the ball, scoring two of the easiest tries he’ll ever score. He also had two effective offloads and two tackle busts, on top of 49 points in pure base stats. The seven per cent of SuperCoaches who own him are certainly not complaining.
Andrew Fifita (88)
Fifita has quietly averaged 59.5 points per game over the first four rounds, playing big minutes while Paul Gallen was building up his fitness. He was on track to playing more than 60 minutes for the fourth week in a row until a head knock (plus maybe a hamstring strain) saw him leave the field a few minutes early. This game … vintage Fifita is how I’d describe it. With 54 points in pure base stats, and three penalties conceded (of course), Fifita also had six tackle busts and an incredible SEVEN effective offloads. That’s 40 points in offloads and tackle busts alone. BEAST!
A shout-out also to Paul Gallen too, who played 70 minutes last night. Not bad for an old man…
The Bad
Jake Friend (23)
Friend has been in poor form to start the season. His work rate is down, and his passing out of dummy half has left a lot to be desired. It’s showing on the field too, as Trent Robinson preferred to take Friend off the field and leave Radley on. The possession that the Roosters had also didn’t help Friend get his usual tackles too.
Trent Hodkinson (22)
Hodko has never been overly SuperCoach relevant but with Townsend retaining the kicking even when Hodko is around (though Hodko is arguably a far superior goalkicker) then there’s little reason to ever want him in your team.
The Ugly
James Segeyaro (3)
The livewire supersub hooker managed only nine minutes before getting his head in the wrong place as he was trying to put pressure on Cronk. He (as expected) failed the HIA. Brailey got massive minutes as a result.
Joseph Manu (16)
Manu copped a stray knee to his right bicep after he scored the opening try, and despite trying to tough it out he was taken off the field later and replaced by Aubo.
Raiders v Bulldogs (26–10)
The Raiders are finally on the board, avoiding an 0-5 start to the season with a much-improved performance in front of their home fans. The Raiders showed their intent early, with their usual attack but also a defensive steel that had been missing over the opening month. It was a first positive step forward for Canberra and they will be hoping to build on that. The Bulldogs, however, took a few steps backwards. After a promising opening few rounds they looked more like the Canterbury of last year – clunky and boring in attack, sloppy in defence. The same few players looked likely (Mbye, RFM) and Foran tried his heart out, but some players in the team just weren’t aiming up. There could be some team changes coming up…
Let’s look at the key performers.
The Good
Kieran Foran (92)
Foran has made this write-up for the past three weeks, but finally it’s for a good reason. He ran hard all day long, looking like he could finally accelerate when he found a bit of open space. Maybe he’s getting over his injuries? The Bulldogs would sure be hoping so, as the combinations of players around him can only improve. He scored a try, broke the line twice, assisted another line break, forced two dropouts, busted four tackles and had 16 points in pure base stats. Thankfully for him, he didn’t need to kick goals this week
BJ Leilua (86)
BJ has looked interested for the first few rounds without really getting any opportunities to shine. Well, he got a sniff of the tryline and kept going for it; in fact he dropped his hat-trick just over the line! Still, two tries, a line break, two offloads, two tackle busts and 26 points in pure base stats isn’t a bad day out. His workrate is still down on his career season in 2016 though … so just temper expectations in that regard.
The Bad
Jordan Rapana (23)
A modest and much-needed first update. He was owed a last touch assist, a stat which is never paid live and always only on review, and potentially owed a line break as well, although it’s a coin toss given it came off an error (despite the fact that play continued, a defensive line was still set and the Raiders had to go around them). His work rate is still down regardless, and he’s struggling to bust tackles or offload as he used to do with ease.
Elliott Whitehead (25)
Whitehead has been a shining light for those who took the punt on him as a POD option over the first four rounds, but his versatility which got him those attacking stats is also a curse. Shunted over to left centre once Oldfield went down in the 39th minute, with Croker pushing out to the left wing, Whitehead’s workrate and involvement dropped and his score reflects that.
The Ugly
Brett Morris (0)
Playing just 10 minutes, BMoz was hurt when he chased down a flying Rapana and dived for an ankle tap – only to mistime it and cop Rapana’s accidental boot in the face. He failed the HIA and didn’t return. Holland came on for him.
Mafoa’aeata Hingano (1)
He had literally only been on the field for three minutes before he attempted a tackle and came off second best. Unfortunately, his head was in the wrong place and he was knocked out. Failed the HIA, as you would expect. This resulted in massive minutes for Havili.
Michael Oldfield (3)
He also knocked himself out, but he had played nine minutes and taken just the one run?! He also dropped a try, even if it was a difficult chance. Failed the HIA which was caused by his misguided attempt at a tackle. We saw Croker play on the left wing, and Whitehead to left centre – noting that he and Tapine had swapped their edges before the start of the game anyway!
Sezer also came off with three minutes to go after being hit late and high by Jackson, who was placed on report.
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Originally published as SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 5
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