SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 9
HAS Tom Trbojevic played himself out of a NSW Origin jersey? 2016 SuperCoach champion Wilfred Zee wraps the weekend action.
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FORMER SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round Nine.
Roosters v Sea Eagles (22 – 20)
In an interesting quirk, this was the third game of the round which finished on the same scoreline – and according to well-known rugby league stats man, David Middleton, this is the first time it has ever happened! Who would’ve thought, eh? And… you know, that’s probably the most interesting thing about this game, aside from the fact that DCE missed one of the easiest goal kicks you’ll ever see – just like his former halves partner did a few games ago for the Bulldogs!
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly in this game.
The Good
Martin Taupau (95)
Taupau has been an absolute machine the past two weeks. Playing 57 minutes, he made 25 runs for 46 points – that’s 21 runs that went for over eight metres. Throw in 24 tackles (one missed), eight tackle busts and three offloads (two effective) and you’ve got a monster of a game. He wasn’t too far off from scoring a try himself, too! If he keeps getting 55+ minutes he looms as a must-have not just for Round 13 but for the year, in what is a pretty tough FRF position.
Jake Trbojevic (88)
Jake hasn’t been getting through as much work this year compared to last year, but the past two weeks has seen him step up his work rate significantly. Playing the full 80 minutes, Jake powered through for 64 points in pure base stats. Throw in two linebreaks, two tackle busts and an effective offload and he’s put up one of his strongest scores this year. Good signs moving forward, but he’s in plenty of teams already. Not mine though… I might have to pick him up for a $65,000 discount on his starting price!
The Bad
Cooper Cronk (8)
It’s not a happy time right now for Cronk because despite the win, he is clearly not happy on the field. It’s affecting his game too now, as his usually-sublime kicking game was letting him down (two kicks dead) and also seeing his discipline drop below his usual standards.
Tom Trbojevic (39)
He had a SHOCKER in this game, as error after error really took its toll on his confidence. Sure, he still got through his usual work but five errors and a penalty conceded is bad! May have even played himself out of an Origin jersey…
The Ugly
No major injuries to note, although Lewis Brown may have some splinters from riding the pine for 80 minutes!
Dragons v Storm (34 – 14)
This game was much-hyped but in the end, it was rather disappointing, as the amount of errors and penalties meant it was hard to really get into the contest. The Dragons were impressive but the Storm were not convincing – and the scoreline ultimately reflected that. Sure, you can talk about the try that was called back for the penalty to the team that scored the try, but in the end that wouldn’t have won them the game.
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly.
The Good
Josh Addo-Carr (146)
Sheesh, after an opening five round average of 25.6, who could have imagined that his next four games would yield an average of 105.75 points per game?! JAC scored a hat trick, five linebreaks, nine tackle busts and 27 points in pure base stats. He is on a hot streak and is seemingly playing himself into the Blues team for Origin this year. He will be well over $600,000 after lockout and could eclipse the high watermark that Widdop reached earlier this year, as he faces the Titans and Sea Eagles in the next two weeks. Scary…
Euan Aitken (104)
Aitken has been a great POD for those who took the punt on him early. His lowest three scores have been 34, 35 and 54 so far this year – amazing consistency from a CTW option. He raises the bat for the first time this year, scoring a double, breaking the line twice, busting six tackles, throwing an effective offload and scoring 34 points in pure base stat. High floor, decent ceiling… it’s a pity he doesn’t play Round 13!
The Bad
Cameron Smith (30)
A rough afternoon for Smith, who suffered from the stop-start state of the game to register lower-than-usual base stats, but also copped a fair few negative points including kicking only one goal from three attempts and kicking the ball dead. In fact he has 15 negative points – so he could have easily been on 45-50 if things had fallen his way.
Ryley Jacks (19)
Those who took the punt on Jacks would be disappointed with this effort, as it means his price will start to drop sharply if he doesn’t jag any more attacking stats. I know I’m not ready to sell him yet!
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Sharks v Eels (22 – 20)
The game looked comfortably in the bag for the Sharks with 10 minutes to go but all of a sudden the Eels, in desperation, just started throwing the ball around, keeping it alive, and manufactured three tries in six minutes. But for a wide conversion attempt from Mitch Moses, the Sharks may have found themselves staring down at a golden point game despite having a commanding lead. The Eels have some major issues to address but they cannot be written off this year, given the Panthers were able to resurrect their 2-7 season last year to play finals footy.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Andrew Fifita (102)
So Fifita well and truly delivered as my Captain Pick this week, so if you stuck with him for the two weeks you’d have a decent 78.5 average for your captain between the two rounds. Fifita played 65 minutes, making 31 tackles and 19 runs for a total of 60 points in pure base stats. Throw in SIX effective offloads, five tackle busts and a cheeky linebreak, and you’ve got a monster score from Fifita without any major attacking stats aside from that linebreak!
Sosaia Feki (91)
A welcome return to first grade as he was the direct beneficiary of two tries, both with linebreaks. He also busted four tackles and scored 29 points in pure base stats. Feki does have the odd larger game but he’s also got the potential to drop a few stinkers too (see his 13 and 18 scores from earlier this year).
The Bad
No one, really. This is rare, as everyone who played the usual minutes, scored ‘okay’ or better. I mean, you can’t complain about a guy like George Jennings who scored 32 points without any linebreaks or any other major attacking stats. Or about Kurt Dillon who only scored 16 points, but only played 22 minutes.
The Ugly
Wade Graham (14)
Lasted 28 minutes before re-injuring his hamstring, just when he was looking decent and starting to contribute in attack. Should be out at least another two weeks, if not longer.
Scott Sorensen (10)
Coming on to replace Graham, Sorensen lasted just 12 minutes before he suffered a suspected broken hand, which may keep him out for 3 to 4 weeks. This is drama, because a month layoff means he misses the all-important Round 13 bye.
Warriors v Tigers (26–4)
The Warriors just keep rolling on, and really do look like legitimate contenders this year despite the flogging from the Storm last week. The Tigers have now lost three games in a row and face some tough opponents in coming weeks. The jury is still out on whether the Tigers are contenders or pretenders. The concerns for the Warriors seems to be injuries, however, not so much the ability of the team.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Shaun Johnson (87)
Top scored here even though he left the field with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury in the 69th minute, which is scary. He scored a try, set up another (although there may be question marks over this try assist), assisted three line breaks, busted two tackles, kicked three goals from five attempts and scored 22 points in pure base stats. What was great to see was the number of runs he had – always a sign that SJ is in form when he looks to run the ball. Hopefully his injury isn’t too serious. Although he walked off the field himself he left the venue in a moon boot and on crutches.
Karl Lawton (84)
What a great club debut from the youngster. After injury cruelled his chances at the Titans, Lawton finished the game at hooker after Luke’s injury, playing the last 26 minutes. In that time, though, wow! He scored two tries, both with line breaks, busted eight tackles and scored 16 points in pure base stats. Quite an effort from Lawton in his first game for the club!
The Bad
Benji Marshall (13)
He’s been in this section before but this is the first time where he played poorly on the field as well as scoring poorly in SuperCoach. He looked like he wanted to go for the glory plays, rather than grinding and building pressure like he had done in the opening months. Hopefully he goes back to his earlier form … for the sake of the Tigers.
Robbie Rochow (23)
Sheesh, this looks more like the Rochow of previous years. Playing the full 80 minutes, he missed plenty of tackles and was hardly sighted with ball in hand. Not good enough from Tigers who needed him to stand up.
The Ugly
Chris Lawrence (3)
Came off for a HIA which he failed. Happens too often to the poor guy. Michael Chee-Kam replaced him and played really well.
Issac Luke (20)
Played 54 minutes before a shoulder injury ended his night. Lawton filled in for him.
Adam Blair (30)
Played 46 minutes before a rolled ankle ended his night early. Signs are promising that he could be back as soon as next week.
Raiders v Titans (32–18)
The Raiders were staring at a repeat of their defeat to the Titans from earlier this year, racing out to another fast start against the Titans only to concede points quickly and let them back into the game. This time, though, they were able to get back on the bike and race away with a comfortable win, burying the demons of their Round One loss. The Titans were putting in plenty of effort (well, most of them) but there were far too many fundamental mistakes – plus the key losses of Jai Arrow and Jarrod Wallace early on proved too big of an obstacle for the Titans to overcome.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Joseph Tapine (89)
After an early season injury Tapine quickly returned to his 80 minute ways on the right edge and has really come into his own in the past few weeks. While his base stats aren’t amazing (44 in pure base stats in this game) he has the ability to jag attacking stats and he displayed that this week. He scored a try with a line break, making two effective offloads including one which assisted a line break, plus busting three tackles. He’s going to be an awkward price though, plus he misses the Round 13 bye. Tough call.
Shannon Boyd (87)
Coming off the bench and playing 39 minutes, Boyd has never been SuperCoach relevant due to his game being more about impact rather than big minutes and getting through lots of work. Occasionally he is able to showcase his ability with ball in hand though. He crossed for a try, broke the line twice, busted six tackles and got through 48 points in pure base stats – mostly through damaging runs. I wouldn’t get too excited, though, as this is more likely than not the only time you’ll see him in this section of the wrap-ups for this season.
The Bad
Bryce Cartwright (29)
Playing the full 80 minutes in the halves saw Cartwright average 70+ points per game in 2016. That’s a relic of the past now as far as I’m concerned, as he’s not the same player right now. Making 11 tackles but missing eight is not good enough, and despite a few nice moves with ball in hand he’s not a half and shouldn’t be there.
Aidan Sezer (26)
He didn’t even play that badly but he showed that he’s not really a SuperCoach force without the goalkicking, unlike what he was at the Titans, as his score of 26 includes a try assist and a line break assist (20-point play) in there. Yuck.
The Ugly
Jarrod Wallace (13)
He played only 13 minutes but succumbed to what appears to be a “bad virus”. Maybe he shouldn’t have played at all!?!?
Jai Arrow (17)
Playing only 17 minutes before coming off after a heavy hit in defence, the fears were that his back spasms were acting up again but, after scans, it appears he suffered from “rib contusions’ and could be back within one to three weeks – or could even play next week! Go figure!
Panthers v Cowboys (20-26)
The Panthers have been running on fumes due to injuries and losing Trent Merrin (to a horrible injury) during the warm-up didn’t help their cause. In the end it felt like a bridge too far for the Panthers, as the Cowboy weren’t amazing but they put in their best game for several weeks now.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good
Jason Taumalolo (96)
Lolo has really warmed up in the last few weeks and he played 62 minutes last night, getting through a ton of work. Nineteen runs — all of them over 8m — for 38 points, and 18 points in tackles (21 tackles less the three missed tackles) is much more like Lolo. But then you had his seven tackle busts, offload (pending update) and two line breaks and you’ve got a huge score. When Lolo is on, the Cowboys can really get rolling, and this was arguably his best game of the year.
Gavin Cooper (83)
When Thurston is getting a lot of ball, it means Cooper gets a lot of ball and has a chance to get attacking stats. He scored a try, broke the line twice, busted two tackles and offloaded once (pending updates). He only had 43 points in pure base stats but that’s typical Cooper. That’s two nice scores in a row, and his price is quite low … do you take the risk that he doesn’t play Origin and grab some cheap bye coverage?
The Bad
Tyrone Peachey (25)
The Peach struggled to impose himself in this game, playing the full 80 minutes but having limited impact. He also made errors, conceded penalties and missed tackles so he didn’t do a great job.
Christian Crichton (18)
He’s been disappointing as far as CTW cheapies go, and he’ll actually lose money after this week. Might be time to cash in and move on.
The Ugly
No major injuries to report, aside from the pre-game injury to Trent Merrin which saw him get surgery overnight. He’ll be out at least three weeks, if not more. As an aside, both DWZ and the Fence were sin-binned.
Knights v Rabbitohs (18-36)
The Rabbitohs came out absolutely firing in this game, racing to an early lead and never letting up. To the Knights’ credit, in recent years the heads would have dropped, and they would have capitulated, giving up 50+ points to the opposition. However, they dug in and fought back at halftime to go into the sheds at only 16-12 down. The Rabbitohs came out and got on with the job though, and left the Knights in their wake as they raced away to be comfortable winners. Credit has to be given to Cody Walker, whose mother passed away earlier that week; he came out and played a blinder to get the Rabbitohs off to an incredible start.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Lachlan Fitzgibbon (110)
What a POD Fitzgibbon has proven to be, averaging a touch under 60 prior to this week and owned by less than one per cent of SuperCoaches (only 3267 in fact). He and Ponga have some combination going and even the switch to the right edge didn’t seem to matter as they barely skipped a beat. Fitzgibbon scored a try, set up another, broke the line once, assisted another line break and assisted four tackle busts. However, what was of biggest relevance was the fact that he scored 56 points in pure base stats, a significant increase on previous weeks. Something worth keeping an eye on.
Alex Johnston (99)
Another player who has flown under the radar, AJ is owned by just 5000 SuperCoaches which is also less than one per cent of all teams. He set up two tries, broke the line three times, set up two line breaks, busted six tackles and scored 20 points in pure base stats. He has averaged a touch under 55 until this week, which isn’t amazing, but when you consider his price and the fact that other (potential) CTW “keepers” out there in Rapana, Croker, Mitchell, Hiku, Addo-Carr and Thompson are all averaging less than him — plus the fact that he plays Round 13 — it’s worth thinking about AJ.
The Bad
Jack Cogger (10)
I think it’s clear to see that Cogger isn’t the best SuperCoach option by now, as he looks decent on the field but it doesn’t translate. A career high of 45 SuperCoach points in 11 games just about says it all.
Ken Sio (30)
His score includes a line break, plus goalkicking, plus he had that big negative break-even so owners would surely be disappointed that he hasn’t earned more cash than he was set up to.
The Ugly
Jacob Lillyman (15)
Lillyman only played 23 minutes but I believe this was due to having to come off just 11 minutes into the game for a HIA assessment, which he passed to return to the field later.
Broncos v Bulldogs (22-20)
It wasn’t pretty, and yet again there is controversy — which I’m not going to weigh into here — but the Broncos walk away with the two points and the Bulldogs return to Sydney with their tail between their legs. And most likely $10,000 (or more) poorer once Dean Pay gets fined for his referee comments! Neither team looked convincing, although there were injury concerns for the Broncos which hindered their performance.
Let’s look at the key performers.
The Good
Joe Ofahengaue (90)
Another unlikely Perfect 8 candidate, JoeO was massive for the Broncos off the bench, playing 58 minutes due to injuries. He scored a try with a line break, busted two tackles and racked up 48 points in pure base stats and provided plenty of impact from the bench. He has been good for the Broncos this year which has been somewhat overshadowed by some of the brighter lights that have been spoken about more often!
Rhyse Martin (86)
What a debut from Martin, after a late reshuffle saw him start and play the full 80 minutes on the right edge. He scored a try with a line break, busted two tackles and scored 43 points in pure base stats. Hopefully he is able to hang on to that spot as he would be a perfect downgrade option in a few weeks. He’s also a noted goalkicker which, given some of Mbye’s kicking woes this year, could end up helping his prospects of staying in the team.
The Bad
Brett Morris (15)
You would be forgiven for thinking BMoz got injured, seeing this score, but he struggled to get involved, making just the seven runs all game. Not quite Bevan French level, but not much above it either!
Marcelo Montoya (33)
SuperCoach scores hide the fact that Montoya was horrible last night, being caught out of position repeatedly. It was a poor playing surface, and a kick that was too heavy, that stopped his opposition winger from scoring another two tries.
The Ugly
Alex Glenn (72)
Glenn had a strong game, grabbing a try with a line break, but only played 66 minutes due to what I think was a HIA, as he left the field but didn’t have enough time to pass and return from the assessment.
Jack Bird (17)
Contrary to popular belief, Bird came off in the 69th minute with a quad strain that eventually got the best of him. It is suspected that Bird strained his quad when he slipped over for the Holland try, but played on. Still, he may as well not have been there last night, he was hardly involved and needs to do more to keep his spot.
Payne Haas (6)
This is a tough one for many SuperCoaches who grabbed him early. After copping a shoulder to the head he also appeared to land awkwardly on his ankle and this could see him miss some time.
Originally published as SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 9
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