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NRL SuperCoach Winners and Losers: Reynolds, Burtons star on Friday Night Footy

Adam Reynolds put on a stunning show to keep Brisbane’s season alive while Matt Burton spoiled the SJ party. See who starred in our SuperCoach Winners and Losers from Friday Night Footy.

Sean TeumaSean Teuma
@seanteuma
13 min read
August 23, 2024 - 10:47PM
News Sport Network
'I don't have to say too much!'

It was a Friday Night Footy with all four teams having something to play for.

The Warriors wanted to send out Shaun Johnson a winner in his last home game and the Bulldogs were eyeing off a top four spot.

Brisbane needed a win to keep its slim finals hopes alive and Parramatta was out to match the Tigers and move a step further away from the wooden spoon.

Here’s how the night panned out from a SuperCoach perspective:

SUPERCOACH WINNERS

1. Adam Reynolds (124) – The skipper set the tone with a good first half from a SC view with 69 points on the back of two line break assists and a try assist. Should’ve had a 40-20 to his name as well if not for a missed call. Finished with a try and three try assists. What a night.

2. Matt Burton (103) – You just knew the wind came into play that the biggest boot in the competition would come into his own. Finished with two try assists, a 40-20 kick and raised the bat once again.

3. Tristan Sailor (92) – He looked as confident as he ever has in a Broncos jersey. Provided the spark the Broncos needed with a blistering try in the first half to give him a handy total of 58 at the halftime break and he backed it up with a great assist in the second.

4. Selwyn Cobbo (89) – Didn’t seem to the eye like he would be in line for a big score, but a try in the second half and double digit tackle breaks pushed the returning gun winger to a monster night out.

5. Joe Ofahengaue (82) – After a solid outing against the Roosters last week, Ofahengaue’s SuperCoach season continues in an upwards trajectory with his best score of the season coming all the way in round 25.

6. Kurt Capewell (71) – Scored a first half try after hitting a beautiful line and finished the night as the leading SC scorer for the Warriors. Was shifted to the centres after the injury of Adam Pompey and held his own.

7. Patrick Carrigan (84) – What words can you use to describe Carrigan that haven’t already been said? While Reynolds and Sailor will get most of the credit, Carrigan put in another beast-mode performance in the middle.

8. Harry Hayes (59) – Hayes has been nothing short of outstanding since making his first grade debut earlier this year and was rewarded with a try after he backed up and pounced on a deflected ball.

9. Corey Jensen (78) – He was called on to play some big minutes with the injury to Kobe Hetherington and he didn’t let the team down. 16 runs and 52 tackles from the big man capped off a stellar night.

10. Luke Metcalf (52) – He had a fantastic first half where he scored 48 points and set up the opening two tries. When the injuries hit his impact was nullified and he found it tough. But that first half is something to get excited about in the future.

Top SuperCoach scores from Friday Night Footy
Top SuperCoach scores from Friday Night Footy

SUPERCOACH LOSERS

1. Adam Pompey (1) – Came off early with injury and played just the 22 minutes. Had more missed tackles than runs to that point in the game.

2. Joey Lussick (12) – Came on late in the game to replace Brendan Hands at the 64-minute mark, not leaving him with much time to do anything. Not much he can do in that situation.

3. Billy Walters (23) – Played the first 46 minutes and with the Broncos on the back-foot early he wasn’t able to get out and cause havoc like we know he can. Was replaced by Blake Mozer for the remainder of the game.

4. Conner Tracey (26) – The conditions weren’t favourable for fullbacks when the rain came, but Tracey’s impact was kept to a minimum with a couple of errors and missed tackles hampering his score.

5. Marata Niukore (17) – Came off the bench but still played a fair chunk of the game with 59 minutes on the field. Surprisingly he only had four runs in that time to really keep his score below par.

6. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (10) – His season was ended in controversial circumstances with a high shot forcing him off, later deemed a category one. That means he won’t play next week against Cronulla.

7. Kobe Hetherington (15) – Failed his HIA prior to coming out for the second half. Was playing well until he had to come off, pushing out seven runs and making six tackles in his 14 minutes.

8. Dylan Brown (38) – After scoring 90 in round 22, those who have stuck with Brown in their team have been punished with scores of 54, 36 and now 38. A far cry from the attacking weapon he has been.

9. Mitch Barnett (39) – For the second week in a row the popular SuperCoach buy has been below his best score. Maybe expectations have been too high, but was expecting more of an output from the Origin forward.

10. Blaize Talagi (32) – Expectations have certainly increased for the Penrith-bound young gun. Was in hot tryscoring form but has now gone two weeks without crossing the line and his scores have suffered.

RELIVE ALL THE LIVE ACTION FROM FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTY

FULL-TIME - Broncos 30-24

The Eels had their chances but the Broncos defence stood tall when it needed to close out the game despite some late nervous moments.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from full-time:

Broncos vs Eels - top SuperCoach full-time scores
Broncos vs Eels - top SuperCoach full-time scores

74th minute - Broncos 30-24

Just when it looked like the Broncos would pull away, Shaun Lane gets on the end of a grubber to touch the ball down and keep the Eels in the contest with six minutes to play.

Clint Gutherson nails the conversion and they trail by a converted try.

70th minute - Broncos 30-18

Things are starting to get tense here as both teams look to land the knockout blow.

Parramatta has managed to work its way back into the game and is getting decent ball in Brisbane territory.

And just like that a lucky deflection works the way of the Broncos as they take their first lead.

Will Penisini and Blaize Talagi have an almighty mix-up in their own half and the ball falls into the hands of Adam Reynolds with nobody in front of him.

This game is bonkers and suddenly there is life in the Broncos season once again.

They go back-to-back in the most extraordinary of fashion with Maika Sivo dropping a Reynolds bomb, Reynolds regathers and puts a grubber through for Kotoni Staggs to score and ice the game.

60th minute - 18-all

Tristan Sailor take a bow.

He’s been outstanding tonight and adds a try assist to his tally with a lovely cutout pass onto the chest of Selwyn Cobbo with Maika Sivo off his wing.

Adam Reynolds has a chance to tie the game with a kick from the sideline and he brings it back to get the crowd on their feet as he ties the game.

After a sluggish star the Broncos are back on level pegging with 20 minutes to play and they have all the momentum.

50th minute - Eels 18-12

Kobe Hetherington has failed a HIA, ruling him out for the game.

It’s been a hot start to the second half with both teams coming out strongly. A Brendan Piakura shoulder off the ball gives the Eels the chance to stretch the lead out to a converted try.

Clint Gutherson takes the shot and makes no mistake.

HALFTIME - Eels 16-12

Sheer speed from Tristan Sailor finally gets the Broncos on the board.

He gets past Blaize Talagi with ease before burning off Clint Gutherson and Maika Sivo to score the try of the night so far.

That was beautiful to watch.

It proved to be the spark the Broncos needed with Josh Rogers scoring soon after.

The five-eighth got straight past Dylan Brown close to the line and he scored far too easily.

They almost had a chance to take the lead before the break but Deine Mariner was held up over the line, and he has entered the convo for the league’s biggest fibber after trying to claim he scored.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from halftime:

Broncos vs Eels - top SuperCoach halftime scores
Broncos vs Eels - top SuperCoach halftime scores

30th minute - Eels 16-0

Parramatta continues to mount pressure on the Broncos as Maika Sivo imposes himself on the game.

The Fijian flyer is looking the goods in his return to the starting side.

Brisbane did well to keep the Eels at bay with a few sets on their line - that’s the kind of defensive resolve they needed from the opening whistle.

Kotoni Staggs gives the fans something to cheer about with a big run before Sivo pulled off the tackle of the night.

Tristan Sailor grubbered ahead and the ball bounced over Sivo into the hands of Sailor, but before he could ground it Sivo keeps the ball up and forces him over the dead-ball line.

There’s a penalty in the play for a high tackle - but the Broncos can’t convert.

20th minute - Eels 16-0

Can someone get the message to the Broncos that they need to win to have any chance of making the finals?

Blaize Talagi gets easily through the line and he passes unselfishly to Maika Sivo for the winger to score without a hand being placed on him.

This has been the worst start of the year for Brisbane in a game they needed to come out and make an early statement.

They have zero energy and look like they don’t want to be out there.

10th minute - Eels 12-0

What a start from Parramatta.

They have jumped the Broncos early who are defending terribly - and they capitalise with Will Penisini taking on the line and coming up trumps.

The intent from the Broncos is very worrying.

Their intent was put on blast once again as they let Sean Russell take a clean catch on a bomb, he gets the pass back inside to Clint Gutherson who puts a grubber in and with no Broncos around him, Joe Ofahengaue is first to the ball to score.

8PM: We are off and running at Suncorp Stadium.

Will the Broncos keep their season alive against the Eels who are looking to avoid the wooden spoon?

WARRIORS VS BULLDOGS

FULL-TIME - Bulldogs 34-18

While the Bulldogs came into the contest as heavy favourites, the Warriors will still be disappointed to let that one slip.

They had plenty of chances late in the contest to eat into the margin, but ultimately they were suffocated by the defence.

Letting a 12-0 lead slip in Shaun Johnson’s final home game will hurt - even if it wasn’t without controversy.

Kurt Mann came off late in the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

In the dying stages Stephen Crichton made a break through some poor defence and he finds Jacob Kiraz on his inside to seal a big win.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from full-time:

Warriors vs Bulldogs - top SuperCoach full-time scores
Warriors vs Bulldogs - top SuperCoach full-time scores

70th minute - Bulldogs 28-18

The Warriors opt to run the ball on last deep in their own territory and are tackled 40m from their own line.

Strange decision that one.

Unsurprisingly the Warriors are under pressure in the very next set and the Bulldogs catch the Warriors outside backs short - with Josh Addo-Carr getting on the end of a Matt Burton grubber to stretch the lead.

The home side needs something to spur them on and fast.

A high tackle deep in Bulldogs territory gives the Warriors a chance,

60th minute - Bulldogs 22-18

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s season is over after being ruled a category one after his HIA.

It makes the decision to not sin bin Stephen Crichton even more bizarre. If we’re being honest it’s a disgrace - no matter how much they try to justify the decision on Monday.

The Bulldogs get another attacking chance and the conditions proved horrendous for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

A toby Sexton grubber is played at by Mitch Barnett and completely wrong-foots the fullback with Harry Hayes there to pick it up and score.

50th minute - Warriors 18-16

A perfect start to the second half for the Bulldogs with Matt Burton kicking a 40-20.

They try and build pressure but a forward pass lets the Warriors off the hook.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck stumbles to the ground after being hit with a high shot from Stephen Crichton.

He is taken from the field for a HIA, but somehow Crichton is just put on report for a shoulder directly to the head.

It’s a stark contrast to last night where sin bins were handed out like lollies on Halloween.

7PM: The Broncos are 1-17 for their intriguing clash at Suncorp Stadium in the main game tonight.

Brisbane is without Reece Walsh after succumbing to injury against the Cowboys, with Tristan Sailor (FLB $333,800) stepping into the fullback role.

Sailor has been a non-factor in SuperCoach this season with three games off the bench that have taken his average down to just 30 points.

Luca Moretti (2RF $332,800) is the only new face in the Parramatta side this week with Wiremu Greig omitted.

After starting on the bench last week, Maika Sivo (CTW $576,800) comes onto the wing with Jake Tago a late addition on the bench.

HALFTIME - Warriors 18-16

A 12-point deficit has turned into a four-point lead for the Bulldogs after Viliame Kikau worked his way through some pretty poor defence.

He made a clean break and found Kurtis Morrin on his inside to score with ease.

It completes a big finish to the half for the Bulldogs with Adam Pompey only a moderate chance to return to the contest after coming off early.

An escort gives the Warriors one last chance before the break and they take full advantage with Wayde Egan scoring from dummy half.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from halftime:

Warriors vs Bulldogs - top SuperCoach scores
Warriors vs Bulldogs - top SuperCoach scores

30th minute - Warriors 12-10

Harry Hayes has added plenty to the Bulldogs attack since coming off the bench. He’s certainly one to watch for the future.

Canterbury is starting to get its fair share of possession deep in Warriors territory and they’re asking plenty of questions of the hosts.

Eventually it proves too much to handle and Bronson Xerri has too much open space in front of him after Shaun Johnson rushes out of the line.

The rain is bucketing down here and the wind is off the charts - Matt Burton’s kick from the sideline almost ended up in his own half.

The kick-off goes dead on the full and the Bulldogs immediately make the Warriors pay with Stephen Crichton getting up in the air and bringing down a loose ball to score and cut the margin back to just two.

20th minute - Warriors 12-0

It’s all coming up New Zealand at the moment.

Luke Metcalf has his second try assist of the night after hitting Kurt Capewell with a great short ball and he gets through the line virtually untouched to score.

They’re well and truly up for this one.

In the first 20 minutes we’ve had a combined eight set restarts and penalties. Let the boys play.

10th minute - Warriors 6-0

Incredible scenes with Shaun Johnson running out onto his home ground for one last time with tears in his eyes.

This is a huge moment for him. Can the Warriors fire up?

Unfortunately with his first touch he comes up with an error.

He recovers with a nice kick that forced an error from Connor Tracey who had to knock it dead, but the Bulldogs are let off the hook for a push in the back.

Handling from both sides has been poor to start this contest.

The Warriors get a number of sets on Canterbury’s line with set restarts and penalties, and eventually they crack with Marcelo Montoya scoring after a good double pump from Luke Metcalf.

6PM: Friday Night Footy is off and running across the ditch.

Can the Warriors send out Shaun Johnson a winner in his last home game or can the Bulldogs keep their run to the top four alive?

5.30PM: Can the Warriors produce a farewell home finish for one of their favourite sons in Shaun Johnson?

Johnson (HFB $420,700) has announced his retirement at the end of the season, with the Warriors naming their stadium after the halfback for tonight’s clash.

This season hasn’t gone to plan for Johnson. He started the year as a $793,700 SuperCoach player and has since dropped more than $350k in price.

Outside of a four-game stretch between rounds five and eight (where he averaged 92 points), it’s been tough going.

But can he turn back the clock one last time to deliver a sold out crowd a night to remember and SuperCoaches a final century in NZ?

Broncos vs Eels - top recent SuperCoach scores
Broncos vs Eels - top recent SuperCoach scores

5PM: Canterbury has suffered a blow in the forwards as it looks to make it five-straight wins and keep its top four hopes alive.

Josh Curran has been ruled out with injury and has been replaced by Max King (FRF $584,200) who comes into the front row.

King hasn’t played since round 18 which coincidentally was against the Warriors at Homebush. He had his best SuperCoach output of the season on that night with a brilliant showing of 96 points in 68 minutes of time on the field.

The Warriors are have made a few changes from their side named on Tuesday, with the big inclusion of hooker Wayde Egan (HOK $447,800) back into the starting 13.

Jazz Tevaga (2RF $352,400) comes into the starting line-up with Marata Niukore (2RF $452,400) dropping back to the interchange.

Chanel Harris-Tavita (HFB $440,300) comes onto the bench with Tom Ale dropping out of the 17.

Warriors vs Bulldogs - top recent SuperCoach scores
Warriors vs Bulldogs - top recent SuperCoach scores

EARLIER: The Canterbury Bulldogs have won their last four games on the trot while the Warriors have lost their last four matches so on paper the first game of the evening should be a cakewalk for the visitors.

However, with Kiwi legend Shaun Johnson set to retire at the end of the season (and his club playing away in round 26 then having a bye in round 27) this is the last chance for the home fans to farewell ‘SJ’.

If the Warriors were ever going to play above their station then this is the game.

With that said, the key players to watch in the match are still Bulldogs.

Jacob Kiraz comes into the match leading the NRL in runs and run metres while sitting third for offloads. With seven scores of 100+ already this season - including two over 120 in the past four - Kiraz is a captaincy choice for those looking for a left field POD pick.

Matt Burton may lack the upside of some other star halves, but his reliable goalkicking and key role in attack makes him very reliable. If I owned him I would play him, but if chasing a head-to-head finals x-factor I would look elsewhere.

The only Warrior with an ownership rate above 20% is Addin Fonua-Blake. Lost in some of the Johnson hype is the fact that this will also be AFB’s last game at home as a Warrior and it would not shock me if he manages to crash over for a try.

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Originally published as NRL SuperCoach Winners and Losers: Reynolds, Burtons star on Friday Night Footy

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