NRL Round 15 SuperCoach: Wests Tigers vs. Titans, Warriors vs. Storm, Rabbitohs vs. Broncos
It was another wild evening of rugby league with crazy games causing SuperCoach mayhem. Catch up on which players starred and which spluttered on Saturday.
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SUPERCOACH WINNERS
Keano Kini (116 pts) – Scored his second 100-plus points score for the year with 116. His first half set the scene with 93 points off the back of line breaks, line break assists, and try assists. One to keep an eye on if he continues scoring high.
JoJo Fifita (84 pts) – Scored 65 points in the first six minutes of the contest and ended up with 84 for the match. It’s his highest-ever SuperCoach score and could be an option if Gold Coast keep playing him.
Stefano Utoikamanu (84 pts) – A strong second half helped the forward to his highest score this year. He averages 57 points a game and keeps getting better. He is starting to become a leading contender to be a lock in most teams.
Jahrome Hughes (101 pts) – Hughes was unstoppable as Melbourne stormed back from a slow start to post a terrific win in Auckland. The only player to hit triple digits in the match.
Mitch Barnett (89 pts) – Huge shift from the workhorse forward who is quickly becoming a standout SuperCoach option with dual FRF / 2RF positions.
Sua Fa’alogo (94 pts) – Not quite 100 from the rookie Storm fullback but he was dynamite against the Warriors. Scored two tries and could have had more with how active he was.
Daniel Tupou (102 pts) – The Roosters winger cracked his century with a tryscoring double. Tupou saw plenty of action down Sydney’s left edge where they focused their attack against Parramatta.
Will Penisini (87 pts) – Finished as Parramatta’s top scorer without crossing for a try. Penisini always plays hard and is a shining light in a struggling Eels outfit.
James Tedesco (98 pts) – Teddy continues to be a reliable option at fullback and the fact he gets close to 100 points without a try attests to it. If he’s not in the Blues squad next week he’d be a solid pickup for any team.
Justin Olam (73 pts) – Two tries led the Wests Tigers centre to 73 points for the game. He now has four games of more than 70 points this season. His 2024 in SuperCoach has been much better than last year.
Jayden Campbell (78 pts) – For the second week in a row the Titans half scored more than 70 points, scoring 78 for the match. If he continues this form, he becomes a tempting player to pick in the halves or at fullback.
SUPERCOACH LOSERS
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (18 pts) – The Roosters enforcer was sin-binned and continues to be a penalty magnet. Great player, but just too volatile for SuperCoach.
Tallyn Da Silva (33 pts) – Da Silva only scored 33 points as he replaced Koroisau at hooker for the match. He’s a cheap option but those thinking he might have the same output as Api might be out of luck.
Chris Randall (14 pts) – Randall had the worst game out of all players, scoring only 14 for the match. Sam Verrills, who switched with him during the match, had a better impact, scoring 36 points.
Alofiana Khan-Pereira (25 pts) – Only scored 25 points for the match. It’s his fourth game under 30 points for the year and with the winger struggling for consistency his price is not worth his selection right now.
Brent Naden (26 pts) – The honeymoon might be over for the Tigers centre. After scoring three straight 50 point matches during the season, his last two performances have been under 30. And he scored just 26 against the Titans. Might be someone who needs to be traded out.
Api Koroisau (60 pts) – He might have scored 60 points in the game at halfback but it was down on his usual average of 62 in SuperCoach. The hooker also scored an average of 73 in his past three matches before today. If the Tigers keep persisting with him in the halves, which worked against the Titans, then he will need to perform better in SuperCoach for coaches to keep him.
Joe Chan (15 pts) – Only 25 minutes on the field for the popular cheapie and Chan didn’t do much with his opportunity. Made four runs and 10 tackles.
Shaun Johnson (24 pts) – The veteran halfback was a step off the pace in his return from injury. I wouldn’t be jumping to buy him just yet.
Xavier Coates (45 pts) – Maybe harsh on Coates as he scored a great try, but under 50 points is still well below average for the Maroons flyer.
Joey Manu (40 pts) – Another harsh ‘loser’ but Manu’s typical output is so much better. The Roosters right edge didn’t see too much ball on Saturday night but Manu still found ways to get involved.
Terrell May (28 pts) – Very quiet night by the powerful young prop. Owners will need to see more consistency from the popular rookie.
FULL TIME – Roosters 28-18
There were a few nervous moments there in the second half but the Roosters proved their premiership credentials in the end.
Lindsay Collins thought he had put the icing on the cake with a late try but on closer inspection a Roosters knock on was found in the lead-up.
It doesn’t matter in the end because the Roosters claimed the win and the Eels, despite a great 20-minute period around halftime, have to go back to the drawing board.
75th minute – Roosters 28-18
That should be enough for Sydney.
A beautiful Sam Walker grubber puts Angus Crichton over and Parramatta won’t have enough time to claw this one back.
Walker hasn’t been as active as Keary tonight but that’s a solid boost to his SuperCoach score.
Crichton is just shy of 100 and anyone who sold him for the Origin period may be regretting their decision now.
65th minute – Roosters 22-18
It felt inevitable. Parramatta valiantly withstood set after set but eventually they had to crack.
Sydney are back in front with 15 to play after Daniel Tupou charged over the line.
It’s still only a four-point game so strap in for a wile run to the final whistle.
60th minute – Eels 18-16
The Eels are holding onto their two-point lead, but only just.
The Roosters have lifted, especially in defence, and they still have a quarter of the game to play.
James Tedesco is approaching 100 SuperCoach points as he tries to carry his side to victory.
48th minute – Eels 18-16
Parramatta has now scored three straight tries to draw level after the Roosters dominated the first half.
Blaize Talagi scores this time after coming mightily close in the first half.
With 13 players back on the field for each side, can the Roosters stop the energised Eels?
A Lindsay Collins penalty for dissent allowed Mitchell Moses to poke the Eels’ nose in front for the first time tonight and they have all of the momentum.
The Roosters cop a stern warning from the referee to make things even worse.
44th minute – Roosters 16-12
What a start to the half from Parramatta.
Dylan Brown showed tremendous individual skill to snake between defenders down a short side and storm over the line.
The Eels halves have scored either side of the break to give the hosts a mountain of hope.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ sin bin proved very costly.
HALFTIME – Roosters 16-6
They had to hold on for dear life at the end there but the Roosters can take a 10-point lead into the sheds.
Mitchell Moses is putting his hand up for the NSW Blues No.7 jersey with a standout performance including a runaway try late in the half to get his side back in the game.
Reagan Campbell-Gillard and James Tedesco lead SuperCoach scoring with 61 each.
38th minute – Roosters 16-6
Parramatta are finally on the board late in the half while they have the extra man,
Reagan Campbell-Gillard made a fantastic linebreak and found Mitchell Moses burning down the outside for a runaway try.
It’s not over for the Eels yet after a shaky start.
33rd minute – Roosters 16-0
Sometimes it’s hard to understand this game.
The inconsistencies are brutal and Roosters fans can be justifiably baffled by that Jared Waerea-Hargreaves sin bin.
The Sydney enforcer clipped Shaun Lane high as the Parramatta big man fell into a tackle. He’s told he will have to sit for 10 because he made no attempt to lower his tackle height.
How can Waerea-Hargreaves drop his height when there’s a significant drop in Lane’s height as he’s making the tackle?
Perhaps JWH’s reputation counts for something but he would be unlucky to receive any extra punishment.
25th minute – Roosters 16-0
The game has broken out of a lull with a fantastic Roosters try to Daniel Tupou.
That one looked like a training drill from the scrum with James Tedesco throwing the final pass on a simple play out the left.
The Eels invited trouble with back-to-back errors on their own line and a quality team like the Sydney Roosters will punish you for that.
Parramatta was starting to gain some ascendancy but that was all erased by the Tupou try.
Sam Walker nailed the tricky sideline conversion to put his side 16 points ahead.
11th minute – Roosters 10-0
What a beautiful offload by Angus Crichton.
A late ball out the back unlocked space on the left edge and the Roosters have their second try of the match already. This time veteran centre Michael Jennings dummied to his winger and strolled over the line.
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Eels but they’re about to get their man back from the sin bin and they will need to find a response.
4th minute – Roosters 6-0
The Roosters and Eels both have plenty to fight for in a cross-town battle in Sydney.
It didn’t take long for sparks to fly.
Lindsay Collins was put in an awkward position during a tackle and Parramatta forward Kelma Tuilagi has been sin-binned after just two and a half minutes.
It will take a lot for the Eels to survive the next 10 minutes.
And just like that Sydney have scored through left winger Fetalaiga Pauga. This could get ugly.
FULL TIME – Storm 38-24
Electric fullback Sualauvi Faalogo put the icing in a stellar Storm performance with a late try – his second of the evening.
Melbourne endured a shocking start before flicking a switch to claim the impressive 14-point triumph.
It was a Jahrome Hughes masterclass and the Melbourne halfback topscored in SuperCoach, cracking triple digits late in the contest. It was a high scoring game all round with six players finishing with more than 75 points.
75th minute – Storm 32-24
Can the Warriors make a game of this?
After some fairly muted passages of play Marcelo Montoya has crossed in the left corner and given New Zealand fans a glimmer of hope.
Strap yourself in for a big finish.
60th minute – Storm 32-18
The Warriors will need to defend for the next five minutes with 11 men after Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was sin-binned for an ugly coathanger tackle.
The ensuing try in the corner from Xavier Coates very well could be the final nail in New Zealand’s coffin.
Even with a quarter of the match remaining it’s hard to see the Warriors coming back from here.
54th minute – Storm 26-18
Marcelo Montoya has been sin-binned after the Warriors gave away back-to-back penalties as frustrations boil over.
Sualauvi Faalogo remained on the field after copping a high tackle form Te Maire Martin and the livewire fullback made the most of his team’s numerical advantage with a swan dive into the left corner.
Faalogo landed awkwardly on the ball and appeared to hurt his ribs but he remained on the field.
45th minute – Storm 20-18
New Zealand look sharp after their halftime talking-to, and NSW Blues hopeful Mitch Barnett powered across the line early.
The Warriors have finally stopped the bleed but a missed conversion from Adam Pompey prevented the hosts from drawing level.
HALFTIME – Storm 20-14
What a crazy half of rugby league.
After a near-perfect start the Warriors crumbled and the classy Storm capitalised. 20 straight points saw Melbourne storm into the lead and New Zealand looked shell-shocked.
Eliesa Katoa and Jahrome Hughes dominate SuperCoach scoring for the visitors while Warriors centre Adam Pompey is nearing his half-century.
35th minute – Storm 20-14
The Melbourne Storm continue to roll and they have certainly hit their stride.
A fourth consecutive try has the Warriors on the ropes as they have completely fallen apart defensively.
Jahrome Hughes put Eliesa Katoa through a gaping hole and the barnstorming backrower found Nick Meaney in full stride.
30th minute – Storm 14-14
Take a bow Jahrome Hughes.
A perfectly milked penalty put Melbourne deep in attack and the Storm crossed for their third-straight try to right centre Dean Ieremia.
This game has been absolutely turned on its head and the Warriors have no answers for what is happening.
26th minute – Warriors 14-10
After a shockingly bad start the Melbourne Storm have scored twice in five minutes and are firmly back in the fight.
New Zealand needs to go back to what was working so well through the opening 20 minutes of the match.
21st minute – Warriors 14-6
Just like that, the Storm are back in the contest.
Eliesa Katoa pinched a spill bomb at the back to dive over and get Melbourne on the board. Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes was on 0 SuperCoach pointers but he will bag a try assist for his troubles. Nick Meaney converts from beside the post.
17th minute – Warriors 14-0
New Zealand are in again, this time pouncing after a successful captain’s challenge to score in the left corner.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad threw an impossible pass to put Marcelo Montoja across for an easy four-pointer.
Adam Pompey nailed the sideline conversion as the rain begins to pour down.
9th minute – Warriors 8-0
It didn’t take long for pressure to turn to points for New Zealand as Adam Pompey cruised through the defence to score.
Hard play from the Warriors forced a Storm error inside their own half and that invitation was enough for New Zealand to take first blood.
Pompey converted his own try, signalling that Shaun Johnson will not take the kicking duties tonight.
Poor discipline from Melbourne gifted the Warriors a penalty in the next set with Eli Katoa placed on report for dangerous contact on the kicker and Pmpey extended New Zealand’s lead.
KICK OFF
Action is underway in Auckland as New Zealand looks to leap into the top eight.
The Melbourne Storm are desperate to consolidate their position atop the ladder but find themselves in the unfamiliar position as underdogs.
Jack Howarth has come onto the Melbourne interchange while Warriors lock Dylan Walker has been promoted into the starting side, dropping captain Tohu Harris back onto the bench.
The Wests Tigers have won their first game in more than two months with an 18-10 win over the Gold Coast.
The Tigers stormed home in the last 20 minutes to end a nine-game losing streak.
The Tigers win is the first game of a triple-header with New Zealand taking on Melbourne and Parramatta facing the Sydney Roosters.
Check out the day’s action below.
SuperCoach points at full time – Tigers v Titans
Keano Kini had another breakout game, scoring 116 points to lead all players in the contest. It is second 100 point game this year. JoJo Fifita also scored well with 84 points and would have cracked 100 if he scored the try late when he knocked on the ball. The best Tigers players was Stefano Utoikamanu with 84 who had a strong second half. Justin Olam ended on 73 points after scoring two tries.
Full time: Tigers win 18-10
Wests Tigers ends a nine-game losing streak with an 18-10 win over Gold Coast. The final 20 minutes all belonged to the Tigers as they turned the game around with two tries. Gold Coast will be left to rue not killing the game in the first 40 minutes when it dominated the contest.
79th minute: Tigers 18-10
Gold Coast Titan JoJo Fifita scores but the try is immediately sent to the bunker. During the play, Justin Olam is blocked as he was trying to tackle, so the bunker awards it a no try. The Tigers will win.
77th minute: Tigers 18-10
The drought is going to end for the Wests Tigers. The team has a set on the try line and after plenty of pressure, Fonua
Pole storms over the line to score his first of the afternoon. The Leichhardt faithful will be cheering loud tonight.
68th minute: Tigers 12-10
The game is heating up now. Gold Coast have a chance to score on the last tackle and JoJo Fifita has the space down the right to score. But he drops the ball cold and the ball goes out of play. Tigers are holding on here.
65th minute: Tigers 12-10
Momentum is all with the Tigers now. Justin Olam almost gets his hat-trick but drops the ball as he runs towards the try line. Can the Leichhardt faithful guide their team home?
61st minute: Tigers 12-10
The Tigers end the scoring drought! Justin Olam has a double after a great move from Tigers young gun Samuela Fainu. He bulldozes through Gold Coast Titan Kieran Foran and creates space down the left. Olam gets the ball from Fainu, scores, and has a double. Api Koroisau gets the conversion and the Tigers lead.
59th minute: Titans 10-6
It’s now been almost 40 minutes since the last point was scored. Both teams have struggles to find momentum and have kept on making mistakes at crucial times in attack. It’s going to be a big 20 minutes and the next try might be enough to win.
50th minute: Titans 10-6
The Tigers have conceded 300 more metres to the Titans but have been able to hold out Gold Coast from scoring more points. In some ways this has been a great defensive performance, in other ways, it’s not been ideal, but the Tigers are in this.
Half time: SuperCoach scores
Gold Coast fullback Keano Kini had a monster first half, scoring 93 points in the first 40 minutes. He scored 44 points in line breaks and line break assists and also added points with try assists and tackle breaks. He’s on track for a monster score. JoJo Fifita also scored well but most of his points came in the first six minutes. He is on 76. The best Wests Tigers player is Justin Olam who scored the only try for the team. He is on 42 points.
Half time: Titans 10-6
Titans attack late and almost score with Keano Kini making a break and running towards the line. A brilliant tackle by Justin Olam saved an almost certain try. Gold Coast leads at half time but could be leading by more with the metre dominance the team has had. The Tigers have played well to keep the Titans to 10 points.
25th minute: Titans 10-6
JoJo Fifita and Keano Kini leads in SuperCoach with 69 and 61 points respectively. Fifita’s score came in the first six minutes. He’s only added four in the next 20. Kini has been electric with his runs and line breaks. Justin Olam leads the Tigers charge with 40 points.
20th minute: Titans 10-6
Titans five-eighth Jayden Campbell finishes a wonderful play from the Titans. Keano Kini gains plenty of metres early in the set to set up the final few tackles in attack for the Titans. Kieran Foran then breaks through the defence of the Tigers, 10 metres out, and passes to Campbell who scores. He misses the conversion so the Titans lead by four.
12th minute: Scores level at 6-6
A lovely pass from Wests Tigers five eighth Aidan Sezer puts Justin Olam into space and the centre does the rest. Olam weaves his way through two Titans player to score. The Tigers are level and needed that after the Titans dominated early proceedings in the contest.
6th minute: Titans 6-0
It’s been coming for a couple of minutes. The Titans have got good metres with their first two sets but this time the team kicks a 40/20 to get great field position.
On the third tackle, the Titans move to the ball to the right and JoJo Fifita gets space and scores.
The winger is already on 65 SuperCoach points after a handful of minutes.
Exactly the start the Titans needed.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) June 15, 2024
Jojo Fifita gets over and Gold Coast are on the board!
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3:00pm: Game is underway
Game has started and the Titans gain good metres with their first set of the contest.
2:55pm: The rains are here
Rain has started falling for the contest between the Tigers and Titans, so expect a tough physical contest.
The interest for this match will be Api Koroisau in the middle.
Can he provide a lift to the team? Importantly for SuperCoach players, can he score well?
If he does on both accounts he could be an option for players and the Tigers in that position in the second half of the season.
2:35pm: Tigers make changes to final team
The Wests Tigers have made two changes to their starting line-up with Reuben Porter to start at prop and Fonua Pole moving to the second row. Alex Seyfarth now moves from the first 13 to the bench with Kit Laulilii the 18th man. For the Gold Coast Titans the team is 1-17 from yesterday after David Fifita was taken out of the match-day squad with injury. Jacob Alick-Wiencke will start on the bench after being the late inclusion.
EARLIER
Hello and welcome to the blog. Updated teams will be coming in a few moments.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Api Koroisau: In a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, the Wests Tigers have moved Koroisau from hooker into the halves this week. Not great news for SuperCoaches as Koroisau’s defensive output will drop sharply in the halves it should be noted that Api scored a reasonable 66 points when moved into halfback in round 27 (though it required a try with linebreak to get there).
Brian Kelly: Speaking of consistent Titans, Brian Kelly has had just one sub-60 point score in his past nine matches, and gone 70+ in six of those games. That’s some A-grade reliability for a player currently in less than 1% of teams. Has to be odds on to post another 60+ score against the Wests Tigers.
Addin Fonua-Blake: Another game another try another triple-figure score from Fonua-Blake. But that was last week against a weakened Cowboys, this week against the Storm will be a tougher ask. Melbourne have the best defence against FRF in the NRL right now and are conceding an average of just 35PPG at the position.
Eliesa Katoa: Speaking of try scoring forwards the Storm boast one of their own in Eliesa Katoa. The former Warriors has six tries to his name already this season including two in his past three games. With an excellent workrate in attack and defence Katoa is cementing himself inside the elite 2RF category.
Jahrome Hughes: The Storm halfback was a popular pickup last week and he did not disappoint with 117 points. The proud Kiwi has a great record against the Warriors averaging 87.2PPG from nine games.
Te Maire Martin: Speaking of halves in fine form, TMM has been on fire for the Wahs with a 3RA of 106.3PPG. The Storm are his kryptonite though having limited the livewire playmaker to an average of just 26.2PPG over three matches.
Tyran Wishart: And it would be remiss not to acknowledge Tyran Wishart’s hot run. Called on to play 80 minutes in each of the past four games, Wishart is averaging 76.8PPG over the span. Still just $501K and with handy dual position availability he should be on more people’s radars.
James Tedesco: If the whispers are true and Dylan Edwards is poised to oust James Tedesco from the Blues then NSW’s loss will be SuperCoaches gain. Teddy went into Origin camp off the back of a thumping 151 points against the Raiders in round 12 and should he get through this game unscathed, but also be dropped from the Blues, then he will be a very popular buy next week.
Dom Young: The big Englishman was far from his best against the Cowboys in round 13, but he still finished the game with 75 points. Forming a lethal right edge for the Chooks with Joey Manu (see below), Young has scored seven tries in the past six games and should be locked in your team.
Joey Manu: Many were expecting Manu to go large when he deputised for Tedesco in round 13, but instead of huge we got ‘huh’ with Joey scoring just 51 points despite making 21 runs and busting nine tackles.
Connor Watson: With Brandon Smith on the outer Watson, returning after a throat injury, slots straight into the starting hooker role at the Roosters. Averaging 69PPG across two starts at hooker this year Watson would be a tempting pickup were it not for the fact that he’s a strong chance to nab the utility (or 18th man) slot at the Blues.
Blaize Talagi: Rewarded those that held him last week with 69 points and another $65K price rise. A sell candidate now though having peaked in price and with the Roosters this week and then the bye the week after.
Brendan Hands: Crashed back to earth somewhat last week scoring just 34 point sin 70 minutes. Has a BE of -4 so will make owners money but his lack of attacking edge is a concern.
Kelma Tuilagi: Has had two consecutive 80 minute games on the edge for the Eels and rewarded owners with scores of 73 and 80. Job security would appear to hinge on Ryan Matterson's availability/health and that combined with the Eels missing round 16 makes it hard to recommend Tuilagi as a buy but well done to those that bought him earlier.
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Originally published as NRL Round 15 SuperCoach: Wests Tigers vs. Titans, Warriors vs. Storm, Rabbitohs vs. Broncos
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