Rob Sutherland’s NRL SuperCoach team 2025: All in on the fullback Flex
He raises almost more questions than he answers and cannot resist the odd Tom Sangster sledge, read the early edition of Rob Sutherland’s 2025 SuperCoach NRL team here.
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And so it begins.
The first NRL SuperCoach reveal of the season.
Sadly it will not be the last as I have no doubt there’ll be plenty of changes to the Belalie Beasts between now and round one.
It’s odds on that at least one of those listed below will be injured in the trials and there are the vicissitudes of the round one Team List Tuesday of 2025 to come too.
But, I have a framework that I am happy with and have made some calls that Tom Sangster won’t like - two key pre-season goals ticked off already.
Enough waffle from me, on to the team.
* PS I’ll be in Las Vegas this year, if you see me stumbling along the strip I’ll be keen to talk SuperCoach over an ice cold Coors.
HOOKER
Connor Watson HOK/2RF $583,300
The peripatetic Watson is arguably the best utility in the NRL at the moment and his versatility was on display last year as he flitted between utility, five-eighth, hooker and lock. But I expect Watson to find a more permanent home in 2025 with the injury to Brandon Smith obliging the Roosters to load Watson up with big minutes at nine. Priced at a 60PPG average I don’t think Watson is awesome value, but I feel he’s the safest of the more premium options at the position. A quick look at the other premium hookers will explain why:
* Harry Grant: Undoubtedly the best at the position this year but if Cameron Munster is fit, thus freeing him up from covering in the halves, will Tyran Wishart poach minutes here?
* Damien Cook/Jacob Liddle: Had the second and third best averages at the position last year but this year Cook joins Liddle in the same team. I expect they will rotate between nine and 13 but until I see how the combination works I can’t buy into either.
* Max Plath: Was a revelation in 2024 excelling first at lock and then closing out the season at hooker covering for an injured Jeremy Marshall-King. With JMK back it seems likely that Plath slides back into the 13 jersey, and that’s no SC disaster as the workaholic averaged 61PPG at lock last year. But there’s a new coach in place, and the potential return of Tom Gilbert to consider – I don’t expect either to nobble Plath but it’s enough for me to look elsewhere.
* Apisai Koroisau: The Wests Tigers hooker is the player I am most closely looking at as an alternative to Watson. Api can be a little rocks and diamonds as he lacks the massive workrate of others in this list and his high number of missed tackles bites, but if he’s retained the goalkicking duties then I might be swayed. Watch this space.
Peter Mamouzelos HOK $302,900
The departure of Cook (see above) leaves a big role up for grabs at the Rabbitohs and I expect Mamouzelos to fill that job. He’s not the biggest body, and he’s not a 50 tackle per game type either, but the price is right and there’s plenty of opportunity so I’ll take it.
PROP
Terrell May FRF $597,500
The big prop absolutely flourished in 2024 bumping his minutes per game (MPG) to 45 and his points per game (PPG) to 61. Ranked 19th at his position for base points per game and first for offloads, May was the top base/power per minute prop (minimum 1,000 minutes) in 2024. Perplexingly released by the Roosters, May is now at the Wests Tigers where I expect him to average 55+ MPG. Over the eight games where he played 50+ minutes May averaged 80PPG. Pick and forget.
Corey Horsburgh FRF/2RF $355,500
After averaging 62MPG and 62 PPG for the Raiders in 2023, Horsburgh’s career nosedived in 2024. A rift which saw coach Ricky Stuart refuse to talk to one of his top-30 players (real professional Ricky…) took its toll and Horsburgh looked like he was on the way out of the club. However, a stint in rehab, a fresh diet and a rapprochement with the coach has Horsburgh once again SuperCoach relevant. I’m not thrilled with Horse or Whyte (see below) as my FRF2, but the duals are handy and will permit me to bring one of the two premiums listed in 2RF below up to this slot at some point.
Naufahu Whyte FRF/2RF $367,100
The exit of May (and NRL retirement of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves) leaves my Roosters a little thin up front. Lindsay Collins should play massive minutes and is on my radar for that reason but I have saved $50K (for now) and opted for Whyte. A FRF start is not assured, the Roosters have the Va’a brothers pushing for starts and word is young Siua Wong is being tested in the middle too, so Whyte is a bit of a placeholder for now.
Tom Amone FRF $232,600
Amone was bouncing back and forth between the NSW Cup and NRL interchange in 2019-21 before heading to the Super League where he transformed himself into a starting prop and averaged better than 30 tackles and 125 metres per game. Now back in the NRL, Amone has the chance to carve out a significant role at the Bulldogs where he can take some of the FRF leadership role off Max King’s shoulders.
2RF
Mitch Barnett FRF/2RF $661,000
The former Knight was immense in 2024 parlaying his fine form into NSW Origin and Kangaroos selection. Averaging 53PPG in base alone Barnett also finished with the third most offloads and sixth most tackle busts of any FRF last year. The departure of Addin Fonua-Blake opens up a massive (60MPG) hole in the Warriors front row rotation and it would not shock me to see Barnett lift his time on ground as a result. The dual positioning works a treat with the next man on my list.
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui FRF/2RF $531,300
In 2022 ‘Big Tino’ averaged 67PPG, in 2023 he lifted that to 78PPG. In 2024 the Gold Coast enforcer suffered an ACL injury 30 odd minutes into his second game of the season and as a result he is priced around a 54PPG average coming into this season. Yes ACL returns can be fraught, yes he probably won’t have full speed and power until a couple of months of the season have passed and YES I know the Titans have a bye in the first round. The first points don’t worry me because that’s why the price is discounted. The second because I figure buying him from the start saves me the trade others are planning to use heading into round four to pick Tino up before his price rises.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 2RF $368,200
On the fence here. On the one hand I recognise Finefeuiaki’s raw talent, and expect him to get a better than fair opportunity at his new club the Dolphins. On the other hand I do fear he might prove to be one of those players who are very very good in real life but merely good in SuperCoach. The big man got plenty of opportunity at the Cowboys in 2024 averaging 54MPG including seven 80 minute games (in which he averaged 54PPG). Priced at 38PPG due to quite a few stints off the bench I see value and upside here – but am tempering my expectations.
Matty Nicholson 2RF $336,000
I don’t know much about Mr Nicholson, but his reputation from the Super League precedes him with the word from the UK that the lock/second row is a tackling machine who averaged close to 40 tackles for Warrington last season. There is a big job on an edge open at the Raiders following the departure of Elliott Whitehead and while Nicholson has competition for the job if he lands it he’s a bargain. Let’s see how teamlists pan out.
Josh Schuster 2RF $265,100
Will Wayne Bennett find the magic trick to getting Josh Schuster to click? I don’t know. The talent has been obvious for years. As has the, at times, lack of application. Let’s see how the pre-season goes. At this price we’re not risking much, but be aware that it’s awfully hard to move up from base price if your gamble does not work.
Demitric Vaimauga 2RF $232,600
A talented, tough tackle busting runner, Vaimauga just needs a little luck with injury to cement his move into first grade on a full-time basis. Has already made seven appearances in the NRL and has been tipped as the rookie to watch by the Wahs coaches. That said, bench forwards are not great for SC so unless a surprise starting role opens up due to injuries elsewhere I’m not sure I’ll start the season with him.
HALFBACK
Nathan Cleary HFB $811,500
To be honest I have bracketed Cleary and Nicho Hynes here. Both have concerns but despite those I will have one in my team for round one.
Cleary is arguably the best player in the NRL. He’s at, unarguably, the best team and following the departure of Jarome Luai that team is 100% Cleary’s to command. Penrith score a lot of points and when they score in the NRL Cleary scores in SuperCoach. Or at least he does when he plays. And that’s the concern. Cleary only played 10 regular season games last year. He played 19 the year before but then just 14 in 2022 and 16 in 2021. He’s a two trade guy (at best) because at some point he’ll be injured or rested and you won’t want to have that money sitting on your bench. So one trade out. Then when he returns you won’t want to miss the big points so another trade in. Add two injuries and it’s starting to get costly. Speaking of injuries despite all the positive noises coming from Camp Cleary, the off-season shoulder surgery is a big concern. The Penrith halfback is no certainty to play in round one and that’s a big worry.
Hynes can be had for almost $80K less cash than Cleary after a rather mixed bag of a 2024 season. Injury restricted the Cronulla half to just 15 regular season games and his form fluctuated as did – to my eye from afar – his confidence at times. I’d like to see him run more and tackle a little less and there’s some fears that an ascendant Braydon Trindall is poaching some points of his fellow playmaker but regardless I still see plenty of reasons to pick Hynes over Cleary, not the least the fact that he is fit and healthy. Watch this space.
Sandon Smith HFB/HOK $237,600
The departure of Luke Keary and injury to Sam Walker means Sandon Smith and 2025 recruit Chad Townsend will likely form the halves pairing for the Roosters through the opening half of the season. Smith has amassed a fair bit of first grade experience (24 games in two seasons including eight starts in the halves), is a tough defender and can kick goals (as can Townsend but for SC purposes it would be great if Sandon got the nod there). A must have at the price and his dual position flexibility plays particularly well with fellow Rooster Connor Watson.
FIVE-EIGHTH
Dylan Brown HFB|5/8 $651,800
The Parramatta playmaker is supremely reliable, immune from Origin selection and, in my humble opinion, set to take his game to the next level following the departure of Clint Gutherson. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of ‘The King’, but Gutho had a habit of sweeping down the left hand side and poaching Brown’s try assists. Others I considered were Matt Burton (love his goalkicking points but can the Dogs repeat or improve on what was a pretty golden run in 2024?), Lachie Galvin (is very similar to Brown but I’d like to see if Jarome Luai poaches points off him), Luai (good price and nice duals but want to see how he goes at a new club) and Cam Munster (cheap cheap price but I don’t like picking a guy who is still not running freely by February).
Tanah Boyd HFB|5/8 $329,600
I’ve always quite admired how Boyd plays the game. Good kicking game. Sound defence. Can kick goals. I felt he got mucked around a bit at the Titans and will flourish at the Warriors under coach Webster. The halves at the Wahs is a logjam with Boyd, Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita all competing for two spots. If Boyd nabs the seven jersey and is goalkicking he’s a steal at $330K.
CTW
Kayal Iro CTW $640,700
I like starting with at least one premium CTW early in the season and I like that selection to be a base stat guy not a player heavily dependent on scoring plays in order to provide value. Step up 2024 cheapie sensation Kayal Iro. The Cronulla centre was immense last year averaging 17 runs, five tackle busts and 16 tackles per game. I’m not locked in here, others I am considering are Jamayne Isaako (my much smarter colleague Ian Maybanks makes some excellent points regarding the Dolphins kicker here), Canberra’s base stat beast Matt Timoko and Warrior Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Casey/Jesse McLean CTW $443,000/$234,900
The departure of Sunia Turuva opens a slot on the wing at the Panthers and it’s a hot tip that one of the McLean boys will nab that spot. Jesse is the slightly older of the two and is more experienced with over 30 NSW Cup games to his name (and two NRL with one each in 2023 and 2024) while it was Casey who was preferred in first grade last year playing seven games in the centres. If the Penrith hierarchy are reading this (hi Ivan!) then it would be best for my team if the cheaper Jesse got the nod and I could repurpose Casey’s bigger budget elsewhere.
Billy Smith CTW $317,200/Robert Toia $198,800
Two Roosters cheapies in the CTW brings matchup risk and the Roosters have tough matchups to start the season. These two Roosters bring injury risks too with both Smith and Toia having had far more than their shares of bad luck with long-term injuries. But, there’s a very strong chance that both nab starting roles in 2025 and both have loads of ability. So if selected I’m more than likely taking the risk of picking both but then maybe just starting one or possibly none in the harder games early in the year.
Jack Bird 2RF/CTW $379,700
Speaking of injury risks, Jack Bird has only managed 14 games in each of his past two regular seasons. But I’m prepared to take the chance for now because the word from Bird is that he is reverting from his 2024 role in the centres (at the Dragons) to playing lock forward in 2025 (for the Tigers). I expect Bird to average mid 50s for as many games as he survives in the forwards.
Jaxon Purdue CTW $257,500
The 2024 rookie of the year at the Cowboys, Purdue played eight games in the NRL last year moving between wing and centre. He also played eight games in the QCup – in the halves. That versatility is enticing. There’s a real chance he could nab either a halves or centre starting role for round one. Of course there’s an almost equal chance he misses out on both. A placeholder with promise for now.
FULLBACK/FLEX
James Tedesco FLB $920,200/Reece Walsh FLB $738,400/Kalyn Ponga FLEX $790,300
I’m not gonna lie, I don’t really know which elite fullbacks I am picking at the position but I do know I plan to also select one at my Flex position.
Tedesco is my guy and as a Roosters fan it’s so much more enjoyable to watch them play when I’m also enjoying his performance from a SC angle. Teddy was superb in 2024 and he seemed to thrive once the extra workload of Origin was removed from him. Also non-Origin Roosters are SC bye gold a fact that elevated Tedesco in my fullback ranking to number one.
Reece Walsh had a good season when on the field, but was off of it too often. The stats show that Walsh played just 14 games for the Broncos last year, but he played just one minute in round three so it’s really more like 13 games. Which is interesting from a SC perspective, because while Walsh’s recorded average of 75.4 is perfectly fine, if you remove that one minute game from his average then his true average is 81.2 – which would have him priced at around $800K. I’ll take that $60K discount for now and am eyeing off the Broncos pretty soft start to the season as likely to see Walsh start with a bang in 2025.
Kalyn Ponga has all the promise in the world, but has some real reliability issues with injuries restricting him to less than 20 regular season games in each of the past five years. Goalkicking fullbacks are hard to pass up in SuperCoach but he’s probably the shakiest of my three selections just now. Tom Trbojevic is an obvious contender, Latrell Mitchell too. The thing is both of those players come with significant durability issues of their own.
The Mr Reliable option at fullback is North Queensland’s Scott Drinkwater. ‘Drinky’ may lack some of the flair of others at the position but he makes up for that with reliability and consistency and has ridden those traits to being the top scoring fullback (2023/2024 seasons combined). Add to that the chance that Drinkwater takes over the kicking role at North Queensland in 2025 and he’s very firmly on my radar.
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