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NRL SuperCoach round 10 wrap: How to survive playmaker injury carnage leading into round 11

Images of Shaun Johnson clutching his left shoulder have rattled SuperCoaches who already lost Nathan Cleary and Nicho Hynes in round 10. Our experts analyse the biggest issues from the weekend – and how to get ahead for Magic Round.

Rob Sutherland, Wilson Smith and Maria Recouvreur
7 min read
May 13, 2024 - 6:00AM
SC art for Monday story
SC art for Monday story

And just like that, injury has halved the NRL’s halves.

Already battling with an injury to Mitchell Moses, Nathan Cleary has been ruled out for 6-8 weeks with a hamstring injury and Nicho Hynes isn’t 100 per cent with his calf strain.

Shaun Johnson limped through the Warriors drubbing at the hands of the Roosters, and Jahrome Hughes is missing for a couple of weeks with a calf complaint.

Here are some tips and tricks to survive the injury onslaught.

Shaun Johnson is struggling with a left arm injury. Picture: NRL Photos
Shaun Johnson is struggling with a left arm injury. Picture: NRL Photos

1. What to do with Cleary?

Outside Nathan Cleary and Nicho Hynes the halfback stocks are not exceptional. Jahrome Hughes was an option until he injured his calf (2-3 weeks). Shaun Johnson is playing through his Achilles issues AND a shoulder injury he picked up against the Roosters. Daly Cherry-Evans will play Origin. But Sam Walker had a strong game for the Tricolours and may be your man. Mitchell Moses is also a chance to make his return for Magic Round, so keep your eyes peeled.

After a slow (by his standards) start to the season Parramatta playmaker Dylan Brown has hit form.

Brown, who has been filling in at halfback due to the Moses injury, will gain halfback eligibility ahead of round 12. If you wait until then, you could sell Cleary and buy Brown just ahead of his juicy South Sydney matchup. The Eels also provide excellent bye round coverage.

An honourable mention to Matt Burton who has been SLAYING it for the Dogs, scoring 70+ in each of his past five games. Burton has to be an Origin selection risk though.

2. What to do with Turbo?

If you don’t have Scott Drinkwater, then get him. Solid as a rock, great bye coverage and a nice short term draw of Rabbitohs into Wests Tigers. Latrell Mitchell is an option for the brace and scored a solid 71 in his comeback game against the Dragons.

Away from the usual premium suspects there is of course Trai Fuller. This comes at a price. First there is your pride. You’ll need to swallow a bit of it as you’ll be paying $200K more than those who bought Fuller at base price. Secondly, there is the matter of the looming return of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow from injury. Will HTF slot straight into fullback and bump Fuller to the QCup – or to #14 as a super sub – aka SuperCoach poison?

Lastly, the CTW position is chock full of SuperCoach studs. If you have DPP CTW/FLB eligible types like Reuben Garrick or Kayal Iro sitting in your CTW, there’s a temptation to sell Turbo and add another CTW stud to your mix.

3. Blaize of glory

The injury to Clint Gutherson opened the door for Blaize Talagi (who has been used at five-eighth, centre and off the bench) to finally get a run at his preferred fullback position and boy did he deliver. With 18 runs, three linebreaks, eight tackle breaks and a try, Talagi scored 92 points (pre-updates). Great for those that held, salt in the wounds for those that sold.

4. What to do about Garner?

The Panthers may have lucked out when they missed out on David Fifita because Luke Garner is doing a job on the edge filling in for Scott Sorensen. Garner scored 118 points last week and backed that up with a 91 point (pre-update) thumper on Friday night. Garner will be priced around $550K when prices are updated Monday and will have a BE in the area of -50. Sorensen was only meant to miss a couple of weeks but his knee injury has moved into ‘indefinite’ territory, with his good bye coverage and great potential to make cash Garner profiles as a terrific bridge to the likes of Fifita.

5. Is Faalogo a buy?

He was third-most purchased player this week and already shapes as one of the most purchased players ahead of round 11 … but is Sua Faalogo really a buy? In his second game of the season, Faalogo ended up on just 32 points (before countbacks). In round 9 he scored just 41 points, even with a try. The base stats may not be there for the Storm fullback, but he showed some moments of brilliance. It is worth noting that at $339k he is not a bottom dollar cheapie, but with Ryan Papenhuyzen out for sometime he really just needs one big game to get the cash rolling.

6. What to do with RTS?

Already one of the most sold players heading into the week, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck looms as a must-sell now, with news he is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

7. Is KPP a sell?

He has been a revelation for SuperCoaches this year, but Kai Pearce-Paul could be a sell candidate soon after he shifted back to the bench an hour before the Knights-Tigers match. While he still scored a somewhat respectable 36 points, the return of Tyson Frizell and form of Dylan Lucas means minutes are at a premium at Newcastle and KPP could be the biggest loser. With a high break-even, it may be time to move on before he starts leaking more cash.

8. Star cheapie impresses

The most traded in player of the round, David Armstrong bounced back from a down week in his second NRL game, with another starring performance for the Knights. While he only came up with 63 points in SuperCoach terms, he certainly passed the eye test and could still be a good purchase next week for those who missed out. It is worth noting however that he does seem to be an attacking-dependant option and likely won’t be a long term option for SuperCoaches since the base stats just aren’t there.

WINNERS FROM ROUND 10

Bradman Best (CTW) – 124 pts: The Newcastle centre was monstrous as he made the Tigers defence look second rate. Best had four line breaks, 10 tackle breaks and a try assist as well as a four pointer of his own. The only issue, he might have just played himself into a Blues jersey.

Isaiah Papalii (2RF) – 115 pts: It is not every weekend that a backrower scores a double, but a move into the middle of the field and a coach demanding more ball for him is good signs for Papalii. He finished with 50 points in base stats in a great performance.

Blaize Talagi (CTW) – 94 pts: Great night for the young gun in his first game at fullback, posting the second highest score of the night at under $280k.

Luke Garner (2RF) – 91 pts: After cracking the ton against Souths, Garner scored again and posted another massive score.

Dylan Brown (5/8) – 89 pts: Is at a bargain price now and will be a popular buy, particularly with halves partner Mitch Moses set to return.

Trai Fuller (FLB) – 68 pts: How can you go past the dynamic Dolphins fullback. He had the best match of his fledgling first grade career, and has proven why the Redcliffe faithful have been calling for this opportunity for years. He MUST stay in the side next week when Hammer comes back. With a -33 BE, he is making plenty more cash to come.

Euan Aitken (2RF/CTW) – 77 pts: He has been a dual-position keeper in recent seasons and showed he still has the ability to be a decent scorer with a strong floor for coaches. Aitken has gone almost unnoticed this season with only 1784 owners – less than teammate Felise Kaufusi – but now has a three-round average of 73.7.

Dominic Young (CTW) – 148 pts: With a break even of -4, Roosters winger Dominic Young did much, much more than he needed to impress owners. He scored most of his 148 points in the first half against the Warriors, and finished the game with two tries, 272 metres, nine tacklebreaks and five linebreaks.

Angus Crichton (2RF) – 96 pts: The biggest winner of the weekend is NSW hopeful Angus Crichton, who is on a hot streak of form. He did give away a couple of penalties late in the game but with a -52 break even, he stands to make owners $121,500k.

LOSERS FROM ROUND 10

Sione Katoa (CTW) – 11 pts: For a winger on the NRL’s first-placed team, barely breaking into double digits was a massive disappointment. Katoa was starved of attacking ball with only 11 runs for 67 metres to go with his two errors and one missed tackle.

Will Warbrick (CTW) – 23 pts: It’s not quite as bad as 11, but you’d hope for a lot more from a top four winger. Warbrick was once again an aerial threat on the right flank but that can be volatile for SuperCoach as it leads to rocks or diamonds moments where you could either score a try or make an error.

Nathan Cleary (HLF) – 33 pts: One of the most popular players in the game now faces another stint on the sidelines after his hamstring injury.

Billy Walters (HOK) – 3 pts: Came off inside the opening 20 minutes with a wrist injury. Will wait and see how severe it is.

Brendan Piakura (2RF) – (17 pts): Played 52 minutes but didn’t have much of an impact to let his owners down.

Jason Saab (CTW) – 5 pts: The Manly flyer is set for a long stint on the sidelines after a horror night for the club. Saab sustained a grade three AC joint injury after landing on his shoulder trying to score a try. The winger faces plenty of time on the pine.

Reuben Garrick (CTW/FLB) – 33 pts: It is hard to call a man who came into the round with a -36 break-even a loser, but there was a lot of expectation on the shoulders of the Manly centre. He was the second most vice-captained player in the game, but don’t expect those coaches to be pulling the trigger on the captaincy loop.

AJ Brimson (FLB) – 70 pts: This is obviously no fault of his own but Brimson leaving the field with a groin complaint when he was already on 70 points hurt. It will remain to be seen whether it’s a long-term injury, and it will affect the Titans team in general considering how much they floundered when he and Kieran Foran left the field.

Shaun Johnson (HFB) – 34 pts: Another injured halfback is bad news for SuperCoaches and the Warriors. Johnson battled with a left pec/shoulder complaint in the club’s big loss against the Roosters, and stayed on the field for most of the match. He is owned by 19.7% of SuperCoaches and had a 96 (!) break even before the game.

More Coverage

SuperCoach NRL: Roosters stars that could save your team
Buzz: Staggering casualty list behind NRL’s hamstring crisis
Phil Rothfield

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach round 10 wrap: How to survive playmaker injury carnage leading into round 11

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