Fatima Kdouh’s NRL SuperCoach team for 2017

A MIX of big guns and exciting youngsters — SuperCoach NRL Live Countdown Show panellist Fatima Kdouh reveals her team for 2017.

THE time is now for the PowerPuff Boys.

They can no longer use inexperience as an excuse for a mediocre finish.

I’ve gone with a mix of youth and experience and recruited big guns like Cameron Smith, Shaun Johnson, Johnathan Thurston and Andrew Fifita and exciting youngsters like Nick Cotric, Jai Field and Siosifa Talakai.

Bring on SuperCoach 2017!

HOOKER

Cameron Smith ($523,700)

OK, so I have a confession to make, this is the first year I’ve started with Cameron Smith. In the past I’ve opted to look for value, someone who could be a decent POD proposition. It’s safe to say that experiment is now dead in the water. This time I’m splashing the cash on Mr Consistency and I’m going to sit back, relax and watch as the points roll in.

Matt Ballin ($143, 600)

This one was a tough choice; I was tempted by Cronulla’s young gun Jayden Brailey. He would have been more a place holder in my team as I’m not yet convinced of his cash cow potential. Instead I opted for Tiger Matt Ballin. He’s a tackling machine but his minutes might be an issue. Having said that, the back-up hooker spot is far from final.

Fatima Kdouh of the SuperCoach Countdown Show.

PROPS

Andrew Fifita ($481,900)

Love or loathe him, Fifita’s SuperCoach pedigree is undeniable. He averaged 72 in 2016 for a PPM of about 1.3. He’s consistent, gets through about 50 points in base stats each game and his upside potential is huge.

James Graham ($428,400)

Another big man who provides some consistency. While Graham might not possess the kind of upside that Fifita has, you can expect him to keep ticking over at around 60 points a game and that’s mostly in base stats. He also averaged around 62 minutes a game last year and remarkably avoided injury AND suspension to play all 24 games. Oh, and he provides cover for bye rounds 12 and 18.

Jarrod Wallace ($251,800)

The word is Wallace is set to line-up at lock for the Titans. If it does pan out that way then all of a sudden you have a juicy mid-priced forward who oozes cash cow potential. The Titans are without Greg Bird and Luke Douglas, so regardless of where Wallace plays you’d expect him to average more than the 37 minutes he did at the Broncos.

Patrick Kaufusi ($152,100)

Kaufusi is another player who looks set to benefit from players moving on at his club. He might face some competition for a bench spot from the likes of Sam Hoare but he’s expected to be named in the 17 come round one. I’ll be keeping a close eye on how Green decides to rotate his forwards because Coen Hess could become very SuperCoach relevant if he’s picked to start.

COMPLETE YOUR SUPERCOACH NRL DIPLOMA

SECOND-ROW

Sam Burgess ($499,300)

Dual position, great Origin by coverage, averaged around 72 minutes a game in 2016 and finished last season with a five-game average of 82. All this from a player who was accused of having a lacklustre year.

Bryce Cartwright ($497,200)

He finished second to Cameron Smith for overall points, making him a 2RF must-have. He’ll move back into backrow with Te Maire Martin all but assured the No. 6 jumper now he’s back to full health. The Panthers have a nice draw in the opening month of competition, taking on the Dragons, Tigers, Knights and Roosters, which could mean plenty of points for the Carty Party.

Paul Vaughan ($341,300)

Vaughan’s workrate speaks for itself; he was ticking over at about 1.20 PPM from an average of 43 minutes per game last season. He’ll go from being out of favour at the Raiders to a key cog in the Dragons’ forward pack in 2017, so you can safely assume he’ll receive a big boost in game time. He’s another mid-ranger who packs plenty of value and could see a nice surge in price.

Dale Finucane ($384, 600)

I don’t anticipate a whole bunch of attacking stats from Finucane. What I’ll get from him will likely be around 60 points a game in base stats. He has dual position, a decent bye schedule and will be a handy reserve pick. The aim is to upgrade to a keeper.

Joe Stimson ($122,300)

Kenny Bromwich is the front-runner to slot in on the Storm’s right edge for Kevin Proctor but Stimson is regarded as one of the more promising young forwards in the game — and could jag a bench spot.

Siosifa Talakai ($160, 400)

Aaron Gray’s knee injury is untimely for him and the Bunnies but it means a genuine cheapie might emerge for SuperCoaches in Talakai. He’s in the mould of Solomone Kata, a nuggety centre who has wrecking ball written all over him. If he can lock down a starting sport and with Gray out indefinitely he could earn a nice price rise.

HALFBACK

Johnathan Thurston ($467,000)

He’s the best playmaker in SuperCoach history and that’s all the convincing I need. Having said that I could be tempted by the likes of James Maloney or even DCE to free up some cash and squeeze in James Tedesco at fullback. For now I’ll go with JT, but it’s one I’ll mull over until first lockout.

Jai Field ($122,600)

He’s in serious contention to earn a spot in the halves alongside Gareth Widdop after his Nines showing. Field has emerged as a ray of hope for Dragons fans, as the unlikely spark that in the Red V so desperately need in attack.

FIVE EIGHTHS

Shaun Johnson ($464,300)

We all know his SuperCoach exploits and upside potential. For me, this was the first ‘gut feeling’ pick of the year. He finally discovered some consistency and finished with an average of 70 points. I reckon Johnson is in for a big year and will only build on last year’s effort — the PowerPuff Boys want a piece of that success.

Jarryd Hayne ($244,700)

Don’t be scared off by last year’s season average of 36.6 PPG, instead take your mind back to the year 2014 where he averaged a huge 84 points. At his current starting price there’s no excuses as to why you can’t find a way to fit him in.

CENTRE/WINGS

Manu Ma’u ($386,800)

I played Tohu Harris here last year which gave me some stability in the CTWs and I intend using Ma’u in the same way. His scores suffered when we was shifted to centre in NRL at the back end of 2016 but I don’t anticipate a similar problem this year. The Eels also have great bye coverage. Last year Harris was a stepping stone to Andrew Fifita, ideally Ma’u will provide the same pathway to an out-and-out keeper this year too.

Akuila Uate ($172,500)

A shocking season at the Knights saw Uate’s average plummet to 26PPG. He was never a SuperCoach gun but a rejuvenated Uate in a competitive backline which features Tom Trbojevic and a firing Dylan Walker might just surprise us all.

Curtis Scott ($143,600)

There are rumblings Scott is close to jagging a starting spot and we all know how good the Storm’s backline is at finding points.

Dylan Edwards

Anthony Griffin still has options in the backline even with Josh Masnour and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak out with injury. I watched Edwards in a trial against the Bulldogs; he’s clearly talented and has the makings of a potent attacking player. Griffin can’t ignore him for too much longer.

Dean Whare ($143,600)

On his day Whare is one of the classiest three-quarter players in the game. He’s available at bottom dollar thanks to a season-ending injury last year but if he can cement his spot from Round 1 then expect the price rises to roll in.

Nick Cotric ($122,600)

Another cheapie who is in serious contention to earn a spot. Cotric’s opportunity comes sooner than even he would have expected after Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker suffered a dislocated knee during All-Stars. While he didn’t set the Nines alight, he had some very good touches, which included powerful runs and … tackle busts!

Brian Kelly ($122,600)

He’s yet to debut in the NRL but he’s highly regarded by the powers that be at the northern beaches club. With the exists of Brett Stewart and Steve Matai now official he might earn his debut sooner rather than later.

FULLBACK

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($424,000)

Because he’s Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. And because he’s the best running fullback in the game and comes at huge discount, which can only mean one thing … cash cow! For the stats geeks among us, he averaged 77.4 PPG in 2015 (but you all already knew that didn’t you?!).

Kalyn Ponga ($122,600)

Thanks to Antonio Winterstein’s injury — which looks set to keep out for about three weeks — Ponga’s chances of returning to NRL footy have just gone through the roof.