Four big boppers who are crying out for the chance to achieve SuperCoach potential

These four big boppers have shown they are more than capable of becoming bona fide SuperCoach guns — all they need is their coach to remove the muzzle.

Opportunity plus ability is a recipe for SuperCoach success.

The players below have shown not only that they have ability, but that they have the ability to capitalise when opportunity — in the form of increased game time — is provided.

More minutes are all these big boppers need to become SuperCoach studs.

MATT EISENHUTH, WESTS TIGERS (FRF/2RF) $505,700

Absolutely no offence meant to Elijah Taylor but I wish he would find a new club to play at because currently the hard working utility appears to be the man standing between Matt Eisenhuth and more time in the middle. And time, or in fact the guarantee of it, is really all Eisenhuth needs to move from a good player on the fringe of selection to a gun you need to own. In 2018, Eisenhuth scored the sixth most points of any FRF eligible selection playing all 24 games and mixing his time between prop (two starts), lock (14 starts) and bench (eight games). The big man does not have a lot of ‘pizzazz’ in his game. He busted just 12 tackles and threw just five effective offloads in 2018. However, he does have a massive engine in defence and made almost 100 more tackles than the next FRF.

Matt Eisenhuth of the Tigers is a base stat monster. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Last season, Eisenhuth played the most minutes of any Wests Tigers forward, was on the field for 1406 minutes and scored an average of 58.5 MPG. In those games where he played 60+ minutes (12), Eisenhuth averaged 60.4PPG which would be enough to see Eisenhuth ranked inside the top five FRF. With handy DPP eligibility (FRF/2RF) and plenty of potential, SuperCoaches would be all over Eisenhuth — if only Elijah Taylor were seemingly not between him and even more minutes. Watch closely how new Wests Tigers coach Michael McGuire uses the big fella in the opening two rounds. McGuire showed in his time at the Rabbitohs that he is not adverse to letting his forwards play big minutes when able (for example in 2017 John Sutton played 1830 minutes and Angus Crichton 1579 and in 2016 Sam Burgess played 1667 minutes).

MOEAKI FOTUAIKA, GOLD COAST TITANS (FRF) $335,100

I’ve currently taken a punt on this young guy as my risky third FRF and it is a selection based very much on potential. The softly spoken Tongan teenager played 16 games for the Titans in 2018, starting at prop twice. In the two starts, Fotuaika played 62 and 57 minutes, and averaged a sensational 72.5PPG. Those numbers do include one try, but also an average of 55PPG in base stats.

Moeaki Fotuaika of the Titans has a very SuperCoach friendly game. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

In the five games he played in which he was on the field for 39 minutes or longer the big fella averaged 65.6 PPG (48.6 PPG of those in base stats). The Titans did sign Shannon Boyd from the Raiders for 2019, but the man with the collosal cranium (and note I’m not calling Boyd an egotist, rather I’m making an anatomical observation) has never been known as a big-minute man, and therefore I think there will be enough minutes on offer for Fotuaika to finish 2019 inside the top-20 scorers at his position with potential to finish top-10.

JUNIOR PAULO, PARRAMATTA EELS (FRF) $407,300

The big man is back at Parramatta and set to add some much needed beef to the undersized Eels pack in 2019. Last year’s numbers (19 games, averaging 44 PPG and 40 MPG) don’t reflect it, but Paulo has a big motor driving his big rig. A leg injury and a stint on the bench cut back Paulo’s playing time in 2018, but one only needs to look at his 2017 season numbers to see what he can deliver when fully fit. In 2017 Paulo played 23 games and was on the field for 50+ minutes in 19 of those games.

Junior Paulo is enjoying life back at the Parramatta Eels. Picture: Richard Dobson

Overall, Paulo averaged 55 MPG and 52 PPG that year. Paulo has ‘trimmed down’ to a mere 125 kilograms and is on the record as hoping to play more minutes than ever before this year — and to do so while increasing his workload in the middle. Always a willing worker and good for at least one offload per game, Paulo scored at 1.1 PPM in 2017 and 0.95 PPM in 2017. When Paulo returns to playing 55+ MPG then I’d expect him to have a pretty safe floor of 50 PPG and there to be plenty of games where he scores 60+. Should that happen, you will have a top-eight scoring FRF in your team at an approximate $100K discount. Very tempting indeed.

ALEX TWAL, WESTS TIGERS (FRF) $402,800

2018 was the year Twal established himself as a bona fide member of the Wests Tigers first-17, and I for one am hoping that 2019 is the year the big fella progresses to the starting side. In 21 games last year, Twal pumped out an average of 43 PPG in 37 MPG. Twal was by far the most efficacious Wests Tiger with his rate of 1.17 PPM significantly better than his nearest intra-club rivals Tim Grant and Sauaso Sue who both scored at 1.04 PPM.

Alex Twal of the Tigers. Picture: AAP Image/Brendon Thorne

During his stint playing for Lebanon at the 2017 World Cup, Twal played big minutes averaging 65.5 MPG and 61.25 PPG across the four games. Seemingly stuck behind Ben Matulino and the surprisingly unproductive (in SuperCoach terms at least where he scored at just 0.82 PPM in 2018) Russell Packer in the FRF pecking order at the Tigers, Twal deserves more time on the pitch — and should Madge provide it then his SuperCoach stock is set to soar.