KFC SuperCoach NRL: 10 lessons learned from round 3
The footy is back and KFC SuperCoach NRL school is in. Today’s lesson, by former champion Wilfred Zee, is about the 10 takeaways you need to know from round three.
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The FOOTY! How good is RUGBA LEEG! How good is it! And although I personally had an absolute Barry Crocker of a week, I don’t even care because KFC SuperCoach NRL is back! Round 3 was interesting to say the least so let’s get into it.
1. The new rules and one-referee system has had an immediate impact
The ball is in play more, the defensive lines seem shorter, and as a result the base stats (particularly tackles) seem to be up across the board. Whether this is just a short-term issue, or whether there is much more to this, I’ll reserve judgment for one more week. It’s still definitely something to keep an eye on as it could make for some changes to expected averages of some players (especially the ‘tackle bots’ – potentially hookers, front row and second row forwards).
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2. Not-so-Penalty Broncos
In Round 1 of this season we saw the referees blow 103 penalties, each costing the penalised player two points as a negative stat for their SuperCoach score. Round 2 featured 121 penalties. Why is this relevant at all for KFC SuperCoach NRL? Well, with it being confirmed that ‘six again’ ruck infringements (which now restart the tackle count) do not count as a penalty, or an error, hence they won’t result in a “-2” to the score, it’s interesting that there were only 73 penalties blown in Round 3. In terms of KFC SuperCoach NRL impact though, that remains to be really seen. However, players who might constantly wrestle and get pinged for ruck infringements may end up two to four points better on any given week.
3. The old Josh Mansour IS back
For those who may have read this article following Round 2, you might remember that I was on the border of saying Mansour was back. Well, following a ridiculous 51 points from hit-ups this week (23 runs in total), plus three tackle busts and a few offloads, he is firming as one of the top four CTW options for 2020 off the back of his ridiculous workrate. The attacking stats may be lacking but with that much work going on, who cares!
4. Not entirely Cooked
Damien Cook, that is. After two concerning scores to start the year, we saw some signs of life from Cook with his score of 71 featuring 55 points in pure base stats, five tackle busts and a forced dropout. There was plenty of speculation that Cook might thrive with the new rules and while not quite smashing it out of the park with his Round 3 score, there is certainly a lot of potential there for more gun SuperCoach scores. He has a tough match-up in Round 4 (and some more cash to lose) but a match-up in Round 5 against the Titans looms as a rather interesting conundrum. The same sentiments also apply to Cam Murray and Braidon Burns too …
5. McInnes to the rescue
It was his first game back from serious injury but why else would we expect anything but 80 minutes out the gate and defensive effort upon defensive effort. McInnes tackles anything that moves but when the thing that moves does so with history-making efficiency (first NRL team in history to complete 40/40 sets, let alone finish with 43/45 sets), well, it’s no surprise that he topped the tackle counts with 69 less one missed tackle! McInnes has arguably the highest floor of all the hookers but as noted above, with the rule changes potentially improving the base stats of hookers and middle defenders in general, McInnes could be a legitimate option in the 2RF position too.
6. The Harry Grant hype train is about to depart
The hype train has arrived, and it’s about to officially depart for KFC SuperCoach purposes. His first game in Tigers’ colours was just about what we expected – 57 minutes for 55 points in base and base attack stats, and a try with a line break on top for a total of 80 points; great work rate, crisp service and a decision-making ability in attack reserved for the best hookers in the game. His price won’t change next week but even if he plays 50-60 minutes each week (let alone if he plays 80 minutes), Grant already appears to be a playable option in your 17 on a weekly basis. Some SuperCoaches have already jumped on and you can bet a few are already considering grabbing him this coming week …
7. George Williams, welcome to the NRL!
He was good in Round 1, a little quieter in Round 2 but wow, talk about stepping up for a big time game! He was understandably the standout of the Raiders’ Round 3 triumph over the Storm, setting up two tries from one line break and one line break assist, but for KFC SuperCoach purposes, it was again encouraging to see his base and base attack stats over the 30 mark as halves with that level of work can be a genuine playable option in your 17. There are signs that he will only improve which bodes very well for his prospects – in the NRL and also for KFC SuperCoach – in his first season in Australia.
8. Bradman BEAST – that is all
He was a late inclusion for the final team but boy, didn’t he make his presence felt! A ridiculous 2020 debut for Best which featured a double, but also an impressive amount of work (19 runs for over 30 points in hit-ups alone). Sure, the game did go for an extra 10 minutes but that’s still a LOT of work for someone so young. He looks like a perfect downgrade in Round 5 (before his third game) for a maxed out CTW cash cow (the likes of Wiliame or Lomax, perhaps).
9. Valentine Holmes stakes his claim for the congested fullback position
It was against the Titans so it’s not entirely surprising, but faithful owners or recent traders (1.2% of SuperCoaches) were rewarded with a strong 102 point showing, which included three try assists (with accompanying line break assists) and highlighted how integral he is to their attacking structures already. What remains a little concerning is his lower work rate, but you wonder how much of that is due to his ongoing adjustment/transition fitness-wise back to the NRL. In any case his goalkicking does provide a boost to that floor so he could still be a major POD option in that difficult fullback spot, especially considering the Cowboys’ favourable draw.
10. The ‘old firm’ at fullback is still the elite
T & T – Messrs Tedesco and Trbojevic – reminded us exactly why they are the elite this week with dominant performances in their first game back from the elite. High breakevens weren’t a deterrent to many savvy SuperCoaches who grabbed one or both elite fullbacks, and were duly rewarded with the scores they expected. Tommy Turbo was the standout with a 2020 season-high 149 (pending further updates) and it could have been even bigger! Tedesco wasn’t quite there but given his opposition, he was still very impressive. The difficult decision facing KFC SuperCoaches is whether you buy in to ‘the new guard’ of P, P & H (Ponga, Papenhuyzen and Holmes) or rely on ‘old faithful’. Good luck with that decision!
Good luck for Round 4
Round 3 was ecstasy or agony depending on which players you did or didn’t have, exacerbated by the lengthy gap between Rounds 2 and 3 and also just how long it’s been since we’ve hit ‘trade’ and picked reserves and captains in our teams! The good thing is Round 4 is just around the corner and we don’t have to wait another nine weeks this time!