KFC SuperCoach NRL: 10 things we learned from the 2019 season
As we gear up for the 2020 KFC SuperCoach NRL season, former champion Wilfred ‘Catfish’ Zee looks at what we can learn from 2019.
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Again, a massive congratulations to Declan Creek, the 2019 NRL SuperCoach overall winner, who managed to hang on and close out a very impressive season where he was the frontrunner for a large portion of the year. Congratulations also must go to the rest of the high ranked finishers and to those who managed to close out any head-to-head Grand Final wins as well.
As we do each year, let’s look back at the season that was, and what lessons we learnt from 2019.
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1. Captaincy choices are more important than ever
There’s no better way to explain this than to highlight the captaincy averages for #1 and #2 this year – Turbo Irvo managed to average 82 points per game across the season for his captain; while RTS Pongas managed to average an incredible 100 or so point average for his captaincy picks all year. Both were consistent, and coupled with strong teams, it is literally the difference between winning cash prizes and missing out. What we can see is that a stronger team, can almost be chased down by a slightly weaker team overall, off the back of their captaincy choices. This is something to keep in mind for next season, as perhaps our research and planning is to revolve more around making sure we have the right captaincy options in our team at any one point, rather than obsessing over our trades!
2. Bye planning is overrated
As a tried-and-true bye planning advocate myself (I mean, it was a massive part of how I managed to win in 2016), this hurts. But with the new bye structure, the way the Super Trade Week works as well as the trades available in the actual bye rounds, this is the only conclusion I can come to this season. I was burned badly by a cumulative total of seven players across the two bye weeks who were injured, suspended or inexplicably dropped during the two bye weeks of Round 12 and Round 16. When there’s a maximum of only 34 players you could have meticulously planned and researched to patiently hold on to or to target as a trade-in, that’s a significant number of players to have used trades on, or retained in your team at the cost of upgrading your weekly 17 in other areas, just to miss out on their precious points when you really needed them. Of course, there’s an element of luck when it comes to the bye weeks, but this year shows that perhaps focusing on making sure you have a stronger 17 in every other week around the byes is the best strategy.
3. 2019 was an incredibly highscoring year
Turbo Irvo averaged 1,207 points per week this season on his way to victory – that is HUGE! Without having full access to other previous winners’ averages (mine was 1164 per week in 2016, in what was a fairly highscoring year too – although that average was significantly dropped by the three big bye rounds back then), I would be fairly confident that he is the first winner to average over 1200 points per week. The interesting fact though is that the overall number of tries being scored (usually a fairly good marker of SuperCoach points scoring opportunities) has gradually declined over the past few years, which in turn has seen SuperCoach scores also decline. In 2019 though, these NRL players found other ways to score SuperCoach points despite the lowest number of tries being score for years. Whether that is due to the overall skill level of SuperCoaches improving, or the number of stoppages per game decreasing (hence allowing for greater base stats), that is a hard one to figure out. It remains to be seen whether 2019 is the exception rather than the norm.
4. Cameron Smith is putting up a compelling case to be the GOAT of SuperCoach
Corey Parker is affectionately known as ‘God’ in SuperCoach circles due to his ridiculous workrate, impressive durability, unmatched offload ability plus helpful goalkicking – combining for one of the safest and highest floors among all SuperCoach players at his peak. Paul Gallen had a game which, for better or worse, almost benefited SuperCoach more than his team at times, which also saw him considered among SuperCoach immortality. However, the arguable NRL GOAT now features (since 2008) three #1 overall season finishes and eight top 10 overall season finishes in 12 years. That is simply ridiculous, when you consider the position he plays and how bereft of premium talent the hooker position has seen over the years. There were thoughts that he was finally slowing down (after #14 and #12 overall season finishes in 2017 and 2018 respectively) but clearly the representative retirement has rejuvenated his game. The big question is, can he do it again in 2020? I mean, if Tom Brady is still going at 42 …
5. Payne Haas could be an all-time SuperCoach great
From one GOAT to another … okay, too soon? That’s fair. Although Payne Haas could not have made a more compelling case in his rookie season that he will be a SuperCoach phenom for years to come. An insane motor, a ridiculous workrate, plus physical attributes, mental maturity and athletic abilities that just don’t make sense when you look at his age, size and experience – Haas is the full package and arguably one of the few genuine candidates for a “must-have” to start the 2020 season. After missing the first four rounds due to a suspension for an off-season issue, he made his 2019 debut and immediately played 63 minutes – as a prop forward. His second game, he played the full 80 minutes. That says all you need to know about his motor. And his workrate? Well, he scored 1,567 points in his 20 games, from 1,271 minutes played. Of those points, 1,215 of them came from raw base stats – that’s all his hitups, tackles (including missed tackles) and even including his errors and penalties. He scored at almost 1 point per minute in raw base stats for each minute he played. Almost 78% of his total points scored was from his raw base! Then you add in his tackle busting ability, his still-developing offload and his ability to bust the line and score tries – the kid is just breathtaking to watch and it 100% translates to SuperCoach as well!
6. Tom Trbojevic is the best SuperCoach player in the game …
… when he’s on the park. Taking into account his 10 full 80 minute games (including one 90 minute golden point game) in 2019, Trbojevic averaged 86.4 points per game and that would see him overtake James Tedesco as the highest averaging player in SuperCoach 2019 (by 2.3 points per game). However, his body continues to let him down, and it is starting to become a real concern. High workrate, plenty of tackle busts (from his many runs), the ability to keep the ball alive via offloads, hard to bring down in tackles which makes him a constant threat near the line, plus throw in the fact that he is a focal point of the Sea Eagles attack – SuperCoach points just drip off everything Trbojevic does. The only thing Tommy Turbo doesn’t do is goalkick, and frankly that’s a blessing in disguise because he would be a literal cheat code if he did! If only he could stay healthy …
7. Dual position backrowers are still CTW gold
It wasn’t quite the case in 2018 with hardly any CTW-eligible 2RF featuring up the top of the CTW rankings come end of season, but 2019 was a real throwback to the days when those backrowers not only offered consistent points, but also ended up as a top CTW option. Well, the likes of John Bateman, Manu Ma’u, Briton Nikora and Corey Harawira-Naera featured heavily as strong options from round one and also later in the season. In fact, Bateman and Ma’u finished the year as the top two highest averaging players in the position, and it was only injury-related reasons that stopped them finishing up the top for overall points too. It paid off big-time to still look closely at those backrowers who could be slotted in at the volatile CTW position.
8. A new wave of backrow beasts emerged
In the past few years, we gradually saw a ‘changing of the guard’ with the likes of Corey Parker, Simon Mannering and Paul Gallen fading from SuperCoach relevance through their bodies letting them down, their coaches managing their ageing frames or from retirement itself. No longer were the “auto-picks” available; and their potential replacements – the likes of Nathan Brown, Jack de Belin and others – not quite delivering on the hype (for various reasons). The 2019 class seems to be a different beast. It’s hard to see the likes of Cam Murray, Ryan Matterson and John Bateman not delivering again in 2020, such was their dominant form. Much like the fullback position, I have a strong suspicion that the SuperCoaches that get their backrow selections right from the outset will have a fast start which will set them up for the season.
9. The CTW position continues to be volatile when considering actual centres/wingers
From the top-ranked CTW options outside of the 2RF dual-position options noted above, there were very few that you would have been able to confidently name in the 2019 pre-season. Sure, you probably picked Latrell Mitchell. Maybe Clint Gutherson and Will Hopoate too. But if you said to me that the likes of Ken Maumalo, Maika Sivo and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad would finish as top 10 options come end of 2019, I would have laughed at you. This just shows the unpredictability and volatility in the position, and strategically there is merit in not paying up for the premium CTW options from round one because of that reason. However, there’s also the possibility that you could absolutely nail your premium CTW picks and save multiple trades in the position all year. It’s a tough call!
10. Jason Taumalolo is getting better and better
It feels weird to say this given he had a “down” year; but looking at it more closely, it was mostly because of injuries that ruined his year. Taumalolo went down early in one game, and then missed multiple weeks afterwards. Then late in the season he also struggled with a lingering foot injury. Regardless, he put together his career high SuperCoach average, scoring 77.8 points per game and that leaves him at his highest starting price for round one ever. Does he take the next step again in 2020, with the departures of long-time servants in Matt Scott and Scott Bolton leaving the Cowboys skinny in the middle? In theory it makes sense, but at the same time, it’s hard to imagine Taumalolo doing anything more than he already did last year, such was the dominance when he was on the field and the Cowboys’ reliance on him when out there. I have a feeling that 2020 will be a ‘make or break’ year for Taumalolo in that he will either dominate like never before, or his body make break under the sheer workload required of him by the Cowboys. I really hope it’s the former!
Bring on season 2020
It feels like wasn’t that long ago that 2019 finished but we’re only 43 days from the kick-off of the 2020 season! Maybe that’s just the lack of rugby league to watch talking as well … but the remaining weeks of the off-season, including trial matches, are shaping up to be as important as always in preparing us for the coming season. Good luck with your pre-season preparation!
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