KFC SuperCoach NRL 2021: Draft expert Wilson Smith’s team revealed
The season is just weeks away and our resident KFC SuperCoach Draft expert Wilson Smith has made TEN changes to his 2021 team. SEE IT HERE
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The injuries to Tom Trbojevic and Shawn Blore have sent me back to the drawing board yet again, as I struggle to bring James Tedesco into my side without being too weak elsewhere.
But after the latest round of changes I’m feeling pretty good about my team and am confident I’ve assembled a much better side than Tom Sangster and Rob Sutherland!
In my last team update I made an incredible EIGHT changes, but in my latest round of fixes I have another TEN! Now I’m down to just $1000 in my cap left and very hesitant to make any more changes. Here’s how it’s all coming together so far.
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HOOKER
Damien Cook $621,000 — Cook was the only one of the big name hookers to play every game in 2020, ending the year with an average of 70.1, down on previous years but still one of the best at the position. While he didn’t score as high as previous seasons, he certainly scored more consistently, with 14 scores 60 points of more. You can’t go wrong with Cook at HOK.
Jake Simpkin $173,700— With Harry Grant gone the No. 9 jersey is up for grabs at the Tigers, with Simpkin and Jacob Liddle set to battle it out. This is more of a placeholder pick for now, but I’ll probably end up locking whichever of the two ends up winning the job … that being said Simpkin could be the better pick long-term regardless. Assuming he gets a bench spot, he’ll likely only be looking at 20-ish minutes to start the season, but Jacob Liddle has been extremely injury prone and Simpkin could be set for big minutes if he goes down at any point. If the Tigers first trial match is anything to go by, Simpkins came off the bench but played almost twice as many minutes, spent time playing in the middle and honestly looked much better than Liddle.
FRONT ROW
UPDATED: David Klemmer $592,200 to Josh Aloiai $495,600
A bunch of the injuries and suspensions have forced me to free up some cash elsewhere, and unfortunately FRF was one position where I felt was the easiest to downgrade. David Klemmer didn’t score a try in 2020 but he did the most hit-ups, the second most offloads, equal most try-contributions, and the sixth most tackles of any front rower. But alas, he is in my team no longer. Josh Aloiai was averaged 56 points and 49 minutes at the Tigers in 2020, and looks set for a slight boost in minutes now he’s at Manly. But these numbers are actually quite deceiving, as his average actually jumps to 63.5 in the seven games he played 50+ minutes.If he can maintain those kinds of numbers now that he is back to full fitness, he would be put up near-keeper points but at an almost $100k discount from Klemmer.
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui $504,900 — David Fifita may be the Titans new marquee man, but I think Tino could prove to be the more valuable signing for the Gold Coast in 2021. Tino had a breakout year for the Storm, averaging 57 points and 42 minutes, but I expect both his minutes and his output to improve even more in 2021. The dual-position is also handy and at just over $500k his price is also great. Ticks all the boxes!
UPDATED: Ben Murdoch-Masila $330,000 for Spencer Leniu $218,500
Again to free up some cash I needed to downgrade, so moved Ben Murdoch-Masila into my backrow and brought Panthers young gun Spencer Leniu into my side. After playing 12 games off the bench in 2020, Leniu comes in a bit more expensive than other cheapie FRF’s, but he also has arguably the best job security of them all too. With James Tamou and Jack Hetherington gone, the Panthers have just James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota in front of Leniu, while Matt Eisenhuth could also play a role in the middle. There is every chance Leniu gets a start over Leota at some point which would be massive.
Stefano Utoikamanu $186,800 — He failed to live up to the hype in 2020, playing just 3 games and scoring 43 total points in 24 combined minutes. But he could be in line for a bench role at the Tigers in 2021 and should see a decent bump in minutes if he does. He may not be a huge money maker for SuperCoaches but he does look like one of the best cheapies at the position for now.
BACK ROW
UPDATED: Jake Trbojevic $582,500 to Angus Crichton $670,500
While Jake Trbojevic may be the model of consistency and one of my favourite players in the NRL, I manged to find the cash to upgrade him to a genuine gun and simply needed to move on. Now I’ve moved on to Angus Crichton, the best 2RF of 2020 with an average of 76 points a game, 54 of which was in pure base. He’s more expensive and did miss seven games last year, but he’s also the least owned of the best options at 20.5% ownership, compared to 28.2% for Ryan Matterson.
Jason Taumalolo $641,700 — This pick needs no explaining. The human wrecking ball has been a SuperCoach gun for years and will be one of the most owned players come Round 1 barring injury. While I do have some concerns over reduced minutes, I think he’ll still be extremely impactful when on the field, so am sticking strong for now. But if I can find a bit more cash I can see myself upgrading to Ryan Matterson.
David Fifita $569,900 — While I said before that I think Tino Fa’asuamaleaui could be a better buy for the Titans in 2021, I still think David Fifita will still be an incredible purchase for KFC SuperCoaches. While Jake Trbojevic and Jason Taumalolo provide some reliable base with some upside, Fifita has such a high ceiling and could produce some insane scores. While he struggled with injury in 2020 he still managed four games with 75+ points and I want in on his freakish skill.
UPDATED: Jai Arrow $474,900 to Andrew Davey $336,600
While I liked the idea of having a cheap ‘gun’ middle forward on my bench to start the year, it seems like a real chance Jai Arrow doesn’t start the year, and so is gone from my team. Instead I’ve downgraded to the more affordable Andrew Davey, who seems like a real chance of earning a starting spot at Manly after the departure of Joel Thompson. While he will be competing with Jack Gosiewski, Davey seems to have edged himself in front and could even play close to 80 minutes.
UPDATED: Shawn Blore $210,500 to Jordan Riki $277,500
While Shawn Blore seemed locked in for a starting spot at the Tigers, a wrist injury in the trials has taken another gun cheapie away from us. Thankfully Jordan Riki looks set to replace David Fifita at the Broncos, and was outstanding for the Maori side in the All Stars clash. I liked what I saw and at this price Riki could be a massive money maker.
UPDATED: Ben Trbojevic $173,700 to Ben Murdoch-Masila $330,000
Ben ‘Burbo’ Trbojevic was just a placeholder in my side and very unlikely to start the year in first grade. After five seasons in the English Super League, Big Ben finally makes his return to the NRL at a bargain basement price for KFC SuperCoaches. With the likes of Adam Blair, Agnatius Paasi and Lachlan Burr all gone, I expect BMM to slot straight into the Warriors starting side and think there is some serious cash to be made here.
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HALFBACK
Nathan Cleary $734,300 — Like Damien Cook, I just couldn’t find the money to fit Cleary into my starting team, but given he averaged 14 points more than the next best halfback last year I simply had to find room for him. While many KFC SuperCoaches had hight hopes for him in 2020, I don’t think many anticipated an average of 83 points a game, a massive improvement from his 68 average in 2019. With Tom Trbojevic looking back to his best, I do like Daly Cherry-Evans as a POD pick in 2021, but I just feel safer with Cleary in my side.
Sam Walker $173,700
A placeholder for now. While I don’t expect him to start the season, I do expect Sam Walker to get a start at some point this season, and he could be a great cheapie if he gets consistent game time. Otherwise he is just a nuff.
FIVE-EIGHTH
Cody Walker $656,000 — Cody Walker was a mainstay of my KFC SuperCoach side in 2020 and one of my few absolute must have players for 2021. He starts the year as the most expensive 5/8 after finishing last season with an incredible five round average of 112, including the SuperCoach point scoring record of 203 in a single game. I’m expecting Cameron Munster to be the most owned 5/8 heading into Round 1 and while he is arguably more consistent, I prefer the upside of Walker. In saying all of that you can possibly wait a few weeks for Walker to possibly drop in price and pick him up a bit cheaper.
UPDATED: Matt Moylan $253,600 to Connor Watson $288,600
While I do think Matt Moylan has a lot of upside heading into Round 1 as one of the best cheapies at 5/8, I think Connor Watson just offers more upside and security if he does play at lock as expected. Watson scored 43, 77 and 44 in his three games off the bench last year (almost all of which was base), as well as averaging 51.8 in six games off the bench in 2019. When Watson plays in the middle, he makes a lot of tackles, and has a lot of attacking upside, and could even find himself as starting hooker if Jayden Brailey goes down injured again. A lot more security here than Matt Moylan for me, and potentially more upside too. BUT, if Josh Schuster gets the start at Manly, or if another better option reveals itself, I’ll likely be jumping ship once again.
CENTRE/WING
UPDATED: Valentine Holmes $509,400 to James Roberts $277,700
Another victim of my need to save cash, Valentine Holmes is gone from my side, in favour of the far more affordable Jimmy the Jet. While talk of Val playing on the wing, and him already needing the goal kicking to be relevant, it just doesn’t make sense to buy him at that price. Jimmy on the other hands has impressed at Wests Tigers training and is looking like he could go back to his best in 2021. Roberts really hasn’t been KFC SuperCoach relevant since 2017 when he averaged 60, and while I don’t expect him to return to those numbers, I certainly think he will improve on his 2020 average of 35 and make some decent cash.
Fanitesi Niu $232,500 — With Kotoni Staggs out for the start of the season, I’ve looked to Tesi Niu, who looks set to start at centre, and still falls into cheapie range. He didn’t score super well while playing off the bench in 2020, but he was one of the few shining lights on a terrible Broncos season and came very close to SuperCoach relevance at times. If the Broncos can improve even a little bit, I think Niu will rack up some much better KFC SuperCoach scores and make some decent cash.
Charlie Staines $297,700 — While he is far more expensive than I would have hoped I think Charlie Staines is a near-must have given what we saw of him in his two games last year (scores of 158 and 66). While his base stats are nothing special, this guy has shown he is a try-scoring machine with six scored in two games and there is a lot of upside here.
Bailey Simonsson $205,000 — The four other CTW’s are all placeholders for now but of the bunch I think Bailey Simonsson is the most promising, as he will likely nab a starting wing spot at the Raiders. If you take out an injury affected game and the games he played off the bench he averaged paltry 28 points a game, but if he can start regularly there is cash to be made.
UPDATED: Brayden Wiliame $203,100 to Daine Laurie $223,200
While I was saving a spot for whichever cheapie won a starting spot at the Dragons, it now seems like none of them will, with Jack Bird set to start the season at centre. Instead I’ve looked to Daine Laurie, who the Tigers had already signed for next year, but rated so highly that they tried desperately to get him there early. While it seems like Moses Mbye will start the season at fullback for the Tigers, Laurie is the next man up and looked very impressive in their first trial while playing in the halves.
Greg Marzhew $173,700 — The player formerly known as Greg Leleisiuao has been a mainstay of the KFC SuperCoach cheapie bible for three years now and is yet to make his debut. He starred for the Titans in their first trial match of the pre-season, scoring three tries. While it seems unlikely he gets a starting spot straight away, he must surely be the next man up should injury strike and has all the makings of a gun KFC SuperCoach cheapie. Wait and see.
Joseph Suaalii $173,700 — One of the most hyped young stars in the game, Suaalii finds himself at the Roosters after a dramatic exit from Souths. Given the Roosters have Brett Morris, Daniel Tupou starting, and Matt Ikuvalu and Billy Smith as backups, I think it’s pretty unlikely Suaalii gets a start without mass injuries, but he’s worth keeping an eye on. At worst he is a nuff to start the season, which can come in handy.
FULLBACK
Ryan Papenhuyzen $629,000 — Paps had an interesting year for SuperCoaches in 2020, starting off very slow before finishing up strong, with a final five round average of 86. With five scores under 50 points his floor is pretty disappointing, but his ceiling is simply incredible, with five scores over 100 (second only to James Tedesco’s 6). If I can work out a way to get Teddy into my side I would prefer him, but Paps is a nice discount option.
UPDATED Tom Trbojevic $593,500 to James Tedesco $843,100
Before going down injured, Tom Trbojevic looked set to be one of the best purchases of 2021, after finding himself at a $100k discount from his 2020 price of $714,800. But then his poor hamstrings gave out again and Turbo will miss at least the first four weeks of the season. Given I’m determined to start the season with two gun fullbacks, the injury means I’ve found myself simply needing to go with Teddy. While many SuperCoaches will be waiting on Teddy to drop in price before jumping on, they may be waiting a while given his solid draw. With an opening run against Manly, the Tigers, Bunnies, Warriors and Sharks I can see some high scores coming Teddy’s way early on and going up in price before he sees a drop.
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