KFC SuperCoach NRL POD Watch 2020: The unpopular players to help you win
Savvy SuperCoaches have caught on to two former POD’s who have doubled in ownership in the last week, while new players have emerged to help set your team apart from the rest of the competition.
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They’re the low ownership black sheep that set you apart from the rest of the flock, and while they come with some risks, picking the right PODs can mean the difference between winning and losing in KFC SuperCoach NRL.
Just look at any of the last few winners and you can see it. Not only do they obviously nail their cheapies and guns, but they also balance out the obvious choices with some PODs they either started with, or traded in during the season.
2017 winner Sam Rohlf traded in POD Billy Slater, 2018 winner Guy Feeney had Peni Terepo and 2019 winner Declan Creek started his season off with POD halves Mitch Moses and Daly Cherry-Evans.
So if PODs are key to helping you get ahead, let’s take a look at some of the best options to start the season with if you are looking to swim against the KFC SuperCoach tide.
*For the purposes of this story I’ll only be looking at players with very low ownership (below 10% at the time of writing).
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HOOKER
REED MAHONEY - EELS $490,200 4.6%
The fourth highest point scoring hooker in 2019 averaged 72 minutes a game, with impressive base stats and attacking upside to boot. Given his upside, he is also one of the most impressive mid-range options at the position.
JOSH HODGSON - RAIDERS $505,800 9.2%
Coming off an impressive 2018 season, Josh Hodgson was a popular choice to start with in 2019, but burned SuperCoaches with a poor start, quickly loosing a tonne of cash due to a drop in his creative stats. But he did come pretty good towards the back end of the season, so don’t write him off in 2020.
DAVID KLEMMER - KNIGHTS $617,400 8.9%
Arguably the second best front row option in KFC SuperCoach, Klemmer doesn't quite have the attacking upside of some of the other props, but he does average around 59 points in pure base stats every week, which is just below Payne Haas’ base average of 62.
JAMES FISHER-HARRIS - FRF|2RF PANTHERS $615,700 6.5%
The Penrith forward had a breakout 2019 season, seeing his average minutes jump from 58 to 72, while his average points soared from 49 to 66. With Reagan Campbell-Gillard leaving the club, JFH should still see plenty of minutes and still be very relevant in 2020, especially thanks to his handy dual-position. The club has looked into him as a potential captaincy option, so keep your eyes on him.
ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE - SEA EAGLES $612,900 1.7%
Now I know he looks set to miss the first few games of the season as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but he was one of the best FRF’s in all of SuperCoach last year and it seems almost no one is brave enough to tough it out. I wouldn’t recommend starting with him, but he could be eased back into first grade as he returns and see a decent price drop, which would make him a tempting option.
JOSH PAPALII - RAIDERS $605,300 10%
While he is one of the best props in the world at the moment, he isn’t quite the best for SuperCoach purposes, but still definitely up there. His average PPM of 1.22 is incredible but the big issue for him has been minutes, which has been very inconsistent, ranging from 44-66 when starting.
AIDEN TOLMAN - BULLDOGS $557,200 1.5%
One of the most consistent and underrated forwards in SuperCoach, Tolman has been a POD option for years now, and has been a mainstay of my teams. He isn’t pretty and doesn't have the highest ceiling but he will reliably get you around 60 points a game. What more can you ask for?
PAUL VAUGHAN - DRAGONS $556,400 2.6%
His minutes took a hit in 2018 and his SuperCoach output made him a POD once again in 2019, but he actually recovered well and, with more minutes, looked back to his best. A very similar player to Aiden Tolman, except while his base stats are slightly lower, he does have the attacking upside that drastically raises his ceiling.
JUNIOR PAULO - EELS $542,00 1.3%
There’s no doubting Junior Paulo is a presence on the field for the Eels, but he can be one of the most frustrating players to watch due to the silly error in his game. That being said he had arguably his best and most consistent year to date for SuperCoach in 2019, averaging 58 points a game and 53 minutes, while only having three games below 50 points.and nine games above 60 points. I have some concerns about his minutes in 2020 with the signing of Reagan Campbell-Gillard, but Paulo is one to keep an eye on.
SIO SIUA TAUKEIAHO - ROOSTERS $537,500 7%
Taukeiaho is an absolute PPM machine and came agonisingly close to the coveted 60/60 stat in 2020 (averaging 60 points or more in 60% of your games) and would have got there if not for some injury affected games and a few games with limited minutes. Towards the middle of the season he was playing more than 50 minutes a game each week and scoring incredibly well, but it was just not quite consistent enough. With the departure of Zane Tetevano we could see Taukeiaho’s minutes increase slightly in 2020, and there is a chance he kicks goals.
AARON WOODS - SHARKS $450,400 1.5%
This is a bit of a left field pick, given he averaged just 48 points a game in 2019 and missed a big chunk of the season through injury. But with the departures of Paul Gallen and Matt Prior, woods is set to start, which could make him SuperCoach relevant again! From 2012 to 2017 when starting at FRF, Woods averaged 67, 73, 61, 59, 61 and 63 with average minutes ranging between 56 and 60 minutes. So now Woods starting once again we should see a big increase in his minutes, which could significantly improve on his low output for the past two seasons.
MOEAKI FOTUAIKA - TITANS $443,00 2.7%
With injuries to the forward pack, the Titans 2019 player of the year could be in for a slight bump in 2020. While he only averaged 48 last year, this number jumps up to 52 points in games which he started in, so with a bigger role we could see him go even better in 2020.
JOSH MCGUIRE - FRF|2RF COWBOYS $497,500 1.1%
After seeing his average points drop in back-to-back seasons, lots of SuperCoaches are avoiding McGuire so far in 2020, but he does have some upside. Not only is he one of the forwards who retained a dual position, but he should actually see more minutes after the departures of Matt Scott and Scott Bolton. He averaged 60.6 minutes when starting at prop last year, so if he can keep this up in and he should score similarly to some of the pod props, yet he comes much cheaper. Unfortunately he does look set to miss the first two games of the season through suspension and injury but could still be worth going with.
ALEX TWAL - TIGERS $492,200 1.8%
One of the Kings of base stats, Twal averaged 54 minutes a game in 2019 for an season average of 53 points a game. Unfortunately his usage was inconsistent at times playing big minutes in the 60+ minutes in 4 games but less than 50 minutes in the Tigers last six games of the season. If he averages decent minutes he will score you a reliable 50+ points every week.
TRENT MERRIN - FRF|2RF DRAGONS $408,00, 9.1%
A SuperCoach gun of the past, Merrin is returning to the Dragons after a one-year stint in the UK Super League, with an impressive stat sheet for 27 games, averaging 108 metres and 33 tackles per games, scoring four tries, 86 tackle busts and 60 offloads. If he could bring those numbers to Australia he would average 65+PPG. The main concern is minutes and whether he even starts, as he would likely need to play 60+ minutes to even get close to this.
SECOND ROW FORWARD
KENNEATH BROMWICH - STORM $594,800 2%
His name doesn't quite carry the same weight as some of the other 2RF guns, but Bromwich ended up as one of the best at the position in 2019, with a healthy average of 64 thanks to his decent base, big minutes and high creative output on the Storm left edge (he had more try assists than any other non-spine player in the comp last year). He’s expensive, but worth considering.
JAKE TRBOJEVIC - SEA EAGLES $583,900, 8.7% *INJURED
Another injured 2RF who has seen his ownership plummet due to injury, Jake Trbojevic is another one to consider running with anyway. He is historically one of the best at the position and after a poor 2019 season finds himself heavily underpriced. He is one player that many SuperCoaches will look to trade in at some point in the season, so it wouldn’t be the worst idea to save a trade and just start with him.
BRITON NIKORA - SHARKS $557,600 3.3%
While he has lost the CTW dual eligibility that made him one of the most popular players at the position in 2019, Briton Nikora is still an 80-minute backrower and will still be relevant. Despite that he finds himself at very low ownership for a player who averages 60 points a game.
COREY HARAWIRA-NAERA - BULLDOGS $557,600 4%
CHN is in a very similar position to Nikora after losing his dual-position, being priced EXACTLY the same, also averaged 60 points in 2019 and played big minutes as a starter. He has looked very impressive during the NRL Nines and the pre-season. His base isn’t as high as Nikora’s, but he also has more attacking upside.
NATHAN BROWN - EELS $551,700 4.3%
Brown burned many SuperCoaches in 2019, tearing his pec in the first game of the season, and missing the next 11 games, but was actually very impressive when he did make it back, playing big minutes at an average of 63.3, with just two scores under 51. Many will be avoiding him because of his injury troubles, but he is deceptively underpriced.
TOHU HARRIS - WARRIORS $546,200 0.7%
Tohu has very consistently averaged around 60 points a game, but was somewhat inconsistent in 2019 before a foot injury ended his season. One of the most skilful edge backrowers in the competition, he could help reignite the struggling Warriors offence. He is risky, but his high upside and extremely low ownership just scream SUPER POD!
JAZZ TEVAGA - WARRIORS $530,600 0.5% *INJURED
Speaking of SuperPods at the Warriors, we have another one in Jazz Tevaga, but admittedly he is set to miss at least the first four games of the season, so I think is one to avoid at the start of the season. But he should drop in value as he is eased back into footy on his return, and could be one to bring in later as he has been very relevant with season averages of 57 and 58 in the last two seasons.
ANGUS CRICHTON - ROOSTERS $530,100 3.2%
After a gun 2018 season Crichton had a lot of KFC SuperCoach hype last year, but ultimately disappointed SuperCoaches, with a drop in minutes and base stats, as well as a huge decline in offloads. With the loss of Latrell Mitchell and injury to Billy Smith, there is a chance we see Mitch Aubusson move to centre and Crichton spend much more time on an edge. If he can get back to his 2018 form he is heavily underpriced and would be a great pick-up.
DALE FINUCANE - STORM $522,500 1.5%
Finucane is one of the most reliable backrowers in the NRL and KFC SuperCoach, very reliably getting you at least 50 points a game. His 2019 average of 56 is only 2.4 points less than someone like Viliame Kikau, yet he finds himself 20k cheaper and is much less owned. Again he isn’t the prettiest pick, but that’s why he’s a POD.
SHAUN LANE - EELS $519,600 1.4%
Another solid backrower that SuperCoaches seem to have forgotten about in 2020, Shaun Lane played 80 minutes most weeks last year at an average of 56 points a game. The downside is his consistency as he scored below his average in 11 games! There is certainly some risk here giving how up and down he can be, but he should continue to play big minutes in 2020.
JACK WILLIAMS - SHARKS $397,200 4.9%
While I previously talked up Aaron Woods, Jack Williams is one of the other players who stands to be a big beneficiary of the loss of Paul Gallen in particular, as he is likely to start the season at lock. This alone should see his minutes jump significantly from his 2019 average of 37 minutes a game. With his PPM of 1.14 and attacking upside, a jump in minutes could make him very SuperCoach relevant, and he is priced at less than $400k.
COEN HESS - COWBOYS $354,00 7.3%
This one is a bit controversial given how poor he was in 2019, where his season averaged dropped from 58 in 2018 to a measly 38. But as a result he has lost a tonne of cash and given he has been very relevant for SuperCoach in the past, and has looked impressive this pre-season, he is worth considering.
HALFBACK
DALY CHERRY-EVANS - SEA EAGLES $576,200 7.5%
Despite being the arguably the most consistent halfback in SuperCoach, DCE is another player who is seemingly always a POD. Despite a drop in base and the loss of the goalkicking duties at Manly last year, he still managed to maintain his consistent average of 62 points, with a big bump in try assists. He remains one of the more expensive options, but his ownership is much lower than the other guns.
LUKE BROOKS - TIGERS $539,800 2.4%
Luke Brooks was a dark horse halfback option in 2020, with his season average of 58 points deceptively low. He starts the season more expensive than you’d expect after finishing 2019 off with a bang, averaging 76 in the his last seven games. The Tigers open their 2020 season with four games against bottom eight teams from last year, so Brooks could potentially be in line for a quick price rise if he can perform.
BEN HUNT - DRAGONS $553,600 0.7%
Hunt is definitely not as exciting as some of the other options at halfback, but he still averaged 59.6 points a game in 2019 and looks like a potential SUPER POD. The main issue here is his inconsistency, with scoring less than 50 points in 11 games. Let’s hope that with Gareth Widdop leaving the club we can see Hunt finally live up to his big price tag in 2020.
JAHROME HUGHES - HFB|FLB STORM $524,000 1.5%
With his move from fullback to halfback in 2020, SuperCoaches have completely forgotten about Hughes, but he is worth potentially having another look at. But I’d like to point out that in four games when playing in the halves in 2019 he averaged 71, much better than his average at fullback of 52.9. Admittedly Hughes’ average at HFB over six games in 2018 was just 46.7, so perhaps his 71PPG average for 2019 was an outlier. He also has a handy dual position which could be relevant, so don’t discount Hughes.
FIVE-EIGHTH
CODY WALKER - RABBITOHS $602,800 5.4%
The second highest scoring 5/8 of 2019 starts the season off with incredibly low ownership, despite having the most tries of anyone at his position. When he doesn’t score a try his point scoring does suffer, but he did score 16 times last year so is pretty consistent. He is coming back from off-season shoulder surgery, but his ceiling is so high that its worth the risk.
LUKE KEARY - ROOSTERS $569,400 9.3%
With Cooper Cronk leaving the club it’s going to be on Luke Keary to step up and be the key playmaker for the Roosters, arguably the best attacking team in the competition. The 2018 Clive Churchill medal winner had the second most try assists last year with 22, as well as the most linebreak assists with 20. He is one of the most underrated five-eighth guns, and could be worth a look in 2020.
ANTHONY MILFORD - BRONCOS $476,00 5.9%
Anthony Milford has been very disappointing for SuperCoaches the last two years, but this has meant his ownership has fallen into POD territory. With the arrival of Brodie Croft at the Broncos, I think there is a good chance we can see Milford bounce back somewhat, and while he might not get back to his 2017 average of 70, he does have some upside.
CTW
*I won’t be covering all the best CTW’s with POD ownership because there is literally just too many to write about
KEN MAUMALO - WARRIORS $557,200 4.2%
Maumalo had the second highest base stat average of any starting CTW in 2019 (just behind the next guy on the list), while also having 17 tries and 16 linebreaks. Like all CTW’s he does have his bad days, but with eight games scoring above 70+ his ceiling is ridiculous.
WILL HOPOATE - BULLDOGS $531,700 2.2%
With the highest base stat average of any CTW in 2019, Hopoate is arguably the most reliable and well rounded option at the position. The loss of his dual-position eligibility hurts, but if you want to start the season off with one safe CTW, then Hopoate could be the way to go.
BRONSON XERRI - SHARKS $523,500 5.1%
One of the most exciting young players in the NRL, Xerri broke out in 2019 with 13 tries and 14 linebreaks, while still having very respectable base stats for an outside back. While he has gone from a cheapie to an expensive mid-ranger, he still has a very high ceiling and is very tempting at his low ownership.
DANIEL TUPOU - ROOSTERS $520,400 2.7%
The loss of Latrell Mitchell and Cooper Cronk setting up tries for Tupou does hurt him, but he is still one of the most consistent CTW options. He also looks to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the NRL’s new tackling in the air rules, giving him a huge advantage in contests for the ball.
ESAN MARSTERS - COWBOYS $482,900 8.1%
Marsters had a down year in 2019, playing through the season with a niggling ankle injury, but with a change in scenery we could potentially see him back to his best at the Cowboys, and at a discount. He will be battling with Valentine Holmes for the goal kicking duties, but if he does win the job he will be underpriced.
KOTONI STAGGS - BRONCOS $447,700 8.6%
Staggs starts the 2020 season off pretty underpriced after a breakout season, starting the year coming off the bench, before moving to a starting role and averaging 66 points a game in the last seven rounds, incredibly scoring nine tries in his last eight games. After spending a full pre-season at centre, Staggs is primed to keep it going in 2020, but is currently not getting the attention he deserves.
OTHER CTW PODS TO WATCH
Joseph Manu $457,100 8.3%
Josh Addo-Carr $490,700 8.1%
Jesse Ramien $422,000 6.7%
Moses Mbye $377,200 5.8% *Only if he plays at hooker
Reuben Garrick $487,500 5.6%
James Roberts $392,700 4.8%
Jack Bird $499,800 3.7%
Braidon Burns $454,000 3.5%
Brian To’o $527,300 3.2%
Corey Oates $427,100 2.9%
Isaah Yeo $404,800 2.8%
Waqa Blake $386,500 2.8%
David Nofoaluma $604,700 2.3%
Josh Mansour $416,700 1.7%
Brent Naden $458,500 1.7%
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FULLBACK
ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK - WARRIORS $659,800 6.4%
It’s hard to justify going for one of the premium FLB options whose name isn’t James Tedesco or Tom Trbojevic, but RTS is the next best option if you want a gun POD fullback.
While he had the third highest average of any No.1 in 2019, he did have the highest base stats, the most offloads by far, the third most linebreaks and the second most tackle busts.
The main issue is just he doesn't score as many tries, try assists or line break assists, as the other premium fullback options. His ceiling is high, but he does come up with a poor score every now, thankfully propped up by decent base.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Unfortunately I am a stickler for the rules and there are some players who are above the 10 per cent ownership limit I set for myself that I do need to at least mention as borderline POD options.
Cameron Smith $684,600, 13.5% owned
Andrew Fifita $553,900, 11.7% owned
Martin Taupau $571,200, 12.6% owned
Nathan Cleary $631,500, 13.8% owned
Cameron Munster $644,400, 11.7% owned
Blake Ferguson $505,700, 13.5% owned
Maika Sivo $547,900, 13.4%
Latrell Mitchell $653,100 14.3%
Tom Trbojevic $714,800, 12% owned
Valentine Holmes $563,700, 12.4% owned
BON VOYAGE
This spot is dedicated to those players who were PODs … until savvy SuperCoaches caught on and picked them up, or if they’ve been taken out for other reasons.
VILIAME KIKAU - PANTHERS $543,200 9% to 20%
In the week immediately after I pointed out Viliame Kikau as a POD he shot from nine per cent ownership to 20 per cent!
With one of the highest ceilings of any 2RF Kikau is always an enticing option, but for every huge score, he can also come out with a score of 40 or less. He played through injury for much of the last two seasons, so if he can keep fit in 2020 we might see some more consistency from the Fijian giant, but it is a risk.
LIAM KNIGHT - FRF|2RF RABBITOHS $437,300 6% to 11%
With a possible switch to the number 13 jersey on the cards, Liam Knight could be set to benefit from more minutes in 2020. As a result Knight was given the 2RF dual eligibility and as a result nearly doubled in ownership in just under a week. He averaged a respectable 47 in 2019 at a PPM of 1.14, so more time on the field in the middle see an impressive increase to his output.
JOHN BATEMAN - RAIDERS $668,200, 7.4% *INJURED
An interesting option when he looked to just be missing a few games with injury, but he will be out of action until at least round seven or eight and is a hard pass for me.
Initially one of the most popular 2RF options, Bateman’s ownership has plummeted since having shoulder surgery. But this has put him into POD territory, something pretty rare for someone with his pedigree. He averaged 72 points a game in 2019, with a great mix of base stats and attacking upside. One to consider later on in the season perhaps.
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