NRL SuperCoach: 10 things we learned Round 22

LOCKOUT IS OVER! Former SuperCoach champion Wilfred Zee reveals what we learned from a very, very, very high-scoring round.

A massive week with plenty of common players raising the bat, or coming very close. It became a round of whether you nailed the right captain, dodged the injuries and also had some luck with your start/sit decisions. Let’s look at Round 22.

1. Jake Trbojevic isn’t quite himself this year

I wrote about Jake last week but there’s no disguising it, something’s not quite right with him. Another score of just 47, in 77 minutes, even with the dominant scoreline in favour of the Sea Eagles, that’s just not the Jake Trbojevic we’ve come to know and love. Whether he’s carrying a niggling injury, whether Des Hasler’s made him change his role, whether he’s just really tired from playing an even bigger part of the Blues’ Origin series victory this year; whatever it is, it’s affecting his SuperCoach game.

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He’s still performing consistently and as reliably as ever on the field – with his defensive game still elite – but that’s not what wins SuperCoach and with him getting rested at the first chance possible each week, he’s no longer a ‘must-start’ each week. Although you just know the moment you bench him, he’s going to score a double…

Jake Trbojevic has lost attacking output.

2. Tom Trbojevic is back to normal

Tommy Turbo bounced back with 117 this week after a tough fortnight. His previous two scores of 48 and 46 coincided with a marked drop in his workrate – “only” 19 runs and 16 runs in these two weeks (for 31 and 23 points respectively) which is still pretty decent, but not when you compare that to his previous efforts of 28, 23, 21 and 26 runs for 37, 39, 29 and 34 points respectively.

It’s a significant enough drop to really have an impact on his SuperCoach scores. Maybe he was sick, or dealing with an undisclosed illness, who knows! What we do know is that he seems to have shaken that off and is seemingly ready to rip in for the remainder of the season in a way few players can match, both on the field and on the stats sheet.

NRL CASUALTY WARD: Full NRL injury list

EARLY MAIL: Predicted team changes

Normal service has resumed for Tom Trbojevic. Picture. Phil Hillyard

3. Ma’u Madness will end too soon

If you have been living under a rock, Ma’u will head off to the English Super League at the end of the season as he looks to provide financial security for his family. Given he missed out on a chunk of his career due to unwise decisions when he was younger, you can’t blame him for chasing the money. However, it’s just sad for SuperCoach reasons! Ma’u has perennially been on the border of SuperCoach relevance every season – a look back at his past season averages is testament to that, as well as his CTW/2RF dual position status.

He was always popular for bye coverage too. But in 2019 we’ve seen a true breakout, with Ma’u finally putting together all the different elements that made him an attractive, but not a must-have, SuperCoach prospect in previous years. Strong tackle-busting runs, skilful offloads, hard work in defence and his genuine attacking ability have seen him step up to being premium CTW keeper. Unfortunately, he’s off next year, but we’ll get to enjoy the last few weeks of Ma’u Madness.

Manu Ma'u is leaving the NRL at the end of the year.

4. Brian To’o is a legitimate CTW option for SuperCoach even for next year

Some SuperCoaches were tempted to sell due to his low score of 30 last week (his only score under 45 since his debut score of 24 ) which actually included 10 or so minutes off the field for a Head Injury Assessment (which he passed). Aside from those two outlier scores, To’o has been the picture of consistency – he has averaged 62.7 points per game across his other 10 games while only scoring four tries. This shows a high workrate and his average of 44.4 points per game in base and base attack stats over these 10 games shows exactly why that’s the case. I’ve said previously that anybody who can average over 40 in base and base attack as a CTW (not including backrowers with DPP eligibility) deserves consideration as a CTW keeper, and that includes To’o!

Brian To'o has been a revelation for the Panthers.

5. The Knights have three very winnable games left

And that means their players may finish the season being far more SuperCoach relevant than they have been for about six weeks. We saw what a big win for the Knights can mean for their SuperCoach scores. Kalyn Ponga led the way on 105 and was backed up by six other players between 61 to 102.

With games against fellow top eight aspirants in the Tigers and Panthers bookending a juicy game at home with the Titans, there’s a real chance the Knights win all three games if they turn up to play like they can. On that note, can you believe that some SuperCoaches really traded out Ponga this week? Awkward…

Kalyn Ponga cracked a ton against his former club.

6. Josh Papalii has been a great FRF POD

Sure, you can point to his three tries in the past four games, but an average of 73.7 points per game in approximately 50 minutes per game in his last seven outings is nothing to sneeze at, even considering the additional attacking stats. He is having some season and looks right at home as a prop now, and is scoring tries for fun.

The Raiders have had a tough run but that just makes him score better, not worse, and with two more games at home in Canberra, Papalii should finish off the season strongly.

Josh Papalii sealed the match against the Storm.

7. Damien Cook is still the No.1 hooker

The gap may have closed significantly over the past five or six weeks due to hot streaks from both Camerons (Smith and McInnes), but Cook is still getting it done. I mean, I have heard multiple SuperCoaches mention how Cook has been “disappointing” lately – yet he sits on a five-round average of 73.6 points per game after this week.

Let’s not go overboard here, people! The Rabbitohs may be struggling on the field and Cook isn’t flying as high as he was earlier this year, but it’s certainly not due to lack of trying from Cook. With the Broncos this week – who have conceded the most points to opposition hookers all season – he’s in prime position to go large yet again.

Damien Cook is still getting it done.

8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is stepping up big time

He’s always had the odd massive SuperCoach game in him but JWH has stepped up big-time in the absence of forward leaders in this Roosters’ pack. The likes of Taukeiaho, Cordner and Friend are big losses but JWH has made sure their absence hasn’t been felt too much, sitting on a six-game average of 70.7 points per game in an average of approximately 50 minutes per game.

It’s not just fluky attacking stats either, despite this week’s big score including two great try assists / line break assists. His workrate in these games has been top notch while scoring no lower than 56 points in this stretch. Will it continue? It might, but to be honest it’s not something I would want to roll the dice on for head-to-head finals or the final weeks of the overall competition.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has hit form at the right time.

9. James Tedesco is killing non-owners

He’s an obvious stud but each year, but there are some unwise SuperCoaches who like to “roll the dice” and try run home without him. Last year, that was me, trying to ride the RTS train home and skipping Teddy Town. Big, BIG mistake, as I faded hard from within the top 500 to outside the top 5,000 in a matter of weeks! Thankfully I’ve learned from that mistake this year, but some SuperCoaches haven’t. Since Round 18 (post-Origin), Teddy has a five round average of 106.2 points per game, and a three round average of 112.3 points per game. That’s just… mind-blowing. He’s so good, and the Roosters are still in cruise control. And the Roosters now get to play the Dragons, who have been the worst against opposition fullbacks all season. Uh oh.

James Tedesco is a SuperCoach stud.

10. Luciano Leilua is great for SuperCoach, just like his brother

Despite what you might think of his on-field performances, there’s no doubting his SuperCoach ability. He struggles in defence, much like his brother Joey, but you don’t lose points for bad defensive reads, and only -1 for missed tackles and -2 for errors and penalties. Meanwhile, you get plenty of points for tackle busts, offloads and mass attacking stats – things that are seemingly synonymous with the Leilua last name!

‘Lucy’ Leilua churned up a sneaky 78 points this week, impressively playing the full 80 minutes as well. The workrate isn’t much to write home about (45 points in base and base attack in 80 minutes) but he scored a nice try with a line break, plus assisted a Widdop line break, to rack up those points. At 0.7% ownership and just $436,000, he’s an intriguing option for the risktakers!

Bring on Round 23

I can’t believe there are just three rounds to go! It’s going to be another tight finish for overall, and things are really getting serious now in head-to-head competitions too. Good luck to everyone this week!