NRL SuperCoach 2016: Best captain choices for Round 8 revealed

SUPERCOACH expert Trent Copeland has unveiled a winning formula for selecting your captain. Read his analysis of the best captain choices for round eight.

WELL, the previous round I captained Andrew Fifita and he was the highest scorer of the week.

This time? Just 35 points in a huge win over the Raiders. Ahhhhh! If only we had someone we could rely on EVERY week … Wait. We do! The problem is no one wants to spend the big bucks on him.

Let’s delve a little deeper into the man I speak of, and the other best captaincy options for the Anzac Day round matches, remembering we now have one golden rule for this season of SuperCoach when selecting the right man for the Orange Armband: Look at all your options, but if the cupboard is bare … Pick someone who’s playing against the Knights!

VC OPTIONS

I’ll start here, remembering that your VC should always play in the early games of the round (Fri), so always select your VC first. I always like to have someone a bit unique as if it pays off, you’ll be getting a leg up on the whole competition.

Anthony Milford 5/8 (Broncos) v Rabbitohs

Ah, tell me you captained Milf? If you did, his 153-doubled would no doubt have carried you to victory. As I mentioned in this very article last week, any player wearing a Broncos jersey against the Knights was a viable option. Simple really, Milford’s upside is there for all to see, a five-round average of 94 and the Friday night fixture against a leaky Rabbits defence. Lock him in as your VC!

ROUND 8 SUPERCOACH PODCAST

Sam Burgess FRF | 2RF (Rabbits) v Broncos

If you don’t own Milford then Surgess is the way to go this week. He’s back at lock, he and Reynolds looked like the only two having a crack last week and no doubt he will want to send a message to the rest of the NRL against the premiership favourites. A career average of 75.5 against the Broncos and always a chance of a try regardless of the opposition makes him a great choice.

James Tedesco (Tigers) v Raiders

The Raiders are conceding a ridiculous amount of points, the only team in the top eight with a negative for and against (-35!!). You know what that means? Teddy time. He copped a head knock which undoubtedly affected the score last week, but he is still averaging 80.86 on the season and may even be some people’s straight-out skipper.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 17: James Tedesco of the Tigers takes on the defence during the round seven NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Melbourne Storm at Leichhardt Oval on April 17, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Other options: Kerrod Holland (left field, I know!), Ben Hunt, Corey Parker, James Graham

COPES’ CAPTAINS

I’ve had enough of these FRF/2RF so-called ‘safe’ options letting me down! It’s not going to stop me naming them in the best options for each week as they are undoubtedly there, but this week’s top picks are aggressive moves, with my choice first up.

Johnathan Thurston HFB | 5/8 (Cowboys) v Eels

He lit up! (sorry, Suits reference) the Rabbits last week, and many will have successfully loopholed the greatest half in SuperCoach history for his 108 points. Well, this week is no different. Playing at the fortress that is 1300Smiles Stadium, where he averages a whopping 77.9 points against the Eels across 13 career matches. Ah, I’ll take one of those please, hold the fries.

Johnathan Thurston has a great record against the Eels at 1300Smiles Stadium.

Paul Gallen FRF | 2RF (Sharks) v Panthers

Who is the one guy that week-in week-out you can rely on for 70+ scores? GAL! The problem being that he is only owned by 3.7% of teams and people are too scared by injury history/Origin looming to spend the cash. But what you get is certainty, a career average of 95 points, yep, NINETY-FIVE points in 7 career matches against the Panthers in Penrith. Wow. Scores of 78, 70 and 94 in the last three weeks show that he is your man if you own him.

Jesse Bromwich FRF (Storm) v Warriors

He plays in the last game of the round at home against a Warriors team who are notorious for not travelling well and have just lost their star recruit Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for the season to an ACL injury. Bromwich is without question the best prop in the game at present, averaging 73.3 points per game. His scores this season read; 86, 55, 79, 60, 75, 81 and 77. I would to say the 26.9% of you who are lucky enough to own him: you can lock him in with confidence looking at that!

Jesse Bromwich is the best prop in SuperCoach at present.

Jamie Lyon CTW (Sea Eagles) v Knights

I told you I was thinking aggressively this week. I mean, Lyon is the best CTW in SuperCoach history, has scores 64 and 71 in his previous two matches and guess what else? He’s playing the Knights! Even if he doesn’t score himself you can guarantee others will, and this man will convert the tries. If you own any of the Sea Eagles’ brigade like the Trbojevic brothers, Api Koroisau or Lyon they are worth a shout as VC or C.

Other options: Cameron Smith, Cameron Munster, Simon Mannering, Bryce Cartwright.

Good luck to all, surely this is the week we all pick the right skipper, right?