NRL SuperCoach 2017: All the scores from Round 19
TOM Trbojevic was the difference for Manly in the Sea Eagles’ comeback win and he’s now pushing Jordan Rapana for CTW of the Year honours. Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly from round 19.
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HOW have you gone this week?
Below is every score for every player from Round 19.
It’ll be updated as the weekend goes by.
Sea Eagles v Tigers (28—16)
This was another game where, if you were checking the scores at halftime, you could be forgiven for getting excited about a potential upset. The Tigers were definitely better, and pushed the Sea Eagles, but eventually Manly’s class brought them back into the contest before they ran away with the win. Tom Trbojevic had a field day and showed exactly why he is pushing Rapana to be the highest-averaging CTW option for the year (that’s played more than 10 games). The Sea Eagles will be a very dangerous team while they have DCE, Taupau and the Turbo Brothers (the ‘TurBros’? Eh?) in good form.
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly.
The Good
Tom Trbojevic (131)
He was everywhere and he continues to look dangerous almost every time he touches the ball. He had three try assists (even if one was really dubious!), two line breaks, two line break assists, two effective offloads, six tackle busts and 39 points in tackles and hit-ups. Tommy Turbo was extremely busy and was probably the biggest difference between the two teams, despite the presence of Tedesco on the other side.
Shaun Lane (90)
The late-season cheapie that plenty missed last week, but plenty also jumped on this week. As has been mentioned, his SuperCoach credentials have been impressive each time we’ve seen him play first grade, with a very SuperCoach-friendly game. He played 80 minutes again and had 45 points in tackles and hit-ups alone. Throw in three tackle busts, an effective offload, a line break assist, a line break and a try and you’ve got a second straight score of 90 — 180 points on two tough bye weeks! The question now is whether or not he holds his position for the year, or if he ends up going back to the bench or even dropping out of the team.
The Bad
Kevin Naiqama (19)
Naiqama had performed sneakily well from a SuperCoach perspective when filing in at fullback but with Teddy back in the team Naiqama’s work rate dropped and he obviously scored poorly as a result. He’s not really SuperCoach relevant anyway.
Malakai Watane-Zelezniak (24)
A late inclusion in place of Suli, he was perhaps an unwelcome sight for some SuperCoaches that haven’t traded him out yet. Get him out as his floor is not high enough — AE nightmare alert!
The Ugly
Jacob Liddle (1)
Liddle had been on fire lately, and definitely has the potential to be a SuperCoach gun in the future if he builds his minutes up as he has an eye for attacking stats. Unfortunately he dislocated his shoulder after only four minutes and was gone for the game.
Joel Edwards (54)
He scored a try with a line break so his score was fine, but he only played 34 minutes due to failing a HIA. He definitely has a knack of getting concussed, which has to be a concern!
Rabbitohs v Cowboys (10—23)
As suspected, the Cowboys liked playing in Cairns and the Rabbitohs didn’t. The Bunnies started well but soon ran out of gas and the Cowboys were able to get home pretty comfortably. Michael Morgan was very quiet in this game, playing traffic controller and letting Coote and Granville run the show. For the Rabbitohs, Angus Crichton continues to be a standout despite playing with a fracture in his foot — incredible really. Let’s hope he doesn’t cause himself longer-term damage by playing on!
The Good
Jake Granville (110)
He hadn’t crossed 40 the past four games but he stepped up this week as required. Playing 66 minutes, he was a constant threat for the Cowboys. He scored a try, set up two others, had two line breaks, assisted two others, busted four tackles and had 27 points in tackles and hit-ups. Granville will never be a base stat beast but he is one of the finest attacking hookers in the NRL.
Jason Taumalolo (94)
How good is this man! He just keeps on keeping on, and despite only playing 56 minutes he still managed to put up great numbers. Only 41 points in base stats but he supplemented that with EIGHT tackle busts, an effective offload, two line breaks and a try. Just a gun.
The Bad
Alex Johnston (6)
No, he wasn’t injured. This is why he’s such a risky prospect for SuperCoach. Sure, he can score plenty of tries but his workrate is almost non-existent. Horrible stuff.
Tyrell Fuimaono (17)
It came at the worst time. Fui was subbed off after starting well on the edge but didn’t come back until late in the game when he played the last 10 minutes in the centres for Robert Jennings (likely just managing an injury). Not great, as he is legitimately an AE nightmare now.
The Ugly
Antonio Winterstein (15)
He got injured early but managed to survive the first half, before staying off after halftime. Not sure what the exact injury is other than it is related to his calf. Keep an eye out, although most likely it’ll be Javid Bowen coming back into the team.
Knights v Broncos (22-34)
It must be a weekly case of déjà vu for the Knights, just in varying degrees. They have now lead at halftime in 10 games this year, only to lose in the second half nine times. That has got to be heartbreaking yet encouraging at the same time. The signs are there for next year and beyond, though, and hopefully they continue to improve for the rest of the season. On the other side of fence, while the Broncos were poor, it’s worth noting that they were still missing five of their first-choice starters due to injury despite the early return of Anthony Milford. Their best should still be coming up in the weeks ahead.
The Good
Mitch Barnett (94)
The coach’s usage of Barnett continues to frustrate SuperCoaches as he would be a legitimate top 17 premium option if he was to be given big minutes. Unfortunately, that only seems to happen when a midgame injury occurs, such as this week and also in Round 14. In his three games where he has played 63 minutes or more, Barnett holds an average of 81 including this week’s 94. Otherwise, he holds an average of 48.7 from all the other games where he has played his normal minutes. In 72 minutes this week, Barnett had 60 points from pure base stats, another 22 from effective offloads and tackle busts, and the sweetener of two line break assists. SuperCoach gun (when given minutes)!
Tautau Moga (85)
A new signing for the Knights, Moga might regret not waiting until he busted out this impressive game against them before committing to terms as he would have probably added $50,000 to his price tag after carving them up. Moga had a strong game, scoring a try, breaking the line twice, offloading twice (one effective), busting nine tackles and also racking up 30 points in pure base stats. It’s great to see him starting to realise all that talent which has been held back due to injury for so long.
The Bad
Joe Wardle (28)
Started on the right edge but was forced into a reshuffle after injury to Pete Mata’utia in the third minute of the game. Work rate non-existent, given that his 28 includes 12 points for a try assist. Just not a good SuperCoach option at all.
Jamayne Isaako (27)
It might be a bit harsh of me putting this here, especially since he made zero errors and conceded zero penalties on debut, but he failed to continue the tradition of debutants scoring tries on debut. It’s been a weird year …
The Ugly
Pete Mata’utia (1)
Survived three minutes before a head knock saw him off the field for a HIA, which he failed. Extra minutes for Barnett as a result.
Titans v Sharks (30-10)
I was fearless (or is that foolish) enough to predict an upset of Titanic (sorry) proportions this week, but even I didn’t think that the Sharks would struggle that much — especially in the wet conditions. You know … being Sharks and all *rimshot*
*crickets chirping*
I’ll stop. What must be said though is how bad the Sharks were. The Titans were good, yes, but the Sharks were bad. Either they need Maloney more than they think (in which case, pay the man) or they need to all take a good hard look at themselves.
The Good
Ash Taylor (105)
The most impressive part of his game weren’t his stats but rather his control and management of the game in such horrid conditions. He showed game awareness well beyond his years for a second-year rookie. He scored two tries, set up another two, had two line breaks, a line break assist, five tackle busts and 21 points in pure base stats. He did miss one attempt at goal (before handing kicking duties off to Tyrone Roberts) and had -10 in errors and penalties.
Paul Gallen (99)
Now THIS was vintage Gal. Played the full 80 minutes, and notched up a massive 81 points in tackles and hit-ups. Throw in three offloads (two effective), a tackle bust and even a cheeky forced dropout right at the death. There’s nothing else that needs to be said about this performance other than MACHINE.
The Bad
Jarryd Hayne (20)
You could argue that the atrocious conditions should excuse his lack of involvement and low score … but then you look at Ash Taylor’s score. Hmm. Surely it’s not that he has nothing to play for now that Origin is over is it.
Jack Bird (31)
Played 5/8 in Maloney’s absence and any owners may have perked up at that news. Unfortunately his score was disappointing considering he had a try assist and a line break assist in that 31 points.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Warriors v Panthers (22-34)
Well, can we officially say the Warriors are done for the year? Not only are they sliding further adrift of the top eight, they have potentially lost Shaun Johnson for the season. Fingers crossed that’s not the case! For my SuperCoach team too. Speaking of which, my SuperCoach also didn’t have Nathan Cleary in it … ouch! Well done to the 10 per cent who currently own him, and even better if you resisted the allure of putting the VC on SJ in the same game.
The Good
Nathan Cleary (169)
There have been some mammoth scores this year. In 2016 we had 12 scores that were 140 or above (highest score of 183 from Cam Munster). Young Nathan Cleary just recorded the 10th score of 140 or more this year with his huge 169 — just one point shy of Rapana’s season-high score of 170. Cleary was everywhere, standing up in the absence of Matt Moylan beside him at five-eighth and having a rookie there instead. Three tries, two try assists, two line breaks, one line break assist, a forced dropout, five tackle busts, one effective offload, five goals from six attempts and let’s not forget his 28 points in pure base stats. There isn’t much more that Cleary could have done in that game, and the Panthers came away with the win as a result. Ridiculous game from the young half.
Solomone Kata (101)
He had just spent the past two weeks grieving the sudden and unexpected loss of his brother, but came back ready to play. He scored two tries, broke the line twice, had an ineffective offload, busted six tackles and also had an impressive 35 points in pure base stats. That’s a total of 49 points in base and base attack stats alone. Great way to come back into the team.
The Bad
Kieran Foran (18)
He’s well and truly taken a back seat lately while SJ has gone on a nice little run, hence the low scores. He’s still done the job of organising the team, but there’s no SuperCoach points paid for that. Well, no more shuffling around — the Warriors will need him to step up and take control given SJ’s injury.
Dallin Watane-Zelezniak (20)
Thirty-plus points scored and no love for the winger. It happens from time to time but anybody who took a punt on DWZ as a bye coverage POD can feel a bit aggrieved with this low score.
The Ugly
Shaun Johnson (64)
He was having a decent game, but it all came to a premature end when he went down injured.
Trent Merrin (51)
He started like a house on fire, racking up 51 points in only 27 minutes but then he limped off with a suspected MCL injury (self-diagnosed, for what that’s worth). Scans to confirm the actual injury, severity, duration, etc. Keep an eye out!
Raiders v Dragons (18-14)
If you looked at the SuperCoach scores in this game you would assume that the Dragons won, but they managed to find a way to lose in golden point. That’s definitely not how the game played out though, with the Raiders all sharing the workload and it was an incredible extra time play from Dave Taylor and Elliott Whitehead that saw them get home courtesy of a golden try. The tightness of the game was not indicative of the quality though, as neither team was playing very well, and both teams would be concerned about their form moving forward.
The Good
Nene McDonald (99)
He was the catalyst for the first try of the game, with a dummy half run from midfield leading to a bust right up the middle before passing to a supporting Widdop to score under the posts. Pure strength in that play. He was paid a try assist for that play, and also had two line breaks, two effective offloads, TEN tackle busts and an impressive 39 points in pure base stats. Very impressive game from the winger.
Gareth Widdop (76)
He was the focal point of the Dragons attack yet again, and generally he had an okay game. He scored a try, laid on another try with a line break assist (plus also threw an intercept pass for Sezer’s try), had four forced dropouts, one tackle bust and kicked three goals from four attempts. He only had 13 points in pure base stats but then had one penalty conceded and three errors, as well as two missed field goals. Could be blamed for the loss, but it would be harsh given he was the reason they were in the contest anyway.
The Bad
Tim Lafai (16)
There were some stats floating around that showed Lafai struggles for as many good scores when Widdop and Dugan are both playing — especially Dugan. It’s not surprising that his score was almost tripled after Dugan left the field due to a head knock in the second half. Hopefully he can be involved more as he definitely ran hard and still looked dangerous with ball in hand.
Jordan Rapana (36)
Given he had no attacking stats it’s not a bad score, but it’s well below what owners are used to seeing even in games without any tries or try assists. Price drops incoming!
The Ugly
Josh Dugan (31)
Played 57 minutes and was having a typically strong base stat performance, but failed his HIA and didn’t return to the field.
Russell Packer (6)
Left the field after just six minutes and despite an attempted painkilling injection, failed to return to the field.
Luke Bateman also suffered a head knock and failed his concussion test too.
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