NRL SuperCoach 2020: Former champ Dave Von Kotze reveals team
The 2014 SuperCoach winner is sticking with the tried and tested ‘guns and cheapies’ strategy in 2020, and while his team is stacked with talent he has taken some pretty big risks.
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There are many experienced SuperCoaches who appear to be swaying from the well-known ‘Guns and Cheapies’ strategy as they put together their first teams of 2020. Whilst they all make strong cases to support their argument at this stage I will be sticking strong to ‘Team Guns and Cheapies’. My current team has plenty of strengths but is severely lacking in the 5/8 and CTW positions. Risky? Extremely, but just take a look at my forward pack and fullbacks!
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Damien Cook ($705,500)
Cook had a blinding start to last season hitting triple figures four times in the lead up to Origin and was absolutely killing it with an 11-game average of 86. He is always looking to link with Cameron Murray ($644,900/2RF) close to the line for those SuperCoaches looking for a nice little Bunnies stack.
Blayke Brailey ($201,000) or Harry Grant ($184,900)
Brailey is currently in 50 per cent of teams and with good reason, but fellow cheapie Harry Grant has recently come into contention now on loan from the Storm to the Tigers for the 2020 season. Grant’s exact role depends on a few factors but he comes in $16,100 cheaper than Brailey so keep an eye on his pre-season form.
Andrew Fifita ($553,900)
There is no time to muck around with slow burning prop forwards in your starting seventeen so Fifita will once again get a start in the Velociraptors. If his final six game average of 37 minutes and 44 points in 2019 was due to injury and not performance then there is value in the big fella, especially if he can come out of the blocks like he did last season, with an opening 7-game average of 63 minutes and 72 points.
Payne Hass ($728,200)
Hass averaged 12 points more than his closest FRF rival. Enough said, get him in.
Trent Merrin ($408,000)
A KFC SuperCoach weapon of the past, Merrin’s price is based on a 44-ish average so it would be wise for SuperCoaches to keep track of his pre-season form and minutes. Merrin’s relevance as a FRF/2RF option this season will also be affected by the result of Jack De Belin’s upcoming court case. An absolute gun when he last donned the ‘Red V’ surely he’s training the house down.
Lindsay Collins ($201,000)
Cheapie FRF’s are SuperCoach poison but it looks like I may be forced into giving one a start in my squad. Francis Molo could be a better option but finding an extra $98,000 could cause a few headaches.
BACKROW
Jai Arrow ($575,700)
Priced at a 61 average for 2019 he held together a tidy opening 10-game average of 67, so if he can repeat that in the lead up to the representative period again in 2020 he will have done his job.
Jason Taumalolo ($723,400)
Taumalolo is as reliable as they come averaging 77, 70 and 75 in the past three seasons. Throw in the fact that he will cover the first bye round and he is a set and forget option.
David Fifita ($501,900)
A KFC SuperCoach gun in the making. Please refer to the highlights of the Broncos’ last five games in 2019 if by chance you need further convincing.
Joe Tapine ($362,400)
Tapine is one of the most injury prone players in the game and has burnt thousands of coaches over the years. However the Raiders have a nice start to the season and if it looks like he is going to play big minutes at lock, I’m going to have a crack at this ‘Rocks or Diamonds’ prospect.
Billy Magoulias ($221,700)
Any forward under $225,000 who wins the game for his team TWICE with chip kicks is in my team regardless if he gets more minutes due to Paul Gallen’s retirement or not.
Jed Cartwright ($184,900)
Place holder at the moment with dual 2RF/CTW flexibility.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Angus Crichton ($530,100)
If Crichton lands a starting edge spot I will find him a spot. Priced at a 57 average, in the final six games where he played the full-eighty he averaged 71 so he will be a steal if he locks down that same role.
HALFBACK
Nathan Cleary ($631,500)
Got a taste of what he can do last year without James Maloney in the team and liked what I saw. High scores of 186 and 139 make him an easy choice.
Jarome Luai ($257,400)
Looks as if he’ll get first crack so hard to leave out.
FIVE-EIGHTH
George Williams ($333,800)
If I have the Kahunas to go through with it, not starting with a tried and tested NRL five-eighth will be my first big risk of the season. Ricky and his Raiders have a nice start to the year playing three of their first four at home against the Titans (h), Warriors (a), Dragons (h) and Sea Eagles (h) and even though Wighton will run the attack, if the popular Williams can get a few attacking stats my boys will get off to a nice start.
Phoenix Crossland ($184,900)
Copped a recent injury which could keep him out for the start of the season but should get his chance during year so he can stay, especially with dual HFB/5/8 positioning and a name like Phoenix.
CENTRE/WING
As mentioned earlier I am weak in the CTW, real weak. Insert every cheapie currently being spoken about in the KFC SC world here. I’m talking about the likes of Bradman Best, Greg Leleisiuao, Xavier Coates and Tommy Talau etc. Let’s go ‘Guns and Cheapies!!’
FULLBACK
Tom Trbojevic ($714,800)
There’s a whole lot of zeros in Turbo’s stats from last season due to injury but on the flip side there are also four top scores of 167, 152, 117 and 106 in just twelve games. In the unlikely event that Papenhuyzen tanks in the opening rounds of the season, with currently 13 per cent ownership Turbo could be a little gem if he can stay on the paddock.
James Tedesco ($781,500)
No game, regardless of a $50,000 first prize is worth leaving out the team you support’s best player. It’s bad for your ‘Ju Ju’ and it’s simply not happening in the Velociraptors.
CHECK OUT MORE EXPERT KFC SUPERCOACH NRL ANALYSIS