NRL SuperCoach Cheapie Bible round 17: Origin injuries unearth bargain buys
Trades are running low and Origin has cut a swathe through SuperCoach sides, so it’s more important than ever right now to get your cheapies right.
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Origin Two has come and gone… Yep, that’s all we’ll say on that!
So the focus turns to the run home for KFC SuperCoaches with only one major bye round remaining.
The question I will ask is: Have you got less than 10 trades left? Because there’s ELEVEN rounds of the competition to go, and injuries/suspensions everywhere. Turbo, Latrell, Cleary, Dylan Brown to name a few.
Therefore it is crucial to nail your cheapies, and that’s what we’re here for.
A cheapie by definition is any player under $350k. We will cover off on all of the most important cheapies with a verdict on whether to invest or not.
As the season goes along we will give a running verdict on every cheapie that hits our radar. If a player is not on the list, we’ve determined they are not a viable selection.
Let’s go!
Sandon Smith | HFB|5/8 ($209,800 | SYD) - 55 points
The signs look good here for young Sandon Smith. Whilst Luke Keary has escaped serious injury to the jaw, Smith looked up to the standard last week in his first start in the halves. 55 points with a line break, try assist, try contribution, and importantly, the goal kicking duties and nice base with 20 tackles. The BE isn’t eye-catching given the first two matches off the bench for scores of 8 and 13 points, but named to start again this week (notably Joey Manu at centre) with matchups against the Raiders and Sea Eagles in the next two weeks offer opportunity for scoring before the round 19 bye week.
VERDICT: BUY. If you have 10+ trades, as you’ll need to trade out at some point too. Seemingly a good purchase, particularly for H2H players.
Valynce Te Whare | CTW ($258,200 | DOL)
It’s been a strange season to date for Te Whare after bursting onto the scene with a two-try 94 point debut in round 10 – only to have Wayne Bennett devastate us all by dropping him, then playing him off the bench for three minutes the following week, then at lock the week after. Now, with Brenko Lee out (and listed ‘TBD’ on timeline) Te Whare gets a crack at centre and given his BE is only 7 and covers the round 19 bye I’m saying DIVE IN. What could possibly go wrong?
VERDICT: BUY. YOLO, as the kids say.
Luke Metcalf | 5/8 ($316,300 | NZL)
Metcalf has shown flashes in the early stages of his career that give hope of not just money-making chops, but serious KFC SuperCoach scoring ability. Since his return, Metcalf has scores of 35, 53 and 72 points respectively with two tries in his last two games and a delicious BE of -22. The other main bonuses? Coverage of the massive round 19 bye week, no bye for the Warriors until round 22, and a matchup this week against the leaky Dragons.
VERDICT: BUY. If you still have a Katoa/cheapie in halves. Overall players factor in Metcalf playing the one remaining big bye round, with Sandon Smith missing it.
Kaeo Weekes | 5/8|HOK ($259,200 | MNL) - 49 points
This one is a bit of a tragedy, on the back of Turbo’s torn pec in Origin. So. If you’re a Soni Luke or Jake Granville owner, could you look at Weekes as the potential fullback for the rest of the season for the Sea Eagles? The short answer is yes, but given Turbo is out long term, my first thought is that Reuben Garrick may move back there – as opposed to playing at centre and wing knowing Turbo was always returning. Weekes scored 49 points last week, with a try assist, and there’s definitely upside here if the fullback spot is his.
VERDICT: RISKY BUY. Wait for late mail confirmation an hour before kick off.
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Xavier Coates | CTW ($320,300 | MEL)
Coming off the bye in round 16, the man who towers above everyone catching high balls for Queensland and the Storm is sneakily incredible value right now in a resurgent Storm outfit. Don’t get me wrong, the floor here without tries is genuinely between 10-15 points, but the upside is the 51 and 71 points of the past two matches with three tries in the process. The BE is at -18 with a matchup at home against the Sea Eagles this week. Yes, he misses round 19, but if it’s quick cash you’re after, Coates may be your man.
VERDICT: LOW END BUY. Just expect the odd low score.
Jake Turpin | HOK ($361,600 | SYD) - 53 points
Turpin just keeps on keeping on after we advocated a low end buy a few weeks ago, with huge tackle numbers (between 46-59 tackles) making up the main portion of his 55, 56 and 53 points the past three rounds. It’s not fancy, it’s not flashy, but it’s reliable and effective. Sometimes amongst all the chaos, that’s exactly what you need.
VERDICT: HOLD. Probably two more weeks of price rises before moving on to a Cook/Grant/JMK etc.
Jake Simpkin | HOK ($296,100 | WST) - 49 points
The Tigers are on the bye this week, but Simpkin has been very impressive in filling Api Koroisau’s shoes – with scores of 76 points (64 mins) and 49 points (48 mins) the past two weeks. Whilst I’d much prefer he was playing the full 80 minutes, the fact that Koroisau is out until round 22 gives a nice buffer that from round 18 onwards Simpkin’s -29 BE will have time to cash in. One for next week for non-owners, and hold if you’re already on board.
VERDICT: HOLD/NEXT WEEK.
Brayden McGrady | CTW ($200,800 | DOL)
Talk about try scoring machines! McGrady debuts on the wing for the Dolphins on the back of 10 tries in 11 matches in reserve grade this season. Replacing Rob Jennings and holding the prospect of coverage of the massive round 19 bye week, fingers crossed McGrady hits the ground running.
VERDICT: WATCHLIST.
Pasami Saulo | FRF|2RF ($312,400 | CBR) - 21 points
Saulo was monstrous in round 13 against the Rabbitohs with 68 points in 52 minutes, with a line break, 33 tackles, and 17 points in runs – quite comfortably the best game of his young career. But the warning in the Cheapie Bible was that he would become an AE nightmare once all hands were back on deck. Well, fast forward three weeks and we’re looking at a 43 BE and a match in round 15 of 21 points in just 19 minutes. To be brutally honest, this is not happening and apart from the dual position flexibility that is handy for the likes of Tohu Harris and Corey Horsbrough, Saulo has got to go, STAT.
VERDICT: SELL. Unfortunately, the TRAP was set, and it got some of you!
There you have it! Have we missed anyone?
Be sure to tweet us what you think @copes9 and @SuperCoachNRL. Good luck this week!
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