NRL SuperCoach POD Watch Round 9

Former champion Dave Von Kotze reveals the low-ownership gems worth considering ahead of the Round 12 bye.

Blake Ferguson ($519,400/ 9 per cent ownership)

Ferguson is incredibly tempting this week but has the potential to backfire on overall coaches should he be selected for Origin. After opening the season with a four-game average of 73 his price has nose-dived by over $125,000 after an injury affected 10 in round five. Without that score he would be averaging 72 which puts him well and truly in the keeper category but Origin selection would ruin those who go early. He will play the Storm and Cowboys (a) in his next two so potential owners may elect to wait a few weeks in order to get a better idea if he will be available in round 12.

NRL SuperCoach POD Watch Round 9.

Manase Fainu ($482,300/ 0.5 per cent ownership)

Fainu has been one of the most exciting players to watch so far this season coming off the bench for the Sea Eagles and looking dangerous on numerous occasions. He finds himself in the starting line-up this week with Apisai Koroisau switching to the halves, which could be extremely good news for Fainu owners as in the four games he has played over 45 minutes this year he has posted scores of 73, 62, 93 and 80. He has a breakeven of -5 and should the cards fall his way in round 12, he could be a heavy hitter against a Panthers side that may be without their usual halves.

Jarrod Croker ($532,900/ 12 per cent ownership)

Croker has been coming up with the goods of late for his owners sporting a three-game average of 72 and a five-game average of 65. He has a breakeven of 43 this weekend and is shaping as a real ace up the sleeve of owners because with his high ceiling he could crack triple-figures against the Bulldogs in round 12. With tough match-ups in the next fortnight against the Roosters and Bunnies, potential owners could even get a bit tactical and wait until round 11 where he will play the Cowboys at home before heading to Sydney to play the Bulldogs in the big bye round.

Jarrod Croker is owned by just 12 per cent. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Jason Taumalolo ($638,000/ 8 percent ownership)

There are two ways to look at the Lolo trade this week. Firstly there’s the option to wait a week and hope his price comes down due to his breakeven of 119. Or some coaches may take a different approach and bring him this week nearly $20,000 cheaper than his 2019 starting price knowing that if he goes big again he will serve his purpose brilliantly as a POD before the masses jump on. Considering that in his last six un-injured games he has dominated with scores of 99, 85, 52, 85, 95 and 112 there is plenty of evidence to suggest the second option could be a lock.

Jack Wighton ($451,800/ 2 per cent ownership)

Wighton is the dictionary definition of a high risk POD but with his tiny ownership, if he was to continue his run and then put on a clinic in round 12, his owners will fly up the overall leaderboard. After starting the season slow, he has hit his straps in the past two rounds and is currently sitting with a three-game average of 63. It would be remiss of me not to mention that his recent scores of 84 and 68 have been bolstered by a stack of try-scoring stats but he has dual FLB/5/8 flexibility and should see a few cash rises in the next few weeks due to his breakeven of six.

Mitchell Moses ($582,800/ 13 percent ownership)

The yo-yoing scores of Moses continue, however he is the highest scoring HFB in SuperCoach at present and with three and five-game averages of 77 and 76, he remains an option to cover round 12. He will take on the Storm with a breakeven of 103 this weekend but will then lead into the first big bye round with match-ups against the Cowboys (a), Panthers (h). His games in rounds 11 and 12 will be at the new Western Sydney Stadium which has been a happy hunting ground recently with scores of 133 and 73.

Adam Reynolds ($488,900/ 11 percent ownership)

Available for almost $95,000 cheaper and with two per cent less ownership than the above mentioned Moses is the slightly more consistent Reynolds. Although he doesn’t quite have the high ceiling that Moses has, the Bunnies are in winning form and with a 74 fresh in his rolling average, Reynolds’ price should not drop until after round 12, where he can be moved on to bolster round 16 numbers. He has a breakeven of 41 to take on the Cowboys in the last game of Magic Round this weekend.

Tohu Harris ($576,700/ 3 percent ownership)

As mentioned last week Tohu is one for the head-to-head players at this stage but will become owned by more coaches prior to round 13 if he continues this form. He is another who started the season a little sub-par with a three-game average of 49, however since then he has gone on a beautiful run and is currently holding down a five-game average of 72.