NRL SuperCoach: Wilfred Zee wraps round 24 action
VALENTINE Holmes has averaged 80.4 points per game from round 12 until now. Wow.
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FORMER winner Wilfred Zee wraps round 24 of SuperCoach — presented by hipages.
Dragons v Bulldogs (0 – 38)
The Dragons, what the hell, seriously! The Bulldogs, what the hell, seriously! I don’t even know where to start with this game. I mean, the Dragons fans abusing their team? The Bulldogs playing like a top eight team for the last six weeks? The Dragons playing like spooners for the last two months? This season is crazy…
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly in this game.
The Good
Reimis Smith (127)
Smith has just gone from strength to strength since coming into the team again in Round 15. Even in SuperCoach, his workrate has gone up and so have his tackle busts as he gained more confidence each game. Well, a hat trick, three line breaks, eight tackle busts, one effective offload and 26 points in pure base stats later, Smith absolutely destroyed Nene Macdonald this week.
Kerrod Holland (112)
Holland has sneakily averaged 66.4 since becoming an 80 minute CTW option, and that’s while not goalkicking. With Rhyse Martin going down in this game, he was able to add 28 points with a perfect seven from seven kicking performance – not a bad back-up kicking option! Throw in two try assists, two line break assists, five offloads (three effective) and 30 points in pure base stats and you’ve got an impressive performance from young Holland. The future is promising for next year!
The Bad
Ben Hunt (9)
He was not great in this game, not at all. Six missed tackles, one kick dead and an error as well, as well as just not doing anything at all to help his team. Not great, especially for his paycheck.
Nene Macdonald (16) / Tim Lafai (17)
Five errors and two missed tackles for Nene and one error, one penalty and three missed tackles from Lafai – one massive bath from Reimis and Kerrod on the other team. This was embarrassing for two representative level players against two rookies.
The Ugly
Euan Aitken (6)
Suffered a hamstring injury after just 18 minutes and didn’t return. This saw Dufty come off the bench and Nightingale back to the wing.
Rhyse Martin (12)
Played 17 minutes before a knee injury forced him from the field, and he also didn’t return. This saw Elliott shift to the left edge and Tolman got bigger minutes as a result, as did Fualalo.
Jason Nightingale (29)
He left the field in the 42nd minute with a suspected dislocated elbow. That’s not great news and it would be horrible for him to end his career in this fashion…
Sharks v Knights (38 – 12)
There are a few match-ups which always seem to feature the same result. Raiders v Tigers, for example (although that trend was finally bucked a few weeks ago!) or Broncos v Rabbitohs (the Rabbitohs haven’t beaten the Broncos since Round 1, 2015!). The Sharks keep their record going against the Knights, not having lost to them since Round 18 in 2014 and also with their previous scores being heavily weighted in favour of the Sharks (48-10, 26-18, 19-18, 36-4, 62-0, 30-28, 22-6). The Sharks have all but locked in a top four finish and must be licking their lips at a potential showdown against the Storm in Week One of the finals, who they recently have had the wood over including the last two wins this year.
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly in this game.
The Good
Valentine Holmes (131)
Holmes has averaged 80.4 points per game since Round 12 until now. That’s excluding this week’s monster. It’s pretty clear that he is one of the main reasons for a LOT of SuperCoaches and their 2018 season rankings. His consistency is impressive too, as he hasn’t scored below 60 since Round 12. Ridiculous! He scored a try, set up another, broke the line twice, assisted another line break, busted nine tackles, kicked six goals from seven attempts and also scored 34 points in pure base stats. That’s 56 points purely from his runs, tackles, and goalkicks. What a floor!
Sosaia Feki (100)
Feki hasn’t been performing in SuperCoach since his return even when his on-field performances are generally quite good. Not this week, as he scored a try, set up another with an absolute gem of a banana kick, broke the line three times, busted five tackles and scored 31 points in pure base stats. Huge game from him!
The Bad
Mitchell Pearce (25)
SIX errors isn’t good enough from Mitch, even if he set up a try. He did his best behind a beaten pack but there’s no excuse for such a high error rate.
Sione Mata’utia (18)
Another case of ‘not a bad game in NRL terms but not a great SuperCoach score’.
Aidan Guerra was also sinbinned in this game, which contributed to his low score.
The Ugly
Lachlan Fitzgibbon (14)
He was knocked out after 24 minutes in an ugly incident. Hopefully he’ll be okay this week. Josh King came on and played in his stead.
Connor Watson (15)
He came off the field after 48 minutes with a groin injury. This saw Buhrer come into the halves as his replacement.
Roosters v Broncos (8 – 22)
What a game this was, it had a real finals’ intensity to it and I’m excited for the upcoming finals series if the games are going to be of this quality. The Broncos played very well, controlling the game perfectly while you got the feeling that the Roosters weren’t quite in top gear and were off their game. Sure, plenty may end up complaining again about certain controversial incidents, but I’m not about that so let’s focus on the SuperCoach talking points!
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
James Tedesco (91)
Teddy showed exactly why he is a SuperCoach gun in this game, as he got so close to raising the bat without even registering any major attacking stats like a try or a try assist, or even a last touch assist. Aside from a line break and a line break assist, the remaining points came from 11 tackle busts, three effective offloads and a massive 41 points in pure base stats. Of course, the Broncos contributed to that stat by keeping the ball in play with their high completion rate, but that’s what you expect and hope for in these big games.
Boyd Cordner (73)
You’d think the Roosters won by the looks of these SuperCoach scores, as they took out three of the top five spots. Cordner did his absolute best to get his team the win, as he made a massive 36 tackles (two misses) and 25 points in runs – total of 59 points in pure base stats. Throw in five tackle busts and an effective offload and you’ve got a massive effort from Cordner in this 80 minute performance.
The Bad
Cooper Cronk (18)
He had limited impact in this game, and he made a critical error as he kicked out on the full from his own 30 metre line when going for a game-changing play of a 40/20.
Latrell Mitchell (19)
The much-hyped battle between Latrell and Jimmy the Jet was a bit of a non-event in the end as neither of them had much impact on the field. Latrell’s score was saved by a late line break, as his sinbin, two errors and one penalty conceded erased what other work (what little of it) he had done in the game.
Dylan Napa was also sinbinned… in case you hadn’t heard hah!
The Ugly
Andrew McCullough (17)
The victim of another hit gone wrong from Napa, McCullough was medicabbed off the field but thankfully was okay afterwards aside from concussion and a bad mouth laceration. Hopefully he will make a full recovery in the coming days. Patrick Mago was also taken from the field for a HIA which he passed.
Titans v Storm (8 – 10)
I had picked the Titans for an upset of the Storm this week and for almost 60 minutes, I looked like a genius. Can’t keep a champion team down and when push came to shove, the Storm stars stood up and delivered. The Titans did me proud but the Storm somehow are going to end up as minor premiers yet again, and they remain a realistic chance of going back-to-back, something that hasn’t been done aside from the Broncos in 1992 and 1993!
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Billy Slater (103)
Oh, what would you know, another fullback smashing it against the Titans. I’m not even surprised by now and every week I pick the opposition fullback against the Titans for Perfect Eight. Slater tore them up as he recorded three line breaks, 13 tackle busts, two offloads (one effective) and one last touch assist, along with a massive 42 points in pure base stats. This was a massive effort from Slater and it’s going to be sad to see him finish up at the end of the year…
Alex Brimson (77)
What a surprise packet Brimson ended up being in late season. He has averaged almost 60 in the past five rounds, with a decent level of base as well. Brimson scored a try, broke the line twice, busted six tackles and scored 30 points in pure base stats. He will be an intriguing prospect for next year if he starts at fullback (but is available at five eighth and most likely have dual position status).
The Bad
Ash Taylor (26)
Taylor continues to show great inconsistency which is just not good enough for someone of his paygrade. He has flashes of brilliance but long periods of anonymity – although he was knocked out late and forced from the field for HIA.
Tui Kamikamica (4)
It’s not his fault that he only got four minutes on the field but for some SuperCoaches who had him as bye coverage, he presented an AE nightmare when they may have looped this week or had a late withdrawal!
The Ugly
Ryan James (50)
I know a number of SuperCoaches played James ahead of Smith this week (myself included) due to fears about Smith’s back. James was on fire and tracking well for a big score before a head knock forced him from the field around the 55 minute mark, and he didn’t pass the HIA to return to the field. Meanwhile Smith just trundled along and dropped a casual 70, as always!
Cam Munster (68) also may have a cork or a hyperextended elbow… he went down several times but to his credit, he toughed out the game. He may end up rested this week though…
Raiders v Rabbitohs (24 – 12)
The Raiders really know how to make their fans suffer. Two tough wins over premiership heavyweights in successive weeks would usually have fans salivating for September football – except the Raiders lost too many games earlier in the year to leave themselves outside of finals contention! Who’d be a Raiders fan… then there’s the Rabbitohs, who are 0-3 since their convincing destruction of the Storm in Round 21. Still, they are a very good football team and they should go deep into the finals.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Angus Crichton (96)
The Mighty Angus! Huge performance in this game, as he had no major attacking stats aside from a line break. FIVE effective offloads, six tackle busts, one held-up in goal tackle, but otherwise it’s just pure hard work – 55 points in pure base stats. I picked him as Stud of the Week and he duly delivered!
Iosia Soliola (80)
Soliola has enjoyed being back on the edge, playing 80 minutes and as always, contributing to the team. Sure, he’s getting on a bit in the years, but he was still able to score a try, break the line once, bust four tackles and get through 47 points in pure base stats. He may struggle a bit in defence due to being a bit slower now in terms of his lateral movement, but he’s still experienced and able to make good reads most of the time.
The Bad
Alex Johnston (12)
He clearly wasn’t 100% fit and his low involvement reflected that, but there was no excuse for his three handling errors, one which lead directly to a try to the Raiders afterwards.
Brad Abbey (12)
His work rate is also low at the back but he is generally safer in defence than the other Raiders’ options (excluding Wighton), so it’s another case of on-field performance not quite reflected in the stats.
Jason Clark (3) was sinbinned in one of his worst performances for some time – especially after one of his best games last week!
The Ugly
No major injuries to note, and as a result Tyrell Fuimaono never made it on the field.
Warriors v Panthers (36 – 16)
It was a comprehensive display but for two late defensive lapses which allowed the Panthers to score two consolation tries. The Warriors put on a masterclass in the first half as they controlled the ball well and punished the Panthers at every opportunity. They took their foot off the pedal around the 70 minute mark (when they took Tohu off) but aside from that the Warriors were dominant. Was it just that the Panthers were bad though? Also, when do the Panthers panic and fire their co- oh wait. Hang on. Never mind.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
David Fusitu’a (92)
The Fus! The NRL’s leading tryscorer (sitting on 21, two tries clear of Val Holmes on 19 albeit with a game in hand) had a lean period about six weeks ago, but he has bounced back into form in the past few weeks. It coincides with the Warriors’ right edge reuniting in recent weeks, and in particular this week with Tohu finally returning. A hat trick, two line breaks, two tackle busts and just 17 points in pure base stats highlights how much The Fus needs those attacking stats!
Simon Mannering (87)
Manners is being managed right until the final regular season round to make sure he makes that 300 game mark, but he can still make a tackle! He played 57 minutes and found time to set up two tries (although one – the Lino try – could end up being downgraded depending on how much the stats guys think Lino had to do after he received the offload from Manners), assisted two line breaks, threw one offload (should be updated) and scored 45 points in pure base stats. He’s been such a great servant for the Warriors and it’ll be nice for him to go out having achieved the magical 300 game milestone.
The Bad
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (9)
Back at fullback, apparently. He was barely sighted on the field, making just seven runs in the whole 80 minutes. Scarily low base for a fullback.
Ken Maumalo (13)
His usually dependable runs were nullified with a higher-than-usual number of them being under eight metres. He also made three errors which wasn’t helping him score tries!
The Ugly
Dean Whare (4)
Played 29 minutes before a fractured arm forced him from the field, and his season could be over. We saw Tyrone Peachey shift out to right centre and Tyrone May take over at five-eighth.
Cowboys v Eels (44 – 6)
Was this ever in doubt? JT’s last home game was always going to be one game that the whole team turned up for, and they duly delivered. Sure, it helped that it was against the Eels who are now guaranteed the wooden spoon, but you get the feeling the Cowboys would have beaten any team. They started off on fire, and finished the first half with a perfect 21/21 in completions. JT himself had a strong game as well, and it was emotional watching the post-game celebrations too. It was somehow fitting for him to finish his home ground career with his 100th win in Townsville. What an absolute champion – in real life NRL as well as SuperCoach!
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly of this game.
The Good
Ben Hampton (98)
A late switch to fullback due to Te Maire Martin’s late scratching, Hampton exploded out the blocks in this game as he relished the starting spot. Hampton scored two tries, broke the line three times, assisted another line break, busted four tackles, held up an opposition player in-goal and scored 17 points in pure base stats. It was so impressive, could he possibly nab the starting spot for next week? Who knows…
Gavin Cooper (94)
He came off in the 54th minute for a HIA due to a head clash (with the ground) and didn’t return to the field. He had done plenty of damage during his time already, as he scored a try, set up another, broke the line twice and assisted another line break, busted three tackles and offloaded once (pending updates). He only had 33 points in pure base stats which is actually not bad considering his time on ground. Cooper has now scored eight tries in his last eight games – which sees him with a three round average of 67 and a five round average of 68.4!
Of course, a special shout-out to the great JT himself with an impressive 92 points in his last home game.
The Bad
Clint Gutherson (19)
The days of Gutho being a SuperCoach gun seem so long ago! His base is down and he doesn’t look like the same player on the field – yet. Hopefully his strength improves over the offseason and he could become the player we know he can be!
Mitch Moses (14)
Yeah, he wasn’t great in this game. Three missed tackles, one kick dead, two errors and one penalty conceded explains the lower score, but even on the field he was hardly convincing and failed to get his team out of trouble when needed.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note, although aside from the Gavin Cooper HIA, Tepai Moeroa also spent time off the field for his HIA, which he passed.
Tigers v Sea Eagles (22-20)
Wests Tigers keep their slim finals chances alive as they remain in mathematical contention pending results from other clubs. All in all, a ninth-place finish (if that’s where they end up) is still a fabulous result given where expectations were at the start of the season. The Sea Eagles … well, they just can’t play for more than 50 or so minutes it seems. Their capitulation at the start of the second half was embarrassing before a late fightback made the score closer. And that last penalty goal … close, but no cigar. Still, it was a positive sign for the Sea Eagles that their million dollar man backed himself to try win the game for them.
Let’s look at the key performers.
The Good
Daly Cherry-Evans (114)
He’s been quietly outperforming Nathan Cleary over the past three weeks for his 10 per cent of owners since taking back the goalkicking. And he may make it four in a row pending whatever score Cleary dishes up against the Warriors. He scored two tries, broke the line twice, assisted two other line breaks, kicked three goals from four attempts (with his one miss being his 80th minute penalty goal attempt from 47m out, 1m in from touch!), busted seven tackles and scored 25 points in pure base stats. DCE had a strong game and the question is whether he can back it up next week against the Broncos.
Alex Twal (87)
He only played 39 minutes off the bench but what about his impact! He ran for over 200m in his 14 runs, as well as getting through a healthy amount of defensive work too. His pure base stats of 51 in limited minutes was incredible, plus throw in his try assist, line break, offload (yet to be updated) and six tackle busts and you’ve got an impressive score in limited minutes. Give the kid more game time next year!
The Bad
Brian Kelly (34)
He makes the list not so much for his SuperCoach score (it’s not great, but it’s okay) — more so due to the fact that it could have been much bigger if it wasn’t for his bombed attacking opportunities. His three errors could not have been more costly as it either cost his team points (Tigers scored on the ensuing set) or he bombed the try.
Benji Marshall (24)
As with much of this year, solid performance on the field that doesn’t deliver in the fantasy stakes. I wonder if he’ll go around for one more year …
The Ugly
No major injuries to note, although Russell Packer may be in strife with the judiciary (pending match review charges).