SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 16
NELSON Asofa-Solomona was delayed in Denver but his return was better late than never for Melbourne. Former SuperCoach NRL champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round 16.
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- SuperCoach NRL: Wilfred Zee’s Fearless Predictions for round 16
- NRL Late Mail round 16: Team changes and club injury news
FORMER SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round 16.
Roosters v Storm (8–9)
This had the look of a real blockbuster but unfortunately, perhaps due to the representative period, it didn’t quite deliver. Sure, it was close, and tense, and defence was the winner at the end of the day, but it wasn’t that pretty to watch with really basic errors, penalties aplenty and just … not very smart football. In the end, it took a truly great player to stand up and take things into his own hands.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly of this game.
The Good
Nelson Asofa-Solomona (88)
NAS was a late returnee from the Denver Test, but he was crucial for the Storm already missing regular middle forwards in Jesse Bromwich, Dale Finucane and Sam Kasiano. Throw in the fact that Felise Kaufusi didn’t back up from Origin, and they needed all hands on deck. Well, he played 51 minutes (only the third time over 50 minutes this year), getting through 40 points in pure base stats of work, as well as scoring a try, breaking the line twice, busting five tackles and offloading once (pending updates). I expect him to be overtaken for top scorer in this game though …
Cameron Smith (70)
… by this man. Smith delivered the pass to NAS for his try so Smith will either gets a try assist and line break assist, or at the very least a last touch assist for his contribution to the try. Usually, though, engaging the markers by taking a few steps before throwing the ball in the path of a forward steaming towards a hole in the defensive line has consistently been rewarded with a try assist and the associated line break assist. Smith also made a massive 58 tackles (missing two), and five points in runs to notch 61 points in pure base stats. Throw in a tackle bust and two kicks from as many attempts and a field goal, and Smith put up an admirable captain’s knock for those who entrusted him with the orange armband this week.
The Bad
Cam Munster (13)
Some players are quiet the week after playing Origin, Munster wasn’t after Game 1 but he certainly was this week. He couldn’t even kick two field goals over … just not a great game. Unlucky for those who tried to grab him this week as a POD move.
Cooper Cronk (21)
He didn’t have his best game in his match-up against his old team. It’s almost like the Storm players knew what Cronk might do in advance …
The Ugly
Dylan Napa (28)
Napa only played 31 minutes before he left the field in obvious discomfort, with what appears to be suspected medial ligament damage.
Victor Radley was sinbinned. Jake Friend left the field a few minutes before halftime for HIA, which he passed. Fergo and Addo-Carr both received treatment and attention on the field but finished the game.
Warriors v Sharks (15–18)
This was an important game for both the Warriors and the Sharks, and it was entertaining for the most part. The Warriors started on fire, but soon became complacent and the Sharks, in truly Shark-like fashion, ground their way back into the contest. You can never write off a team like Cronulla and they stole the game at the death, albeit in controversial fashion due to the blatant forward pass. Still, some Sharks fans may say they deserved that one after being on the end of a similar call in an earlier game this year.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Isaiah Papalii (86)
Plenty expected a Warriors backrower to score well this week but who would have thought it would be Papalii instead of Tohu Harris? He has played 80 minutes for three games straight, and he is growing better and better each week. Papalii scored 61 points in pure base stats, an impressive stat for an edge backrower, and also had a try assist and line break assist, an effective offload and one held-up-in-goal tackle. Very impressive, and he could be around $420,000 next week, with dual-position status and most likely a negative break-even.
Edrick Lee (81)
He’s been the punchline to many a SuperCoach joke but “PODrick Lee” has been really good for the Sharks, even doing an admirable job filling in at fullback a few weeks ago. He scored two tries – including the matchwinner – both with line breaks, busted three tackles and got through 25 points in pure base stats. He’s not likely to be relevant since he’s not going to cover Round 17, and is too expensive now, but let’s appreciate the great man’s work for what it is!
The Bad
Blake Green (11)
Is it unfair of me to call him “Kieran Foran-like” in his impact on the field, but irrelevance off the field in SuperCoach-land? His game just isn’t remotely suitable for SuperCoach but we’ve seen with Cronk, DCE and now SJ how much he benefits his other playmaker.
Sione Katoa (19)
SuperCoaches were hoping to milk a little bit more cash out of Katoa but his job is done, having covered Round 13 and made maybe $80,000 or so for his owners. Unlucky for those forced to playing him this week due to the various late withdrawals this week!
The Ugly
Tohu Harris (51)
He limped to the sideline in the final minute and in worrying signs, was carried off the field with what is suspected to be an MCL injury. We await further updates on this one with bated breath!
Dragons v Eels (20-18)
The Eels looked like a different team as they gave the Dragons an almighty scare. Unfortunately for Eels fans, a few dumb decisions late ended up throwing the game away and the Dragons just somehow found a way to win. Still, on the bright side for the Eels, if they are able to play like they did tonight against a few other teams on the run home, they have a chance of dodging the wooden spoon for 2018!
Let’s look at the key performers.
The Good
Matt Dufty (97)
After a 62.7 point per game average for the first six rounds, Dufty has been disappointing with an average of just 38.6 points per game over the next eight weeks, with just one score over 45 in that time. A lot of his issue is a lack of base stats, given he is not exactly your high-workrate fullback. This game he scored two tries, broke the line once, assisted another line break, busted five tackles — but most impressively he scored 35 points in pure base stats. That’s comfortably his season high! Again, that stacked fullback position means it’s nigh impossible to have Dufty in your team for the run home.
Nathan Brown (80)
Brown is clearly the Eels’ best forward but he cannot seem to stay healthy this year. This week he still had to leave the field due to a suspected sternum injury, but managed to come back for the last 25 minutes, playing 59 minutes in total. He scored a try with a line break in the first half and busted two tackles but otherwise got through 51 points in pure base stats in his time on the field. One suspects that Brown was going to play the full 80 yet again, but he just needs to stop getting injured!
The Bad
Kurt Mann (21)
He played the whole game on the right wing but he was quiet, very quiet. In fact, Jason Nightingale managed to outscore him in just 15 minutes of game time.
Mitch Moses (21)
He kicked decently (forced three dropouts for 18 points) but he missed EIGHT tackles, conceded two penalties and made three errors. Talk about a mixed night!
The Ugly
No major injuries to note, although Blake Lawrie came off for a HIA and Paul Vaughan was placed on report for what appeared to be an attempted trip.