NRL Trial guide 2020: Fixtures, SuperCoach Players to watch
As SuperCoaches keep changing their teams with the season getting closer there are still some burning questions which may only be answered when we watch the 2020 trial games.
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After some scintillating footy at the NRL Nines, the pre-season trials are upon us and will hopefully answer some of the burning questions we have for KFC SuperCoach NRL.
NRL coaches may describe pre-season trial matches as a necessary evil, but for SuperCoaches it helps give us greater clarity about which players we can lock into our teams.
While we can try and predict Round 1 team lists, it’s not until trials when we can expect to really see how each team will likely line up for the start of the NRL season. More importantly, we will likely see which positional battles and which potential SuperCoach cheapies get a start.
Check out our full NRL trial schedule list, the players to watch and what we hope to learn from the pre-season.
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BRONCOS
Trials: Feb. 15 v Central Queensland Capras at Rockhampton, Feb. 21 v Wynnum-Manly Seagulls at Barlow, Feb. 22 v Cowboys at Cairns, Feb. 29 v Titans at Redcliffe
The Broncos will be the only team to play more than two trial matches this pre-season, with four in total and strangely two on the same weekend.
Perhaps Anthony Seibold would like to see his side get off to a much better start to the season this year 2020, after losing 5 of their first 6 in 2019.
With one trial under their belt already, we got to see some first graders get decent minutes, with Jack Bird starting at fullback, Darius Boyd at centre and Andrew McCullough impressing at hooker.
The Broncos are one of the teams with potentially the variance/most spots up for grabs in 2020. While Brodie Croft is locked in to start at halfback, the rest of the spine and backline is not as settled.
The trials will hopefully confirm if Jamayne Isaako or Jack Bird will shift to fullback, and whether Jake Turpin or Andrew McCullough starts at hooker.
BULLDOGS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Sharks at Port Moresby; Feb. 29 v Raiders at Port Macquarie
The Bulldogs will be on the road for their trials this pre-season, first travelling to PNG where they will play against the Sharks at Port Moresby, before heading to the bush to take on the Raiders in Port Macquarie.
The Bulldogs squad seems fairly settled, and outside of their hooker situation, there aren’t really any contentious positions. Jeremy Marshall-King was decent for the Dogs when starting at hooker last year, but was far from convincing and could yet miss out on the No.9 jersey to Panthers recruit Sione Katoa.
While neither seem likely to be SuperCoach standouts in 2020, if the trials reveal one seems likely to play 50+ minutes they could be a risky left-field option for SuperCoaches.
There also seem to be some backline spots up for grabs at centre and a wing spot, with a number of players vying for positions. Jayden Okunbor was a SuperCoach beast in his rookie year and could be someone to consider if he gets a wing spot again.
COWBOYS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Broncos at Cairns, Feb. 29 v Storm at Casey
The Cowboys will also be on the road for their trial matches, taking on Broncos up the coast at Cairns before heading down south to play Storm in Casey, Victoria in a festival of rugby league.
North Queensland have a number of positions up for grabs which may just come down to the trials to have the final say. The biggest battle is between Scott Drinkwater and Jake Clifford for the starting five-eighth spot, while hooker Jake Granville is also under pressure from new recruit Reece Robson, who could be an interesting option if he earns big minutes in the trials.
Drinkwater was the player of the tournament at the NRL Nines and seems to have a hold on the number six jersey for now. The departures of Matt Scott and Scott Bolton does also open up some doors for a FRF cheapie, so Francis Molo is one to keep an eye on if he can manage some decent minutes.
DRAGONS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Knights at Maitland, Feb. 29 v Rabbitohs in Mudgee
The Dragons will be looking to build some momentum for the season ahead in their trial matches, but after losing several players to injury at the nines they could opt to play it pretty safe and may not risk their stars.
First they will take on the Knights in Maitland, before heading to Mudgee to try and win back the Charity Shield from the Rabbitohs, having not won the fixture since 2012.
There will be a fair bit to look for in the Dragons trial matches, with some variance which could have SuperCoach implications. The biggest thing to look for will be who plays at hooker with Cameron McInnes injured: Isaac Luke or Joe Lovodua.
Trent Merrin has also been SuperCoach relevant in the past, and it will be interesting to see if he can get a starting spot in his return to the club. And there is a potential cheapie battle on the wing, with Tristan Sailor and Jason Saab looking to use the trials the cement their spot in the team. Saab seems to be in the lead at the moment, but Sailor was the more impressive at the NRL Nines.
Josh Kerr was also a revelation at the Nines with the prop scoring three tries throughout the tournament. If he can impress enough to earn more minutes he could have a lot of attacking upside for SuperCoaches.
EELS
Trials: Feb. 29 v Panthers in Penrith
Just the one trial match for the Parramatta Eels against the Panthers in Bega before the season kicks off, so we can probably expect to get a pretty good indication of what their starting team will look like.
Unfortunately for SuperCoaches, the Eels starting 17 seems locked and loaded for Round 1 barring injury, so here we will be looking to see standout performances for players vying for a bench spots, like Stefano Utoikamanu.
KNIGHTS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Dragons at Maitland, Feb. 29 v Roosters in Gosford
Newcastle will likely be testing a potential new halves pairing in their trials when they take on the Dragons and Roosters, Mason Lino and Kurt Mann righting for a starting spot. Eyes will also be on the outside backs, with several spots up for grabs and possible cheapies in Bradman Best and Gehamet Shibasaki looking likely to start.
SuperCoaches will also be looking to see if Kalyn Ponga kicks goals during trials, as he may not be worth sticking with at his $634,000 price without the kicking duties.
PANTHERS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Wests Tigers in Penrith, Feb. 29 v Panthers in Penrith
The Panthers will stay in Penrith for their first trial against the Tigers in a battle of the west, before heading down to cost to play the Eels in Bega. While their side does look fairly settled ahead of Round 1, all eyes will be on the five-eighth position during the trials, with potential cheapies Jarome Luai and Matt Burton set to fight it out for the starting spot.
Luai seems the favourite after looking more impressive at the NRL Nines, but Burton was solid in his 2019 debut so cant be discounted.
RABBITOHS
Trials: Feb. 29 v Dragons in Mudgee
The Charity Shield will be Souths only trial match of the pre-season, so again it should be very telling for how they will line-up for Round 1 pending injuries.
Latrell Mitchell is the biggest player to watch for the Rabbitohs this season, with SuperCoaches looking to if he gets any time at fullback, and if he kicks goals.
While the Bunnies lost Sam Burgess and John Sutton, their team also seems fairly straight forward, with Jaydn Su’A a likely replacement who could be worth a look for SuperCoaches if they can show they can play big minutes on an edge.
RAIDERS
Trials: Feb. 29 v Bulldogs at Port Macquarie
The grand final runners-up are another team playing just one trial match before the NRL season, taking on the Bulldogs in Port Macquarie.
George Williams would have been the player to watch but has unfortunately picked up a quad injury and seems unlikely to play. All eyes will instead be on how the backline lines up after the loss of Joey Leilua, while Curtis Scott remains in some doubt. A rookie like Harley Smith-Shields could get a nod over the likes of Michael Oldfield if he impresses in the trials.
ROOSTERS
Trials: Feb. 22 v St Helens in St Helens, Feb. 29 v Knights in Gosford
The back-to-back premiers will be taking on St Helens for the World Club Challenge for their first ‘trial match’ at the best named ground in existence, Totally Wicked Stadium, before heading back to the Central Coast for a second trial against the Knights.
The WCC should give us the best indication of how the Roosters will line-up for Round 1 as they’ll likely field a near full-strength team as they aim to go back-to-back for the championship.
Billy Smith looked set to be a replacement for Latrell Mitchell but his season was cut short by a devastating ACL injury. Now all eyes will be on how the backline works out, with Brett Morris, Mitch Aubusson, Matt Ikulavlu and Ryan Hall all in contention. I will also be looking to see how many minutes are split between Jake Friend and Sam Verills, with either realistically needing to play at least 50+ minutes to be somewhat SuperCoach relevant.
SEA EAGLES
Trials: March 1 v Sharks in Kogarah
The last of the teams playing just one trial match this pre-season, Manly will take on the Sharks just a week before the start of the 2020 NRL season. Like most teams playing just one trial, Manly’s best 17 seems very much locked in, but will likely be understrength to start the season.
With Manase Fainu out, Danny Levi looks set to start at hooker but there is a bench utility spot up for grabs with Lachlan Croker and or Cade Cust likely battling it out. With several injuries to the forward pack, SuperCoaches will be looking at someone like Tony Williams, Corey Waddell, Haumole Olakau’atu or Sean Keppie to step up and either start or nab a bench spot.
SHARKS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Bulldogs in Port Moresby, March 1 v Sea Eagles in Kogara
As mentioned earlier, the Sharks will head to PNG this pre-season to take on the Dogs before hosting Manly, and similarly Cronulla’s side looks fairly settled. The key player to watch in the trials will be hooker Blayke Brailey, who looms as the potential cheapie of the year if he can manage big minutes. If Cameron King manages to get big minutes in the trials it could make Brailey a bit more of a risky pick.
The other player to watch here is Paul Gallen’s likely replacement at 13, Jack Williams, who averaged 43 points and 37 minutes in 2019 while playing off the bench in all but one game. If he gets more minutes this year, he could be an interesting option at $397,200.
STORM
Trials: Feb. 22 v Warriors in Palmerston North, Feb. 29 v Cowboys in Casey
The ever reliable Storm will take on two underperforming teams of 2019 these trials, with matches against Warriors and Cowboys. Unfortunately for SuperCoaches, the Storm look very settled and where there is opportunity the options are still expensive. One player to keep an eye on in the trial is Marion Seve, who looks set to win a start in the centres following the departures of Will Chambers and Curtis Scott. We will also see if Cameron Smith looks to spend any time during games at halfback as rumoured, which may have some impact on his SuperCoach output.
TITANS
Trials: Feb. 21 v Burleigh in Burleigh, Feb. 29 v Broncos in Redcliffe
The Titans will look to gets their pre-season off with an elusive win when they take on the Burleigh Bears with their first trial, before tackling big brothers the Broncos with their second.
Halfback Ash Taylor will be one to watch, after only playing 10 games in 2019, he finds himself priced at $329,000, a bargain if he can finally play to his potential. He was on fire at the NRL Nines, helping to guide the Titans to the semi-finals. The injury to Ryan James likely opens up a second row spot, which looks likely to go to Tyrone Peachey after making the Nines team of the tournament. There are also some backline spots up for grabs, with SuperCoaches looking for Greg Leleisiuao to impress.
WARRIORS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Storm in Palmerston North, Feb. 29 v Wests Tigers in Rotorua
The Warriors won’t be leaving New Zealand’s North Island this pre-season with games against Storm and Tigers in Palmerston North and Rotorua. With the departure of Isaac Luke and injuries to Karl Lawton, Jazz Tevaga and Nathaniel Roache, we could see a bit of a spine reshuffle. We could see Wayde Egan or Kodi Nikorima spend some time there, which could open a door for Channel Harris-Tavita to get a start at halfback. How they line-up in the trials could give SuperCoaches some clarity, unfortunately most of these players are awkwardly priced and might not be popular options.
WESTS TIGERS
Trials: Feb. 22 v Panthers in Penrith, Feb. 29 v Warriors in Rotorua
The Wests Tigers look to be one of the teams with potentially the most variance ahead of Round 1, so their trial matches against the Panthers and Warriors will be key for SuperCoaches. The back-row and outside back depth at the club is strong and they will all be up against each other, with potential cheapie Tommy Talau and Luciana Leilua ones to watch. The hooker position looks like the club’s biggest dilemma following the retirement of Robbie Farah and Jacob Liddle’s injury, but the trials should show whether Josh Reynolds or Moses Mbye start at hooker.
FULL PRE-SEASON TRIAL SCHEDULE
February 21: Titans v Burleigh, Burleigh, 7pm
February 21: Broncos v Wynnum, Wynnum Juniors, 7pm
February 22: All Stars - Indigenous v NZ Maori, Cbus Super Stadium, 7pm
February 22: Knights v Dragons, Maitland, 5.30pm
February 22: Cowboys v Broncos, Cairns, 7pm
February 22: Sharks v Bulldogs, Port Moresby, 5pm
February 22: Warriors v Storm, Palmerston North, 5pm
February 22: Panthers v Wests Tigers, Penrith, 7pm
February 22: St Helens v Roosters, Totally Wicked Stadium, 7.45pm
February 29: Panthers v Eels, Panthers Stadium, 7pm
February 29: Broncos v Titans, Redcliffe, 7pm
February 29: Storm v Cowboys, Casey Fields, 5.30pm
February 29: Roosters v Knights, Central Coast Stadium, 7pm
February 29: Bulldogs v Raiders, Port Macquarie, 7pm
February 29: Rabbitohs v Dragons, Charity Shield, Mudgee, 7pm
March 1: Warriors v Wests Tigers, Rotorua, 2pm
March 1: Sharks v Sea Eagles, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, 7pm
CHECK OUT MORE EXPERT KFC SUPERCOACH NRL ANALYSIS