KFC SuperCoach NRL: Players set to bounce back in 2020
Everyone deserves a second chance, even NRL players who let you down in SuperCoach. These are the players who disappointed in 2019, but should not be written off in 2020.
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Everyone deserves a second chance, even players who hurt you in SuperCoach last year. While all SuperCoaches take some risks with their side, they don’t always pan out and as a result some players get written off the following year.
But sometimes taking a punt on a player who has bottomed out in price after a bad year can pay dividends. Someone like Mitchell Moses, who had a shocking 2018 with a SuperCoach average of just 41, came good again in 2019 improving his average to 62!
Maybe they were injured, maybe they lost you a lot of money, maybe they didn’t deliver on their big price tag or maybe they were just straight up bad. Whatever the reason, here are some players who let you down in 2019 but shouldn’t be written off for 2020.
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Andrew Fifita FRF $553,900
SuperCoaches who started with Fifita in 2019 would have been very disappointed with what they paid for, considering his starting price of $634,300. Not only did Fifita’s season average drop from 68 to 2018 to 60, but he also missed the Round 16 bye and further hurt those who stuck with him. The big reason for Fifita’s decline was a reduction in minutes, while he was also clearly struggling with injury for much of the season. Despite this, his average PPM actually increased year-on-year, so assuming he can get more minutes after Paul Gallen’s departure we should see Fifita improve, and he comes at a discount price now.
Jake Trbojevic 2RF $583,900
Like Fifita, Trbojevic was one of the most highly rated forwards heading into the season, costing SuperCoaches a whopping $667,600. But SuperCoaches would have been disappointed as his average dropped from 71 in 2018 to just 63 in 2019. Jurbo was actually still very consistent in 2019, with his average base of 58 points per game the second best in the league, it was just his attacking stats that saw a drop off.
With brother Tom missing much of the season, Jake wasn't able to combine with him as often and as a result had less tries, offloads, linebreaks and linebreak assists. Jake looks set to miss the opening few weeks of the competition as he returns from a shoulder reconstruction, but I’m expecting a big improvement in 2020 and he also comes at a discounted price.
James Roberts CTW $392,700
After a poor season at Brisbane in 2018, which saw his SuperCoach average drop from 60 to 46, the move to South Sydney looked like a good move Roberts and for SuperCoaches at his opening price of just $433,600. And while he looked impressive at times, Roberts was too inconsistent and left SuperCoaches wanting more. But in 2020, Roberts comes at an even greater discount and if, with a full season at Souths under his belt, if we can see Jimmy The Jet get back to his best then he is an absolute steal.
He has lost 8.5kgs this pre-season and has looked great playing for the Indigenous All Stars, with an impressive stat sheet.
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Anthony Milford 5/8 | FLB $476,000
Anthony Milford has been a shadow of his former self in recent seasons, with his 2017 average of 70 falling to just 50 in 2019 thanks to a decline in try assists, line break assists and offloads. Milford was at his best at the Broncos when he was playing alongside Ben Hunt, who acted as more of a game manager, allowing Milf to do his thing. Perhaps the signing of Brodie Croft will take an edge off, and allow Milford to run the ball more and play less structured football. He also picks up a unique dual-position status and also drops to the low price of just $476K.
Jesse Ramien CTW $422,000
2019 was a real sophomore slump for Jesse Ramien, with his Newcastle move nothing short of a disaster after falling out with coach Nathan Brown. Ramien saw very little ball on the Knight’s right edge and saw his average drop from 53 to 45 year-on-year. But with a return to the Sharks and a starting centre spot, Ramien could be an interesting option as he looks get more opportunity with the ball.
Waqa Blake CTW $386,000
Blake finished off 2018 with an absolute bang and looked to carry this momentum into 2019, but it just didn't work out under Ivan Cleary, with an average of just 35 at the Panthers. But after his move to Parramatta, Blake saw more involvement and his average jumped to 45, which still isn’t great but shows a big improvement. At a price under $400k, look for this POD option to continue his improvement in 2020.
Apisai Koroisau HOK $338,800
Api Koroisau is a popular choice for SuperCoaches going with a mid-range hooker as he looks to see more minutes in 2020 after moving back to the Penrith Panthers. With season averages of 52, 58 and 56 over 2016-18, Koroisau was an interesting POD option in 2019 at $528,300, but he averaged just 44 minutes (and 36PPG) and had his most inconsistent season to date. At the Panthers I think we can expect him to play upwards of 60 minute which would see his average jump to at least 48 based on his typical PPM around 0.8.
Esan Marsters CTW $482,900
Another CTW who looks likely to bounce back after a change of clubs, Marsters had a bad 2019 with a fall in base stats as well as seeing big drops in try assists, tackle breaks, offloads, and most importantly goal kicking. Marsters did score more tries, but it wasn't enough to do the damage. While it still looks like he wont kick goals at the Cowboys, I think Marsters will be able to be a bit more creative with the ball, as they lacked strike power out wide in 2019. But at his price I think it is still a pretty big risk, and I’d look to spend slightly more on a more consistent option.
Nathan Brown 2RF $551,700
Brown burned many SuperCoaches in 2019, tearing his pec in the first game of the season, and missing the next 11 games, but was actually very impressive when he did make it back, playing big minutes at an average of 63.3, with just two scores under 51. Many will be avoiding him because of his injury troubles, but he is deceptively underpriced and undervalued, given he will likely improve in 2020 if he can stay healthy.
Jack Bird CTW $449,800
With Jamayne Isaako looking lacklustre this pre-season, Jack Bird seems to have won the fullback position at the club. Bird suffered a devastating ACL injury in 2019, but was actually pretty good playing at centre with an average of 54. We’ve only seen Jack Bird start at fullback twice before and he was underwhelming, but the Broncos look like a team on the rise regardless so perhaps Bird can be a beneficiary of this.
Braidon Burns CTW $454,400
Braidon Burns was a very popular cheapie in 2019, and was very promising in limited games, with hamstring injuries keeping him to just nine games at a deceptive average of 49. If you take out these injury affected games his season average jumps from 49 to 60! With solid base and attacking upside he has a very safe floor and a high ceiling, so if he can keep this up over an entire season he would be very, very underpriced.
Aaron Woods FRF $450,400
With the departures of Paul Gallen and Matt Prior, woods is set to start, which could make him SuperCoach relevant again! When starting in the front row in the past, Aaron Woods has been very productive, averaging between 59 and 63 points when playing upwards of 55 minutes.
He will be competing for game time with the likes of Braden Uele and Jack Williams, but if Woods can average even 10 minutes more per game in 2020 he will definitely bounce back.
Corey Oates CTW $427,100
Was disappointing in games where he didn't score a try, and lost over $250k by the end of the season. But the addition of Brodie Croft is a huge win for the Broncos and will no doubt help lift the rest of the side if he delivers on his potential. If Croft can take pressure of Anthony Milford then Corey Oates is likely to be a big beneficiary in turn.
Josh Mansour CTW $416,700
Amazingly ‘The Sauce’ scored just one try in 2019 but had decent base stats, so with more tries he could be SuperCoach relevant. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say he can score at least five or six tries in 2020, and this alone would make him a far more valuable pick up.
Tyrone Peachey CTW|2RF $366,00 or Bryce Cartwright 2RF $397,500
Ugh this controversial pick is making me sick just writing it....but the injury to Ryan James has opened up a starting edge backrow spot at the Titans. I’m not prepared to fully back either of these guys, but if one of them can win the role and play big minutes they are definitely solid bounce back candidates.
Blake Fergusson CTW $505,700
The most expensive CTW in 2019 saw his average drop from 65 to 54 and missed seven games throughout the season. When he is at his best he is arguably the best CTW option in SuperCoach, so hopefully he can get his base stats back to 2018 levels and score some more tries in 2020.
BON VOYAGE
This is for players who I was previously backing to bounce back in 2020 but have since faded on heavily.
Jamayne Isaako CTW | FLB $420,000
After a breakout rookie season in 2018, Isaako came with a big $521,300 price tag in 2019 and with the goal kicking duties and 11 tries the year before looked worth the risk. However, Isaako scored just 4 tries and lost his kicking responsibilities at times, bottoming out over $200k down from his starting price at his lowest price. But with his expected move to fullback in 2020, we could see Isaako go to another level. Combine this with his low price and dual position and he could be a popular option for SuperCoaches. That being said, I would only consider him at CTW, with the FLB position stacked with better options.
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