Winners and losers in SuperCoach NRL 2019 season draw
BYE planning is vital if you want to succeed at NRL SuperCoach and as always the season draw throws up some interesting wrinkles worth delving into.
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BYE planning is vital if you want to succeed at NRL SuperCoach and as always the season draw throws up some interesting wrinkles worth delving into.
As with the 2018 season, the NRL’s representative weekend sees each team receive just one bye with those byes split between rounds 12 and 16.
Players selected for Origin will not be available for their teams on those rounds.
The NRL’s representative weekend falls between rounds 14 and 15.
Here’s how the draw breaks down:
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Some quick takeaways:
* All Origin players miss the same number of games regardless of which club they play for;
* A selection premium should be given to non-bye/non-Origin players who play in round 12;
* While Origin/representative Test players from Tonga/New Zealand/Samoa and Fiji are available for selection in round 16, be aware that the Dragons and Storm play Thursday night that round and the Tigers, Roosters on Friday, so players from those teams are at a higher risk of missing that round.
So who are those players to target early?
Jason Taumalolo: The North Queensland behemoth had a slow start to the 2018 season (5RA of 50.8) but a strong finish (5RA of 78.2) so unfortunately you can expect him to once again start at a premium price. A 60/60 gun (he’s scored over 60 points in over 60% of games played for three years running) who has missed a total of just three games due to rest or injury in the past three seasons and plays the first bye — lock and load.
Daniel Alvaro: The Parramatta workhorse took his game to the next level in 2018 and was rewarded with the Ken Thornett Medal as the Eels player of the year. After averaging 46PPG in 2017, Alvaro moved into ‘keeper country’ in 2018 with a season average of 55PPG. A true base stat beast, Alvaro’s PPM of 1.2 in 2018 was identical to what he produced in 2017 despite averaging an extra nine minutes per game. This one is a bit of a judgment call, but if you expect Alvaro to play 45-55 MPG then get on board the A-Train.
Cody Walker: A playmaker available in the 60/60 club with five 80+ scores last year, Walker and his high-powered Rabbitohs offence are a team you want a piece of early. Origin selection must be some risk although I’d suggest there are a few in front of him at this stage. South Sydney have a tough first two games in Roosters and Dragons but then should put up plenty of points against their next three opposition in the Titans (Rd 3), Sea Eagles (Rd 4) and Warriors (Rd 5).
Stay tuned for heaps more analysis because there’s no off season for NRL SuperCoaches!