NRL SuperCoach: 10 things we learned from round 22

SUPERCOACHES have a hard decision to make on a clearly injured Sam Burgess, while Mitchell Moses and Ben Hunt emerged as ‘Super PODS’.

Sam Burgess sent for 10 in the bin.

SUPERCOACHES have a tough call to make on a struggling Sam Burgess, while Mitchell Moses and Ben Hunt emerged as ‘Super PODS’.

1/ Mitchell Moses (110) is on fire for the Eels and has now hit triple figures for the second week in succession. He is spearheading the Parramatta attack setting up five tries in the past two rounds and is also kicking goals, which makes him one hell of a POD for the run home considering he plays three of his last four at ANZ Stadium against the Knights, Titans, Broncos (a) and the Rabbitohs. As mentioned in last week’s POD Watch, he finished 2016 with an eight-game average of 76 and if history repeats, he could be a steal for around $390,000 this week.

Mitchell Moses has hit form for the Eels.

2/ It may have taken three years in first grade, but there is no question Nathan Brown (73) will be a household name within SuperCoach circles for years to come at the rate he is going in 2017. Brown was the sixth most traded-in player this week and he gave over a quarter of the SuperCoach population heart palpitations when he left the field after just a few minutes for an HIA. However, he has shown over the years he is as tough as nails and he returned to score his points with a PPM of 1.2 during his 61 minutes. Those looking to bring him in should take into account that he has left the field twice in as many weeks for HIAs but only one score under 70 in his past eight games for an eight-game average of 76 may be too hard to pass up. If he holds onto this score he will be valued at just over $475,000.

3/ Over 65,000 Sam Burgess owners have some pretty big decisions to make when head-to-head finals kick off this weekend. Burgess continues to be plagued by a rib cartilage injury that saw him only play 44 minutes in round 21 for 42 points before knocking out 71 minutes this round for a score of 47 to now sit with an unheard of three-game average of 50 considering the pedigree of the man. SuperCoach Gold tells us he has amazingly not scored below 50 in consecutive games since 2012 and many coaches season’s will be decided on the decision of whether to persist with him or cut him loose for around $405,000 this week.

Sam Burgess is struggling with a rib issue.

4/ Jack De Belin (69) has seen an increase in minutes post-Origin and non-owners looking to strengthen their forward pack for SuperCoach finals with a dual positioned FRF/2RF could so for just over $440,000 this week. Until round 19, JDB had only played over 70 minutes once but over the last four games he has played 80, 75, 76 and 71 minutes for a four-game average of 73. JDB has scored his points with an economical PPM of 1 throughout 2017 so if these big minutes continue, the stats show that he will be a reliable scorer for the final four rounds.

5/ Billy Slater (88) is an absolute must-have for the run home should non-owners have trades or the cash to make it happen. His ability to rack up major attacking stats has been second to none especially in his last five games where has scored three tries as well as notching eight try assists and a last touch stat. His price will stay relatively the same at around $525,000 because he came into the round with a breakeven of 83 but SuperCoaches will find it hard to look past ‘Billy The Kid’ for a run home that will see him play the Roosters (h), Knights (a), Rabbitohs (h) and the Raiders (h).

6/ Is Ben Hunt a ‘Super POD’ at hooker or will bringing him in be a classic case of chasing last week’s points? Hunt was the OTEN top performer of the week with 135 points and even though owners can’t expect three tries, two try assists and a last touch every week, he looked extremely dangerous when he came off the bench at hooker. Apart from his round 21 score of 26, he notched decent scores of 72, 53, 66 and 98 from rounds 16 to 20 and with less than two per cent ownership, he could be a great option for around $405,000 with the Broncos playing their next three at home.

7/ Josh Papalii (67) came back refreshed after serving his suspension and even though his score was boosted with a try that included a line break, he also spent 10 minutes in the sin bin which ruined his chances of a triple figured score. SuperCoaches who have seen the Raiders’ past few games will tell you they have been sending most of their attack down the left side and Papalii could be well amongst the major attacking stats in the oncoming weeks against the Warriors (a), Panthers (h) and the Knights (h). He will come with a price tag just under $415,000 this week.

8/ Dylan Edwards (81) came into over a third of SuperCoach sides as a cheapie mid-season and even though after this week he will have made over $200,000 on his starting price, the 31 per cent who still own him will have no plans to sell him, instead giving him a start in their 17 for the run home if they have not been doing so already. Edwards has looked very comfortable at the back for the Panthers scoring a try and setting up another two in his past three games for a three-game average of 66. In the coming weeks he will come up against the Cowboys, who he scored 54 against in round 16, the Raiders, who he scored 97 against in round 14, and the Dragons.

9/ With head-to-head finals kicking off this weekend, nailing your captain could be the difference between taking down your leagues for a full year of bragging rights or having Mad Monday much earlier than expected. Tom Trbojevic (115) cracked the ton for the fourth time this season and the 1.9 per cent who captained him against the Roosters excelled in a week where many of the popular captain choices tanked. Turbo’s next three opponents will be the Tigers, Bulldogs and Warriors who he has already racked up scores of 131, 78 and 98 against this season. As well as this, he is currently running with four and six-game averages of 88 and 87 which is enough to warrant giving him the orange square for the remainder of the season.

10/ Similar to Trbojevic, team mate Daly Cherry-Evans (14.6 per cent ownership) also tore it up in his games against the Tigers, Bulldogs and Warriors this season with scores of 83, 109 and 95. Even though he scored 86 against the Roosters, DCE’s price will drop to around $390,000 after posting scores of 32 and 21 in rounds 20 and 21 and a try and eight try assists in his last seven games suggest that he may be a goer at HFB as the Sea Eagles try to cement themselves in the top eight.