NRL SuperCoach 2017: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from round 1
HE’S back! Former SuperCoach NRL champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round One including the guns that fired, a big one who didn’t and a boom debut.
SuperCoach
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperCoach. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- SuperCoach NRL: Wilfred Zee’s fearless predictions for Round One
- UPDATED: Former SuperCoach champion Wilfred Zee reveals team
HE’S back! Former champion Wilfred Zee looks at the SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — good, bad and ugly of Round One.
Titans v Raiders (30 – 28)
The final game of the round gave us one last little twist. Seriously, when it was 24 – 6 in favour of the Raiders by the time it was just on 26 minutes played, for it to finish 30 – 28 in favour of the Titans is a massive upset.
Full credit to the (Titans) boys for toughing it out, refusing to give in; to be fair though, this was more a case of the Raiders losing the game than the other way around.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Elliott Whitehead (74)
As you’d expect, Whitehead’s shift into the lock position saw an increase in his base stats.
He notched 39 tackles (one missed) and 14 points in hit-ups.
Then he nabbed an intercept (+5 points!) and scored a try. No fluff in that stat sheet, just straight up hard work and taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him. It’s worth noting though that after Tapine went off the field due to injury, there was a reshuffle between Whitehead and Soliola so keep an eye on what Ricky Stuart does this week while Tapine is injured.
Kevin Proctor (74)
Proctor played well in this game, showing signs of his form which has largely been absent since his Storm days.
Well, he may also have brought some of his other form from the Storm this week too, if you asked Jordan Rapana. Proctor scored a try with a linebreak but he also put made plenty of runs, scoring 45 points in pure base stats.
Add a tackle bust and three offloads (yet to be updated) and he may even break 80 points on review. Now to see him keep this up would be good for him, and also the Titans.
The Bad
Anthony Don (9)
He was at risk of missing this game and it’s safe to say that maybe he should have, as he clearly wasn’t at 100% pace and mobility.
Not that the Raiders really took advantage of it, given Croker and Cotric not getting much opportunity with the ball.
Not much to see here though, not much at all…
Leilani Latu (28)
He played just 40 minutes, well short of the expected 50 he was meant to get, and in fact got less minutes than Jai Arrow.
I didn’t see this myself but apparently Latu might be missing a linebreak assist? I’ll take any points at this stage! Still, minutes and workrate are both worries, and he may need to be written off as a failed midrange/cheapie option. He gets one more week for mine…
The Ugly
Joseph Tapine (44)
Up until he went off in the 45 th minute, Tapine had been having a great impact on the right edge.
He’s got a suspected broken finger which could see him sidelined for two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the fracture.
He’s certainly an interesting prospect once he returns though. Worth putting on the watchlist for later in the season!
Jarrod Croker (22)
I’ve put him here because he did spend 15 minutes off the field for a HIA assessment.
I guess the headgear didn’t quite help there. Still, was he really on the field for much of the game? Two runs, 15 tackles (with four missed tackles), a tackle bust, two errors... Kicked three goals from four attempts and somehow, he’s still on 22? Yikes!
It’s worth nothing that BJ Leilua also spent time off the field for a HIA assessment, but he managed to score a try to put up a decent score.
Rapana is also missing some points (should at least get a last touch assist for BJ’s try) so nervous owners are crossing their fingers at this point!
Panthers v Eels (24 – 14)
The western Sydney derby was somewhat of a seesawing affair, with the Eels absolutely on top before the Panthers managed to claw their way back into the game.
The injection of Viliame Kikau in the 28 th minute proved to be pivotal, as the Panthers scored shortly after his interchange. In fact, the Panthers scored 22 of their 24 points (i.e. all but one penalty goal) while Kikau was on the field – surely that’s a positive sign for his job security, right?!
In fact, he only played 35 minutes before coming off with what appeared to be some sort of injury, and scored a try (with linebreak), broke the line another time, assisted another linebreak with an offload, and busted five tackles.
Very impressive game for sure, helping the Panthers to a sneaky upset of the more-fancied Eels.
A few surprisers in the key performers, let’s have a closer look.
The Good
Josh Hoffman (91)
Hoffman was probably not the player you expected to take out Perfect 8 honours out of the line-ups of extremely SuperCoach relevant players.
His two-try effort most probably ensures that Perfect 8 jackpots yet again.
Two linebreaks as well, and nine tackle busts, tops up 21 points in pure base stats. I wouldn’t get too excited about Hoffman though as he has limited job security, although he most likely sticks around until Gutho returns in “round 8ish” apparently.
Viliame Kikau (90)
I already showed him love above, but he deserves his spot in this list. Ok, the boring stuff – 31 points in pure base stats from his 35 minutes. Solid! The exciting stuff, a try, a linebreak, a linebreak assist, five tackle busts, one effective offload – filled out that stat sheet.
More impressively, no missed tackles, no errors and no penalties. The concern was that he may have been in line for more minutes – but for a suspected injury (some reports that he was pointing to a pec).
The Bad
James Maloney (7)
That’s not a typo, he really did just score 7 points in 80 minutes of football. I mean, I expected a drop in his average when he confirmed he would give up the goalkicking to Nathan Cleary, but this is a bit more of a drop than I expected! I still remember fondly the days of Maloney’s 60+ averages, and his glorious score of 181…
Bevan French (19)
15 points in hit-ups, five tackles (three missed) and one single solitary tackle bust. He’s never been a great worker and this score typically represents what you may get when he misses out on attacking stats. Yuck.
The Ugly
Mitch Moses (34)
No injuries here, but 15 minutes off for a HIA assessment (which he obviously passed) and then another 10 minutes in the sinbin didn’t help Moses’ cause.
All things considered, a better score than you might usually expect for someone who only played 55 minutes and lost 10 points for the sinbinning and penalty!
Bulldogs v Storm (18 – 36)
The second game of the double-header wasn’t quite as exciting as the first, but for SuperCoaches it provided the excitement of the first 100+ score of the season. The Storm weren’t as clinical as you’d expect from last year, but the scary thing is that there’s a whole season of improvement ahead of them. There were also positive signs for the new-look Bulldogs. I’ll be watching their progression with interest.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Cameron Munster (105)
Cam Munster, take a bow. Personally, I can’t wait until Munster is the full-time custodian for the Storm – he’ll be the first picked in my team once that happens. He was everywhere on the field; three try assists, two linebreaks, a linebreak assist, a tackle bust and 39 points in pure base stats is testament to that. If Slater was to have any extended time off this season, Munster is a must-have.
Raymond Faitala-Mariner (78)
A mid-range forward option that was one of our reigning SuperCoach overall champion’s choices, ‘RFM’ kicked off 2018 with a bang, scoring a try (with a linebreak). He also notched up two effective offloads, four tackle busts and 35 points in pure base stats. Most importantly however, is the number 80 – the number of minutes he played. If he repeats that, he is very hard to say no to, given his obvious attacking upside. I’ll be watching RFM with interest again next week.
The Bad
Marcelo Montoya (11)
Montoya didn’t have a happy time against the Storm, making four errors and being thoroughly contained. I would back him to bounce back again next week, as long as he gets another chance.
Brodie Croft (23)
This is officially the lowest score of his SuperCoach career. It’s not entirely surprising that a halfback as young as Croft could have an off night. He missed six tackles and made two errors, which certainly impacted his score. The promising thing is that the still made plenty of runs, eight in fact, which shows his willingness to put his body on the line.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Rabbitohs v Warriors (20 – 32)
That the Warriors winning in Perth isn’t the biggest upset of this round so far says a lot about what’s been going on – but it’s been great to see all the same. The Warriors will be glad to shake their recent hoodoo in Perth, and they also looked like the Warriors of old. Positive signs for the season ahead.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this game.
The Good
Shaun Johnson (86)
It’s been a long time since SJ has started at such low ownership, but 16 per cent of SuperCoaches are laughing after such a great start from SJ. Two try assists, two linebreaks, five tackle busts and 22 points in base stats caps a strong first performance. The downside was his four goals from seven attempts, ruining what could have actually been a 100+ performance – but I’m sure owners aren’t complaining!
Richie Kennar (83)
Kennar was a popular CTW cheapie pick – even though he started almost $80,000 above base price. Slim pickings this year, but nonetheless he took advantage of a relatively kind opening draw for the Rabbitohs with a two-try effort to hopefully solidify his spot in the team. He had two linebreaks to go with the tries, four tackle busts and 21 points in pure base stats. All in all, not a bad performance from the young winger. Hopefully he makes some nice coin for all of us…
The Bad
Greg Inglis (33)
It was quite a high-scoring SuperCoach game so GI’s score of 33, all in base and base attack (bar one last touch assist), is not horrible – but for the price you paid for him, it certainly isn’t ideal. SuperCoaches would be hoping that he can start getting more involved in attack.
Cam Murray (21)
Coming off the bench was never going to bode well for Murray, but he only got 28 minutes. SuperCoaches will be hoping that he can build into the season, maybe after he drops a little bit of coin first!
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Tigers v Roosters (10 – 8)
It’s been a frustrating round of footy so far, with some quality games mixed in with some bludgers. I guess as some teams are slow starters and take a little bit of time to get into gear. In the meantime, we get some lesser quality showings from some teams and you get surprises like an unexpectedly gritty display from the Tigers. You couldn’t be happier for Tigers fans, who may have made the trek to ANZ Stadium with some trepidation given the star-studded roster of players from the opposition. However, they were rewarded for their faithful support with a potentially season-defining win over one of the premiership heavyweights. Roosters fans
The Good
Corey Thompson (97)
All the buzz was how he had unseated Lolohea at fullback due to his strong performances in the preseason and the trials, but due to injuries and players being dropped to reserve grade, Thompson found himself on the right wing and Lolohea back at fullback – and didn’t Thompson make the most of it. Scoring the matchwinning try with an impressive dive for the corner, Thompson also broke the line twice, busted seven tackles, made three effective offloads and also scored 34 points in pure base stats. Solid work from Thompson!
Blake Ferguson (89)
No matter what criticism might be aimed at the Roosters, Fergo cannot be faulted for effort, racking up 38 points in hit-ups alone. He made 21 runs, scoring the Roosters’ sole try, notching three line breaks and busting three tackles along the way. If he continues making these types of efforts week after week, he would be very difficult to ignore in your CTW position!
The Bad
James Tedesco (27)
Because he’s so good, sometimes it’s easy to forget that Teddy is still young, and growing as a person and a footballer. Being booed by fans that used to worship the ground he walked on clearly got to him, and he put in a poor club debut for the Roosters. He made plenty of runs still but didn’t cover anywhere near as much ground as he would usually. Hopefully he shakes this one off as a bad performance and only improves from here.
Luke Brooks (14)
He was the one of the “big 4” that the Tigers managed to keep, but he wasn’t the matchwinner. Not only that, he managed to get himself sinbinned for a professional foul. He made some good contributions on the field at times, including catching a flying Ferguson (still only counts as one point, no matter how far you had to run to make the tackle!) and a nifty kick force a dropout, but it was the Benji Marshall show for the main part and Brooks was left to play second fiddle.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Cowboys v Sharks (20—14)
JT’s 300th game rightfully ended up in a win for him and the Cowboys. He didn’t play too badly himself, and actually could have had a much better night overall if he could kick properly (missed some goalkicks that he would usually knock over with his eyes closed, and kicked a ball out on the full), and he didn’t have Te Maire Martin drop a try assist and line break assist. Nonetheless, it was good to see him playing again, and the signs are positive for a big year from him, and the rest of the Cowboys.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good
Jason Taumalolo (69)
Surprisingly, he was relatively well contained by the Sharks, making far less metres than he usually does. From a SuperCoach perspective, though, he still beasted through 59 points in pure base stats, as well as six tackle busts and an offload (pending updates). Of particular note is that he only played 53 minutes — which is a slightly concerning number for owners. Of course, if he’s this much of a workhorse in limited minutes, then it doesn’t really matter … but it’s a little concerning.
Coen Hess (69)
Is there a more effective bench forward in the NRL right now? It just feels like he comes off the bench and scores a try every second week. In fact, last year he scored nine tries from 19 games where he came off the bench — that’s an incredible strike rate. Well, make that 10 tries from his past 20 games coming off the bench, as he ran on to a clever Jake Granville pass and bulldozed his way over the line. What’s interesting is that he came on in the 25th minute and stayed on for the rest of the game. He also got through 42 points in pure base stats, and three tackle busts, in his time on ground.
The Bad
Paul Gallen (42)
Only played 46 minutes, after a sudden pre-game switch to the bench. It was certainly a surprise, and not a good result for SuperCoaches. Has there been an undisclosed injury? I honestly don’t know, but this is something to think about for owners. Maybe another one for the watchlist this week — just don’t captain him next round!
Sosaia Feki (8)
This is somewhat surprising to me, as Feki has never really shirked his responsibilities in making runs out of his own end. He made 10 runs still, most were under 8m. Also made three errors which hurts.
Javid Bowen (12)
Another surprising entry, given Bowen has historically been a hard worker in the centres, making plenty of runs and tackles. Maybe it was just a bad game …
The Ugly
Sione Katoa (6)
Came off in the 51st minute after suffering a suspected broken jaw. Ouch. Not good for our SuperCoach teams too … hopefully you left him on the bench — unlike me!
Knights v Sea Eagles (19—18)
And it took all of two games in 2018 before we saw the first golden-point finish. It’s worth noting that there were eight minutes of extra time, which would obviously inflate some of the key stats like everyone’s pure base stats (if they were on the field) as well as their minutes played. How good it was for the Knights to start 2018 so brightly. There were also some question marks about how Trent Barrett decided to use his bench, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on what happens there.
There were a number of eye-catching performances in this game so let’s look at some of the key performers and flops.
The Good
Kalyn Ponga (83 or 86)
So, the reason for the confusion in scores just above there is that I don’t believe the new stat for “hold attacking player up in-goal” has been credited to young Kalyn (or any other player in fact) — which is worth an important three points. In any case, what a club debut for Ponga, scoring a try (with a line break) within the first four minutes of the game. Throw in a perfect 3/3 off the tee, a massive eight tackle busts and a solid 28 points in pure base — all without any errors, penalties or missed tackles — and you’ve got close to a perfect game from the future superstar. Also #FullbackWatch — Ponga 1, tommy Turbo 0!
Slade Griffin (78)
Another club debutant, Griffin certainly did his job security no harm as he put in a strong performance as starting hooker. Firstly, he played the first 56 minutes straight, and then he was brought back on with five minutes of regulation time to go and soldiered through another 13 minutes with the extra time. Obviously Slade nabbed himself a sneaky little line break and try, but what is more impressive and noteworthy were his 40 tackles (two misses), five runs, two tackle busts and one offload (yet to be updated). If he was to continue getting around 55 to 60 minutes each week, he is a worthy consideration for not just your back-up hooker spot, but even a bench 2RF spot, as he can knock out a safe 45 or so points each week as he makes you some money.
The Bad
Jamie Buhrer (21)
Touted as a preseason POD, Buhrer’s relegation to the bench, and the fact that he only played 34 minutes, is a bad result for his one per cent of owners. Until he gets decent minutes he’s a SuperCoach non-factor, especially since he’s not even going to impact the minutes at hooker given Griffin and Watson’s role at the moment.
Curtis Sironen (34)
Sironen played 87 minutes, and was curiously taken off in the 87th minute and replaced by Frank Winterstein — one minute before Mitchell Pearce kicked the winning field goal. What gives, Trent Barrett? In any case, 34 points in 87 minutes from an edge backrower is disgusting reading.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note.
Dragons v Broncos (34—12)
I’m not even sad my Broncos got belted … or that my guy Milford flopped … the footy’s back!
Both teams looked poor early on, but it was the Dragons who clicked into gear, eventually running away with the game. There were several good performances so let’s look at some of the key performers and flops.
The Good
Gareth Widdop (111)
I was a doubter, but gosh he sure showed me. Widdop looked so comfortable as he sat back and let Ben Hunt control the game and picked his moments perfectly. The Dragons pivot laid on two tries, assisted three line breaks, forced a dropout and made an offload (yet to be updated). As always, he only had 14 points in pure base stats but he kicked an impressive seven goals from eight attempts to prop up his score nicely.
James Roberts (80)
One of the Broncos’ best, Jimmy the Jet showed what he can do when given half an opportunity, creating space just by running rings around the slower but more powerful Tim Lafai. A brilliant (or maybe fortunate) piece of improvisation from Jamayne Isaako playing off the opportunity initially created by Jimmy’s run around Lafai, followed by a perfectly-timed run off a Darius Boyd short ball, saw Roberts score his two tries accompanied by two line breaks. Otherwise his other points came from five tackle busts and just 16 points in pure base stats, which was slightly concerning.
The Bad
Anthony Milford (21)/Kodi Nikorima (15)
The Broncos were thoroughly outplayed by the Dragons and it showed through the scores of their halves. Both struggled to make any impact on the game and were completely contained by the Dragons’ defence. Is this a sign of things to come? As an apparently one-eyed Broncos fan, I need to be careful here — but I felt like there were shades of the Broncos’ season-opening loss to the Rabbitohs in 2015, a 36-6 drubbing, which was the start of the “doom and gloom” season where they lost in the final seconds to the Cowboys in the Grand Final. So basically, let’s not jump to any conclusions — both Milford and Nikorima deserve another chance in your teams.
Tim Lafai (18)
Lafai, however, was a bit concerning. He was obviously shown up in defence, given Jimmy the Jet blew past him both times for his tries, but he also had no tackle busts and most critically, no offloads. Alarm bells should be ringing for the two per cent of teams that currently on him.
The Ugly
No major injuries to note, although Graham did come off the field and get his right arm strapped due to a cork (came back in the second half) and Paul Vaughan copped a late hit from Jaydn Su’A which firstly made him spew up on the field, then made him come off. Keep an eye on that, as it looked like his ribs were hit quite hard.