SuperCoach NRL: 10 Things We Learned from Round Two
LOCKOUT has lifted and it’s your last chance to make a trade before prices change. These 10 things we learned from the round should help you make the right trading call.
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LOCKOUT has lifted for SuperCoach NRL - presented by hipages - and it’s your last chance to make a trade before prices change. These 10 things we learned from the round should help you make the right trading call.
1. BARGAIN BASEMENT GAL-BOT COMING UP — VERY SLIGHTLY SOILED
The 2018 model of the Gal-bot is experiencing some major early-season glitches and has left many customers unhappy with their $674,900 purchase. Gallen has been well below his best in the opening two rounds only averaging 50 minutes per game, which is well below his previous two season averages of 63 and 64 minutes. These low minutes have resulted in scores of 43 and 40, which will leave him with a huge triple figured breakeven and set him up for a significant initial price drop. Even though this may excite many SuperCoaches looking to cash in on Gallen’s slow start to the season, potential owners will not even consider making the purchase until his minutes increase.
2. JT = JUST TOO GOOD
The apparently rusty Johnathan Thurston must have had the WD40 out before last Friday‘s game against the Broncos nailing his first triple figured score for the year. Thurston was all class setting up three tries on the way to 111 points and he would have had another try assist and line break had it not been for a try saving tackle by the goalpost on Scott Bolton in the dying stages of the match. Thurston sits with the third highest average for a halfback and has done the job for nearly 50,000 SuperCoaches who have made the most of his discounted starting price.
3. N.E.V.E.R. S.E.L.L. A. G.U.N.
James Tedesco punished the 2,164 coaches who gave him the boot after his 35 last weekend and taught them a valuable SuperCoach lesson about patience. “Teddy’s a Rooster!” came belting out from the Chook Pen as he broke the line three times to score a try and set up another two on the way to a magnificent 113. Luke Keary’s inclusion made a huge difference for the Roosters’ attack and Teddy will be among the most popular captain choices in the oncoming weeks playing at home against the Knights and Warriors even though both sides have won both their opening games.
4. TIGERS FIND THEIR TEETH
SuperCoaches beware, Ivan Cleary has the new look Tigers defending like a pack of demons and they have destroyed the scores of a couple of popular players over the past fortnight. The Tigers have proved giant killers so far this season and those looking to play their captain against them as 12 per cent did last weekend with James Tedesco and 27 per cent did this week with Cameron Smith may have second thoughts as they have only conceded two tries in two games, a feat currently matched by no other team. The Tigers will play the Broncos, Titans and Storm in their next three match ups.
5. RTS HAS BEEN PODALICIOUS
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is in scintillating form and has been the POD of the opening two rounds setting up three tries and grabbing one for himself to average a massive 97 for the first two rounds. RTS will sit as the highest scoring player in SuperCoach leading into the first round of price rises but will remain a super POD in 4 per cent of teams due to only being available in the overcrowded FLB position. He will start next round with a negative breakeven and will make big dollars over the next two rounds until this week’s 130 falls out of his rolling average. RTS plays his next two away against the Raiders and former club the Roosters.
6. ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
The great Kenny Rogers said it best when he told us to “know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em”. Owners of Mitchell Moses, all 26,695 of them, will surely ‘fold ‘em’ and look for other options after a horrid start which has seen him spend time in the sin bin during both of his opening games for scores of 35 and 6. Fellow mid-ranger Sio Siua Taukeiaho who started the year in over 20 per cent of teams has also failed to live up to his pre-season hype and will exit many of the teams in which he still sits.
7. MID-RANGE MADNESS
On the subject of mid-rangers set to increase in value, the battle continues between Raymond Faitala-Mariner ($310,600), Tevita Pangai ($338,300), Nelson Asofa-Solomona ($358,500) and Herman Ese’ese ($350,300) who have all put forward cases for selection in the opening fortnight of the competition. Faitala-Mariner is likely to see the highest initial price rise due averaging 61 in the first two games and score of 45 next week will lock in a price rise in excess of $40,000. Asofa-Solomona as per usual is doing plenty of damage while on the field but minutes are of concern. Herman Ese’ese has averaged 58 so far and his scores have not been boosted by tries as Pangai’s and Faitala-Mariner’s have. Despite all of this, if I was to pick one taking into account the stats as well as the all-important eye test, Tevita Pangai appears to be the pick of the lot. Pangai has posted scores of 66 and 57 for a 2-game average of 61 and will start next round with a negative breakeven, but this PPM weapon grabbed a try against the Cowboys and had a second disallowed and those who saw the game will find it hard to not get involved in the action. Kalyn Ponga is streets ahead of any mid-priced option in the backline with scores of 81 and 85 and he is poised for a rapid increase in value should he score anywhere near his opening 2-game average of 83 against the Roosters this weekend.
8. CTW CHEAPIES HAVE COACHES CROWING
In the opening two rounds the cheapie CTW’s have been exceeding expectations and SuperCoaches getting crafty with big name CTW options have come off second best on the scoreboard. SuperCoaches loading up and playing their CTW cheapies have lapped up strong starts from Peta Hiku (64 avg.), Richie Kennar (69 avg.), Phillip Sami (57 avg.) and even Jamayne Isaako (41 avg.). These cheaper options have more than held their own against big money options such Jordan Rapana (66 avg.), Jarrod Croker (46 avg.), Josh Mansour (51 avg.), Jarryd Hayne (29 avg.) and the popular Latrell Mitchell (37 avg.). The vast majority of SuperCoaches are all over these cheapies and can expect some juicy initial price rises after round three.
9. EXPECT SMITHY TO FORGE AHEAD
The man widely regarded as the SuperCoach G.O.A.T, Cameron Smith, has been overshadowed by Manly POD Apisai Koroisau ($515,500 & 3 per cent ownership) and the popular Damien Cook. Koroisau and Cook are dominating with the help of some handy attacking stats and are averaging 83 and 75 respectively. Smith has been known to start slowly but rarely fails to run down fellow HOK contenders so owners should not be worried with his current 54 average.
10. HALVES HAVING A WHOLE LOT OF FUN
Many SuperCoaches may not be happy with some of their early-season choices but most will be quite content with how their HFB choices with a host of the big name HFBs aiming up and posting lovely scores. Daly Cherry-Evans starred for the Sea-Eagles in their 54-point smashing of the Eels sitting on 102 at halftime and finishing the game with 136. DCE has assumed the goalkicking duties and this has contributed to a strong start. Even though DCE currently sits with the highest average for a HFB with 88 and JT hit back to take his average to 82, the consistency of Shaun Johnson and Nathan Cleary has to be taken into account. Johnson has looked a class above with scores of 86 and 82 and Cleary has come home strong in both games to average 79 from two scores of 75 and 83. SuperCoaches also need to put in the memory bank that all four of these players are kicking goals supporting a widely believed theory that expensive halves need to kick goals to warrant selection.