KFC SuperCoach NRL Cheapie Bible: Trent Copeland rates the best and worst bargain buys
His teammates have been blown away by his defensive tenacity and his job security is good - easy to see why Trent Copeland rates this young playmaker a ‘BUY.’
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Don’t let Brad Schneider’s choir boy looks deceive you.
Canberra’s rookie halfback carries with him a hidden weapon that will give the Raiders “the best defensive halves in the game” when he teams up with Jack Wighton.
That’s the big call from Jordan Rapana who has no doubt the young Queenslander is ready for what is sure to be a tough initiation in Friday’s round one showdown against the menacing Cronulla Sharks.
Some of the experts have turned off the Raiders in the wake of the pre-season injury to star recruit Jamal Fogarty, who will be sidelined for up to four months with a knee injury.
But Rapana reckons Scheinder has already earned the respect of his teammates after a tough summer where he got plenty of practice throwing his body in front of the Raiders’ rampaging forwards.
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“I actually really rate him, he is a gun,” the veteran winger said of the 21-year-old, who is yet another signing by the late recruitment guru Peter Mulholland.
“For a little blonde fella, not much to him, he hits hard.
“He is a really good player.”
Mulholland brought Schneider down from Townsville where he starred for Kirwin State High alongside fellow Raiders’ young gun Adrian Trevilyan who also got a go in the top grade during the trials.
And Rapana says Schneider’s defence reminds him of the player many rate the toughest defensive five-eighth in the game.
“He has a very good kicking game,” Rapana continued (Schneider can also kick goals).
“But the thing that surprises me is that he reminds me defensively as a smaller version of Jack.
“Like, he is a good defender.
“I reckon, hands down, we will have the best defensive halves in the game.”
It’s a pretty big rap from Rapana when you consider some of the better defensive halves pairings in the game.
Down at Melbourne Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes are both very solid defensively, while Nathan Cleary is outstanding and Jarome Luai more than capable.
Then you’ve got guys like Kieran Foran, Ben Hunt and young Parra five-eighth Dylan Brown, while Newcastle’s Jake Clifford is another who can certainly put on a shot on when an opportunity presents itself.
But the reality for Schneider is that because he’s a rookie rival teams are going to be targeting him as they do with any young half.
And that means every edge backrower that he comes up against will go out with the simple plan to try and run straight over him.
If he can hold his own defensively it will certainly make his transition into the NRL a hell of a lot smoother.
TRENT COPELAND’S ROUND ONE CHEAPIE BIBLE
HERE. WE. GO.
After a million ‘what if’s’, ‘training the house down’, injuries and suspensions shaped our best laid plans … Team list Tuesday (aka KFC SuperCoach Christmas) has finally come and gone, now comes the really tricky part – actually settling on a line-up before kick-off Thursday night!
It’s a tricky landscape in 2022 for cheapies given the amount of one-week suspensions, injuries and Covid drama we’re dealing with. But, we’ve got some absolute beauties, and I’m here to help you sift through the good and the bad, sit down, relax and take it all in.
This could be the most important article you read all season, and no, it’s not because I’ve written it, it’s because cheapies are the single most important ingredient to SuperCoach success!
Without them, you cant afford the Turbo, Fifita and Tedesco’s of the world, and picking the WRONG cheapies can ruin your entire season burning trades to resurrect, or no cash generation if you choose to hold.
A cheapie by definition is any player under $300,000, and this MONSTER round one edition will cover off on all of the most important cheapies with a verdict on whether to invest or not.
IMPORTANT: Remember during round one you have the luxury of unlimited* trades ALL the way through until the kick-off of the last game of the round. So, keep an eye on final teams for late changes – as you can still shuffle the pack. *Once a player has played, they are locked in.
As the season goes along we will give a running verdict on when to sell, sit, buy or hold every cheapie that hits our radar – if a player is not on the list, we’ve determined they are not a viable selection.
Lachlan Ilias | 5/8|HFB ($205,200 | STH)
In a year bereft of locked-in cheapies with clear roles, Ilias is one who ticks literally all the boxes. Takes Adam Reynolds’ vacated no. 7 jersey in one of the best offences in the NRL alongside Cody Walker. Having debuted in round 25 of the NRL last season – scoring a try, a nice contribution try assist, and 20 tackles. One potential concern is the lack of taking on the line himself, but with a strong kicking game and confidence of the ‘spot being his’ I’m confident we’ll see more of that. A matchup against the Covid-ravaged Broncos to start is nice, but just be wary of the Storm, Roosters, Panthers match-ups for starting 17’s in the next three weeks.
VERDICT: BUY. Don’t overthink this one, currently in 54% of teams, should be in 46% more.
Chris Randall | HOK ($245,500 | NEW)
The tragic Achilles injury to Jayden Brailey this off-season presents a golden opportunity for Chris Randall and KFC Supercoaches alike. A starting hooker, who the legendary Barry Toohey has earmarked for 65 (ish) minutes per game, is absolute GOLD. Now, before you get too excited, temper expectations for scoring prowess, as Randall’s game is going to be built around tackling. Expect tackling numbers in excess of 40 in a nice baseline, but very few attempts to take the line on. Hopefully we see some expansion in that area, but either way, you’re absolutely jumping on.
VERDICT: BUY. A must have, and serviceable as a one-week cover for Harry Grant on field if you’re that way inclined.
Izack Tago | CTW|2RF ($287,900 | PTH)
It’s a little bit of a dampener on Tago’s prospects for scoring that Nathan Cleary is set to miss at least the opening three weeks on the season, but, the Panthers are undoubtedly still a good enough side that try scoring potential will still be there. Tago himself is a tackle-busting machine with a fantastic work rate when playing either at centre or in the back row, as evidenced by his 51 points in 50 minutes off the bench against the Roosters in round 21 last season (14 points in tackle busts, a line break, an effective offload and 16 points in H8’s). Along with his two very good trial performances, quite simply, the left edge for the Panthers is absolutely electric and Tago takes Matt Burton’s place where he scored 16 tries and averaged 65.7PPG playing ‘out of position’. Yes please.
VERDICT: BUY. And, start with confidence in your 17 each week.
Will Penisini | CTW ($255,700 | PAR)
Penisini’s job security is probably the best among all CTW cheapies (in my opinion), after absolutely KILLING it in the finals – which doesn’t count for KFC SuperCoach, thankfully! His three regular season games produced an average of 41.7PPG with only the one try, but importantly he notched an average of 35PPG in pure base stats. Add to that a starting draw as juicy as Titans, Sharks, Storm, Dragons, Titans, Tigers, Knights, Cowboys over the opening eight weeks and we could have ourselves a niiiiiiice one here.
VERDICT: BUY, and in my starting 17 this week.
Joseph Suaalii | CTW|FLB ($259,500 | SYD)
Let me reiterate something that you likely already know, by saying Joseph Suaalii is an absolute prodigy, likely Origin and Australian player in waiting. But, I have to say, to the OVER 40% of KFC SuperCoaches out there that have Suaalii locked in to their starting squads despite him already being ruled out through injury for the opening rounds … What are you doing?! Yes, he may slide straight back in and replace Momirovski on the right wing, yes he may score really well, but what we saw last season (scores of 33, 74, 32, 22 and 24, for a 37PPG average) wasn’t astonishing, let alone potential slow start recovering from said injury – and that’s coming from a Roosters fan. With so many other cheapies available at the position, I don’t see a scenario where you can possibly argue starting with Suaalii is a good choice. Remember, you need to create cash generation by trading ‘fattened cows’ aka cheapies who have reached peak price down to someone, and Suaalii will be perfect for that, notably, after he’s played two games where you can see he’s fully healthy.
VERDICT: AVOID! Yep, hard no from me.
Brad Schneider | HFB ($188,700 | CBR)
With the news of a knee injury to the Raiders’ big off-season signing Jamal Fogarty ruling him out for four months, up steps 21 year old Brad Schneider to take the reigns, having made his debut off the bench late last season. This is exciting, and there’s also a very good chance with Jarrod Croker starting in reserve grade that Schneider will be kicking goals (30 goals at 73% last season). Even though Ricky Stuart is likely to pull the rug from under him in the event of two bad games, Schneider should be in everyone’s team!
VERDICT: BUY. It’s a risk, but at base price with this opportunity in front of him absolutely a risk worth taking.
Talatau Amone | 5/8|CTW ($284,500 | STG)
Amone has moments in games where he sits back and looks pedestrian, and others where he legitimately looks a superstar of the competition. What we know for sure is that the no. 6 jersey for the Dragons alongside Ben Hunt is his spot to lose, and what we saw in the Charity Shield (albeit still a trial game) was a much improved Dragons offence. The 32.5PPG average in 2021 is somewhat misleading, the numbers you want to look at are the last three games – scores of 42, 41 and 76 points in the full 80 minutes at five eighth against the Roosters, Cowboys and Rabbitohs respectively. Has the raw talent and seemingly great connection with Tyrell Sloan and Cody Ramsey that this could be a real success story. Fingers crossed.
VERDICT: BUY. Elevated price is slightly annoying, but that’s what you get for a nice case study for good players. Pay up.
Kelma Tuilagi | 2RF ($253,900 | WST)
This guy is a BEAST. One of my favourites for a 2021 breakout alongside fellow Tiger Shaun Blore, Tuilagi to wait until round 20, but when he did play my word did he pass the eyeball test. Scores of 58 and 52 points in 27 and 24 minutes respectively against the Cowboys and Sharks (crazily high 2.0+PPM) came off the back of some serious hole hitting and carrying defenders with him after contact. With Blore out for the season with an ACL, and Luke Garner carrying a niggle, Tuilagi has won the starting edge role, and I think he will run away with the job. Worst case scenario he plays 30-35 mins off the bench at a good PPM and will still make some decent money.
VERDICT: BUY. The upside here is enormous. Could end up starting on my field.
Jirah Momoisea | FRF|2RF ($205,100 | NEW)
Could Momoisea be the breakout big-man (FRF) of 2022? News that Daniel Saifiti is out for around a month with a small fracture in his tibia … aka broken leg! Even with Saifiti in the line-up I was still expecting Momoisea to earn increased minutes. After a brilliant display of 50 points in 36 minutes – with 38 points in base stats – in round 25 last season against the Broncos, Momoisea backed that up with a stellar performance in the Knights’ trial game with a try, line break, 18 points in H8’s and 12 tackles for 55 KFC SuperCoach points. The PPM is great, and if the minutes can creep up to 35-40 in the opening rounds in Saifiti’s absence we’re onto a winner.
VERDICT: BUY. Dual position an added bonus, just don’t play him in your 17.
Jamayne Taunua-Brown | FRF ($274,700 | NQC)
At the time of writing, JTB as he’s affectionately known is in a mere 7.3% of teams. That's right, LESS ownership than the likes of Shannon Harris, Ben Trbojevic, Mavrik Geyer, George Burgess, Jack Howarth, Tepai Moeroa and Brendan Piakura … None of which will even take the field this weekend! While it’s a tricky price, I’m somewhat planting my flag having seen the best of this kid at the Warriors in 2020, averaging 41.3PPG at a juicy 1.1PPM. Having beaten out Jordan McLean for a starting berth, if the minutes are there, I’m confident JTB cannot only make good money, but be playable most weeks.
VERDICT: BUY. My under the radar cheapie of the year in the FRF.
Blake Taafe | HFB|FLB ($210,400 | STH)
A starting fullback, kicking goals, in an amazingly talented team like the Rabbitohs for round one, sign me up right? Please, I know I talk rubbish every now and then, particularly with ball in hand on a cricket field, but hear me when I say TRAP! If things go the way they should, health permitting, Latrell Mitchell returns next week and it has been reiterated many times publicly that Lachlan Ilias is the club’s halfback moving forward – at least to begin with anyway – so what does that leave best case opportunity wise for Taafe? Bench utility role akin to the Benji Marshall in 2021? The reality could be much worse. The talent is undeniable, and yes he COULD displace ilias next week, but you must wait on this one – particularly with the gift that is Brad Schneider appearing.
VERDICT: AVOID. I’m calling trap.
Billy Smith | CTW ($294.600 | SYD)
Billy the Kid is BACK and boy, is this guy excited! Put simply, the only thing that has ever stopped Smith from being a $450k+ regular has been injury. The average of 42PPG last season is misleading given he scored 9 points in 16 minutes in round 19, but scores of 40 and 77 in full games at centre is right on the money of what we can expect. Wind back to 2019 and his two games resulted in scores of 53 and 72 points for 62.5PPG. The common thread here is a. Point scoring potential, and b. Robbo loves the kid. Please, after the left ACL in 2018, and right ACL in 2020 can the kid be past his injury woes, please. Thanks.
VERDICT: BUY. Hopefully sneaks under the radar, but I see him right alongside the likes of Xavier Coates for the highest upside of the ‘cheap’ players available in the CTW.
Ethan Bullemor | FRF|2RF ($280,000 | MNL)
Bullemor made the move from the Broncos to the Sea Eagles for opportunity, and it comes from day one having been named to start on that KFC SuperCoach gold mine that is the vacant left edge (Josh Schuster listed indefinite with the ankle injury, likely to miss at least the first month) where DCE, Foran, Turbo, and Garrick love to rack up points galore! Bullemor has beaten out Karl Lawton who was impressive on the edge last season, and although the role will be slightly different, his PPM of 1.21 in 25 mins in 2021 extrapolated out over even 60 minutes bodes well for us. At this stage if I’m predicting the future we get some really good early scores in the 45-55 point range while starting, then it gets pretty ugly from the bench upon Schuster’s return. Still, hard to pass.
VERDICT: RISKY BUY. I’m in at this stage. But … If you’re going two gun FRF’s, Bullemor is probably a tad too expensive to have as a non-playing reserve.
Viliame Vailea | CTW ($205,100 | NZL)
19-year old speedster, Viliame Vailea has won a centre spot on merit through some fantastic pre-season form and coach Nathan Brown citing his hunger after having a taste of the NRL in 2021 – with scores of 23 and 31 against the Tigers and Sharks in rounds 20 and 21 respectively. A dream opening draw against the Dragons, Titans, Tigers, Broncos and Cowboys in the opening five matches hopefully lends itself to some juicy attacking stats.
VERDICT: BUY. Could be an absolute bolter out of the gates if he clicks with Shaun Johnson, Kodi Nikorima and as of next week, Reece Walsh.
Josh King | FRF ($255,800 | MEL)
King has never been overly KFC SuperCoach relevant, having averaged 29.2PPG, 28.4PPG, 27.1PPG, 29.5PPG, 34.7PPG and 27.1PPG dating back to 2016. Yeah, nooooot good. But, the Storm have a history of bringing players in to their system who then immediately surge into having career years. The shining light from those prior statistics is a pretty handy PPM in the 1.2 range the past two seasons, so if the opportunity is there, the points should come. The departure of Dale Finucane, Tui Kamikamica’s legal issues, and one-week suspension for Harry Grant (via Cheese playing at hooker this week) has opened the door for King to start at lock against the Tigers. Trial form was solid, so I’m hopeful.
VERDICT: BUY. I’m in, because I trust the Storm. Even if next week he moves back to the bench.
Sean Russell | CTW|FLB ($285,400 | PAR)
Many have jumped on the double up of Will Penisini and Sean Russell given the favourable early draw, fantastic trial form from the Eels and the increased opportunity on the back of the horrific season ending injury to Haze Dunster, along with Maika Sivo out indefinitely with his knee. Russell stormed onto the scene with a hat trick on debut last season scoring 82 points in round 15 against the Bulldogs, but outside of the tries, there was very little else to write home about. There’s absolutely a world where this works out, but he’s going to need bulk tries to make any serious coin.
VERDICT: AVOID. Not the worst buy in the world, but I think there’s better value out there.
Tolutau Koula | CTW ($175,400 | MNL)
The new fastest man in the NRL? Well, at the very least, we got a glimpse of what could/will be the fastest centre/wing pairing in history with Jason Saab and Tolutau Koula in last week’s trial. In the absence of Dylan Walker, Koula has forced his way into the side in jersey 14. By way of scoring potential, in NSW Cup last season, Koula scored five tries in five matches, with three line breaks and 15 tackle busts. Positionally, this is not what we were hoping for, but it is a huge vote of confidence from Des that he not only thinks this kid has the goods, but he can cover multiple positions when called upon, big tick for KFC SuperCoaches.
VERDICT: BUY. This has all the signs of a breakout with just one injury. Don’t be expecting a price jump, or to play him in your 17 until that happens, though.
Oliver Gildart | CTW ($280,00 | WST)
The 25 year old Englishman comes to Leichhardt from Wigan, having scored 61 tries in 129 matches for the Super League heavyweights, winning two Grand Finals in the process. Having impressed in the somewhat shock win over the Roosters in the trials, along with Talau, Douehi and Asu Kepoa’s injuries keeping them out until mid season – Gildart gets a good long crack at making this spot his own. A matchup against the Storm to start isn’t exactly ideal, but after that the draw does open up a little.
VERDICT: WATCHLIST. Traditionally, backline players from the UK take time to settle, or don’t make an impact at all – so I would want to see Gildart play well against the Storm, and Knights in the first two rounds before jumping on.
Max King | FRF ($188,700 | BUL)
King has surged into 27% of KFC SuperCoach teams at the time of writing, and the opportunity is there to carve out a role for himself behind Luke Thompson, Paul Vaughan and Josh Jackson in the middle rotation. The PPM has historically been between 0.85 and 1.1 depending on the minutes, and coming from the Storm system should surely hold him in good stead when tussling with the likes of Chris Patolo and Corey Waddell for bench big man minutes. Best case scenario may look like a 35-40PPG average in 35 minutes …
VERDICT: LOW END BUY. If you can avoid it, go ahead. But, there are not many other options in the FRF at base price, so it’s not the worst FRF4 decision if King can grab his chance with both hands.
Andrew Fifita | FRF ($205,100 | CRO)
It’s a great story to see the big man back, and to be honest, he looked great in patches during the All Stars match. Now sitting in over 15% of KFC SuperCoach teams after being named on the bench … I get it, the nostalgia, this is a guy that broke records at the FRF position with his upside and scoring output. Let me be clear, this is not the same player (as unfortunate as that may be). My man on the ground at the Sharks – he’s not really on the ground, he’s an embarrassingly passionate Sharks fan that’s also a KFC SuperCoach tragic who I play cricket with – has McInnes, Jack Williams, Wade Graham and potentially Franklin Pele all to return to the best 17 within the next 2-6 weeks, leaving Fifita likely on the outer.
VERDICT: AVOID. It’s been real, Fifi.
Josh Schiller | FLB|CTW ($175,400 | CBR)
The nephew of former Raiders’ legend Brett Mullins has been named to START in the centres ahead of the club’s all time leading point scorer, Jarrod Croker. Huge. The temptation when you see a ‘green light’ on a base price cheapie you don’t look any further, just lock them in … But, I’m here to delve a little deeper for you. My read on the situation is that this was Sebastian Kris’ spot had he not been struck down by Covid isolation, but on the back of great trial form Schiller was given a crack.
VERDICT: AVOID/WATCHLIST. Big call, given the lack of other basement price options.
WATCHLIST
Jack Howarth | 2RF ($175,400 | MEL)
Corey Paix | HOK|HFB ($205,100 | BRO)
Cody Ramsey | CTW|FLB ($268,900 | STG)
Ben Trbojevic | CTW|2RF ($188,700 | MNL)
Jordan Pereira | CTW ($266,500 | BRO)
Leo Thompson | FRF ($175,400 | NEW)
Xavier Savage | FLB ($286,400 | CBR)
Brendan Piakura | 2RF ($188,700 | BRO)
Aaron Pene | FRF ($287,400 | NZL)
Isaiah Tass | CTW ($175,400 | STH)
Tepai Moeroa | FRF|2RF ($205,100 | MEL)
Taylan May | CTW ($252,500 | PTH)
Jaeman Salmon | CTW|5/8 ($188,700 | PTH)
George Burgess | FRF ($247,100 | STG)
Ezra Mam | HFB|5/8 ($175,400 | BRO)
Paul Alamoti | CTW ($175,400 | BUL)
Terrell Kalo Kalo | CTW|FLB ($175,400 | STH)
Jock Madden | HFB|5/8 ($205,100 | WST)
There you have it! A huge edition to kick off the Cheapie Bible for 2022. Be sure to tweet us what you think @copes9 and @SuperCoachNRL. Good luck for first lockout!
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