NRL: Live SuperCoach scores and analysis from Dolphins vs. Manly Sea Eagles
A fresh Tommy Turbo hamstring injury has left NSW Origin coach and SuperCoaches alike scrambling to replace the Manly talisman. Find out all the winners and losers from a big Thursday night.
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It should be the match remembered for Trai Fuller’s individual first half brilliance, but the Dolphins 30-24 comeback win will be completely overshadowed by an awful injury to Tom Trbojevic.
Manly’s talisman was wiped out late in the second half, and hobbled off the field with club medicos confirming the worst fears of a hamstring injury.
Trbojevic had only really started to stamp his authority on the contest in the second-half with a try and line-break assist to be one of the side’s best with 76 SuperCoach points.
He trailed only Dolphins backrower Euan Aitken (77 pts) and Tommy Talau (79 pts) on the top scorers list for the game.
Pre-game favourites Reuben Garrick (33 pts) and Jamayne Isaako (39 pts) both struggled to live up to the lofty expectations placed on them.
The match was won in a five minute period before halftime when the Dolphins pulled off a three-try blitz of thei rivals including Fuller’s Slater-esque individual brilliance.
The Dolphins cheapie rewarded owners who kept the faith despite his rough outing against the Cowboys last weekend, posting a cash-boosting 68 points including a try, line break and 24 points in hit-ups.
Check out our SuperCoach winners and losers from Thursday night footy below, and scroll down to see how it all unfolded.
That's me being surprised that my #NRLSuperCoach team has copped yet another injury https://t.co/TU600S2zadpic.twitter.com/MQ8voYLUde
— Wilfred (@CatfishSC) May 9, 2024
SUPERCOACH WINNERS
1. Trai Fuller (FLB) - 68 pts: How can you go past the dynamic Dolphins fullback. He had the best match of his fledgling first grade career, and has proven why the Redcliffe faithful have been calling for this opportunity for years. He MUST stay in the side next week when Hammer comes back. With a -33 BE, he is making plenty more cash to come.
2. Euan Aitken (2RF/CTW) - 77 pts: He has been a dual-position keeper in recent seasons and showed he still has the ability to be a decent scorer with a strong floor for coaches. Aitken has gone almost unnoticed this season with only 1784 owners - less than teammate Felise Kaufusi - but now has a three-round average of 73.7.
3. Tommy Talau (CTW) - 79 pts: The Manly winger has just had his job security sky rocket off the back of injuries to Trbojevic and Jason Saab. Manly seemed to favour his left edge against the Dolphins, and he looked slick outside of speed machine Tolu Koula. Could have come close to triple figures if only he had found his inside man in support on the break.
SUPERCOACH LOSERS
1. Jason Saab (CTW) - 5 pts: The Manly flyer is set for a long stint on the sidelines after a horror night for the club. Saab sustained a grade three AC joint injury after landing on his shoulder trying to score a try. The winger faces plenty of time on the pine.
2. Reuben Garrick (CTW/FLB) - 33 pts: It is hard to call a man who came into the round with a -36 break-even a loser, but there was a lot of expectation on the shoulders of the Manly centre. He was the second most vice-captained player in the game, but don’t expect those coaches to be pulling the trigger on the captaincy loop.
3. Max Plath (2RF) - 32 pts: The young Dolphins lock forward has been creeping up in ownership in the past few weeks off the back of several dynamic performances as a starting lock. Plath has been picked up by more than 15 per cent of SuperCoaches across the opening nine rounds, but failed to even hit his low BE of 34 as he had limited impact on the game. He also finished the game with a HIA, and will be put into the HIA protocol ahead of next week’s Magic Round clash against the Tigers.
70TH MIN: TURBO ‘HAMSTRING’ INJURY AFTER CAMERMAN COLLISION
Soft tissue, hamstring injuries have become almost synonymous with the luckless Tom Trbojevic and it appears like he could be headed for a long stint on the sidelines again.
Turbo limped from the field after the Dolphins re-took the lead with a try to Jack Bostock in the corner.
The Manly fullback sped across field in cover, but finished sliding out over the sideline before clean bowling a cameraman.
Tom Trbojevic off with a reported hamstring injury - didn’t look good with significant effect on his gait/function.
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) May 9, 2024
Significant history here obviously a concern - is his 6th hamstring injury in the past 6 seasons. Unlikely to be a week or two recovery.
It was a heavy collision as the pair both ended up on the ground in a mess of legs and arms.
Turbo was helped off the field immediately with Manly medical staff confirming it was a hamstring injury.
It would be Trbojevic’s sixth hamstring injury in as many years.
FoxSports sideline analyst Corey Parker has confirmed with Manly officials that the star fullback will be sent for scans tomorrow but the early prognosis is not pretty.
Reuben Garrick has headed to fullback for the Sea Eagles as they attempt to reclaim the lead in the final 10 minutes.
65TH MIN: BROMWICH TAP GIFTS MANLY LEAD
Questions about the game going soft are only going to get louder this weekend after a questionable penalty has gifted Manly a chance to kick ahead on the scoreboard.
Tom Trbojevic clearly dropped the ball cold trying to play it, but a late Captain’s Challenge revealed Jesse Bromwich had brushed Turbo’s face on the way to the ground.
By the letter of the law, it was deemed high contact and took the Dolphins from being on the attack 10 metres out to defending in their own half. Another penalty later and the Sea Eagles are ahead.
It was the raw end of the stick for the Dolphins faithful, and even Wayne Bennett looked bemused. Mind you, that could just be resting b(emused) face.
52ND MIN: TURBO EXPLODES OUT OF HIS SLUMBER
Could the Red Sea be about to part for Tommy T?
SuperCoaches have sure been praying for it after his low level of impact in the first half.
But Turbo has hit the scoreboard in a big way, sending the Sea Eagles back into the lead at Suncorp in the process, with his try putting them up 22-20 early in the second half.
The try has helped Turbo explode out to 69 points on the live scores, while brother Jake, who laid off the assist, has swollen to 60 points.
A bit of backyard footy as the Trbojevic brothers link up for Manly's fourth try 👊
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2024
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45TH MIN: FULLER BACKS IT UP OFF THE BALL
He can score the freakish tries, but he can save them too.
Trai Fuller knows the Hammer is breathing down his neck on his way back from injury, but the Redcliffe cult favourite is giving Wayne Bennett reason to think twice.
Fuller pulled off back-to-back one-on-one try savers after Manly winger Tommy Talau made a clean break down the sideline.
There was suggestion a support player was held off the ball, but no call forthcoming and the Dolphins survive unscathed.
Jason Saab’s injury has been declared a grade three AC joint injury, which is understood to be a complete rupture of the joint.
The Saab will be parked in the garage for a few weeks now, what will that do for our man Garrick out in open pastures on the wing?
HALF TIME: FULLER SHOWS WHY HE’S TALK OF THE TOWN
Three tries in five minutes, and Manly fans are having flashbacks to last week’s horror collapse.
The Dolphins will head to the halftime break up by four points after Mark Nicholls cruised across the stripe to score a third try in a Red Army blitz.
But the best of the three tries came from excitement machine Trai Fuller.
The Dolphins fullback, who is expected to make way for a returning Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow next week, may have bought himself another week in first grade with what is an early contender for solo try of the year.
Billy Slater-like from Trai Fuller as the Dolphins draw level!
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2024
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Hitting the back field at pace, Fuller sized up opposite number Tom Trbojevic before chipping over the top bringing back memories of Billy Slater’s Origin brilliance or the Matty Bowen magic from yesteryear.
He was thought to be a SuperCoach trap after last week’s aberration, but the much-loved cheapie is rewarding brave owners with 55 points at the break.
Trai Fuller owners rn. pic.twitter.com/aatXyLjMiG
— The SuperCoach Whisperer (@SCWhisperer) May 9, 2024
Backrowers Euan Aitken and Connelly Lemuelu lead all SuperCoach point scorers with 56 after the pair each scored in the opening half.
Popular vice-captain options Jamayne Isaako (9) and Reuben Garrick (17) are both struggling to make an impact, while Jason Saab appears long odds to make his return to the wing despite getting a pain killing injection on the sideline.
26TH MINUTE: INTERCEPT-ATHON!
It’s an absolute intercept-fest at Suncorp Stadium and Manly have found another try on the back of one.
It was Luke Brooks who claimed the turnover off of a Max Plath pass attempt, bursting into the open before finding the much speedier legs of Tolu Koula who was able to find the tryline.
Garrick converted to extend Manly’s lead to 12.
Brooks shoots out to 32 points, while Koula is right behind on 30.
Brooks with the intercept to set up Manly's third try! 🔥
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2024
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Talk about intiuition, that makes it three intercepts in the first half - with both Manly halves speeding out of the line to cut-off their rivals spread of the ball already.
Koula’s try was a second inside 10 minutes for the Sea Eagles as they heaped the pain on a Dolphins side who have struggled to keep hold of the ball.
Corey Waddell scored the earler try off the back of a silky Tommy Turbo grubber with the Manly fullback now out to 24 points.
15TH MIN: BURBO BRINGS TEARS TO OWNERS EYES
That noise was more than 40,000 SuperCoaches breathing a collective sigh of relief.
The call to hold Ben Trbojevic, looking to squeeze an extra bit of cash out of him, is about to pay off with the young gun set for another sizeable rise.
The bleach blond bombshell beat his breakeven (4) in a single play when he fired the final pass to send Tommy Talau over in the corner to open the scoring for the Sea Eagles.
Burbo was one of the most-traded players a month ago when he was sidelined with injury, but is still owned by more than 30 per cent of all SuperCoaches.
He has been played this week by almost a quarter of those brave souls, who might be smiling by the end of the night.
The Dolphins have also hit the scoreboard with dual-position POD Euan Aitken snatching an intercept out of the air before racing away to score.
Aitken has shot out to 40 points off the back of the line break and try, while Talau leads all-comers on 42 points.
Jason Saab could also be in some trouble after he appeared to injure his AC joint attempting to score in the corner. He has come from thefield, we will keep you posted.
Talau gets Manly on the board first!
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2024
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30MINS TO KICK-OFF: VICE-CAPTAIN CALL COULD MAKE OR BREAK WEEK
It seems a no-brainer decision if you have Tom Trbojevic - put the VC on him.
But what about those of us who don’t?
It seems Thursday night will be the vice-captaincy night this week, with three players in action in tonight’s game in the top five choices across the league.
Turbo is a clear favourite among coaches - at 11.6 per cent - and for good reason, while team mate Reuben Garrick isn’t far behind at 9.3 per cent.
But what about try-scoring freak Jamayne Isaako?
The Dolphins hattrick hero from last week’s win over the Cowboys sits fifth - behind Reece Walsh and Nathan Cleary - with 4.4 per cent of coaches locking him in as vice-captain.
Isaako has been the focal point of the Dolphins attack on the right side, but a big call of where to play a returning Herbie Farnworth could be a determining factor.
Wayne has kept a lid on his plans for Farnworth, who made a home inside Isaako before his injury, but does have the ability to play on the left side.
Jake Averillo was impressive last week against the Cowboys, and might have just done enough to hold onto the right centre spot.
If Farnworth goes in, expect him to take more ball away from his outside man.
As for the two Manly gamebreakers - it will be a toss of a coin. If Garrick is scoring tries, you can generally be rest assured Tommy T set it up on his inside.
And if you are wondering why the vice-captain choice is so important, it is all about the loop.
Don’t let me talk you in circles about the loop, use this brilliant guide to looping that The Mastermind produced last year.
LATE MAIL: DOLPHINS MAKE RAFT OF CHANGES
Wayne Bennett has pulled off the unthinkable, with David Fifita set to line-up for the Dolphins against Manly.
No, I am just pulling your leg, but in case you have been under a rock, Fifita is definitely on the move at the end of this season.
That isn’t the only move happening on Thursday night, with Bennett making a raft of changes to his starting side for the clash against Anthony Seibold’s Manly.
The man with the worst hairline in the NRL, Felise Kaufusi, will start in the front row with Mark Nicholls dropping back to the bench and Connelly Lemuelu starting on the left edge.
Kenny Bromwich has dropped back to 18th man, with young gun Kurt Donoghue called into the side in what are largely inconsequential changes for SuperCoaches.
Herbie Farnworth will line up at left centre in his big return to the field, and could be key to unlocking even more upside from Jack Bostock.
The Sea Eagles have stuck solid with the 17 men named on Tuesday, with the few Ben Trbojevic owners about to be rewarded for their staunch support of the burgeoning little bro.
EARLIER
Round 10 kicks off with a mouth-watering clash between two of the competition’s excitement machines in the Dolphins and Sea Eagles at Suncorp Stadium, with plenty of keen SuperCoach eyes tuning in for this one.
Jack Bostock ($594,100) is the second most traded out player this week after scoring just 20 points last week against the Cowboys, while on the other side of the field, Jamayne Isaako ($776,000) was scoring points for fun with a whopping 151. Isaako is the fifth most traded in player this round on the back of that showing.
Trai Fuller ($340,400) had a quiet scoring week in round nine compared to his first two hauls, but still remains a popular cheapie and with a BE of -33 he only needs to step onto the field to make money.
Enigmatic Manly are coming off a shock home loss to the Raiders in round nine, but SuperCoach fans were still more than satisfied with a 102 point haul from Reuben Garrick ($689,000) and 92 from Tom Trbojevic ($788,400). More of that please.
Ben Trbojevic ($355,300) also returns in round 10, still the most-owned Sea Eagle on SuperCoach at 30.9%.
Who you got for this one?
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