NRL SuperCoach teams analysis for round 2: Injury crisis hits early

THE season is only one week old but SuperCoaches are already faced with their first crisis, with four of the top 50 most popular players injured.

THE season is only one week old but SuperCoaches are already faced with their first crisis.

The scramble is on to find replacements after four players in the top 50 most popular went down injured over the weekend — Ben Henry (47 per cent ownership), Paul Gallen (16 per cent), Chanel Mata’utia (14 per cent) and James Segeyaro (12 per cent).

Henry (knee) is likely to miss the rest of the season, while Gallen (knee), Mata’utia (knee) and Segeyaro (broken arm) will miss 6-8 weeks.

Paul Gallen is out with a knee injury. Picture: Wesley Monts

Compounding the injury issues is Manly backrower Nathan Green, the 19th most popular player in SuperCoach, who has been dropped to the bench as coach Trent Barrett looks for answers following a poor Manly performance in round one.

In other SuperCoach news from the round two NRL team announcements:

* OPENING round sensation Paul Carter retained his starting spot at the Rabbitohs, despite the return of George Burgess (suspension), benefitting from the injury to John Sutton (pectoral, round 17);

* CODY Walker emerged as a cheapie after retaining his halves spot at the Rabbitohs due to the injury to Adam Reynolds (broken jaw, round 8-14);

* CHEAPIE option Craig Garvey scored the starting hooker spot at the Bulldogs following the injury to Michael Lichaa (knee, indefinite) and may even play 80 minutes;

* POTENTIAL cheapie Lachlan Croker was named in the halves for the Raiders in the absence of Blake Austin (knee, round six) and Aidan Sezer (fractured eye socket, round six);

* POPULAR pre-season buy Brenton Lawrence was promoted to the Manly 17 after playing NSW Cup last week;

* THE minutes of mid-range buy Jake Trbojevic could improve after being shifted from prop to lock at Manly;

* CHEAPIE option Pat Mata’utia retained his starting centre spot at the Knights despite the return of brother Sione (suspension), who was named on an extended bench;

* KERROD Holland earned a centre spot at the Bulldogs following the injury to Chase Stanley (hamstring) and could emerge as a cheapie down the track.

James Segeyaro goes off with a broken arm.

PANTHERS v BULLDOGS

8.05pm Thursday at Pepper Stadium

Panthers: 1 Will Smith 2 Josh Mansour 3 Waqa Blake 4 Peta Hiku 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 Jamie Soward 7 Peter Wallace 8 Sam McKendry 9 Tyrone Peachey 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11 Bryce Cartwright 12 Isaah Yeo 13 Trent Merrin. Interchange: 14 James Fisher-Harris 15 Jeremy Latimore 16 Suaia Matagi 17 Elijah Taylor 20 Sitaleki Akauola

Ins: Elijah Taylor, Sitaleki Akauola

Outs: James Segeyaro (broken arm, round seven)

Other unavailables: Matt Moylan (back, round three), Dean Whare (calf, round three), George Jennings (shoulder, round three), Viliame Kikau (ankle, indefinite), Sione Katoa (knee, round three), Brendan Atwood (arm, indefinite)

Comment: Tyrone Peachey has been named at hooker in place of James Segeyaro (broken arm, round seven), with Elijah Taylor added to the bench. There are plenty of good replacements for Segeyaro, including Cameron Smith, Nathan Peats (for the byes), Craig Garvey and Paul Carter (cheapies). Bryce Cartwright didn’t have one of his best weekends, but played 80 minutes and will be an elite keeper if that game time continues. Lock him in for the VC this week, with the most popular non-player Ben Henry playing early in the weekend on Friday. Trent Merrin also had a good game, but his score was inflated by a try and linebreak.

Bulldogs: 1 Will Hopoate 2 Curtis Rona 3 Josh Morris 4 Kerrod Holland 5 Sam Perrett 6 Josh Reynolds 7 Moses Mbye 8 Aiden Tolman 9 Craig Garvey 10 James Graham (c) 11 Josh Jackson 12 Tony Williams 13 Greg Eastwood. Interchange: 14 Sam Kasiano 15 Tim Browne 16 David Klemmer 17 Adam Elliott 19 Lloyd Perrett

Ins: Kerrod Holland, Craig Garvey, David Klemmer (suspension)

Outs: Chase Stanley (hamstring, indefinite), Michael Lichaa (knee, indefinite)

Other unavailables: Brett Morris (knee, round 16), Adam Keighran (shoulder, indefinite).

Comment: SuperCoaches will be keeping a close eye on Craig Garvey this week, who is set for a long run at hooker following the injury to Michael Lichaa (knee, indefinite). No bench hooker has been named and Des Hasler likes to play his rakes for 80 minutes, although Josh Jackson could cover there if needed. The hard part will be fitting Garvey in given Jayden Nikorima is set for a good price rise. Kerrod Holland scores the centre spot vacated by Chase stanley (hamstring, indefinite) and may emerge as a cheapie down the track. However, don’t be surprised if Hasler is playing his usual mind games and Tyrone Phillips or Brad Abbey pops up in the backline. Aiden Tolman and James Graham were simply awesome on the weekend, but Graham in particular received increased minutes due to injuries to Stanley, Lichaa and Adam Elliott (concussion). Moses Mbye has the kicking duties this year and is a serious POD for those who aren’t stacked with cheapies in the halves. David Klemmer (suspension) joins the bench, with Lloyd Perrett dropping to 18th man.

Ben Henry down with a knee injury. Picture: Gregg Porteous

BRONCOS v WARRIORS

8.05pm Friday at Suncorp Stadium

Broncos: 1 Darius Boyd 2 Corey Oates 3 Jack Reed 4 James Roberts 5 Greg Eden 6 Anthony Milford 7 Ben Hunt 8 Josh McGuire 9 Andrew McCullough 10 Adam Blair 11 Alex Glenn 12 Matt Gillett 13 Corey Parker (c). Interchange: 14 Jarrod Wallace 15 Sam Thaiday 16 Joe Ofahengaue 17 Kodi Nikorima 18 Joe Boyce

Ins: Jack Reed

Outs: Jordan Kahu (quad, round six)

Other unavailables: Lachlan Maranta (fractured wrist, round seven), Carlin Anderson (stomach, indefinite)

Comment: Jack Reed returns for the injured Jordan Kahu (quad, round six). Cheapie option Greg Eden retains his wing spot despite a shocker on Thursday night. Anthony Milford looked seriously slick, but couldn’t quite notch the big score owners were hoping for. Corey Parker would have notched a big score if he could kick straight and he looms as one of the safer captaincy options once again, especially with Gallen out. Corey Oates was awesome on the weekend, but don’t jump the gun. Get another look this week before prices go up after round two. James Roberts (calf) is racing the clock.

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Warriors: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 Tuimoala Lolohea 3 Blake Ayshford 4 Solomone Kata 5 Manu Vatuvei 6 Shaun Johnson 7 Jeff Robson 8 Jacob Lillyman 9 Issac Luke 10 Ben Matulino 11 Bodene Thompson 12 Ryan Hoffman (c) 13 Simon Mannering. Interchange: 14 Nathaniel Roache 15 Sam Lisone 16 James Gavet 17 Raymond Faitala-Mariner

Ins: Raymond Faitala-Mariner

Outs: Ben Henry (knee, likely season)

Other unavailables: Thomas Leuluai (ACL, round five), Henare Wells (hamstring, round three), Ligi Sao (dislocated shoulder, indefinite), Sione Lousi (round four), Sipley Toafofoa (round four), Mason Lino (round four)

Comment: Ben Henry (knee, likely season) is a massive loss for SuperCoaches. Paul Carter is the best replacement in the back row, but SuperCoaches should take another look at cheapie options this week before making a move. Henry is also very handy for the loophole, so hold off selling for now. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck notched just 20 points and could be a bargain upgrade from Ben Barba in a month or so. Shaun Johnson produced a massive game but has relinquished the kicking duties to Tuimoala Lolohea, which all but rules him out of fantasy contention. Simon Mannering played 80 minutes and made a million tackles, proving he’s a great replacement for Gallen.

Blake Austin is out with a knee injury.

RAIDERS v ROOSTERS

3pm Saturday at GIO Stadium

Raiders: 1 Jack Wighton 2 Edrick Lee 3 Jarrod Croker (c) 4 Joseph Leilua 5 Jordan Rapana 6 Lachlan Croker 7 Sam Williams 8 Shannon Boyd 9 Josh Hodgson 10 Frank-Paul Nuuausala 11 Josh Papalii 12 Elliot Whitehead 13 Shaun Fensom. Interchange: 14 Kurt Baptiste 15 Iosia Soliola 16 Paul Vaughan 17 Jeff Lima

Ins: Lachlan Croker, Sam Williams (virus)

Outs: Blake Austin (knee, round six), Aidan Sezer (fractured eye socket, round six)

Other unavailables: Adam Clydesdale (shoulder, round three)

Comment: Lachlan Croker has been named to make his NRL debut, with Blake Austin (knee, round six) and Aidan Sezer (fractured eye socket, round six) out. Under normal circumstances Croker could emerge as a cheapie option, but he will be near-impossible to fit in given the mountain of rookies available in the halves. Shaun Fensom produced a good score courtesy of a try, but played just 52 minutes and is therefore not an option for those looking to replace Gallen.

Roosters: 1 Blake Ferguson 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Dale Copley 4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall 5 Latrell Mitchell 6 Jayden Nikorima 7 Jackson Hastings 8 Kane Evans 9 Jake Friend (c) 10 Dylan Napa 11 Aidan Guerra 12 Mitchell Aubusson 13 Isaac Liu. Interchange: 14 Sio Siua Taukeiaho 15 Sam Moa 16 Ian Henderson 17 Vincent Leuluai 19 Joe Burgess

Ins: Daniel Tupou

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (ACL, indefinite), Mitchell Pearce (disciplinary, round nine), Boyd Cordner (pectoral, round eight)

Comment: Daniel Tupou (ankle) returns, with Joe Burgess dropping back to 18th man. Latrell Mitchell had a shocker SuperCoach-wise, but is a serious talent and worth persisting with. Jackson Hastings is likely to resume the goalkicking duties next week following a niggle. Vincent Leuluai was strong during his time on the field but only notched 18 minutes.

Adam Reynolds suffers a broken jaw. Picture: Brett Costello

RABBITOHS v KNIGHTS

5.30pm Saturday at ANZ Stadium

Rabbitohs: 1 Greg Inglis (c) 2 Alex Johnston 3 Bryson Goodwin 4 Hymel Hunt 5 Aaron Gray 6 Cody Walker 7 Luke Keary 8 George Burgess 9 Cameron McInnes 10 David Tyrrell 11 Paul Carter 12 Kyle Turner 13 Sam Burgess. Interchange: 14 Damien Cook 15 Jason Clark 16 Nathan Brown 17 Chris Grevsmuhl 18 Kirisome Auva’a

Ins: Luke Keary (suspension), George Burgess (suspension), Kirisome Auva’a, Nathan Brown

Outs: Adam Reynolds (broken jaw, round 8-14), John Sutton (pectoral, round 18), Zane Musgrove (wrist, indefinite)

Other unavailables: Thomas Burgess (ankle, round five)

Comment: Cody Walker is now a serious cheapie option for next week following the injury to Adam Reynolds (broken jaw, round 8-14), particularly if Jordan Rankin or Jaelen Feeney don’t produce. Paul Carter retains his starting spot, despite the return of George Burgess (suspension), benefitting from the injury to John Sutton (pectoral, round 17). He is already the most purchased player this week - and for good reason. Kyle Turner also retains his starting spot following a lively 90, although his injury history is a massive turn off. Hymel Hunt looms as a strong semi-cheapie following a 65. Sam Burgess moves to lock to accommodate the return of brother George, which should increase his minutes from just 53. Cheapie Zane Musgrove (wrist) produced a great 47 on debut, but is now out long-term.

Knights: 1 Jaelen Feeney 2 Nathan Ross 3 Dane Gagai 4 Pat Mata’utia 5 Akuila Uate 6 Jarrod Mullen 7 Trent Hodkinson 8 Sam Mataora 9 Tyler Randell 10 Korbin Sims 11 Jacob Safiti 12 Robbie Rochow 13 Jeremy Smith. Interchange: 14 Danny Levi 15 David Bhana 16 Lachlan Fitzgibbon 17 Daniel Safiti 18 Sione Mata’utia 21 Kade Snowden

Ins: Nathan Ross, Sione Mata’utia, Danny Levi, Lachlan Fitzgibbon

Outs: Pauli Pauli (suspension, round three), Chanel Mata’utia (knee, round eight)

Other unavailables: Tariq Sims (suspension, round six), James McManus (concussion, season), Jake Mamo (ankle, indefinite)

Comment: Chanel Mata’utia (knee, round eight) is a sell. Fellow cheapie Pat Mata’utia retains his centre spot, with brother Sione (suspension) named to return on an extended bench. Pauli Pauli (suspension, round three) is out, replaced on the bench by Lachlan Fitzgibbon. Last year’s PPM revelation Kade Snowden has been named out of the 17 after scoring just 29 minutes on the weekend. Jacob Saifiti (64 minutes) and Daniel Safiti (62 points in 32 minutes) had promising debuts and should score nice rises. Jaelen Feeney (17 points) was less impressive, but only needs to notch a try or two to see a quick surge in price. David Bhana scored at just 0.65 PPM and is a definite no-no. Steer clear of Tyler Randell, who played 80 minutes and had a great opening week, but now has to compete for game time with Danny Levi, who has been added to the bench.

Michael Gordon had a horror night in round one, but is worth persisting with. Picture: Jenny Evans

EELS v COWBOYS

7.30pm at Pirtek Stadium

Eels: 1 Michael Gordon 2 Semi Radradra 3 Michael Jennings 4 Brad Takairangi 5 Clint Gutherson 6 Corey Norman 7 Kieran Foran (c) 8 Junior Paulo 9 Nathan Peats 10 Tim Mannah (c) 11 Manu Ma’u 12 Beau Scott 13 Tepai Moeroa. Interchange: 14 Kaysa Pritchard 15 Peni Terepo 16 Danny Wicks 17 Ken Edwards 18 Daniel Alvaro

Ins: Kieran Foran (hamstring), Danny Wicks

Outs: Luke Kelly (dropped)

Other unavailables: Anthony Watmough (knee, indefinite), John Folau (hamstring, indefinite)

Comment: Halves Kieran Foran (hamstring) and Corey Norman (neck) have been named and are expected to play. Michael Gordon had a tough club debut but is worth persisting with, particularly with the first choice halves to return. Semi Radradra was always going to find it hard to keep his run going and will hopefully drop to a juicy price for the byes. Nathan Peats made a mountain of tackles and is an option to replace Segeyaro, although it’s very early to be buying borderline keepers just for bye coverage. Manu Ma’u was brilliant and showed he will be essential over Origin.

Cowboys: 1 Lachlan Coote 2 Kyle Feldt 3 Justin O’Neill 4 Kane Linnett 5 Antonio Winterstein 6 Michael Morgan 7 Johnathan Thurston (c) 8 Matthew Scott (c) 9 Jake Granville 10 James Tamou 11 Gavin Cooper 12 Ethan Lowe 13 Jason Taumalolo. Interchange: 14 Rory Kostjasyn 15 John Asiata 16 Scott Bolton 17 Ben Hannant

Ins: None

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Ray Thompson (broken ankle, round 10), Tautau Moga (ACL, indefinite)

Comment: No changes. The only SuperCoach-relevant player in this side is Johnathan Thurston. Don’t get sucked in by Ethan Lowe’s one good game.

SHARKS v DRAGONS

4pm Sunday at Shark Park

Sharks: 1 Ben Barba 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Jack Bird 4 Ricky Leutele 5 Valentine Holmes 6 James Maloney 7 Chad Townsend 8 Andrew Fifita 9 Michael Ennis 10 Sam Tagataese 11 Luke Lewis 12 Wade Graham 13 Jayson Bukuya. Interchange: 14 Gerard Beale 15 Matt Prior 16 David Fifita 17 Joseph Paulo

Ins: Gerard Beale, Joseph Paulo

Outs: Paul Gallen (knee, round eight), Chris Heighington (suspension, round three)

Other unavailables: Tracey Connor (ACL, season).

Comment: Jayson Bukuya will start at lock in place of skipper Paul Gallen (knee, round seven). Gerard Beale and Joseph Paulo join Cronulla’s bench with Chris Heighington suspended. Gallen is a definite sell - and teammate Andrew Fifita is a great replacement. He always steps up when Gallen is out. Ben Barba produced a strong game and is on the way to making some decent cash before being upgraded, potentially to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck or James Tedesco.

Dragons: 1 Kurt Mann 2 Euan Aitken 3 Josh Dugan 4 Tim Lafai 5 Jason Nightingale 6 Gareth Widdop (c) 7 Benji Marshall 8 Leeson Ah Mau 9 Mitch Rein 10 Russell Packer 11 Tyson Frizell 12 Will Matthews 13 Mike Cooper. Interchange: 14 Ben Creagh (c) 15 Jack de Belin 16 Dunamis Lui 17 Siliva Havili 18 Peter Mata’utia 19 Jake Marketo

Ins: Peter Mata’utia, Jake Marketo

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Dylan Farrell (back, indefinite), Mose Masoe (ACL, season), Yaw Kiti Glymin (hamstring, indefinite)

Comment: Peter Mata’utia and Jake Marketo have been added to an extended bench in the only changes. Not much on offer from a SuperCoach perspective here.

STORM v TITANS

6.30pm Sunday at AAMI Park

Storm: 1 Billy Slater 2 Young Tonumaipea 3 Will Chambers 4 Cameron Munster 5 Marika Koroibete 6 Blake Green 7 Cooper Cronk 8 Jesse Bromwich 9 Cameron Smith (c) 10 Jordan McLean 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Tohu Harris 13 Dale Finucane. Interchange: 14 Kenny Bromwich 15 Tim Glasby 16 Felise Kaufusi 17 Christian Welch

Ins: None

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Cheyse Blair (foot, indefinite), Matt White (calf, indefinite)

Comment: Unchanged. Billy Slater looked sharp on Monday without producing a massive score. Jesse Bromwich looms as a great replacement for Gallen, while Cameron Smith is the obvious trade for Segeyaro. Tohu Harris produced 64 in base stats and is a must have at some stage.

Titans: 1 David Mead 2 Anthony Don 3 Josh Hoffman 4 Nathan Davis 5 John Olive 6 Tyrone Roberts 7 Ashley Taylor 8 David Shillington 9 Nathan Friend (c) 10 Agnatius Paasi 11 Zeb Taia 12 Chris McQueen 13 Greg Bird. Interchange: 14 Eddy Pettybourne 15 Ryan James 16 Leivaha Pulu 17 Daniel Mortimer 18 Luke Douglas 19 Will Zillman (c)

Ins: Luke Douglas (suspension), Will Zillman (calf)

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Kane Elgey (ACL, season), Karl Lawton (adductor, round four), Oshae Tuiasau (MCL, round six), Nene Macdonald (knee, round three), Nathaniel Peteru (knee, round six)

Comment: Cheapies John Olive and Nathan Davis have retained their starting spots, with Neil Henry naming the same 17 that beat the Knights. However, Olive could lose his spot to Will Zillman (calf), who has been named on an extended bench. Davis should get another game, with Nene Macdonald (knee, round three) not due back until next week. Chris McQueen produced just 32 points in 80 minutes. Agnatius Paasi was enormous on the weekend, although he played just 42 minutes, which is a worry.

Jordan Rankin (C) didn’t kick goals on the weekend.

TIGERS v SEA EAGLES

7pm Monday at Leichhardt Oval

Tigers: 1 James Tedesco 2 David Nofoaluma 3 Tim Simona 4 Kevin Naiqama 5 Jordan Rankin 6 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks 8 Aaron Woods (c) 9 Dene Halatau 10 Tim Grant 11 Curtis Sironen 12 Chris Lawrence 13 Sauaso Sue. Interchange: 14 Kyle Lovett 15 Joshua Aloiai 16 Ava Seumanufagai 17 Manaia Cherrington 18 Michael Chee Kam

Ins: Luke Brooks (suspension), Dene Halatau (suspension), Michael Chee Kam

Outs: Jack Littlejohn, Jack Buchanan (both dropped)

Other unavailables: Matt Ballin (ACL, round eight), Justin Hunt (back, indefinite), Bailey Sironen (ankle, round two), Robbie Farah (knee, round five)

Comment: Luke Brooks (suspension) returns, with Jack Littlejohn dropping out. Dene Halatau (suspension) will start at hooker, with Kyle Lovett returning to the bench and Jack Buchanan out. Manaia Cherrington is therefore a bust, and the trade is on to Garvey or Carter. Mitchell Moses scored the kicking duties ahead of cheapie Jordan Rankin last week. Aaron Woods played 70 minutes, but produced the uncharacteristically horrid work rate of 0.76 PPM and scored just 53 points.

Sea Eagles: 1 Tom Trbojevic 2 Jorge Taufua 3 Jamie Lyon (c) 4 Steve Matai 5 Brayden Wiliame 6 Dylan Walker 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Josh Starling 9 Apisai Koroisau 10 Nate Myles 11 Lewis Brown 12 Martin Taupau 13 Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14 Matt Parcell 15 Nathan Green 16 Brenton Lawrence 17 Siosaia Vave

Ins: Josh Starling, Brenton Lawrence

Outs: Darcy Lussick, Blake Leary (both dropped)

Other unavailables: Jayden Hodges (ACL, season), Jamie Buhrer (broken jaw, round five), Brett Stewart (hamstring, round three), Isaac John (virus, indefinite)

Comment: Coach Trent Barrett has overhauled his pack – and SuperCoaches could be the big winners. Brenton Lawrence is set to emerge as a SuperCoach buy after being added to the squad alongside Josh Starling, with Darcy Lussick and Blake Leary dropped. Jake Trbojevic could see increased minutes after moving from prop to lock. Ditto for Martin Taupau, who appears set to play an edge back row role. Nathan Green played 80 minutes last week for a measly 26 points and has now been pushed to the bench to accommodate Taupau on the fringe. Brett Stewart (hamstring) remains sidelined, with Tom Trbojevic to play fullback and Brayden Wiliame on the wing.

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach teams analysis for round 2: Injury crisis hits early