NRL SuperCoach teams analysis round 11: Will Matthews drops to bench and bows out of contention

SUPERCOACHES are scrambling for the “reverse trade” button after Dragons revelation Will Matthews was unexpectedly dropped to the bench.

SUPERCOACHES are scrambling for the “reverse trade” button after Dragons revelation Will Matthews was unexpectedly dropped to the bench.

Matthews started trading this week as the second most purchased player behind only Parramatta superstar Semi Radradra.

The St George Illawarra utility’s appeal came from his step up to full game duties last week in place of Jack De Belin (shoulder, round 16).

Will Matthews has been dropped to the bench. Picture: Mark Evans

Matthews’ stocks were also increased by the one-week suspension of Joel Thompson, which seemingly created even more room in the back row.

However, coach Paul McGregor instead promoted Jake Marketo into Thompson’s edge back row role, while Mike Cooper shifts from prop to lock.

This relegates Matthews to the interchange and therefore rules him out of SuperCoach contention.

In other SuperCoach news from the round 11 NRL team announcements:

* Nathan Peats owners have copped a double blow. Not only has he switched to a club with a far inferior bye schedule, but he has been named on the bench for the Titans and appears set for a huge drop in game time;

* Potential cheapie Vai Toutai retained his spot for the Eels. But with Kieran Foran (personal leave) nearing a return and Parramatta playing on Monday night, Toutai looms as a risky purchase this week;

* Tyrone Phillips retained his wing spot at the Bulldogs. With a break even of six and strong job security while Will Hopoate is out for religious reasons, he is the safest bargain in the backs in what is a bland week for cheapies;

* Early-season cheapie Nathan Davis has locked in a long-term backline spot at the Titans following the injury to David Mead (PCL, eight weeks);

* SuperCoach gun Simon Mannering (mouth cut) returns for the Warriors and will be ripe for the picking in round 13;

* Corey Parker has relinquished the kicking duties to Jordan Kahu and is a sell for the byes;

* Early season cheapie Cody Walker has been named on the wing for the Rabbitohs and will score one final price rise for those who held (BE 15), before selling for the round 12 bye;

* Cheapie Jacob Saifiti, who is still owned by more than a quarter of SuperCoaches, was named by the Knights despite playing just 11 minutes last week due to a wrist injury.

Will Matthews has been named on the bench this week.

Rabbitohs v Dragons

Thursday 7:50pm at ANZ Stadium

Rabbitohs: 1 Alex Johnston 2 Dane Nielsen 3 Kirisome Auva’a 4 Bryson Goodwin 5 Cody Walker 6 Greg Inglis 7 Adam Reynolds 8 Tom Burgess 9 Cameron McInnes 10 Nathan Brown 11 Paul Carter 12 Kyle Turner 13 Sam Burgess. Interchange: 14 Luke Keary 15 Jason Clark 16 Jack Gosiewski 18. George Burgess

Ins: Cody Walker

Outs: Michael Oldfield (Hamstring, Round 17)

Other unavailables: John Sutton (Pectoral, Round 18), Zane Musgrove (Wrist, Indefinite), Angus Crichton (Groin, Indefinite), Hymel Hunt (Pectoral, Season), Samisoni Langi (ACL, Season), Aaron Gray (Knee, round 15)

Comment: Early-season cheapie Cody Walker has been named on the wing and will score a handy SuperCoach price rise for the eight per cent who held, replacing Michael Oldfield (hamstring, round 17). Paul Carter is worth persisting with for those who still own him after playing massive minutes on the weekend in the absence of Chris Grevsmuhl, whose move to the Panthers will be officially announced very shortly. With all the ups and downs of captains this year, is Sam Burgess just a pick and stick skipper?

Dragons: 1 Josh Dugan 2 Kalifa Faifai Loa 3 Euan Aitken 4 Tim Lafai 5 Jason Nightingale 6 Gareth Widdop (c) 7 Josh McCrone 8 Leeson Ah Mau 9 Mitch Rein 10 Russell Packer 11 Tyson Frizell 12 Jake Marketo 13 Mike Cooper. Interchange: 14 Will Matthews 15 Dunamis Lui 16 Siliva Havili 17 Jacob Host

Ins: Josh McCrone, Jacob Host

Outs: Benji Marshall (Hamstring, TBC), Joel Thompson (Suspension, Round 12)

Other unavailables: Dylan Farrell (Back, Indefinite), Mose Masoe (ACL, Season), Yaw Kiti Glymin (Hamstring, Indefinite), Ben Creagh (Knee, Indefinite), Jack de Belin (Shoulder, Round 16)

Comment: Benji Marshall (hamstring) is replaced by Josh McCrone in the halves. Will Matthews was the second most popular buy of the week before teams were announced, but has been benched and is no longer an option. The best bye buy at the Dragons is therefore Euan Aitken, who has a keeper average this year when an injury-affected zero is taken out of his scores. He has a BE of -3 and costs just $277,000. Mike Cooper also stepped up his involvement considerably with De Belin out (but not his minutes), scoring 68. At just $317,600, he is a bargain bye option compared to others in the position.

Cowboys v Broncos

Friday 7:50pm at 1300 Smiles Stadium

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

Ins: None

Outs: None

Other unavailables: None

Comment: No changes, but Matt Scott (ankle) and Rory Kostjasyn (neck) are in doubt. Johnathan Thurston remains the only SuperCoach relevant player in this side at the moment (but fingers crossed Javid Bowen is named next week). Ethan Lowe and Gavin Cooper are both traps. Lowe had a great start to the season but has averaged under 50 in the last three weeks following a dearth of attacking stats. Cooper is an Origin chance and has inflated stats following six tries in as many weeks.

Broncos: 1 Darius Boyd 2 Corey Oates 3 Jack Reed 4 James Roberts 5 Jordan Kahu 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

Ins: Andrew McCullough (hamstring), Alex Glenn (calf), Adam Blair (suspension)

Outs: Herman Ese’ese, Jai Arrow, Travis Waddell

Other unavailables: Aaron Whitchurch (Knee, Indefinite)

Comment: Brisbane will be back to full strength for their clash with the Cowboys, welcoming back Andrew McCullough (hamstring), Alex Glenn (calf) and Adam Blair (suspension). Corey Parker will be rested over Origin and has relinquished the kicking duties. With a break even of 90, he is a sell either this week or next. Plenty of SuperCoaches went massive with Anthony Milford as captain last week, but surely you are playing with fire if you captain him this weekend against the Cowboys at 1300 SMILES Stadium. Milford has averaged 105 points at home but just 65 away.

LISTEN TO OUR ROUND 11 PODCAST

Tigers v Knights

Saturday 3:00pm at Campbelltown Stadium

Tigers: 1 Justin Hunt 2 David Nofoaluma 3 Tim Simona 4 Kevin Naiqama 5 Jordan Rankin 6 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks 8 Aaron Woods 9 Dene Halatau 10 Ava Seumanufagai 11 Josh Aloiai 12 Chris Lawrence 13 Elijah Taylor. Interchange: 14 Tim Grant 15 Matt Ballin 16 JJ Felise 17 Kyle Lovett 18 Michael Chee Kam

Ins: JJ Felise, Matt Ballin, Michael Chee-Kam

Outs: Curtis Sironen, Robbie Farah (Concussion, Origin I)

Other unavailables: James Tedesco (Shoulder, Round 12)

Comment: Robbie Farah (concussion) is replaced at hooker by Dene Halatau, with Matt Ballin added to the bench for his Tigers debut. Curtis Sironen also misses out with JJ Felise and Michael Chee-Kam joining the bench. Last week’s Tigers debutant Elijah Taylor has been a SuperCoach star in the past, but is set for a $10,300 drop following his time at the Panthers. He is obviously much more highly rated at the Tigers, playing 70 minutes and making 40 tackles last week. One to monitor for next round given his great schedule.

Knights: 1 Dane Gagai 2 Nathan Ross 3 Sione Mata’utia 4 Pat Mata’utia 5 Akuila Uate 6 Brock Lamb 7 Trent Hodkinson (c) 8 Sam Mataora 9 Danny Levi 10 Daniel Saifiti 11 Tariq Sims (c) 12 Jacob Saifiti 13 Jeremy Smith (c) Interchange: 14 Tyler Randell 15 Korbin Sims 16 Jack Stockwell 17 Mickey Paea 18 Pauli Pauli 19 Jack Cogger

Ins: Nathan Ross (hamstring), Sam Mataora (hamstring), Trent Hodkinson (knee), Pauli Pauli

Outs: Cory Denniss, David Bhana

Other unavailables: Chanel Mata’utia (Knee, Round 16), James McManus (Concussion, Season), Kade Snowden (Various, Season), Jake Mamo (Ankle, Round 12), Peter Mata’utia (Knee, Round 17), Robbie Rochow (Broken arm, Round 12), Jarrod Mullen (Hamstring, Indefinite)

Comment: Nathan Ross (hamstring), Sam Mataora (hamstring) and Trent Hodkinson (knee) return. Jacob Saifiti is still owned by over a quarter of SuperCoaches and is set for another massive price drop after leaving the field with a wrist injury last week. He’s a sell, despite playing round 12. Brock Lamb is the fourth most popular purchase this week (and the most popular cheapie). But he will struggle for attacking stats at the Knights and should be avoided.

Warriors v Raiders

Saturday 5:30pm at Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth

Warriors: 1 Tuimoala Lolohea 2 Jonathan Wright 3 Blake Ayshford 4 Matthew Allwood 5 David Fusitua 6 Thomas Leuluai 7 Shaun Johnson 8 Jacob Lillyman 9 Issac Luke 10 Ben Matulino 11 Bodene Thompson 12 Ryan Hoffman 13 Simon Mannering. Interchange: 14 Jazz Tevaga 15 Sam Lisone 16 John Palavi 17 James Gavet 18 Toafofoa Sipley

Ins: Simon Mannering (mouth cut), Sam Lisone, Toafofoa Sipley

Outs: Solomone Kata (Suspension, Round 13), Charlie Gubb

Other unavailables: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Knee, Season), Ben Henry (Knee, Indefinite), Manu Vatuvei (Medical leave, Round 12), Sione Lousi (ACL, Season)

Comment: SuperCoach gun Simon Mannering (mouth cut) returns. With a 76 break even, he will be gloriously priced for round 13. Likewise, Shaun Johnson is set to be available at a $30,000 discount on his starting price. Solomone Kata (suspension, round 13) is replaced at centre by Matthew Allwood. Forwards Sam Lisone and Toafofoa Sipley also join the squad, while Charlie Gubb drops out.

Raiders: 1 Jack Wighton 2 Edrick Lee 3 Jarrod Croker (c) 4 Joey Leilua 5 Jordan Rapana 6 Blake Austin 7 Aidan Sezer 8 Shannon Boyd 9 Josh Hodgson 10 Paul Vaughan 11 Josh Papalli 12 Elliott Whitehead 13 Luke Bateman. Interchange: 14 Kurt Baptiste 15 Jeff Lima 16 Clay Priest 17 Joe Tapine 18 Sam Williams 19 Frank-Paul Nuuausala

Ins: Jeff Lima (hand), Frank-Paul Nuuausala, Sam Williams

Outs: Shaun Fensom (Shoulder, Round 12)

Other unavailables: Sia Soliola (Broken arm, Round 12)

Comment: Jeff Lima (hand) comes into the side, but former SuperCoach gun Shaun Fensom (shoulder, round 12) is out and sadly not an option this year. The Raiders have been a SuperCoach gold mine in the last few weeks. Jarrod Croker ($51,500), Paul Vaughan ($38,100), Elliott Whitehead ($25,000), Jordan Rapana ($53,200) and BJ Leilua ($60,400) all saw massive rises last week. But unfortunately, only Croker (BE -8) offers any value this week.

Sharks v Sea Eagles

Saturday 7:30pm at Southern Cross Stadium

Sharks: 1 Ben Barba 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Jack Bird 4 Gerard Beale 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 Paul Gallen. Interchange: 14 Ricky Leutele 15 Chris Heighington 16 Jason Bukuya 17 Joseph Paulo 18 David Fifita

Ins: Jayson Bukuya (suspension)

Outs: Matt Prior (Knee, Round 13)

Other unavailables: Connor Tracey (ACL, Season)

Comment: Matt Prior (knee) will miss the week and has been replaced by the returning Jayson Bukuya (suspension). David Fifita joins the squad as 18th man. Ben Barba has proven one of the greatest buys in SuperCoach this year, notching $164,900 in rises and averaging almost 60. Andrew Fifita is a hold until Origin teams are announced.

Sea Eagles: 1 Tom Trbojevic 2 Matthew Wright 3 Jamie Lyon 4 Steve Matai 5 Brayden Wiliame 6 Dylan Walker 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Darcy Lussick 9 Matt Parcell 10 Nate Myles 11 Lewis Brown 12 Jamie Buhrer 13 Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14 Blake Leary 15 Josh Starling 16 Brenton Lawrence 17 Siosaia Vave

Ins: Steve Matai (neck), Jamie Buhrer, Josh Starling

Outs: Martin Taupau (Suspension, Round 15), Tom Symonds, Addin Fonua-Blake

Other unavailables: Jayden Hodges (ACL, Season), Isaac John (Pectoral, Round 16), Jorge Taufua (Broken collarbone, Round 13), Apisai Koroisau (Ribs, Round 13), Brett Stewart (Hamstring, Round 13), Tim Moltzen (Knee, Season), Feleti Mateo (Neck, Round 13)

Comment: Steve Matai (neck), Jamie Buhrer (broken thumb) and Josh Starling return. Martin Taupau (suspension), Tom Symonds and Addin Fonua-Blake make way. Brenton Lawrence has a break even of 55 and is a sell this week for one of the many bye purchases on offer, having made almost $100,000.

Panthers v Titans

Sunday 2:00pm at Pepper Stadium

Panthers: 1 Matt Moylan 2 Josh Mansour 3 Tryone Peachey 4 Peta Hiku 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 Jamie Soward 7 Peter Wallace 8 Sam McKendry 9 James Segeyaro 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11 Bryce Cartwright 12 Isaah Yeo 13 Trent Merrin. Interchange: 14 Suaia Matagi 15 Jeremy Latimore 16 Leilani Latu 17 James Fisher-Harris

Ins: None

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Dean Whare (ACL, Season), Te Maire Martin (Shoulder fracture, Season)

Comment: Same 17. Anthony Griffin has rested players in the past over Origin, meaning Bryce Cartwright and Trent Merrin may be sells. But definitely wait another week. James Fisher-Harris had a slow start but has snuck under the radar to notch the biggest price rise of any running forward this year ($154,100). He has one final surge left (BE 18) before being sold to a bye cover player in basically a straight swap.

Titans: 1 William Zillman 2 Anthony Don 3 Josh Hoffman 4 Nathan Davis, 5 Nene McDonald 6 Tyrone Roberts 7 Ashley Taylor 8 David Shillington 9 Nathan Friend 10 Ryan James 11 Zeb Taia 12 Chris McQueen 13 Greg Bird Interchange: 14 Luke Douglas 15 Leivaha Pulu 16 Agnatius Paasi 17 Nathan Peats 18 Eddy Pettybourne 19 Kierran Moseley

Ins: Nene Macdonald (calf), Nathan Peats, Eddy Pettybourne

Outs: David Mead (PCL, Round 18)

Other unavailables: Kane Elgey (ACL, Season), Matt Srama (Knee, Season), David Hala (Elbow, Round 13), Daniel Mortimer (Hamstring, Round 13), John Olive (Broken collarbone, Indefinite)

Comment: The injury to David Mead (PCL, round 18) guarantees a long-term backline spot for cheapie Nathan Davis. However, with a break even of 28 and the bye in round 12, he’s a sell either this week or next. Ditto for Ashley Taylor, who has made a massive $173,000 but now needs to be moved on. Nathan Peats is a sell after copping a double blow — not only has he moved to a team with no round 12 coverage, but he has been named on the bench and will therefore see a massive reduction in minutes.

Bulldogs v Roosters

Sunday 4:00pm at ANZ Stadium

Bulldogs: 1 Sam Perrett 2 Curtis Rona 3 Josh Morris 4 Kerrod Holland 5 Tyrone Phillips 6 Josh Reynolds 7 Moses Mbye 8 Aiden Tolman 9 Michael Lichaa 10 James Graham (c) 11 Josh Jackson 12 Greg Eastwood 13 David Klemmer. Interchange: 14 Sam Kasiano 15 Raymond Faitala-Mariner 16 Tim Browne 17 Craig Garvey 19 Lloyd Perrett 21 Adam Elliott

Ins: Lloyd Perrett, Adam Elliott

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Brett Morris (Knee, Round 16), Will Hopoate (Religious reasons, Round 13), Pat O’Hanlon (Ankle, Round 12)

Comment: Unchanged 17, with Lloyd Perrett and Adam Elliott joining an extended bench. Kerrod Holland is somehow the seventh most sold player this week. He may have a break even of 65, but he offers essential coverage for round 12 and is a definite hold. James Graham is the best forward bye purchase in the game and a must-have over the next two weeks. Tyrone Phillips is hardly the best cheapie of all time (BE 6), but he offers round 12 coverage and has decent job security given the absence of Will Hopoate (religious reasons, round 13). He is therefore the safest cheapie of the week in what is admittedly a dull week on the cheapie front. A 16 two weeks ago gives an idea of the risks. But equally, numbers need to be created for round 12, money needs to be created for a huge buying week in round 13, and Suliasi Vinuvalu and Nathan Davis need to be cashed in. Vai Toutai is the other option, but more on him below.

Roosters: 1 Latrell Mitchell 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Mitchell Aubusson 4 Blake Ferguson 5 Joe Burgess 6 Jackson Hastings 7 Mitchell Pearce 8 Sam Moa 9 Jake Friend (c) 10 Dylan Napa 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Aidan Guerra 13 Isaac Liu. Interchange: 14 Sio Siua Taukeiaho 15 Kane Evans 16 Ryan Matterson 17 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 18 Connor Watson

Ins: Connor Watson

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Dale Copley (Pectoral, Round 20), Ian Hendeson (Broken leg, Indefinite), Shaun Kenny-Dowall (Turf toe, Indefinite)

Comment: Same 17, with Connor Watson added as 18th man. Latrell Mitchell (BE 46) has peaked and is therefore the third most traded player this week. However, his round 15 and 18 coverage is too hard to ignore and he’ll be held by The Stalwarts, as will Jackson Hastings (BE 20).

Eels v Storm

Monday 7:00pm at Pirtek Stadium

Eels: 1 Michael Gordon 2 Semi Radradra 3 Michael Jennings 4 Vai Toutai 5 Clint Gutherson 6 Brad Takairangi 7 Corey Norman 8 Junior Paulo 9 Isaac De Gois 10 Danny Wicks 11 Manu Ma’u 12 Beau Scott 13 Tepai Moeroa Interchange: 14 Kaysa Pritchard 15 Peni Terepo 16 David Gower 17 Kenny Edwards

Ins: None

Outs: None

Other unavailables: Anthony Watmough (Knee, Indefinite), Luke Kelly (ACL, Season), Kieran Foran (Personal leave, Round 12), Tim Mannah (Shoulder, Round 13), Bureta Faraimo (Fractured eye socket, Round 16), Kelepi Tanginoa (Ankle, Round 22)

Comment: Unchanged. Cheapie option Vai Toutai retains his spot in the 17. However, with Kieran Foran (personal leave) a possible late inclusion, Toutai’s spot could be on the line. It’s a very inopportune week for the Eels to have a Monday game and SuperCoaches may be forced to buy Toutai early in the weekend without any surety on whether he will play. But with Michael Jennings to play Origin, SuperCoaches can take a punt knowing Toutai is likely to offer round 12 coverage. Semi Radradra is the most popular buy of the week — and for good reason. He could knock up a Bradman-esque score against the Knights in round 12.

Storm: 1 Cameron Munster 2 Suliasi Vunivalu 3 Cheyse Blair 4 Tohu Harris 5 Marika Koroibete 6 Blake Green 7 Cooper Cronk 8 Jesse Bromwich 9 Cameron Smith 10 Jordan McLean 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Kenneth Bromwich 13 Dale Finucane. Interchange: 14 Nelson Asofa-Solomona 15 Tim Glasby 16 Christian Welch Nichol 17 Felise Kaufusi

Ins: Christian Welch Nichol

Outs: Ben Hampton (Calf, Round 14)

Other unavailables: Billy Slater (Shoulder, Season), Richie Kennar (Foot, Indefinite), Will Chambers (Fractured foot, Round 19), Jeremy Hawkins (Hamstring, Round 13), Young Tonumaipea (Knee, Indefinite), Curtis Scott (Calf, Round 12)

Comment: A few changes for Melbourne with Ben Hampton (calf, round 14) out and Tohu Harris moving to centre. Kenny Bromwich comes off the bench to start, with Christian Welch moving into the 17. Suliasi Vunivalu (BE 14) has done his job after a massive $114,900 rise and needs to be cashed in before the round 12 bye. Jesse Bromwich, Cameron Munster and Harris are all on the radar for round 13.

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach teams analysis round 11: Will Matthews drops to bench and bows out of contention