SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 13
FORMER SuperCoach NRL champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round 13.
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FORMER SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — champion Wilfred Zee looks at the good, bad and ugly of Round 13.
Roosters v Tigers (16 – 14)
It wasn’t pretty but, in the end, the depleted Roosters did just enough to hold out the desperate Tigers. It was a scrappy game yet again, but there were flashes of brilliance sprinkled throughout as Brooks showed how dangerous he was when he took the Roosters’ defence on, falling short time and time again as his teammates weren’t quite on the same page and unable to go with him. And what about that TACKLE by Daniel Tupou? Only scored two tries on the stat sheet but he may as well as scored three with the miraculous play to stop Corey Thompson scoring in the corner.
Let’s look at the good, bad and the ugly in this game.
The Good
Blake Ferguson (89)
It was always likely that Fergo would do well with the shift to fullback, increasing his already impressive base stat numbers but also allowing more opportunity for him to impose himself on the game. He scored a massive 40 points in pure base stats, along with four tackle busts, two effective offloads, held up a player in-goal and kicked two goals from two attempts. He also had a line break, a try assist and a line break assist – and one desperate final minute try save on Mahe Fonua, to help his team to the win.
Victor Radley (72)
Radley has been a real bright spark in the Roosters line-up this year, showing his ability off the bench and being a real menace in defence. Handed a surprise starting edge backrower spot this week, he showed he was up to the task with 54 points in pure base stats, four tackle busts, two effective offloads and a line break assist. Surely the Roosters have to consider giving this guy a starting spot in their pack…
The Bad
Joseph Manu (22)
Said this a few weeks ago, but if you jumped on Manu thinking he would be a bye coverage POD and try make a bit of coin out of him, you’ve been left with a sour taste in your mouth.
Corey Thompson (25)
I have to admit that he’s been more impressive than I expected so far this year, but he showed signs lately of regressing to his usual (much lower) levels of work rate, so owners would be well served in considering whether to jump ship for a CTW keeper that might cover Round 17 (the likes of Rapana, Aitken, etc.). He’s averaged 50+ and made almost $100,000 so he’s more than done a job for you if you’ve started with him!
The Ugly
David Nofoaluma (21)
Nofo was beasting it until he suffered a calf injury in the 32nd minute and limped off the field. He seems set to miss at least a week or two.
Eels v Knights (4 – 30)
What an unexpected result this was! Even though I tipped an upset from the Knights, there was certainly no way I expected a scoreline like this! The Eels also suffered a shocking run of injuries and finished the game with an empty bench. Talk about kicking a team when they’re down… It was a good bounceback from the Knights after the flogging they received last week, but it’s hard to read too much into the win given the Eels’ prior run of form and injuries mid-game.
Let’s take a look at the good, bad and ugly of this game.
The Good
Daniel Alvaro (84)
Alvaro played a massive 63 minutes at prop given the extensive injuries, as well as the decision to ease Nathan Brown back into the swing of things by having him play on the edge (where there is usually less work and less collisions from front rower against front rower). He scored a massive 78 points in pure base stats (48 tackles with no misses, and 17 runs for 30 points), plus also had two tackle busts and two ineffective offloads. No one can ever accuse Alvaro of not putting in for his team!
Daniel Saifiti (78)
I had an inkling that with Ese’ese out with suspension this week, we might see a big performance from his front row starting partner. Playing 49 minutes, ‘DSaif’ scored 49 points in pure base stats but also busted two tackles on his way to scoring a try with a line break. He was instrumental in laying a strong platform for the rest of the Knights team to work off, and cashed in himself to get himself off the end-of-season nudie run!
The Bad
Clint Gutherson (22)
His teammates were falling like flies around him but uncharacteristically, Gutho wasn’t very prominent and actually hadn’t run the ball even once by halftime. He was unable to step up when needed and that is really rare for King Gutho.
Michael Jennings (5)
It was not a happy game as he was sinbinned yet again, and even before that he had missed five tackles as the Knights ran over the Eels all over the park.
The Ugly
Bevan French (0)
A head knock just two minutes into the game saw French leave the field, and he subsequently failed the HIA.
Mitchell Moses (11)
Taken off in the 25th minute with a suspected MCL injury, but scans have since revealed bone bruising and potentially some minor damage around the knee. Takairangi took over at five eighth once Moses left the field.
Will Smith (29)
He replaced French as fullback and played most of the game there, until he was injured himself with a minor hamstring strain.
Peni Terepo was taken off for a HIA in the final 15 minutes, which meant he didn’t have enough time to get back onto the field. Chris Heighington was knocked out by a (shoulder) charging Tepai Moeroa.
Rabbitohs v Sharks (14-22)
The Rabbitohs really made a statement this week as they, despite missing their captain, their livewire hooker, their most in-form forward of the past month and their centre pairing – which disrupts their edge defence significantly – they were able to knock off the fourth place
Sharks missing just Holmes (to Origin duty) and Dugan (late withdrawal due to injury). The Sharks were disappointing given they were expected to win this game, and comfortably, given the omissions for the Rabbitohs and the form that the Sharks were in themselves.
Let’s look at the key performers in this game.
The Good
Robbie Farah (87)
He’s not a bad back-up hooker to be honest. Farah slotted in for Cook and despite the fact he hasn’t played first grade this year, he didn’t skip a beat as he played the full 80 minutes and played a pivotal part in his team’s victory. He assisted one try and one line break, busted one tackle and made two offloads (yet to be updated). Most impressive though was his 63 points in pure base stats, made up mostly of tackles – 59 of them in fact (with five misses)! What an effort from the veteran hooker.
John Sutton (80)
Sutton is having a career year – who would have thought they would hear those words written about Sutton this year! He is though, playing some of his best footy and really forming a great combination on the left edge with Walker. He set up a try, broke the line once, forced a dropout, busted three tackles, threw two offloads (yet to be updated) and scored 42 points in pure base stats. He’s a tough purchase given his base stats aren’t fantastic, but given his attacking potency this year, maybe you just back him to continue scoring the attacking stats!
The Bad
Matt Moylan (10)
He was the most popular purchase this week, and for good reason. The stars had aligned, with a big negative breakeven, Round 13 coverage, a kind draw coming up and the match- up this week against a depleted Rabbitohs outfit… well, Moylan did Moylan things and struggled to get involved in an effective manner. The sinbin with 10 minutes to go was the cherry on top though, and it was a real kick in the teeth for owners.
Robert Jennings (6)
‘Rennings’ had a bad night, with errors and penalties conceded affecting his performance.
But then he went and capped it all off by being sinbinned too!
The Ugly
Wade Graham (13)
He lasted just 19 minutes before an accidental knee to the head in a tackle forced him from the field for a HIA, which he failed. This saw Bukuya take over on his edge for the remainder of the game.
Braidon Burns (20)
He lasted 21 minutes before a leg injury forced him from the field. Fuimaono replaced him off the bench for the remainder of the game.
Sea Eagles v Cowboys (12-26)
Two battling teams sitting down the bottom end of the ladder, both having lost key members of their team to representative duty – one could be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a bludger of a game. As it turned out, it was of much higher quality than expected. What was most promising was the improvement in the Cowboys, and it will be intriguing to see if they can still turn their season around and somehow still scrape into finals. Winning eight of their remaining 11 games this season is not impossible, even if it is improbable…
Let’s look at the key performers.
The Good
Jason Taumalolo (116)
Well, it wasn’t unexpected, but it was still great to see Taumalolo have such a strong game, standing up in the absence of his more experienced fellow forwards in Scott, Bolton and Cooper, as well as the hulking Coen Hess. Lolo played the full 80 minutes, starting off on the left edge before shifting to lock after Kane Linnett got on the field. He made a massive 25 runs for 47 points (22 of those runs being over eight metres), as well as 25 tackles (one missed) for a total of 71 points in pure base stats. Throw in his (somewhat fortunate) try, his 12 tackle busts and five offloads which are yet to be updated, and you’ve got one heck of a game-winning and SuperCoach-killing performance!
Antonio Winterstein (96)
So this is a case of on-field performance not really reflecting the stats, but plenty have been calling for Winterstein to be dropped almost all season. He has to be one of, if not the, slowest wingers in the game right now. Well, he still had enough toe to score two tries, both with line breaks, bust four tackles, throw one offload (pending updates), and score an impressive 32 points in pure base stats. Patient owners have been rewarded with over $100,000 made already, plus a huge score in a tough bye round, and further cash increases to come!
The Bad
Daly Cherry-Evans (35)
A base score of 35 isn’t horrible for a non-goalkicking half, but DCE owners would be disappointed given the fact that the Sea Eagles really needed him to stand up and take control of the team in the absence of the Trbojevic brothers. Unfortunately for the Sea Eagles he wasn’t able to do this, and the Cowboys ran away with the game.
The Ugly
Jorge Taufua (15)
He played just 40 minutes before a head knock forced him to undergo a HIA, which he failed. Brad Parker replaced him on the right wing for the second half.
Shaun Lane (82)
Lane was having a great game before a sickening incident which saw him too focused on throwing an offload and keeping the play alive to have any self-preservation, as his head slammed on the ground as part of a tackle without any bracing or preparation for himself. He eventually was helped to his feet and was able to walk off with assistance.
Jack Gosiewski (23)
He played just 37 minutes as a suspected broken arm forced him off the field in the 65th minute. He may have missed some upcoming games anyway after being put on report for his late dog shot on JT. Ben Hampton didn’t make it on to the field.
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Originally published as SuperCoach NRL 2018: Wilfred Zee’s wrap of the good, bad and ugly from Round 13
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