SuperCoach NRL POD Watch Round 21

IT’S the final round of the regular SuperCoach NRL season and former champion Dave Von Kotze has pulled out all stops to identify nine point of difference game breakers for your team.

IT’S the final round of the regular SuperCoach NRL — presented by hipages — season and former champion Dave Von Kotze has pulled out all stops to identify nine point of difference game breakers for your team.

NRL SuperCoach POD watch by Dave von Kotze.

Nathan Cleary ($469,500/ 11.9 per cent ownership)

He’s goal kicking, has set up two tries and scored one over the past two rounds for scores of 80 and 97 and comes with a price tag that will surely see him soar out of POD territory this week. Only available at HFB but a favourable upcoming run against the Raiders (h), Titans (a) and the Knights (h) in must-win games for the Panthers will see many coaches use up their final trade to get in on the action.

Blake Ferguson ($590,000/ 16.5 per cent ownership)

The Roosters have scored 17 tries in the last two weeks and Blake Ferguson has been on the receiving end of plenty of that attack grabbing three tries on the way to posting scores of 89 and 102. Fergo’s price tag is definitely on the expensive side, however, he has scored over 85 in five of his last seven matches and has been a brilliant POD for those who have had him for the past few months. Takes on the Cowboys at home on Saturday night with a break-even of 17 so may need to move fast if he is your man.

ROUND 21: SuperCoach teams analysis

Felise Kaufusi ($568,400/ 2.9 per cent ownership)

Kaufusi has been flying under the radar and getting it done as a superb POD for his 4000 owners. Scores of 92, 69, 62 and 79 have him donning a very sharp four-game average of 75 but deserving honourable mention is that in those four games he has been a base stat bandit racking up 57, 47, 64 and 52 points respectively in pure base. He will play the Bunnies away this weekend before playing three of his last four games at home against the Sharks (h), Eels (h), Titans (a) and the Panthers (h).

Waqa Blake ($497,000/ 3.8 per cent ownership)

Blake has found a new lease on life and has scored a try in each of his four games since returning from injury in round 17. Throw in a couple of try assists and he has the third highest three-game average of 82 behind the currently red-hot Latrell Mitchell (88) and Val Holmes (85). With 10 per cent less ownership than Holmes and 30 per cent less ownership than Mitchell, if Blake can keep the ball rolling against the Raiders and Titans in the next few weeks, he will have massive potential as a POD heading into head-to-head finals.

Super POD Lachlan Fitzgibbon has back-to-back tons. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Lachlan Fitzgibbon ($578,100/ 3.9 per cent ownership)

Three tries in two weeks see Fitzgibbon owners smiling from ear to ear as they sit and watch their ‘Super POD’ work his magic. Recent scores of 105 and 123 will certainly tempt a few to jump on board this week when he takes on the Tigers at home with a break-even of -24. Potential owners may also be tempted by the fact that even though he has been racking up the major attacking stats, he has scored 50 points in base during his last two games.

Ben Hunt ($498,500/ 6 per cent ownership)

Apart from Dragons fans and Mr and Mrs Hunt, very few coaches will entertain the idea of Hunt when Cleary is on the market for nearly $30,000 cheaper. While I am in full agreeance with the flock here, there is some upside in Hunt as a POD to finish the season. He is currently sitting with the highest three and five-game averages of any HFB and even if we take out his 122 from last weekend, he had scored over 58 in four of his previous five games. There is also a potentially favourable run home to consider taking on the Warriors (h), Eels (a), Tigers (a), Bulldogs (h) and the Knights (a).

Valentine Holmes ($646,800/ 13.5 per cent ownership)

Whether you look at his three-game average of 85, five-game average of 77, seven-game average of 83 or even his nine-game average of 80, Val Holmes is plain and simply killing it this season and warranting his ridiculously high price tag. Apart from these unbelievable numbers an upcoming run against the Sea Eagles (h), Storm (a), Cowboys (h) and Knights (h) suggests that the big scores may just keep on coming.

Joseph Leilua of the Raiders is a high risk, potentially high reward POD, Picture: Getty Images

Joey Leilua ($476,700/ 5.7 per cent ownership)

The Raiders’ hopes of semi-final football are all but gone which could see them throw caution to the wind and go all out attack as they try to finish the season off on a high and take down a few of the big guns in the process. Leilua’s base stats are definitely not crash-hot so there is a fair bit of risk associated with this trade but in the past two weeks with Jarrod Croker out injured, he has scored three tries for scores of 117 and 63. He has also scored three doubles so far this season making him a potential match winner during head-to head finals.

Cameron Munster ($534,900/ 15 per cent ownership)

Munster hit triple figures for the second time this season with 103 against the Raiders last weekend which will see many give him a great deal of consideration as SuperCoaches burn their final trades. A look into his stats show us that the dual FLB/5/8 has scored over 75 in six of his last ten matches which is music to the ears of head-to-head players looking to get the cash in their respective leagues. Sweetening the deal a little further is his final three games of the season of which two are at home against the Eels (h), Titans (a), and Panthers (h).

Originally published as SuperCoach NRL POD Watch Round 21