SuperCoach NRL Round 20 Cheapie Bible: Are you Nuff Enough to handle this?

THE time for money-making is over, now it’s time to find the players that are ‘Nuff’ enough to help you in the finals. Resident SuperCoach NRL stats Trent Copeland digs deep to help you out.

NUFF city.

The time has come and gone for money-making as trades are simply running too thin to bring cheapies in and then trade them out again, so this week really is about creating cash for your last (hopefully more than one!) upgrades.

I mean, who’d have thought a player like Briton Nikora would be a valuable SuperCoach commodity without having even played an NRL game, but he sure is!

TEAMS: SuperCoach NRL analysis for Round 20

CASUALTY WARD: Another injury blow for Ponga

Resident SuperCoach stats nerd Trent Copeland.

If you missed it over the past two weeks … By way of definition, a ‘nuff’ is a player who you want to NEVER take the field in the NRL for the remainder of 2018. Season-long injuries, players who have left for the Super League in the UK or just sit well down the pecking order in a particular position are the order of the day. To top it off, we want to look for players who tick three specific boxes:

-Base price ($164k)

-Dual position flexibility

-Play in a team with a majority of late Saturday or Sunday fixtures (VC-loophole purposes)

For reference, the teams who have the best schedule for ‘nuffs’ are the Dragons, Warriors, Roosters and Sharks.

Let’s have a look …

TRADITIONAL CHEAPIES

Luke Garner 2RF (WST | $164,600) — 39 points

Garner played admirably last weekend scoring 39 points in 30 minutes at the very impressive PPM of 1.3, including 12 points in hit ups all over 8m, 20 tackles and 8 points in tackle busts before unfortunately being knocked out in an ugly clash and subsequently failing the HIA. Josh Aloiai has been ruled out for an extended period with a broken hand, opening the door for Garner to be named to start on an edge!

VERDICT: BUY. The only legitimate option who seems to have per-minute upside if he sees 50+ minutes — just beware of Robbie Rochow/Chris McQueen.

(L-R) Jake Clifford and Johnathan Thurston talk during North Queensland Cowboys training at 1300Smiles Stadium. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Jake Clifford 5/8 (NQC | $164,600) — 27 points

This kid has some serious hype! Legend of the game and halves partner Johnathan Thurston calling Clifford ‘the future’ of the Cowboys after his debut against the Dragons — with the Cowboys moving the more experienced TeMaire Martin to fullback to accommodate the U/20 Maroons star. Given the Cowboys cannot make finals, Clifford is locked in to the halves for the remaining six matches aka “JT’s farewell tour” in somewhat of an audition to start in the halves alongside Michael Morgan full time next year. 27 points in SuperCoach terms on debut, with 19 tackles, a forced drop out and some nice runs at the line — a nice start without screaming out BUY me.

VERDICT: AVOID. The kid has talent, but the scoring upside just isn’t there with matches against the Roosters, Broncos and Sharks in the next four weeks. AE-nightmare territory.

Manase Fainu HOK (MNL | $252,200) — 50 points

Fainu has not only slipped through the NRL’s second-tier salary cap net to get a game, but also the SuperCoach cheapie net simply through coming along at the wrong time for everyone. Timing aside, and Fainu has been very impressive scoring another 50 points in base stats across 65 minutes entirely in base stats … Earning an initial price rise of $87,600 in the process. Well done young man.

VERDICT: HOLD/AVOID. The 2,800 of you that are current owners, the cash injection, BE of -54 and points in case of emergency are nice — but get him to Cook/Smith STAT!

Jordan Pereira CTW (STG | $164,600) — 52 points

Pereira came from nowhere given he wasn’t named for the Dragons, Nene being a late withdrawal was always a chance but most assumed Kurt Mann would take the vacant wing spot in that case. Pereira played, and performed very well scoring 52 points including a nice try off a Gareth Widdop piece of Magic in broken play. The work rate of 26 points in hit ups was nice, and with Nene out anywhere between 1-4 weeks Pereira presents as an interesting punt if you’re flat out desperate for numbers that will turn into a nuff.

VERDICT: AVOID/BUY*. I’m on the fence as I don’t advise buying cheapies to make money at this time of year. But, Pereira is intriguing because he is on the end of a dominant left side attack and will disappear as soon as Nene returns.

Gerard Beale CTW | FLB (NZL | $247,300) — 58 points

I almost mentioned Beale last week in the Cheapie Bible, but thought it warranted a ‘wait and see’ approach. Well, 58 points two weeks in a row later and seemingly locked into Peta Hiku’s centre spot on the destructive SJ, Tohu (back this week) and Fusitua right edge and we have ourselves an interesting prospect. History tells us Beale averages in the 33PPG — 39PPG range which isn’t attractive, but if you can’t get Kurt Mann to a ‘gun’ and he’s your only backup CTW then Beale is an OK option with matches against the Titans, Dragons, Knights and Bulldogs over the next four weeks.

VERDICT: AVOID/BUY*. Only in those very specific circumstances, everyone else should be going no where near him.

Luciano Leilua 2RF (STG | $290,700) — 40 points

After scoring 48 points in just 16 minutes last weekend, the Cheapie Bible did warn SuperCoaches not to get sucked in and that was two fold. Tyson Frizell missed the Cowboys clash, which allowed big Lucy to play another 80 minutes this time only scoring 40 points — less than he did in 16 minutes the week prior! Now, Frizell returns and Leilua goes back to being a bench edge back rower aka AE-nightmare!

VERDICT: SELL. It’s an annoying situation but at least he’s surged up to $290k and you can hopefully sell to a nuff to upgrade elsewhere.

NUFFS

No need for big explanations on types of players here, but the focus is on the Dragons, Roosters, Sharks and Warriors for the best late-in-the-round schedule until the end of the season for VC-loophole purposes. Here are some options covering all positions (except HOK).

Briton Nikora 2RF | CTW (SHA | $164,600)

Josh Kerr FRF | 2RF (STG | $164,600)

Tristan Sailor CTW | FLB (STG | $164,600)

Brock Gray FRF | 2RF (SYD | $164,600)

Zac Lomax CTW | FLB (STG | $164,600)

Kyle Flanagan HFB | 5/8 (CRO | $164,600)

Jai Field 5/8 | FLB (STG | $177,300)

Concern for Jarome Luai is left high/medial ankle sprain, concern for fracture with traumatic nature of injury. Fingers crossed for him #NRLBroncosPanthers pic.twitter.com/DUHJc5ozjV

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 20, 2018

FINAL VERDICT

Players that surpass $300k (or heaven forbid, start to lose cash!) will feature in this section with a summation of where they are at and what you should be looking to do in the future.

Jarome Luai 5/8 (PTH | $329,800) — 8 points

Ugh! A likely season-ending ankle injury sours what could have been another $90k+ cash injection before Watene-Zelezniak’s return this weekend but the kid tops out at $329k, a stellar effort from a player with a superstar future in front of him. You have two options here, hold him as he isn’t an AE concern and save a trade to go sideways to a gun if need be with injury. Or, you sell now to a nuff/gun straight away and take the $165k profit!

VERDICT: HOLD/SELL. Poor Luai, out for the season but he has done an amazing job for owners!

Marata Niukore CTW (PAR | $305,200) — 38 points

Niukore has retained his place in the starting side which was always the biggest question mark, but unfortunately last week he dropped back from 75 minutes per game to just the 51 minutes and scoring a disappointing 38 points in the process. After surpassing the $300k barrier this week, it may be time to try to upgrade Niukore to a Waqa Blake or David Nofoaluma type.

VERDICT: HOLD/SELL. You can most definitely get away with holding as he should continue to average 35+, but ideally use the cash he’s made and upgrade so you can play the match-ups.

* If players aren’t anywhere on the above lists it is because we deem them irrelevant at least for the time being.

Originally published as SuperCoach NRL Round 20 Cheapie Bible: Are you Nuff Enough to handle this?