KFC SuperCoach NRL: Round 13 best players and trade targets

The Mastermind analyses every KFC SuperCoach NRL Round 13 match where one trade was almost as good as all the bye planning.

The bye rounds might have half the matches but for some it’s double the pain when the best laid plans go south like it did in Round 13 with Jamayne Isaako, 16, Bradman Best 16, David Nofoaluma, 28 and Isaiah Papali’i, 48, producing their worst of the season.

Of course it’s double the joy when Stefano Utoikamanu crashes over for a try, but for all that planning and you could have just picked up Matt Dufty, 156, against the Broncos.

The Dragons may not want the star player but the few hundred KFC SuperCoaches who traded him in last week made a smart move, especially with the Bulldogs up next.

Hopefully your bye plans worked out but don’t dismiss how tough this week will be. How many of your stars will back up from Origin? How many can you get on deck for the next bye in Round 17 with trades starting to run low. The game’s only just begun.

ROUND 14 LATEST: EARLY MAIL

Let’s take a look at the highs and lows from each game and the players to add to your watchlist.

DRAGONS 52-24 BRONCOS

Highs: Matt Dufty, 156, tore the Broncos to shreds with two tries, five try assists, a linebreak and eight linebreak assists. He’s got the Bulldogs up next, a team he scored 111 on in Round 9. Josh Kerr, 103, seems to have found his feet on the Dragons right edge and has attacking returns in his past three games for a three-round average of 88.3PPG, 12 points clear in the FRF position. He had 61 in base stats against the Broncos with a try, linebreak and two linebreak assists. Jack Bird, 93, played as left backrower with Tariq Sims out for Origin and produced a try, try assist and 50 in base stats against his former team. Albert Kelly, 93, was the top scoring HFB and 5/8 for the round with three try assists and four linebreak assists.

Lows: Jamayne Isaako, 16, was hooked with 15 minutes to go after making four errors. He also had a 24 the week before so is a priority trade out this week. Keenan Palasia, 22, played just 30 minutes with Alex Glenn back in the team.

Watchlist: TC Robati, 89, scored two tries and would have cracked a century if not for being sin binned. Jack de Belin, 30, played 25 minutes in his first NRL game since 2018. Selwyn Cobbo, 25, made his Broncos debut on the wing but is listed in SuperCoach as a fullback.

TIGERS 26-6 PANTHERS

Highs: Alex Twal, 77, played 77 minutes and smashed out a big base stats score. Jacob Liddle, 75, had a try and try assist. Stefano Utoikamanu, 71, crashed over for a late try in a massive bonus to the 23% of teams who held him for the bye. He started the season in 43% of teams.

Lows: David Nofoaluma, 28, produced his worst score of the season with three penalties conceded and an error. Cheapies James Roberts, 21, and Charlie Staines, 26, failed to deliver on the bye round and can be traded when you’re ready, though Staines does have the Sharks up next a team he’s put 7 tries on in two games.

Watchlist: The Tigers are in for some tough fixtures and miss the next bye so moving on Daine Laurie, 55, this week or next is worth considering.

STORM 20-14 TITANS

Highs: Trent Loiero, 83, played the full 80-minute in front of his home town and produced a try and linebreak with 50 in base stats. Jarrod Wallace, 82, stepped up with a try, linebreak, three tackle busts and two linebreak assists with three other Titans forwards called up for Origin. Greg Marzhew, 82, finally made his NRL debut after a couple years of hype, but he sure lived up to it. Marzhew had a try, linebreak, six tackle busts, three effective offloads and 31 points from hit-ups. Patrick Herbert, 77, playing inside Marzhew was also tough to handle with six offloads (three effective), three tackle busts, a try assist, two linebreak assists and two forced dropouts. Brandon Smith, 74, scored his fifth try in five weeks to give him a five-round average of 83.4PPG. Dual position HKR/2RF Smith is the form hooker at the moment and only has David Fifita ahead of him in the second row.

Lows: Brian Kelly, 47, had three errors, one of those a ball dropped over the line with Phil Sami unmarked outside him. Kenny Bromwich, 8, went off injured after 25 minutes. Remis Smith, 37, was sin-binned.

Watchlist: Jayden Campbell, 48, had four tackle busts and 37 in base stats in his NRL debut. Listed as fullback for SuperCoach so hard to see him being picked in many teams at this point.

KNIGHTS 4-40 EELS

Highs: The Eels left edge attack was firing at full force with Maika Sivo, 124, topping the scores with two tries, a try assist, five tackle busts, two offloads, two linebreaks and four linebreak assists. Clint Gutherson, 121, delivered as the second most popular trade in with a try, two try assists, 2/2 goals, five tackle busts, a line break and six linebreak assists. Waqa Blake, 106, had his first century since 2016 with a try, two try contributions, nine tackle busts, two linebreaks. He’s priced at just over $300k thanks to some woeful defensive games but had just one missed tackle this round. Ryan Matterson, 95, bounced back after two weeks scoring in the 40s with a try, a linebreak, two offloads and 50 in base stats in 71 minutes.

Lows: Bradman Best, 16, had his worst ever KFC SuperCoach game with the usual base stat beast missing four tackles and having just 11 points from hit-ups. Suaso Sue, 17, was sin binned for a late shot. Jake Clifford, 15, missed six tackles on his Knights debut after switching from the Cowboys. Mitch Barnett, 43, had three errors and will be a popular trade out after frustrating owners who saw an average of 77PPG in the first eight rounds on the edge turn into 55PPG over the past five rounds playing fewer minutes in the middle. Mitchell Moses, 31, came off after 56 minutes.

Watchlist: Jayden Brailey, 46, had nothing but tackles, 48 made, two missed. He’s in 38% of teams and the attacking stats have dried up. Moving him out to a POD could give you a quick way up the rankings. Isaiah Papali’i, 48, had his lowest score of the season and played just 57 minutes.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach NRL: Round 13 best players and trade targets