NRL teams analysis round 14: Nathan Lawson’s stocks soar, Lachlan Galvin out of 17

Teams are in for round 14 and there’s a massive boost for the most popular SuperCoach cheapie of the week Nathan Lawson, plus big news on Lachlan Galvin.

Teams are in for round 14 and there’s a massive boost for the most popular SuperCoach cheapie of the week Nathan Lawson.

The rugby convert has retained a wing spot at the Dragons following an impressive debut, even with Christian Tuipulotu back from a hamstring injury.

Tyrell Sloan is the player axed for Tuipulotu’s return, meaning Lawson now has a strong run at the other wing spot.

Lawson is currently purchased by over 3,000 SuperCoaches this week at time of writing and that number will soar.

The Tokyo Olympian in Rugby Sevens covers the next big bye in round 15 and was good on debut - 47 SuperCoach points including six tackles busts and no big attacking stats.

That said, given player prices don’t rise until after two games (and Lawson has only played one) SuperCoaches can wait a week and still get him for the same bargain price.

The safe option is to wait.

But if you need cash this week, he’s the man.

—Tom Sangster

Re-live our live SuperCoach NRL Q&A via the comments section at the bottom of this article...

Nathan Lawson’s SuperCoach stocks have soared. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Galvin misses Canterbury 17

Cameron Ciraldo has confirmed new recruit Lachlan Galvin will be in the Bulldogs squad to face the Eels next Monday, but he won’t have the No.7 on his back with Toby Sexton set to keep his spot despite suggestions he was going to be dropped.

Galvin has impressed the club after just two sessions and has been accepted by the playing group, with Ciraldo not ruling out a potential debut via NSW Cup amid suggestions his inclusion could disrupt the ladder leaders’ success in 2025.

“He’ll be named in the 22 today and we’ll make those decisions later in the week,” the coach said.

“That (playing reserve grade) was a part of the conversation we had when we signed him. He was comfortable with it and understood that he had to come here and earn the right to be in the team.

“He had no qualms about that which was awesome, and it’s a sign of his character that he’s happy to come here and play reserve grade to bide his time.

The question now is where Galvin fits into a team that has Matt Burton at five-eighth, two quality centres and Sexton who is off contract at the end of the year.

“We signed a lot of really good utility players over the last few years that no one could really understand why, and he’s got that utility value,” Ciraldo said tongue in cheek.

“He can play in the halves, he’s played fullback, back row and lock through his junior career.

“He’s a quality player and a quality person that we think is going to make our team better.”

Sexton will remain halfback for at least one more week, while Ciraldo also confirmed Reed Mahoney would play dummy-half for the King’s Birthday blockbuster.

—Martin Gabor

Lachlan Galvin will be named on the extended bench.

Two guns back for Sharks

Sharks winger Sione Katoa will play his first game of the season, returning from shoulder surgery against the Warriors on Saturday.

The try scoring weapon has been a major omission from the Cronulla backline across the first 14-rounds after suffering the injury in a pre-season trial match against the Warriors last February.

Katoa, who scored 18-tries last season for the Sharks, will make his comeback on the wing, filling the void of suspended teammate Ronaldo Mulitalo.

In an additional boost for Cronulla, quality backrower Teig Wilton is also set to be named to return after missing the last seven weeks with a shoulder injury.

- David Riccio

Young Tiger earns debut

The Wests Tigers are set to hand a first grade debut to Magpies lock Charlie Murray against Penrith this weekend as they look to snap a three-game losing streak.

Murray has played 11 games for the Magpies in the NSW Cup this season after moving to the Tigers from the Queensland Cup.

He now looks set to get his chance in the NRL as the Tigers look to halt their slide down the ladder.

—Brent Read

Titans seek exemption for Brimson

The Titans have asked the NRL if fullback AJ Brimson can be exempt from the game’s 11-day concussion stand down protocols as an injury crisis threatens to crush Des Hasler’s Gold Coast.

Hasler is hoping to have Brimson cleared to face the Broncos on Saturday in what is shaping up to be a crucial game for the battling M1 rivals.

The Titans have been further decimated for the derby with hooker Sam Verrills and centre Jojo Fifita suffering broken hands in last Saturday’s loss to Melbourne.

Out-of-favour backrower David Fifita (ankle) remains unavailable for selection.

Brimson sustained a head knock at training last Thursday and failed a head injury assessment, ruling him out of the Storm game.

The Titans hope to have AJ Brimson available to play the Broncos. Picture: Getty Images

Under the game’s 11-day mandatory stand down policy for head injuries, he will also have to sit out this Saturday’s derby against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

The Broncos game will be day nine of his stand down period.

But the Titans have sought clarity around whether Brimson can be granted an exemption to face the Broncos.

The training incident is understood to have not been an ‘out cold’ head knock, but it was enough for Brimson to be sidelined for the Storm match.

If he receives clearance from an independent neurologist, Brimson will be allowed to face the Broncos.

The Titans are in the midst of an injury crisis at fullback with Keano Kini (neck), Jaylan de Groot (hamstring) and Brimson unavailable.

Halfback Jayden Campbell shifted to fullback for the Storm game, but Hasler is hoping to have him back in the No. 7 role for the Broncos game.

- Travis Meyn

Wighton, Walker back for Bunnies

South Sydney will get Jack Wighton and Cody Walker back on Sunday but they will have to wait until their round 20 clash against premier Penrith to see Brandon Smith as the club errs on the side of caution with his return from knee surgery.

This masthead understands the Rabbitohs will adopt a patient approach with Smith as he works his way back to full fitness.

The New Zealand international hasn’t played since suffering a serious knee injury at the end of last season while playing for the Sydney Roosters.

He switched clubs last month and has continued his rehabilitation with the Rabbitohs as he bids to be back on the field to help Souths push for the finals.

There was better news on Walker and Wighton, who have been sidelined with injury in recent weeks but are expected to return to take on the high-flying Raiders this weekend.

—Brent Read

Jack Wighton is back for the Rabbitohs. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Rob Sutherland’s SuperCoach analysis and Q&A

I’ll start, most unusually for me, with an apology.

My Buy/Sell analysis will be truncated today due to a busy newsroom and the dreaded annual review.

Not a bad week for that I guess with there being a reasonably limited number of quality buy/sell options and I will try hard to be concise (not my strength) when assessing them.

Jayden Campbell – The most popular buy of the week and I can see why. Campbell had a great game at fullback in round 13 against the Storm with a try, two assists a bunch of offloads and some goals all of which added up to 93 points. His draw is good (covers next four games) but not great (he misses round 18). Campbell will revert to the halves if/when AJ Brimson is available (and the Titans are seeking an exemption to bring Brimson back this round) and while I prefer him at fullback his form at halfback has been solid. Campbell is behind only Nathan Cleary in terms of averages for halfback/five-eighths this year (minimum five games). His floor is good thanks to the goalkicking duties with a worst score of 46 he has a good ceiling (high score of 117) and four scores of 80+ from eight starts. BUY (NB a sneaky alternative buy is Nicho Hynes – he lacks the DPP flex of Campbell but he has scored 60+ in each of his past six matches and has an incredible ceiling – Hynes has scored 180+ against each of his next two opponents.

NRL Round 14: Team Talk.

Keaon Koloamatangi – Was the most popular trade of the round last week and special KK delivered for his new owners with 70+ in base, eight tackle busts and a try. Added $66K to his price thanks to that big game and while his price is getting up there I still see okay value at $660K. The fly in the ointment is the knee injury to Mitch Barnett which means NSW coach Laurie Daley is in the hunt for a middle forward for origin II. Koloamatangi, an edge forward remade into a middle, is almost an identical like-for-like replacement for Barnett which has owners on edge and should worry those looking to buy him. If picked for the Blues, KK changed from being a bye round miracle (locked in big scores and covering rounds 15, 16 and 18) to a bye round nightmare who would play at best three of the next six games and quite possibly just two of those. Owners and potential suitors will be hoping Laurie looks to the likes of Stefano Utoikamanu or even Terrell May instead. BUY

Lehi Hopoate – No Turbo, no worries with Hopoate doing a superb job in his place at fullback against the Broncos. To be fair the Broncos were putrid, but you can only play what’s in front of you and in Hopoate’s favour the team in front of him for the next four rounds (Rd 14: Knights, Rd 15: Titans, Rd17: Tigers and Rd18: Souths) is not going to be very good. After that the draw gets much much tougher (Storm, Dogs, Roosters, Raiders) but that’s not a reason not to buy. BUY

Nathan Lawson – the former rugby sevens star acquitted himself well on NRL debut against the Knights but I do not understand the rush to buy. Yes, the news is good that he’s won a wing spot ahead of Tyrell Sloan, even with Christian Tuipulotu back, but it’s a week early. NOT YET

Luke Metcalf – tonned up last week for his third triple-figure score of the season. that was good. Unfortunately, when he does not score 100+ Metcalf can be a bit quiet and fails to score 60+. Does not cover round 15 or 18 big bye rounds. NO

Toby Couchman – Looking for a mid-range forward who will provide solid base and decent bye round coverage? I’ve got the guy for you. Averaging 63.1PPG (67 if you remove his injury affected game in round 10) of which near enough 55 comes in pure base, Couchman is a bit of a steal at a snip over $550K (that injury game saw him drop around $70K). The Dragons cover both remaining major byes which is an added bonus. Not just a worker bee, Couchman has some power to his game (averaging better than 8PPG in tackle busts/offloads combined) and as a result he has scored 65+ in six of his 11 starts. Might not be a keeper to the end but definitely worth a shot to medium term hold at his price. BUY

Jack Williams – The Eels recruit is getting a fair bit of buzz in SC circles after scoring 96 in round 12 and 80 last week – each time with 59 points in pure base. Filling a hybrid role over the past fortnight where he moves between the middle and an edge there’s a lot to like here. However, the Eels do not cover rounds 15 or 18 and I prefer Couchman’s greater pedigree (he’s basically been spending the entire season punching out a role like Williams has for a fortnight). NO

Corey Horsburgh – I had Big Red as a sell last week and nothing has changed (other than he lost $14K after scoring 51 against the Roosters). Origin selection push is growing, cash is diminishing. SELL

Zac Hosking – As I have mentioned before, while Hosking gets through solid work for a guy who is on an edge, he does not have a huge power game and so where he doesn’t score a try you are stuck with low 50s (or worse). SELL

Cameron Munster – The trickiest buy/sell of the week in my opinion. Five-eighth is a touch spot this season and Munster has been the best ‘set and forget’ option at the position all year. That said, I am pretty tempted to turn him into Campbell or Hynes and here is why. The Storm do not play round 15 (Origin/bye), their Origin players are unlikely to back up from Origin II (have just three day turnaround between game in Perth and the round 16 clash against Souths) and then miss round 18 (Origin). Origin players then have a three-day turnaround from Origin III (in Sydney) to their game in Newcastle in round 19 (which I do expect Munster to play but he may be rested). Assuming he misses the game following Origin II then I expect Munster to miss three of the next six rounds – and he could miss four. There’s also price to think about. Munster scored consecutive tonnes in rounds 10 and 11 and as a result his price has soared to $746K. With some high BEs in his future then you could sell now and likely get him back once Origin is done for around $80K less. RELUCTANT SELL

Robert Toia – The most popular sell of the week and I do understand why. The Roosters are on a bye this week and if Toia retains his Origin jumper then he might not play again in the next five weeks (Rd 14: BYE, Rd 15: Origin, Rd 16: unlikely to backup after Origin II in Perth, Rd 17: Bye, Rd 18: Origin). If dropped from the Maroons then he would provide tremendous coverage in the tricky 15/16 and 18 rounds. SELL

Isaiah Iongi – Has been superb at the back for the Eels but there's no room for sentiment in SuperCoach and with no round 15 or 18 coverage it’s time to thank him for his service and move on. SELL

NRL ROUND 14 TEAMS

KNIGHTS V SEA EAGLES

Thursday, Jun 5, 7:50pm

Knights

1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Kyle McCarthy 5. Fletcher Hunt 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8. Tyson Frizell 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Brodie Jones 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Mat Croker

Interchange: 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Thomas Cant 16. Jermaine McEwen 17.Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana

Reserves: 18. Jackson Hastings 19.Tyrone Thompson 20. Matthew Arthur 21. Wil Sullivan 22. Greg Marzhew

Sea Eagles

1. Lehi Hopoate 2. Clayton Faulalo 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Tommy Talau 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Ethan Bullemor 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Toafofoa Sipley 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic

Interchange: 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Jazz Tevaga 16. Corey Waddell 17. Nathan Brown

Reserves: 18. Michael Chee Kam 19. Jakob Arthur 20. Navren Willett 21. Chris Patolo 22. Matthew Lodge

STORM V COWBOYS

Friday, Jun 6, 6:00pm

Storm

1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Grant Anderson 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero Interchange: 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Bronson Garlick 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Reserves: 18. Ativalu Lisati 19. Sualauvi Faalogo 20. Alec MacDonald 21. Joe Chan 22. Kane Bradley

Cowboys

1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Zac Laybutt 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Jaxon Purdue 7. Tom Dearden 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Sam McIntyre 11. John Bateman 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter

Interchange: 14. Harrison Edwards 15. Kai O’Donnell 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess

Reserves: 18. Jake Clifford 19. Karl Lawton 20. Thomas Mikaele 21. Braidon Burns 22. Kaiden Lahrs

DOLPHINS V DRAGONS

Friday, Jun 6, 8:00pm

Dolphins

1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Francis Molo 9. Kurt Donoghoe 10. Felise Kaufusi 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Oryn Keeley 13. Ray Stone

Interchange: 14. Harrison Graham 15. Connelly Lemuelu 16. Mark Nicholls 17. Josh Kerr

Reserves: 18. Sean O’Sullivan 19. Aublix Tawha 20. Max Feagai 21. Jeremy Marshall-King 22. Max Plath

Dragons

1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Nathan Lawson 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Lyhkan King-Togia 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Jack de Belin 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Toby Couchman 13. Hamish Stewart

Interchange: 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 16. Blake Lawrie 17. Raymond Faitala-Mariner

Reserves: 18. Emre Guler 19. Lachlan Ilias 20. Hame Sele 21. Tyrell Sloan 22. Michael Molo

SHARKS V WARRIORS

Saturday, Jun 7, 5:30pm

Sharks

1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. KL Iro 5. Mawene Hiroti 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes

Interchange: 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Jesse Colquhoun 16. Siosifa Talakai 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele

Reserves: 18. Billy Burns 19. Tuku Hau Tapuha 20. Hohepa Puru 21. Jayden Berrell 22. Niwhai Puru

Warriors

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Adam Pompey 4. Kurt Capewell 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Jackson Ford 11. Leka Halasima 12. Marata Niukore 13. Erin Clark

Interchange: 14. Te Maire Martin 15. Jacob Laban 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith

Reserves: 18. Tom Ale 20. Samuel Healey 21. Tanah Boyd 22. Ali Leiataua 23. Taine Tuaupiki

BRONCOS V TITANS

Saturday, Jun 7, 7:35pm

Broncos

1. Reece Walsh 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan

Interchange: 14. Billy Walters 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Xavier Willison 17. Ben Te Kura

Reserves: 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Deiner Mariner 20. Josiah Karapani 21. Jaiyden Hunt 22. Blake Mozer

Titans

1. Jayden Campbell 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Allan Fitzgibbon 6. Kieran Foran 7. Tom Weaver 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sean Mullany 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Chris Randall 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui

Interchange: 14. Klese Haas 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. Jacob Alick-Wiencke 17. Arama Hau

Reserves: 18. AJ Brimson 19. Josh Patston 20. Iszac Fa’asumaleaui 21. Tukimihia Simpkins 22. Ryan Foran

RAIDERS V RABBITOHS

Sunday, Jun 8, 2:00pm

Raiders

1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Corey Horsburgh

Interchange: 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Ata Mariota

Reserves: 18. Noah Martin 19. Trey Mooney 20. Danny Levi 21. Jed Stuart 22. Ethan Sanders

Rabbitohs

1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Jack Wighton 4. Campbell Graham 5. Isaiah Tass 6. Cody Walker 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Jai Arrow 9. Siliva Havili 10. Keaon Koloamatangi 11. Euan Aitken 12. Tallis Duncan 13. Lachlan Hubner

Interchange: 14. Jayden Sullivan 15. Sean Keppie 16. Liam Le Blanc 17. Tevita Tatola

Reserves: 18. Davvy Moale 19. Jye Gray 20. Tyrone Munro 21. Thomas Fletcher22. Jacob Host

WESTS TIGERS V PANTHERS

Sunday, Jun 8, 4:05pm

Wests Tigers

1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To’a 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Heath Mason 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Sione Fainu 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Tony Sukkar 13. Alex Seyfarth

Interchange: 14. Latu Fainu 15. Jack Bird 16. Kit Laililii 17. Charlie Murray

Reserves: 18. Luke Laulilii 19. Tallyn Da Silva 20. Charlie Staines 21. Brent Naden 22 Ele El-Zakhem

Panthers

1. Dylan Edwards 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Izack Tago 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To’o 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaiah Yeo

Interchange: 14. Luke Sommerton 15. Matt Eisenhuth 16. Luron Patea 17. Daine Laurie

Reserves: 18. Brad Schneider 19. Isaiah Papali’i 20. Trent toelau 21. Luke Garner 22.Paul Alamoti

BULLDOGS V EELS

Monday, Jun 9, 4:00pm

Bulldogs

1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Josh Curran 13. Kurt Mann

Interchange: 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Harry Hayes 16. Lipoi Hopoi 17. Kurtis Morrin

Reserves: 19. Jake Turpin 20. Blake Wilson 21. Samuel Hughes 22. Blake Taaffe 23. Lachlan Galvin

Eels

1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Zac Lomax 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Jack Williams 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. J’maine Hopgood

Interchange:14. Dylan Walker 15. Luca Moretti 16. Ryan Matterson 17. Jordan Samrani

Reserves: 18. Joash Papali’i 19. Matt Doorey 20. Joey Lussick 21. Dean Hawkins 22. Samuel Loizou

Bye: Roosters

Originally published as NRL teams analysis round 14: Nathan Lawson’s stocks soar, Lachlan Galvin out of 17