NRL SuperCoach Cheapie Bible: Round 2

CARNAGE! If you escaped the monstrosity that was round one with a score over 1,000 you’ve done exceptionally well.

CARNAGE! If you escaped the monstrosity that was round one with a score over 1,000 you’ve done exceptionally well.

Each week the Cheapie Bible will take a long look at the money-makers, the players we all grow man crushes on and even the ones who seriously let us down like being stood up on a blind date.

Ultimately, I will sift through who we should be buying, selling and holding of the sub $250k price bracket all season long for SuperCoach — presented by hipages.

Connor Watson starred, and Leilani Latu flopped just above the cheapie bracket, but there’s lots to get through!

Here we go…

(Sorted by ownership percentage prior to round one).

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Luciano Leilua, Matt Lodge and Bryce Cartwright had varying levels of success in round 1.

Bryce Cartwright 2RF | 5/8 (GCT | $260,300) - 43 points

At $260k, the overwhelming opinion on Carty leading into the season was … there’s zero downside. Well, after 52 minutes of action against the Raiders where Carty was used as purely a link-man and looked hesitant in attack whilst missing a few tackles, there doesn’t look to be loads of upside. Hopefully this was a starting point and the minutes keep coming. Give him the 80 please Brenno!

VERDICT: HOLD. Not the start we wanted, but he’s still going to make money at the very least.

Lachlan Croker HFB | 5/8 (MNL | $164,600) - 23 points

23 points in 89 minutes of action is not exactly what SuperCoaches were after, nevertheless Croker looked every bit a first grader, taking on the line at times and his kicking game was steady when called upon. The errors are what cost him here, but combinations will grow and hopefully he can jag a few more attacking stats against the Eels and Rabbitohs over the next two weeks.

VERDICT: HOLD/BUY. If you didn’t own Croker already, jump on as we saw enough to say he’ll earn some very good money.

Lachlan Croker was solid on debut.

Matt Lodge FRF (BRO | $208,900) - 45 points

The Broncos got absolutely demolished in just about every area by the Dragons on Thursday night, and Lodge - playing his first NRL game in yonks - looked nervous and started with a few uncharacteristic errors. The minutes (57) were there and that’s very encouraging, as he looks like he will be a solid 50+PPG averaging player that we can rely on early-season in our 17. By way of reference, if Lodge were to score 53 and 45 in the next two games he would then be priced at $302.2k after just two price rises. Watch the cash roll in…

VERDICT: BUY/HOLD. Should be a lock to average around 50PPG with solid career PPM of 1.1 and in majority of starting 17s every week.

Sione Katoa CTW (SHA | $164,600) - 10 points

Ugh. This one makes me ill. Katoa is still looking for his teeth somewhere on the 13000SMILES Stadium turf, nursing a badly broken jaw that needs surgery. One of the most exciting talents in the entire NRL will not only be out long term, he will not be making any money for SuperCoaches. Devastating.

VERDICT: HOLD. Unfortunately, priced at $164k you have no choice but to hold on until his return or another cheapie pops up - unless you have surplus cash around.

Jamayne Isaako CTW (BRO | $192,800) - 52 points

Isaako did what he’s been doing all pre-season, impressing everyone with his pace and flashy skillset. His flick pass try-assist to James Roberts whilst flying over the sideline was one of the highlights of round one. Isaako’s 52 points came largely from that play and a good work rate from the back. The Broncos had very little ball in this game so hopefully he spends more time in attack this weekend at Suncorp.

VERDICT: BUY/HOLD. Isaako is an exciting prospect, and with the dearth of CTW cheapies you simply have to own him. Watch for Jack Bird’s return in a few weeks to see if he keeps his spot.

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Viliame Kikau FRF | 2RF (PTH | $192,800) - 87 points

Kikau has been my call for buy of the year since his very impressive World Cup campaign, and despite the fact that Hook’s clearly incapable of picking his ACTUAL team list on a Tuesday (moving Kikau to the bench in a late swap for JFH), he dominated the Eels right-edge defence to score a try, two linebreaks, a line break assist, five tackle busts and just genuinely looking unstoppable for 87 points. All of which came in just 35 minutes at a ridiculous 2.5PPM! Hook, it’s time to get the kid on the field more often…

VERDICT: BUY/HOLD!! 87 points from the bench in 35 minutes shows what he’s capable of. The cash is coming!

Siliva Havili HOK (CBR | $177,600) - 50 points

Havili soured as a cheapie in the last week before lockout after Damien Cook was named as the sole hooker at the Rabbitohs. Well, thankfully for the 32 per cent who own Havili, he scored in the third minute to bump up his score to an even 50. There is a huge red flag here though, just 30 minutes played and just two runs in that time. Without the try he’s looking at a sub-20 point outing.

VERDICT: TRAP… AVOID! I’m calling it a hold if you already own him, but it’s a strong NO if you’re tempted by the 50 points to buy now.

Isaiah Papalii FRF | 2RF (NZL | $225,400) - 58 points

Turns out Papalii (who I started with last season, only for him to play one game then disappear) can in fact play footy, and very well too! Papalii scored a try, played the full 80 minutes on the left edge, made 24 tackles and in general looked solid alongside Blake Green and Solomone Kata. Let’s be honest, if he keeps playing 80 minutes on an edge, $215k is criminally underpriced.

VERDICT: WATCH. He’s a round three trade-in target for me, one game was great, let’s see him back it up again before jumping on. HOLD and enjoy for the 10 per cent who already own him.

Luciano Leilua 2RF (STG | $177,300) - 13 points

Given Leilua was named on the bench, it comes as no surprise that he wasn’t able to make a SuperCoach impact. Edge forwards simply can’t do what middle forwards can, certainly not in just 21 minutes. There’s some 23,600 SuperCoaches stuck with what to do. The positive is that should there be an injury to either Frizell or Sims, Leilua will be the one to earn the minutes.

VERDICT: HOLD/AVOID. Certainly don’t dish him off just yet as he could gradually earn more minutes, but I definitely wouldn’t be buying!

Mark Nicholls 2RF | FRF (SOU | $192,800) - 27 points

27 points in 41 minutes, comprised of a very good first stint and totaling 14 tackles and 12 points in H8s. The issue here is the big-minute men around him like Surgess, Crichton, Murray (when healthy) etc and the fact there are no peripheral stats coming in the tackle bust/offload categories. This one will be a proper slow-burn.

VERDICT: HOLD. Locked into the Crusaders outfit as this year’s Daniel Saifiti type slow-burner. Dual position will come in very handy also.

Richie Kennar CTW (SOU | $239,600) - 80 points

Hands up who not only bought Kennar, but played him on field this week? Yep, it was one of very few decisions the Crusaders got right. I digress… Kennar scored two tries, made some fantastic defensive decisions and ultimately delivered a great starting point for cheapie hunters, notching 80 points, one of the highest CTW scores across the board in round one. Playing outside Dane Gagai isn’t a bad thing, eh.

VERDICT: BUY/HOLD. How good! A cheapie that is looking like he will make serious cash and score well for our 17.

Richie Kennar scores a try against the Warriors.

Slade Griffin HOK | 2RF (NEW | $250,100) - 82 points

Wow! The Knights caused a round one upset, and Slade Griffin was hugely important to the structure and middle defence that lead to it. This game did go in to golden point to add an extra nine minutes to Griffin’s total of 69. Looking at the stats, Griffin dished up a try (nice!), 41 tackles, four tackle busts, an offload and five runs. If the 60 minutes holds most weeks, we should be looking at a reliable 50-point floor, which will see huge price rises on their way.

VERDICT: BUY/HOLD. Personally, I’ll be watching for one more week as a non-owner, but I can see that Slade IN, Latu out panic trade being very popular via duals.

Robbie Rochow FRF | 2RF (WST | $242,600) - 61 points

The Cheapie Bible called him a great buy last week, but not even the eternal optimist in me thought Rochow would go the full 80 minutes, at least not immediately. 80 minutes, 61 points almost entirely in base stats, we’ve absolutely struck gold here…

VERDICT: BUY! Or HOLD. Rochow looms as a best 17 player and if you haven’t already got him we saw enough to suggest he deserves to be purchased, we just need him to stay healthy as that’s been the only hurdle in previous seasons. Pretty pleeeeease.

Kelepi Tanginoa FRF | 2RF (MNL| $177,300) - 43 points

Boy didn’t Tanginoa look impressive. The first big-man off the bench, he came on and immediately almost barged over for a try, and all bar one of his runs were H8s (18 points). 47 minutes is encouraging, and if he continues to play like this, the big journeyman will keep his place in the 17 even when Darcy Lussick returns.

VERDICT: HOLD/BUY. He’s a wait and watch one more for me if you don’t own him, but Leilua/Tatola owners may see merit in jumping to Tanginoa at some stage before the price rises.

Phillip Sami CTW (GCT | $234,300) - 64 points

What a jet this kid looks. Brennan re-signed Sami to a multi-year deal as one of his first orders of business, and it looms as a fantastic decision. Sami tore it up in the Holden Cup in 2017, and after scoring a try, having four tackle busts and 24 points in H8s against the Raiders, it’s certainly no mystery as to why.

VERDICT: BUY/HOLD. I’m a happy owner, and those who have lost Katoa with money in the ‘sky-rocket’ could do a lot worse than jump to Sami.

Ligia Sao FRF (NZL | $192,800) - 46 points

Sao played very minimal minutes last season, but had a solid PPM of 1.0 in that time. So, the question was always going to be … Is it Sao or Papalii that will see the big minutes? The answer was Papalii (80), with Sao playing spot on 40 minutes. The PPM of 1.2 is great, but this minutes split doesn’t bode well for when Mannering returns in a few weeks.

VERDICT: HOLD/WATCH. Looks as though he will play a role this year, but it could well be from the bench after Mannering returns so we need to wait and watch.

James Fisher-Harris FRF | 2RF (PTH | $258,100) - 48 points

Fisher-Harris is an exceptional talent, there’s no question about it, the only question has been if he can stay healthy and earn enough minutes. The pre-season banter from the foot of the mountains came true with Hook giving JFH the start over Kikau in a late switch that saw him play 59 minutes and he was as solid as ever with 30 tackles and 17 points in hitups.

VERDICT: AVOID. I love JFH more than the next guy, and dual position is handy, however I think 59 minutes is the absolute ceiling and at $260k we would need more.

Kane Evans FRF (PAR | $240,800) - 25 points

25 points in 28 minutes is not what SuperCoaches were hoping for, and as a result he is off the radar as a cheapie! Shame…

VERDICT: NO!

Kane Evans is to be avoided, according to Trent Copeland.

Sam Williams HFB | HOK (CBR | $255,600) - 2.5% Owned

Guess who played 80 minutes in the halves for the Raiders, adding two try assists, 23 tackles (defending very much in the middle), a linebreak, and a linebreak assist… No it wasn’t big-money men Sezer or Austin, it was Sam Williams. If he sees 80 minutes every game in this offense, he will make some big money for those gutsy enough to rely on Ricky Stuart sticking to a lineup for more than a single week…

VERDICT: WATCH. Has earned the right to be on your watchlist. If he goes big again, then you could do worse!

Junior Tatola FRF (STH | $164,600) - 28 points

Tatola is a machine! To score 28 points in just 23 minutes is a great sign for SuperCoaches, the problem may lie in the increasing minutes of Cameron Murray in the middle rotation. There were no tackle busts or offloads in this one, but upside is certainly in the Junior Kangaroo’s game.

VERDICT: HOLD/WATCH. I wouldn’t be buying if I were you, but Tatola could build into a nice slow burning cow.

Will Matthews 2RF | CTW (GCT | $229,000) - 47 points

Well then, after being named on the bench for the Titans I did not expect the dual position CTW | 2RF to score 47 points without a try, or to earn 55 minutes. But not only did he achieve both of those figures, Matthews looked outstanding with the old fashioned eyeball test. Four effective offloads and six tackle busts are an absolute treat to see for SuperCoaches.

VERDICT: WATCH. Matthews has definitely perked my interest showing he has the trust of Brennan, but the return of Jarrod Wallace could have a trickle down effect on his minutes.

WATCHLIST

All of these players were in contention, but we can cross these guys off our starting team lists, as they have either not been named/on extended bench, are injured or have a diminished role…

Taane Milne 2RF | CTW (WST | $192,800)

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

Adam Douehi CTW (STH | $177,300)

Ben Hampton 5/8 | FLB (NQC | $199,700)

Ryley Jacks 5/8 | HFB (MEL | $258,900)

Sam Kasiano FRF (STO | $253,700)

Mitch Cornish HFB | 5/8 (SYD | $192,800)

Hame Sele 2RF (STG | $212,400)

Payne Haas FRF (BRO | $164,600)

Greg Leleisiuao CTW (PAR | $164,600)

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

Christian Crichton CTW (PTH | $164,600)

Nat Butcher 2RF (SYD | $192,800)

Campbell Graham CTW (STH | $207,700)

Braden Uele FRF (SHA | $177,300)

Jack Gosiewski 2RF (MNL | $192,800)

Sam McKendry FRF (PTH | $192,800)

Kurt Dillon FRF (SHA | $164,600)

Jeremy Marshall-King 5/8 | HFB (BUL | $204,100)

Lindsay Collins FRF (SYD | $177,300)

Moses Leota FRF (PTH | $192,800)

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

Fingers crossed that this huge cheapie edition helps you find your way into round one with all the guns you so desire, and watch the cash come rolling in. Good luck!

MORE SUPERCOACH:

Full SuperCoach news section / Cheapie Bible 2018 / Tom Sangster’s team / Copes’ team/ Reigning champ’s team / Wilfred Zee’s team / Top 10 PODs / SuperCoach strategy 101 / Most popular SuperCoach players / Must-haves for 2018 / Pre-season casualty ward / Eels fans are biggest SuperCoach addicts / Former champ’s top 10 mid-rangers / Champion’s Choice: Alex Twal / CTW: Risk vs. reward / HOK: Smith or not? / Your club’s biggest selection issue / SuperCoach study guide: Broncos / Bulldogs / Cowboys / Eels / Knights / Panthers / Roosters / Rabbitohs / Raiders / Sharks / Sea Eagles / Storm / Tigers / Titans / Warriors

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach Cheapie Bible: Round 2