SuperCoach NRL: Winners, losers from Good Friday football, Souths vs Bulldogs, Broncos vs Cowboys
A bumper day of Good Friday footy saw some underrated players stand tall, while some big names of SuperCoach fell from grace. We rate the 20 winners and losers from Souths vs Bulldogs, Broncos vs Cowboys.
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What a day of football we’ve just witnessed.
From Souths winning its first game of the season to the Broncos turning the screws on the Cowboys in the second half.
From a SuperCoach perspective there are plenty of key takeaways we come away with.
Liam Knight started in the front row for the Bulldogs and played just 14 minutes, earning just 17 points, while Josh Curran was rewarded with 59 minutes (50 points).
A score of 70 from Latrell Mitchell will probably be enough for owners to keep him for another week, although they were hoping he would’ve hit the ton.
Tom Burgess was superb in his first stint and finished with 81 for the match, while Damien Cook’s 82 was a sign of the hooker at his best. Burgess’ prediction was for just 35.
Alex Johnston was taken from the field (didn’t look injured) inside the final 10 minutes with Michael Chee Kam going to the centres and Jack Wighton shifting to the wing. So it will be interesting to see if that means anything come Tuesday.
As for the second game, the top scores were lower across the board.
Tyson Smoothy scored a try off the bench and netted a great return with 64 points despite his modest price tag of $247,100.
Zac Laybutt showed that his round one performance may well have been a fluke, putting up just 26 points, while Selwyn Cobbo’s 26 saw him finish at the bottom of the Broncos scores.
Griffin Neame also struggled to post just 22, but Adam Reynolds starred with 83.
SUPERCOACH WINNERS
1. Adam Reynolds (83 points) - With some top halfbacks going down, did he just become HFB1?
2. Tyson Smoothy (64 points) - A Cheapie who delivered the goods off the bench.
3. Jack Wighton (103 points) - Has been one of Souths’ best over the past two weeks.
4. Tom Burgess (81 points) - After a slow start to the year he looked great today.
5. Fletcher Baker (46 points) - Started, played 42 minutes and should hold that spot.
6. Connor Tracey (107 points) - Boosted by two tries, but is a strong finisher.
7. Max King (70 points) - Canterbury’s best forward by a long way. He was great.
8. Pat Carrigan (77 points) - Superb, deserving Carl Webb Medal winner.
9. Cameron Murray (75 points) - Strong base and had a try assist as well.
10. Damien Cook (82 points) - Getting back to his best and looked dangerous at the ruck.
SUPERCOACH LOSERS
1. Liam Knight (17 points) - Only played 14 minutes with no word of an injury.
2. Zac Laybutt (26 points) - Will be among the most sold players for round five. No sweat.
3. Jack Gosiewski (7 points) - Another easy sell if he’s in your team.
4. Griffin Neame (22 points) - Plenty of mistakes and didn’t make a great impact.
5. Samuel Hughes (14 points) - Saw limited minutes and the Cheapie could be on the outer.
6. Dean Hawkins (22 points) - Played okay without being spectacular. Will he hold his spot?
7. Michael Chee-Kam (5 points) - Limited time, but his job security is questionable.
8. Selwyn Cobbo (26 points) - Was inches away from scoring a try. Would’ve changed everything.
9. Jacob Kiraz (34 points) - Didn’t see a lot of good ball. Tough outing but can bounce back.
10. Tristan Sailor (46 points) - Played well but that didn’t translate to SuperCoach sadly.
FULL-TIME - Broncos 38-12: You couldn’t script it.
With time winding down, Adam Reynolds put in a deft little grubber at the line and Corey Oates was there to swoop on it.
They could hear the cheer from Suncorp Stadium in Toowoomba as the Broncos fans went bonkers for their man.
It gives Reynolds yet another try assist in a vintage performance from the halfback.
That completes a 38-12 victory for the Broncos as they improve to 2-2 for the season.
TOP SUPERCOACH SCORES
1. Adam Reynolds - 83
2. Pat Carrigan - 77
3. Scott Drinkwater - 72
4. Tyson Smoothy - 64
5. Murray Taulagi - 62
6. Valentine Holmes - 58
7. Reuben Cotter - 55
8. Kotoni Staggs - 49
9. Billy Walters - 49
10. Jeremiah Nanai - 47
73rd minute - Broncos 32-12: Put a fork in the Cowboys, they are done.
The only remaining unbeaten NRL team is no longer after Ezra Mam put the result beyond any doubt.
A grubber close to the line caught Scott Drinkwater out of position, with the five-eighth touching down to seal the win.
That takes him up to 35 SuperCoach points on a night where a lot of the big guns haven’t landed a shot.
68th minute - Broncos 26-12: We officially have a Corey Oates sighting.
The Broncos fan favourite gets his first action of 2024, coming onto the field for Jaiyden Hunt.
It appears as though he’ll be filling in a role in the back-row.
Pat Carrigan remains the leading SuperCoach scorer with 69, narrowly ahead of Drinkwater (65) and Reynolds (64).
Welcome back Sir Oates #Broncos#Nrl
— Lemalu (@KeidisT) March 29, 2024
55th minute - Broncos 26-12: Just minutes after Dearden produces that effort, the Cowboys let in a soft dummy half try for the second time tonight.
Tyson Smoothy beat Jake Granville all ends up to push the Broncos lead out to an imposing 14 points.
Smoothy has 52 SuperCoach points with Scott Drinkwater the match high on 67.
Ezra Mam has just 12 in a tough night for those with him in their teams.
TOM DEARDEN WITH AN UNBELIEVEABLE CHASE 🔥
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 29, 2024
📺 Watch #NRLBroncosCowboys on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/B1ijnGXtqA
âœï¸ BLOG https://t.co/2DilwlxLqW
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/8j2Ti9qPlepic.twitter.com/LhJeGovoff
50th minute - Broncos 20-12: What on earth did we just witness?
Tom Dearden has come up with potentially the best trysaving tackle of all time.
Coming from well behind, he has chased down Selwyn Cobbo just inches before the tryline to bundle him into touch.
He’s up to 36 SuperCoach points but deserves an additional 40 for that effort.
HALFTIME - Broncos 20-12: What a half of football that was.
Adam Reynolds almost had another try assist with the boot, forcing another drop at the back from the Cowboys, only for Selwyn Cobbo to fumble possession as he went to ground the ball.
You get the feeling the Broncos should be up by more than eight. They’ve dominated most of this game and the Cowboys backs are absolutely terrified of Reynolds at the moment.
TOP SUPERCOACH SCORES
1. Pat Carrigan - 51
2. Billy Walters - 47
3. Scott Drinkwater - 46
4. Adam Reynolds - 46
5. Valentine Holmes - 39
6. Murray Taulagi - 38
7. Reuben Cotter - 34
8. Tom Dearden - 32
9. Jeremiah Nanai - 29
10. Chad Townsend - 29
Imagine letting Adam Reynolds go.
— Nucky Thompson (@nuckythompson8) March 29, 2024
37th minute - Broncos 20-12: That could be the try of the year.
Any controversy of an obstruction was cleared by Ash Klein in the Bunker, Scott Drinkwater was confirmed for the try.
The Cowboys produced a stack of offloads, Kyle Feldt gave Ezra Mam a huge don’t argue and Drinkwater raced 40m to dodge Tristan Sailor and hold off Mam on the line to score.
That is beautiful rugby league.
He now leads all SuperCoach scorers with 48 points, with Walters on 47 and Pat Carrigan rising up on 46.
The ref relies way too much on a try being scored before calling an obstruction.
— T Mac 🸠#Toots307 (@NoShins81) March 29, 2024
If Drinkwater gets tackled short he doesn’t call it and it’s play on.
It’s cleared in this case, but it happens way too often.#NRL#NRLBroncosCowboys
24th minute - Broncos 18-6: Turns out we can’t.
Adam Reynolds has set up another try with a kick. Not that we should be surprised.
This time it was a grubber pounced upon by Kotoni Staggs.
He is up to 39 points to share the lead with Billy Walters.
Adam Reynolds is just unbelievable to watch. #NRLBroncosCowboys
— Galow (@harrygalow) March 29, 2024
18th minute - Broncos 14-6: Can we take a deep breath now?
The action has been non-stop, with Murray Taulagi pulling off a ridiculous play, kicking back on the inside while going towards the touchline and hitting Valentine Holmes in the hands to get the Cowboys on the board.
From the next set he went close to scoring one of his own, only to be denied with a strong tackle.
He rockets up to 32 SuperCoach points with Holmes on 29.
What a kick! Not sure if thats Taulagi or Jonathan Thurston on the wing 😂#NRLBroncosCowboys
— Junior F (@IneffableJR) March 29, 2024
15th minute - Broncos 14-0: The boot of Adam Reynolds will give the Cowboys back three nightmares.
He has sent it to the sky once again, with Scott Drinkwater hesitating and allowing the ball to bounce, with a spread to Jesse Arthars getting the winger over the line to continue the relentless start.
Reynolds has 26 SuperCoach points with Walters leading on 35.
7th minute - Broncos 8-0: What a start from the Broncos.
After receiving a penalty with their first touch of the ball, Billy Walters fools Jason Taumalolo with a dummy to crash over from dummy half.
Billy Walters has 32 points, with his expected score of 34 almost smashed inside minutes.
From the very next set an Adam Reynolds bomb forces a drop from Murray Taulagi, which is picked up by Valentine Holmes in an offside position, pushing the lead out to eight.
8PM: We’re underway at Suncorp Stadium with wet conditions, and the rain doesn’t look like easing anytime soon.
Brisbane look stunning in their retro diamond jerseys.
In a nice touch, the player of the match tonight will be awarded the Carl Webb Medal.
Great initiative with the @brisbanebroncos and @nthqldcowboys for the Carl Webb medal. Really proud to be a Queenslander #NRLBroncosCowboys
— Kurt McDonald (@KurtMcDonald13) March 29, 2024
7.30PM: How is your SuperCoach team looking after two games?
I’m sitting on 253 with five players done and dusted, and have put the captain’s tag on Tom Trbojevic this weekend.
As for tonight’s game, I’m rolling with Zac Laybutt one out. If he can get the same opportunities he did in the opening round, myself and 19,950 SuperCoaches will be praying he produces another big score.
Benjamin Te Kura is the 18th man for Brisbane with Thomas Mikaele holding that role for the Cowboys.
From a neutral perspective this is one of the great games on the calendar.
The battles from a few years ago are some of the best we’ve seen and with both teams seeing themselves as genuine contenders, this promises to be an exciting XXXX Derby.
No doubt plenty north of the border will be enjoying a Milton mango during this spectacle. Have one for me.
7PM: Both the Broncos and Cowboys have no late changes.
Tristan Sailor (FLB, $561,600) will line up at fullback with 263 SuperCoaches bringing the young gun into their squads with Reece Walsh sidelined.
After being a late withdrawal last week, Zac Laybutt (CTW, $465,600) returns to the centres, although 1520 people have traded him out of their side despite his 129 points in the opening two rounds.
Popular player Corey Oates (CTW, $451,500) steps into the Broncos 17 for the first time in 2024, but is owned by just 765 SuperCoaches.
The mystery is what role he will play. If an outside back goes down he can easily slot into the backline, however he can also come off the bench and punch out some minutes in the back-row.
SOUTH SYDNEY VS CANTERBURY
It wasn’t pretty, but when you’re 0-3 like the Rabbitohs were any win is good enough.
They took down Canterbury 20-16 at Accor Stadium to secure their first success of 2024 after a horror start.
The Bulldogs had 54% of possession and 12 more sets of six with the ball, with the Bulldogs winning the penalty count 11-6 and the set restarts 3-1.
For much of the game Canterbury looked the more dangerous team, with South Sydney’s struggles defending their line in the opening three rounds highlighted, but they held solid and kept the Bulldogs scoreless in the second half.
In terms of SuperCoach it was doubles to Connor Tracey and Jack Wighton that saw them crack the century, with Damien Cook and Tom Burgess were also strong.
Latrell Mitchell had 70, while big-money outside back Jacob Kiraz could muster just 34.
TOP SUPERCOACH PERFORMERS
1. Connor Tracey - 107
2. Jack Wighton - 103
3. Damien Cook - 82
4. Tom Burgess - 81
5. Cameron Murray - 75
6. Latrell Mitchell - 70
7. Max King - 70
8. Matt Burton - 70
9. Reed Mahoney - 68
10. Stephen Crichton - 65
Injury ward - Josh Addo-Carr (concussion)
On report - Kurtis Morrin (dangerous throw)
FULL-TIME - Rabbitohs 20-16: Connor Tracey scored his second in the 80th minute but it wasn’t enough to end the Rabbitohs’ run.
South Sydney has its first win of 2024 and the pressure has eased slightly on coach Jason Demetriou.
Stay tuned for the full wrap and the top SuperCoach performers from the first of two Good Friday blockbusters.
Rabbitohs goal line defense has improved so much after last week #NRLSouthsBulldogs
— James Cheeseman @shaggy84329.bsky.social (@shaggy84329) March 29, 2024
77th minute - Rabbitohs 20-12: The new short dropout rule has come into play.
With the Bulldogs down six and chasing points, Matt Burton’s restart was touched by Connor Tracey short of the 10m line.
After originally signalling for a play the ball, referee Gerard Sutton changed his mind and gave a penalty.
It gives the Rabbitohs an eight-point lead and what is looking like their first win of the season.
70th minute - Rabbitohs 18-12: We’re getting deep into the game now and the Bulldogs need to find something fast.
They’ve had a stack of ball inside the Rabbitohs’ 20m line but can’t crack it in the second half.
Now Junior Tatola is under pressure after getting up slowly from an attempted tackle.
Jack Wighton has cracked 100 points, Tom Burgess is up to 76 and Damien Cook has 75.
60th minute - Rabbitohs 18-12: Jacob Preston has been cleared to make his return, somewhat incredibly.
As we approach the final quarter the Bulldogs will need to lift another gear without their strike weapon Josh Addo-Carr.
Damien Cook has 66 SuperCoach points in a great showing, while Latrell Mitchell’s 51 is below par at this stage.
Fellow gun Jacob Kiraz is experiencing a similar slow afternoon with just 22 points.
54th minute - Rabbitohs 18-12: The Rabbitohs took an easy two points after the Bulldogs were pinged for being inside 10 metres.
It comes moments after Kurtis Morrin was sent to the sin bin for a terrible dangerous throw on Cameron Murray.
Max King leads the way for the Bulldogs with 59 points while Wighton’s two tries have him surging at 83.
Morrin pretty lucky there not to be sent off#NRLSouthsBulldogs
— Gene Irvine (@geneirvine12) March 29, 2024
50th minute - Rabbitohs 16-12: Jacob Preston will have 15 minutes for the HIA after being deemed to be a Category 2 after his head clash.
ooft, hoping JAC & Preston are OK. 2 nasty head knocks #NRLSouthsBulldogs
— selena (@selenaatk) March 29, 2024
46th minute - Rabbitohs 16-12: What a try!
Jack Wighton freed up Alex Johnston down the sideline and he burnt Connor Tracey, drawing the fullback to give Wighton his second try for the day.
The Rabbitohs take the lead back in the opening stages of the second half.
Wighton is now up to 80 SuperCoach points.
From the next hit-up Jacob Preston was taken from the field after a sickening clash with Shaq Mitchell’s shoulder.
🚨🉠With the injury of Addo-Carr, the Bulldogs could really use a utility player… pic.twitter.com/5T02Vd6tPq
— The Sporting Base - NRL (@BaseNrl) March 29, 2024
HALFTIME Bulldogs 12-10: Huge news coming out of the sheds.
Josh Addo-Carr has been ruled out of the second half after coming off worse for wear as he dived for the corner right on the halftime siren.
Jacob Kiraz has shifted to the wing with Kikau now in the centres.
HALFTIME Bulldogs 12-10: The Bulldogs proved it’s a game of two halves, well two halves in the first half.
After a sluggish start they looked much the better team and were a bit unlucky not to lead by more than 12-10.
Kurtis Morrin was denied after fumbling possession inches out from the tryline.
Josh Addo-Carr was bundled into touch with the last play of the game and was left under the care of trainers after struggling to get to his feet, with Isaiah Tass split open.
Latrell Mitchell came over the top to prevent the try but doesn’t look to be in any judiciary trouble.
TOP SUPERCOACH SCORES
1. Tom Burgess - 60
2. Jack Wighton - 52
3. Max King - 49
4. Cameron Murray - 45
5. Matt Burton - 44
6. Damien Cook - 41
7. Josh Addo-Carr - 38
8. Keaon Koloamatangi - 33
9. Viliame Kikau - 31
10. Cody Walker - 31
— South Sydney Rabbitohs 🰠(@SSFCRABBITOHS) March 29, 2024
36th minute - Bulldogs 12-10: Blake Taaffe has returned to haunt his own club.
A lovely step to evade Jack Wighton was backed up with a pinpoint chip to hit Connor Tracey on the chest who burnt off Alex Johnston to just sneak the ball down in the corner.
Taaffe is now up to 28 SuperCoach points.
Maybe Taaffe should’ve been the Rabbitohs’ halfback? 👀 #NRLSouthsBulldogs
— John Dean (@JohnDean_) March 29, 2024
34th minute - Rabbitohs 10-6: South Sydney survive what seemed like an endless amount of defensive sets on their own line.
Canterbury has thrown plenty at the Rabbitohs but they’ve held solid after showing little resistance in the opening three rounds.
Max King has improved to 44 points for the game with Jack Wighton up to 52.
26th minute - Rabbitohs 10-6: The Foxx is back.
He showed speed after receiving a brilliant offload from Viliame Kikau after catching Taane Milne out of position with Addo-Carr passing back inside for Matt Burton to score.
Addo-Carr is up to 34 points, the most for the Bulldogs alongside Max King.
Tom Burgess comes from the field after a brilliant first stint.
He’s replaced by Shaq Mitchell, with the English representative putting up 60 SuperCoach points.
15th minute - Rabbitohs 10-0: A nice offload from Latrell Mitchell sparked a huge kick-return from Souths.
They needed just a few tackles to extend their lead with a spread singling out Jack Wighton, with the classy centre scoring his first try in red and green.
Wighton moves to 40 SuperCoach points with Burgess on 42 and Murray on 30.
Not sure why the dogs fans are booing Latrell?? But seems to have fired him up! @SSFCRABBITOHS
— Jackie Moshtaghi (@JackieMoshtaghi) March 29, 2024
This is better boys! Nice Wighton! #gorabbitohs
10th minute - Rabbitohs 6-0: Canterbury has been all over the Rabbitohs, but a controversial decision has gifted South Sydney great field position.
Reed Mahoney was deemed to hit Latrell Mitchell late after a kick, gifting them a penalty deep inside Bulldogs territory.
The contact was minimal, but the ramifications were huge as Tom Burgess scores from the next set.
Burgess rises to 39 SuperCoach points with Cameron Murray up to 27 after picking up the try assist. Max King has 18 points early for the Bulldogs.
Day for it. 😮â€ðŸ’¨#GoodFriday#BulldogsVSouthspic.twitter.com/qqyUmZUHU3
— Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (@NRL_Bulldogs) March 29, 2024
3.55PM: We’re just 10 minutes from kick-off.
The Rabbitohs are in desperate need of a win after being embarrassed by the Roosters last week, while the Bulldogs are gunning for two in a row after dishing out a hammering of their own to the Titans.
It’s shaping as the most even Good Friday contest we’ve had in years.
📠Home@Classic_Sportspic.twitter.com/i8wnv2vKkG
— South Sydney Rabbitohs 🰠(@SSFCRABBITOHS) March 29, 2024
3.30PM: Latrell Mitchell (FLB, $787,500) is one of the most popular players and is in 12% of teams, however 2,207 SuperCoaches have removed him from their teams for round four.
Jacob Kiraz (CTW, $635,900) is coming off a bumper 115-point game against the Titans, with Reed Mahoney (HOK, $575,700) scoring 96.
For those without Rabbitohs players in their teams, they can take confidence from the low scores the Bulldogs were able to restrict their opponents to last week.
Beau Fermor top scored with just 53, with the Titans as a whole only amassing 578.
Michael Chee Kam (2RF/CTW, $446,000) lines up for his first appearance of the season, and despite being dual-position, job security is a huge question mark.
Just 224 SuperCoaches have taken a gamble on him, but with the Rabbitohs forwards struggling so far this season, a strong showing could see him retain his place.
Dean Hawkins (HFB, $325,200) had a modest first outing with just 21 points, but Jason Demetriou has kept the faith in the South Sydney halfback.
3.05PM: The final teams are in and it’s there’s HUGE inclusion for the Bulldogs.
Josh Addo-Carr comes into the starting 13 with Blake Wilson dropping back to 18th man.
The Rabbitohs will line up 1-17 from the side named on Tuesday with Lachlan Ilias filling the role as 18th man.
EARLIER: Hello and welcome to our coverage of today’s Good Friday footy.
The action begins a little earlier than the usual Friday schedule with the Rabbitohs hosting the Bulldogs in their traditional Easter showdown and then the Broncos host the Cowboys from 8PM (AEDT).
Traditionally a SuperCoach super club, the Rabbitohs poor form has seen the club abandoned this year with just three players in double figure ownership; and the most popular of that trio - Jacob Gagai - is not even named to play.
The critics have been piling on the Rabbitohs all week, the coach is under threat, the hooker Damien Cook is old and tired and Latrell Mitchell is lazy and overindulged by the club.
Or so goes the narrative.
If the criticism doesn’t motivate the Rabbitohs to lift then nothing will, and a motivated Mitchell is a mighty force.
Mitchell also has a superb recent record against the Bulldogs with a three round average of 119PPG and a most recent score of 146. With a low, for him, ownership of 10.6%, Latrell is an excellent vice-captain option this week.
Elsewhere:
* There’s plenty of interest in the Bulldogs with Sam Hughes (38.8%), Jaeman Salmon (32.5%) and Drew Hutchison (22.3%) leading the way, though all have been sold off this week with coaches tiring of their mid-range scores.
* Josh Curran and Viliame Kikau are two Dogs who attracted fresh interest after solid games last week while Jacob Kiraz’s 115 point effort against the Titans also piqued the interest of plenty of SuperCoaches - but buyer beware and the Dogs have the Roosters then Storm after this game, tough going.
* SuperCoaches are clearly expecting a North Queensland ambush of the Broncos tonight with Cowboys Val Holmes, somewhat unbelievably Chad Townsend, and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki all attracting plenty of fresh owners ahead of the match.
* At the Broncos, Xavier Willison is the most purchased player at the club, but Fletcher Baker, who accumulated 46 points in base against the Panthers last week, might be the smarter pick-up.
Originally published as SuperCoach NRL: Winners, losers from Good Friday football, Souths vs Bulldogs, Broncos vs Cowboys
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