KFC SuperCoach: Tom Sangster reveals his five trades for NRL restart

Tom Sangster’s finger is twitching over the “T” button following news KFC SuperCoaches get FIVE trades for the competition restart to allow for corona shenanigans.

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KFC SuperCoach returns on May 28 and in case you’ve been living under a rock, we get FIVE trades for the upcoming round to allow for corona shenanigans.

Needless to say, the “T” button has copped a hammering for Sangster’s Paradise.

These are my five changes as they currently stand, subject to serious changes and DCE-style backflips.

Thankfully I already own buy of the round Apisai Koroisau and avoided some of the main sells in Damien Cook, Cameron Murray and Latrell Mitchell.

But there’s still plenty of surgery to be done, including axing the fourth most popular player in KFC SuperCoach David Fifita.

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1 Nathan Cleary ($631,500) to Connor Watson ($506,700)

Cleary’s TikTok drama has me TickedOff. The star Panther was my star POD for the season start and delivered big time by scoring second most points of any player over the opening fortnight. However, Cleary is now suspended for the next two rounds. Usually he’d be a definite hold, but the newly-introduced post-COVID rules mean 2020 has become a trade-a-holic’s dream and Cleary must go (the KFC SuperCoach Gods have retained 37 trades despite the five round reduction and there is no Origin or byes to deal with during the season).

What’s more, there is a serious replacement on offer in Watson, who looms as one of the PODs of the year at just two per cent ownership. The Newcastle utility — or should we say FORMER utility — has been promoted from the bench and has the hooker spot to himself following the season-ending injury to Jayden Brailey (ACL). Watson played seven matches at hooker last year for scores of 91, 70, 55, 75, 82, 117 and 24 for an average of 73.5PPG. That’s keeper territory, yet he’s priced at a huge discount after averaging just 46 minutes mainly as a bench player last season.

Tom Sangster has revealed his trades for Round 3.

2 Jack Williams ($397,200) to Eliesa Katoa ($171,900)

Williams came into the season with plenty of hype after fighting off a number of contenders to claim Paul Gallen’s famous No. 13 jersey. The prediction of increased game time has certainly come true with Williams averaging 54 minutes, up from 37 last year. However, the increased time has come at the expense of work rate, with his PPM dropping from a beastly 1.14 to 0.64.

He is replaced by Warriors young gun Katoa, who is far the most popular cheapie for the restart round. The injuries keep coming at the Warriors and the star rookie is the big beneficiary. With Josh Curran, Agnatius Paasi and Jazz Tevaga out over the opening two rounds, Katoa stunned most by averaging 59 minutes and being arguably the Warriors’ best forward.

However, his KFC SuperCoach stocks dipped considerably when Paasi, Tevaga and Curran all made the plane over to Oz, seemingly relegating Katoa to a bench spot. Or so we thought. Barely a week into training and Tevaga and Leeson Ahn Mau both went down long term, all but assuring Katoa big minutes.

3 David Fifita ($501,900) to David Klemmer ($617,400), via Liam Knight

The Broncos rolled the dice early in the COVID-19 break and sent Fifita for knee surgery. But the gamble didn’t pay off with the NRL to return much sooner than expected, meaning Fifita “will probably miss a few weeks”, according to coach Anthony Seibold. Owned by over 50 per cent of KFC SuperCoaches, Fifita is therefore the most sold player in the game for Round 3. With the total trades staying the same at 37 despite reduced rounds, there is simply no point in stashing him.

With Jason Taumalolo already a Sangster’s Paradise stalwart, Klemmer is the obvious replacement after pumping out 69 and 72 in the opening weeks mostly in pure base, although he has also developed an offload over the off-season. With State of Origin to take place after the season proper and therefore have no impact on the regular season, the KFC SuperCoach value of Origin players is at an all-time high.

4 Kallum Watkins ($271,800) to Isaah Yeo ($404,800)

A forced change. England and Titans centre Kallum Watkins was set for a few handy price rises but is now a must-sell after quitting NRL and heading back to the UK to support his father, who contracted coronavirus.

Playing 80 minutes in the back row but available at CTW, Yeo shows every sign of being a John Bateman, Tohu Harris, Simon Mannering-style keeper, pumping out enormous base stats in a position known for inconsistency. Currently the third most purchased player for Round 3 and for good reason.

5 Braidon Burns ($454,400) to Kotoni Staggs ($447,700)

At the start of the season I had a 50-50 call between Burns and Staggs. Of course I opted for Burns, who currently sits 255 of 282 KFC SuperCoach players, while Staggs has the most points of any player. The four tries and three linebreaks have certainly helped, but more impressive for KFC SuperCoach is the nine tackle busts. Staggs is currently the most popular buy for Round 3, attracting double the interest of the next player Koroisau.

MORE CONTENT

* Full list of KFC SuperCoach rule changes

* Early Mail: Wacko’s predicted teams for Round 3

* Cheapie Bible: Bargains to target in Round 3

* Analysis: Winners and losers from the shutdown

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach: Tom Sangster reveals his five trades for NRL restart