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SuperCoach NRL: 20 Winners and Losers from Cowboys vs Tigers, Sea Eagles vs Storm

Valentine Holmes went huge while a Storm outside back joined the unwanted minus club. See who the 20 SuperCoach Winners and Losers were from Cowboys vs Tigers, Sea Eagles vs Storm

Sean TeumaSean Teuma
@seanteuma
10 min read
May 24, 2024 - 10:47PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
NRL SuperCoach podcast: Round 12 preview

Friday Night Footy continued the trend of home teams winning in round 12 with North Queensland and Manly getting the spoils in front of their faithful.

The Cowboys turned it on after keeping a spirited Tigers comeback at bay, while the Sea Eagles had a similar battle against the Storm.

They had to stave off a late Melbourne charge in order to seal the win that just might’ve saved their season.

Here are the 20 SuperCoach Winners and Losers from a fascinating Friday:

The top 10 SuperCoach scores from Friday Night Footy.
The top 10 SuperCoach scores from Friday Night Footy.

SUPERCOACH WINNERS

1. Valentine Holmes (138 pts) - He was in a mood tonight and looked like something would happen with every touch of the ball. Is under a judiciary cloud for a hip drop however.

2. Tommy Talau (92 pts) – Two tries continued a good run of form as he smashed his breakeven of 6, as he sets himself for yet another price rise.

3. Lehi Hopoate (75 pts) – Couldn’t have asked for more from the debutant at the bargain price of $204k. A busy player who looks the goods whenever he is called on in the future.

4. Scott Drinkwater (104 pts) – Picked up the majority of his points in the second half with three try assists to reward those who put the C on him.

5. Lachlan Galvin (89 pts) - Two try assists and two line break assists were the catalyst for another good score from one of SuperCoach’s most popular players.

6. Kyle Feldt (88 pts) - Did his damage in the first half, scoring 71 points on the back of two tries to set the platform for a good night.

7. Ben Trbojevic (74 pts) – Everyone’s favourite SC player at the start of the year rewarded those who have held solid with a great output.

8. Samuela Fainu (73 pts) – Had a great involvement tonight with some big runs and a try. He was one of the Tigers’ best.

9. Chad Townsend (75 pts) - His three try assists, including two to Jeremiah Nanai, showed he can score big when he takes over a game.

10. Sua Fa’alago (64 pts) – Continues to impress at the back for Melbourne with his electric speed and will keep making SuperCoaches money.

Lehi Hopoate posted 75 points in his first NRL game. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Lehi Hopoate posted 75 points in his first NRL game. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

SUPERCOACH LOSERS

1. Grant Anderson (-4 pts) – Joins the unwanted minus club after coming on for Will Warbrick early in the second half. A night to forget.

2. Jake Simpkin (3 pts) – Played just eight minutes as a replacement for Api Koroisau. Might see more minutes over the Origin period if he is picked.

3. Declan Casey (16 pts) – Came off late in the game but didn’t see much of the ball up to that point. Unlikely to hold his spot.

4. Will Warbrick (12 pts) – Wasn’t doing much before he went down with a calf injury. Will wait to see the severity.

5. Ethan Bullemor (7 pts) – Saw just 11 minutes tonight even though he’s been holding his own. Will be interesting if that changes in the coming weeks.

6. Kulikefu Finefuiaki (18 pts) – Got half an hour off the bench but his SuperCoach impact was kept to a minimum.

7. Xavier Coates (19 pts) – Didn’t get many opportunities in attack on a challenging night for Melbourne’s outside backs.

8. Nathan Brown (22 pts) – Seemed more interested in getting one over Shawn Blore once the teams came out from the halftime break. Missed three tackles and made two errors.

9. Jason Saab (26 pts) – Similar to Coates, didn’t see a lot of good ball in attacking range and his SuperCoach points suffered as a consequence.

10. Isaiah Papali’i (24 pts) – Went off with an injury to his ankle in the first half after a hip drop and could miss a few weeks with injury.

Jason Saab and Manly claimed a big win over Melbourne. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Jason Saab and Manly claimed a big win over Melbourne. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

MANLY VS MELBOURNE

FULL-TIME - Sea Eagles 26-20

Manly had to hold out the Storm for the final three minutes, but a disjointed attack saw the final play coming down to Nick Meaney kicking for Grant Anderson.

The Sea Eagles held on well right at the death.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from the contest:

Manly vs Melbourne - top SuperCoach full-time scores
Manly vs Melbourne - top SuperCoach full-time scores

75th minute - Sea Eagles 26-20

A high tackle from Tui Kamikamica on Luke Brooks gives Manly an easy two points to stretch the lead to 12 inside the final 10.

Jahrome Hughes gets it back to six with five minutes to play in order to give the Storm alight hope of a miracle comeback.

70th minute - Sea Eagles 24-14

That just might be the straw that broke the camels back.

A poor error from Christian Welch to give away a set restart on the last tackle gives Manly a golden opportunity that they take, with Tommy Talau catching out some poor defence out wide to open up a matchwinning advantage.

Manly have been the better team and they deserve the two points.

60th minute - Sea Eagles 18-14

Nathan Brown is fired up. Although on his run from the back fence from the kick-off, he spills his lollies.

A kick out from the full from Daly Cherry-Evans is punished by Melbourne, with Nick Meaney crashing over a good tackle attempt on the line from Lehi Hopoate to get the Storm back to within six.

The Sea Eagles just can’t put the Storm away for the moment.

A Harry Grant break sees Manly penalised for an offside touch, and quite surprisingly they take the two points, cutting it back to four.

50th minute - Sea Eagles 18-6

Things are getting testy at Brookvale.

With the very first run of the half, Nathan Brown gives away a penalty in attack after grabbing Shawn Blore after he was pushed back 10m.

You can just smell the tension in the air, and we know the history between these two clubs.

Will Warbrick is off with a calf injury and Grant Anderson has taken his place out wide.

Just as Melbourne got its way back into the game, Jake Trbojevic scores a rare try after Nelson Asofa-Solomona rushes out of the line.

HALFTIME - Sea Eagles 12-6

It’s been a dominant half from the Sea Eagles, but they only lead by six.

Eli Katoa gave them their best moment of the half, getting on the end of a perfect Jahrome Hughes grubber to get the Storm on the board.

Every stat is in their favour to this point in the game.

Words can’t describe how far off the pace Melbourne look. It’s been such an uncharacteristic performance from the title contenders.

All they’ve done in the first half is work the ball off their line.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from halftime:

Manly vs Melbourne - top SuperCoach halftime scores
Manly vs Melbourne - top SuperCoach halftime scores

30th minute - Sea Eagles 12-0

Another Melbourne error followed by one of the softest penalties of the year allows the Sea Eagles to march downfield and finally breach the Storm’s line.

Ben Trbjoevic is put into a huge gap between Jahrome Hughes and Nick Meaney in a try that will please many SuperCoaches.

Nick Meaney puts the kick-off out on the full after a heads-up piece of play from Reuben Garrick.

Manly makes them pay with Tommy Talau getting the ball over the line in the eyes of the Bunker.

20th minute - Sea Eagles 2-0

Melbourne is being suffocated by the Manly defence, with it taking 12 minutes for the Storm to get a tackle inside their opposition’s half.

Their first set in Manly half ends with an error. They’ve been diabolic to start this game.

Despite how poor they’ve been, they still only trail by just two points.

10th minute - Sea Eagles 2-0

A poor start from Melbourne with two dropped balls in their own half in the opening four minutes.

Manly gets two set restarts on the back of the error, and eventually get a penalty for an offside marker, allowing them to take the opening two points from straight in front.

The Storm look off early - let’s see if they can turn it around.

Lehi Hopoate of the Sea Eagles warms up before his NRL debut. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Lehi Hopoate of the Sea Eagles warms up before his NRL debut. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

7.55PM: Lehi Hopoate (FLB $204,300) will make his much anticipated debut for Manly tonight.

The young gun was playing SG Ball just last season and now will face the daunting prospect of Melbourne in his first ever NRL fixture.

Three SuperCoaches have put their faith into him.

Jahrome Hughes (HFB $706,000) serves as a timely inclusion for the Storm in the absence of Cameron Munster.

The Cowboys proved too strong for the Tigers. Photo: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images
The Cowboys proved too strong for the Tigers. Photo: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

COWBOYS VS TIGERS

FULL-TIME - Cowboys 42-28

Api Koroisau came from the field with eight minutes to play, replaced by Jake Simpkin.

Just moments after he went off, Jeremiah Nanai put the result any doubt with his second try of the night on the back of another assist from Chad Townsend.

Stefano Utoikamanu scored a try from dummy half (yes you read that correctly) to add a bit of respectability to the score late.

That wasn’t all - fan favourite Alex Twal scored his second ever NRL try in a moment that everybody loved.

For good measure, Scott Drinkwater picked up another try assist with a lob pass to Valentine Holmes to see both men finish with a century.

The Tigers fought hard and were able to get back to within four points after trailing by 20 early, but the class of the Cowboys was too much in the end.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores from the game:

North Queensland vs Wests Tigers - full-time SuperCoach scores
North Queensland vs Wests Tigers - full-time SuperCoach scores

70th minute - Cowboys 32-16

The Tigers had plenty of chances to eat into the margin, including three-straight set restarts on the Cowboys line, but it all came unstuck with Declan Casey fumbling the ball.

Alex Lobb has officially made his debut after being activated as the 18th man.

North Queensland has really managed to control things here and the Tigers really need a miracle from this point on.

60th minute - Cowboys 32-16

That will help the Cowboys fans to breath a sigh of relief.

Sam McIntyre hits a huge gap after a nice pass from Scott Drinkwater to push the lead back out to 10.

They’ve seemingly composed themselves after a really poor middle third of the game.

There are concerning images coming from the sideline with Isaiah Papali’i in a moon boot and crutches.

It’s that man again, as Drinkwater hits Valentine Holmes on the chest to help extend the margin to 16.

Drinkwater now has 77 SuperCoach points

50th minute - Cowboys 20-16

What a start to the half from the Tigers.

Lachlan Galvin catches Scott Drinkwater out of position with a lovely grubber that is picked up by Samuela Fainu to get them back to within a try of the Cowboys.

Isaiah Papali’i has been ruled out and 18th man Alex Lobb has been activated, meaning he is a chance to make his NRL debut.

Galvin is up to 65 SuperCoach points for the night.

Just as Kyle Feldt looked destined to score his third, Galvin produces an incredible trysaver to deny him.

HALFTIME - Cowboys 20-10

Reuben Cotter came from the field in the 31st minute for a HIA.

With just minutes left in the half, Valentine Holmes was sent to the sin bin for a hip drop on Isaiah Papali’i to further ramp home their comeback.

It was a great turnaround from the Tigers, who were trailing 20-0 after just 16 minutes and were able to hit back with two tries of their own.

Here are the top SuperCoach scores at the break:

North Queensland vs Wests Tigers - top SuperCoach halftime scores
North Queensland vs Wests Tigers - top SuperCoach halftime scores

30th minute - Cowboys 20-10

The bleeding has stopped for the Tigers as they start to work through their sets, and now they have one of their own.

Solomon Alaimalo puts a few negative plays behind him to run 25m and score in the corner.

He got the ball from some nice lead-up play and got past a very flimsy attempted tackle from Scott Drinkwater.

The very next set Jahream Bula outleaps Drinkwater to juggle the ball, regather it and score, getting the Tigers back to within two converted tries.

20th minute - Cowboys 20-0

A Scott Drinkwater 40/20 keeps the pressure on the Tigers, and a strip from Stefano Utoikamanu gives the Cowboys a gift two points which they gladly accept.

Solomon Alaimalo can’t catch a Chad Townsend bomb and the Cowboys only need a couple of tackles to make them pay.

They spread it right to Kyle Feldt again who easily gets past Alaimalo to secure an early double.

He has 67 SuperCoach points already. The Tigers need to aim up fast or this could get ugly.

10th minute - Cowboys 12-0

He was a late inclusion for the Cowboys and it’s a move that has paid dividends early.

A nice bit of work from Viliame Vailea to get a late offload away to Chad Townsend allowed the halfback to shovel the ball on to Kyle Feldt who only needed a bit of space to touch down in the corner.

Valentine Holmes slots the conversion from the sideline to give the Cowboys the perfect start.

The very next set Jeremiah Nanai leaps above Jahream Bula to cleanly catch a Townsend bomb to extend their lead.

6PM: We are underway in Townsville for the second game of Indigenous Round.

Who’s your tip, the Cowboys or Tigers?

5.30PM: These two teams played out the most remarkable home and away games last season.

Leichhardt Oval was the venue for the Tigers’ 66-18 demolition job on the Cowboys in round 12 last year, before North Queensland got its revenge to the tune of 74-0 just six weeks later.

Will we see another massive scoreline or will these two keep things tight?

The Tigers have lost seven in a row dating back to their round four Easter Monday win over Parramatta, while the Cowboys are looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since round three.

Wests Tigers top SuperCoach players
Wests Tigers top SuperCoach players

5PM: Two tries in his Cowboys debut wasn’t enough for Braidon Burns to hold his spot in the starting side.

The former Rabbitoh has been dropped with Kyle Feldt (CTW $531,500) to return in his place.

It’s the only change for North Queensland who are coming off a less than convincing defeat of South Sydney during Magic Round.

It’s somewhat of a luxury for the Cowboys that they can bring in the club’s all-time leading scorer to replace someone who is averaging two tries per game for the team.

Wests Tigers will welcome Josh Feledy (CTW $238,900) into the centres for just his second game of first grade action.

Declan Casey (CTW/FLB $219,900) is another new face in the centres with both Justin Olam and Brent Naden out.

Justin Matamua (2RF $238,900) drops back to the bench with fan favourite Alex Twal (FRF/2RF $430,800) to start at lock.

North Queensland Cowboys top SuperCoach players
North Queensland Cowboys top SuperCoach players

EARLIER: There are plenty of hot storylines for Friday night’s games. Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater easily the most captained of tonight’s players, with the expectation he will run riot against the Wests Tigers defence in Townsville.

Valentine Holmes is also a good option (for much the same reason).

Scott Drinkwater is a reliable option. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Scott Drinkwater is a reliable option. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

In what will be a cold night at Manly, Lehi Hopoate will make his debut for the club and start at fullback. He’s up against Sua Fa’alogo at fullback for the Storm, and the game could unravel which is the best option for a cheaper fullback while the big guns are off injured or in Origin camp.

Speaking of Origin camp, we’re about to hit the stormy period of the year in NRL SuperCoach with NSW and Queensland convening from Monday. Strap yourselves in for some big moves.

Originally published as SuperCoach NRL: 20 Winners and Losers from Cowboys vs Tigers, Sea Eagles vs Storm

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