SuperCoach NRL Winners and Losers: Key takeaways, studs and duds from Warriors vs. Raiders and Roosters vs. Rabbitohs
A Roosters duo combined for just shy of 300 SuperCoach points on Friday night, while some heavily owned players flopped. See all the winners and losers from a big night of footy.
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Wow.
The Roosters were ominous, and their 48-6 trouncing of Souths translated to SuperCoach dominance, especially for Dominic Young.
The English import has made the competition and SuperCoaches alike take notice in a scintillating showing.
His partner in crime was James Tedesco, who reminded the league of his class. Almost all of the Chooks’ 48 points were covered in the 31-year-old’s fingerprints.
The pair combined for 293 SuperCoach points. Yes, you read that right.
In the earlier clash, the Warriors came from behind to avoid a similar fate to Souths and pick up their first win of the season with an 18-10 victory.
Popular trade-in option Zac Hosking still managed 43 points despite being demoted to the bench. Those willing to burn trades for a quick cash grab are set to be rewarded, with his break-even at -56.
Popular cheapie Ethan Strange was disappointing with just 28 points.
STUDS
1. Dominic Young: 150 points – What a showing from the Roosters winger. Just special. Very deserving of the magical 150-point milestone given he had 160 run metres, three linebreaks, two try assists, a try, and a whopping 11 tackle breaks. Rewarded his 3,500 coaches big time.
2. James Tedesco: 143 points – It was vintage Teddy tonight as he reminded the league of his class. Be it creating, finishing, or running, he did it all. Will be giving SuperCoaches a lot to think about given he scored 103 last week and sits in less than five per cent of teams.
3. Jordan Rapana: 92 points – Very solid game from the Raiders the full back. Comfortably beat his break-even of 36 and will be adding to his $557,500 price tag.
4. Matthew Timoko: 92 points – Comfortably Timoko’s best showing of the season after early scores of 43 and 57. His scoring has gone up every week yet, could he go even bigger next week?
5. Sandon Smith: 84 points – An affordable option at $353,400, Smith stood tall in Keary’s absence to rack up 84. Has good job short-term job security with Sam Walker unfortunately picking up a concussion.
6. Keaon Koloamatangi: 86 points – Despite costly error that led to a Roosters try, Koloamatangi was the pick of the Bunnies in what was a very testing outing.
7. Addin Fonua-Blake: 77 points – Had a white-hot start to the game after his early try and faded out somewhat, but was still one of the Warriors best.
8. Nick Cotric: 60 points – Given his price – just $274,000 – a score of 60 is a very impressive result for Cotric. His 54th minute try gave his score a nice boost.
9. Jacob Host: 68 points – There’s worse options to consider if he holds his place in the Souths side after an impressive match first up. Priced respectably at $386,800.
10. Zac Hosking: 43 points – Still ended up playing 60 minutes after being benched for Whitehead to start. While it’s a far cry from his 100.5 average, not many coaches who took the risk would be willing to complain. Price is set for a handy jump still.
DUDS
1. Chanel Harris-Tavita: 7 points – Wasn’t given much opportunity to make an impact with only 12 minutes of game time.
2. Ethan Strange: 28 points – Very underwhelming performance that would leave a mass of coaches pulling their hair our given his ownership wasn’t that far off 100,000. Played the full 80 minutes. Breakeven was -21 so will still provide a cash boost, but it will be far less than what many were hoping for.
3. Latrell Mitchell: 34 points – The enforced 10-minute spell as a result of the professional foul didn’t help his case, but 34 is quite underwhelming for a player with a price tag as hefty as Latrell’s, which is just shy of $800,000. Safe to assume he left 10 per cent of SuperCoaches pretty frustrated.
4. Xavier Savage: 29 points – Another disappointing score from someone that played the full 80 minutes. Had heavy ownership at over 20 per cent, and could be on the chopping block in many teams.
5. Dean Hawkins: 22 points – The Lachlan Ilias replacement had minimal impact on the game. Played the full 80 for just 22 points. Definitely one to steer clear of.
6. Angus Crichton: 17 points – Only had 26 minutes of game time in his defence, but at $409,300 a score of 17 is nothing shy of disappointing.
7. Siliva Havili: 13 points – Started at hooker for the Bunnies with Cook benched but was only given 29 minutes of action. Regardless, less than half a point per minute isn’t great going.
8. Tom Starling: 16 points – Again battled limited game time for another low score. Was given less than half an hour on the park and now has scores of 19, 17, and 16 this season. One to steer clear of.
9. Davvy Moale: 12 points – Low-scoring showing from Moale with just 12 points. Won’t lose money for the one per cent of coaches that won him with a break-even of -17 heading into the clash.
10. Sean Keppie: 27 points – Was far from horrendous scoring at just shy of one point per minute.
Relive all the live action from an action-packed Super Saturday below.
73RD MINUTE: STOP THAT
Not only have the Roosters put Souths to the sword tonight, they’ve compiled some highlight reel in the process.
Dominic Young picked up his second try assist of the night with a creative grubber, and Tedesco reeled it in sublimely, plucking it at the peak of its skip in the depths of the in-goal and grounding it with inches to spare.
The Roosters played the Latrell sin-binning beautifully, hammering the exposed right edge with Alex Johnston forced to shift to fullback.
Young is up to 148 SuperCoach points in a monster night, while Tedesco has become the second player to crack the ton with 108.
67TH MINUTE: GAME. SET. MATCH
There was life, there was fight, and then there wasn’t.
Latrell very nearly gave away a penalty try shadowing the footy in the in-goal, and while he escaped that fate, he was sent to the bin for a professional foul on Tedesco.
Mere minutes later, Joey Manu crossed again for the Roosters to become the second tricolour to have a double to his name for the night.
It extended Sydney’s lead to 36-6. With Latrell still in the bin for the best part of 10 minutes, this could get ugly.
62ND MINUTE: WATSON’S HEARTWARMER
How good is that?
After 524 days without playing a game following nast patella tendon tear, Connor Watson has stood tall in Walker’s absence.
The versatile 27-year-old hunted the loose footy to the back of the in-goal and pounced on it. You couldn’t help but smile.
It was also a significant try in the context of the match, extending the Roosters lead to 30-6 just as Souths started breathing life in the game.
55TH MINUTE: SOUTHS ON THE BOARD, WON’T LIE DOWN
There’s fight in these Rabbitohs yet.
They’ve now equalled the Roosters with three linebreaks apiece. The signs are there.
The most recent linebreak was wasted however, with Alex Johnston flying down the wing and trying a daring infield chip while on the run.
Regardless, it’s all doom and gloom for Souths and the signs are promising.
It comes after Latrell broke Souths’s scoring drought with their first try just minutes earlier.
With the Roosters coming off a five-day break, the game is far from dead and buried.
The Rabbitohs are FINALLY on the board! 🙌
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 22, 2024
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47TH MINUTE: YOUNG CRACKS TON, WALKER RULED OUT
There it is, the first player of the night has cracked the coveted SuperCoach ton as Dominic Young surpasses 100.
Punctuated by a try and try assist, he also has 128 run metres, 10 tacklebreaks and two linebreaks.
The milestone comes as double scorer Sam Walker was sent from the field for a HIA, and it took just minutes for him to be ruled out of the remainder of the match with concussion. He was ruled out with 54 SuperCoach points to his name.
42ND MINUTE: OH MY GOD!
If you thought Sam Walker’s first half try was inventive, take a look at this.
Some frenetic Roosters play and a wayward offload saw the live bobbling untouched, and Sandon Smith just stuck his boot into it. The ball floated 20-odd metres cross-field and perfectly into the lap of a leaping Joey Manu who did the rest.
It capped of a nightmarish opening 90 seconds for Souths, with the try coming off the back of Koloamatangi dropping the ball cold less than 30 seconds into the half. The Bunnies are up to seven errors and their completion rate has dropped to 65 per cent.
HALF TIME: HOW DO SCORELESS BUNNIES RESPOND?
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Jason Demetriou’s halftime address. You’d pay good money, wouldn’t you?
Between Latrell’s swearing, the controversial axing of Ilias, and Mansour’s podcast revelations, it was a testing week off the field for the Rabbits. And if the second half is anything like the first, the pressure is only going to intensify.
The Roosters lead South Sydney 18-0 at the main break, and the Bunnies have been comprehensively outplayed, yet to create a genuine chance you could argue.
The Rabbitohs may have had 16 more runs than Sydney, but they’re being plagues by knock-ons, completing at just 68%. Compare that with the Roosters’ 90%.
Turning to SuperCoach, it’s a night for the POD’s, with all the top four scorers at the half in less than five per cent of teams.
Terell May owners will be sweating on a big second half. The popular front-rower is in over 20 per cent of teams but has just nine points from 14 minutes of game time. It’s worth noting he averages 1.2 point per minute. Is he in for a big second half, or were his first two games a flash in the pan? You’d expect the former, but the next 40 minutes will be telling. If he can reach his projected score of 62 he’s set for a handsome $62.3k price rise.
SuperCoach Leaders:
Dominic Young – 90
James Tedesco – 62
Keaon Koloamatangi – 52
Sam Walker – 50
Cam Murray – 33
28TH MINUTE: POD WINGER ON FIRE
Not many SuperCoaches have been willing to take a punt on Roosters English recruit Dominic Young this season, but the 3,500 that did are being rewarded big time.
After his early try he’s now bobbed up for a try assist. It was scintillating piece of play from the tricolours, with Tedesco double-pumping then laying a floated out beautifully to unleash Young down the right edge, before picking out Walker at full speed with a pinpoint ball inside to give Walker his second.
The trio have been the Roosters’ most prolific players through the games opening. Young has 82 SuperCoach points, followed by Tedesco on 56 and Walker on 50.
15TH MINUTE: WHICH FOOTBALL ARE YOU PLAYING SAM?
Sam Walker take a bow.
That was creative footy as it best.
He dropped the ball to his feet and dinked in between enemy lines with his left, the Rabbits couldn’t pounce on it so Walker followed up with to toe poke the loose footy on his right, sending it tumbling into the in-goal for him to pounce on
And he converts his own work too, giving the Roosters a 12-0 lead early.
The play means Walker has jumped to 23 SuperCoach points, while first tryscorer Dominic Young is leading the way with 55.
5TH MINUTE: WORRYING START FOR SOUTHS
The Rabbitohs have been in the headlines all week, and a slow start failed to do them any favours.
Having barely given the Bunnies a sniff, Tedesco earned himself an early try assist with an overlap allowing Dominic Young to cross with ease.
1ST MINUTE: ROOSTERS V RABBITOHS UNDERWAY
What’s the quickest captain’s challenge you’ve ever seen? 20 seconds would have to come close.
Lindsay Collins was illegally stripped off the kick off – well at least he knew he was – successfully overturning the referee’s decision to earn the Roosters an early penalty.
Take a bow JWH! ðŸ‘
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 22, 2024
Only the 50th player to reach the 300 game milestone!
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FULL TIME: WINLESS WARRIORS NO MORE
Wow. It’s probably a bit early to say a season was on the line. But an 0-3 start is far from pretty.
It was a reality the Warriors were made to stare down, but one they refused to let defy them.
There would be no centurions in a game that had an abundance of strong performers, yet no one was head and shoulders above the rest. The Raiders’ Jordan Rapana and Matthew Timoko both finished on 92 before the countback adjustment.
SuperCoach Leaders:
Jordan Rapana – 92
Matthew Timoko – 92
Adden Fonua-Blake – 77
Jackson Ford – 73
Dallin Watene-Zelezniack – 70
79TH MINUTE: SAVAGE BLOW AFTER BOLD PLAY
Less than two minutes to play, two tries needed. It’s all or nothing stuff.
You didn’t have to tell Xavier Savage that, who tried to dink a grubber behind the Warriors line on the first tackle of a very attacking set. It’s surely the final nail in the coffin for the Raiders.
74TH MINUTE: RAIDERS PULL DECISIVE CAPTAIN’S CHALLENGE
The Raiders trail by eight as the full-time siren nears, and they were granted a major reprieve as a captain’s challenge overturned a ruling that Jordan Rapana had made dangerous contact under a high ball.
DAMIEN COOK BENCHED
The action isn’t slowing down, with a blockbuster clash between old foes the Roosters and Rabbitohs set to follow.
Damien Cook has been demoted to the bench in the only late change for the clash, with both line-ups otherwise untouched from Tuesday’s teams.
Siliva Havili is set to start in his place.
It come after the surprise axing of young half Lachlan Ilias just two games into the season, in what was a move coach Jason Demetriou refused to explain during the week.
65TH MINUTE: WARRIORS STRIKE AGAIN
Talk about never say die. Both teams gave plenty of good old fashioned grit in this encounter. The Raiders repelled and repelled and then threatened to put New Zealand to the sword.
But the Warriors didn’t just withstand the pressure, they welcomed it, with temporary fullback Tuivasa-Sheck crossing for the second try in quick succession.
Tuivasa-Sheck has shot up to 66 SuperCoach points as a result.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck produces some MAGIC! 💥
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 22, 2024
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58TH MINUTE: WARRIORS BREATHE SIGH OF RELIEF, REGAIN LEAD
The Raiders very nearly had a second try in as many minutes after Joseph Tapine ripped the ball from Tuivasa-Sheck’s grasp and planted it.
Fortunately for the boisterous home fans it wasn’t to be, with a knock-on ruled against Tapine in the lead up.
It was a pivotal decision, as the Warriors struck back just minutes later after an electric run from Dallin Wateze-Zelezniak. The centre flaunted the Raiders defence as he darted horizontally across the field, venturing from the right to the left to put Luke Metcalf over.
55TH MINUTE: PRESSURE MOUNTS ON WARRIORS
Defend, defend, defend.
The Raiders were being hounded by the Warriors but their defence stood tall, and they’ve been rewarded with a second try to lead 10-6 in the 55th minute following Jamal Fogarty’s conversion.
A string of slick hands saw the Warriors defence outnumbered on the right edge and they couldn’t get off their line quick enough, allowing Nick Cotric to cross untouched.
Cotric has shot up to 58 SuperCoach points as a result. He’s relatively cheap at $274,000 and the 13 per cent of SuperCoaches that own him will be rejoicing
How will the winless Warriors respond?
46TH MINUTE: TUAUPIKI SENT FOR HIA
Popular Warriors fullback Taine Tuaupiki will miss at least 15 minutes after he was sent from the field for a HIA.
He’s run 122 metres and has four tackles breaks for 31 SuperCoach points.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has shifted to plug the subsequent gap at fullback.
HALF-TIME: WARRIORS LEAD 6-4
These two sides can barely be split after a gripping half of footy, with the Warriors taking a slender lead into the break.
After a hot start that saw him rush to 53 points in a touch over 20 minutes, Addin Fonua-Blake hasn’t been sighted since. He was tended to by medical staff in clear pain, but whether it’s an injury that could keep him out of the second half or not remains to be seen.
Matthew Timoko and Jordan Rapana have been the pick of the Raiders, with Timoko crossing for a try and Rapana pivotal at the back, he’s already run 100 metres and made three tackle breaks.
SuperCoach favourite Zac Hosking has seen 20 minutes of action from the bench for 18 SuperCoach points. The 15,000 SuperCoaches that traded him in this week will be hoping for more second-half minutes.
SuperCoach leaders:
Addin Fonua-Blake – 53
Matthew Timoko – 51
Jordan Rapana – 46
Jackson Ford – 39
Shaun Johnson – 37
32ND MINUTE: RAIDERS HIT BACK
A failed conversion means the Raiders trail 6-4 as halftime nears, but a brilliant show of strength from Matthew Timoko saw him discard opposing centre Rocco Berry with ease to cross for the Raiders first points of the game.
Centre Timoko is just 3,750 teams and has a break-even of 67. He’s already got 46 points to his name.
Pure strength from Timoko to get the Raiders on the board!
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 22, 2024
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30TH MINUTE: THAT WAS STRANGE
91,826SuperCoaches will be shaking their heads after Ethan Strange was denied a try. A classy piece of footwork and what look like a strong finish was set to give the Raiders their first points of the match, but it was touch and go whether he grounded the ball as it slipped from palm to forearm.
21ST MINUTE: FONUA-BLAKE RUNNING HOT
He’s already scored one try and came agonisingly close to a second before being stopped by Xavier Savage, and Addin Fonua-Blake is being rewarded in SuperCoach with 53 points through the matches opening quarter.
The tempo of the match has also gone up a notch, with some brilliant end-to-end footy on display.
The other SuperCoach leaders:
Shaun Johnson – 34
Jackson Ford – 32
Josh Papali’i – 23
Joseph Tapine – 22
9TH MINUTE: FONUA-BLAKE STRIKES FIRST
The Raiders line parted like the red sea and Addin Fonua-Blake was allowed to stroll over the stripe without a finger laid on him.
The Warriors have laid their attacking intent bare early, declining an easy two points after Jordan Rapana gave away a penalty 25 metres out. It was the right call, as it led to six points for the home side.
Fonua-Blake making it look easy, as the Warriors strike first 🔥
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 22, 2024
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5:45PM: 19-YEAR FIRST ON THE LINE
For the first time in 19 years, the Raiders find themselves sitting pretty atop the NRL ladder, but how long will it last?
It’s the first time since 2005 that the club has achieved the feat, and given it’s also Ricky Stuart’s 250th game in charge, he would hate a loss to sour the occasion.
The winless Warriors would hate to fall to 0-3 after a captivating run to last season’s preliminary final.
5:30PM: GOLDEN POINT, ANYONE?
We were treated to a thrilling golden-point clash just six days ago when Chad Townsend slotted a field goal as the Cowboys downed the Knights 21-20.
The last time the Warriors hosted the Raiders, in round 21 of last season, Shaun Johnson was the hero, lifting the Warriors over the Raiders with an 81st minute field goal. Ironically, the match finished with an identical scoreline to the Cows win last week.
The 9.7 per cent of SuperCoaches that own Shaun Johnson will be praying for a similar outcome, given his price is projected to fall by $60.6k after scoring just 26 points in his last outing.
LATE MAIL: EGAN’S RETURN DELAYED
There’s been a late change for the Warriors, with the four per cent of SuperCoaches that own hooker Wayde Egan ($576,100) forced to wait another week for his return after he failed to overcome an elbow injury during the week.
The news gives Freddy Lussick another chance to start at hooker having initially been shuffled to the bench. He had a quiet game on the attacking front in New Zealand’s narrow loss to the Storm last week, but managed 33 tackles. He’s averaging 32.5 SuperCoach points this season and sits in a touch over 600 teams, given his lack of future job security you wouldn’t expect that number to increase.
An ankle injury has also seen lock Dylan Walker ruled unavailable.
The Raiders are set to be bolstered by skipper Elliott Whitehead’s return, but it may not be good news for the 15,000 coaches that looked to make some cash by trading in Zac Hosking this week. Read more about what Ricky Stuart had to say on his potential role tonight, with Whitehead announcing he’ll play “as many minutes as (he) can” in his pre-game interview.
Sebastian Kris is an out for the men in green following the concussion he sustained in round two, while Ata Mariota is the other out. James Schiller also comes in.
EARLIER: With SuperCoach NRL prices set to change after tonight’s game, the SuperCoach scores of Ethan Strange (Break Even of -21) and Taine Tuaupiki BE -21 will be closely scrutinised.
However, it is Strange’s teammate Zac Hosking who boasts the lowest BE in the game (-51) thanks to his bumper opening two rounds of 92 points and 109 points.
Hosking is one of the most popular buys of the round, but are SuperCoaches making a mistake, with the edge backrower relegated to the bench this week as a result of Elliot Whitehead’s return from injury. Or is Canberra coach Ricky Stuart pulling a fast one on us – we all know it wouldn’t be the first time for that!
As for the second game of the night, when the Roosters and Rabbitohs write a fresh chapter in Russell Crowe’s ‘Book of Feuds’ it’s a fair bet that more than a few Random Souths Guys are going to be not-so-quietly cheering for Terrell May.
He may be a Rooster, but he’s also poised for a stonking great price rise and a score in or around the 60 point mark will see the big man add $60K of value to his starting price.
WIGHTON THE ENERGISER … RABBITOH
– Pamela Whaley
It’s been a year in the making but on Friday night Jack Wighton starts a new era with South Sydney in one of Australia’s biggest sporting rivalries.
It couldn’t come at a better time.
Souths are desperate need for his specific brand of magic against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.
The 31-year-old often walks a line trying to find the perfect amount of energy without losing his head, which is how he missed the first two games of the season.
A suspension for biting Newcastle’s Tyson Gamble in an elimination final last year kept him sidelined for three games, and the Rabbitohs have slumped to an 0-2 start to the season.
They’ve looked flat, but Wighton is electricity in human form.
“I’m just energy, I’m there just to show these boys they can trust me and to put my best foot forward,” he said ahead of his first game for Souths.
“I’m not going to be perfect, I’ll make mistakes and they’ll make mistakes, but they need to know I’ll be there for them if they do. It’s a building trust thing.”
It’s the change he was craving after 12 seasons with Canberra.
“I just thought if I never made a change I would never make one in my life,” he said.
“I’ve seen people retire and seen people quit when they’ve needed a change, I didn’t want to go down that way.”
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Originally published as SuperCoach NRL Winners and Losers: Key takeaways, studs and duds from Warriors vs. Raiders and Roosters vs. Rabbitohs
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