NRL SuperCoach: Dave Von Kotze’s FIVE targets for Super Trade Week

I’VE decided to rip in and use all five trades this week to have a crack at securing a finish in the top 1000.

JUST as it has done time and time again, SuperCoach has me between a rock and a hard place. Six weeks ago I was ready to scrap this season from an overall perspective and focus on winning a head to head league for the first time ever.

However, since then I have gone on a bit of a run and am just 97 points away from key-ring territory. With only 15 trades left I’ve decided to rip in and use all five this week to have a crack at securing a finish in the top 1000 and take something out of this season.

Shaun Johnson

I am so excited at the thought of having SJ back in my team. Any year I have finished with a decent ranking he has been one of the main weapons of attack and he has stepped it up again this season. Non-owners should look no further than the fact he has averaged 12 points more per game than the next highest averaging HFB, Mason Lino, and nearly 16 points more than Daly Cherry-Evans in third. Looking forward to head to head finals he will play three of his last four matches at home which sweetens the deal even further. Get on.

2014 champ Dave Von Kotze will use all five trades this week.

Gareth Widdop

From round one of the season I have planned to open the season with Johnathan Thurston and Cody Walker in my halves and then bring in SJ and Widdop after round 13 to finish the year. Even though Widdop has been relatively quiet in the last five games, he is locked in if he gets through his representative duties un-injured. If not rested he will play the Eels in round 16 before taking on the Storm in 17 and his 91 in round nine shows he knows how to lift against his old club. Similar to Shaun Johnson he has a handy draw during head to head finals and will take on the Eels, Bulldogs, Tigers and Knights to wrap up the SuperCoach season.

Joseph Leilua

Joseph Leilua has dropped to a juicy price.

I have been an absolute sucker for Leilua since 2016 and $407,300 for someone with his ceiling is too hard to pass up. An injury affected zero in round 14 has seen him drop in value by nearly $60,000 in the last two weeks and he will take the spot vacated by Mahe Fonua nicely to cover round 17 and feature in favourable match ups for the run home. He will also play the first three weeks of SuperCoach finals at GIO Stadium before finishing the year off against the Warriors.

SUPERCOACH PODCAST! Best buys for Super Trade Week.

Kurt Mann

With Johnathan Thurston, Te Maire Martin and George Jennings to move on, at under $230,000 Mann’s dual positioning and 60 from last round has cemented his spot in my team. Even though he will take on the Eels with a breakeven of -18 in round 16, I doubt I will have the trades to move him on for the remainder of the year but his CTW/HFB flexibility could be very useful in the back end of the season.

Corey Oates OR Raymond Faitala-Mariner

These two blokes are in an arm wrestle for my last trade. Oates definitely has the higher ceiling. He has scored a try in seven of his last 10 games, will play four of his next five games at home and will play a weakened Titans in round 17. On the down side he has also posted two scores of 17 and 19 in his last seven matches. Faitala-Mariner is $23,000 cheaper, had averaged 61 until his injury affected 15 in round 12 and is now available at a discounted price due to that low score. There are also reports he picked up an injury over the rep round. Decisions, decisions.

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach: Dave Von Kotze’s FIVE targets for Super Trade Week