NRL SuperCoach: Rob Sutherland’s FIVE trade targets for Super Trade Week

THE inaugural Super Trade Week is here! For the first time, SuperCoaches have FIVE trades in a single round. Here are Rob Sutherland’s picks.

Rob Sutherland reveals his best five buys for Super Trade Week.

THE inaugural Super Trade Week is here!

For the first time, SuperCoaches have FIVE trades in a single round.

This is your chance to refresh your team for the upcoming round 17 bye and the looming finals (which start in round 22).

Here are resident guru Rob Sutherland’s top five targets.

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MY five trades are split into two categories — the ever elusive ‘keepers’ and the ‘cheapies’ set to make cash and hopefully score points in the all-important bye.

Rob Sutherland reveals his best five buys for Super Trade Week.

THE KEEPERS

1. Joseph Tapine

I was keen on the Raiders edge second-rower last week and then didn’t bring him in. That mistake cost me 112 points and the $32K extra that he costs this round but I’m going to swallow my pride and make the move in the Super Trade Week. Locked in for 80 minutes, averaging 47 in base stats over the past five weeks (and almost 10 PPG in busted tackles per game over that span) and with the ever handy dual-position status, Tapine is a genuine keeper that plays the round 17 bye. The best buy of the week.

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2. Jarrod Croker

The Canberra skipper has not been the safe ‘pick and stick’ of years gone by but the CTW is as hard to pick as I have ever seen so I’m going to grab him now and play him as a match-up specialist for the run home. The Raiders play the Bulldogs in round 17 and that’s been the match-up of choice for CTW over the last five rounds. On the flip side Croker will also face the Sharks, Storm, Roosters and Rabbitohs over the run home and those defences have been tough for CTW to crack all year, especially so over the last five rounds. That said I, like most of us, need to replace Mahe Fonua and Croker is as good as any bye round option to do that. The return of Josh Hodgson to hooker helps as he’s far better at involving his edge players than the more direct Saliva Havili.

Jarrod Croker is a proven SuperCoach performer.

BYE BUYS

3. Joe Stimson

Stimson has been battling it out with Ryan Hoffman for a starting role at the Storm and he won that battle for round 15. Throw in Felise Kaufusi’s absence in round 17 due to Origin and I reckon Stimson’s job security for the bye is pretty good. In the three rounds in which Stimson has played 80 minutes so far this year he has scored 42, 45 and 54 in base alone. Keep in mind that’s about all you can expect from the hard working Stimson as he does not score much in the way of attacking stats, well not unless Cam Smith goes down and he takes over the goalkicking duties like he did in round 4.

4. Kurt Mann

I was tossing up between John Olive and Mann last week and plumped with Olive simply because of the lower price and BE. Far from impressive I can only hope he did enough to hold his spot for round 17 (the departure of Mbye can’t hurt there). Mann certainly impressed and I’ll bring him in this week as a HFB downgrade who looks set to play round 17 and make money in the process.

5. Jack Hetherington/Kaide Ellis

Hedging my bets here a little. The Panthers are without RCG due to a broken jaw which opens up minutes in the FRF rotation and then there are the injuries to Viliame Kikau and CHN which opens up minutes in the 2RF. Which you pick, if either, will very much depend on team lists going into round 16 and whether you need a FRF (Hetherington) or a 2RF (Ellis).

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach: Rob Sutherland’s FIVE trade targets for Super Trade Week