NRL SuperCoach: Tom Sangster’s FIVE trade targets for Super Trade Week

THE Super Trade Week features a massive FIVE trades and has the potential to make or break your season.

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 Tom Sangster’s top five targets.

1 Shaun Johnson

If you don’t own Johnson, you’re doing it wrong. Sangster’s Paradise started the season with the Warriors superstar but sold in round 10 as he battled groin and ankle injuries. The plan was to buy him back ASAP but the threat of him missing round 16 due to the Denver Test delayed that strategy. Then, out of the blue, came the glorious news that Johnson would miss the Test due to ongoing injury risk, meaning he’s available for the upcoming round and making him a SuperCoach must-have. Johnson has the highest average of any half and second highest average of any player. He covers both 16 and 17 and is a genuine VC or C option for the rest of the year. But with all that said, Johnson is just the 14th most popular player in SuperCoach due to ongoing injury issues. In other words, the best playmaker in SuperCoach is a relative POD. Get on.

Tom Sangster has revealed his top trade targets for the Super Trade Week.

2 Kurt Mann

The Dragons utility went into last round as the seventh most popular player with SuperCoaches justifiably enamoured with the job security of John Olive, who ended as the most popular player by a considerable distance. However, Mann went on to outscore Olive 60 to 46. Questions over job security were answered with Mann retaining his starting spot on the right wing ahead of veteran Jason Nightingale, and Mann is a strong chance to move into the halves for the next two rounds in place of Gareth Widdop (who likely misses round 16 due to the tight turnaround from the Denver Test) and Ben Hunt (who won’t play round 17 due to Origin). While the ideal scenario was to get on last week, waiting the extra round has only cost $39,000 and with a BE of -18 there are more big price rises to come.

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3 Tohu Harris

Two big developments in the last fortnight have propelled Harris into the “near-must” range. Firstly, Shaun Johnson’s return from injury is music to the ears of Harris owners as he averages almost 70 with the star playmaker inside him and just 47 without. Secondly, Warriors coach Stephen Kearney put his foot down and ruled Harris out of the Denver Test, making Harris available for both rounds 16 and 17. At just 18 per cent ownership, Harris remains a relative POD despite his storied history as a SuperCoach player. Those looking for more POD-a-licious options should consider Joseph Tapine (three per cent ownership) and Raymond Faitala-Mariner (nine per cent ownership).

Tohu Harris is close to a must-have.

4 Jarrod Croker

SuperCoaches are on the hunt for keepers in the CTW following injuries to popular players Mahe Fonua, Jordan Rapana and Ryan Matterson. While Jarrod Croker is hardly a POD at 24 per cent ownership, the fifth most popular centre in the game, he has runs on the board as a SuperCoach player and offers that elusive mix consistency and upside in the most inconsistent position in the game. Croker is the most reliable centre in SuperCoach over the last half decade, never averaging below 53 with a peak average of 71. Moreover, he is durable, playing over 21 games in every season since 2010. Goalkicking provides a strong base and he’s surrounded by quality at the Raiders — he is now being fed the ball by Josh Hodgson and has a jumbo jet outside him in Nick Cotric. Those hunting a POD option should consider Tim Lafai (two per cent ownership).

5 Reimis Smith

SuperCoaches could have a fresh cheapie on the hands. Dean Pay is clearly a frustrated coach and his revolving door selection policy continued on the weekend — much to the delight of SuperCoaches given Pay has already provided us with star money-makers Jeremy Marshall-King, Rhyse Martin, John Olive and Raymond Faitala-Mariner. This time it was Marcelo Montoya axed in the pre-game for Reimis Smith (although Montoya eventually earned a reprieve when Brett Morris missed the match due to the birth of his child). Smith hardly set the world on fire with 25, although every point came in pure base stats. Smith scored 76 in his only other NRL game back in 2016 and all eyes will be on the round 16 team announcements to see if he is retained. If so, the son of former New Zealand international Tyran Smith is a genuine alternative to Kurt Mann as a backline downgrade.

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach: Tom Sangster’s FIVE trade targets for Super Trade Week