NRL SuperCoach wrap round 26: Injury, resting crisis as $50K goes on line

The SuperCoach overall race has been turned on its head by an injury crisis that includes Tom Trbojevic, Matt Burton, Sam Walker and Ryan Papenhuyzen.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 30: Tom Trbojevic of the Sea Eagles is assisted by a trainer after an injury and a head cut during the round 26 NRL match between Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly Sea Eagles at Accor Stadium on August 30, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Congratulations to those who won their SuperCoach head-to-head grand finals over the weekend.

With a head-to-head bye in the final round, those coaches can sit back, relax and enjoy the melodies until next season - or sign up to SuperCoach NBL If you have an itch to scratch.

But there is still one round to go for overall players in the search for $50K.

Unfortunately, the title race has been turned on its head by an injury crisis over the weekend that included Tom Trbojevic (29 per cent ownership), Matt Burton (25 per cent), Sam Walker (24 per cent) and Ryan Papenhuyzen (10 per cent).

Full round 26 wrap below.

KEY INJURIES/SELLS

* Tom Trbojevic (65) – Will be back for the NRL finals but that’s no good for SuperCoaches and he’s therefore a crucial sell given the replacements available at fullback.

* Sam Walker (9) - Confirmed ACL injury. He was the third most popular purchase this week and is definitely out of the final round.

* Matt Burton (50) - Failed a HIA in the second half and has been ruled out of the final round. Translation: He’ll be available for Canterbury’s finals game but will be of no use to SuperCoaches.

* Ryan Papenhuyzen (3) - Suffered bone bruising to his leg in Thursday night’s clash and is in doubt for the final round. “The scans showed Ryan has some bone bruising. Our medical staff will see how the issue settles over the next few days before making a decision on whether he plays against the Broncos next Thursday night,” said Storm director of football Frank Ponissi.

Tom Trbojevic will miss the final week of the year. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

RESTINGS

Nothing official yet but here are the facts.

* Storm: Guaranteed first spot. Rested 11 players last week. Craig Bellamy has said momentum will be crucial heading into the finals so don’t expect mass restings again. But it’s unlikely they will take risks on players carrying niggles.

* Panthers, Roosters, Sharks: These teams are guaranteed top four spots but their position in the four could change depending on results this weekend, which affects whether they get to play at home and who they play. Tough decision for NRL coaches on whether to rest, especially at the Roosters who have a number of injuries to deal with.

BUY OF THE WEEK

* Kalyn Ponga (120) - Will be the most purchased player of the round. Only in 15 per cent of teams despite a 3RA over 100, Turbo to Ponga is the obvious trade. While resting is a concern all over the NRL this week, Ponga arguably has the most to play for of any SuperCoach stud given the Knights and Dolphins essentially have a top eight play-off on Sunday afternoon.

SUPERCOACH WINNERS

* James Tedesco (102) - The Roosters were completely cooked with no bench and Teddy stepped up. Huge effort to crack a ton given the injuries at the Roosters and no doubt he won more than a few SuperCoach grand finals.

* Fletcher Sharpe (120) - One of the quickest hat-tricks you’ll ever see for the former cheapie, who has now become a Super POD.

* Dylan Brown (153) – Brown was instrumental in Parramatta’s dominant performance, and he collected a SuperCoach score to match.

* Maika Sivo (137) – Sivo had a field day on the left wing, finishing with a hat-trick. The giant Fijian was unstoppable and benefitted from his side’s intent to go left.

* Tyrell Sloan (143) – Sloan came to life with the rest of his team in the final 10 minutes and soared over 100 points with some great linebreaks.

* Zac Lomax (109) – Lomax scored a try and went a perfect six from six with the boot, getting up to a century late in the game.

* Herbie Farnworth (174) – An enormous game from the former Bronco. Two tries, two try assists, three line breaks and 10 tackle busts.

* Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (107) – The speed demon toyed with Brisbane’s defence. He scooped up a dropped ball to go the length of the field while he brushed off defenders on another occasion in front of the tryline.

* Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (101) – Three tries and two line breaks, he was the beneficiary of some of Shaun Johnson’s handy work.

* Shaun Johnson (99) – It was vintage Johnson. Why is this guy retiring? Nothing short of exceptional and carried the Warriors on his back and to the win.

Shaun Johnson played his final NRL game on the weekend. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

* Reuben Garrick (130) – One try, two try assists and a handy 21 tackles. Owners have been begging for him to have a night like this.

* Isaah Yeo (117) – The Panthers skipper led from the front as always with a fantastic display. He finished with a try and assist as well as a mountain of base stats to give him a cracking score for the night.

* Lehi Hopoate (82) – This young man is just so exciting to watch. Added another two tries to his tally as his rookie year continues to blossom.

* Tyran Wishart (138) – He started at hooker and moved to the halves with the injuries suffered in their backline. It proved a masterstroke with Wishart scoring a double.

* Cameron Munster (89) – If there were any concerns about the fitness or health of Munster he swiftly put those to bed with a busy performance.

SUPERCOACH LOSERS

* Angus Crichton (51) - A total of 17 in deductions for missed tackles, errors and penalties conceded. Rare average game in a stunning season.

* Dom Young (30) - This is what Young produces when given no attacking stats. Unfortunately it had to happen in the SuperCoach grand final.

* David Fifita (40) - Reduced minutes yet again for the SuperCoach stud. Hates the heat.

* Greg Marzhew (36) - Every Newcastle outside back went well except Marzhew. Was held up over the line at one stage and work rate was great as usual with 21 runs.

* Briton Nikora (51) – A quiet night but he wasn’t the only one who went downhill for the Sharks in the second half.

* Dylan Edwards (32) – Didn’t get a great deal of opportunities to run the ball back with the gusto. A rare quiet night.

* Jacob Kiraz (36) – Has been a reliable scorer with his workrate out of his own end and the ability to jag a try, but didn’t make either happen to the level we’ve seen from the classy winger.

* Scott Drinkwater (47) – The way the game was set up, you would’ve penned Drinkwater for a near-certain century. His involvement was mixed – helped set up a nice try but was quiet in comparison to others.

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach wrap round 26: Injury, resting crisis as $50K goes on line