NRL SuperCoach: 10 things we learned from Round 11

POPULAR buys busted, the Titans makes their opponents sparkle, the sin bin bites and it’s time to take an unconventional approach to your halves — here’s what we learned from Round 11.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — MAY 19: Apisai Koroisau of the Manly Sea Eagles is sent off during the round 11 NRL match between the Melbourne Storm and the Manly Sea Eagles at AAMI Park on May 19, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

POPULAR buys busted, the Titans makes their opponents sparkle, the sin bin bites and it’s time to take an unconventional approach to your halves: here’s what we learned from NRL SuperCoach Round 11 — presented by hipages.

1. BUYER BEWARE

Last week 3229 SuperCoaches bought in Api Koroisau no doubt hoping for some nice bye round coverage and a good price hike off the back of his 85 points in Round 10. And then the Manly hooker jumped in to a fight between teammate Dylan Walker and Melbourne’s Curtis Scott earning himself a (eight-and-a-half minute) stint on the bench and a pretty much guaranteed week off as a result of an incredibly lenient NRL match review committee decision to hit him with only a grade-one striking charge. So while Api will almost certainly play Round 13 for you he will still miss two of the next six games. On top of that, Api had a SuperCoach stinker with just 21 points and is forecast to increase just $6K this week and then drop in price from there in the short to medium term. While we’re talking unfortunate purchases it would be remiss of me not to mention Brock Lamb. I flip-flopped on Lamb last week and brought him in so was watching extra closely (funny how SC can sharpen your focus eh?) and while a score of 35 against the Titans is a bit disappointing it would not be enough for me to pull the trade button as he almost got Lachlan Fitzgibbon over for a TA/LBA and that would have made a big difference. Sadly though, reports after the game indicate that Lamb is set for a month on the sidelines after suffering a fracture to his eye socket. There goes my slow burn money maker/bye coverage half and I’m now looking at a bit of a radical/hail mary solution which I’ll outline below.

A few thousand new owners weren’t clapping Apisai Koroisau of the Manly Sea Eagles on Saturday night.

2. MISSED THE BUS ON WATSON?

Speaking of which have we missed the bus on the other Knights half, Connor Watson? My answer, yep, will probably not be too popular and may be construed as a touch salty but hear me out. Watson has been going great, bossing a 70.0 3RA before last week and then posting an even better 79 points with 41 of those coming in base. Watson will jump around $60K after lockout and is just one week away from cracking the $500K barrier. And he plays for the Knights which means he covers the first bye. BUT, three of those scores came against teams very much in the easier half of the competition for five-eighths to score against. Watson’s next four opponents (Sharks, Eels, Roosters and Storm) are four of the toughest opponents for that position. I’m not suggesting Watson’s scores will fall off a cliff, rather that non-goalkicking halves are not keepers and as such Watson is not one either. There are a couple of goalkicking halves that are a week or two away from being available at the cheapest you will see them all season (Cleary and Widdop) and since I’ve missed Watson this far I’m just going to have to let him go and grab one of the others.

Or the ‘why is Copes pumping up Watson debate 😏’ #istilldontownhimthough haha

— Trent Copeland (@copes9) May 19, 2018

3. PONGA SPARKLES, BUT BEWARE TITANS POLISH

Kalyn Ponga shook off his mini-slump — he had been averaging ‘just’ 58.3 over the previous three rounds — and had a belter against the Titans just falling short of triple figures to record his second score over 90 in 2018. However, it was against the Titans. There’s that old saying about polishing a turd, well Ponga is nobody’s idea of a turd of an NRL player, he’s a star in the making, but gee that Titans ‘defence’ is SuperCoach hot sauce for opposition playmakers isn’t it? As mentioned above, the Knights face three of the best defensive teams in the competition — and the Eels too — over the next four weeks. I’m expecting a return to the 60 PPG area over that span.

4. TPJ THE REAL DEAL?

A certain someone suggested that TPJ may well be a sneaky vice-captain option for Round 11 and the young gun played the full 80 minutes (with a sin bin on the bell) for 84 points off the back of 20 hit-ups (15 over 8 metres), six tackle busts, three offloads, a try assist and line break assist. Oh what it could have been if there weren’t also two points off for an error, four for penalties and eight for a sin bin. The Broncos do not play the first bye but an 80-minute TPJ is an impressive force and one you will want come round 17.

5. THE SIN BIN BITES

Speaking of sin bins they really stung a few SuperCoach stars over the weekend. As mentioned TPJ and Api lost 10 points as a result of picking up a penalty/sin bin. You can add to that the very SuperCoach relevant Cody Walker, Jake Trbojevic (his second in the space of four weeks) and Jordan Rapana all spending 10 in the sheds last week and plenty of SuperCoaches were seeing red not yellow.

I was about this excited when Jamayne Isaako scored a try — even if it was against my Roosters.

6. YAY FOR HOLDING ISAAKO AND HIKU

I’ll be upfront and admit I’m throwing this topic in just so I can tell Tommy Sangster I told you so, so Tommy I told you so!* I’ve been holding Jamayne Isaako and Peta Hiku on the basis that both were going okay, would need just one more good week to enjoy one more price rise and then of course there’s the CTW conundrum that is the round 17 bye. Let’s take a look at the latter part of that preceding sentence, then the first. Of the top 10 CTW (who have played 3 or more games) by average just four play for teams that play the round 17 bye. And two of those, Euan Aitken and Josh Addo-Carr are Origin selection possibles (Will Hopoate and Jarrod Croker are the other two). Hiku is just outside that group, and he’s been pumping out those borderline scores absent his playmaker inside him due to Shaun Johnson’s injury. With round 17 so hard to cover there is a very strong argument for holding at least one or both through till the bye. Isaako has not been going quite as well as Hiku but then he bagged a double on Friday night, kicked four goals and scored 96 points. Hiku did not go quite so big, but he clearly relished the freedom to roam the field in a game where he filled in at fullback for the Warriors, made 12 hit-ups over 8 metres and scored a try on his way to tallying 62 points. Isaako is set to jump $40K after lockout and another $40K over the two weeks that follow if he can score around 45 over that time. Hiku will not make quite so much (a little over $20K this week and another $25K the two weeks after). Just a minor gripe … I wish those scores had come a week or two closer to Rd 17 because if Isaako does not grab another try between now and then the temptation to cash him in at close to $500K is going to be awfully tempting. Hiku I’m holding as a fifth CTW though.

* Tom still beat me this week and is a few thousand spots in front of me at the moment so I guess he’s the one laughing right now …

7. WHAT TO DO IN THE HALVES?

I don’t know about you guys but I am just about ready to give up on my halves. Currently I have Milford and Walker bombing it for the last two weeks. CWalks I’ll forgive as he’s going well in real life, was going great before the last fortnight and had that sin bin in round 11 — but Milf is getting the chop. I don’t care if he’s got potential and is playing at home, I’m sick of watching him run to the line only to swing it out to Darius Boyd in order to allow Boyd to bomb the chance. Sick of it! That’s at 5/8, halfback is worse with Lachlan Croker on the pine and now Brock Lamb going down injured. Personally I’m sacking Milford for AJ Brimson as a bit of a cash grab and am going to run with no playing halves for a couple of weeks. Counting on an AE is a risky strategy, but after I trade out Aubo this week my worst AE will be one of Isaako or Hiku and both look to be going at least as well as any half I might waste a trade on buying. I’m going to tread this tightrope for two weeks and then pick up Nathan Cleary for close to $500K in two weeks — Origin be damned.

Is Paul ‘Galbot’ Gallen back? Again?

8. PAUL GALLEN, CAN WE RISK GALLEN?

Speaking of guns set to drop in price it would be remiss of me not to make mention of PG13. Gallen came back from a four-week injury-enforced absence to score 56 points in 52 minutes, trundling up the field for 159 metres in his 18 hit-ups and laying 23 tackles. Not ‘keeper’ country yet but gee it showed some promise. Thanks to the 10 points he scored before leaving the field injured in round six, Gallen will drop $30K this week and likely another $40K the week after meaning you will be able to get one of the all-time greats for under $500K just ahead of the Round 13 bye. With my season in danger of becoming my worst ever it’s time to start taking risks (like the halves AE gamble above) and Gallen is just the kind of swing for the fences gamble I’m going to need to come off if I am to finish with any semblance of pride.

9. DAMIEN COOK IS THE SHIZZLE

You already know that Damien Cook is playing superb rugby league in both real life and SuperCoach. It’s no great news that the Rabbitoh is dominating his position. So why did I include him here — simply so I could brag about putting the captain’s armband on the big man. I finally got one right and the way my season is going it’s something I need to let you know. Pathetic as that may be.

10. RHYSE MARTIN IS THE MAN

With RFM succumbing to injury prior to the final round of the game, Martin was shifted from lock to second row and called on to play 80 minutes. And boy did the guy play. Scoring over 50 points in base, busting tackles and throwing offloads the candidate for mid-season buy of the year scored 82 points and will increase over $100K after lockout. Gun!

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach: 10 things we learned from Round 11