KFC SuperCoach Plus article round 22: Crazy late-round tricks to win your head-to-head

Lose this week and you may miss the KFC SuperCoach finals series. We reveal the sneaky plays to get you over the line this week.

It’s the final round before SuperCoach head-to-head finals so it could be must-win for many.

Below we reveal the key stats set to define the round.

From sneaky late tactics, to controversial sell choices to Latrell’s chances of a big score - we have you covered.

Is Kalyn Ponga sneaking under the radar as a captaincy option?

In short, yes. Ponga is just the third most popular captain this week with 13 per cent of the top 10 per cent of SuperCoaches giving him the big C. Nathan Cleary is way ahead at 45.2 per cent while Nicho Hynes is next at 16 per cent.

Yet Ponga is in better form with a 5RA of 111 which is better than both Cleary and Hynes. But here are the stats that could be the clincher – Ponga has a career average of 94.5 against this week’s opponent the Raiders and also has a projected score of 133 according to SuperCoach Plus.

Why Cody is the most popular VC choice

SuperCoaches are all over Cody this week for the vice-captaincy at over 20 per cent. He has his great mate Latrell Mitchell back in the side and is taking on the wooden spoon-bound Wests Tigers. But just how good is the match-up? Extremely good. The Tigers have conceded the second most SuperCoach points to five-eighths this season with only the Bulldogs conceding more. Cody VC into Ponga C could be the POD captaincy move this week. Or perhaps look at the next two players on this list.

Hail Mary captain of the week must be a Cowboy

If you need a big score late in the round to win your head-to-head match-up, look no further than the Cowboys. Not only are they in brilliant form, but also have a great match-up in the final game of the round against the 14th-placed Titans. They also have two of the most in-form backs in the competition in Scott Drinkwater and Valentine Holmes, who have projected scores of 122 and 110 respectively.

Is Tohu really a sell?

Tohu Harris is the most sold player this week and if you can use crazy dual changes to get Nathan Cleary or Latrell then why not? But Tohu is also a very handy 18th or 19th player, especially considering his dual position flexibility. Tohu has been eased through the last few rounds and has the bye this week. But he is as consistent as they come with his season, 3RA and 5RA averages almost identical (63.6, 61.3, 60.2)

Latrell Mitchell has a solid record returning from serious injury.

Big Latrell Mitchell myth busted

One of the common theories sprouted this week is that Latrell could be susceptible to returning slowly from injury. It’s true that Latrell has sometimes returned from injuries looking underdone. But have his SuperCoach scores been affected?

Not at all. In fact Latrell historically returns quite strongly from injury, as the following stats show:

Latrell’s SuperCoach scores on return from serious injury:

Round 16 2022: 99

Round 11 2021: 50

Round 12 2020: 74

Average: 74