It’s that time of the week again, as the Supercoach wrap-up by Tim Sauer helps you decide who to get, who to sell or who to hold onto.
Welcome to the NRL SuperCoach Junkies round 16 wrap-up by Tim Sauer. You can find more of his work at www.nrlsupercoachjunkies.com.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Once again the Rabbitohs proved to be a SuperCoach gold mine in their round 16 win over the Raiders. Having his fourth massive game in a row was Isaac Luke who played the full 80 minutes for a score of 96. He scored a try with a line break but also had a try assist, 27 tackles, 2 offloads and a line break assist. Sam Burgess played 57 minutes and scored a try with a line break, made 27 tackles and scored 28 from hit ups for a total of 83 points. Nathan Merritt had a point to prove after his Origin performance and came through with 74 points which included a try and 2 line breaks. Centres Bryson Goodwin and Dylan Walker both scored tries and finished on 73 and 72 points respectively. Adam Reynolds continued his sensational run with a score of 68. He had a try assist, 16 tackles, 3 tackle breaks, 2 offloads and a line break assist. Greg Inglis was solid backing up from Origin with 59 points. He had a try assist, 5 tackle breaks, 2 line break assists and 23 from hit ups. Ben Lowe made 34 tackles in 80 minutes for a score of 55. Jeff Lima played 51 minutes off the bench (a season high) and was solid with a score of 54 which came entirely from base stats. Justin Hunt played on the wing in Andrew Everingham’s absence and scored 54 thanks to a try, try assist and a line break.
Roy Asotasi played 30 minutes for a lazy 21 points. Cheap option Josh Starling saw only 29 minutes on the field for a score of 22. Nathan Peats played 44 minutes off the bench but could only manage 28 points. Thomas Burgess played 27 minutes for a disappointing (by his family’s standards) score of 31. Ben Te’o played just 50 minutes for 32 points. John Sutton had a quiet game and scored 43, his lowest output since round 11.
Canberra Raiders
The Raiders provided very little to smile about in round 16, but Shaun Fensom was solid as always. He played 80 minutes and made 48 tackles for a score of 63. Joel Thompson scored 60 on the back of 27 tackles, 3 offloads and 24 points from hit ups in 80 minutes. David Shillington played 43 minutes and scored well with 56. He made 21 tackles and scored a whopping 38 from hit ups. Josh Papalii played 80 minutes and was OK with a score of 53. That’s the first time he’s scored under 60 since round 5. Glen Buttriss started at hooker and played 80 minutes for a score of 48, 42 of which came from tackles.
Jack Wighton played only 43 minutes and scored a horrible 5. Terry Campese scored a season low 15 which included zero hit ups. Reece Robinson had a forgettable game with a score of 21. Jarrod Croker had his third poor game in a row with a score of 29. Sandor Earl (who suffered a dislocated elbow) and cheap option Sami Sauiluma both scored a mere 34 points.
Wests Tigers
Leading the charge for the resurgent Tigers was Robbie Farah. He played 80 minutes in his first club game since round 11 and amassed 83 points thanks largely to the 49 tackles he made. Aaron Woods was good with a score of 68 in his usual 60 minutes. He made 37 tackles and scored 34 from hit ups. David Nofoaluma was great again with 67 points. He scored a try, broke 6 tackle and made a line break. Tim Simona scored a try, had a try assist and broke the line for a total of 64 points. Blake Ayshford had his highest score since round 3 with 52 which included a try. Liam Fulton also scored 52. He made 41 tackles in an 80 minute performance. Benji Marshall received a pass mark with a score of 44. His outing would have been very disappointing if he hadn’t scored a try in the 80th minute.
Shaun Spence only played 18 minutes off the bench for a score of 18. Ben Murdoch-Masila saw 22 minutes off the bench for a poor score of 16. James Tedesco returned from injury but only scored 18 at fullback. Chris Lawrence and Bodene Thompson (58 minutes) disappointed with scores of 30. Curtis Sironen had a down week and finished with just 33 points.
Melbourne Storm
Maurice Blair got his try scoring mojo back and finished on a great score of 74. Along with his try he broke 7 tackles, made a line break and had a line break assist. Ryan Hinchcliffe made 48 tackles in 66 minutes for a total of 63 points. Will Chambers was solid with a score of 55 which included a line break and 23 from hit ups. Tohu Harris played 80 minutes and made 46 tackles for a score of 54. Jesse Bromwich made 28 tackles and scored 21 from hit ups for a total of 51 points in 54 minutes. Kevin Proctor played 65 minutes and was solid with a score of 50.
Jason Ryles played only 21 minutes due to injury and finished with 13 points. Cooper Cronk had a very quiet outing and scored a season low 20. Tim Glasby and Slade Griffin both played 25 minutes and both scored 25. Sisa Waqa couldn’t make it three good games in a row. He scored just 30. Billy Slater had his worst outing since round 9 with a score of 36. Ryan Hoffman played 71 minutes but was poor with 40 points.
Penrith Panthers
Round 16 saw Nigel Plum continue his excellent form for the Panthers. He scored a big 69 in 48 minutes on the back of a try assist, 29 tackles and 22 from hit ups. Luke Walsh had 2 try assists, 16 from goal kicking and a line break for 66 points. Kevin Kingston also scored 66. He made 45 tackles and a line break in 80 minutes. Centre Brad Tighe played his first game since round 5 and notched a try and 26 from hit ups for a solid total of 58 points. James Segeyaro scored a try in 47 minutes off the bench for a score of 53. Cheap option James Roberts scored 54 (17 of which came from a try) in his second game for the season. He’ll be a popular purchase this week. Mose Masoe scored 33 from hit ups in 36 minutes off the bench for a score of 50.
Matt Moylan was a little underwhelming with score of 31. Alarmingly this included a try. David Simmons was quiet with just 37 points. Isaac John picked up a try assist buy was still poor with a total of 38 points. Dean Whare also scored 38, his lowest total since round 10. Lewis Brown started in the second row but played just 48 minutes for a score of 43. Tim Grant played his first game since round 11 and saw 44 minutes on the field for a score of 43.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Jack de Belin was a monster in round 16. He started at lock and played 43 minutes for a season high score of 88 which included a try, 26 tackles, 6 tackle breaks, a line break and 24 from hit ups. His form since round 10 has been excellent. Ben Creagh played the full 80 minutes and scored 59 thanks to 30 tackles and 27 from hit ups. Tyson Frizell made 39 tackles in 80 minutes for 58 points. Chase Stanley scored a try with a line break for a score of 57. Mitch Rein played 39 minutes and picked up a try assist along with 21 tackles and a line break assist for 56 points. Josh Dugan had a bit of a quiet week but was still solid with a score of 50. He had a huge 9 tackle breaks. Jack Stockwell was serviceable with a score of 44 in 48 minutes.
Nathan Fien had a shocking game with a score of just 15. Nathan Green played again at centre but was quiet with a score of 20. Front rowers Michael Weyman (32 minutes) and Dan Hunt (29 minutes) both scored poorly with 24 and 31 respectively. Wingers Brett Morris and Jason Nightingale were ordinary with scores of 32 and 35 respectively.
Newcastle Knights
The Knights put the Titans to the sword (*bad pun alert) in round 16 and James McManus had an absolute field day. He scored 4 tries with 4 line breaks for a ridiculous score of 147. Darius Boyd scored a season high 98 on the back of a try, 3 try assists and 3 line break assists. Tyrone Roberts also scored a season high 98. He scored a try, picked up a try assist, scored 24 from goal kicking, broke the line and had a line break assist. Jarrod Mullen had his best outing since round 3 with a score of 74. He also scored a try, had a try assist, made 16 tackles and broke the line. Joseph Leilua had his third big game in a row with a score of 62. He was yet another to score a try with a line break to go with 6 tackle breaks.
Danny Buderus (53 minutes) and Craig Gower (40 minutes) simply aren’t SuperCoach relevant. They had scores of 17 and 16 respectively. Akuila Uate couldn’t get in on the try scoring and he finished on a score of just 31. Forwards Willie Mason (54 minutes) and Beau Scott (65 minutes) also scored 31 a piece. Chris Houston (55 minutes) and Jeremy Smith (51 minutes) weren’t much better with scores of 35. Robbie Rochow played 66 minutes but scored just 40, his lowest output since round 2.
Gold Coast Titans
Getting belted by 30 points doesn’t lend itself to good SuperCoach scoring and that was the case for the Titans in round 16. Greg Bird was the lone bright spot scoring 80 (his highest since round 4) in 67 minutes. He scored a try, broke 6 tackles, broke the line and had a line break assist. In a huge plus for his owners he didn’t get sin binned for not punching anyone. Albert Kelly was solid again with a score of 55. He had a try assist, a line break assist and scored 24 from hit ups. Kevin Gordon scored a try, broke the line Cialis and picked up a line break assist for a score of 55. Luke Bailey started in the front row and played 46 minutes for a score of 53 which included 3 offloads. Ashley Harrison played 61 minutes and made 36 tackles on his way to 52 points. David Mead played in the centres and scored a try with a line break for a handy score of 52. Luke Douglas scored respectably with 50 in 57 minutes. Matt Srama played the full 80 minutes and was OK with a score of 42, 40 of which came from tackles. Cheap option Mark Ioane came off the bench for 37 minute and was respectable with a score of 39.
The big news from the game was the injury to Jamal Idris. He suffered what appears to be a broken after just 5 minutes on the field and finished on a score of 3. He’ll have to be traded out this week (hello, Jamie Lyon!) but that 3 is going to knock a fair bit off his value. Anthony Don got through the game with both legs intact but also scored just 3. Anyone still owning him needs to show him the door this week. Ben Ridge played a solid 57 minutes off the bench but scored just 24. William Zillman had a quiet week with a score of 27. Aidan Sezer had his worst game of the season with a score of 28. Ryan James continues to stink it up. He scored 31 in 39 minutes. Mark Minichello played 55 minutes and scored only 32.
New Zealand Warriors
Elijah Taylor is close to the form player in SuperCoach at the moment. Well, maybe second behind Corey Parker but comparing anyone to Corey Parker is a bit unfair. Taylor scored 85 in round 16 which gives him a five game average of 82.6! He played 80 minutes and scored a try, made 49 tackles, and scored 18 from hit ups. Konrad Hurrell scored well with 73 points which included a try, 17 tackles, a line break and 25 from hit ups. Jacob Lillyman was impressive in 43 minutes off the bench. He scored 64 thanks to 30 tackles, and 29 points from hit ups. Dane Nielsen scored 61 (his highest since round 1) on the back of 3 tackle breaks, a forced drop out, 2 offloads and a line break. Feleti Mateo had a try assist, 3 offloads and a line break assist in 51 minutes for a score of 58. Ben Matulino scored 58 in 42 minutes thanks to 20 tackles and 30 points from hit ups. Nathan Friend made 43 tackles in 80 minutes for a score of 57. Simon Mannering also made 43 tackles in 80 minutes for a score of 54. Manu Vatuvei only played 52 minutes due to a knee injury but scored a try with a line break and finished on 49 points. Shaun Johnson was OK with a score of 48 which included a try assist and 12 points from goal kicking.
Dominique Peyroux (28 minutes) and Suaia Matagi (15 minutes) didn’t see enough time on the field to score well. They finished on scores of 14 and 16 respectively. Glen Fisiiahi played on the wing and was quiet with a score of 23. Todd Lowrie came off the bench and played 41 minutes for a score of just 35. Thomas Leuluai had his third dud in a row, scoring all of 36.
Brisbane Broncos
Josh Hoffman had an outstanding game in round 16 and finished on an impressive score of 97. He scored a try, broke 12 tackles, made 2 line breaks and scored 29 from hit ups in his second massive game in a row. Corey Parker was awesome once again. He played 80 minutes backing up from Origin II and scored a huge 94 which included 47 tackles (0 missed!), 3 offloads and 37 points from hit ups. Matt Gillett also played 80 minutes and scored well with 61. He made 36 tackles and scored 22 from hit ups. Alex Glenn (80 minutes) and Sam Thaiday (58 minutes) both scored well with 60 points. Corey Norman picked up a try assist and 34 points from hit ups for a total score of 56. Josh McGuire started (due to Ben Hannant’s calf injury) and played 56 minutes for a solid 55 points which included 35 tackles. Andrew McCullough made 46 tackles in 50 minutes for a score of 50.
Ben Hunt (30 minutes), Dunamis Lui (8 minutes) and David Hala (15 minutes) didn’t see enough game time to be relevant. They had scores of 15, 10 and 20 respectively. Jack Reed had his lowest score since round 9 with 37 points. Lachlan Maranta also scored 37, 17 of which came from a try. Justin Hodges had a very quiet week and finished on just 38 points. That should help bring his price down for a post-Origin purchase.
North Queensland Cowboys
Kane Linnett had a great game for the Cowboys in round 16, finishing with 2 tries, 5 tackles breaks, 2 line breaks and a line break assist for a massive total of 110 points. Jonathan Thurston had his second stellar game in succession with a score of 77. He notched a try assist, 14 points from goal kicking, 3 forced drop outs and had a line break assist. Gavin Cooper played his first game since round 11 and impressed with a score of 77. He played 56 minutes off the bench and scored a try, made 26 tackles, broke the line and scored 23 from hit ups. Winger Antonio Winterstein scored a healthy 75 thanks to a try, 5 tackle breaks, 3 offloads, a line break and 23 from hit ups. Tariq Sims had a try assist, made 24 tackles, broke 4 tackles and had a line break assist for a total of 68 in 69 minutes. Matt Scott scored 54 (which included a line break) in 41 minutes. Ray Thompson played 80 minutes at hooker and scored well for the second game in a row with 54.
Robert Lui failed to score well for the first time in his last three games. He finished on only 24 points. Glenn Hall played just 35 minutes for a score of 26. Fullback Clint Greenshields was quiet and scored a season low 28. Dallas Johnson saw 48 minutes on the field and was disappointing with a score of 29. Brent Tate was a little quiet with a score of 37. James Tamou returned from suspension and played 48 minutes for a slightly down score of 47.
Cronulla Sharks
Luke Lewis was a monster in round 16 finishing on a great score of 84. He played 74 minutes and scored a try, made 27 tackles, 9 tackle breaks, a line break and picked up 24 from hit ups. Andrew Fifita played his typical 52 minutes off the bench and scored OK with 58. He made 27 tackles, 5 tackle breaks and scored 22 from hit ups. Back rowers Wade Graham (62 minutes) and Chris Heighington (47 minutes) were solid with scores of 49. Jayson Bukuya played 49 minutes off the bench and made 28 tackles for a score of 48. Anthony Tupou scored 46 in 60 minutes off the bench, 30 of which came from tackles.
Ben Ross played only 18 minutes in the front row and scored 17. Jeff Robson had a very quiet game and finished with a score of 20. Hookers John Morris (40 minutes) and Isaac De Gois (40 minutes) didn’t impress with scores of 27 and 35 respectively. Todd Carney had his lowest score since round 9 with a score of 30. Cheap option Sosaia Feki had another dud game and scored only 32, 10 of which came from tackle breaks.
Sydney Roosters
Round 16 saw Jake Friend explode for a season high score of 98 in 73 minutes on the field. He scored a try, made a huge 49 tackles, broke 5 tackles, forced a drop out and made a line break. His game time was up from his usual 60 minutes due to an injury to reserve hooker Daniel Mortimer. Sonny Bill Williams played at five-eighth and scored well with 69. He had a try assist, a line break and 2 line break assists. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves played his first game since round 9 and saw 58 minutes for a score of 67. He made 25 tackles and scored 34 from hit ups. Aiden Guerra scored 61 in 63 minutes off the bench which included 33 tackles, 5 tackle breaks and 19 from hit ups. Michael Jennings scored 2 tries for a total score of 58. Mitchell Aubusson played the full 80 minutes and scored 57 which included a line break. Luke O’Donnell (56 minutes) and Boyd Cordner (80 minutes) were solid with scores of 53 and 50 respectively. Daniel Tupou bounced back from two shocking games to register a good score of 50.
Daniel Mortimer suffered an injury after playing only 7 minutes and finished on a score of 3. Cheap option Isaac Liu played a mere 18 minutes for 19 points. Anthony Minichello’s good run of scores ended. He finished with 35 points. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck also scored 35, his lowest output since round 7.
Manly Sea Eagles
The Sea Eagles’ best in round 16 was Jamie Lyon. He scored a fantastic 86 thanks to a try, 5 tackle breaks and 2 line breaks. He will a hugely popular trade target this week for Jamal Idris’ owners. Matt Ballin played his usual 80 minutes at hooker and scored a season high 80 on the back of a try assist, 53 tackles, 2 forced drop outs and a line break assist. George Rose played 35 minutes off the bench and scored his first try for the season for a total of 64. Jamie Buhrer had his second good game in a row and scored 57. He made 29 tackles, broke 5 tackles and scored 24 from hit ups in 51 minutes. Brenton Lawrence played 42 minutes and was OK with a score of 53. Justin Horo played 80 minutes and receives a pass mark (just) with a score of 44.
Anthony Watmough played the entire game but was a little disappointing with a score of 58. That’s four pretty ordinary scores in a row and his price is falling rapidly. Brett Stewart played his first game since round 8 and scored a total of 3 points. David Williams had his third horrendous outing in a row with a score of 10. Glenn Stewart played 80 minutes but couldn’t get it going for a score of 29. Jorge Taufua’s hot and cold form continued with him scoring a paltry 30.
By Tim Sauer
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