Back for another season reviewing each round’s fixtures from a Supercoach point of view are the crew from NRL Supercoach Junkies.
Here’s their tips, views and ideas to make your side better:
Finally, the footy is back! Here’s a look how round 1 played out for us SuperCoaches.
By Tim Sauer for nrlsupercoachjunkies.com
Rabbitohs
Leading the way for the triumphant Bunnies was Greg Inglis. He lit the game up with a monster score of 135 thanks to 3 tries, 3 line breaks, 9 tackle breaks and 35 points from hit ups. Isaac Luke played 80 minutes and scored 74 which included a try assist, line break assist, 7 tackle breaks, 29 tackles and 2 offloads. He’s in for a big year. Adam Reynolds rewarded his owners with a solid 64, 24 of which came from his great goal kicking. Ben Te’o (only 60 minutes) scored 63 thanks largely to a try assist, 2 offloads and a line break assist. Sam Burgess started in the front row and played 63 minutes for a score of 61. He made 24 tackles, 2 offloads and scored 30 from hit ups. If his minutes stay around the 60 mark expect scores like this most weeks. Chris McQueen (71 minutes) also scored 61 which included 2 offloads and 2 line breaks. He’s the least attractive SuperCoach option in the Rabbitohs’ forward pack and this score should be viewed as a little lucky. John Sutton’s move into the back row saw him score a respectable 59 in 60 minutes. He notched a try assist and made 25 tackles. His owners would have to be a little worried about the reduced game time but maybe he’ll play more as his conditioning improves. George Burgess played 46 minutes and was OK with a score of 52 (almost all from base stats). His owners were surely hoping for more, though. Dylan Walker went alright in his first game at five-eighth and scored 46.
Reserves Luke Burgess (26 minutes), David Tyrrell (25 minutes), Ben Lowe (29 minutes) and Joe Picker (20 minutes) just didn’t see enough time on the field to be SuperCoach relevant. Ignore them in all leagues for now. Beau Champion did nothing and scored all of 12. Wingers Nathan Merritt and Lote Tuqiri scored 12 and 16, respectively. They’re both too inconsistent to be relied on week in, week out.
Roosters
In a pretty dour SuperCoach performance Boyd Cordner was the Roosters’ best. He played 62 minutes and made 43 tackles on his way to 60 points. Sonny Bill Williams was a little on the underwhelming side with a score of 57 in 80 minutes. His only attacking stats were 2 offloads and unfortunately for his owners he looks set to miss a couple of weeks due to a looming suspension for a shoulder charge. Jake Friend made 47 tackles in 69 minutes for a score of 50. With Daniel Mortimer on the bench it’ll be hard for Friend to move into the upper echelon of front row eligible players this season. Aidan Guerra and Michael Jennings were OK with scores of 44 and 41, respectively.
Reserves Dylan Napa (30 minutes), Daniel Mortimer (11 minutes) and Frank-Paul Nuuausala (21 minutes) didn’t play enough minutes to be worth worrying about. Nore are worth owning. Anthony Minichiello was quiet for a score of 14. Halves Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney were hugely disappointing with scores of 18 and 24, respectively. Wingers Daniel Tupou (29 points) and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (32 points) under whelmed. Sam Moa (53 minutes) and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (47 minutes) were poor with scores of 38 and 41, respectively.
Bulldogs
Headlining the Bulldogs’ round 1 performances was prop James Graham. He played a monster 67 minutes and scored well with 62 points thanks to 39 tackles, an offload and 21 points from hit ups. Dale Finucane was busy in 50 minutes for a score of 63. He made 32 tackles, forced a drop out, made an offload and scored 19 from hit ups. Aiden Tolman (55 minutes) was solid to the tune of 60 points, all of which came from tackles and hit ups. Michael Ennis grubbed his way to 55 points, 35 of which came from tackles. Tony Williams (80 minutes) scored a try with a line break but still ended up on a mediocre 55. Take away 27 points for his try and line break and his owners would be spewing. It’s early days but I’m glad I avoided him in all leagues. Halves Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds were serviceable with scores of 49 and 51, respectively. Josh Morris was OK and scored 41, 17 of which came from a try. Sam Perrett scored a passable 42 at fullback.
Winger Mitch Brown played only 42 minutes due to a head knock and finished on a score of 12. Cheap option Corey Thompson did his best invisible man impression and scored all of 17. Josh Jackson played 58 minutes off the bench and scored poorly with 33. David Klemmer played only 13 minutes and scored accordingly with 18 points. Reserve Tim Browne (25 minutes) scored 35. Not bad considering his limited time on the field but SuperCoaches don’t need to consider him.
Broncos
Leading the way for the victorious Broncos was Corey… Wait, not it wasn’t. It was Dale Copley! Copley played in the centres and scored an impressive 89 thanks to a try, try assist, an offload, 2 line breaks and a line break assist. As a cheap player this is a great result, even if he was on your bench. Corey Parker wasn’t far behind with a score of 78 on the back of 32 tackles, 3 offloads and 28 points from hit ups. He started at prop and played 71 minutes and his owners have to be pretty happy. Winger Daniel Vidot scored a great 74 on debut for the Brisbane team which included a try, 2 offloads a line break and an impressive 32 from hit ups. He’s a great pickup in draft leagues this week. Alex Glenn was good in 80 minutes and scored 57 thanks to 3 tackle breaks and 36 from hit ups. In great news for his owners Andrew McCullough played 80 minutes and made 53 tackles on his way to a solid 60 points. Matt Gillett scored 60 in 71 minutes on the back of 31 tackles and 26 from hit ups. Lachlan Maranta scored a try and made 2 line breaks for a score of 55. Ben Hunt scored OK with 45 thanks to a try assist and a line break assist.
Todd Lowrie played only 9 minutes due to injury and scored all of 5. Martin Kennedy scored 21 points in 19 minutes and isn’t an option at this point. Jack Reed had a quiet week with a score of 22. Josh Hoffman’s debut and five-eighth left a bit to be desired with him scoring 31. Sam Thaiday was very disappointing with a score of just 37 in 62 minutes. Ben Barba was a little poor at fullback with a score of 39 which included a try assist and a line break assist.
Panthers
The best for Penrith in round 1 was winger Josh Mansour. He beasted his way to a very impressive score of 109 thanks to 2 tries, 7 tackle breaks, 2 line breaks and 33 from hit ups. He’s good. Elijah Taylor got his Penrith career off to a good start with a score of 81in the full 80 minutes. He scored a try, made 40 tackles, and scored 18 from hit ups. If he continues to play 80 minutes he’ll be a great player to own all season. Fullback Matt Moylan scored a handsome 69 on the back of 2 try assists and 2 line break assists. Adam Docker (48 minutes) and Jeremy Latimore (30 minutes off the bench) inflated their scores with tries and finished on scores of 59 and 60, respectively. Brent Kite started at prop and played 45 minutes for a score of 46. This is a fair expectation of what to expect from Kite each week. Nigel Plum scored 45 in a promising 54 minutes in the front row. Jamie Soward was OK with a score 44 which included a try assist and a line break assist. Lewis Brown played only 61 minutes and was nothing special with 42 points. David Simmons was OK with a score of 46 considering he didn’t score a try or make a line break.
James Segeyaro was disappointing in 45 minutes off the bench with a score of 27. As long as Kevin Kingston is around Segeyaro will be tough to rely on. Speaking of Kingston, he scored an OK 40 in 42 minutes. He’s not worth owning in any league. Tyrone Peachey played 50 minutes off the bench but scored poorly with just 29 points. At this point it’s hard to recommend any Panthers’ forward other than Elijah Taylor (and maybe Plum), the minutes are shared too evenly to let any other players really shine. Isaah Yeo filled in for the injured Jamal Idris and scored 33. With Idris due back soon there’s reason to consider him, though. Sam McKendry came off the bench for an under whelming score of 26 in 31 minutes. Peter Wallace did his thing with a score of 38. If you were silly enough to have in your team I hope you enjoy your first season of SuperCoach.
Knights
The Knights had a horror start to season 2014, suffering injuries and getting smashed by the Panthers. Their best for SuperCoach was Dane Gagai. He broke 9 tackles, forced a drop out, offloaded twice, broke the line and scored 28 from hit ups for a total of 72. Beau Scott also scored 72 in 80 minutes thanks to a try, 22 tackles, 2 offloads and a line break. Five-eighth Michael Dobson scored a solid 49 on the back of a try assist, 21 tackles and 2 line break assists. Centres Joseph Leilua provided a useful scores of 52. Kade Snowden played a healthy 48 minutes and scored OK with 51 thanks largely to the 36 tackles he made. Travis Waddell made 49 tackles in 57 minutes for a score of 49. Reserves Adam Cuthbertson (47 minutes) and Chris Houston (50 minutes) were mediocre with scores of 48 and 45, respectively. With limited game time they’re not appealing SuperCoach players this season. Robbie Rochow played the full 80 minutes and managed a score of 52 for his owners.
Darius Boyd, Kurt Gidley and Tyrone Roberts all suffered injuries (Boyd’s being the most serious) and scored poorly as a result. Akuila Uate was disappointing with a score of just 35. Willie Mason played a respectable 47 minutes in the front row and was OK with a score of 43. James McManus scored only 29 on the wing. Alex McKinnon saw a healthy 57 minutes off the bench but scored only 30.
Sea Eagles
Leading the SuperCoach charge for Manly in round 1 was none other than Glenn Stewart. He played the full 85 minutes (including golden point) and racked up an impressive 83 points. He notched a try assist, 36 tackles and 2 line break assists to account for most of his score. Congrats if you landed him in a draft league and at his current price he’s almost a must own player in classic. Anthony Watmough wasn’t far behind with a score of 80 in 85 minutes. He made 35 tackles, 2 offloads and scored an impressive 37 from hit ups. Steve Matai scored 2 tries with 2 line breaks for a score of 78. Don’t be sucked in, he’s not worth owning. Daly Cherry-Evans was solid with a score of 56 which included 2 offloads, a line break and a line break assist. Matt Ballin played a full game and made 52 tackles for a score of 54. Brenton Lawrence was solid in 49 minutes for a score of 50 (all from base stats). Jamie Lyon scored a handy 50 which included 8 from goal kicking and a line break. Brett Stewart picked up 2 try assists on his way to a score of 48. He only played 40 minutes due to injury, though. Cheyse Blair scored a try with a line break and also scored 48. Cheapie James Hasson played 32 minutes off the bench and was OK with a score of 37. Dunamis Lui saw a healthy 41 minutes off the bench and scored 36.
Popular cheapie Josh Starling started in the front row and played 48 minutes but disappointed with a score of 26. I’m giving him one more week before cutting him from my squad, the game time is promising. Justin Horo played the entire 85 minutes but only scored a pathetic 29, 17 of which came from a try. Jamie Buhrer isn’t a SuperCoach option at the moment. He scored 30 in 33 minutes off the bench. Jesse Sene-Lefao was the odd man out and saw only 12 minutes on the field.
Storm
A thrilling win for the Storm was highlighted by a great game from Sisa Waqa. He scored 2 tries and made 2 line breaks for a great score of 84. If you’re looking for a good option at the end of your CTW in a draft league then give him a good look. Ben Hampton had a great first game for 2014 with a score of 81. He scored a try, picked up a try assist, made 21 tackles, 5 tackle breaks, a line break and scored 16 from hit ups in a well rounded performance. With a lack of cheap players available in the halves he’s pretty much must own. Cameron Smith played the full game and scored a respectable 71 on the back of a try assist, 33 tackles, 4 tackle breaks and an offload. At his current price that’s a little bit of a letdown. Billy Slater was good with a score of 65 on the back of a try assist, an offload, 2 line break assists and 23 from hit ups. Jesse Bromwich played 51 minutes and made 23 tackles and scored 29 from hit ups for a total of 59 points. Ryan Hoffman played the full 85 minutes and was OK with 52 points on the back of 17 tackles, 3 offloads and a line break assist. Kenny Bromwich fluked a try and finished on 52 points in 38 minutes off the bench. Jordan McLean also played 38 minutes off the bench and scored a solid 51 which included 22 tackles and 22 from hit ups. Centre Will Chambers was OK with a score of 44. Ben Roberts filled in admirably for Cooper Cronk and also scored 44.
Mahe Fonua played in the centres but was quiet to the tune of just 17 points. Cheapie Young Tonumaipea disappointed with only 24 points. He’s worth hanging on to, though. Tohu Harris (44 minutes), Ryan Hinchcliffe (47 minutes), Bryan Norrie (47 minutes), Kevin Proctor (41 minutes) and George Rose (34 minutes) were all poor with scores of 24, 32, 31, 30 and 35, respectively. With minutes in the forwards being split like that none of these guys are options at the moment.
Cowboys
In a fantastic game it’s no surprise that Jonathan Thurston was utterly dominant. He scored an unbelievable 132 points thanks to a try, 2 try assists, 14 from goal kicking, 20 tackles, 2 offloads, a line break and 3 line break assists. Wow. Jason Taumalolo got his season off to a brilliant start with a score of 81 the full 80 minutes. He made 22 tackles, 5 tackle breaks, 2 line breaks and scored 29 from hit ups in a promising performance. If his minutes stay around 80 per game he should be owned in 100% of leagues. Gavin Cooper scored a try with a line break and made 25 tackles for a good total of 71 in 80 minutes. Winger Antonio Winterstein scored 52 on the back of a try and a line break. Rory Kostjasyn played 34 minutes off the bench and scored a try on his way to 49. Kyle Feldt also scored a try and finished on 46 points.
Every forward not named Gavin Cooper was a letdown. Matt Scott played 54 minutes for a score of 42. James Tamou scored all of 45 in 48 minutes. Tariq Sims played a mere 25 minutes off the bench for 28 points. Ray Thompson started at hooker but only saw 46 minutes on the field for 29 points. Michael Morgan’s debut at fullback was quiet with him scoring only 34 points.
Raiders
There’s wasn’t a whole lot of SuperCoach gold delivered by Canberra in round 1, but Josh Papalii was nothing short of spectacular. He scored a huge 95 points thanks to a try, 33 tackles, a line break and a line break assist in 80 minutes. Shaun Fensom also found a way to get it done. He played 70 minutes and made 42 tackles for a solid total of 64 points. Dane Tilse scored 49 which included 23 tackles, 2 offloads and 21 from hit ups in 54 minutes. Terry Campese also scored 49 thanks to a try assist, 20 tackles, a forced drop out, an offload and a line break assist. Jarrod Croker scored a try on his way to 49 points. Fullback Anthony Milford was solid for a score of 47. Joel Edwards scored an OK 45 (36 from tackles) in 69 minutes.
Jack Wighton had a forgettable first game at five-eighth with a grand total of 11 points. Jarrad Kennedy only played 21 minutes off the bench for a score of 14. Josh McCrone came off the bench and played 37 minutes and scored 25. Cheap option Shannon Boyd scored only 31 in 27 minutes. Centre Matthew Allwood was OK with a score of 34. Reece Robinson scored a try but could only manage a score of 39.
Dragons
Early season favourite for “NRL buy of the season†Gareth Widdop put on a clinic against the Tigers in round 1 and scored an incredible 123 points. He managed 3 try assists, 32 from goal kicking, 2 offloads and 3 line break assists in a very promising performance. Tyson Frizell started in the second row and played 51 minutes for a monstrous score of 106. He bagged 2 tries, 2 line breaks and made 27 tackles. Ben Creagh had a huge game in 63 minutes and scored a try, made 27 tackles, picked up a line break and scored 31 from hit ups for a total of 91. Mitch Rein played the full 80 minutes and scored 79 thanks to a try, 40 tackles and a line break. That game time is very promising. Trent Merrin scored as expected with 77 points in 67 minutes. He made 26 tackles, offloaded 3 times, scored 28 from hit ups and picked up a line break assist. Yes, he’s very good. Jason Nightingale pumped out a solid 59 points on the back of a try assist, 7 tackle breaks, an offload, a line break and 20 from hit ups. Leeson Ah Mau played the full 80 minutes in the back row and scored well with 55 (almost all from base stats). Mike Cooper scored 50 in his first NRL game in 52 minutes off the bench. Cheap centre Gerard Beale scored a try with a line break for an OK score of 46.
Joel Thompson was a huge disappointment in 30 minutes off the bench. He scored only 16. Jack De Belin played only 16 minutes due to injury and scored just 18. Centre Dylan Farrell also scored 18 but doesn’t have an injury to blame for his poor outing. Kyle Stanley scored all of 31 in 25 minutes off the bench. Fullback Adam Quinlan scored a try but was otherwise disappointing with a total of 32 points. Brett Morris was quiet with a score of 35. Michael Witt showed he’s worth ignoring in all leagues with a score of 44 which included 27 from a try and a line break.
Tigers
The Tigers turned in a pretty lacklustre performance in round 1 for us SuperCoaches but fullback James Tedesco was impressive. He scored a mammoth 91 points thanks to a try, try assist, 7 tackle breaks, an offload, a line break, a line break assist and 29 from hit ups. Martin Taupau started in the front row (but played only 30 minutes) and scored 67 thanks largely to a try, a line break, 17 tackles and an offload. Even at his current price it’s hard to get too excited as he most likely won’t add 27 to his score each week thanks to line breaks and tries. Robbie Farah was OK with 66 points in 80 minutes but inflated his score with a try and a line break. Pat Richards returned to the NRL with a score of 57 on the back of a try, a line break and 16 points from goal kicking. Aaron Woods (59 minutes) was a little poor with a score of 49. The minutes are promising and his scores will improve. Chris Lawrence was OK with a total of 43, 24 coming from tackles. Cheapie James Gavet played a promising 50 minutes off the bench but was a little quiet with just 32 points. If his minutes stay the same in round 2 I’ll definitely be getting him into my squad.
Luke Brooks was horrible with a score of 5. Liam Fulton suffered a concussion and played only 26 minutes for 13 points. Braith Anasta played the whole game at five-eighth and scored a total of 19. In other ground breaking news, water is wet. Ava Seumanufagai played only 25 minutes off the bench for 17 points. Centre Keith Lulia scored all of 20. Corey Paterson scored 23 in 54 minutes off the bench. Marika Koroibete had a quiet game with 29 points. Adam Blair stunk it up with 28 points in 53 minutes. Sauaso Sue isn’t SuperCoach relevant; he scored only 30 in a paltry 25 minutes off the bench.
Eels
Wow, they won! In a throwback to last season the Eels got their season off to a great start and their wingers really stood up. Both Semi Radradra (123 points) and Vai Toutai (113 points) scored 3 tries and put up huge point totals. Jarryd Hayne was instrumental in the win with a score of 80 which included a try, 2 try assists and 2 line break assists. To the delight of SuperCoaches everywhere Nathan Peats played 80 minutes and made 49 tackles for a total of 65. Unfortunately he’ll miss round 2 due to a club imposed suspension. Cheap option Manu Ma’u played a healthy 70 minutes in the back row and scored 64 points thanks to 8 tackle breaks, 2 line breaks and 25 from hit ups. Luke Kelly was good with 3 try assists and a line break assist for a score of 57. Tim Mannah was typically solid with 54 in 42 minutes. Joseph Paulo came off the bench for 54 minutes and scored an OK 49, 28 of which came from tackles.
Will Hopoate was poor with a score of 22 in his first game in two years. Patience is the best approach here. Kenny Edwards started at lock and played 46 minutes but scored a pedestrian 24 points. Reserves Kelepi Tanginoa (10 minutes), Darcy Lussick (38 minutes) and Peni Terepo (38 minutes) didn’t play enough to warrant a look. Ben Smith played 60 minutes but was quiet with 31 points. Fuifui Moimoi started and played 42 minutes for an under whelming score of 29. Willie Tonga didn’t impress with a score of 34. Corey Norman’s first game for Parramatta was a little ordinary with him scoring 35.
Warriors
There wasn’t much to like from the Warriors in round 1. Manu Vatuvei was good with a score of 70 thanks to a try, 2 line breaks and 24 from hit ups. New fullback Sam Tomkins had 2 try assists and 2 line break assists on his way to a score of 61. Chad Townsend was solid at five-eighth with a score of 54 thanks to a try assist, 18 tackles and a line break assist. Winger Glen Fisiiahi scored a try with 2 line breaks for a total of 47 points. Nathan Friend played a typical 80 minutes and made 43 tackles for a score of 45. Cheap option Carlos Tuimavave scored a try with a line break for 40 points. Ben Matulino scored 25 from hit ups in 48 minutes for a score of 41. Dane Nielsen was OK at centre with a score of 42.
Shaun Johnson was terrible and scored only 17. That’s not what his owners were looking for. Sione Lousi played a solid 39 minutes off the bench but could only muster 19 points. Feleti Mateo picked up where he finished 2013 with a score of 27 in 45 minutes off the bench. Cheapie John Palavi started at lock but only saw 35 minutes on the field for a score of 32. Simon Mannering played 80 minutes but disappointed with a score of 39.
Sharks
Andrew Fifita got his season off to a good start with a solid 81 points in the Sharks’ loss to the Titans. He played a massive 65 minutes and made 38 tackles, 5 tackle breaks, 5 offloads and scored 27 from hit ups in a very promising performance. It’s a shame he’s about to miss a couple of weeks due to suspension. Tinirau Arona started in the back row and played a solid 60 minutes for a score of 80 which included a try, 30 tackles, 5 tackle breaks and a line break. With Gallen on the shelf he could be in line for more major minutes, just be wary of Chris Heighington’s impending return. Matt Prior played the full 80 minutes in the back row and came through with a solid 57 which included 37 tackles. He’s a great pick up in a draft league this week. Prop Bryce Gibbs was OK in 40 minutes with a score of 41.
The biggest news from the game was the ankle injury suffered by Paul Gallen. He only played 31 minutes for a score of 32 and looks set to miss around 6 weeks. Owners in draft leagues should hold tight and do all they can to add Matt Prior. Those in classic leagues should strongly consider trading him out. Backs Blake Ayshford, Jonathan Wright and Sosaia Feki had nights to forget with scores of 19, 24 and 25, respectively. Michael Gordon disappointed with a total of just 32 points. Wade Graham played in the halves and scored a try but could only manage a score of 36.
Titans
The Titans produced another player to crack the tonne this week with Albert Kelly putting on a show. He scored a massive 110 on the back of a try, try assist, 21 tackles, 8 tackle breaks, 3 offloads, a line break and 26 from hit ups. Greg Bird scored 90 in 66 minutes thanks largely to a try, 33 tackles, 2 offloads, a line break and 26 from hit ups. The score is great but the 66 minutes are a bit of a worry. Maurice Blair was good in his first game for the Titans with 60 points. He made 19 tackles, 6 tackle breaks, a line break and scored 17 from hit ups. If he’s available in your draft league then get on. Matt White played 39 minutes off the bench and scored well with 57 points which included 23 tackles and 3 offloads. Nate Myles (50 minutes) and David Taylor (53 minutes) were serviceable with scores of 54 and 52, respectively. Unfortunately even in the starting lineup Taylor’s minutes seem about the same as they were when he was coming off the bench.
Wingers Kevin Gordon and David Mead were pretty bland with scores of 29 and 37, respectively. Cheapie Paul Carter played just 23 minutes off the bench for 32 points. Mark Minichiello is a no go at this point; he scored just 31 in 43 minutes. Luke Bailey played a mere 35 minutes off the bench and scored 40. Unfortunately for the Bull it appears his days of being SuperCoach relevant are behind him.