Discussion NRL SuperCoach Discussion
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@Connoisseur , you have provided so much information I almost feel like having a team and totally embarrassing myself.
@Pookus McFly , I feel it is your duty to assist us novices with your expert advice/knowledge/wisdom on which players we should start or avoid , especially bench players which are likely to score well and make $$$.
or maybe you prefer not to share
@Pookus McFly , I feel it is your duty to assist us novices with your expert advice/knowledge/wisdom on which players we should start or avoid , especially bench players which are likely to score well and make $$$.
or maybe you prefer not to share
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We have NRL trial games coming up. This helps give us a feel for how the part in bold will play out.
It also tends to give us a few busts as well! We've seen rookies get plenty of pre season time then disappear from the round 1 teams, players switching team/position and knocking some gun level stats only to revert back to the old mid price plodders through the season etc We need a bit of luck!
Trial games will be well covered by the supercoach (and fantasy) community. It'll draw out some consensus on who to have on the radar.
Usually before the season starts we'll see a 'cookie cutter' start team taking shape. Herd mentality across the various forums/groups etc. Not a bad place to start and throw in a couple of pods/gut picks..... then fingers crossed.
It also tends to give us a few busts as well! We've seen rookies get plenty of pre season time then disappear from the round 1 teams, players switching team/position and knocking some gun level stats only to revert back to the old mid price plodders through the season etc We need a bit of luck!
Trial games will be well covered by the supercoach (and fantasy) community. It'll draw out some consensus on who to have on the radar.
Usually before the season starts we'll see a 'cookie cutter' start team taking shape. Herd mentality across the various forums/groups etc. Not a bad place to start and throw in a couple of pods/gut picks..... then fingers crossed.
Cheers mate , I might just throw a initial team together and then wait and see how it compares to the "cookie cutter team".
Provided I have most of my bench playing from the start , I then might be able to "wing" it , the less I know about a sport the better I normally go in the Fantasy comp.
The less knowledge the better , doesn't over think my thought process too much.
Just need the right rookies from the start making money then trying to work averages and scores to my advantage
Cheers
Provided I have most of my bench playing from the start , I then might be able to "wing" it , the less I know about a sport the better I normally go in the Fantasy comp.
The less knowledge the better , doesn't over think my thought process too much.
Just need the right rookies from the start making money then trying to work averages and scores to my advantage
Cheers
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ok have registered this team initially
Cook (Smith)
Fifita , Taupau (Haas , Napa)
Trobjevic , Bateman , Staggs (Cartwright , Milne , Nikora)
Johnson (Harris-Tavita)
Ponja (Brown)
Mann , Aekins , Sivo , Allen (Lomax , Hopoate , Xerri)
Trobjevic (Tredesco)
$ 385,400.00 in the bank
To be honest I have heard of maybe 5 of them
Cook (Smith)
Fifita , Taupau (Haas , Napa)
Trobjevic , Bateman , Staggs (Cartwright , Milne , Nikora)
Johnson (Harris-Tavita)
Ponja (Brown)
Mann , Aekins , Sivo , Allen (Lomax , Hopoate , Xerri)
Trobjevic (Tredesco)
$ 385,400.00 in the bank
To be honest I have heard of maybe 5 of them
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Wow, this thread blew up while I was looking the other way! I will attempt to answer any questions I can. Just pointing out I am not a Supercoach guru though, its not even my main NRL Fantasy Sports game.
First bit of advice: TRADES ARE LIMITED!!! If you use all your trades every week, you will run out before the season ends and you are doomed. So unless you have a good trade, don't trade just for the sake of it. No idea if AFL SC works this way.
It actually got a lot easier last year when they restructured the draw. Most hardcore players actually preferred the old method because navigating this bye period was the major challenge which separated good coaches from casuals. Now half the teams have a bye in one round, the other half the other and the only thing you need to watch out for is if you have any origin players in who miss both. Piece of cake these days!
Yeah absolutely, Guns for points and rookies for cash (and because you cant just have a team of 100% guns), but there will also be a few mid rangers worth a decent shot if they have changing conditions. ie. A former bench player who gets a starting role and looking at more minutes.
Stimson is an example of the above, he was a bench player for Melbourne Storm but now should be starting on on the edge. In games he played here through injury in the past he did quite well, averaging around 40 from memory, and priced below that. He will be in my team.
Plenty of those mid rangers you have actually are worthwhile (IMO), Murray and Radley spent a lot of time coming off the bench last year and should exeed their value if they nail starting positons (though Radley loves a missed tackle as he comes flying out of the line to clobber people, so can be volatile with his negatives- I am still considering him); Murray will be a lock in my team if he starts, which he should. Pangai kept getting injured last year and was playig on the edge, looks to be playing 13 as lock and *could* be good value. I could debate either way with him. Morgan is a decent shout taking over the cowboys with Thurston gone.
Yes he is, and he is about 1/10th as good as Siro
Yeah so 13 players on field and you can pick 4 reserves from any position from the bench. Their scores count just as much as any on field player so choose at least 4 good scoring players in amongst there. Any others are emergencies whose score count if you get a doughnut because a player does not play, but only for the same position.
I like a lot about this team, a lot of your cheapies are unlikely to play round 1 (Milne, Hopoate, Xerri, Allan)but easy to swap when team lists come out. I would also avoid bench forwards like Cartwright who had a terrible season last year and probably wont get the minutes. Napa "big Papi" is embroiled in a sex video scandal and might not be allowed to play. Everyone else looks okay
Katoni Staggs will be a benchie at best, probably not worth including him. Same as above for Cartwright, and the basement cows. Ponga was a gun at FB, but whether he keeps his pricetag moving into the halves is a big risk. Your centres are terrible, just terrible haha I wouldnt know where to start there. Lomax is probably okay as a cow, and will be in my team and definitely Mann if he gets the starting hooker position at newcastle (but thats a big IF), I would definitely scrub all the others though. You make up for your centres with the two best hookers and two best fullbacks in the game though, looking very strong there.
Give me a second to make a team, I will post it here in a bit and use it as an example of why I think it is a good team
STAY TUNED!
First bit of advice: TRADES ARE LIMITED!!! If you use all your trades every week, you will run out before the season ends and you are doomed. So unless you have a good trade, don't trade just for the sake of it. No idea if AFL SC works this way.
It actually got a lot easier last year when they restructured the draw. Most hardcore players actually preferred the old method because navigating this bye period was the major challenge which separated good coaches from casuals. Now half the teams have a bye in one round, the other half the other and the only thing you need to watch out for is if you have any origin players in who miss both. Piece of cake these days!
Yeah absolutely, Guns for points and rookies for cash (and because you cant just have a team of 100% guns), but there will also be a few mid rangers worth a decent shot if they have changing conditions. ie. A former bench player who gets a starting role and looking at more minutes.
Thx mate. Not sure who Stinson is but I’m gonna pretend I do and add him to my shortlist of players 
Plenty of those mid rangers you have actually are worthwhile (IMO), Murray and Radley spent a lot of time coming off the bench last year and should exeed their value if they nail starting positons (though Radley loves a missed tackle as he comes flying out of the line to clobber people, so can be volatile with his negatives- I am still considering him); Murray will be a lock in my team if he starts, which he should. Pangai kept getting injured last year and was playig on the edge, looks to be playing 13 as lock and *could* be good value. I could debate either way with him. Morgan is a decent shout taking over the cowboys with Thurston gone.
Yes he is, and he is about 1/10th as good as Siro
Yeah so 13 players on field and you can pick 4 reserves from any position from the bench. Their scores count just as much as any on field player so choose at least 4 good scoring players in amongst there. Any others are emergencies whose score count if you get a doughnut because a player does not play, but only for the same position.
I like a lot about this team, a lot of your cheapies are unlikely to play round 1 (Milne, Hopoate, Xerri, Allan)but easy to swap when team lists come out. I would also avoid bench forwards like Cartwright who had a terrible season last year and probably wont get the minutes. Napa "big Papi" is embroiled in a sex video scandal and might not be allowed to play. Everyone else looks okay
Katoni Staggs will be a benchie at best, probably not worth including him. Same as above for Cartwright, and the basement cows. Ponga was a gun at FB, but whether he keeps his pricetag moving into the halves is a big risk. Your centres are terrible, just terrible haha I wouldnt know where to start there. Lomax is probably okay as a cow, and will be in my team and definitely Mann if he gets the starting hooker position at newcastle (but thats a big IF), I would definitely scrub all the others though. You make up for your centres with the two best hookers and two best fullbacks in the game though, looking very strong there.
Give me a second to make a team, I will post it here in a bit and use it as an example of why I think it is a good team
STAY TUNED!
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No idea what I’m doing, but as a casual NRL observer I am sure I can give this a go with a little guidance! Thanks @Pookus McFly and don’t forget to check in on us during the footy season!
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Okay, so here is my team I just whipped up to give you an example of what I think a good team looks like. I will no doubt change this a thousand ties before kickoff. There are plenty of ways to structure your team, this is just one example. I have gone lighter on the front row forwards than I could have (the reason why is my completely unfounded theory that the big props take a few games to get proper match fitness), and bulked my 2RF out more. I could have easily gone lighter in the second row and stacked my front row with Fifita and Taupau types. A lot of coaches like to go light on forwards entirely and stack the backs with guns (which isn't a bad theory because the backs seems to have far higher ceilings in supercoach and the game tends to balance toward them more IMO). On the other side of that, a rookie basement price CTW or FLB is far more capable of jagging a decent score with a try than a rookie FRF/2RF who is probably only on the park for 10-15 minutes of tackling. Anyhow, here is my quick knock up:
Cook (Radley*)
Tolman Tevita-Pangai (R. Sutton Haas)
Arrow Matterson Murray (Stimson* Afoa* Carrigan)
Morgan (Harris-Tavita)
Widdop (Salmon)
Inglis J.Bateman Capewell Lomax (Abbey Allen Garrick)
Tedesco (Tuivasa-Sheck*)
I will now give you an example of my thinking and why I have picked this team. I give a few alternative to other decent shouts, the ones I really like for this season I put in bold. I could talk about this **** all day, so feel free to ask me why I liked any particular player.
Hookers:
Mainly with hookers you want someone who plays for 80 minutes rather than choosing one who gets subbed for 20 minutes during the game. Usually they are just scoring off bulk tackles so they need as many minutes as possible to do so. I have gone with Cook, who was head and shoulders above every player in the NRL in terms of fantasy last year Because he gets the usual meat and potatoes of tackles as well as a barrage of tacklebreaks and linebreaks, the extra attacking stats making him the most expensive player in the game for a reason. You want someone like him as your captain. Unlike NRL fantasy, in Supercoach players do not get points for kick metres, so Cameron Smith is not quite as much a god, but still a great option. I have gone with Radley in reserves (who isn't even a hooker at all!) and would probably play him in my 17, but this is contingent on him starting in the 13 jersey (lock forward) this year, which I think he will. He will get plenty of negative stats, but the main reason is that I have a man-crush on him and sometimes you gotta pick a player thats exciting to ride! He might not be a gun (though still possible with enough minutes), but I think he will increase in value at very least.
Alternative guns: Hodgson, McInnes, McCullough, Friend, Korosau (if no Fainu on Manlys bench);
Cash cows/middies who could increase in value: slim pickings!: Mahoney if he gets the Eels gig; Wayde Egan if selected over Katoa at Panthers; Kurt Mann if selected over Levi at the Knights; Josh Reynolds if he plays 5/8th at Tigers? Ehhh, I selected Radley because he's much cheaper than running two guns, but I would consider running double guns here if I didn't pick him
Front Row Forwards:
Props are arguably the most minute-dependent players on the field, but because they take up the bulk of the tackling and hitup workload so very few of them play huge minutes (60+). The premium players in this category just swat players away like flies and rack up the tacklebreak points. I swear I once saw Fifita eat a grown ass man on the football field, just gobbled him up mid-hit up!). I have selected two cheaper options who have had changing conditions in their teams, but nothing wrong with splashing cash here. Tolman is a workhorse who will do very little but make tackles, but the Bulldogs have lost their best prop Klemmer to the Knights, and their replacement Napa has not got a big motor (if he plays at all with his big papi sex scandal), he could be decent purely because he should see a lot of minutes in a Doggies pack bereft of other options. My other FRF at the moment if TPJ, who is a tacklebreak machine and will probably bust over for a few tries by trampling over lazy defenders from one metre out. He was playing 80 minutes on the edge for a lot of last year (though a couple injury affected games did keep his score down a little), so he will probably see less minutes playing in the middle of the park, but see more action there. He goes looking for tackles so this role could suit him, but I could see an argument for his fantasy scores either dropping or increasing in this new role. I still havnt decided if I will take the gamble, but there is nothing wrong with playing it safe by leaving him out because we will probably know in the first round or two and he shouldn't rise too much in price for a trade in. I have Sutton on the bench because I suspect he will have a big role for the Raiders (he will be a huge lock for my team if he is a starting prop in round 1), he is coming from England so yet to play NRL but his price is only low because he is an unknown, in NRLF he is actually much more expensive so worth the risk IMO; Haas is more of a placeholder for me at the moment, he has huge wraps on him but I still think he will be a victim of poor minutes and his SC scores will suffer. I would play neither of those two in my 17 to start with.
Alternative guns: Fifita, Taupau, Papalii, James, Alvaro, Vaughan
Cash cows/middies who could increase in value: Once again, few and far in between because unlike outside backs and halves, it is very rare for a young forward to start getting big minutes. They are eased in off the bench and there is a true pecking order to the big boppers.
Christian Welch; Ryan Sutton; Kelepi Tanginoa, Dylan Napa (if he plays), Jack Hetherington
Wow, this is actually taking longer than I thought. I waffle on far too much.
I am going to take a break from here, and maybe post another couple positions later tonight or tomorrow.
Feel free to ask any questions.
For those that didn't figure it out, Verbal is also a bit of an NRL Fantasy Sports gun and he can probably sort out any queries you have also
Cook (Radley*)
Tolman Tevita-Pangai (R. Sutton Haas)
Arrow Matterson Murray (Stimson* Afoa* Carrigan)
Morgan (Harris-Tavita)
Widdop (Salmon)
Inglis J.Bateman Capewell Lomax (Abbey Allen Garrick)
Tedesco (Tuivasa-Sheck*)
I will now give you an example of my thinking and why I have picked this team. I give a few alternative to other decent shouts, the ones I really like for this season I put in bold. I could talk about this **** all day, so feel free to ask me why I liked any particular player.
Hookers:
Mainly with hookers you want someone who plays for 80 minutes rather than choosing one who gets subbed for 20 minutes during the game. Usually they are just scoring off bulk tackles so they need as many minutes as possible to do so. I have gone with Cook, who was head and shoulders above every player in the NRL in terms of fantasy last year Because he gets the usual meat and potatoes of tackles as well as a barrage of tacklebreaks and linebreaks, the extra attacking stats making him the most expensive player in the game for a reason. You want someone like him as your captain. Unlike NRL fantasy, in Supercoach players do not get points for kick metres, so Cameron Smith is not quite as much a god, but still a great option. I have gone with Radley in reserves (who isn't even a hooker at all!) and would probably play him in my 17, but this is contingent on him starting in the 13 jersey (lock forward) this year, which I think he will. He will get plenty of negative stats, but the main reason is that I have a man-crush on him and sometimes you gotta pick a player thats exciting to ride! He might not be a gun (though still possible with enough minutes), but I think he will increase in value at very least.
Alternative guns: Hodgson, McInnes, McCullough, Friend, Korosau (if no Fainu on Manlys bench);
Cash cows/middies who could increase in value: slim pickings!: Mahoney if he gets the Eels gig; Wayde Egan if selected over Katoa at Panthers; Kurt Mann if selected over Levi at the Knights; Josh Reynolds if he plays 5/8th at Tigers? Ehhh, I selected Radley because he's much cheaper than running two guns, but I would consider running double guns here if I didn't pick him
Front Row Forwards:
Props are arguably the most minute-dependent players on the field, but because they take up the bulk of the tackling and hitup workload so very few of them play huge minutes (60+). The premium players in this category just swat players away like flies and rack up the tacklebreak points. I swear I once saw Fifita eat a grown ass man on the football field, just gobbled him up mid-hit up!). I have selected two cheaper options who have had changing conditions in their teams, but nothing wrong with splashing cash here. Tolman is a workhorse who will do very little but make tackles, but the Bulldogs have lost their best prop Klemmer to the Knights, and their replacement Napa has not got a big motor (if he plays at all with his big papi sex scandal), he could be decent purely because he should see a lot of minutes in a Doggies pack bereft of other options. My other FRF at the moment if TPJ, who is a tacklebreak machine and will probably bust over for a few tries by trampling over lazy defenders from one metre out. He was playing 80 minutes on the edge for a lot of last year (though a couple injury affected games did keep his score down a little), so he will probably see less minutes playing in the middle of the park, but see more action there. He goes looking for tackles so this role could suit him, but I could see an argument for his fantasy scores either dropping or increasing in this new role. I still havnt decided if I will take the gamble, but there is nothing wrong with playing it safe by leaving him out because we will probably know in the first round or two and he shouldn't rise too much in price for a trade in. I have Sutton on the bench because I suspect he will have a big role for the Raiders (he will be a huge lock for my team if he is a starting prop in round 1), he is coming from England so yet to play NRL but his price is only low because he is an unknown, in NRLF he is actually much more expensive so worth the risk IMO; Haas is more of a placeholder for me at the moment, he has huge wraps on him but I still think he will be a victim of poor minutes and his SC scores will suffer. I would play neither of those two in my 17 to start with.
Alternative guns: Fifita, Taupau, Papalii, James, Alvaro, Vaughan
Cash cows/middies who could increase in value: Once again, few and far in between because unlike outside backs and halves, it is very rare for a young forward to start getting big minutes. They are eased in off the bench and there is a true pecking order to the big boppers.
Christian Welch; Ryan Sutton; Kelepi Tanginoa, Dylan Napa (if he plays), Jack Hetherington
Wow, this is actually taking longer than I thought. I waffle on far too much.
I am going to take a break from here, and maybe post another couple positions later tonight or tomorrow.
Feel free to ask any questions.
For those that didn't figure it out, Verbal is also a bit of an NRL Fantasy Sports gun and he can probably sort out any queries you have also
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@Pookus McFly That is outstanding, and with more to come in time, way above expectations.
Mind you there are some pretty serious articles and analyses floating around on this website which would translate well to NRL, no doubt.
Thanks so much.
Mind you there are some pretty serious articles and analyses floating around on this website which would translate well to NRL, no doubt.
Thanks so much.
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Thanks for the advice and your posts regarding players to select. Made a couple of changes to my first iteration and would appreciate your thoughts on which structure/team is better out of the below or my previous iteration.
HK: C Smith, (V Radley)
FR: A Fifita, M Taupau, (R Sutton, P Haas)
2FR: V Kikau, S Burgess, T Pangai, (S Murray, B Cartwright, T Fuimaono)
HB: N Cleary, (C Harris-Tavita)
5/8: M Morgan, (D Brown)
W/C: E Masters, C Gutherson, J Bateman, K Capewell, (Z Lomax, A Hopotate, B Xerri)
FB: M Moylan, (C Abbey)
Remaining salary: 26,400
4 Reserves would be V Radley, R Sutton, S Murray and one of B Cartwright/Z Lomax/etc
HK: C Smith, (V Radley)
FR: A Fifita, M Taupau, (R Sutton, P Haas)
2FR: V Kikau, S Burgess, T Pangai, (S Murray, B Cartwright, T Fuimaono)
HB: N Cleary, (C Harris-Tavita)
5/8: M Morgan, (D Brown)
W/C: E Masters, C Gutherson, J Bateman, K Capewell, (Z Lomax, A Hopotate, B Xerri)
FB: M Moylan, (C Abbey)
Remaining salary: 26,400
4 Reserves would be V Radley, R Sutton, S Murray and one of B Cartwright/Z Lomax/etc
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Yeah this is definitely looking better now in my opinion. Kikau and Surgess are both low floor and high ceiling players, but certainly nothing wrong with them as choices in the second row. Kikau was a rookie last year which a lot rode into genuine gun-status so I think he might be a bit of a POD this year as a lot of people like myself feel strange paying megabucks for a player we had on the cheap (we shouldn't though, Kikau is a absolute beast on the Panthers edge). Surgess could be value IF he is still playing lock. If young gun Murray takes his position and he moves out to the edge I do not think he will be worthwhile. Everyone else looks solid enough too. Nice looking team.
So to reiterate my positional writeups, my team has changed slightly overnight due to an injury to Greg Inglis, but I ensured not to change the Hookers and FRF I have already written about (besides which I am quite happy with).
Cook (Radley*)
Tolman Tevita-Pangai (R. Sutton Haas)
Arrow Matterson Murray (Stimson* Afoa* Carrigan)
Morgan (Harris-Tavita)
Widdop (Salmon)
Mitchell J.Bateman Capewell Lomax (Abbey Allen Bird)
Tedesco (Tuivasa-Sheck*)
Second Row Forwards:
So to the NRL-shy, the second row is a distinct group of forwards very different from the props in the front row, and surprisingly few players actually play both positions, even if they have dual-positions in a fantasy game. You can split the Second row into two distinct categories- the lock forward (Jersey 13) and the edge forwards (Jerseys 11 and 12). The lock forward is probably more akin to the props in the front row- usually a hulking behemoth tackling machine, and in the modern game he also needs to excel in attack as well as defense- whether he breaks tackles or has an adept offload game, or both. They will rarely play the full 80 minutes (with the exception of Jake Trbojevic and sometimes Nathan Brown, both weapons of mass destruction) but being in the middle of the park they definitely see the most action (because the play moves from side to side and always passes through the middle). The best amongst them should play for a good 60-70 minutes and play aggressively in that time. The edge forwards are a different breed again- Occasionally we will see an edge forward who looks more like a lock/front rower (TPJ, Kikau) but usually they are less bulky and more athletic since most of them are required to play for the full 80 minutes. They usually find less tackles than locks forwards but are more likely to make tacklebreaks and score tries since they frequently come up against the smaller outside backs of opposition teams (though this is not a hard and fast rule). A good point to note is that if you have chosen an edge rower as your gun and he is not getting 80 minutes, he is useless to your fantasy team, they really need the full 80 in this position, only a lock can get his work-rate up enough to score well in ~60 minutes when it comes to second rowers.
I have a predilection for the bankable tackle points of lock forwards rather than the more volatile attacking stats of edge forwards, but this year I might be breaking that trend by picking a few who play out wider. Jai Arrow was a rock in the 13 jersey for the Titans for the first half of last season and he looked like he was going to be the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to fantasy, making huge amounts of tackles and also beaking tackles for fun. He played so well he was brought into the QLD origin team, but came back a little underdone and injured, his fantasy scores falling off a cliff. As expensive as he is, he might actually be at a discount because of his poor backhalf of the season. I am hoping with an off season to recover he returns to that original form, but with a couple of new recruits to the forward pack at the Titans this year, this pick is not without its risk. Ryan Matterson was another rookie-turned-gun last year, a right edge forward who went looking for work (he made 65 tackles in one game!) and also finds his way to the tryline now and then. He suffered some serious concussion symptoms and sat 8 games or so out, but just wasn't quite the same player when he returned (but I suspect he was being managed quite carefully). He has now changed clubs and rumour says he might even play as their lock this year, which should be good for a tacklebot like him, as long as he really is over his health problems. He could be a good selection even if he plays on an edge, but definitely not as much of a lock in my team as Jai Arrow or Cam Murray. Speaking of Cam Murray, he is fantasy gold- tackles anything with a pulse, breaks tackles and has a good offload game to boot. The only thing that stopped him from being a gun last year was that he played mostly from the bench (the 7 or 8 times he started and found 50+ minutes he made gun-like scores). Angus Crichton has left the bunnies this year and Murray will either play on his vacant right edge, or (preferably for Fantasy purposes) oust Sam Burgess from the lock position, moving him to the right instead. Either way I think this kid will be in my (and everyones) team. Stimson and Afoa are in similar positions, in that they are both bench players who have shown promise in the past who *might* be looking at starting positions. Stimson is probably the better prospect of those two (ie. more likely to start) and tipped to sew up an edge spot for the Storm, he will be in a lot of teams. Afoa plays agressive football and has fantastic hair for someone who runs hard- truly a glorious sight. He is something of a POD for me at the moment, but if he finds a starting position people will jump on. If either of these guys are still playing from the bench, avoid them in your teams. Carrigan is a nobody, he probably wont even make the Broncos team in round 1, but is a placeholder while I figure things out, like with any forward position (HK, FRF,2RF) basement priced cash cows are virtually non existent.
Alternative guns: Trbojevic, Taumalolo Crichton, Papilii, Brown, Kikau, Gallen
Value buys: Matt Gillet, Victor Radley, Kurt Capewell, Kelepi Tanginoa
So to reiterate my positional writeups, my team has changed slightly overnight due to an injury to Greg Inglis, but I ensured not to change the Hookers and FRF I have already written about (besides which I am quite happy with).
Cook (Radley*)
Tolman Tevita-Pangai (R. Sutton Haas)
Arrow Matterson Murray (Stimson* Afoa* Carrigan)
Morgan (Harris-Tavita)
Widdop (Salmon)
Mitchell J.Bateman Capewell Lomax (Abbey Allen Bird)
Tedesco (Tuivasa-Sheck*)
Second Row Forwards:
So to the NRL-shy, the second row is a distinct group of forwards very different from the props in the front row, and surprisingly few players actually play both positions, even if they have dual-positions in a fantasy game. You can split the Second row into two distinct categories- the lock forward (Jersey 13) and the edge forwards (Jerseys 11 and 12). The lock forward is probably more akin to the props in the front row- usually a hulking behemoth tackling machine, and in the modern game he also needs to excel in attack as well as defense- whether he breaks tackles or has an adept offload game, or both. They will rarely play the full 80 minutes (with the exception of Jake Trbojevic and sometimes Nathan Brown, both weapons of mass destruction) but being in the middle of the park they definitely see the most action (because the play moves from side to side and always passes through the middle). The best amongst them should play for a good 60-70 minutes and play aggressively in that time. The edge forwards are a different breed again- Occasionally we will see an edge forward who looks more like a lock/front rower (TPJ, Kikau) but usually they are less bulky and more athletic since most of them are required to play for the full 80 minutes. They usually find less tackles than locks forwards but are more likely to make tacklebreaks and score tries since they frequently come up against the smaller outside backs of opposition teams (though this is not a hard and fast rule). A good point to note is that if you have chosen an edge rower as your gun and he is not getting 80 minutes, he is useless to your fantasy team, they really need the full 80 in this position, only a lock can get his work-rate up enough to score well in ~60 minutes when it comes to second rowers.
I have a predilection for the bankable tackle points of lock forwards rather than the more volatile attacking stats of edge forwards, but this year I might be breaking that trend by picking a few who play out wider. Jai Arrow was a rock in the 13 jersey for the Titans for the first half of last season and he looked like he was going to be the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to fantasy, making huge amounts of tackles and also beaking tackles for fun. He played so well he was brought into the QLD origin team, but came back a little underdone and injured, his fantasy scores falling off a cliff. As expensive as he is, he might actually be at a discount because of his poor backhalf of the season. I am hoping with an off season to recover he returns to that original form, but with a couple of new recruits to the forward pack at the Titans this year, this pick is not without its risk. Ryan Matterson was another rookie-turned-gun last year, a right edge forward who went looking for work (he made 65 tackles in one game!) and also finds his way to the tryline now and then. He suffered some serious concussion symptoms and sat 8 games or so out, but just wasn't quite the same player when he returned (but I suspect he was being managed quite carefully). He has now changed clubs and rumour says he might even play as their lock this year, which should be good for a tacklebot like him, as long as he really is over his health problems. He could be a good selection even if he plays on an edge, but definitely not as much of a lock in my team as Jai Arrow or Cam Murray. Speaking of Cam Murray, he is fantasy gold- tackles anything with a pulse, breaks tackles and has a good offload game to boot. The only thing that stopped him from being a gun last year was that he played mostly from the bench (the 7 or 8 times he started and found 50+ minutes he made gun-like scores). Angus Crichton has left the bunnies this year and Murray will either play on his vacant right edge, or (preferably for Fantasy purposes) oust Sam Burgess from the lock position, moving him to the right instead. Either way I think this kid will be in my (and everyones) team. Stimson and Afoa are in similar positions, in that they are both bench players who have shown promise in the past who *might* be looking at starting positions. Stimson is probably the better prospect of those two (ie. more likely to start) and tipped to sew up an edge spot for the Storm, he will be in a lot of teams. Afoa plays agressive football and has fantastic hair for someone who runs hard- truly a glorious sight. He is something of a POD for me at the moment, but if he finds a starting position people will jump on. If either of these guys are still playing from the bench, avoid them in your teams. Carrigan is a nobody, he probably wont even make the Broncos team in round 1, but is a placeholder while I figure things out, like with any forward position (HK, FRF,2RF) basement priced cash cows are virtually non existent.
Alternative guns: Trbojevic, Taumalolo Crichton, Papilii, Brown, Kikau, Gallen
Value buys: Matt Gillet, Victor Radley, Kurt Capewell, Kelepi Tanginoa
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@Pookus McFly @Verbal Kint
Is Brown or Salmon likely to start for the Eels and if so what would be there expected score range.
Cheers
Is Brown or Salmon likely to start for the Eels and if so what would be there expected score range.
Cheers
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Salmon was tipped to partner Moses in the halves all pre-season, but recently rumours say it will be Brown instead with Salmon training at centre and possibly jagging a spot there. Any or either of them would be a worthwhile cow if they make the starting 13.
Neither will score amazingly IMO, but even if they find 20-35 points they should still increase in value
Neither will score amazingly IMO, but even if they find 20-35 points they should still increase in value