Predicted Line Up
1. Jamayne Isaako, 2. Corey Oates, 3. Jack Bird, 4. Kotoni Staggs, 5. Darius Boyd, 6. Anthony Milford, 7. Brodie Croft, 8. Matt Lodge, 9. Jake Turpin, 10. Payne Haas, 11. Alex Glenn, 12. David Fifita, 13. Tevita Pangai. Interchange: 14. Cory Paix, 15. Joe Ofahengaue, 16. Patrick Carrigan, 17. Tom Flegler.
Relevant Injury/Team news
The backline trio of Corey Oates (leg infection), Kotoni Staggs (toe) and Jack Bird (knee) will all be fit to feature in the Broncos trial games.
Jamayne Isaako will almost certainly start at fullback, but the word out of Red Hill is that Jesse Arthars is pushing for the #1 jersey. If Darius Boyd fails to perform early in the season, expect to see Arthars in the starting side.
Andrew McCullough’s run as the Broncos starting hooker might be over. He may miss out on making the squad entirely, with Cory Paix impressing in pre-season.
Goal Kickers
1. Jamayne Isaako, 2. Kotoni Staggs, 3. Jordan Kahu
The Guns
Payne Haas ($728,200 | FRF) – Haas averaged 78.3 PPG last season, 11.9 PPG more than the next best FRF. Scoring 60+ points in 90% of his games, Haas averaged 62 PPG in base, and 14 PPG in evasive points. He’s the closest thing to ‘must have’ in SuperCoach.
David Fifita ($501,900 | 2RF) – The barnstorming backrower didn’t get an extended run in the starting side until round 18. However, he took his chance with both hands. From round 18 until the end of the season, Fifita played 80 minutes in every game and averaged 76.9 PPG. His base was solid at 42.8 PPG in tackles/hit ups, but this high average can be attributed to the fact that he broke 67 tackles from round 18-25. Although Fifita has only averaged 49 PPG and 54 PPG in his two NRL seasons, he averages 70.7 PPG over his career as an 80 minute edge backrower. Assured of an 80 minute edge spot this season, Fifita is an underpriced gun.
The PODs
Matt Lodge ($582,000 | FRF) – Lodge was overshadowed by his prop partner Payne Haas last season, but his SuperCoach output cannot be ignored. He averaged 62.6 PPG last season, and scored 50+ PPG in base in 16/21 games. From round 11 onwards, Lodge added an evasive element to his game, averaging 13 PPG in tackles breaks and offloads alone. Coach Anthony Seibold seems to play his best players for the longest amount of minutes possible, and Lodge’s minutes jumped to 57 minutes per game last season. With his PPM of 1.10, if Lodge can maintain these minutes, or even jump up to 60 minutes per game, he could be a great option.
Anthony Milford ($476,000 | 5/8) – Anthony Milford is with without doubt a fallen SuperCoach gun. Look at his season averages: 65 in 2015, 67 in 2016, 70 in 2017, 55 in 2018, 51 in 2019. Last season, he only scored 60+ points in 7/23 games, and scored <45 in 12/23 games. But, it’s not entirely his fault. Milford’s decline in form coincides with the loss of Bent Hunt in 2018. While Hunt organised the side and steered them around the park, Milford could roam and cause havoc with the ball in hand. Since Hunt’s departure, Milford has had to play the role of organiser, which is not his natural SuperCoach friendly game. However, with the arrival of Brodie Croft, a Bent Hunt-esque halfback, Milford’s SuperCoach numbers should improve this season. Well, that’s the theory at least.
The Players of Interest
Jamayne Isaako ($420,000 | CTW/FLB) – Currently owned by 25% of SuperCoaches, there are high hopes for Isaako heading into the season. This largely stems from the fact that he will be playing fullback this season and kicking goals. Isaako has played 3 games in the #1 jersey at NRL level. This is a very small sample size, but we will try to draw conclusions from it. In these games (which were in 2018), he scored 57, 54 and 71. So, his average at fullback is 60.7 PPG, compared to his average of 50.1 PPG on the wing. This is largely due to the fact that he had some big goal kicking games over his stretch as a fullback. His base average in these games at fullback was 29.0 PPG, up from his base average of 20.1 PPG as a winger. Apart from that, his other stats remained similar. Isaako averaged the same evasive PPG at fullback as he did on the wing. His line break numbers reduced at fullback, as did his try scoring rate. Moreover, he didn’t create much either, only having 1 line break assist in 3 games at fullback. At only $420,000, Isaako is definitely an option, but don’t expect his SuperCoach numbers to jump through the roof.
Tevita Pangai ($540,600 | FRF/2RF) – 2019 was an interrupted season for Pangai, as he spent time off the park for suspensions and injuries. However, it was his highest averaging SuperCoach season, where he scored 58.2 PPG. His average minutes rose from 50 minutes in 2018 to 60 minutes in 2019 due to a lengthy spell as an edge backrower, but his PPM dropped from an average of 1.29 from 2016-2018, to 0.97 in 2019. This season, Pangai will most certainly be given the #13 jersey at the Broncos, and only play on the edge when Alex Glenn and David Fifita are unavailable. Over his career, Pangai has averaged 55.9 PPG at lock, averaging 56.9 MPG. His base is quite poor for a starting lock, only averaging 42.1 PPG last season. But, he makes up for it in offloading, as he is the NRL’s most prolific offloader. If Pangai can stay on the park for the full season and slightly boost his base, he will be close to a top tier forward in SuperCoach.
The Cheapies
Cory Paix ($171,900 | HFB) – Paix is a chance for the bench hooker role at the Broncos. He’s not an option though, as he would only play around 15 minutes.
Xavier Coates ($203,500 | CTW) – Coates is currently in 22% of teams. Corey Oates will reportedly be fit for the trials though, so Coates won't be starting come round 1.
The Players to Avoid/Be wary of
Kotoni Staggs ($447,700 | CTW) – Staggs went on a hot run to end last season, averaging 71.1 PPG over the final 8 rounds. Before that however, he averaged 43.2 PPG at centre over 10 games.
Jake Turpin ($336,600 | HOK/HFB) – Turpin played 5 games at hooker last season, and only scored 50+ once (81 in round 13 when he scored a try and made a line break). He only scored 32.6 PPG in base last season when wearing the #9, and scored at a poor 0.62 PPM.
Alex Glenn ($413,600 | 2RF/CTW) – Glenn will get you a solid 40-45 points each week in your CTW, but he has no upside and his PPM is way too low to be a SuperCoach option.
UP NEXT: CANBERRA RAIDERS 2020 SUPERCOACH PREVIEW