Predicted Line Up
1. Caleb Aekins, 2. Josh Mansour, 3. Dean Whare, 4. Brent Naden, 5. Brian To’o, 6. Jarome Luai, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. James Tamou, 9. Api Koroisau, 10. James Fisher-Harris, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Isaah Yeo. Interchange: 14. Mitch Kenny, 15. Liam Martin, 16. Moses Leota, 17. Zane Tetevano
Relevant Injury/Team news
James Fisher-Harris (pectoral), Nathan Cleary (toe) and Isaah Yeo (shoulder) will all be fit for the start of the season.
Mitch Kenny (elbow) is in some doubt for round 1. This may lead to Api Koroisau playing the full 80 minutes to begin the season, but expect Koroisau and Kenny to share the hooking duties once Kenny is fit.
Brian To’o has fully recovered from severe dehydration and concussion suffered in pre-season training.
Jarome Luai is expected to start at #6, beating out youngster Matt Burton.
The makeup of the Panthers forward pack is not yet certain, but we expect Fisher-Harris to move to prop. Kurt Capewell, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin are vying for two starting spots, and there may be no room in the starting side for new signing Zane Tetevano.
Dylan Edwards (ankle) will be out for two months, with either Caleb Aekins or Daine Laurie starting in the #1 jersey.
Goal kickers
1. Nathan Cleary, 2. Jarome Luai, 3. Api Koroisau
The Guns
Nathan Cleary ($631,500| HFB) – Cleary averaged 68 PPG last season, finishing as the highest averaging HFB in SuperCoach. With a solid running game and the goal kicking duties, Cleary is capable of scoring over 40+ points even if he doesn’t register a try/try assist, making him one of the safer HFBs in SuperCoach. Moreover, his SuperCoach numbers jump through the roof when he is the dominant play maker. In games without James Maloney over the last 2 seasons, Cleary has averaged 86 PPG.
James Fisher-Harris ($615,700| FRF) – Whether he starts at #10 or #13 this season, JFH is still a gun. Last season, he averaged 66.9 PPG at #10 and 68.9 PPG at #13. He is a base stat beast (56 PPG in tackles + hit ups last season) and has a quickly improving offload game. A near lock in for 80 minutes every week, with a PPM of 0.87, JFH should average between 65-70 PPG this season.
The PODs
Brian To’o ($527,300| CTW) – To’o was a cheapie who produced keeper scores last season. He averaged 56.7 PPG in his 15 games, scoring 9 tries and racking up 33 pure base points per game. The most appealing thing about To’o is that, excluding his debut NRL game, his lowest score was 30 points. In fact, in games without a try, he managed to still score 46.3 PPG. He’s pretty expensive, but he’s arguably is the safest CTW option due to his high floor.
Viliame Kikau ($543,200| 2RF) – To start the season, Kikau is only an option for the brave. He has explosive potential (scored 70+ points in 7/18 games last season), but has one of the lower floors out of any expensive 2RF (scored <45 points in 8/18 games last season). When he scores a try, he averages 85 PPG, but when he doesn’t, he averages a miserly 45 PPG. It is also worth noting that in 2018, Kikau played the full 80 minutes in 14/17 games, but in 2019 under new coach Ivan Cleary, he only played the full 80 minutes in 7/17 games. He burnt me a lot last season so I won’t be picking him, but he’s certainly a player who has the potential to get your season off to a fast start.
The Players of Interest
Isaah Yeo ($404,800| 2RF/CTW) – Yeo is one of the rare 2RF/CTW duals this season, making him a valuable commodity. Yeo will be an option if he can nail down an 80 minute role at the Panthers. However, with Kurt Capewell and Liam Martin in the squad, it’s hard to see Yeo playing any more than 60-65 MPG, thus making him far less appealing.
Kurt Capewell ($400,000 | 2RF/CTW) – Like Yeo, Capewell is dual 2RF/CTW, so will be an option if he's playing 80 minutes on an edge. He won't do anything spectacular, but he'll get you a safe 40-55 points each week with the occasional big score when attacking stats come.
Liam Martin ($467,000 | 2RF) – Martin is someone I liked more as a SuperCoach option than Yeo and Capewell. He scores at 0.81 PPM and averaged 58 PPG when playing 50+ minutes last season. If he starts at either lock or on an edge, he will be a POD.
Josh Mansour ($416,700| CTW) – Mansour has a very good base and consistently averages around 15 PPG in evasive points. Surely he has to score more than 1 try this season? If the Panthers go to their left edge more this season, Mansour could be an option.
The Cheapies
Spencer Leniu ($201,000| FRF) – Leniu may earn a bench spot to start the season but will likely make way for Mitch Kenny when the hooker is available. His money making ability appears limited given his underwhelming PPM of 0.76.
Matt Burton ($211,900| HFB) – Burton scored 38 points in his only NRL games, registering 18 pure base points, 1 try assist and 1 forced drop out. He’ll be an option if he starts.
Jarome Luai ($257,400| 5/8/HFB) – Should be the starting #6 at the Panthers this year. He averages 61 PPG as a starting half, although there is only a small sample size to go off (six games). Will make solid cash and he’s someone you can play in your 17 if he has a favourable match up.
Caleb Aekins ($258,100 | FLB) – We needed a cheapie, and we got one. But, Aekins is unfortunately FLB only, meaning that you will need to sacrifice a gun fullback to get him. Thus, he's not an option.
Daine Laurie ($171,900 | FRF) – If Laurie gets the starting fullback gig over Aekins, he will be a must have. Strangely, he's classified as a FRF despite playing as a fullback and five-eighth for the Panthers U20 side.
Avoid/Be wary of
Api Koroisau ($338,800| HOK) – I love Api, but he’ll probably be in a time share with Mitch Kenny this season. Without an 80 minute role and given the limit spots available at HOK in SuperCoach, your money can be better spent. He will only be an option if he plays 80 minutes every week.
Zane Tetevano ($310,700| FRF/2RF) – It is likely that Tetevano will play a bench role again this season, ruling him out of SuperCoach calculations. Even if he does start, he’s still not a great option though. He has started 9 games in the last 3 seasons and only played 50+ minutes once. With a PPM of 0.91, an average in the 30s looks likely again this season.
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