The Stats
Martin Taupau has been a staple in SuperCoach teams for many years.
Since his full-time move to the front row for the Sea Eagles in 2017, Marty has averaged 63.4 PPG, which is 2nd only to Andrew Fifita (64.0 PPG) among FRFs over this period. Marty is a PPM beast, recording PPMs of 1.25, 1.27 and 1.24 over the last 3 seasons. Over this time, Marty’s base output has remained similar, averaging 46 in 2017, 49 in 2018 and 50 in 2019.
However, his SuperCoach scores plummeted in 2019, which was his lowest averaging season since 2016. In fact, Taupau’s percentage of scores over 60 points dropped from 57% in 2017 and 58% in 2018 to a mere 42% in 2019.
Our research has shown that this drop off is clearly due to two main factors.
First, Taupau saw a reduction in his minutes. He averaged 50 minutes per game in 2019, which was similar to his average of 51 minutes per game in 2018. However, in 2018 Taupau played 7 games of 55+ minutes, 2 games of 60+ minutes, and 7 games of <50 minutes, but these numbers dropped in 2019 to 4 games of 55+ minutes, 0 games of 60+ minutes, and 11 games of <60 minutes.
Second, Taupau’s evasive stats reduced. In terms of tackling breaking, Taupau broke 87 tackles in 2017, 107 tackles in 2018, and only 78 tackles in 2019. His offloading dried up, dropping from 73 offloads in 2017 and 71 offloads in 2018, to 43 offloads in 2019. Resultantly, Taupau’s average evasive PPG fell from 19 in 2017 and 17 in 2018, to 11 in 2019. Worryingly, Taupau’s percentage of games scoring 10+ evasive points dropped from 81% in 2017 and 92% in 2018, to 46% in 2019.
From watching the Sea Eagles play, it appears that Taupau took on more of a defensive duty in 2019 (evidenced by a decrease in the above stats and an increase in his tackle and hit up count from 2018 to 2019), while his evasive exploits were taken up by Addin Fonua-Blake. Only when Fonua-Blake was injured or suspended did Taupau’s SuperCoach numbers increase. This is evidenced by the fact that Taupau averaged 69.5 without Fonua-Blake in the side last season, but only 59.9 when Fonua-Blake was playing.
The Comparison
Now it’s time to compare Taupau’s 2019 stats to those of his fellow FRFs.
In terms of PPM, Taupau still remains a beast, ranking 2nd last season among starting FRFs with a PPM of 1.24, behind Nelson Asofa-Solomona (1.33) and equal with Sio Siua Taukeiaho (1.24).
Averaging 50 base PPG last season, Taupau finished =8th, with Payne Haas (62), David Klemmer (59), Aiden Tolman (58), James Fisher-Harris (56), Paul Vaughan (53), Matt Lodge (52), Alex Twal (52) all ahead of him.
He also ranked 12th for tackle points and 4th for HU8 points.
His evasive points average of 11 saw him rank =5th, behind Andrew Fifita (17), Tevita Pangai (16), Addin Fonua-Blake (14), Payne Haas (14), Junior Paulo (12), and alongside Nelson Asofa-Solomona (11), Matt Lodge (11) and Josh Papalii (11).
Moreover, with 120 offload points, Taupau finished 4th for effective offload points behind Fifita (184), Pangai (184) and Paulo (176). In this category, he was only marginally better than Asofa-Solomona (112), Paasi (112), Blair (108), Fisher-Harris and (100), and Fonua-Blake (92).
Similarly, Taupau ranked 5th for tackle break points, behind Haas, Lodge, Fifita, and Fonua-Blake.
Therefore, Taupau’s stats suggest that he will still score well in SuperCoach, but he no longer stands out as a gun when compared to other FRFs.
The Fixtures
The Sea Eagles have one of the tougher draws to begin the season, playing 3 of last year’s top 4 in the opening 4 fours.
Over the first 7 games, Taupau will come up against sides that ranked well for points conceded to FRFs last season. These games are the Storm (16th), Roosters (7th), Warriors (6th), Raiders (10th), Knights (13th), Titans (11th) and Sharks (16th).
Furthermore, there aren’t many match ups over the opening 7 rounds in which Taupau historically scores well in, having a career average of 53 vs Storm, 52 vs Roosters, 51 vs Warriors, 66 vs Raiders, 57 vs Knights, 58 vs Titans, and 57 vs Sharks.
The Prospects
Although Taupau is still a solid SuperCoach option, there is far less excitement surrounding him than usual.
With the Sea Eagles performing superbly last season, it is unlikely that Des Hasler’s use of Taupau will change much this season.
As a result, it appears that his offloading and tackle breaking will remain low this season, while his tackling and hit up numbers will be slightly higher than previous seasons.
Taupau has also lost his dual FRF/2RF positioning, which further dents his appeal.
With his prop partner Addin Fonua-Blake expected to miss the opening rounds of the season due to a shoulder reconstruction in the off-season, Taupau’s stats to open the season may resemble those from his 2017 and 2018 seasons, which bodes well for prospective SuperCoach owners. Also, Taupau did look to be playing injured at times last season, which would have impacted his numbers. Now back to full fitness after the pre-season, we could see a slight improvement this year from Marty.
However, once Fonua-Blake returns to full fitness, Taupau’s SuperCoach points will most likely drop again. An average of 60-62 PPG looks more likely this season for Taupau than an average of 65+, meaning he would be a 4th or 5th FRF, not a 1st or 2nd FRF like in the past.
UP NEXT: MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 2020 SUPERCOACH PREVIEW