HOK
Harry Grant ($184,900) – If his move to the Tigers goes through, Grant will be a near must own. With a really SuperCoach friendly style of play, he could be the cheapie of the season.
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Blayke Brailey ($201,000) – As backup to Grant, I’ve currently got the other HOK cheapie, Blayke Brailey. I don’t expect Brailey to score as well as Grant, but he should average around 45-50 PPG, which would see a hefty price rise before I move him on.
FRF
Payne Haas ($728,200) – One of my first picked. He’s expensive, but he’s worth every dollar. Averaging 78 PPG last season and scoring 60+ points in 90% of his games, Haas is a safe captain each week.
Liam Knight ($437,300) – Averaged 54 PPG when starting last season. Has a great PPM (1.19 in 2018, and 1.14 in 2019) and could play bigger minutes this season.
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Thomas Mikaele ($309,100) – Was quite limited in his minutes last season, but looked really good when he came off the bench. He could find himself starting this season and with a season under his belt, should increase his minutes.
Toby Rudolf ($171,900) – The most likely to play out of all the cheapie FRFs, so he’s in my team.
2RF
Jason Taumalolo ($723,400) – Similar to Haas, Taumalolo is expensive but you need to fork out the big bucks for the best players.
Jai Arrow ($575,700) – Before his injury last season, Arrow was averaging 67 PPG over the opening 10 rounds. He is a SuperCoach gun and, in my opinion, starts under-priced his pedigree.
David Fifita ($501,900) – From round 18 until the end of the season, Fifita played 80 minutes in every game and averaged 76.9 PPG. Assured of an 80 minute edge spot this season, Fifita should quickly become a SuperCoach gun.
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Jack Williams ($397,200) – The likely successor to Paul Gallen’s #13 jersey at the Sharks. If he takes over Gal’s MPG too (49), Williams could average in the mid 50s this season given his PPM of 1.14.
Jaydn Su’a ($303,6000) – Averages 56.3 PPG when playing 60+ minutes on an edge over the last two seasons. He looks certain to play almost 80 MPG this season, so should score reasonably well, especially for his price.
Tom Eisenhuth ($184,900) – He could jag a spot on the Storm bench, although it does seem unlikely. If he’s not named, I’ll trade him to another cheapie.
HFB
Mitchell Moses ($579,300) – If it weren’t for Nathan Cleary’s ridiculous 186 point game against a shocking Knights side in the final round of last season, Moses would have been the highest averaging HFB in SuperCoach. He has a kind draw to start the season and plays in the round 12 bye.
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Jarome Luai ($257,400) – 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 be mainly a money maker in my side, but could be in my 17 if he has a favourable match up.
5/8
Cody Walker ($602,800) – I picked Walker as a POD from the start last year and he rewarded me greatly, averaging 80 PPG over the opening 10 rounds. He enters this season as a POD too, so I might just pick him again. Due to his shoulder injury though, I may trade out and replace with Shaun Johnson (or maybe even Anthony Milford).
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George Williams ($333,800) – Comes in cheapie, despite what would have been a SuperCoach average of 70+ PPG last season. Obviously, he won’t be as dominant in the NRL, but his SuperCoach friendly style of play should see him make a fair amount of money whilst being a top 17 option depending on matchups.
CTW
Braidon Burns ($454,400) – I really liked what I saw from Burns last season, where he averaged 60 PPG in the games he didn’t get injured in. His injury troubles are a turn off though, and I may downgrade eventually downgrade him.
Waqa Blake ($386,500) – His extremely favourable early season draw, low ownership and cheap price is why Blake is in my side. If any CTW cheapies emerge though, he may make way.
Zac Lomax ($324,600) – Will play fullback to start the season. He’s only played there once before, and he scored 44 in pure base in that game. He will also be kicking goals.
Kurt Mann ($287,100) – Will be wearing the Knights #6 jersey come round 1. His average base PPG when playing 5/8 over the last 2 seasons is 34, meaning that he will only need an attacking stat to push him up to a score around 60.
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Bradman Best ($240,700) – The only real CTW cheapie confirmed to be playing this season. He’ll be in my squad to generate cash, but I’ll aim to not play Best in my 17.
Tommy Talau ($208,200) – I’m just hoping Talau is named come TLT. If not, I might hold him anyway, as he’s only one injury away from a starting spot.
Greg Leleisiuao ($171,900) – He’s in a battle Anthony Don, Jonus Pearson and Dale Copley for a wing spot. Leleisiuao is probably the best player out of that lot, so hopefully he’s named come TLT.
FLB
Tom Trbojevic ($714,800) – My first picked. Excluding Turbo’s injury affected games last season, he averaged 86.4 PPG (more than James Tedesco). In fact, Turbo has now averaged higher than Tedesco for three seasons running. A stand out captaincy option each time he plays at Brookie Oval, a place where he averages 103.2 PPG over the last two seasons. Also, I’m a Manly fan so I can’t not own Turbo because then I’d be death-riding him every week.
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Ryan Papenhuyzen ($508,200) – As a starting fullback last season, Papenhuyzen averaged 95.3 PPG. He scored 40 PPG from hit ups alone, and an additional 29 PPG from tackle breaks, offloads and line breaks. He starts at just above $500k and I’ll either upgrade to Teddy, or maybe even keep if he’s tearing it up again.
STARTING TEAM
HOK
Cameron Smith ($684,600) – Despite the price, he is worth it. With a base of 50-55 due to his tackling and goal kicking, Smith is a consistent performer with a high ceiling who rarely misses games and plays the full 80 minutes every week.
FRF
Payne Haas ($728,200) – Does this even need to be justified. He was miles ahead of all other FRF options last year in season averages and looks set to have another big year. I didn’t want to fall behind by selecting another player.
Liam Knight ($437,300) – Selected due to the fact he is likely to be a starter for the Rabbitohs who always look to take a lot of hit-ups (they took more hit ups than any other team last season). He runs hard and isn’t afraid to throw an offload which makes him enticing. Pair this with his reasonable price, he was a safe pick for me.
2RF
Jason Taumalolo ($723,400) – The league’s X-factor in the forwards. With a consistently high on average and a huge ceiling, he is a must. Tackle breaks and his improving offloading game contribute to these huge scores. I think it’s idiotic not to get him.
Ryan Matterson ($626,200) – Just like the previous selection he has that something special, whether it be a high base, a sneaky line break assist, a try or a bunch of tackle breaks. The Eels second rower is an essential option to start the season as fixtures are good. I think he could provide above average returns to start the year, which would also see his price could rise to around $700k. Quite easy to trade to another option as well if need be.
Angus Crichton ($530,100) – We’re probably not going to be able to pick up Crichton from the start cheaper than this. He was largely a bench option last season and still averaged 57 PPG. Despite being $530k, he will be a bargain if he starts. This could be Crichton’s breakout year at the Roosters.
HFB
Mitchell Moses ($579,300) – Moses performed out of his skin last season. Importantly though, he showed consistency and that he’s not just a flash in the pan. He is a must have for me at under $600k given Parra’s opening fixtures and his form last season.
5/8
Cameron Munster ($644,400) – The premium at the 5/8 position. I was always going to grab Munster given his ceiling is so high and he rarely scores below 35 points. He has so many outlets to score SuperCoach points from and doesn’t just rely on one thing working to get returns. The Cam Smith-Cam Munster duo has always done well in the past, so I’m going with it again.
CTW
Will Hopoate ($531,700) – Playing in a bad side as a good player is always a bonus as many scoring ventures come through you. Last season Hopoate was amongst the top scoring CTW players. I can’t find a reason why this would change this season. He rarely produces very low scores and has the best base out of any CTW. Also, he has a pretty good record against his early season opponents. This is how he scored in the exact fixtures last season: 118 vs Eels (A), 55 vs Cowboys (H), 37 vs Tigers (A), 79 vs Sharks (H). And I like the look of 3 Hopoate’s in my side.
Jarrod Croker ($494,900) – Lest than $500k for a player that is a sniper with the boot and will score 15 tries this season – it’s a no brainer for me. Maybe I’m biased as I love Croker as a player, professional and person, but I think that SuperCoach-wise he’s always good value.
Josh Mansour ($416,700) – This is my gamble pick. Mansour has really fallen away since his peak 2016 season. His evasive numbers and average base is still high, but he isn’t scoring tries like he used to. Surely he has to score more than 1 try this season? I originally picked Dugan as a CTW POD, he there’s too much uncertainty surrounding him.
Adam Doueihi ($343,100) – Doueihi’s numbers at fullback weren’t outstanding last season. However, with the goal kicking and if he can add a few more attacking stats, he could average around 55 PPG.
FLB
James Tedesco ($781,500) – For me, it was a 50/50 split between Teddy and Turbo. But, with Tom’s injuries in recent seasons, the Roosters #1 was the go. His un-worldly ability to break tackles, produce line-breaks and get tries is an obvious reason for his selection. Trbojevic also has that explosive potential, but for me, I could only pick 1 premium fullback.
RESERVES
Blayke Brailey ($201,000) – Now the starting hooker at the Sharks, I’m hoping Brailey can average 45-50 PPG which will make him a great pick up.
Lindsay Collins ($201,000) – With the loss of Tetevano, there’s a bench prop spot available at the Roosters. I’m hoping Collins gets that role and plays around 30 MPG, which will provide an outlet of points while being one of the lowest priced FRF in the game.
Phoenix Crossland ($184,900) – The Knights youngster is currently injured but I suspect that when fit again, he will work his way into the starting first grade side. In 15 NSW Cup games last season, he scored 6 tries, provided 4 try assists and had 4 forced drop outs. He therefore has the capabilities to score decent attacking points, in addition to rising in price.
Tristan Sailor ($247,200) – If Sailor can nab a wing spot, he could be the explosive scorer off the bench (when he has a favourable match up) that every SuperCoach team needs.
Bradman Best ($240,700) – The ‘best’ CTW/FLB cheapie option. A lock in to play (barring injury), he will likely see a significant rise in price over time while also getting a steady flow of returns. The Knights have the potential to be a dangerous attacking team this season and Best can amongst the points.
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