Squad Breakdown: Round 4 team insights

We analyse all the key SuperCoach ins and outs following the release of Round 4 teams.

Squad Breakdown

The teams have dropped for Round 4, with plenty of changes scattered throughout.

The resumption of the NRL season with new changes in place had a dramatic influence on SuperCoach scoring with huge numbers posted across the game.

Here’s our breakdown of the Round 4 teams.

*Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a key on all SuperCoach relevant abbreviations.

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BRONCOS v ROOSTERS

Thursday, 7.50pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane               

Broncos: 1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Corey Oates 3. Jesse Arthars 4. Darius Boyd 5. Herbie Farnworth 6. Anthony Milford 7. Brodie Croft 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Ethan Bullemor 12. Jamil Hopoate 13. Pat Carrigan 

Bench: 14. Tesi Niu 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Rhys Kennedy 17. Matt Lodge 

Reserves: 18. Corey Paix 19. Xavier Coates 20. Tom Dearden 21. Pride Petterson-Robati

Analysis: Kotoni Staggs, Jamayne Isaako, Tom Flegler and Anthony Milford came crashing back to earth with sub-par scores, with Staggs to miss the clash with the Roosters via suspension.

This might not be too bad for Staggs owners as scoring, and therefore price rises, may have been limited against the Roosters.

Flegler’s minute reduced slightly to 47, this may drop further with should Matt Lodge gain a start.

Despite seeing an initial price rise, Jake Turpin looks a super buy at halfback while he’s playing 80 minutes at hooker.

His base is exceptional in the SuperCoach halfback role and he’s very capable of adding attacking stats.

Reports suggest he’s in major doubt for the clash with soreness, and may be replaced by Cory Paix, so keep an eye on this.

Payne Haas played 80 minutes despite the break in season, fair dinkum, animal. Locking him in as skipper every week is strongly advised.

With cattle back, Pat Carrigan’s minutes reduced to 55. While it didn’t impact his scoring too significantly, it does suggest he won’t be the borderline keep we’d hoped for with more players set to return.

The injury to Alex Glenn further cements Jamil Hopoate’s 80-minute back-row role. He’s had an initial price rise, but he remains just $213k and boast a breakeven of -17. He looks a pretty safe bet if you’re looking to downgrade a forward to free up some cash.

Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Josh Morris 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 

Bench: 14. Sam Verrills 15. Isaac Liu 16. Nat Butcher 17. Sitili Tupouniua

Reserves: 18. Siosiua Taukeiaho 19. Mitchell Aubusson 20. Ryan Hall 21. Lachlan Lam

Analysis: James Tedesco had 21 runs and 10 tackle breaks on the way to his first ton of the season. Fast track your plans and get him in asap.

Daniel Tupou is averaging 64PPG and is a decent POD as the Roosters begin to tackle easier opposition, as is Luke Keary.

Angus Crichton again starts, however Mitchell Aubusson has been named on the extended bench and must be a serious chance of entering the 17 somewhere having missed last week due to personal reasons.

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PANTHERS v WARRIORS

Friday, 6pm, Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney

Panthers: 1. Caleb Aekins 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To’o 6. Matt Burton 7. Jarome Luai 8. James Tamou 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Isaah Yeo

Bench: 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Moses Leota 19. Billy Burns

Reserves: 18. Brent Naden 20. Jack Hethrington

Analysis: I’ll start by saying scores were skewed in Penrith’s draw with Newcastle. 90 minutes were played, there were injuries everywhere, and players are still adjusting to the new rules.

Isaah Yeo tonned up and rose almost $100k in value. He played the full 90 minutes against the Knights, notching 60 tackles and 19 runs. He’s available at CTW and is a must-have. His base stats at lock are far superior to when playing on the edge.

Speaking of base stats, Josh Mansour scored 85 points, made up of 29 runs and no tries or try-assists, crazy. He’s a great option going forward and is still at an affordable price. Yeo still looks the pick of the two.

It was a bit concerning to see Koroisau play 76 of a total 90 minutes. If his minutes regress to 65 for the remainder of the season it will hurt his chances of finishing in the top two hookers immensely. Mitch Kenny is again on the bench which is a worry.

Regardless, if you don’t own him at the moment you’re doing it wrong. Kurt Capewell went big in his first game at Penrith, scoring 89 points in 83 minutes. He could be a Yeo clone as he’s available at CTW.

With Grant, Best and Tedesco priorities next week, it might be worth going a week early on him.

James Tamou played just 32 minutes against the Knights, down from 49MPG in the opening weeks. This won’t be his regular game time. When he returns to normal minutes, It will be interesting to see how it impacts James Fisher-Harris and the entire back-row.

Liam Martin dropped out of the squad which is a huge bonus for the back-row contingent.

Stephen Crichton holds his spot at centre and on talent alone must be considered at $288 and a low breakeven. However, Brent Naden is in the extended squad so be wary as Crichton may revert back to the bench.

Warriors: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Patrick Herbert 3. Karl Lawton 4. Gerard Beale 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Blake Green 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 9. Wayde Egan 10. Adam Blair 11. Eliesa Katoa 12. Tohu Harris 13. Isaiah Papali’i 

Bench: 14. Jack Murchie 15. Poasa Faamausili 16. King Vuniyayawa 17. Josh Curran

Reserves: 18. Chanel Harris-Tavita 20. Hayze Perham 21. Adam Pompey 22. Leivaha Pulu

Analysis: Eliesa Katoa is the Viliame Kikau of 2018. He will score a stack of tries and is effectively a must play in 17s as long as he’s starting.

Taunoa-Brown started but didn’t play extra minutes which was somewhat of a concern.

He bagged a try, and a $73k rise. I’d be hesitant to jump on now that he’s had his first major rise.

Tohu Harris scored 79 points and is now averaging 60PPG. At 1% ownership he’d be a super POD option, but I think there are far more elite second-row options.

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STORM v RABBITOHS

Friday, 7.55pm, AAMI Park, Melbourne

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Marion Seve 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Christian Welch 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane 

Bench: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tino Faasuamaleaui 16. Ryley Jacks 17. Max King

Reserves: 18. Brenko Lee 19. Albert Vete 20. Darryn Schonig 21. Chris Lewis

Analysis: Ryan Papenhuyzen is ridiculously close to a big score, but it’s becoming a costly wait as Turbo and Teddy ton up for fun.

Do we find $250k and upgrade now or back the scores to increase as it looks almost inevitable? Tough one…

Melbourne only scored the one try, and Cam Munster didn’t have a role in it. Regardless, he belted out 90 points and reinforced his credentials. With a breakeven of 73 there’s probably priorities elsewhere for now, jump on in coming weeks.

Cam Smith has gone 70, 70 and 79 to open his season and is at just 12% ownership. While he’s a serious POD, I don’t see how you can have him yet with Koroisau rising, and Brailey to become Grant in the next week or two.

Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Dane Gagai 3. Campbell Graham 4. Braidon Burns 5. Alex Johnston 6. Troy Dargan 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Jaydn Su’A 12. Cameron Murray 13. Liam Knight 

Bench: 14. Mark Nicholls 15. Ethan Lowe 16. Bayley Sironen 17. Patrick Mago

Reserves: 18. Bryson Goodwin 19. Tom Amone 20. James Roberts 21. Keaon Koloamatangi

Analysis: Despite the absence of Cody Walker on his inside, Cam Murray tonned up with a try and try-assist in a promising 70 minutes of game time.

He has a breakeven of 52, and a brutal match up with what will be a fired up Storm outfit, so give it a week then jump on if interested. It was promising to see him link up with Latrell Mitchell for the try.

Latrell Mitchell is about to bottom out in price and is one to consider for POD hunters.

Damien Cook bounced back to some sort of SuperCoach form, he’ll be a steal in a few weeks’ time. Some would argue he’s falling outside the top two hookers, I’m not convinced.

Liam Knight played just 32 minutes, ta ta. Jaydn Su’a played just 58 minutes, he has a breakeven of 5 and can be sold next week.

EELS v SEA EAGLES

Saturday, 5.30pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Michael Jennings 4. Waqa Blake 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Ryan Matterson 13. Marata Niukore

Bench: 14. Brad Takairangi 15. Ray Stone 16. Kane Evans 17. Peni Terepo 

Reserves: 18. Oregan Kaufusi 19. George Jennings 20. Will Smith 21. David Gower

Analysis: Clint Gutherson went huge with 124 points and looks to be a beneficiary of the quicker ruck. Regardless, he’s not in the top five fullbacks and isn’t an option.

Maika Sivo has basically bottomed out in price and is a POD at 14% ownership, but there’s probably higher priority buys available.

Dylan Brown’s stunning rise is a problem for Mitch Moses. Surprisingly, Brown was arguably the dominant half against Brisbane and took plenty of ball away from Moses.

Moses is an obvious hold for owners, but I’d be hesitant to jump on at the moment.

Ryan Matterson knocked out 99, boosted by a junk time try-assist. He’s a must-have and will rise in value again with a breakeven of 32.

Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Brad Parker 4. Moses Suli 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Dylan Walker 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Danny Levi 10. Martin Taupau 11. Joel Thompson 12. Curtis Sironen 13. Jake Trbojevic 

Bench: 14. Lachlan Croker 15. Corey Waddell 16. Sean Keppie 17. Taniela Paseka

Reserves: 18. Morgan Boyle 19. Jack Gosiewski 20. Tevita Funa 21. Brendan Elliot

Analysis: I’m not going to dribble on about how good Tom Trbojevic is, we all know. Formulate a plan to get him into your side asap or risk being left behind. Is he a higher priority than Teddy? I have no bloody idea…

I will mention that Teddy plays the Bulldogs next week.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted by Moses Suli at $372k. His base has risen enormously this year and he could jag plenty of attacking stats outside DCE and Turbo when their fixtures begin to ease. However, we’ll want to see a bit more first.

You know what you’re going to get with Addin Fonua-Blake and Marty Taupau. They’re both strong options going forward but aren’t priorities with relatively high breakevens and match fitness still increasing.

Jake Trbojevic was given an early shower after 65 minutes. He scored just 54 with a try-assist and linebreak assist, pass.

COWBOYS v SHARKS

Saturday, 7.35pm, QCB Stadium, Townsville

Cowboys: 1. Valentine Holmes 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Justin O’Neill 4. Esan Marsters 5. Ben Hampton 6. Scott Drinkwater 7. Jake Clifford 8. Francis Molo 9. Jake Granville 10. Jordan McLean 11. Mitchell Dunn 12. Coen Hess 13. Josh McGuire

Bench: 14. Reece Robson 15. John Asiata 16. Tom Gilbert 17. Gavin Cooper

Reserves: 18. Corey Jensen 19. Shane Wright 20. Tom Opacic 21. Reuben Cotter

Analysis: Jason Taumalolo is out, this is not a drill. He has bone bruising on the knee and will miss the clash with Cronulla…. Dang.

I’ll be the first to admit I underestimated how quickly Val Holmes would take to readjust to the NRL.

I’m stunned at how impressive his ball playing is, and it’s done wonders for his SuperCoach scoring with those cut balls to Hampton.

He tonned up and is now above $600k, but he won’t play the Titans every week. As good as he’s looking, he won’t match Teddy or Turbo, so I think it’s the wrong decision to get him despite being $150k cheaper.

Esan Marsters couldn’t capitalise on the match with just 38 points. While certainly still a good option, he’s not the lock in CTW with monster base that some predicted.

Likewise Scott Drinkwater who managed a reasonable 55 points and will likely be a sell when he peaks in price next week.

Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Josh Dugan 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Jack Williams 

Bench: 14. Connor Tracey 15. Braden Hamlin-Uele 16. Siosifa Talakai 17. Scott Sorensen 

Reserves: 18. Billy Magoulias 19. Braydon Trindall 20. Royce Hunt 21. Teig Wilton

Analysis: Sione Katoa owners were given a glimpse of how cruel life can be playing outside Josh Dugan. He scored just 24 and now has a breakeven of 51, ouch.

Cronulla sent almost their entire attack at Joey Leilua which was horrific news for Shaun Johnson who saw very minimal ball in attacking territory. Look for him to bounce back against the Cowboys, particularly with Chad Townsend (hamstring) out of the clash.

Toby Rudolf started in place of Andrew Fifita and played a decent 41 minutes. He’ll make strong cash with another starting role, before being moved on in coming weeks.

Blayke Brailey will make decent coin before becoming Harry Grant next week. There will be plenty tempted to go a week early on the trade, but Brailey will rise another $50k with a score of 45, so is it really worth it?

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RAIDERS v KNIGHTS

Sunday, 4.05pm, Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney

Raiders: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Curtis Scott 5. Nick Cotric 6. Jack Wighton 7. George Williams 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Dunamis Lui 11. Joseph Tapine 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Corey Horsburgh 

Bench: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Emre Guler 16. Iosia Soliola 17. Jordan Rapana

Reserves: 18. Tom Starling 19. Matt Frawley 20. Kai O’Donnell 21. Michael Oldfield

Analysis: George Williams, welcome to the NRL… What a performance from the Englishman, scoring 62 in mission impossible which is the road trip to Melbourne.

He has a breakeven of 20 and looks like he may be a viable option after all. Just how good he can be remains to be seen for the moment.

Corey Horsburgh and Joe Tapine (thank you junk time try), are ticking along nicely and can be held for another round or two before being moved on. Both are safe plays in 17s.

Jordan Rapana returned in style with 60 points, but most impressively he ran 18 times. However it matters little, with Bailey Simonsson returning from injury on the wing.

Nick Cotric has busted 29 tackles in three weeks, seriously… He’s averaging 58PPG and looks as solid a POD as any at just $406k.

Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Edrick Lee 3. Enari Tuala 4. Bradman Best 5. Hymel Hunt 6. Kurt Mann 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. David Klemmer 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Aidan Guerra 12. Sione Mata’utia 13. Herman Ese’ese 

Bench: 14. Tex Hoy 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Tim Glasby 17. Brodie Jones

Reserves: 18. Gehamat Shibasaki 19. Chris Randall 20. Mason Lino 21. Pasami Saulo

Analysis: I’ll start by saying scores were skewed in Newcastle’s draw with Penrith. 90 minutes were played, there were injuries everywhere, and players are still adjusting to the new rules.

Kalyn Ponga returns to a fairly savage match up with the competition favourites.

Bradman Best hit a ton against Penrith and is a must-have either this week or next, congratulations to those who started the year with him.

Double that for anyone that played him in their 17. He had 18 runs, 16 tackles and two tries in the draw, nice.

Condolences to anyone that took the punt on Mitch Pearce who lasted just five minutes before being concussed.

He’s surely in major doubt this week. Ponga owners beware if Mason Lino comes in he may take over the kicking duties.

David Klemmer again showed huge output with 81 points in 65 minutes. Daniel Saifiti is quietly flying under the radar with a 69PPG average in 49MPG.

TITANS v TIGERS

Sunday, 6.30pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Titans: 1. Tyrone Roberts 2. Phillip Sami 3. Dale Copley 4. Tyrone Peachey 5. Brian Kelly 6. Ash Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Erin Clark 10. Sam Lisone 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Keegan Hipgrave 13. Jai Arrow 

Bench: 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. Bryce Cartwright 17. Young Tonumaipea

Reserves: 18. Jarrod Wallace 19. Jai Whitbread 20. Anthony Don 21. Jonus Pearson

Analysis: Jai Arrow is the only SuperCoach relevant player on the Gold Coast. He played just 61 minutes which is slightly concerning. It’s hard to gauge his regular time having played the full 80 in Round 2.

Regardless of reduced time, he belted out 81 points with 45 tackles, but concerningly just 10 runs. Owners can rest fairly easily, while non-owners should keep a close eye on him in coming weeks.

Erin Clark earns a shock starting role at hooker and is one to watch at bargain basement price.

The extremely obscure bench named is tremendous news for Arrow who would play massive minutes if it stays the same on game day.

However, it boasts a middle forward, an edge forward, a halfback and centre, surely it changes???

Tigers: 1. Adam Doueihi 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Joseph Leilua 4. Moses Mbye 5. Robert Jennings 6. Benji Marshall 7. Luke Brooks 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Harry Grant 10. Thomas Mikaele 11. Luke Garner 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Alex Twal

Bench: 14. Oliver Clark 15. Billy Walters 16. Chris Lawrence 17. Alex Seyfarth

Reserves: 18. Josh Reynolds 19. Matt Eisenhuth 20. Corey Thompson 21. Michael Chee-Kam

Analysis: After being a SuperCoach graveyard in recent years, the Tigers are suddenly littered with options.

David Nofoaluma continues to reward those who started with him. I can’t fathom the thought of forking out $650k for him when that money could go towards Teddy, Turbo, Lolo, Matterson etc. But good luck to anyone that wants to fly that way.

Luke Brooks dished out 75 on return from injury with just one try-assist. While it’d be advised to wait a week before a price rise occurs, the clash with the Titans is too good to avoid for anyone that wants him.

Harry Grant is a must-have either this week or next. He only played 58 minutes and Billy Walters impressed off the bench, so it’ll be interesting to see if this continues or if Grant becomes an 80 minute player as predicted by many.

Alex Twal played 80 minutes and somehow only managed 61 points. His output has dropped from 1.47PPM in Round 1, to 1.09PPM in Round 2, to just 0.76 in Round 3. Make of that what you will.

Regardless, if he’s an 80 minute player he is a must-have. Luciano Leilua didn’t have any attacking stats for the first time at his new club, but he dished out an impressive 45 in base to ease any concerns of owners.

39% of SuperCoaches jumped for joy when Walters was named on the bench despite Grant’s arrival. They jumped even higher when he set up a try despite playing just 23 minutes. He rose $55k and has a -2 breakeven, bullet dodged.

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BULLDOGS v DRAGONS

Monday, 4.05pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Bulldogs: 1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Nick Meaney 3. Reimis Smith 4. Will Hopoate 5. Christian Crichton 6. Kieran Foran 7. Lachlan Lewis 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Dylan Napa 11. Josh Jackson 12. Dean Britt 13. Adam Elliott 

Bench: 14. Jake Averillo 15. Renouf To’omaga 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 17. Sauaso Sue

Reserves: 19. Ofahiki Ogden 20. Kerrod Holland 21. Sione Katoa 22. Brandon Wakeham.

Analysis: Dean Britt played 74 minutes in the back-row but managed just 34 points. At $369k he’ll need to produce far more than that to warrant consideration. Kieran Foran returns in the halves in place of Jack Cogger. There’s nothing happening at the Dogs SuperCoach wise.

Dragons: 1. Corey Norman 2. Jordan Pereira 3. Brayden Wiliame 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Clune 8. Josh Kerr 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tariq Sims 13. James Graham 

Bench: 14. Trent Merrin 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Issac Luke 17. Euan Aitken 

Reserves: 18. Tyrell Fuimaono 19. Matt Dufty 20. Jacob Host 21. Jackson Ford

Analysis: Cam McInnes fired on return from injury with 89 points including 69 tackles.

We are absolutely blessed with second-row options this season. Wiliame has a -4 breakeven but can’t be trusted in 17s.

Move him on as soon as he peaks, which shouldn’t take long. Zac Lomax is seriously hard to get a read on at the moment, mainly due to the fact he’s played three different positions in three games.

Centre may be his go as a SuperCoach player. He scored 47 points, made up of 16 runs and 20 tackles, great numbers. Hopefully we can squeeze another couple of price rises out of him.

Goal-kicking duties are only beneficial if you’re actually presented with a shot at goal.

As predicted, Tyrell Fuimaono played just 24 minutes. Fortunately he was busy in that time, scoring 37 points and registering the first of what we hoped would be two solid price rises.

Unfortunately, he’s been dropped for Trent Merrin. Owners have a tough decision whether to hold for a price rise in time or sell.

Corey Norman shifts to fullback in place of Matt Dufty, opening a spot for Adam Clune at halfback who is a strong watch.

SUPERCOACH TERMINOLOGY KEY

MPG = Minutes per game

PPG = Points per game

PPM= Points per minute

BPG = Base per game (point accrued in tackles + runs + missed tackles)

POD = Point of difference

BREAKEVEN (B/E) = The score a player must record to earn a price rise.

*Please note all our stats are taken from the geniuses at nrlsupercoachstats.com

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