Squad Breakdown: Round 6 team insights

We analyse all the key SuperCoach ins and outs following the release of Round 6 teams.

Squad Breakdown

The teams have dropped for Round 6, 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 6 teams.

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

Help support the site by signing up to SC Playbook for detailed SuperCoach analysis from hundreds of additional articles throughout the 2020 NRL season.

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KNIGHTS v BRONCOS

Thursday, 7.50pm, Central Coast Stadium

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. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 12. Sione Mata’utia 13. Herman Ese’ese 

Bench: 14. Tex Hoy 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Tim Glasby 17. Aidan Guerra

Reserves: 18. Gehamat Shibasaki 19. Pasami Saulo 20. Phoenix Crossland 21. Starford To’a

Analysis: For some odd reason after a decade of being SuperCoach killers, people disregarded Melbourne as a defensive force. For that reason, I was both happy and impressed with Kalyn Ponga’s 67. The picture isn’t much clearer in the race between him and Turbo after the weekend. Likewise, Bradman Best scored 59 and is still a buy despite the $147k price rise. David Klemmer finally had an off game with just 38 points. Kurt Mann knocked out another 71 and is ticking along like an absolute champion. He’s already had $106k in rises and is an indefinite hold with a breakeven of 18, although there’s no harm in trading if needed.

Broncos: 1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Corey Oates 3. Herbie Farnworth 4. Darius Boyd 5. Xavier Coates 6. Anthony Milford 7. Brodie Croft 8. Matt Lodge 9. Corey Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Alex Glenn 12. Tevita Pangai Jnr 13. Pat Carrigan 

Bench: 14. Tesi Niu 15. Ben Te’o 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Thomas Flegler

Reserves: 18. Issac Luke 19. Rhys Kennedy 20. Tom Dearden 21. Jamil Hopoate

Analysis: Jamayne Isaako scored okay with 50 points, while unfortunately Kotoni Staggs is a sell after hurting his hamstring at training. Xavier Coates is an exceptional talent and is a lovely buy at $203k, although I’d be waiting until next week to ensure he’s picked. He looks safe, especially with further backline injuries, but who knows what’s happening at Red Hill. Corey Paix disappointed with just 34 in 71 minutes. He would have still been a buy, but the arrival of Issac Luke is an obvious concern so he’s probably an avoid. Pat Carrigan is the gift that keeps on giving, but with just 56 minutes and TPJ among Brisbane’s returning stars I think he’s an upgrade to Matterson/McInnes/Murray etc. in coming weeks if not now. Tevita Pangai Jnr is a POD going forward if you can stomach his brain fades.

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RABBITOHS v WARRIORS

Friday, 6pm, Bankwest Stadium

Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Dane Gagai 3. Campbell Graham 4. Braidon Burns 5. Alex Johnston 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Jaydn Su’A 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Cam Murray

Bench: 14. Liam Knight 15. Patrick Mago 16. Tom Amone 17. Bayley Sironen

Reserves: 18. Mark Nicholls 19. Corey Allan 20. James Roberts 21. Keaon Koloamatangi

Analysis: Let’s start by acknowledging scores were extremely inflated against the mediocre Titans. Latrell Mitchell unsurprisingly tonned up, and although he looks a great buy with a soft draw, it was a one-off performance in 2020. Nonetheless, he’s finding fitness and cohesion with those around him at fullback and at 9% ownership is a fantastic POD. Cam Murray played just 53 minutes, but that’s only because the Rabbitohs had the match won a long way out from home. That’s the risk with forwards in these soft matches if they don’t add an attacking stat to their base. Damien Cook scored 66 and is hardly setting the world alight with a 56 point average, he could be around a staggering $550k next week. Meanwhile Cam Smith is racking up point after point. Cody Walker remains a serious POD at 3% ownership.

Warriors: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Patrick Herbert 3. Peta Hiku 4. Gerard Beale 5. Adam Pompey 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Blake Green 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 9. Wayde Egan 10. Lachlan Burr 11. Eliesa Katoa 12. Tohu Harris 13. Adam Blair

Bench: 14. Karl Lawton 15. Poasa Faamausili 16. King Vuniyayawa 17. Jack Murchie

Reserves: 18. David Fusitu’a 20. Agnatius Paasi 21. Chanel Harris-Tavita 22. Isaiah Papali’i 

Analysis: Jamayne Taunoa-Brown is a PPM beast, arguably the best in the competition. However, at just 36 minutes game time he’s coming towards the end of his SuperCoach relevance unless he ups the game time. Speaking of beasts, Eliesa Katoa played 80 minutes for 80 points including a try and remains a strong play in 17s every week. Tohu Harris scored 65 in 80 minutes and remains a huge differential to the more popular back-row options. My issue is that he doesn’t seem to have the attacking capabilities of old, which is somewhat hindered by the team around him, so is he really among the absolute elite SuperCoach players? Not quite for me. Kodi Nikorima has scores of 110 and 98 in the past three weeks, but there’s too many very low scores in between to be considered in my opinion.

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PANTHERS v STORM

Friday, 7.55pm, Campbelltown Stadium

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. James Tamou 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo

Bench: 14. Matt Burton 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Moses Leota 17. Billy Burns

Reserves: 18. Mitch Kenny 19. Brent Naden 20. Jack Hethrington 21. Caleb Aekins

Analysis: Josh Mansour scored with a linebreak but managed just 59 points. Certainly nothing to worry about, but his base has been down over the past fortnight. Nathan Cleary looked extremely sharp on return but it didn’t translate to SuperCoach scoring. With 39 points he failed to hit his breakeven, and with a match up against Melbourne this week I’m happy to wait another week at least before jumping on. Api Koroisau was again solid with 63 points, but he’s hitting a crossroads as to whether or not he’s a genuine keeper. He did play the full 80 which was promising, however I suspect he’s an upgrade to Cook or Smith anytime now, probably the latter from what we’ve seen thus far. Although it may be a bit of a luxury trade at the moment with all the weekend injuries. James Fisher-Harris played just 54 minutes for 50 points and that included the injury to Kurt Capewell in the opening minutes (brutal for owners, including yours truly). I can’t consider him until he locks down big minutes. Isaah Yeo is simply the man at the moment. Capewell’s injury should ensure 80 minutes going forward. Liam Martin is likely to be the big beneficiary of Capewell’s injury, while Viliame Kikau may return to larger minutes as a result.

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Justin Olam 4. Brenko Lee 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Ryley Jacks 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. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Reserves: 18. Max King 19. Marion Seve 20. Jahrome Hughes 21. Paul Momirovski

Analysis: Cam Smith smashed his first century of the year and hasn’t scored under 70 this year. At 13% he is a terrific buy and has surpassed Cook as the number one hooker in SuperCoach with an average of 82PPG, for the time being… Ryan Papenhuyzen just can not put numbers on the board. While he’s looked good in actually NRL, it’s not quiet translating to SuperCoach scoring. He’s becoming very costly for patient owners. In any other position you could justify holding, but when Turbo, Teddy and Ponga are going large every week you have to own two of them. Cam Munster came back to the pack with 48 points which has stunted his price rises which is excellent for prospective owners. He now has a breakeven of 88, although he’s proven to be fairly fixture proof. Forge a plan to get him in in coming weeks as there’s a big century looming and you don’t want to be left behind.

TITANS v DRAGONS

Saturday, 3pm, Suncorp Stadium

Titans: 1. Corey Thompson 2. Anthony Don 3. Brian Kelly 4. Young Tonumaipea 5. Phillip Sami 6. Ash Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Erin Clark 10. Sam Lisone 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. Jai Arrow 

Bench: 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. Keegan Hipgrave 17. Tyrone Peachey

Reserves: 18. Beau Fermor 19. Jarrod Wallace 20. Jai Whitbread 21. Tyrone Roberts

Analysis: Jai Arrow owners breathed a sigh of relief when he left the field in the first half and looked unlikely to come back. However, he’s a true warrior and returned to post 54 points. He is a SuperCoach gun, but much like Papenhuyzen, you’re falling behind as others in the position post 80+ scores each week. He’s a reluctant sell. Corey Thompson debuts at fullback for his new club.

Dragons: 1. Matt Dufty 2. Jordan Pereira 3. Euan Aitken 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Adam Clune 8. Josh Kerr 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tyrell Fuimaono 13. James Graham 

Bench: 14. Ben Hunt 15. Trent Merrin 16. Blake Lawrie 17. Jacob Host

Reserves: 18. Jackson Ford 19. Jason Saab 20. Korbin Sims 21. Tristan Sailor

Analysis: Cameron McInnes has evolved into a SuperCoach superstar in 2020 after being just behind the game’s elite in recent years. He scored 111 with the assistance of a try and linebreak and is a must for all teams with an average of 94PPG. Tyrell Fuimaono scored just 26 points in 58 minutes, I’m not quite sure how that’s possible for a back-rower. Zac Lomax scored 50 and is proving surprisingly reliable with his base stats at centre. That being said, he’s peaking in price and can be sold anytime that suits your team over the coming weeks.

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TIGERS v COWBOYS

Saturday, 5.30pm, Campbelltown Stadium

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

Bench: 14. Matt Eisenhuth 15. Thomas Mikaele 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Michael Chee-Kam

Reserves: 18. Benji Marshall 19. Chris Lawrence 20. Billy Walters 21. Reece Hoffman

Analysis: It was a low-scoring SuperCoach affair in Campbelltown. David Nofoaluma finally had an off week yet still scored 49 points that included 21 runs, gun. Alex Twal played 80 minutes for 78 points made up of 62 tackles and 14 runs, wow. He’s the man to partner Payne Haas in the front-row. Harry Grant scored 48 and saw his first price rise, he’s still a buy this week for non-owners. He played the entire 80 which will be his regular game time going forward. Luciano Leilua was injured after 74 minutes but has been named to play. He’s been fantastic to date but is a sell to a gun second-rower, although it’s not urgent this week pending injury update.

Cowboys: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Justin O’Neill 4. Esan Marsters 5. Connelly Lemuelu 6. Scott Drinkwater 7. Jake Clifford 8. Francis Molo 9. Reece Robson 10. Josh McGuire 11. Mitchell Dunn 12. Coen Hess 13. Jason Taumalolo

Bench: 14. Ben Hampton 15. Corey Jensen 16. Peter Hola 17. Gavin Cooper

Reserves: 18. Tom Opacic 19. Shane Wright 20. Reuben Cotter 21. Emry Pere

Analysis: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow deputised for an injured Val Holmes at fullback early in the contest and scored 66 points. He looked great at stages, and extremely raw at others, and has been named to start at fullback. He’s at basement price and will be a great downgrade target next week. Esan Marsters was sin-binned and scored 13 points, savage for owners who thought he was a lock for 40+ points each week with his base stats. He sits with a 3RA of just 33 and is priced at just $408k. If I owned he’d be a reluctant hold for another week or two, but with no scores over 50 since Round 1 it’s becoming harder to do. Scott Drinkwater scored 35 and is an immediate sell before he begins to haemorrhage cash with a breakeven of 76. Connelly Lemuelu comes onto the wing and is a watch.

ROOSTERS v EELS

Saturday, 7.35pm, Bankwest Stadium

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. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Angus Crichton 13. Victor Radley 

Bench: 14. Sam Verrills 15. Isaac Liu 16. Nat Butcher 17. Lindsay Collins

Reserves: 18. Sitili Tupouniua 19. Mitchell Aubusson 20. Ryan Hall 21. Lachlan Lam

Analysis: It was the week of Teddy owners v non-Teddy owners. Some non-owners are very prematurely throwing in the towel, but just remember you can only own two of him, Turbo and Ponga. Nail a captain on one of those three that plenty won’t own and it’s game back on. So do you tear your side to pieces to get Tedesco in this week following his record breaking 199? It’s tough, but remember the Roosters play the Dragons next week… He’s priced at $843k and has a breakeven of 3, how is that a thing? If he goes big over the next fortnight he could be the first million-dollar-man in SuperCoach. Angus Crichton bagged a double and scored 120. Surely Trent Robinson keeps him as an 80 minute player for the reminder of the season, although he’s now spiralled well above $100k at just 3% ownership. Mitch Aubusson has been named in the reserves in a good sign for Crichton. I’m absolutely perplexed as to how Luke Keary scored just 19 points in that massacre.

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. Nathan Brown

Bench: 14. Ray Stone 15. Marata Niukore 16. Oregan Kaufusi 17. Peni Terepo 

Reserves: 18. Brad Takairangi 19. David Gower 20. George Jennings 21. Jai Field

Analysis: Maika Sivo was putrid with just 13 points. However, he has big scores in him playing in a red-hot Parra outfit. Parramatta face the Roosters, Raiders, Cowboys, Knights and Manly over the next month, tough. Mitchell Moses 55 and Dylan Brown 49 (79th minutes sin-bin) continue to tick along only okay. Owners can hold but I wouldn’t be buying any time soon. Ryan Matterson banged out 95 points with a try and remains a must-have and is a priority gun at that with an average of 81PPG.

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RAIDERS v SEA EAGLES

Sunday, 4.05pm, Campbelltown Stadium

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

Bench: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Emre Guler 16. Ryan Sutton 17. Hudson Young

Reserves: 18. Dunamis Lui 19. Bailey Simonsson 20 Matt Frawley 21. Tom Starling

Analysis: Joe Tapine has a 3RA of 66PPG with hardly an attacking stat to his name. He’s been a brilliant buy and can be upgraded to a genuine gun when he peaks in coming weeks at over $500k, ditto Corey Horsburgh who missed last week’s game with food positioning. A dour SuperCoach contest against the Tigers didn’t stop George Williams posting a respectable 55 points. He’s a hold for another week or two before reassessing whether or not he needs to be upgraded. Nick Cotric has hit the skids with back-to-back 40s and is a sell for owners. Josh Papalii again played increased minutes at 58, but scored just 60 points. It’s nothing to frown about, but his PPM was down on what was expected. Take note, Ricky Stuart has named a four forward bench for the first time this season which may impact the minutes of the pack.

Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Tevita Funa 3. Brad Parker 4. Brendan Elliot 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Dylan Walker 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Danny Levi 10. Taniela Paseka 11. Joel Thompson 12. Curtis Sironen 13. Jake Trbojevic 

Bench: 14. Lachlan Croker 15. Jack Gosiewski 16. Sean Keppie 17. Morgan Boyle

Reserves: 18. Toafofoa Sipley 19. Abbas Miski 20. Haumole Olakau’atu 21. Cade Cust

Analysis: You know you’re good when you score 72 points and owners are heavily disappointed. Tom Trbojevic didn’t hit the heights expected but was still reasonable for the masses who captained on Thursday night. Turbo has an amazing track record against Canberra and he’s been crying out for a day game after three consecutive night games since returning. His 152 against the Bulldogs is out of his rolling average so he now sits with a breakeven of 140. He may be cheap(ish) in a fortnight if Canberra can keep him at bay. Everytime you want to put a line through Jake Trbojevic he produces something solid. He scored a solid 65 points, but his 18 runs was exactly what SuperCoaches wanted to see. Marty Taupau was injured early on which was very tough to stomach for his 12% of owners. He will miss the match and is a sell for Alex Twal. Addin Fonua-Blake was given an increase to 64 minutes as a result but produced a somewhat underwhelming 59 points. Moses Suli also misses the match through injury.

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SHARKS v BULLDOGS

Sunday, 6.30pm, Bankwest Stadium

Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Josh Dugan 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Mawene Hiroti 6. Shaun Johnson 7. Chad Townsend 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Jack Williams 

Bench: 14. Toby Rudolf 15. Braden Hamlin-Uele 16. Siosifa Talakai 17. Royce Hunt

Reserves: 18. Scott Sorensen 19. Connor Tracey 20. Bryson Goodwin 21. Matt Moylan

Analysis: Jesse Ramien hit the skids with just 27 points, eww. However, he wanted to get involved as much as possible, so don’t be too deterred. Utilise him for Cronulla’s easy upcoming draw, then sell in a few weeks if he doesn’t perform. Shaun Johnson fairly effortlessly scored 75 points with a controversial disallowed try and linebreak. He’s ticking along well without solidifying his longevity in teams. Like Ramien, hold for a few more weeks then upgrade if he can’t punish the Dogs and Titans over the next three weeks. Blayke Brailey has peaked having not even made $100k. His PPM is dreadful for a big minute hooker, plus he was benched for Connor Tracey at one stage. Tracey has been dropped, with John Morris opting for a bigger bench, meaning Brailey will play 80. He can play, but he hasn’t utilised his running game to great affect thus far in 2020 and his SuperCoach scores have suffered as a result. Turn him into Grant, Smith or Cook this week. Toby Rudolf has been a decent cash cow and can be moved on in coming weeks. Matt Moylan could come in at fullback after being named in the reserves.

Bulldogs: 1. Will Hopoate 2. Christian Crichton 3. Reimis Smith 4. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 5. Jake Averillo 6. Kieran Foran 7. Lachlan Lewis 8. Renouf To’omaga 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Dylan Napa 11. Josh Jackson 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Adam Elliott 

Bench: 14. Kerrod Holland 15. Dean Britt 16. Sauaso Sue 17. Ofahiki Ogden

Reserves: 19. Sione Katoa 20. Brandon Wakeham 21. Morgan Harper 22. Jack Cogger

Analysis: Will Hopoate is the only point of interest at the Dogs, and he’s a very good one at that.The move to fullback has done wonders for his SuperCoach game. His ball-playing has sparked life into Canterbury, and he was a genuine shining light against the rampant Roosters, scoring a solid 56 points. He was also half an inch away from another try-assist and linebreak assist. At 2% ownership and bottoming out at $475k, he’s a great buy, but the obvious concern is the fact he may not see much assistance in accruing attacking stats from the men around him.

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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

3RA = Three round average

5RA = Five round average

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

4 Responses to “Squad Breakdown: Round 6 team insights”

  1. andrew.tilley1

    Great article Timmy! I have Turbo and Teddy. Thoughts on the high risk strategy of trading Teddy to Dufty for the cash (price rise) and hopefully a big score against the Titans? Next week I would trade him out for either Turbo or Ponga.

    Other trade this week would be Lucy for McInness.

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