Squad Breakdown: Round 9 team insights

We analyse all the key SuperCoach ins and outs following the release of Round 9 teams.

Squad Breakdown

The teams have dropped for Round 9, with plenty of changes scattered throughout.

With a strong week, I’ve lifted the Cooma Stallions into 59th place overall.

Here’s our breakdown of the Round 9 teams.

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

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COWBOYS v ROOSTERS

Thursday, 7.50pm, QCB Stadium, Townsville

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

Bench: 14. Ben Hampton 15. Tom Gilbert 16. Peter Hola 17. Gavin Cooper

Reserves: 18. Murray Taulagi 19. Reuben Cotter 20. Corey Jensen 21. Jake Granville

Analysis: With a brutal upcoming draw, and the likes of Val Holmes and Scott Drinkwater becoming fairly well irrelevant, there’s not much happening in SuperCoach at the Cowboys.

Jason Taumalolo scored 74 points in 65 minutes in a fairly standard performance. The Hammer was dropped last week, but returns at fullback for a vital cash boost. Surprisingly Holmes has made way on the wing.

Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Ryan Hall 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. Angus Crichton 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Nat Butcher

Bench: 14. Lachlan Lam 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Poasa Faamausili 17. Lindsay Collins

Reserves: 18. David Fifita 19. Drew Hutchinson 20. Freddy Lussick 21. Matt Ikuvalu

Analysis: I’m a touch torn on whether Teddy is a buy for those who don’t own. Obviously if you’re set up pretty well financially just get it done, but if not it could cost you well over $300k.

If you own Ponga and not Teddy, I think that’s the logical upgrade. However Papenhuyzen to Teddy would cost almost $450k which isn’t worth it.

A few unicorns points gave him 108 points against the Storm without a try or try-assist, seriously!?!? He could hit 200 against the Cowboys… I’m hoping people are scared off by the lack of opportunity to loop when captaining a player in the Thursday night game, do it, please.

I had Daniel Tupou pencilled in as a buy this week for a long time, but his injury has stuffed that plan. The Roosters have the Cowboys, Raiders, Warriors, Titans and Dragons over the next five weeks, so I think their attacking players are great options.

Tupou’s replacement Ryan Hall is an option at $334k. He has a remarkable base for a winger and could score a stack of tries over the next month. It’ll be interesting to see which wing he plays on.

I’ve liked Luke Keary for a long time and am considering him strongly. He’s scored back-to-back 80s and is available for $530k.

Halves partner Kyle Flanagan is also a great option with the goal-kicking duties. Brett Morris is having the best SuperCoach year of his career by some margin but is well out of range for a winger at $726k.

The big question leading into the week was regarding the players to benefit from Victor Radley’s injury. SST played 65 minutes for 69 points all in base.

He may have gained a few extra minutes with golden point, but at $501k he looks a pretty nice pick up. Nat Butcher scored 49 points in 54 minutes and looks a decent buy at under $364k. I think I prefer Hudson Young at the Raiders as an 80 minute player though.

Angus Crichton scored 92 with the aid of a try-assist and is available at $686k. He’s a stunning POD at just 7% ownership.

I’ll finish by saying that the likes of SST, Crichton and Butcher are all likely to get early spells over the next month assuming the Roosters get out to big leads.

TITANS v WARRIORS

Friday, 6pm, Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast

Titans: 1. Corey Thompson 2. Anthony Don 3. Beau Fermor 4. Bryce Cartwright 5. Treymain Spry 6. Ash Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Erin Clark 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. Sam Stone 12. Keegan Hipgrave 13. Jai Arrow 

Bench: 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Sam Lisone 16. Tyrone Peachey 17. Jarrod Wallace

Reserves: 18. Jai Whitbread 19. Nathan Peats 20. Greg Leleisiuao 21. Tyrone Roberts

Analysis: This is a grim match for SuperCoach onlookers. Jai Arrow scored 50 points in 49 minutes. It appears as though Justin Holbrook is happy to give additional game time to others among the pack with Arrow departing the club at season’s end.

Arrow is a sell at just $504k and should be upgraded to a gun before his price becomes too low to warrant trading.

Moeaki Fotuaika played a monster 64 minutes for 60 points. While his PPM was down, it’s a great sign for owners going forward.

At $516k I like him as a pick up this week. Beau Fermor made his NRL debut as a replacement for Kevin Proctor and scored 76 points in 74 minutes. Do not jump on this week unless you absolutely need the cash, but keep an eye on him for next week.

Warriors: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. David Fusitu’a 3. Peta Hiku 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Blake Green 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 9. Wayde Egan 10. Adam Blair 11. Jack Murchie 12. Tohu Harris 13. Karl Lawton

Bench: 14. Agnatius Paasi 15. Jack Hethrington 16. Isaiah Papali’i 17. Jazz Tevaga

Reserves: 18. Lachlan Burr 20. Gerard Beale 21. King Vuniyayawa 22. Adam Pompey 

Analysis: My word Tohu Harris is getting it done at the moment for his 2% of owners. He scored 77 points again in 80 minutes all in base with 44 tackles and 19 runs. This takes his average since returning from the break to 79PPG.

The inclusion of Jazz Tevaga is a concern, not so much for his minutes, but rather the fact he will spend more time on the edge. Regardless, I still like him as a buy.

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RABBITOHS v TIGERS

Friday, 7.55pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Dane Gagai 3. Campbell Graham 4. James Roberts 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. Bayley Sironen 16. Patrick Mago 17. Hame Sele

Reserves: 18. Mark Nicholls 19. Steven Marsters 20. Troy Dargan 21. Corey Allan

Analysis: Latrell Mitchell has taken the mantle as the new SuperCoach rollercoaster. He scored 49 and is now available for $520k. His breakeven remains high and the Rabbitohs have a tough three weeks ahead before they come into a friendly draw. At that point I’ll be looking to buy him cheap. I also wouldn’t sell if I owned.

Cody Walker managed just 53 with a try and try-assist which is a concern for those who jumped on last week. He’s another guy I’m eyeing off for their soft draw in a month’s time.

Cam Murray needed a try-assist and line assist to get him to keeper territory of 85 points. He played an improved 63 minutes, but I’m still struggling to advise him as a buy until he consistently plays 65+. The 2RF position is absolutely elite this year.

Tigers: 1. Adam Doueihi 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Michael Chee-Kam 4. Moses Mbye 5. Tommy Talau 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Luke Brooks 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Harry Grant 10. Oliver Clark 11. Luke Garner 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Matt Eisenhuth

Bench: 14. Elijah Taylor 15. Thomas Mikaele 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Chris Lawrence

Reserves: 18. Benji Marshall 19. Reece Hoffman 20. Billy Walters 21. Russell Packer

Analysis: Adam Doueihi didn’t set the game alight with 50 points, but it was largely in base with just one linebreak.

Non-owners were very relieved to finally see David Nofoaluma go low with 40 points. Owners would have been drooling to see it was all in base with 23 runs included.

Hopefully he can be picked up in a few weeks for under $600k, but don’t get your hopes too high. Hopefully he sees more ball with Joey Leilua sidelined.

Tommy Talau crossed for a try on his way to 55 points and earned a nice $61k price rise. He remains a decent cash grab this week but will likely be too high next week. Matt Eisenhuth is a mega POD at under 1% ownership. He played a huge 74 minutes at lock and is priced at just $490k. He scored 94 points thanks to a try and 54 tackles. However injuries in the pack inflated his minutes, and Alex Twal isn’t far off an early return.

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SHARKS v PANTHERS

Saturday, 3pm, Jubilee Stadium, Sydney

Sharks: 1. Josh Dugan 2. Sione Katoa 3. Bryson Goodwin 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 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. Will Kennedy 21. Nene Macdonald

Analysis: Sione Katoa owners would have been disappointed not to see his name on the scoresheet. However he still pumped out 55, largely in base with just one linebreak to his name. Let’s hope he stays on the right edge outside SJ with Mulitalo returning.

Likewise Jesse Ramien who scored 59 with one linebreak assist as his only major attacking stat. SJ set up two tries for new owners on his way to 78 points. He has a 3RA of 79PPG.

Blayke Brailey has stepped up enormously in recent weeks, scoring 86 in 80 minutes with a try to boot. He’s now $379k with a -16 breakeven. Owners would’ve near fainted when they saw his first update push him to 122 points! He will be a very easy upgrade to Cook/Smith in a few weeks time.

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brent Naden 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. Tyrone May 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Moses Leota 17. Billy Burns

Reserves: 18. Mitch Kenny 19. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak 20. Spencer Leniu 21. Charlie Staines

Analysis: Jarome Luai (81) stole Nathan Cleary’s (54) thunder with a very impressive performance. He’s now at $388k and has earned some valuable extra price rises in coming weeks as a dual 5/8-HFB before being turned into a gun.

Josh Mansour scored 60 almost all in base, including 20 runs and somehow 17 tackles for a winger to go with his linebreak.

Api Koroisau sealed the game for owners with a late try-assist for 81 points. He’s averaging 72.4PPG and is an indefinite hold. It was very pleasing to see Tyrone May’s spot on the bench not impact his minutes.

James Fisher-Harris played just 57 minutes yet scored 76 points thanks to a ridiculous 43 tackles and 21 runs. Regardless, I won’t be buying unless he starts playing 65+.

Ultra-impressive rookie Stephen Crichton is an option at 4% ownership with the Panthers taking on the Sharks, Cowboys and Titans in the next three weeks, but at $347k he’s pretty awkwardly priced.

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BRONCOS v BULLDOGS

Saturday, 5.30pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

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

Bench: 14. Tom Dearden 15. Tom Flegler 16. Rhys Kennedy 17. Ben Te’o

Reserves: 18. Cory Paix  19. Jamil Hopoate 20. Kotoni Staggs 21. Matt Lodge

Analysis: Xavier Coates redeemed himself after last week’s horrow show. He scored 90 points with two tries to his name which will see some big price rises in coming weeks.

Tesi Niu retained his fullback role and scored 53 points. Pat Carrigan returned from suspension in stunning form, playing 64 minutes, comfortably his most since the resumption of the comp. He scored 75 points all in base, made up of 42 tackles and 18 runs.

He’s now an indefinite hold as a FRF partner to Payne Haas while we assess his minutes. Haas’ mountain of owners were relieved to see him return to 68 minutes for 90 points without a major attacking stat, much better mate, you had us worried!

Bulldogs: 1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Nick Meaney 3. Reimis Smith 4. Marcelo Montoya 5. Christian Crichton 6. Kieran Foran 7. Brandon Wakeham 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Dylan Napa 11. Josh Jackson 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Luke Thompson

Bench: 14. Kerrod Holland 15. Dean Britt 16. Renouf To’omaga 17. Sauaso Sue

Reserves: 19. Ofahiki Ogden 20. Jack Cogger 21. Sione Katoa 22. Lachlan Lewis

Analysis: Adam Elliott’s injury has officially made the Bulldogs SuperCoach irrelevant. If you’re desperate for a player Raymond Faitala-Mariner has a 3RA of 73.7PPG and is solid as an 80 minute player and is just $489k. Keep a close watching on Englishman Luke Thompson in his NRL debut.

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RAIDERS v STORM

Saturday, 7.35pm, GIO Stadium, Canberra

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

Bench: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Kai O’Donnell 16. Ryan Sutton 17. Jordan Rapana

Reserves: 18. Tom Starling 19. Matt Frawley 20. Darby Medlyn 21. Curtis Scott

Analysis: There’s not a heap going on at the Raiders. Joe Tapine was benched on return from injury and played just 34 minutes, although he did manage 56 points. He’s a sell as he’s unlikely to see 80 minutes again at lock and he’ll start to plummet in price with a breakeven of 64.

Hudson Young went the distance the last two weeks for scores of 68 and 46. At $373k he’s a decent downgrade option to make some cash, while he should score consistently in the process. I prefer him to Nat Butcher at similar prices due to the minutes.

Keep an eye on Josh Papalii in coming weeks with Sia Soliola and Emre Guler out injured.

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Marion Seve 3. Justin Olam 4. Paul Momirovski 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Ryley Jacks 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. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Reserves: 18. Darryn Schonig 19. Cameron Munster 20. Brenko Lee 21. Nicho Hynes

Analysis: Ryan Papenhuyzen returned to earth with just 37 points against the Roosters. He has a breakeven of just 10, so hold him this week and next against the Titans, then turn him into a bottomed-out Kalyn Ponga (provided he comes good).

Jahrome Hughes has consecutive scores of 87 and 85. Some good SuperCoach judges like him as a POD at under $500k, but I think he’s too inconsistent to consider seriously.

Cam Smith should be available for under $650k for next week’s enticing match up with the Titans, but while he’s at halfback his scoring will take a huge hit. He made just 22 tackles which must be a career low for him. He needs to be playing hooker to be considered.

ALERT! Cameron Munster has been named on the extended bench. While surely unlikely this week, the Storm play the Titans next week…

KNIGHTS v EELS

Sunday, 4.05pm, Central Coast Stadium

Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Tex Hoy 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. Aidan Guerra 13. Herman Ese’ese

Bench: 14. Starford To’a 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Brodie Jones

Reserves: 18. Tautau Moga 19. Josh King 20. Phoenix Crossland 21. Connor Watson

Analysis: KP, what’s doing mate? I may as well just copy-paste my rant about him being stuck on the right edge of the field from the last two weeks. He was a popular captain and scored just 19 points.

He has a breakeven of 154 and will likely be available for under $600k next week. I can see the clear argument in selling, but I’ll likely hold (pending fitness) as I’m still convinced he’s the second best fullback option with Turbo out.

Clint Gutherson $650k is tempting many, but Mitch Moses isn’t too far off a return, so I won’t be jumping on that bandwagon, although there is a quick $150k cash grab there for anyone tempted.

To further complicate the decision, Ponga is in doubt with a HIA, so if he were to miss the game you could trade for a few weeks while he bottoms out then pick up cheap.

Unfortunately the Knights don’t play until Sunday so we won’t know until then, what a killer. Bradman Best is irrelevant while Ponga is sticking to the right edge, what a shame. He now has a 3RA of 43.3PPG and is about to starting leaking cash with a breakeven of 82.

Unless the words ‘KP will start favouring the left edge again’ come from Adam O’Brien’s mouth before Thursday night, he’ll be a sell.

Kurt Mann banged out a 60 and has proven to be gold for those who held. He’s averaging 60PPG and is now priced at over $500k. If your team has no pressing issues I don’t mind the idea of turning him into someone like Nofoaluma, but there’s no harm in holding indefinitely.

I don’t think he’s a keeper at CTW, but he also hasn’t scored under 46 this year. As solid as he is, I just don’t think he has the ceiling required to rocket you up the ranks.

David Klemmer has a 3RA of 74PPG and is ripe for picking at $582,500. He did play increased minutes due to injuries on the weekend, so his 60 minutes are very unlikely to continue. Daniel Saifiti scored 72 in base and sits with a 3RA of 77.3PPG, nice.

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

Bench: 14. David Gower 15. Stefano Utoikamanu 16. Marata Niukore 17. Brad Takairangi

Reserves: 18. Daniel Alvaro 19. George Jennings 20. Will Smith 21. Andrew Davey

Analysis: The King scored 166 points with three try-assists and seven conversions. Back-to-back tons has him priced at $650k and sitting with a breakeven of -33.

Parramatta play the Knights and Sea Eagles in coming weeks, two strong defensive outfits. After that time Moses should be back and he will regain the goal-kicking duties.

I can see the obvious temptation, but if you’re after a two week play I almost prefer Papenhuyzen who is far cheaper, has a low breakeven and has the dream match up with the Titans next week. Ponga’s form has certainly made Gutho a plausible trade though, it’s incredible how much can change in a few weeks in SuperCoach!

The Spy called it, Maika Sivo bagged four tries and scored 145 points, it’s a shame he didn’t bring him in! RIP Kyle Feldt. Sivo is affordable at $559,800, but with a breakeven of -19 you’ll have to go this week. If you’re looking to jump through the ranks quickly, he’s your man.

Dylan Brown scored 96 with three try-assists and flourished as expected in Moses’ absence. At $506k he’s a good pick up this week for anyone needing a half.

I feared Ryan Matterson would see far less ball with Moses gone, and unfortunately it eventuated. He scored just 64 and isn’t the strong captaincy option we hoped for while Moses is out. If I didn’t own I’d be tempted to wait a few weeks until Moses returns in which time he will hopefully drop in price.

While he didn’t get in on the left edge dominance, I like Shaun Lane (63) as a huge POD play with upside while Moses is out.

Junior Paulo has firmly entered the FRF debate if he wasn’t already in it. He scored 93 with no major attacking stats, seriously! He had 23 tackles, 22 runs, seven effective offloads and three tackle busts in 54 minutes. He now has a season average of 71PPG and a 3RA of 81.7PPG.

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DRAGONS v SEA EAGLES

Sunday, 6.30pm, Jubilee Stadium, Sydney

Dragons: 1. Matt Dufty 2. Jordan Pereira 3. Euan Aitken 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Adam Clune 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Ben Hunt 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tariq Sims 13. Cameron McInnes

Bench: 14. Trent Merrin 15. Josh Kerr 16. Tyrell Fuimaono 17. Jackson Ford

Reserves: 18. Tim Lafai 19. Tristan Sailor 20. Jason Saab 21. Korbin Sims

Analysis: Three tries in three weeks has given Zac Lomax a lovely 3RA of 77PPG. He’s in some doubt with an ankle injury though. With the tries sure to dry up soon, I’d be very tempted to sell at a nice price tag of $509k, but it’s a bit of a luxury trade at the moment.

Cam McInnes scored 78 in base, consisting of 53 tackles and 13 runs. With a breakeven of 90 he’s a buy this week or next. He’s about as safe as a SuperCoach player comes. He’s been moved to lock for the entire 80 which should lead to extra runs.

Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Brad Parker 4. Moses Suli 5. Tevita Funa 6. Lachlan Croker 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Danny Levi 10. Martin Taupau 11. Joel Thompson 12. Curtis Sironen 13. Jake Trbojevic 

Bench: 14. Cade Cust 15. Jack Gosiewski 16. Sean Keppie 17. Morgan Boyle

Reserves: 18. Corey Waddell 19. Brendan Elliot 20. Abbas Miski 21. Haumole Olakau’atu

Analysis: AFB’s brain explosion will see him miss a few weeks in a huge blow for those who jumped on last week. The winner is Marty Taupau who has bottomed out following his 9 minute stint three rounds back against Brisbane.

Taupau is incredibly at $410k and has regained any match fitness he may have lost during his short stint out. He’s a proven SuperCoach gun who will benefit from AFB’s absence and should make $100-200k while scoring well in the process, very nice!

Daly Cherry-Evans fired with 99 points. We knew he’d come good in Turbo’s absence. While tempting at $455k, I can’t go near him unless he’s goal-kicking.

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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

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