Trade plan R14-17: Priority targets + strategy

• FINAL WORD: Rd 14, key trade and tactical advice
• STAT ANALYSIS: Vital numbers to beat the best

As you are all most likely aware, we have an extra three trades over the course of the next four weeks of Supercoach.

You are also likely aware that you will need to save at least a few of these trades over this period if you want enough trades to play aggressively towards the end of the season.

This article will be focused on who I will likely use my trades on, as well as who I will be prioritising getting in first and why.

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Most of us only have four or five players who will currently play in round 17, the ideal number will probably be around 12 or 13 if you are playing for overall and are currently still in the hunt.

Which means nine out of your next 11 trades will most likely be for round 17 players (the only exception in my eyes is David Fifita).

Below I am going to go through each position individually and give my opinion on the best trade-in options over this period, while also giving them a priority rating 1-10.  

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HOK

Really not much on offer at hooker this season. My two final 17 targets are Harry Grant and Damien Cook who are both playing Origin and thus leaving many Supercoaches in a tricky predicament.

Round 17 is very lacklustre for this position and I think most coaches will find that they are better off keeping guys like Brailey, Watson and Mahoney there until after the bye rounds are over – my strategy will be to take the AE in round 17 at hooker. (Priority rating: 1)

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FRF

1. Martin Taupau – Kapow is starting to see the minutes! Boasting a 5RA of 74.4 points, Taupau is the best FRF trade in target for round 17. Hasler has increased his minutes up into the high 50s over the last few weeks with the knowledge that Jurbo is likely to miss a few games on Origin duties. Marty is starting to find his offload and will need to lead the Manly go forward over the next month of footy. (Priority rating: 6)
2. Addin Fonua-Blake – AFB looms as a very timely return for the Warriors. After this week’s clash against Melbourne the Warriors hit a purple patch in the draw which should see AFB create plenty of attacking opportunities like he was over the first three games of the season. At $500k he easily becomes the second best FRF option for round 17 due to upside potential. (Priority rating: 4)
3. Sio Siua Taukeiaho – I have personally held TKO since round 1 and I doubt I will be selling him anytime soon given he is now just $398k. This means he sneaks in as a buy option for those who want to save some money in the forwards and still pickup a 50 base FRF (with goalkicking upside) for round 17. *Unfortunately he’s been ruled out this week so can’t be considered until next. (Priority rating: 3*)

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2RF

1. Sitili Tupouniua – Will likely be trading in Tups this week myself given his current price and attacking upside. Tupouniua has been a shining light for the Roosters over the last few weeks being able to find the try line with ease on multiple occasions. With Angus Crichton likely playing Origin Game 3 he is also a shoe in for 80 minutes on the edge against a struggling Bulldogs in round 17. (Priority rating: 8)
2. CHN – I went early on CHN a month ago and he has not disappointed. By the time round 17 hits expect this guy to be $600k+ and in almost every team in the top 1000. Corey has a two round average of 80 against the Roosters and Melbourne and with a string of very easy games coming up for the Raiders expect him to put together some serious attacking stats. (Priority rating: 8)
3. Tohu Harris – Another 2RF that I went early on a few weeks ago. Tohu has been breezing at an average of 77.5 which includes three tries and three try-assists. I have never owned Tohu in the past and am excited as a new owner to know that he will comfortably average 70+ for the rest of the season and I do not have to give it a second thought. (Priority rating: 9)
4. Jason Taumalolo – You can bet your bottom dollar that most teams in the top 1000 will trade in Lolo at some stage over the next four weeks, and he will likely be in the $500k range when they do so. Provided he comes back and continues 60-70 minutes Lolo might remind everyone why he is still the best upside 2RF in the comp as the Cowboys draw opens up considerably. (Buy Priority: 8)

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HFB

1. Adam Reynolds – A.Rey currently sits at $437k which is an absolute steal for a goalkicking halfback who plays Newcastle, Brisbane, Wests Tigers and Cowboys over the next month. If you back Cody and AJ to fire then you best believe Reynolds will be in on the action too. (Buy Priority: 5)
2. Shaun Johnson – Assuming most people are currently running Cleary and Walker at halfback, SJ looms as a risky POD trade in. Against a depleted Panthers this week I expect SJ to put on a show and give potential buyers something to think about as the next three games are Cowboys, Broncos and Warriors. (Buy Priority: 6)

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5/8

1. Cody Walker – I am bringing in Cody this week for Adam Doueihi who hasn’t lived up to expectations over the past few weeks. At $533k Calker is an absolute steal for those chasing upside over the next month, plus a 5/8 keeper you can hold until the end Cody becomes the highest priority trade-in for a lot of top teams over the coming weeks. (Buy Priority: 10)
2. Kodi Nikorima – Niko has flown under the radar all season and now boasts a 70+ average (consisting of three tons) at $596k. As mentioned the Warriors draw does open up and they are consistently strong over bye periods most seasons for obvious reasons. With goalkicking Niko shapes as a safer option than most other players in the halves. (Buy priority: 7)

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CTW

1. Daniel Tupou – Missing the Origin team is a blessing for Supercoaches who can now grab Tupou for $588k as he looks to put in a try-scoring stint for a hungry looking Roosters team. I will likely be making the trade from Hynes to Tupou as soon as Papenhuyzen is back at Melbourne. (Buy Priority: 7)
2. Alex Johnston – It feels like I have stacked this list with Souths players after I talked about not having so much confidence in them during this week’s podcast, but Wayne Bennett has a way of stringing teams along over the Origin period without a few of their crucial players so I think AJ remains a great buy. You won’t see AJ cheaper than $462k again this season, so time is of the essence on this one. (Buy Priority: 8)
3. Jesse Ramien – Ramien turned it on for 124 against the Gold Coast in round 12, consisting of 1 try, 2 linebreaks and a whopping 10 tackle busts. That’s his second game this season with double figure tackle busts in just six appearances. With SJ looking to capitalise on the Sharks draw opening up and Cronulla making a push for a top 8 position I think Ramien is borderline a must have at $500k. (Buy priority: 9)

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FLB

Much like hooker, fullback is in a tricky predicament with only RTS/Reece Walsh being the stand out options for round 17. I think it is likely that many people will take the AE at fullback in round 17, especially seeing as most people will want to trade Papenhuyzen straight back in for the run home in round 18.  (Priority rating: 1/10)