Captain’s Challenge: Round 14, skippers to target and avoid

Well.

What a game.

I must say, as an unofficial Queenslander, a Kiwi living on the GC – I do feel extremely proud.

And how were the debutants – my God. What a treat it was to witness the birth of the next generation of players who will hold that trophy aloft for years to come.

Cotter is a man possessed, Carrigan is simply a glorious workhorse who just goes about his business like an absolute boss, and of course…

…of course, we must give a prayer of thanks to everybody’s favourite winger and future Immortal, The Great Cobbo.

Embed from Getty Images

I just feel so pleased for him! What. A. Guy.

And I have traded him out.

I did this last week in a boost for Garrick, so that actually turned out quite nice for me, and to be fair the great Cobbo has done his job for my team making a bunch of cash and letting me get in a bonafide keeper…

Another reason to send up a prayer of thanks to him as I sit here in front of the shrine I built for him pre-season, chewing on another piece of delicious Cobbo Loaf.

And how good was all of our Captain choices last week! I do believe I got a 5 out of 6!! This is a record and will go down in history books as such!

And of course, it was the Great Kiwi Sir Manu who topped the Captaincy charts at 130 points.

But a Garrick (99 points), a Scotty D (119 points), and even a big Ola (86 points), were all glorious choices and I’m surprised the app didn’t break from all the VC looping going down over the weekend with the lovely free loop we all got.

FOLLOW EXCLUSIVE SC PLAYBOOK MARKETS! The crew at Topsport are offering markets picked out by our team of experts, with added value on top every single round. Check them out, and use the code ‘SCPLAYBOOK’ when signing up.

I VC looped (for the very first time ever I do believe) for my Garrick’s 99 points…

And a big congratulations to young Ilias, who had his Sir Captaincy debut for the Friday Beers on the weekend! And what a useful debut that was!

Now moving on, did anybody else notice Prince Nicho in the sheds pre-game?

HE HAD WET HAIR.

And oh my God, as an official Queenzlander who has adopted this great state as her very own, I was THAT scared that the 18^th man would be activated and Prince Nicho and his glorious wet locks would run amuck out there on the field.

And of course, that leads us nicely into this week’s Captain Obvious:

Embed from Getty Images

Prince Nicho Hynes

I mean, if you listened to the poddy on Tuesday night, you’d have heard the great Dez declare that our favourite cheeky royal, Prince Nicho, averages 185 points vs the Warriors playing at halfback.

That is because he has already played the Warriors back in Round 9, in a game where he scored a try, had 3 try assists, 16 points in goals, 3 linebreak assists, and made his Sir Captainers VERY happy indeed.

(I was a non-owner, so I drank around 10 litres of whisky that night instead…).

And IF it’s raining on Sunday, we’ve decided you can add an 50-60 easy points to that average too! (Who is the SC scorer who loves a man with wet hair? Reveal yourself so we can all give you thanks!).

So quite simply, pop that big C on Nicho, then sit back and watch the points roll in.

That’s me done for the week, may your Cap…

No? There may be more?

Okay…then…

Embed from Getty Images

The Reliable Sir Papali’i

Isaiah Papali’i will provide you a nice solid knock. Always.

I have no right to talk about him though – I still don’t own him and I can’t get him in until next week and I literally say this every week, however I will talk about him, because he is a nice safe Captain choice this week against the Dogs in a Monday game.

The reliable man boasts the second most points of every player in the game currently. He has an average of 83, a delicious three-round average of 85, and he is just the most consistent SC NRL player to ever exist.

Last year when he played the Bulldogs, he scored 89 and 125 points. And honestly, if you don’t have Nicho and just want a reliable Captain’s knock – go him.

Some Possible Captains/Vice Captains

The High-Ceiling WingerCoasters aka The Risky Plays

There’s a bunch of wingercoasters who could go on a tear this weekend. These high-ceiling guys are, of course, a bit of a risk – but if that risk pays off – well what a bloody reward.

Here are two:

A Risky Pod Play of a Captain Mulitalo

With a season average of 68, and in the running to top the Top Try Scorers Chart in 2022 with 8 tries so far this season, the man is an attacking point-scoring machine.

Playing against the Warriors this weekend, you’d expect the entire Sharks backline to enjoy an absolute feast of points – and Mulitalo will be right there enjoying some of those points too.

Of course, this is a VERY risky and quite poddy play to go him over Prince Nicho in that game as Captain of your team – but if you are so inclined…

You may also VC him into Captain Isaiah Papali’i should you wish to balance the reliable with risk.

Embed from Getty Images

Vice Captain Alex Johnston

Then there is AJ. Now. I do really want to get AJ into my team. And before you question my choices, let me give you the rundown.

He has the 5^th highest three-round average of all players at 90, and his run of games go – Titans, Dragons, Eels, Newcastle, Bulldogs…

AJ is playing the Titans. In a Saturday arvo game at Cbus. It is currently freezing cold, yet beautifully sunny here on the Gold Coast. I can see the blue sky outside of my office window as I sit here wrapped in a blanket.

(I can also see the long-lunches going on at the Pavilion just across the lake from my office – and yes. Yes, I am quite jealous. Thank you for asking).

Anyhow, last time AJ played the Titans he scored 94 points.

And no, the Bunnies are not looking their very best, but I still think AJ has a ton of points in him.

Definitely a VC option if you have him. Into a Captain Nicho.

If I owned AJ, that’s exactly what I’d do…

Embed from Getty Images

A Quick Rundown on Your Other Vice Captains

I am running out of time ladies and gentleman, because I need to get back to work – so just quickly here are some VCs you can VC into Captain Nicho Hynes along with AJ above:

• Scotty D enjoying a 73-point average and playing the Dragons after coming off an absolutely incredible 119 points last week. Pop a VC on him in tonight.
• Taylan May who is playing the Knights on Saturday and who teamed up with Tago and scored 106 points vs them back in Round 3 of this year.
• Garrick who is playing the Tigers on Sunday, coming off 99 easy points last week (including two tries), and who scored 113 points vs the Tigers back in Round 9 of this year. Please note – he can also be a Captain if you do not have Prince Nicho.

Verdict

Look. If you own Prince Nicho Hynes – just go with the crowd. Honestly – no need to be cute. Whack that big C on him and sit back and watch the points roll in.

And if he doesn’t perform…well. We’ll go down together and we can just drink some whisky or something at one of my Support Group and you’ll be fine. You’ll come to love it. Promise

Of course, you may wish to be a giant pod of a thing and go for a wingercoaster like a Mulitalo or an AJ.

Then for your Vice Captains, you could seasily pop that on Scotty D, Garrick, or Taylan May.

Need extra cash to help buy a new car or take your business to the next level? Whatever the goal, Pat and George from Mortgage choice are here to help you know your numbers.  Message them via Instagram ‘Pat and George Mortgage Choice’ or give them a call on (02) 9521 1611. Mention ‘SC PLAYBOOK’ for your FREE numbers consult. 

Now, a special note! Unless you know for sure your Origin backeruppers are going to be playing the full shebang – I’d probably be avoiding them as Captains this weekend. They can maybe be VCs, but I can’t find my crystal ball so I can’t really tell you who’s backing up or not…

Anyhow, that is everything because it is too cold to type now and my fingers are frozen. PLUS I literally just think Sir Captain Nicho Hynes. I might VC AND C him.

But whoever your Captain is, may he score you a ton and may your weekend be as glorious as that piece of poetry in the 35^th minute when Cobbo sent Gagai over for a try…

Clementine xx

P.S – Tim is trying to get me to do a reel, so stay tuned to @scplaybook1 on Insta because he’ll convince me one day…and you’ll get to see how horrifically awkward I am on camera…