Clementine Cassidy
NRL SuperCoach, 6th overall, 2021
Weekly wrap: Round 2 winners, losers, injuries
Nick Moon and 2021 6th overall Clem Cassidy recap every game from Round 1, eyeing the Supercoach studs and duds.
NRL
Nick Moon
Self-proclaimed funny guy
March 13, 2023
Ohh where is the bleeding coming from? My halves? My hooker? My back row reserves, Centre/wings? It’s hard to work out where but it’s not looking good!
Can we all agree to just bin the first 2 rounds and start again? Week one wasn’t all that flash, and week two just stunk! How many HIA’s and injuries that put players out for the game did we have?
And ones that had a substantial impact on the Supercoach landscape: Ponga, Smith, Ford, Charnze… There just might be enough to compile a team for week 3…
The next few weeks already seem like moving week, with a few big-name players heading for a bye, the same players that have been pretty awful to start the year.
Does playing patient pay off? Or are we seeing the signs of a hell for leather start, using boosts and getting rid of them to get somewhat of a respectable team together for each game?
Only time will tell but the way the scores are going, it might be a gut feel type year where trades are made with your heart and not head. #NeverTradeAKeeper #UnlessTheyLookLikeLosing200K
And picking a captain that isn’t J’maine Hopgood is getting harder and harder each week! Teddy, Doueihi, Cleary, Trell, Holmes and Murray all sub-65. With byes looming for some of those mentioned, we may just have to go back to 2019 days and be happy with a 70.
The Philly Hamstrings fell back to earth, not even cracking 1000, finishing with 936. Smith and Ford took some of the blame, but the real killer was having 11 players score in the 40s and 50s. Bring on next week!
Clem and the Friday Beers fared much better, scoring a solid 1017 thanks to a one of the worst double movement call tries on, Utoikamanu.
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Embed from Getty ImagesPanthers v Rabbitohs
By Nick Moon
Friedrich Nietzsche said, “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you”. And that is currently my relationship with Nathan Cleary! Maybe he never lied to me, but the man’s game promises us the Supercoach world and delivers an atlas! 40 to back up last week’s 53, his 841K price tag is looking like a big mistake, and with a bye looming, we as owners need to make a call and a big one! Cut the cord and run in a non-Cleary/Hynes world or try and stem the bleeding…
It was another Thursday night Supercoach shocker for most with only Crichton breaking 70 points, as Murray, Mitchell, To’o, Garner, and Moale all failed to fire. To be fair, a big defensive game was always on the menu, and that does not bode well for us hunting those juicy scores.
To’o did cross for a try, but his output has been strikingly different to the To’o we all owned and loved back in 2020/2021. He would be on the chopping block for me, but I think I have bigger problems to try and sort out between now and Thursday.
Murray only got through 59 minutes so well down on last week’s output, Mitchell couldn’t get any clean ball for 74 minutes and Ilias must have spent the week reading about himself in the papers or here on this fine publication… That might be a bit rough but in a halfback world where even Cooper Cronk would look enticing, we need more than a 19-point performance
Minute Watch: Garner 66, Luke 45, Murray 59, ShaqMitch 51, Moale 25
Injuries: Nathan Cleary (ankle), Jarome Luai (foot)
Judiciary: Nil
Embed from Getty ImagesEels v Sharks
By Nick Moon
Hopgood. Hop very good. Hop Excellent. Hop holding everyone’s teams together. Get that man a VB, he has earnt it! Backs up last week’s effort with the performance of the week! Updated to an obscene 124, which included a slew of attacking stats along with his 70 odd in base. Becomes an automatic captaincy choice for next week and will make a ton of cash. Now is your chance to get him in you don’t own…
It was a Friday afternoon special with the scoreboard attendant one of the busiest in the stadium, it was Nicho-less Sharks who held on and boy were they impressive! Thought Trindall was outstanding, and the Sharks should be sizing him up for that 6 jersey when Nicho returns.
Will Kennedy bagged a hattrick and if it wasn’t for the Turbos and Tedescos of the world he would be in 40% of teams… Actually, after Saturday afternoon, he may well be.
Eels 0-2. Love to see it. They showed some glimpses of attacking nous with Sivo and Brown combining well. If you have the cash to spend, Brown is a huge POD at only 5% owned. In a very skinny 5/8 position he may hold the key, albeit a 781k key.
Minute Watch: HopGod 71, Doorey 72, Cartwright 80, Paulo 57, Wilton 80, Nikora 80, McInnes 48
Injuries: Nil
Judiciary: Maika Sivo (Dangerous Contact)
Embed from Getty ImagesBroncos v Cowboys
By Nick Moon
What has Kevvie got in the water up there?! Whatever it is it seems to be working! Huge performance from the Broncs, getting the win over their more fancied local rival (local being 1351kms away) and unearthing (Warriors did the digging) the next superstar in Reece Walsh!
The best eyebrows and lashes in the business starred, scoring a try and setting one up himself to kick off his 2023 with 105. The Broncs looked a different team with him at fullback and with my boy Ezra (Starting to sound like the Spy – Yuck) they are looming as a serious threat. Mam, Walsh, and a level-headed Reynolds steering the ship; good things are on the horizon!
The rain did not help the Cowboys, making it difficult to be able shift the ball sideways with their usual precision, meaning both Holmes and Taulagi saw little good ball. Holmes finished with only 47.
And now onto Drinkwater… Ohh boy!.. I think the Supercoach scorers felt sorry for him and found a solitary point there somewhere in an 80 minutes to forget for owners. Would have been better off playing Tommy Turbo. Had 10 carries of the footy, with 3 penalties conceded, 2 errors and a sin bin… Next!!
Minute Watch: Haas 65, Carrigan 60, Lolo 52, Cotter 56, Nanai 80, Robson 80
Injuries: Corey Oates (jaw)
Judiciary: Scott Drinkwater (Shoulder Charge), Peta Hiku (Dangerous Contact)
Embed from Getty ImagesRoosters v Warriors
By Nick Moon
He’s just there, just look inside and Tedesco is there, just give him the ball!! My word what a frustrating half that was for owners, and like many others, those with the captaincy on him! What did he do to Suaalii that made him run away from him like that… A killer for owners. Finished the afternoon with 55; a poor captaincy score but as the weekend rolled on it became a theme.
The day did not get much better for Butcher or Smith owners, as the pair both were quite passive throughout. Smith lasting only 26 minutes, succumbing to a back issue. Someone was quoted in saying the Roosters didn’t buy a hooker, they bought a personality, and I hate to say it, but I fell into that trap too. Bold prediction: He spends a week in ressies. I’ll be glad to see the back of him in my side.
Shining light for the Chooks though was Sammy Walker hitting a match high 92. Goal kicking well and pops up at the right time. Good to see one halfback has come to the 2023 party.
Wayde Egan had a blinder and looks a likely replacement for Smith – beware though his minutes look all over the place. Played 80 last week, and only 58 this week. I like him as a footballer, but will the Warriors be afforded that many attacking opportunities?
Jackson Ford… Always have been a Holden man. Joined a long list of players succumbing to a HIA in Round 2.
Minute Watch: Collins 77, Smith 26, Butchers 80, Ford 2 (HIA) Harris 80, Niukore 67, Egan 58, Curran 57,
Injuries: Jackson Ford (head knock), Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (head knock), Josh Curran (hip), Brandon Smith (back)
Judiciary: Joseph Suaali’i (Dangerous Contact)
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Dolphins v Raiders
Presenting Wayne’s Dolphins and Ricky’s Raiders in: A Modern-Day Fairy Tale.
By Clem Cassidy
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny seaside kingdom – peaceful, prosperous, and rich in dolphins and phins. Here in a stately stadium, there lived a Fairy Waynemother and his band of merry dolphi… ahh men… his band of merry men…
And a round of applause for the 2023 Dolphins please!
Defeaters of the Raiders, 20 – 14 in a gritty, wet, sin-binned full match.
Numero uno on the NRL Ladder at this very moment.
Get your phins out!
The Dolphins are surely everybody’s new second team!
And my god. If they are not the modern-day fairy tale we all need in our lives right now! They bring such joy, and light, and hope, and such beautiful moments such as 81-point Gilbert excitedly getting amongst it with the fans on the sideline after scoring a big glorious front rower try, and Phin Diesel (aka the people’s champion Kafusi) performing bone rattling hits that send shivers down the spine.
The Hammer continues to demonstrate why he cannot be ignored as a viable SuperCoach option. 79 points, 2 tries, and a line break – at $330k and set to make a bunch of cash, you could not sniffle at someone looking to bring him into their team.
Embed from Getty ImagesI am on the fence about Isaako. Although 48 points in a wet game isn’t something to be too sad about, I think you’d be better off going the cheaper Hammer should you wish for a Dolphin in your CTW.
Bottom-dollar cheapie Katoa showed calmness under pressure, coming up with a big play with 3 minutes to go on the clock, setting up the Hammer to help bring up the winning points, and bringing his own SuperCoach points total to 45 at the same time.
For the Raiders, Tapine was busy, improving on last week’s score, and scoring 64 points in 48 minutes in a game where more than two/thirds of the players scored under 50 points.
And now. In 10 years’ time when you are sitting at the pub and it’s pop culture quiz night, and the question comes up “what was the historically iconic moment that happened on 15th March 2023?”, the correct answer will be, of course, “Timmy did a phinny”.
Because this Wednesday morning, the great Overlord (or the new Eddie McGuire as Nick likes to call him), will be downing one of the finest beers in the land out of one of the finest phins in the land. Word on the street is he’ll also give us some dolphin sounds for added atmospheric pleasure too. I’m getting excited just thinking about it…
Minute Watch – Tapine 48, CHN 74, Young 70 (including a sin bin), Gilbert 62, JMK 71, Nicholls 50
Reported Injuries: Lemuelu (head knock)
On report: JMK (dangerous contact), Gilbert (dangerous contact)
Embed from Getty ImagesStorm vs Bulldogs
By Clem Cassidy
Aka The One with the Bellyache Blowup
Oooh boy. We do love a good Bellyache blowup. And woweee was he in some fine form on Saturday night.
There was shouting, and there was arm waving. And there was a lot of words that if I could lipread I probably couldn’t put in here (except you know I would…)
The Bulldogs, who were defeated so soundly by Manly last week, defeated the Storm. And in fact, in the first half prior to THAT Bellyache blowup, you would say they DOMINATED the Storm.
13 – 26. And OMG I did not see this one coming. Who are these Bulldogs? It was a legit brand-new looking team!
Kiraz is simply a god amongst wingers and must be considered for your team. Surely in the top 5 CTW by season’s end. 148 SuperCoach points. 2 tries, 2 line breaks, 552 tackle busts…against the Melbourne Storm. I will be looking to get him in my team sooner rather than later.
Reed Mahony continues to impress with 90 points. You could look at him twice and think about getting him in your team, he is just such a busy, busy man. A special shoutout to Averillo with a delicious 90 points including a try and an assist.
To the cheapies, and Preston is 80 minutes of glorious fun and a round of applause to everyone who played him in your 17s. For your 200k investment, you were rewarded with 84 stunning points. Non-owners (including myself) Must. Get. Him. In.
Alamoti with 48 points and no tries, was a beautiful shining light amongst the cheapie CTWs lurking on everybody’s benches.
Embed from Getty ImagesTo Burton, and I’m unsure about Burton. 30 points is not great for your 595k 5/8 investment. I honestly think he’ll get better, but if I was an owner, I’d be feeling a tad ripped off right now and may be considering the flick.
…and it’s time to go…
22-point Pele. Pele you have been eliminated. Please say goodbye, pack your bags, and leave my island team. Look, if you can find a way to get him out of your team this week, do so – perhaps a swap to a Keppie or a nice upgrade to a Stefano or a Welch if you have the cash to splash.
To the Storm we go, and I continue to live with the deepest sense of regret over not starting with Harry in my team. 74 points in a beaten team. And why I chose to be hurt again by a block of Cheese and not go with the sensible option of Harry the Wizard is simply beyond me.
Special shoutouts to Jahrome Hughes, who played his heart out and scored 90 including a try, and big, angry 74-point NAS who took matters into his own hands in the second half and crashed over for a try, before leaving the field injured.
Elise Katoa topped the mid-range 2RFs this week with a casual 92 points finishing with three line breaks including two in a row. At 411k he looks so dangerous, runs excellent lines, and when he is used properly looks like an almost must-have in your team. Josh King almost halved his herculean 1st round performance managing 55 points in 63, whilst Trent Loiero played the role of Mr Consistent on 46 points.
200k William Warbrick at 36 points with no tries in a beaten team isn’t a concern. He’s a hold for now. I promise, you have actual fires in your team.
Minute Watch – Kikau 73 (sin bin), Pele 23, Preston 80, J King 63, Katoa 80, Loiero 80, Welch 63, Grant 80, NAS 32 (injury)
Reported Injuries: NSA (knee)
On report: Kikau (Dangerous contact)
Embed from Getty ImagesTigers vs Knights
By Clem Cassidy
“Has anyone tried turning this game off then on again?”
Deep Longstop – Philosopher and Scholar
Perfectly summed up Mr Longstop (insert round of applause here), and on that note, we can now move on from this game to recapping the last game of the rou…
Okay, okay. We’ll do some more words about the 12 – 14 Knights defeat over the bedraggled Tigers at Leichardt Oval.
And firstly, I would like to say I hope Kalyn is okay. Watching him go down with another head knock in the first couple of minutes of the game is incredibly sad.
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And condolences to all the SuperCoachers who traded him in for 1 point. If I owned, I would likely trade him out again even though I absolutely abhor the trade in and out game. I’ll give you an exemption, just this once.
And secondly, I would like to congratulate the Knights, who lost Ponga, Brailey, Frizell, and Johns to injury, played with just 12 men for 25 minutes after a sin bin AND a send off, and got down to just one man on the bench. A truly herculean performance of sheer grit and determination.
And also, a reflection of just how terribly the Tigers played the game – poor, so poor, so very, very poor. A team full of errors with absolutely nothing in attack.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor the Knights, Dominic Young dominated, topping the SuperCoach points table 89 points despite a sin binning in the first half, while Fitzgibbon found the line for the second week in a row and finished on 72. Tyson Gamble also gave it a good crack, finishing on 57 points including two try assists.
For the Tigers, Doueihi wasn’t the Doueihi of last week and had a very not great game, scoring just 56 points which disappointed owners, especially those who’d given him the big Sir Captaincy.
IPap’s 45 point is the most inconsistent thing I’ve ever seen the normally Mr Reliable do in my entire life. He comes at a BIG price tag and will drop cash. I’d watch and wouldn’t be rushing quite yet to bring him in my team.
A truly heartbreaking moment for try-seeker Twal, as literally everybody in the universe held their breath when he finally crossed over the line to break his 7-year try-scoring drought, only to watch Frizell knock the ball cold out of his desperate try-seeking hands.
And then there was Stefano. Big, glorious Stefano. Rewarding his lucky owners (including yours truly) with a delicious 78 points, and somehow turning a blatant double movement into a big, glorious try with 33 seconds left on the clock; perfectly summing up the entire game with a great big exclamation mark, as we all stared at our TVs in disbelief and collectively said:
“WTAF was that!”
Minute Watch – Frizell 50 (injured) D.Safiti 61, Twal 54, Utoikamanu 59, IPap 80, Joe O 37, Api 75
Reported Injuries: Ponga (head knock), Brailey (head knock), Talau (head knock), Frizell (ankle), Johns (ankle)
On report: Hastings (dangerous tackle), Saifiti (dangerous tackle)
Embed from Getty ImagesDragons vs Titans
By Clem Cassidy
Now that we’ve got that over with, let us talk about the Dragon’s 32 – 18 domination over the Titans.
Tipped by bookies as the third most likely team designated for the wooden spoon, the Dragons leaked a couple of early tries, but then made an ABSOLUTE comeback, scoring 3 times in 8 minutes and completely dominating possession and the Titans and everything and everyone in between for the rest of the game.
Special shoutout to Ben Hunt on 89 points with a try and an assist, Lomax with 82 points, Liddle with 76 points, and 298k Tyrell Sloan, with 78 points including a try and an assist. Watch this space.
For the Titans the shining light SuperCoach-wise was big 111-point Tino, who racked up lots of lovely base, before crashing over for a try late in the game. David Fifita managed 69 points including a bunch of tackle busts and offloads, and we’re not angry, we’re just disappointed. Because for some reason we just expect so much MORE from the big man.
Embed from Getty Images200k Khan-Pereira on 40 points with a try and a line break makes me feel a bit anxious. He’s so extremely reliant on attacking stats, but no need to rush him out this week because at bottom dollar he literally can’t go any lower.
And 24-point Tanah Boyd. OMG.
Despite using my very best manifestation skills and all my crystals, I could not manifest more than 6 points out of the man in that second half.
And I know he’s cheap at 384k and has that lovely dual, but please sir! Those ERRORS! And those kicks! And with scores of 35 and 24 to his name, I’m afraid he may get fired from my team.
Minute Watch – Fifita 80, Tino, 71, Bird 48, Liddle 57, Lawrie 52
Reported Injuries: Couchman (head knock), Verrills (shoulder)
On report: NIL
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