Home stretch: Manly / Roosters / Knights

The other three teams that have completed their bye schedules for the season are Manly, Roosters, and the Knights; meaning that they are clear for the last 10 games of season 2023.

All three have something still to play for too, with each team sitting outside the top 8 by one, two and three points respectively, it’s all or nothing. 

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MANLY 

Targets 

Rueben Garrick, Daly Cherry-Evans, are the clear best for Supercoaches with Tom Trbojevic being out for the season. Garrick is an elite CTW this year and has very handy dual FLB as well. Currently sitting 5th for season average and having the goal-kicking, it makes sense that he is owned by over 40% of supercoaches. 

DCE has been handy without being amazing, typical DCE. This year however with an average of 68 and three-round average of 75, for those who are unable to get the Hynes/Cleary Combo or just looking to run a POD and put the money elsewhere in their team, he’s well worth considering. Only owned by 3.9% and over $200,000 cheaper as well. 

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Alternate Option 

Haumole Olakau’atu should be worth a look at for the 4/5th 2RF spot, with only one score below 40 all season, he’s been as consistent as they come. And while not going large – only two scores of 80 or higher – he could plug into your team and cover the other players that still have byes remaining. Only owned by 9% of Supercoaches, he could be the POD the help get a solid 17 each week. 

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The Numbers 

Below shows the current playing roster in order of Season Average.  

For those new to seeing the colours in my tables. 

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Average & 3 Round Average 

Purple = Over 100 

Green = Over 65 

Blue = Over 50 

Black = Over 30 

Orange = Over 20 

Red = Under 20 

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BE 

Purple = Less than 0 

Green = Less than 10 below their season average 

Blue = Within 10 +/- of their season average 

Red = More than 10 above their season average 

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Total Price Change 

Purple = Over $200,000 

Green = Above $0 

Red = Below $0 

Blank = No Change 

ROOSTERS 

Targets 

James Tedesco and Joseph Manu are the only two proven guns to target from the Roosters this season. Tedesco had a very slow start to the season, but in the games either side of Origin game one, he showed why he is an elite of the game. A five-round average of 85, a proven gun year in year out, and owned by less than 11% of Supercoaches. He is definitely one to consider in one of the two Fullback slots. 

Manu has been solid again this season, but it’s his dual position status that makes him a target. Available at 5-8 and CTW can greatly help with those last few trades adding flexibility into your team. Trading Schuster out for a CTW for an example. He’s also averaging the 5th highest at 5-8 of the players currently available, and with a three-round average of 100, he can easily fit into most teams. 

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POD Watch 

Nat Butcher is a sneaky POD that should be well worth some consideration. A three-round average of 84, the main go-to forward for the Roosters, averaging nearly 80 minutes for the season of games played. Only has a BE of 26 for this round and only owned by 2.5% of teams. He’s definitely underrated but could be a fantastic POD for the run home. 

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KNIGHTS  

Targets 

Kalyn Ponga, Greg Marzhew, and Dane Gagai are the three best this year at the Knights. For now, Ponga seems to be playing healthy and the Knights are all the better for it. This was evident in the 66-0 rout of the Bulldogs in their last game. Ponga was immense, showing that he is the one that directs nearly all of the attack at the Knights. With finals around the corner, are we yet to see the best of Ponga in the weeks to come? 

Greg Marzhew and Dane Gagai are the beneficiaries of Ponga leading the attack. Both similar in price, currently averaging 78 and 70 respectively, either one of both could make their way into teams. The biggest difference between their scoring capabilities is their ceiling, Marzhew with two scores over 120 and Gagai only scoring over 100 once. However, Gagai is the POD play with less than 2% of players currently having him in their squads. 

Of the rest if you have the trades, players like Fitzgibbon and Best could be considered as a short-term play, but for the majority of coaches, it’s all about getting players to keep for the rest of the season. 

Best of luck for the week ahead!