Draft positional breakdown: Second-row

<ul><li>DRAFT: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://13.210.220.211/2020/02/05/draft-positional-breakdown-centre-wing/" target="_blank">Centre/wing positional breakdown</a></li><li>DRAFT: <a href="http://13.210.220.211/2020/02/26/draft-positional-breakdown-front-row/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Front-row positional breakdown (opens in a new tab)">Front-row positional breakdown</a></li></ul>



This second-row position is
utterly stacked, so you don’t want to be going too early here unless it is
Taumololo. 



I would even rather Cam
Smith than big JT due to depth of their respective positions. 



There are some serious guns in that top 10, but I feel as though you can wait until Round 3 even to get one of the elite guys. 



It all depends on your strategy, but for me I’m looking at hookers and top shelf five-eighths, first at a minimum and of course the top tier fullbacks. Let’s look at my top ranked guys, then some flyers and finally a couple to avoid in my eyes. 



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



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1 – JASON TAUMALOLO



This guy
is a gun, we all know that. If you’re new to SuperCoach, he is as good in the
game as he is in real life NRL. 



The last
three years he has averaged 78, 70 and 75PPG. His minutes have stayed steady,
so expect more of the same. 



Taumalolo
turns 27 in May, so he’s still at the peak of his powers! Taumalolo is my
number one second-rower.



2 – DAVID FIFITA



Freak!
Such a powerhouse. I have him ranked at two here based on possible output and
where he may go in Drafts. 



He had a 0.96PPM
last year which equates to 77PPG if playing 80-minutes. 



He
averaged exactly this over the last eight rounds last year when playing the
full game. 



I would be hoping for an average of 70+ and maybe mid-70s pending minutes. You could scoop him up a little later if people opt for the guys below ahead of him. He’s a big target for me and could win you a title.



3 – RYAN MATTERSON



With an
average of 67PPG last season whilst averaging 76MPG, if he can lock down an 80-minute
role outside of Mitch Moses I can see him acquiring greater attacking stats
then last year. 



Perhaps he can then push his average into the 70s. It is noted that any of the below guys could take the 2nd or 3rd spot on this list. 



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">The breakout season that twas Cameron Murray 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NRL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NRL</a> <a href="https://t.co/SIEeiidqLr">pic.twitter.com/SIEeiidqLr</a>&mdash; NRL (@NRL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRL/status/1206453904185135105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



4 – CAMERON MURRAY



Nerves
around a switch to the edge have led to some concern for Murray. 



However,
I think his work rate will stay high and perhaps he can add some attacking
stats with a little more room. Add in the crash balls inside the red zone off
Damien Cook and the prospect of increased minutes and he could be a star once
more. 



The
downside is if his work rate drops and perhaps his line breaks through the
middle don’t translate to the edge role. But I’m happy to take him still and
think he is simply too good not to be value to any SC team! Neck and neck with
Matterson. 



5 &#8211; JAMES FISHER-HARRIS



JFH scored at an average of 0.87PPM last year, which equates to
a tick under 70PPG when playing the full 80-minutes, which he did for the
majority of the year. 



There is the risk that he gets less minutes at random intervals, but based on last year, Cleary likes what he offers and tends to play him big minutes.



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6 – JAI ARROW



Such an
interesting one this year. Hopping on a plane to Souths at the end of the season
may have some worried that he will take it easy or be used less. 



Conversely,
I think he will be used even more by the coach (no need to save him for 2021)
and Arrow will want to go out on a high. 



The
question is around minutes and what they will look like. Based on 1.09PPM last
season, if he can get himself up to even 63 minutes a game from 57 last year we
have an average of 68PPG. 



Maybe
minutes will be higher and maybe he will be even better, so why not a 70+
average? The risk is that if his minutes are managed to blood future Titans
players, especially if they fall out of contention comes Draft finals time! 



7 – JOHN BATEMAN



He’s such
a weapon this guy, and comps aren’t won in March, so if he can be back by say Round
6 even then he can be huge for you for the rest of the season. 



He will
also slip down Draft boards as result of the injury. Pending your situation,
why not try and grab him and stash him until he returns? 



There are
plenty of back-rowers to cover you until then that will do some sort of job depending
on your league settings and how many players you need to pick. 



Bateman
averaged 72PPG last year, he is a star and is only ranked 8 due to the injury.



8 – CAMERON MCINNES (3rd for Hookers)



Unfortunately McInnes was hurt at the Perth Nines and the latest
reports have him missing 12 weeks. 



However, NRL Physio did confirm that many guys with the same
injury in recent years have returned in 6-8 weeks, meaning he may only miss the
first 2-4 rounds! 



That’s huge, especially if people are scared off and he drops in
your Draft. 



Personally, I wouldn’t let this injury worry me too much from a
Draft perspective and would still probably look to take him in Round 2 as it
stands as he covers hooker which is a shallow position.



McInnes averaged 68PPG last year with an improved running game. If he happens to fall to the third round given the injury scare then definitely get on without question. That would be gold. 



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9 – JAKE TRBOJEVIC



Another
injured guy who shouldn’t miss too long, so don’t look into it too much is my
tip. Jurbo had a down year in 2019 with an average of 63PPG, but he is coming
off previous years of 71 and 73PPG. Was he playing busted or was it a permanent
ball playing role change that translated to less runs? 



Honestly,
I don’t know but I’d back him to average 65 at least with 70+ upside. Coupled
with the injury, maybe you can get a bargain on him.



10 &#8211; LIAM KNIGHT



Knight averaged 47PPG in only 41 minutes last season. He’s looking set for a starting position this season. If he can get up to 60 or so minutes there is no reason why he can’t average high 60s.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FLYERS</h2>



VILIAME KIKAU



This guy
is another animal, there seems to be a trend here. He had averages of 58 and
61PPG the last two seasons, but we know he can do more potentially. It’s concerning
that he can’t nail down an 80-minute role though. What will 2020 bring? 



JAZZ TEVAGA



I love Jazz and have owned him each of the last two seasons to
cover the shallow hooker position, but also back-row.



The risk here is that he is currently injured and is not
guaranteed big minutes. 



However, if he can get the minutes then he can go a long way to
helping you win the comp. 



You won’t have to go too early on him, and with six scores over
70 in the second half of last year and averages of 58 and 57PPG in only 55MPG
over the last two seasons that’s huge upside. 



Essentially, when healthy he is one of my favourite Draft guys. 



Just be aware his opening rounds may be a little slow until he
is back to full fitness, while the injury history a slight concern also. But
the potential rewards are tempting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OTHERS</h2>



Kenny
Bromwich (very good!), Luciano Leilua, Corey Harawira-Naera, Tevita Pangai Jnr,
Wade Graham, Tohu Harris, Briton Nikora, Mitch Barnett, Luke Garner, Angus Crichton,
Dale Finucane, Shaun Lane, Jack Williams, Brandon Smith, Joe Stimson, Jaydn
Su’a



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AVOID</h2>



Nathan Brown, Boyd Cordner. Both too much injury risk so only take in the later rounds.



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

Draft positional breakdown: Second-row

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