NRL Supercoach Round 17 Wrap: 8 Things We Learnt

Well, I managed to escape the weekend unscathed and have come through injury-free, unlike a lot of players this weekend!



It was touch and go as I spent Saturday night with the Overlord and his attempt at being Ed Sheeran. 



Scary viewing for those who saw the photo. 



The late night beers and Supercoach discussion were robust, and we both agreed that buying Zac Laybutt last weekend was a masterstroke by me.



But back to the footy! 



Big weekend if you were able to nab the right scorer with 13 different players raising the bat. 



Some of those highly owned, so those trying to anti-pod may have felt the brunt.



The Reapers bounced back after last week’s dismal performance. 



I, too, had a Seibold meeting, and it appears I have a job for another week or 2. 



With Scotty Drink as captain and AJ Brimson flying, I ended with 1434, seeing me move up 5,238 in the rankings to 21,203 overall.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Kiraz gives new owners the Blues</h3>



The number one (two) trade target of the week had everyone wanting a piece of him, and that appears it wasn’t just limited to Supercoach!



Jacob Kiraz made his way into roughly 22,000 sides by Thursday night, and whilst it was one of the all-time great regular season games, he certainly didn’t reach the lofty heights we expected from him.



Only managed 56 in a defensive slugfest where he couldn’t see any clear air. 



He offloaded like he didn’t want to play the ball, and thankfully he did, because in his 56, 16 of those were made up in offloads alone.



But if the 56 had you a bit so-so, Laurie decided to kick us all while we are down and pick him as 18th man for the Blues next Wednesday!



Now, no one here at the SC Playbook batcave is saying he doesn’t deserve it; we are just such a simple being that we only look at things through a Supercoach lens, and that means he will now miss this weekend&#8217;s crucial match against an Origin-depleted Broncos.



Those who held off buying this week now look like absolute geniuses. 



I am not one of those.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. The Final Cheapie Josiah has emerged</h3>



And the number one trade target for the weekend absolutely did a job and some!



Josiah Karapani was the late-season cheapie sent from the clouds, and looks like one that won&#8217;t be going too far from the sides unless absolutely necessary! 



He was priced at $290k before this weekend, but his 71 will bump his price up roughly $120k.



Too late if you missed the boat? Maybe now, dependent on team line-ups, but plays this all-important mini bye and might have locked down his spot for the year with Cobbo on the outer.



Brisbane has caught fire, and his work rate and tackle-busting ability look as good as any. 



Scored a classy try on Saturday, and was unlucky not to have another with a foot on the line. 



His inside man, Gehamat Shibasaki, has been given a call-up to the QLD Origin side, so that will only bring a lot of confidence, and if he comes back and starts passing the ball to his unmarked man, we can all rejoice.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Scotty keeps owners hydrated (I’ve certainly re-hashed that headline)</h3>



Fill up the drink bottles, Scotty is back with a bang!



Must have enjoyed having all his Origin teammates around him on Sunday afternoon as he led the way against a depleted and defence-adverse Titans side.



Conceding on average 30 points a game, Drinkwater was always going to have a big say in this match and boy didn’t he lift.



Scored a double, set up another 2 and kicked a few goals here and there (what’s that about?) to finish the afternoon with a season high 134. 



Massive for all owners, but those who went for the captaincy were well rewarded for their patience in waiting till the last game of the round. 



That’s now his fifth 100+ score of the year, and takes that form into a Melbourne side without Grant, Munster, Coates, or Loiero.



We have seen what happens when his Origin stars are out, but let’s hope he bounces in and out of a few tackles to roll a good score to keep that price on the up.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. The Katoas own the weekend</h3>



This kid could be anything!



Both of them, actually. 



No idea if they are related or not, but rest assured, the next player to come through the ranks named Katoa will have plenty of eyes on him!



Isaiya Katoa is quickly becoming a human highlight reel! 



His performance on Saturday night was one to savour. 



Set up 4 tries in another 50-point drubbing for the Dolphins. 



Seems to have more time on his hands than Benjamin Button, and knowing the Hammer isn’t far away, would be a blessing for a halfback.



Matty Johns said that he is doing things Andrew couldn’t do at that age, and that is something! 



Well done to those who own him, it must be the most enjoyable 80 minutes of the weekend!



We will see how he goes without his Robin as Nikorima picked up a hamstring strain, but that just means more ball for Katoa right?



And not to be outdone, Eliesa had a 10 out of 10 Rugby League Week performance, spending more time in the air than a Jetstar flight. 



Absolute must-have now for the run if you don’t have him.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Even the injuries are getting injured</h3>



Busy week to be a bag of ice and a compression bandage!



Another dour week for injuries and some huge names will see the inside of the recovery room before an NRL field for a while yet.



Poor Luke Metcalf, leading the Dally Ms and the Warriors around, has done his ACL and won’t be seen again in 2025. 



Gutted for him, and owners who had a guy who could go big for the run home. 



A sorry sell, but one we will flock to in 2026 should he be fit!



The carnage didn’t end there, with CNK, Nikorima and Couchman all picking up injuries that will see them out for extended periods. 



Api failed to finish the game on Friday and Ponga&#8216;s season 2025 woes end with a Lisfranc injury 



The sniper didn’t take a day off and found poor Sua Fa’alogo’s hamstring, and he will likely miss a big chunk of footy.



Hopefully, Flanagan has another son to pick because the Dragons were hit the hardest!



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">6. Script Flippers in the Fullback spot</h3>



The script has been flipped on the fullback spot in 2025, and I can’t make sense of it anymore!



Turbo was once a God, now lingers in the CTW spot and is around $500k, Ponga gone for the season now, but that’s probably for the best, and many would be waiting for Latrell to finish his Origin commitments.



It’s been a frustrating month or so trying to nail the fullback who goes ballistic. 



This weekend it was Drinky, but even he was coming off scores of 33 and 73. 



Papenhuyzen is the main concern. 



Since his 182, where he sent owners and captainers skyrocketing up the leaderboard, he has not posted a score above 75, and he has had some friendly matchups in that time! 



If you want consistency, then look no further than Teddy, who will now play every game from here on in and is a must. 



Waiting for that 140+ breakout gam,e and it appears imminent



If you run the Paps, Drinky &amp; Teddy combo, you can’t go wrong, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Edwards, Latrell and even Hammer after Round 21. 



Edwards has a great run if he backs up after Origin, and if confirmation comes in that he will take the tee for the remainder of the year, then look out!



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">7. Hooker conundrum keeps us guessing</h3>



Anyone want to throw their hat in the ring for a 60 average hooker to end the year?



Massive woes in the number 9 spot with Harry Grant being a popular trade in this week, couldn’t crack a half century, whilst those who played without one probably ended up in front!



I don’t know who will end the year as the leading scorer, but if it’s someone like Egan, I wouldn’t be surprised!



Watson will be much sought after, as will Grant after Origin, but outside of that, it’s a little skinny. 



JMK, if he keeps playing 80, is a shout, Mahoney, if the Dogs want an 80-minute hooker and not a 7 to fill a spot, or even Cook/Liddle should one of them go down.



Those with Starling could probably hold with the Raiders run they have, whilst many like me who own Ryley Smith, may need to find a new place sitter with Tallyn Da Silva arriving in the blue and gold as we speak.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Minute Watch</h3>



Panthers v Bulldogs Yeo 80, Papali&#8217;i 40, Kikau 80, Preston 80, Galvin 28



Sea Eagles v Tigers Tevaga 47, Api 66, Da Silva 41 



Knights v Raiders KPP 80, Lucas 80, Ponga 59, Hosking 80, Horse 58, Pattie 12, Starling 68, Sasagi 80



Broncos v Warriors Haas 55, Carrigan 54, Metcalf 67, Clark 66, Laban 58, Halasima 35



Dragons v Eels Cook 50, Liddle 52, Couchman 45, Hopgood 31, Williams 74



Dolphins v Rabbitohs Finefeuiaki 80, JMK 80, Keaon 60, Aitken 75, Duncan 80, 



Storm v Sharks Grant 80, EKat 80, NAS 33, AFB 58, Nikora 80, McInnes 50



Titans v Cowboys Tino 68, Fermor 80, Randall 80, Nanai 80, Robson 80

NRL Supercoach Round 17 Wrap: 8 Things We Learnt

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