Head-to-head focus: Round 23 Supercoach matchups to target

Love the JAC call Max! Been talking him up all week as a super pod. Parra could fire for the run home and JAC has the potential to score 500+ points in his remaining games

Welcome to Head to Head finals!



Now some of you may have actually kicked things off last week, but for the majority of leagues out there, Round 23 through 26 is when you’ll be running your knockout rounds.



Today we’re here to bring you our thoughts on the best matchups this week to help you gain an advantage in your league.



We’ve already touched on this season <a href="https://scplaybook.com.au/blog/2025/06/11/head-to-head-the-changing-ctw-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">the changing nature of the CTW position</a>, and how the ‘Big 4’ are near impossible go against. Well, the SuperCoach gods have provided one of the great levellers last weekend with Herbie now set to miss the entire Finals system.



So if you’ve got the trades to spare, here’s the guys we like this week and why.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The worst defensive positions in SuperCoach</h2>



Combining data from ‘The Weekly Rubdown’ and ‘NRL SuperCoach Stats’ we can paint a picture of the areas to consistently target in H2H match-ups.



As it stands, these teams and, more specifically these edges, are giving up the most SuperCoach points.



<ul>
<li>Manly’s right edge defense</li>



<li>Rabbitohs left edge defense</li>



<li>Knights left edge defense</li>



<li>Rabbitohs right edge defense</li>



<li>Dolphins right edge defense</li>



<li>Roosters middle defense</li>



<li>Eels middle defense</li>



<li>Cowboys right edge defense</li>



<li>Warriors right edge defense</li>



<li>Eels right edge defense</li>



<li>Eels left edge defense</li>
</ul>



With that in mind, the Rabbitohs and Eels are consistently leaking a lot of SuperCoach points and the rest offer opportunities where your attackers could see an uplift in their attack.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What the draw looks like for Round 23 &#8211; Round 27</h2>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players with dream match-ups this week</h2>



Dane Gagai | CTW | $688,800&nbsp; | 17.3 per cent owned (in Top 10%)



For a staunch defensive side, the Panthers shouldn’t scare you off the match-up for Gagai. He’s punched a 96 average in three games at fullback and they’re conceding 84 points to fullbacks in their last 6 matches including a big 117 to AJ Brimson last week.



Season long, Gagai has two more ‘easy’ ones to finish the year. Oh and that 96 average came against the Storm, Warriors and Raiders &#8211; what’s one more Top 4 contender matter!



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AJ Brimson | CTW / 5/8 | $624,300 | 8.9 per cent owned



The statistical match-up of the round belongs to AJ Brimson. He’s the hot hand right now fresh off that big ton against the Panthers. Not only are the Titans looking better and finding some form, listen to the scores of the last fullbacks that played Rabbitohs.



<div class="wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex">
R22: Reece Walsh, 134



R21: Will Kennedy, 90



R20: Dylan Edwards, 173



R19: BYE



R18: Lehi Hopoate, 58 (Tommy Turbo sweeping on both edges, 123)



R17: Hammer, 129



R16: Papenhuyzen, 62
</div>



Souths have given up more tons (27) than any other side this year and at home in the dry on the Gold Coast, this one is shaping up as a big one for AJ.



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Phil Sami | CTW | $635,500 | 0.7 per cent owned



For very similar reasons to why I’m big on AJ Brimson this week, I&#8217;m big on Phil Sami. He’s averaging 78 since moving to the left wing five weeks ago and has six tries in that time. The run home is good for him and his 50 base and power average means his floor is rock solid.



Now of course, he’s not playing this week, but you need to take note of his performances so far because he’s making a very appealing case for consideration upon return next round &#8211; especially if he holds that left wing spot!



Tom Trbojevic | FLB | $657,900 | 13.9 per cent owned



It could be one week, it could be permanent. But anytime you can get Tommy Turbo in a fullback jersey, you need to seriously consider buying him.



The match-up this week is a tough one against Canberra. But it’s Tommy Turbo.



And over the course of the final five rounds, Manly’s run home against the Tigers, Dolphins, Dragons and Warriors is one of the best in the competition.



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Blayke Brailey | HOK | $736,000 | 26.5 per cent owned



Is hooker where you want to POD up? The fact that most won’t might make it a viable spot to push for an advantage. Add in that the guy who has changed the position completely in the last 8 rounds is back playing the team that he changed the position against, it suddenly becomes juicy.



Blayke Brailey’s first ‘running’ game came against the Dragons where he scored 102. His base numbers increased dramatically since then with a greater license to run and therefore more tackle busts, offloads and creative stats too.



With the Dragons and Titans in the next two, he’s got two sides whose middles aren’t great which could make him a very interesting prospect.



Zac Lomax | CTW | $741,100 | 85.6 per cent owned



Defensively the Cowboys edges have been soft, so for a guy whose already a Top 2 in position, this is a game where it would be scary not to own Zac Lomax.



Don’t be spooked by last week. Melbourne are a great defensive side and shit him down extremely well. He’s a genuine C option this week.



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Josh Addo-Carr | $473,300 | 0.1 per cent owned



The Cowboys worst defensive edge is technically the right which is where Josh Addo-Carr will be running at this weekend. With upcoming games against the Rabbitohs (poor both edges), Roosters (poor right edge) and Warriors (poor right edge), the Foxx actually has one of the best statistical run homes of any player in SuperCoach.



The Eels attack doesn’t scream points just yet, but if you were after an absolute Super POD with no owners, he could be the guy to get it done.



Luke Garner | CTW/2RF | $605,300 | 1 per cent owned



Quietly, Luke Garner is having a fantastic season for the Panthers. He’s gone from a Mr. Fix-It in the centres to a potent force in their second row.&nbsp;



The Knights have been conceding 73 points to left second-rowers in the last six games and with Scott Sorensen injured, Garner could be a bit of a point of difference. He’s averaging 70 in his last six games which have all been 68 minutes or more.



Sorensen is on the bench, and with Liam Martin we could see a bit of a rotation in the second row which could keep you away. But Garner has to be a guy worth keeping an eye on in case he has locked in an 80 minute role.



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Head-to-head focus: Round 23 Supercoach matchups to target

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