Updated! Spy's final NRL Supercoach team reveal and analysis


<p>G’day Everyone,</p>



<p>As someone said in a comment about the podcast the other day, “I wish my wife looked at me the way Spy looks when he talks footy.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>I would just say this… You should see me on the first Friday Night footy of the season post-workday, because it’s another level again!&nbsp;</p>



<p>But in truth, I loved the comment because it’s bloody accurate, and the first team reveal of the season is another moment where you can really feel footy in the air.</p>



<p>It has been delayed a week or two due to the stats change, but now that we have clear confirmation around everything and I have my head around things a bit more, it’s time to look at my 2026 starting squad, and also those who are on the cusp of selection but need to find their way in somehow, should form permit.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The PACK</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Hooker</strong></h3>



<p><strong><s>Blayke Brailey&nbsp;</s></strong> <strong>Harry Grant</strong></p>



<p>I have a bad habit of never landing a decent elite hooker, and when I do upgrade mid-season they tend to get hurt.&nbsp;</p>



<p>So, I’m very keen to start with a gun, and although I was originally keen on Brailey, I have now got Grant in there.</p>



<p>This is purely to fund the rest of my squad, as he sits at a nice $50k discount. </p>



<p>Can Grant get back to his SC scoring best? </p>



<p>Without a ball-playing Paps at fullback, yeah, he probably can!&nbsp;</p>



<p>If I end up with the extra dollars, I&#8217;ll still consider Brailey strongly.</p>



<p>Let’s break this recent hooker curse that began the day I traded out a flying Reece Robson a couple of years ago around Origin time!</p>



<p><strong>Bench</strong></p>



<p><strong>Brandon Smith </strong></p>



<p>Off the drink for three months and hopefully refocused, he seems a steal at this price.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Minutes and form will dictate if he is playable early in the season once returning from injury, with the aim of just sitting him there and making some good, solid cash.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Front-rowers</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Payne Haas&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Haas is just so dangerous to leave out if he continues on his 2025 form, and particularly his offloading.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Therefore, I’m starting him and likely locking him as an early round captain for secure points most weeks with some upside! </p>



<p>He had a 90PPG average last season under the new scoring.</p>



<p><strong>Keaon Koloamatangi</strong></p>



<p>Keaon is simply a beast, he averaged 81.7 points in games at prop last season in 70 minutes per game.</p>



<p>He may not play that many each week, but the early bench suggests he&#8217;ll go close.</p>



<p>At just $666k he looks well undervalued to me, gun!</p>



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<p><strong>Bench</strong></p>



<p><strong>J&#8217;maine Hopgood</strong></p>



<p>Hopgood&#8217;s 2025 season was hampered by injury and time spent at hooker. </p>



<p>Priced on just a 53 point average I expected a return to a 60+ average and hopefully plenty more.</p>



<p><strong>Arama Hau</strong></p>



<p>Starts cheap and can hopefully maintain a big minute edge role at the Titans.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Second-row forwards</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Tino Fa&#8217;asuamaleaui</strong></p>



<p>I was able to find a way to upgrade because I want Tino badly. </p>



<p>A Supercoach star with a recently added dual position bonus.</p>



<p><strong>David Fifita&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Speaking of studs, Fifita averaged 81 and 76 per game in the past, then 49 per game last season for a raft of reasons. </p>



<p>At the price and starting for Wayne Bennett, he is straight in for me.</p>



<p><strong>Isaah Yeo</strong>&nbsp;</p>



<p>Okay, so I really wanted a piece of Leka, but after the benching and Yeo getting a decent bump under the NRL Stats tackle interpretations (approx. 6ppg) and already coming in undervalued based on the previous two years, he looks a really good starting piece for 2026. </p>



<p>In 2024, and 2023 Yeo averaged 74 and 69PPG. </p>



<p>If he could even get back to 69PPG, and if you add a further 6 under the new system, he will average 75 off the bat. </p>



<p>13 above average, thank you, sir!</p>



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<p><strong>Bench</strong></p>



<p><strong>Trey Mooney</strong></p>



<p>We are all on a search for that solid, cheaper option that can do a job for us early.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Mooney has some incredible points per minute stats, and his dual position allows me to move him around where necessary.</p>



<p><strong>Jacob Laban</strong></p>



<p>Rinse and repeat Hau, hopefully he maintains the big minute edge role at the Warriors.</p>



<p><strong>Cooper Bai</strong></p>



<p>Bai won&#8217;t start for the Titans, but he is a future star. He&#8217;s good enough to build on his minutes even if not from round 1. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>BACKLINE</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Halfback</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Nathan Cleary</strong></p>



<p>I&#8217;ve had Cleary in, Walker out, Cleary in, Walker out all pre-season.</p>



<p>I&#8217;ve found the funds the lock in the best halfback in Supercoach.</p>



<p><strong>Bench</strong></p>



<p><strong>Ethan Sanders&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>So far so good on avoiding Atkinson, now for Sanders to produce a bigger round one score!</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Five-eighth</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Cody Walker</strong></p>



<p>Well, I was originally banking on Dylan Brown<strong> </strong>to get dual here, but that didn&#8217;t happen, so here we are.</p>



<p>Walker looked in form in the trial, and you can&#8217;t help but get excited with the Rabbits stacked left edge.</p>



<p>This is also the cheapest he has ever been, we just need him to stay healthy for 6+ weeks!</p>



<p><strong>Bench</strong></p>



<p><strong>Jonah Pezet</strong></p>



<p>I’ve long been a Pezet fan and can’t wait to finally watch him in first grade properly.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Centre-wing</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Herbie Farnworth</strong></p>



<p>I wanted to start with Herbie even before the Stat provider change. </p>



<p>He would have averaged 6ppg more last season under the new try assist interpretation, and he also may have scored 350 (maybe or maybe not an exaggeration) against the Warriors, the game he did his hammy 18 minutes in, so that’s another bump. </p>



<p>He is very expensive, but I’m banking on his base, tackle busts, and offloads to be huge, and that&#8217;s before the left edge attack of the Izzy Katoa-led Phins goes from strength to strength.</p>



<p><strong>Kayal Iro </strong></p>



<p>This kid is so damn good, and we just need him to stay healthy after a chequered run last season. </p>



<p>In games where he didn’t get hurt, he averaged 85PPG before his long layoff. </p>



<p>He actually smashed the injury games as well, in fairness. </p>



<p>Add in the centre stats bump, and let’s see if he can fly!</p>



<p><strong>CHEAPIES, CHEAPIES, CHEAPIES!</strong></p>



<p><strong>Moses Leo / Setu Tu / Tom Chester / Sialetili Faeamani</strong> <strong>/ Heamasi Makasini</strong></p>



<p>I&#8217;m pretty keen on the Selwyn Cobbo rebirth, but I’m more attracted to his left edge with a role outside of Herbie / Katoa and co. </p>



<p>However, with so many cheapie CTWs arriving I&#8217;ve downgraded to Moses Leo who looks secure with Zac Lomax&#8217;s path to Melbourne blocked.</p>



<p>It frees up stacks of cash to play with elsewehre.</p>



<p>From here, I will roll out 5x centre cheapies. </p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Fullback</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Reece Walsh&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>I can’t say enough about Reece.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We all saw what he did last season, and you only need to go through his numbers from the last few months of the comp to see how good he was.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Typically, this can be classic late-season form against waning defences, but I have two reasons why a ridiculous average may hold or improve:</p>



<p>1) Reece found his running game and confidence in and through contact, which simply sent him to another stratosphere. </p>



<p>His running game leads to extra base stats and then linebreaks, tacklebusts, and tries. </p>



<p>It leads to points galore, and it brings his floor up!</p>



<p>2) You can say that defenses will have planned for him over the offseason, but do you know who else planned for him? </p>



<p>Craig Bellamy in the Grand Final, and his Supercoach score was about 150 from memory! </p>



<p>That’s not to say it’ll be easy going, and I’m not locking in a 100 average over the first month, BUT it’s possible. </p>



<p>Hopefully, for owners, he doesn’t ease into the season and comes out humming. I also think he may goal-kick. </p>



<p>This is purely speculative on my behalf, but it seems risky to let Reynolds do it when you have Walsh there who kicks at close to 80%, and I would suspect gets better with the consistent duties. </p>



<p>That will be a critical factor in ownership and points early. We should find out in the World Club Challenge, although Reynolds may take the reins for the all-important matches rather than the early to mid-season games where he can put his leg muscles on ice.</p>



<p>If rounds 1 and 2 are subpar for Reece, then I can guarantee there will be a low breakeven fullback putting their hand up while we wait for Reece to find rhythm. </p>



<p>The eye test will be critical, because I think it will be clear if he is close to breaking out again.</p>



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<p><strong>Keano&nbsp;Kini&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Locked and loaded, and the first name on my team sheet. </p>



<p>A 72-point average in 2024, but he was eased back from a neck issue late in the season, which means he is priced at a 45PPG average. </p>



<p>He could end up as one of my boys (top 5).</p>



<p><strong>FLEX</strong></p>



<p><strong>Simi Sasagi</strong></p>



<p>This may seem a bit left field, but to be honest I&#8217;m almost certain to go to Heilum Luki and Ryan Couchman in round 2 or 3, so I&#8217;ve taken a little flyer on Sasagi to see what he can do early before likely being moved on.</p>



<p></p>


Updated! Spy’s final NRL Supercoach team reveal and analysis

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