Wenin’s Teams Analysis – Round 8

4 Comments June 30, 2020 WeninRome 978 Views

The less said about that round, the better!

Let’s move along to Round 8, where fortunately the SuperCoach gods have been relatively kind to us today with a relatively uneventful series of team lists.

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STORM v ROOSTERS

Thursday, 7.50pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Justin Olam 4. Paul Momirovski 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Ryley Jacks 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Christian Welch 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane

Bench: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tino Faasuamaleaui 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Reserves: 18. Cooper Johns 19. Marion Seve 20. Albert Vete 21. Chris Lewis

Injuries/outs:

Tui Kamikamica (back, round 8)
Christian Welch (head knock, round 8)
Josh Addo-Carr (head knock round 8)
Kenny Bromwich (head knock, round 8)
Brenko Lee (hamstring, round 9)
Cameron Munster (knee, round 11-12)

Cameron Munster will miss the next 4 – 6 weeks with a knee injury and must be sold. He will be replaced in the Storm starting side by Ryley Jacks. Ryan Papenhuyzen now has a BE of 14 and will therefore likely see a couple of price rises, but he faces the Roosters this round and then the Raiders in round 9 before a mouth-watering encounter against the Titans in round 10. With that upcoming fixture against the Titans, Broncos and the Bulldogs, Cameron Smith is a definite target, and with a BE of 102, hopefully, he will be available for under $700k soon!

Match up Rating – Bad

Despite the Roosters being the walking wounded last weekend, the Dragons only had four players score more than 60 points against them, with a team average of 43 points. They are that good!

Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Josh Morris 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Angus Crichton 13. Nat Butcher

Bench: 14. Poasa Faamausili 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Mitchell Aubusson 17. Lindsay Collins

Reserves: 18. Daniel Fifita 19. Ryan Hall 20. Freddy Lussick 21. Lachlan Lam

Injuries/outs:

Isaac Liu (broken rib, round 9-10)
Victor Radley (knee, season)
Sam Verrills (knee, season)
Billy Smith (knee, season)

The Roosters and SuperCoaches welcome back James Tedesco who missed last Friday nights match due to concussion. This sees Joseph Manu shift to centre alongside a returning Josh Morris with Ryan Hall out and Mitch Aubusson to the interchange. Jake Friend is back into the starting team with Sam Verrills out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, while Victor Radley also will miss the remainder of the season with the same injury and he has been replaced at lock by Nat Butcher.

Butcher becomes a big watch from here on, and with a BE of 66, we can afford to wait a week. Last year he played four games over 60 minutes and averaged 83, with the one game at lock producing 88 points with 66 in base. Tedesco will take the field this round with a BE of 55, but that will likely skyrocket next round to circa 150.

Match-up Ratings – Bad

Melbourne have conceded the third-fewest points since the break and should prove difficult even for the all-conquering Roosters. Last year they conceded on average 44 points per player in the two games played against the Roosters, which is on par with how the Storm have been this year against other sides.

RAIDERS v DRAGONS

Friday, 6pm, GIO Stadium, Canberra

Raiders: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Michael Oldfield 5. Nick Cotric 6. Jack Wighton 7. George Williams 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Iosia Soliola 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Joseph Tapine

Bench: 14. Curtis Scott 15. Emre Guler 16. Ryan Sutton 17. Siliva Havili

Reserves: 18. Tom Starling 19. Dunamis Lui 20 Matt Frawley 21. Kai O’Donnell

Injuries/outs:

Corey Horsburgh (foot, round 20)
John Bateman (shoulder, indefinite)
Sebastian Kris (extended sick leave)
Andre Niko (knee, season)

Bailey Simonsson replaces Jordan Rapana on the wing, who has been dropped, while Michael Oldfield replaces Curtis Scott at centre, with Scott dropping to the bench. Joe Tapine returns from a knee injury after being a late withdrawal last round at lock for Corey Horsburgh, who will miss the next 12 weeks with a foot injury.

Josh Papalii produced 100 points against the Eels with 75 coming from base + power. He’s at the right price now for those looking to upgrade in the front row. John Bateman has announced today that he will not be at the Raiders next year and there is still some doubt at which point he will return this year.

Match-up Ratings – Average

Dragons have conceded the 7^th most amount of SuperCoach points since the COVID-19 resumption.

Dragons: 1. Matt Dufty 2. Jason Saab 3. Euan Aitken 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Adam Clune 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tyrell Fuimaono 13. Trent Merrin

Bench: 14. Ben Hunt 15. Josh Kerr 16. Korbin Sims 17. Jackson Ford

Reserves: 18. Eddie Blacker 19. Tristan Sailor 20. Billy Brittain 21. Tim Lafai

Injuries/outs:

Jacob Host (hamstring, round 8)
Tariq Sims (wrist, round 9-11)
Brayden Wiliame (calf, round 10-11)
Jack de Belin (stood down)

No changes for the Dragons.

Zac Lomax continues to produce the goods in the centres and could be held for the rest of the season as a 4^th/5^th CTW. Matt Dufty has produced scores of 120, 75 and 64 since returning to the starting side but has now maxed out in price for those looking to turn him into a genuine keeper. Cameron McInnes has plateaued of late with scores of 58 and 64 and now faces a BE of 118.

Match-up Rating – Average

The Raiders are not the same tough opponents for SuperCoach as they were last year, conceding 4217 points in total since Round 2, which sees them ranked 5^th overall and an average per player against of 50 PPG. With that said, they’ve faced the Storm, Knights, Tigers, Manly and the Eels since the resumption, so I can see this being a challenging encounter for the Dragons players – but they are performing better in recent weeks.

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EELS v COWBOYS

Friday, 7.55pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Michael Jennings 4. Waqa Blake 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Jai Field 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Ryan Matterson 13. Marata Niukore

Bench: 14. Ray Stone 15. David Gower 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Brad Takairangi

Reserves: 18. Stefano Utoikamanu 19. Daniel Alvaro 20. George Jennings 21. Will Smith

Injuries/outs:

Mitchell Moses (calf, TBC)
Nathan Brown (suspension, round 9)
Kane Evans (calf, indefinite)

Jai Field replaces Mitchell Moses in the halves with Moses expected to miss the next few weeks with a calf injury. After that score of 18, he now has a BE of 117 and needs to be sold. They face the Bulldogs, Sharks and then the Dragons in Rounds 12 – 14, so he could be traded back in at a discount then but is no must-have this year. David Gower replaces Daniel Alvaro in the only other change.

Ryan Matterson is an absolute must this year but is now priced $717k and may be the least of peoples concerns with injuries aplenty. It’s just one of those years, but if you’re fortunate to have both a trade and the cash spare then bring him in ASAP. However, it may be worth watching this weekends game just to see how the loss of Moses has and whether Dylan Brown takes attacking balls away from Matterson’s right edge.

Match-up Ratings – Good

The Cowboys still conceded on average 51 points per player last weekend despite a fantastic performance against the Knights. The week before if was 57 points!

Cowboys: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Tom Opacic 4. Esan Marsters 5. Justin O’Neill 6. Scott Drinkwater 7. Jake Clifford 8. Josh McGuire 9. Reece Robson 10. Jordan McLean 11. Shane Wright 12. Coen Hess 13. Jason Taumalolo

Bench: 14. Ben Hampton 15. Gavin Cooper 16. Peter Hola 17. Francis Molo

Reserves: 18. Reuben Cotter 19. Valentine Holmes 20. Corey Jensen 21. Jake Granville

Injuries/outs:

Tom Gilbert, (suspended, round 9)
Valentine Holmes (ankle, round 10)
John Asiata (knee, round 9-11)
Michael Morgan (shoulder, indefinite)

Valentine Holmes has been named in the reserves and could be a late inclusion. This may see Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow shift to the wing and Tom Opacic out of the side, with Justin O’Neill shifting back to the centres.

Scott Drinkwater gets one more game (how many times have we said that this year) with a BE of 31, he can be next weeks trade. Tabuai-Fidow saw a price rise of $76k, and while he still has a negative BE (-7), I would be looking at Tesi Niu at basement price as first priority.

Match-up Rating – Average

Excluding the Broncos match in Round 3, where they conceded just 34 points per player, they have conceded over 50 points per player since the break. I’d still be too nervous about playing Drinkwater, but Taumalolo is a captain option every week and shapes a solid VC option for your Friday night.

TITANS v SHARKS

Saturday, 3pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Titans: 1. Corey Thompson 2. Anthony Don 3. Brian Kelly 4. Tyrone Peachey 5. Phillip Sami 6. Ash Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Mitch Rein 10. Jaimin Jolliffe 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Keegan Hipgrave 13. Jai Arrow

Bench: 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Sam Lisone 16. Bryce Cartwright 17. Jarrod Wallace

Reserves: 18. Bryce Cartwright 19. Erin Clark 20. Beau Fermor 21. Tyrone Roberts

Injuries/outs:

Tyrone Roberts (ankle, round 8)
AJ Brimson (back, indefinite)
Young Tonumaipea (knee, indefinite)
Ryan James (knee, season)
Jonus Pearson (pectoral, season)

Tyrone Peachey starts at centre for Dale Copley with Bryce Cartwright recalled to the bench in the only change to the side that defeated the Broncos last weekend.

Jai Arrow is a massive concern, and an upgrade to Matterson is definitely on the cards this week or next. He played just 52 minutes against Brisbane for 43 points and now has a three-round average of 54. Moeaki Fotuaika’s score of 52 seems underwhelming, but he did get sin-binned, and he’s still a solid option going forward.

Match-up Rating – Average

The Sharks have actually conceded the least amount of points to the left edge this season, so Ashley Taylor’s run of big scores could be coming to an end.

Sharks: 1. Matt Moylan 2. Sione Katoa 3. Josh Dugan 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Bryson Goodwin 6. Shaun Johnson 7. Chad Townsend 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Jack Williams

Bench: 14. Toby Rudolf 15. Braden Hamlin-Uele 16. Siosifa Talakai 17. Royce Hunt

Reserves: 18. Scott Sorensen 19. Connor Tracey 20. Will Kennedy 21. Nene Macdonald

Injuries/outs:

Ronaldo Mulitalo (knee, round 9)
Bronson Xerri (stood down)
Cameron King (ACL, season)

Andrew Fifita starts at prop with Braden Hamlin-Uele back to the bench, but this could once again be reversed come kick-off.

The Sharks right edge has been on absolute fire over the past few weeks with Shaun Johnson and Sione Katoa lighting it up. Johnson shapes as a cracking buy this round, and despite some recent price increases he is still undervalued. On the left, Bryson Goodwin has a two-game average of 56 since returning to the NRL and he will see his first price rise after this match. At $367k, he is awkwardly priced but could be an option.

Match-up Rating – Good

Up until last weekend, the Titans have conceded the fourth most amount of points in SuperCoach since the return from the COVID-19 break. Following this game, they now rank ninth. Onya, Broncos. I still think that this is a solid match-up for the Sharks and particularly that right edge, which has been so fruitful over the past few rounds. They’ve averaged close to 60 points against right edge players, which will hopefully see Johnson and Katoa continue on their merry way and Johnson a definite captain option.

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WARRIORS v BRONCOS

Saturday, 5.30pm, Central Coast Stadium

Warriors: 1. ~~Roger Tuivasa-Sheck~~ 2. David Fusitu’a 3. Peta Hiku 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Blake Green 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 9. Wayde Egan 10. Agnatius Paasi 11. Jack Murchie 12. Tohu Harris 13. Adam Blair

Bench: 14. Chanel Harris-Tavita 15. Jack Hethrington 16. Karl Lawton 17. Josh Curran

Reserves: 18. King Vuniyayawa 20. Isaiah Papali’i 21 Adam Pompey 22. Gerard Beale

Injuries/outs:

Lachlan Burr (head knock, round 8)
Jazz Tevaga (calf strain, round 8-9)
Eliesa Katoa (ankle, round 10)
Adam Keighran (knee, 11-13)
Nathaniel Roache (knee, round 12-14)
Leeson Ah Mau (pectoral, indefinite)
Rocco Berry (back, indefinite)
Taane Milne (knee, season)
Jackson Frei (knee, season)
Bunty Afoa (knee, season)
Selestino Ravutaumada (season)
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (suspended, round 9)

Mass changes once again for the Warriors. David Fusitu’a returns on the wing, seeing Patrick Herbert shifting to centre and Gerard Beale dropping to the reserves. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is out suspended (confirmed tonight). Wayde Egan returns from suspension at hooker pushing Karl Lawton to the bench, while Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Agnatius Paasi return to the starting side. Adam Blair shifts to lock, Tohu Harris to the second row and Isaiah Papali’i dropped once again to the reserves. Jack Hetherington is the new face on the bench after joining the club from the Panthers, and Posa Faamausili returns to the Roosters.

Tohu Harris cannot be stopped at the moment. The Kiwi forward has a season average of 79 and is proving to be a massive POD in the second row. He’s priced at close to $100k less than Matterson and therefore represents value. Despite being named at lock, I still expect him to spend some time in the middle.

Match-up Rating – Very good

The Broncos are a joke and they have conceded the most amount of points in SuperCoach since the break. They are ranked first and second on the edges in points conceded. I am expecting plenty of points in this one.

Broncos: 1. Tesi Niu 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Herbie Farnworth 4. Darius Boyd 5. Xavier Coates 6. Anthony Milford 7. Brodie Croft 8. Matt Lodge 9. Issac Luke 10. Payne Haas 11. Alex Glenn 12. Tevita Pangai Jnr 13. Pat Carrigan

Bench: 14. Tom Dearden 15. Tom Flegler 16. Rhys Kennedy 17. Ben Te’o

Reserves: 18. Corey Oates 19. Cory Paix 20. Richard Kennar 21. Jamil Hopoate

Injuries/outs:

Cory Paix (pectoral, round 8)
Kotoni Staggs (hamstring, round 8-9)
Jake Turpin (leg, round 9)
Jesse Arthars (knee, round 9-11)
David Fifita (knee, round 9-11)
Jordan Kahu (shoulder, indefinite)
Sean O’Sullivan (knee, indefinite)
Keenan Palasia (knee, indefinite)
Jack Bird (ACL, season)

The Broncos merry-go-round continues with Corey Oates this weeks scapegoat, having found himself dropped. However, this has been coming for a while with the Origin winger horribly out of form and down in confidence. This sees Jamayne Isaako named on the wing and should, therefore, see Tesi Niu play the full 80 minutes this weekend. Thomas Flegler and Pat Carrigan return from suspension with Flegler joining the bench and Carrigan to starting lock. Matt Lodge has been named despite leaving the field early with a knee injury last round, while Joe Ofahengaue is out through suspension.

Last weekend was the second down game in a row for Payne Haas with the young prop playing just 63 minutes despite there being two utilities on the bench. He’s no longer an automatic captain selection. Tevita Pangai continues to score well since returning from suspension, but how long until the next one? Pat Carrigan will be a welcomed return this weekend and should come straight back into our starting sides. Tesi Niu looked ok last weekend and was unlucky not to score a try in the opening half. He just needed to take on the fullback, and he was home. He remains basement priced this week.

Match-up Rating – Very good

The Broncos are halfway through what should be a dream run of fixtures for them so they absolutely no excuses for not producing SuperCoach points. The Warriors were a shambles last round against the Storm, and I can’t see how they improve that much this weekend with plenty of turmoil surrounding the Kiwis.

TIGERS v PANTHERS

Saturday, 7.35pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Tigers: 1. Adam Doueihi 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Joseph Leilua 4. Moses Mbye 5. Tommy Talau 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Luke Brooks 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Harry Grant 10. Oliver Clark 11. Luke Garner 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Matt Eisenhuth

Bench: 14. Elijah Taylor 15. Thomas Mikaele 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Michael Chee-Kam

Reserves: 18. Benji Marshall 19. Chris Lawrence 20. Billy Walters 21. Russell Packer

Injuries/outs:

Alex Twal (knee, round 10-11)
Jacob Liddle (knee, round 14-15)
Zane Musgrove (foot, round 16-18)
Robert Jennings (hamstring, indefinite)

No changes.

If you can, it’s time to cut ties with Luciano Leilua. He has a BE of 57 and now is priced at close to $30k less than his starting price. The attacking statistics have entirely dried up for him since shifting to the left edge.

David Nofoaluma is a must this year, and he had another night out against a very poor Bulldogs left edge on Sunday. His floor is just so high for a winger with a base + power average over 50, so even if he fails to score a try, you’re still going to see a very playable score. While on the other wing, Tommy Talau is on the bubble this round, and with a BE of -31, he shapes a solid cow despite not being basement priced.

Match-up Rating – Bad

If you ignore the Round 3 performance where several Knights players went massive, including two scores over 100 and four over 80, the Panthers have conceded the third-fewest SuperCoach points since the break. For Nofoaluma owners, the Panthers have conceded on average 50 PPG to the right edge, but just 35 PPG to right-sided wingers. However, they haven’t seen Nofo yet!

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. James Tamou 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo

Bench: 14. Matt Burton 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Moses Leota 17. Billy Burns

Reserves: 18. Mitch Kenny 19. Brent Naden 20. Spencer Leniu 21. Tyrone May

Injuries/outs:

Kurt Capewell (knee, round 17)
Pat Hollis (abdominal strain, indefinite)

Josh Mansour returns after being a late withdrawal last round, seeing Brent Naden dropped.

This could be the cheapest that you will see Nathan Cleary in a while with a BE of 42 and a very favourable set of fixtures ahead. A trade from Moses is a no-brainer, and Cleary should be able to actually see this weekend!

For those looking at moving on from Apisai Koroisau, consider this… The Panthers play Wests, Sharks, Cowboys, Titans and Manly (less Turbo) over the next five rounds.

Match-up Rating – Average

Would you believe me if I told you that the Tigers have conceded the least amount of SuperCoach points since the break? Just 42 PPG on average. However, one then does need to consider who they’ve played over this period – the Sharks, Titans, Raiders, Cowboys and the Bulldogs. Let’s give them a bit of credit, but the Panthers may just buck the trend this weekend.

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SEA EAGLES v KNIGHTS

Sunday, 4.05pm, Brookvale Oval, Manly

Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Brad Parker 4. Moses Suli 5. Tevita Funa 6. Lachlan Croker 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Danny Levi 10. Martin Taupau 11. Joel Thompson 12. Curtis Sironen 13. Jake Trbojevic

Bench: 14. Cade Cust 15. Jack Gosiewski 16. Sean Keppie 17. Taniela Paseka

Reserves: 18. Morgan Boyle 19. Brendan Elliot 20. Abbas Miski 21. Haumole Olakau’atu

Injuries/outs:

Dylan Walker (ankle, round 13)
Tom Trbojevic (hamstring, round 14-16)
Manase Fainu (stood down/shoulder)

Moses Suli returns from injury in place of Brendan Elliot and still no Albert Hopoate despite being a rumoured late inclusion last round. Martin Taupau moves into the starting side for Sean Keppie in the only other change.

Daly Cherry-Evans shapes as an option for your Moses trade this week if you can’t afford Cleary. He’s almost bottomed out in price and is very cheap compared to past seasons. Taupau is another Manly player who will be available at fantastic value, but you can hold that trade until next round given he has a current BE of 96.

Match-up Rating – Good

Knights have conceded over 53 PPG to the right edge this year, which may be a positive for new Cherry-Evans owners.

Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Edrick Lee 3. Enari Tuala 4. Bradman Best 5. Hymel Hunt 6. Kurt Mann 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. David Klemmer 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 12. Sione Mata’utia 13. Herman Ese’ese

Bench: 14. Tex Hoy 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Aidan Guerra 17. Pasami Saulo

Reserves: 18. Tautau Moga 19. Brodie Jones 20. Phoenix Crossland 21. Josh King

Injuries/outs:

Tim Glasby (head knock, round 8)
Connor Watson (ankle, round 9-11)
Mitch Barnett (neck, indefinite)
Jayden Brailey (knee, season)

Bradman Best returns at centre after a week off due failing to adhere to the NRL’s strict COVID-19 protocols. He replaces Gehamat Shibasaki, who has been dropped. Herman Ese’ese get the start at lock with Tim Glasby out due to concussion, and Pasami Saulo has been called up to the bench.

Maybe last weekend was the match that the Knights were going to have at some point this season. They certainly looked a few levels down on the side that trounced the Broncos the week before. Kalyn Ponga has now been well contained for the past two weeks and is bleeding cash. David Klemmer has bottomed out and is an option for those looking to upgrade at prop this round or next.

Match-up Rating – Good

In their first game without Tom Trbojevic, the Sea Eagles were ordinary and conceded 50 points per player compared with 44 points per player in the four games leading up to that. Does he make this much of a difference or were the Sea Eagles just off that night? I am backing Ponga in to bounce back this Sunday afternoon.

BULLDOGS v RABBITOHS

Sunday, 6.30pm, Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta

Bulldogs: 1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Nick Meaney 3. Reimis Smith 4. Marcelo Montoya 5. Christian Crichton 6. Kieran Foran 7. Brandon Wakeham 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Dylan Napa 11. Josh Jackson 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Adam Elliott

Bench: 14. Kerrod Holland 15. Dean Britt 16. Renouf To’omaga 17. Sauaso Sue

Reserves: 19. Ofahiki Ogden 20. Jack Cogger 21. Luke Thompson 22. Sione Katoa

Injuries/outs:

Will Hopoate (ankle, round 13-15)
Jake Averillo (head knock, TBC)
Chris Smith (knee, round 10)
Joe Stimson (shoulder, season)

Will Hopoate is out with a severe ankle injury, while Jake Averillo has not recovered from his HIA last weekend and is also out. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak moves to fullback to replace Hopoate, while Reimis Smith and Marcelo Montoya are in the centres as replacements for Averillo and Kerrod Holland, who has been dropped to the bench. This reshuffle sees Nick Meaney and Christian Crichton come in on the wings, while Jack Cogger has been dropped. New recruit, Luke Thompson has been named in the reserves.

The loss of Hopoate and Averillo effectively removes any real SuperCoach relevance from this side.

Match-up Rating – Bad

South’s have conceded the fourth-fewest points since the break, and these points have been reducing since Round 3.

Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Dane Gagai 3. Campbell Graham 4. James Roberts 5. Alex Johnston 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Jaydn Su’A 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Cam Murray

Bench: 14. Liam Knight 15. Bayley Sironen 16. Hame Sele 17. Braidon Burns

Reserves: 18. Mark Nicholls 19. Patrick Mago 20. Troy Dargan 21. Corey Allan

Injuries/outs:

Tom Amone (knee, round 19)

James Roberts replaces Braidon Burns in the starting side.

It was a messy match last weekend, but this shapes as a much more favourable proposition. Cody Walker was saved by some absolute junk last round but could be primed for a massive score this Sunday against the Bulldogs, as could Latrell Mitchell. Both players are captain options

Match-up Rating – Great

The Bulldogs are second only to the Broncos in points conceded since the break, and therefore all South’s players owned need to be included in your 17 this weekend. Their left edge defence is a definite weakness, so it’s a shame that Walker generally plays on the other side. Mitchell could have an absolute field day after a stinker last round.