Lakey’s Teams Analysis – Round 6

Happy Easter y'all. It's a long weekend which means an extended run of football, and there's no better Easter gift than that.

Round 5 gave us another up and down scoring round. It's playing with the emotions. Especially captains choices for me. What used to be my bread-and-butter has now turned bitter. Just the last two weeks alone, Munster last week and Papi this week, have cost me 205 points from having the opposite choices. I'd be ranked inside the top 500 if I'd just had it the other way around. Seriously. I checked.

That's how close this competition can be though. The important captains and reserve choices can make or break you. They're so important to the SuperCoach success factor. But also know that if you do make a misstep here or there, others have too. It's a long season and you can make up those points in due course.

The first step towards a SuperCoach revival starts this weekend. Hopefully, the SuperCoach Bunny brings you a whole heaps of chocolates and a miracle. Let's check out the round 6 teams.

CANBERRA RAIDERS v Nth QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

Thursday, 7.50pm, GIO Stadium, Canberra

Raiders: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Semi Valemei 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Brad Schneider 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Corey Harawira-Naera 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Ryan Sutton

Bench: 14. Xavier Savage 15. Emre Guler 16. Adam Elliott 17. Corey Horsburgh

Reserves: 18. Sebastian Kris 19. Hudson Young 20. Matt Frawley 21. Albert Hopoate 22. Jarrod Croker 23. Trey Mooney 24. Peter Hola

Lakey's Take

Changes: Matt Frawley out
Xavier Savage in

Winner: It took just two weeks of the experiment but Ricky finally kept Tom Starling ($420k / 58 pts / BE 43) as the starting hooker and then, as an added bonus, he was played for 80 minutes. It meant Frawley was sat on the bench for the entire game in a wasted roster spot, and now he's gone all together.

Loser: For those interested in Jordan Rapana ($536k / 22 pts / BE 107), his down game against the Storm means his price is about to drop.

SuperCoach Talk: Replacing Matt Frawley ($200k / BE 34) as the utility is Xavier Savage ($286k). It's not in the capacity that we wanted but this young gun finally gets his first game of the season. It probably bodes well for Starling, but less so for Matt Timoko ($411k / 11 pts / BE 78) who failed to finish last week with a back injury. If Timoko is ruled out, expect to see Savage promoted to the wing and Frawley to come back on to the bench.

It's almost time to cash in on Brad Schneider ($337k / 65 pts / BE 5). He put in a much better than expected effort against the Storm which should give him another couple of price rises, and he does play the first bye round so it may not hurt you to hold on for a while yet. But with his price almost topping out and Blake Taaffe sniffing around, it might be time to move on for the cash.

Semi Valemei ($359k / 77 pts / BE 2) had a big game against the Storm, scoring a try on his way to 77 points. It's given him a very low break even, but don't bring him in. You'll ultimately regret it.

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Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Peta Hiku 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Coen Hess 11. Tom Gilbert 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Jason Taumalolo

Bench: 14. Jake Granville 15. Heilum Luki 16. Reuben Cotter 17. Connelly Lemuelu

Reserves: 18. Emry Pere 19. Brendan Elliot 20. Riley Price 21. Daejarn Asi 22. Ben Condon 23. Ben Hampton 24. Tomas Chester

Lakey's Take

Changes: Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Griffin Neame out
Coen Hess, Connelly Lemuelu in

Winner: A week after labeling him as a loser in the round 5 team lists, Reuben Cotter ($431k / 71 pts / BE 11) has won me over. He was once again promoted to the starting side for kickoff and put in a fantastic game. It wasn't just SuperCoach either; he's passing the eye-test. Surely he doesn't get benched from here even though he has been named there again.

Loser: Jamayne Taunoa-Brown's ($271k / 29 pts / BE 31) days are officially over. He's not anywhere in the 24 man squad. I assume this is because of an injury again but you can't be carrying a guy who missed every second week.

SuperCoach Talk: Griffin Neame ($299k / 20 pts / BE 49) is the other name to drop out of last weeks side, with Coen Hess ($346k / BE 51) back along with Connelly Lemuelu ($305k) getting his first run of the year.

Scott Drinkwater ($475k / 94 pts) was best on ground for the Cowboys last Friday evening. He's got one more week here to prove to Todd Payten that he deserves to be in the side somewhere. Whether that's on the bench, or remaining at fullback and pushing Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow ($385k / BE 85) back out to the wing.

Jason Taumalolo ($534k / 63 pts / BE 39) is now officially a dual-position player, which is perfect timing as many coaches are looking for cover in the front row. He's quietly been getting back to normal, yet not quite his best. Season highs for minutes in each of the last two weeks suggest his fitness is returning and the 60+ scores should continue from here.

Meanwhile, I'd written off Valentine Holmes ($586k / 75 pts / BE 81) but the man is killing it right now. He's got a 3RA of 70.7 PPG, with two great scores sandwiching a bad one. The life of a center. The "bad one" though was 30 points predominantly in base. You'd take that most weeks.

The time has come to say bye to Jeremiah Nanai ($457k / 30 pts / BE 79). A true boom-or-bust player, he's almost certain to leak cash this week. Now watch him bust out another ton.

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS v CANTERBURY BULLDOGS

Friday, 4.00pm, Accor Stadium, Sydney

Rabbitohs: 1. Blake Taaffe 2. Alex Johnston 3. Taane Milne 4. Campbell Graham 5. Josh Mansour 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Cameron Murray

Bench: 14. Hame Sele 15. Jacob Host 16. Davvy Moale 17. Liam Knight

Reserves: 18. Siliva Havili 19. Isaiah Tass 20. Peter Mamouzelos 21. Richard Kennar 22. Dean Hawkins 23. Terrell Kalo Kalo 24. Jaxson Paulo

Lakey's Take

Changes: Latrell Mitchell out
Hame Sele in

Winner: Blake Taaffe ($210k / 39 pts) comes in at fullback for the next few weeks and could be a decent play against the Dogs and Tigers if you currently have him rostered. They're allowing 80.8 and 54.8 PPG respectively to fullbacks this year. A great pick up if you can fit him in, but the FLB / HFB designation makes it difficult to find a spot for him.

Loser: In what I truly hope isn't the start of a weekly pattern, a fullback has been struck down by a leg injury for the second week in a row. Latrell Mitchell ($631k / 22 pts / BE 114) tweaked a hammy in the Bunnies win over St George. The initial assessment was that it was minor, but it's since been reported to be worse than first thought. A blow to the Bunnies.

Scans reveal worse than expected news for Latrell Mitchell, facing 8 weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury. Is a partial tear to the tendon - he also had tendon surgically repaired in 2020. Slower healing time with tendons (⬇️ blood supply), will be cautious rehab process

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) April 11, 2022

SuperCoach Talk: The only change on paper is Latrell out for Hame Sele ($331k) who sees his first action in 2022. It's hardly a like-for-like swap but that's the benefit of having Taaffe on bench I suppose.

Josh Mansour ($571k / 34 pts / BE 81) has kept his spot in the team even with the week off for Jaxson Paulo ($425k / BE 69) to recover from the head knock suffered in round 4.

I hope you got on Damien Cook ($612k / 85 pts / BE 41) last week. He's back to running the footy and really supplanting himself as an almost must-have. If you can't afford Grant, Cook is a fine alternative. The Aldi version if you will.

In the forwards, Cam Murray ($739k / 56 pts / BE 104) continues his good run, and Keaon Koloamatangi ($588k / 98 pts / BE 41) had an absolute blinder. He could be a good smokey as the Rabbitohs take on the Dogs, Tigers, Sea Eagles, Broncos, Warriors, Raiders and Tigers again. Same for Jai Arrow ($502k / 67 pts / BE 47) who'd be great to now pair with Lolo and / or Josh King.

I know many Coaches were looking to bring in Cody Walker ($533k / 10 pts / BE 109) with the Bunnies fantastic upcoming draw, but I'm personally not as eager. He's an incredible talent obviously, but whether it's the new coach, new halves partner, new rules etc., it's just not clicking for Cody. 10 points in 80 minutes isn't what anyone wants.

On the other side, Lachlan Ilias ($276k / 39 pts / BE -6) has been finding his feet. A 55 last week into a 39 this week is keeping the price ticking over, but it's the game style that is most interesting. He's taken a leading role and is floating on either side of the field. Managers can expect to see a few big scores over the coming weeks.

Campbell Graham ($526k / 74 pts / BE 22) is another CTW has been killing it this year. Scores of 60, 78, 30, 72 and 74 are huge this season. The time to get on is now before he gets out of reach. However, Alex Johnston ($544k / 23 pts / BE 77) still has a high break even and won't be moving in price much this week.

Davvy Moale ($205k / 19 pts / BE 11) is on the bubble this week but won't be putting on too much cash in a rush unless his minutes start improving. He did play 27 last weekend, but the PPM was well down. Even with a small price rise this week, you could probably afford to wait one more week before jumping on.

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Bulldogs: 1. Matt Dufty 2. Brent Naden 3. Braidon Burns 4. Jake Averillo 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Luke Thompson 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Corey Waddell 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. Josh Jackson

Bench: 14. Brandon Wakeham 15. Chris Patolo 16. Max King 17. Joe Stimson

Reserves: 19. Bailey Biondi-Odo 20. Aaron Schoupp 21. Reece Hoffman 22. Jackson Topine 23. Ava Seumanufagai 24. Josh Cook 25. Corey Allan

Lakey's Take

Changes: Ava Seumanufagai out
Chris Patolo in

Winner: Kyle Flanagan ($323k / 33 pts) looked pretty good last weekend. I know the team got pumped by the reigning premiers and it was a tough game to come back in for, but I thought Flanagan held his own. He looks like a great pairing for Burton; the steadying half to go with Burton's off-the-cuff play style.

Loser: It was a nightmare evening for Matt Dufty ($526k / 6 pts / BE 122). Nothing at all went right for him and he'll be looking over his shoulder for the next guy to usurp his fullback position.

SuperCoach Talk: Just one bench change for the Dogs, which is of no SuperCoach significance.

Max King ($318k / 52 pts / BE 8) is really the only relevant Bulldog for SuperCoach. Another big game off the bench has taken his price rise to $129k with more to come.

Tevita Pangai Junior ($564k / 62 pts / BE 36) had his second good game in a row, but this one came courtesy of a try to bump up his score. Without that, he put in a high 40's type game. It's likely to be that sort of year for TPJ and the Dogs.

Corey Allan ($265k) made his injury comeback in the NSW Cup this past weekend so could be knocking on the door sooner rather than later.

PENRITH PANTHERS v BRISBANE BRONCOS

Friday, 7.55pm, BlueBet Stadium, Penrith

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Charlie Staines 3. Izack Tago 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Taylan May 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Matt Eisenhuth 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo

Bench: 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Jaeman Salmon

Reserves: 18. Robert Jennings 19. Chris Smith 20. J'maine Hopgood 21. Lindsay Smith 22. Soni Luke 23. Christian Crichton 24. Sean O'Sullivan

Lakey's Take

Changes: No changes

Winner: It's time to give Dylan Edwards ($551k / 61 pts / BE 37) some love. He has to be one of the most underrated fullbacks in the league, but I guess that's what comes from being in this star-studded premiership team. Edwards just plays his role and plays it extremely well. Scores of 77, 23, 74, 78 and 61 makes him the 4th best fullback in SuperCoach so far (excluding Hynes / Manu who play elsewhere) and 20 points better off than Teddy overall.

Loser: Since his return, Nathan Cleary ($950k / 57 pts / BE 212) hasn't been the world-beater we're used to. In saying that, he's starting to look better and running more even just in the two games sample size. His break even is ridiculous so we've got some time to make sure he's definitely back, although he might just hit that against the Broncos this weekend.

SuperCoach Talk: The Panthers are humming along nicely. They remain the only undefeated team in the competition so there's no need to make any changes.

The biggest news from this team came almost directly after teams dropped last week. Taylan May ($407k / 86 pts / BE -53) has been charged by police with assault from an incident after last year grand final. The club and NRL are aware of it and made the call to allow him to play on, but there could be sanctions coming at some point.

Izack Tago ($505k / 46 pts / BE 45) stalled on the weekend, scoring 46 and now with a break even of 45. It's a shame his try was disallowed. The question is whether he's even worth cashing in on? He's the 5th highest scorer in the game in both CTW and 2RF.

The Viliame Kikau ($547k / 40 pts / BE 53) rollercoaster continued with a 40 point game. And I hope you didn't give up on Matt Eisenhuth ($369k / 61 pts / BE 17) too quickly as he just had his best score since round 20 of 2020.

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Broncos: 1. Tesi Niu 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Billy Walters 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Keenan Palasia 9. Jake Turpin 10. Corey Jensen 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington

Bench: 14. Ryan James 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. TC Robati 17. Cory Paix

Reserves: 18. Tyson Gamble 19. Delouise Hoeter 20. Jordan Pereira 21. Ezra Mam 22. Te Maire Martin 23. Ethan Quai-Ward 24. Logan Bayliss-Brow

Lakey's Take

Changes: Payne Haas out
Rhys Kennedy in

Winner: Finally, right? That has to the sentiment of all Kotoni Staggs ($427k / 108 pts / BE -10) managers after his Friday night masterclass. He looked like the gun we've been expecting all year, but failing to get until now. Thoughts and prayers for all those you gave up hope and traded him out.

Loser: The time has come for Payne Haas ($652k / 74 pts / BE 51) to pay the price for his drunken indiscretions. He's out against the Panthers, but will be back next week against the Bulldogs. Just don't do anything stupid. He's a hold.

SuperCoach Talk: Adam Reynolds ($519k / 55 pts / BE 42) and Corey Oates ($391k / 102 pts / BE 4) suffered minor injuries against the Roosters, but both have been named to play this week.

Corey Jensen ($337k / 34 pts / BE 48) has been named to cover Haas, with Rhys Kennedy ($303k) coming on to the bench.

Selwyn Cobbo ($285k / 49 pts / BE 20) also managed to stop the rot, for this week at least. His 49 points saw him gain $2k and has a very achievable break even. However, his previous three games were all right at that 20 point mark so it's far from a certainty, especially against Penrith who allow 26.4 PPG to right wingers this year. Seriously. Brent Naden just scored four points in 80 minutes there last week.

MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES v GOLD COAST TITANS

Saturday, 5.30pm, 4 Pines Park, Sydney

Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Tolutau Koula 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau'atu 12. Andrew Davey 13. Jake Trbojevic

Bench: 14. Dylan Walker 15. Karl Lawton 16. Sean Keppie 17. Taniela Paseka

Reserves: 18. Ethan Bullemor 19. Ben Trbojevic 20. Toafofoa Sipley 21. Jorge Taufua 22. Kurt De Luis 23. Kaeo Weekes 24. James Roumanos

Lakey's Take

Changes: Morgan Harper out
Tolutau Koula in

Winner: Take two with Tolutau Koula ($175k / BE -7). Let's all hope he's able to get up for this one.

Loser: How was Kieran Foran's ($392k / 0 pts / BE 80) form? 80 minutes of football and not a single point. It's impressive in its atrociousness. It's the equal-5th worst score from people who have played a full game.

SuperCoach Talk: The biggest news is that Koula is back in and it's at the expense of Morgan Harper ($416k / 38 pts / BE 36) who's been ruled out with COVID.

With Koula being withdrawn last week, Reuben Garrick ($637k / 48 pts / BE 90) shifted to fullback and had a decent game. It wasn't a spectacular success for SuperCoach but he handled the added responsibility enough to keep him in the spot this week.

Martin Taupau ($425k / 29 pts / BE 66) is in doubt after suffering a shoulder injury early last week. He's been named but will be a game-time decision.

The 'Guac' Haumole Olakau'atu ($523k / 83 pts / BE 28) had a huge game against the Knights, scoring a try for the second straight game. It was his season-high SuperCoach score, and if he can keep it up he'll be worth a look but has a tough few weeks in his immediate future.

Also, some are eyeing off Jason Saab ($289k / 4 pts / BE 60) as a downgrade option soon. I can't say it's struck me as an option considering how poorly he does without Turbo, but to each their own. At least he'd play the first bye round. Who knows? The extra 12 points could help.

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Titans: 1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Phillip Sami 3. Brian Kelly 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Greg Marzhew 6. AJ Brimson 7. Toby Sexton 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Erin Clark 10. Isaac Liu 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui

Bench: 14. Will Smith 15. Sam Lisone 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Jarrod Wallace

Reserves: 18. Paul Turner 19. Kevin Proctor 20. Herman Ese'ese 21. Sam McIntyre 22. Corey Thompson 23. Tanah Boyd 24. Sosefo Fifita

Lakey's Take

Changes: Corey Thompson, Kevin Proctor out
Brian Kelly, Sam Lisone in

Winner: Like Staggs, it was also a bounce back for David Fifita ($686k / 107 pts / BE 59). That one run from dummy-half was vintage Fifita. I just hope it was enough to show Holbrook what he can do and to prove to himself that he needs to proactively become more involved in the game.

Loser: Is there some sort of rotation policy happening at the Titans that I'm unaware of? Last week is was Kelly, this week it's Corey Thompson ($508k / 48 pts / BE 89). I find it hard to fathom that this guy isn't in their best 17, but both the wingers named this week are playing good footy.

SuperCoach Talk: Kevin Proctor ($293k / 16 pts / BE 41) is out as well, to no one who watches football's surprise. Brian Kelly ($506k / BE 63) and Sam Lisone ($184k / BE 33) come into the team.

We finally saw a half-decent Fifita, but it wasn't the same on the opposite side of the field with Beau Fermor ($490k / 42 pts / BE 25). He didn't see much ball or do much with it when he did get it, but coming back from COVID could have affected him a bit. I'll give him a pass this time. His score was pure base stats, which is pretty good for a CTW.

If you took the punt on Toby Sexton ($441k / 22 pts / BE 90) as a pod to start the year (looking at you JT), it's time to upgrade for a whopping profit of $6k.

Special shout out to the "over-zealous Security Guard" who gave us the tackle of the week.

MELBOURNE STORM v CRONULLA SHARKS

Saturday, 7.35pm, AAMI Park, Melbourne

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Nick Meaney 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Harry Grant 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Josh King

Bench: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tyran Wishart 16. Trent Loiero 17. Tepai Moeroa

Reserves: 18. Chris Lewis 19. Alec MacDonald 20. Marion Seve 21. Jordan Grant 22. Jayden Nikorima 23. William Warbrick 24. Sualauvi Faalogo

Lakey's Take

Changes: Alec MacDonald out
Tyran Wishart in

Winner: Was "bounce back" the theme of the weekend? Cam Munster ($685k / 84 pts / BE 101) joins the club with his round 5 efforts. He was back to his best against the Raiders notching up . Where was this last week?

Loser: Brandon Smith ($541k / 21 pts / BE 118) remains firmly relegated to the bench. With both Grant and King playing so well and demanding big minutes, the Cheese is essentially unplayable until injury clears his way or he moves to the Roosters, whichever comes first.

SuperCoach Talk: Not much in the way of changes here, as to be expected although the swap of Alec MacDonald ($238k / 23 pts / BE 19) for Tyran Wishart ($175k / BE 14) is an interesting one. What does that mean for Harry Grant ($682k / 79 pts / BE 54)?

Speaking of Grant, he is now the 5th highest scoring hooker by total points, despite missing two more games than anyone else in the top 12 of the position. His dominance over the rest of the field is incredible. Not even Cam Smith had this sort of hold and Harry's doing it without goal-kicking.

Jahrome Hughes ($607k / 91 pts / BE 35) had a big game, disproving my theory last week that the two halves can't go big together. Unfortunately, Ryan Papenhuyzen ($853k / 39 pts / BE 42) copped that honour this week. Seriously guys. Why can't we all just get along?

Josh King ($456k / 69 pts / BE 20) is having a stellar season. From cheapie to top three FRF, you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't get on. My last minute upgrade of Jirah Momoisea to King was a life-saver.

Xavier Coates ($438k / 15 pts / BE 38) crashed back down to earth. He didn't record an attacking stat and registered just 15 points. Can you play him this week against the Sharks? And if you're not, can you have $440k sitting on your bench?

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Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Braden Hamlin-Uele 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Dale Finucane

Bench: 14. Aiden Tolman 15. Cameron McInnes 16. Jack Williams 17. Andrew Fifita

Reserves: 18. Braydon Trindall 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Lachlan Miller 21. Royce Hunt 22. Kade Dykes 23. Jonaiah Lualua 24. Franklin Pele

Lakey's Take

Changes: Royce Hunt out
Aiden Tolman in

Winner: With so much Nicho propaganda going on throughout the SuperCoach world, I want to make mention of Sione Katoa ($613k / 98 pts / BE 27). He started the year poorly against the Raiders but quickly turned it around to score 80, 78, 71 and 98. Incredible scoring for an outside back.

Loser: I know Connor Tracey ($425k / BE 33) is injured right now, but who are you replacing when he comes back. All these guys are playing great.

SuperCoach Talk: We will finally get to see what the Sharks are made of here. They've so far faced the Raiders (13th), Eels (4th), Dragons (14th), Knights (11th), and Tigers (16th). Yes, the Eels are a good side and they won that, but it took a last minute try and conversion to make it happen. They also lost to the Raiders in round 1. It's fair to say, this is their biggest test to date.

I spoke about Katoa already, but none of the outside backs are really struggling at the moment. Ronaldo Mulitalo ($520k / 87 pts / BE -25) has scores of 104 and 87 following his missed round 3 game. Siosifa Talakai ($505k / 59 pts / BE -6) moved into the centers two weeks ago and has scored 108 and 59. And Jesse Ramien ($619k / 115 pts / BE 10) has been dominating with three big scores in a row; 74, 72 and 115. Huge. Things might get a bit tougher here though.

Is Cam McInnes ($472k / 73 pts / BE 39) worth a look now? He's still playing off the bench but just played his highest minutes of the season (57) for his biggest score (73). He did contribute a line break and try assist in there, but still..... things are looking up.

I personally can't wait for this game for two reasons. Firstly, it's SuperCoach gold. There's relevant players everywhere. And secondly, the revenge game for Nicho Hynes ($798k / 117 pts / BE 94). He's facing the club that launched his career for the first time since leaving, and he's coming back to AAMI Park as the in-form player in the NRL. As a non-owner, I'm really hoping they take him down a couple pegs. Ok, so there's three reasons.

SYDNEY ROOSTERS v THE WARRIORS

Sunday, 2.00pm, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Joseph Manu 5. Kevin Naiqama 6. Sam Walker 7. Luke Keary 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Nat Butcher 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley

Bench: 14. Connor Watson 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Angus Crichton 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho

Reserves: 18. Lachlan Lam 19. Naufahu Whyte 20. Adam Keighran 21. Renouf Atoni 22. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 23. Joseph Suaalii 24. Drew Hutchison

Lakey's Take

Changes: Drew Hutchison, Daniel Suluka-Fifita out
Sam Verrills, SioSiua Taukeiaho in

Winner: The bounce back weekend continues with Sam Walker ($494k / 87 pts / BE 36) coming back to Brisbane to sink the Broncos. Considering the criticism levelled at his goal-kicking, it was exactly that which helped secure the two points for the tri-colours.

Loser: You've gotta feel for Connor Watson ($489k / 34 pts / BE 76). After all the game-day benchings at the Knights, he moves back to Bondi and gets the same treatment. Then Sam Verrills ($372k) comes back and straight relegates Watson to the bench. Brutal. Although watch out for a game-day switch in Watson's favour this time, it being Verrills first game for a while.

SuperCoach Talk: First of all, a big congrats to the Sydney Roosters ladies who have taken out the NRLW competition over the weekend.

SioSiua Taukeiaho ($516k / BE 71) was a late out with calf tightness, so he comes straight back in to the 17. Sam Verrills returns in place of Drew Hutchison ($294k / 17 pts / BE 64).

I can't work out what's going on with James Tedesco ($684k / 23 pts / BE 102). I really want to keep him for his run against the Warriors, Dragons, Dogs and Titans but not if he keeps putting up these sorts of scores. Surely he gets involved in a couple of blood baths in the next month. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he gets his break even this week.

The edge forwards of Nat Butcher ($524k / 40 pts / BE 72) and Sitili Tupouniua ($502k / 62 pts / BE 47) weren't at their best. Butcher though, failed a HIA so only played 46 minutes and Sitili dropped a certain try right on half time. It's something he'd finish 99 times out of 100.

Daniel Tupou ($577k / 43 pts / BE 62) was also well held on Friday night, but Paul Momirovski ($413k / 18 pts / BE 66) and Kevin Naiqama ($307k / 34 pts / BE 8) didn't have good games at all. It wouldn't shock me to see him dropped for Joseph Suaalii ($260k) who's been named in the #23 jersey. Adversely, Joseph Manu ($652k / 104 pts / BE -14) kept his huge run going with a second ton on the trot. Herbie Farnworth will be glad he doesn't have to see Joey again until round 21.

Angus Crichton ($533k / 61 pts / BE 60) watch; round 6. Another $25k lost and he remains on bench.

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Warriors: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Edward Kosi 3. Jesse Arthars 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Matt Lodge 11. Euan Aitken 12. Bayley Sironen 13. Josh Curran

Bench: 14. Kodi Nikorima 15. Bunty Afoa 16. Aaron Pene 17. Eliesa Katoa

Reserves: 18. Taniela Otukolo 20. Viliami Vailea 21. Pride Petterson-Robati 22. Rocco Berry 23. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 24. Junior Ratuva 25. Valingi Kepu

Lakey's Take

Changes: Jack Murchie out
Eliesa Katoa in

Winner: With the injuries and form drops of other big name fullbacks, Reece Walsh ($591k / 58 pts / BE 44) becomes an extremely intriguing option at the position. He's scoring well and the team is starting to put together a few nice wins. This will be a tough ask for them but Walsh will remain heavily involved.

Loser: I don't care what happens at the judiciary, Marcelo Montoya ($341k / 21 pts / BE 36) is a loser. It's 2022. Enough of that BS.

SuperCoach Talk: The only change (for now) to the side that squeaked home against the Cowboys is a bench one, with Eliesa Katoa ($347k / BE 73) coming into the side. Addin Fonua-Blake ($497k / 53 pts / BE 47) has also been named in his proper starting position so it appears the injury concern is behind him.

Montoya was named on the wing at the first team drop, but that has since been updated to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak ($467k). You would think he'd be the man to come in for Montoya if fit but also on the extended bench are Viliami Vailea ($205k) and Rocco Berry ($313k / BE 45).

The big SuperCoach names put on a show against the Cowboys. Josh Curran ($589k / 92 pts / BE 47) and Euan Aitken ($530k / 94 pts / BE 26) both scored tries and punished anyone who last faith in them. I saw Aitken on more than one trade out scenario so his big score would have particularly hurt.

Jesse Arthars ($426k / 80 pts / BE -31) is also having a purple patch right now. Back-to-back 80+ scores has seen his break even fall through the floor. He could be a short term cash grab if that's your thing.

ST GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS v NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS

Sunday, 4.05pm, WIN Stadium, Wollongong

Dragons: 1. Moses Mbye 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Jack Bird 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Josh Kerr 11. Tariq Sims 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Jack de Belin

Bench: 14. Talatau Amone 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Josh Mcguire 17. George Burgess

Reserves: 18. Tautau Moga 19. Jackson Ford 20. Aaron Woods 21. Tyrell Sloan 22. Jack Gosiewski 23. Tyrell Fuimaono 24. Jayden Sullivan

Lakey's Take

Changes: Aaron Woods, Jackson Ford out
Josh McGuire, George Burgess in

Winner: The Dragons are on the slide but one man who can hold his head up week after week is Zac Lomax ($536k / 62 pts / BE 52). His team is being soundly beaten and Lomax is still putting up 60.8 PPG. The goal kicking helps but he's got a great workrate as well, averaging XX from base+power stats.

Loser: Tyrell Sloan ($438k / BE 88) is still being named on the bench. As a Knights fan, this makes me happy. But as a SuperCoach fan, it infuriates me.

SuperCoach Talk: I hope the Knights have packed their cups and goggles for the trip to Wollongong. Josh McGuire ($467k) has finished up his sentence and comes straight back into the 17 along with George Burgess ($247k). Be safe out there boys.

Mathew Feagai ($460k / 76 pts / BE 43) had a massive game against the Bunnies. He was really impressive, but is very expensive and I wouldn't want a CTW in this team who's not named Lomax.

Jack Bird's ($526k / 57 pts / BE 52) form carried on with 57 points in the loss, but Ben Hunt ($577k / 9 pts / BE 95) put up a SuperCoach stinker the same week I was singing his praises.

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Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Edrick Lee 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Enari Tuala 6. Jake Clifford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Chris Randall 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13. Kurt Mann

Bench: 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Leo Thompson 17. Sauaso Sue

Reserves: 18. Simi Sasagi 19. Pasami Saulo 20. Tex Hoy 21. Jack Johns 22. Jaron Purcell 23. Dylan Lucas 24. Brayden Musgrove

Lakey's Take

Changes: Dom Young, Jirah Momoisea out
David Klemmer, Edrick Lee in

Winner: Edrick Lee ($306k). Not for SuperCoach but it's fantastic to see this man get another shot in the big league. He's fun to watch. Good luck Edrick.

Loser: Dom Young's ($390k / 6 pts / BE 78) night went from elation to devastation in a matter of seconds. He scored the first try of the game, but hurt his knee at the same time which will rule him out for three-to-six weeks and effectively put an end to his SuperCoach relevance. To add insult to literal injury, the try was disallowed for an obstruction, and yet the same try was allowed three more time across the weekend. But I'm not bitter.

SuperCoach Talk: The Knights are falling apart..... again. It seems to happen every year. And to make matters worse....

I’m hearing whispers the injury-plagued @NRLKnights have been further hit by a Covid case in the build up to the Dragons clash.

— Barry Toohey (@BarryToohey) April 12, 2022

Joining Young on the injury list, and countless others is Jirah Momoisea ($178k / 3 pts / BE 38) with an arm fracture. This is not what I mean last week when I said "Jirah Momoisea can't catch a break". He's gone for a long time now, saving those who have him rostered an AE nightmare.

David Klemmer ($488k) is a huge inclusion for the team. His drive and leadership has been sorely missed.

Also in doubt is Tyson Frizell ($555k / 48 pts / BE 86) and Adam Clune ($354k / 10 pts / BE 57). Clune isn't much of a commodity but Frizell will be missed. His managers were ecstatic to see him taking the field on Thursday night after getting some better than expected news on his hamstring strain of round 4 (and knee from round three). However, he failed to see out the game anyway, this time with an ankle concern, and must now be a serious risk of missing games.

Kalyn Ponga ($529k / 43 pts / BE 117) had to come off early with a HIA, but passed and returned to score a try for the Knights. Still, even with that score Ponga scored pitifully. No Turbo, no Latrell, Ponga not worth it. Fullbacks stocks are dropping off quickly.

Brodie Jones ($275k / 47 pts / BE 9) is on the bubble this week if you're desperate for a cheapish 2RF. He's not scoring at a phenomenal rate, but is doing enough to earn a bit of cash.

Kurt Mann ($474k / 49 pts / BE 49) is close to being a cash out option. He's made $90k now and his break even is starting to sneak up to his average so you can look to move him on either this week or next. And Leo Thompson ($261k / 30 pts / BE 19) is getting that way too. With Klemmer joining the FRF stocks, he's probably going to lose some field time.

Chris Randall ($328k / 45 pts / BE -2) though, just jump starting his cash generation again with scores of 62 and 45. You can get a couple more weeks out of him.

PARRAMATTA EELS v WESTS TIGERS

Monday, 4.00pm, CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Eels: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Will Penisini 3. Tom Opacic 4. Marata Niukore 5. Bailey Simonsson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Shaun Lane 12. Isaiah Papali'i 13. Nathan Brown

Bench: 14. Makahesi Makatoa 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Hayze Perham 17. Mitch Rein

Reserves: 18. Bryce Cartwright 19. Jakob Arthur 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Ky Rodwell 22. Samuel Loizou 23. Elie El Zakhem 24. Zac Cini

Lakey's Take

Changes: Junior Paulo, Waqa Blake, Bryce Cartwright out
Shaun Lane, Marata Niukore, Hayze Perham in

Winner: Will Penisini ($345k / 40 pts / BE -3) moves out to the wing in a bit of a backline reshuffle. It's not an ideal move as it likely affects his base stats which was what we were relying on with him, but he's now sitting on the left wing (presumably) where Sean Russell scored 87 points in 34 minutes with three tries, and Waqa Blake averaged 61.3 and also scored three tries before getting hurt.

Loser: The Banner strikes again. It had Dylan Brown ($680k / 56 pts / BE 30) squarely in its sights for round 5, which saw the in-form 5/8 held to 56 points including a try. Brutal. And worse, the Tigers have held left halves to 38.2 PPG this season.

SuperCoach Talk: Junior Paulo ($475k / 42 pts / BE 66) and Waqa Blake ($462k / 18 pts / BE 32) are out this week. Paulo misses this game through suspension and Blake because of injury.

Blake is confirmed to have suffered a MCL injury and the club has stated that he'll be "out indefinitely". That sounds like it's a bad injury and he could be out of the team for up to two months. With this injury and those to Sean Russell ($285k) and Maika Sivo ($486k), Marata Niukore ($360k) could see an extended run in the centers.

If you started the season with Brown and Mitchell Moses ($655k / 90 pts / BE -25) you'd be absolutely flying. Moses sits only behind Nicho Hynes as the top halfback in SuperCoach for both total and average scores. He has been incredible. And as a running / goal-kicking half, he's a genuine captaincy option against the Tigers this week plus the Knights and Cowboys in coming weeks. FWIW, right halves have scored 70.8 PPG on the Tigers this year.

Isaiah Papali'i ($722k / 80 pts / BE 72) is close to the top of my trade in target list. He's been outstanding once more this year. Ryan Matterson ($565k / 86 pts / BE 46) is not.

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Tigers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. David Nofoaluma 3. James Roberts 4. Luke Garner 5. Starford To'a 6. Luke Brooks 7. Jackson Hastings 8. James Tamou 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Zane Musgrove 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Joe Ofahengaue

Bench: 14. Jock Madden 15. Alex Twal 16. Thomas Mikaele 17. Alex Seyfarth

Reserves: 18. Tyrone Peachey 19. Jacob Liddle 20. Oliver Gildart 21. Ken Maumalo 22. Tukimihia Simpkins 23. Junior Tupou 24. Austin Dias

Lakey's Take

Changes: Ken Maumalo, Oliver Gildart, Jacob Liddle, Tyrone Peachey out
Jackson Hastings, Daine Laurie, James Roberts, Jake Simpkin in

Winner: I don't know to be honest. Maybe I'll just give it to @mattmobster who's "Unpopular Opinion" piece last week was right on the money. You don't want any Tigers in your side. I'm not even sure we'll want Doueihi at this rate.

Loser: Madge has put the broom through the side this week. Out are the under-performing Tyrone Peachey ($345k / 29 pts / BE 71), Ken Maumalo ($446k / 46 pts / BE 68), Oliver Gildart ($317k / 25 pts / BE 54) as well as Jacob Liddle ($448k / 44 pts / BE 65).

SuperCoach Talk: Oh baby, this one could get very ugly.

That means young Jock Madden ($238k / 14 pts / BE 30) has survived but only as far as a bench role. He'll likely be backing up Jake Simpkin ($319k / BE 28).

Luke Brooks ($425k / 12 pts / BE 94) can consider himself lucky he didn't join those dropped. He will be partnered by Jackson Hastings ($351k / BE 26) who has served his three week suspension.

Daine Laurie ($441k / BE 88) returns from a bout of COVID, with James Roberts ($284k / BE 8) the final in.

SuperCoaches are just praying that Kelma Tuilagi ($281k / 38 pts / BE 24) can get through one game without incident. It always seems that something happens to him to dent his score and this being the final game of the weekend, that would be a disappointing way to finish. But if he ever does get through a game, he'll post a solid score and kick start his price rises again.

Finally, Luciano Leilua ($525k / 57 pts / BE 54) deserves a mention. He's got an average of 51.8 PPG and has been trying his heart out every week. More than can be said for most of the others here.