Lakey’s Teams Analysis – Round 7

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them.”

NRL 2020: St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, Anzac Cup, teams  honouring Battle of Lone Pine - NRL

Round 7 brings with it ANZAC weekend. A chance to honour every Australian and New Zealander who have served to protect our nations, and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in doing so. Lest we forget.

The ANZAC round is one of the most significant weekends on the rugby league calendar. Not only for what it recognises, but for what it brings on the field. We have the traditional ANZAC day match up between St George and Sydney, as well as the more recently developed tradition of Melbourne against New Zealand. Both of those are the closing games on Monday this round, giving us another five days of football. How good! And to commemorate our ANZACS, let’s all settle in to watch eight games of football with beers in hand.

TLT today has served up the usual swerves for us all to navigate. Some key ins. Some big outs. Let’s take a closer look.

CRONULLA SHARKS v MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES

Thursday, 7.50pm, PointsBet Stadium, Sydney

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. Aiden Tolman 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes

Bench: 14. Braydon Trindall 15. Jack Williams 16. Royce Hunt 17. Andrew Fifita

Reserves: 18. Lachlan Miller 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Matt Ikuvalu 21. Jesse Colquhoun 22. Kayal Iro 23. Thomas Hazelton 24. Franklin Pele

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Dale Finucane, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Mawene Hiroti out
Sione Katoa, Briton Nikora, Royce Hunt in

Winner: I mentioned the Sharks backs last week but never did I expect Ronaldo Mulitalo ($630k / 125 pts / BE -9) to do what he did against one of the NRL’s heavyweights. He came into the game with a -25 breakeven, and then beat it by 150 points. Incredible. Is he this years Reuben Garrick? One things for sure. He’s thriving under Craig Fitzgibbon and outside of SioSifa Talakai ($592k / 114 pts / BE 18), who’s not doing too bad himself.

Loser: Dale Finucane ($426k / 6 pts / BE 89) was an in-game casualty as he took a big head-knock whilst tackling NAS. He’d have to pass through concussion protocols in order to suit up on Thursday, a task that’s next-to-impossible with the five day turnaround between games so he’s been omitted.

SuperCoach Talk: The Sharks weren’t poor in their game against Melbourne. It’s just that the Storm are a step (or two or three) above all the other sides they’ve played this year. Cronulla put up a good fight though and would have have against nearly any other team. Even still, Fitzgibbon has made a couple of changes: some forced, one by choice.

Braden Hamlin-Uele ($329k / 18 pts / BE 57) tore a pectoral muscle and will miss the majority of the season. He’s been replaced in the starting side by Briton Nikora ($516k / BE 39), so to speak. He returns on an edge.

Finucane out causes a very interesting shuffle. Cam McInnes ($473k / 41 pts / BE 38) starting in the #13 jersey. That’s where we all wanted McInnes to be and if he can manage to hold onto the spot after this week, he’ll be very enticing. McInnes has dropped over $60k since the start of the year when some were labelling him a must (prior to missing early games), and as long as he’s no longer flying around on an edge, he’ll be good value. Considering BHU is out so long, we could be looking at Finucane pushing to the middle and McInnes staying put.

Image
Munster breaks through a hole; Watch him break out, watch me roll
Watch me crank that Sharkie Boy; Then Superman that hoe

Sione Katoa ($613k / BE 29) comes back in after missing last week for a sore knee.

And Nicho Hynes ($753k / 35 pts / BE 91) had a rough afternoon against his former employer, but some of the best have put up stinkers on them. I wouldn’t read into it.


Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Taniela Paseka 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Andrew Davey 13. Jake Trbojevic

Bench: 14. Dylan Walker 15. Karl Lawton 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Kurt De Luis

Reserves: 18. Ben Trbojevic 19. Tolutau Koula 20. Jorge Taufua 21. Kaeo Weekes 22. James Roumanos 23. Viliami Fifita 24. Jacob Sykes

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Tolutau Koula, Josh Aloiai, Sean Keppie out
Morgan Harper, Ethan Bullemor, Kurt de Luis in

Winner: Reuben Garrick ($625k / 76 pts / BE 77) was better than expected against the Titans. Maybe he’ll be a worthwhile pick up at some stage after all.

Loser: As a surprise to some, Tolutau Koula ($205k / 34 pts / BE -27) has been dropped with Christian Tuipulotu ($189k / 27 pts / BE 7) keeping the wing spot. I can’t say I saw this coming, but Tuipulotu hasn’t really done anything wrong either.

SuperCoach Talk: Manly looks like they’re starting to click. They’ve now had big wins against the Raiders, Knights and Titans. Not the strongest teams in the competition but you’ve gotta start somewhere.

They’ve had a couple of key injuries though. And it’s not just Turbo. Martin Taupau ($425k / BE 67) and Josh Aloiai ($394k / 37 pts / BE 37) both have shoulder injuries, while Sean Keppie ($305k / 15 pts / BE 63) was KO’d by hitting the turf heavily. That’s a big hit to the Sea Eagles engine room.

But never fear. Ethan Bullemor ($284k / BE 59) gets a recall to save the day. I truly hope you’ve sold by now.

Morgan Harper ($416k / BE 37) is back from COVID and comes in for Koula. I can’t honestly say I expected Tuipulotu to hold his spot ove r Koula, but I’ve also heard some rumblings that the latter is in HIA protocols. But that’s all it is at this stage; rumours.

One to watch is Josh Schuster ($534k) who is scheduled to return any week now.

Also, Ben Trbojevic ($189k) caused a stir on the weekend. Some were using him to loop a Cleary or Cook VC score, but then he registered a single tackle during the Manly game without ever actually getting on the field. That would have been brutal, delete-team territory. It was ultimately fixed up. No harm; no foul. Funny though.

BRISBANE BRONCOS v CANTERBURY BULLDOGS

Friday, 7.55pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Broncos: 1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 

Bench: 14. Billy Walters 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. Thomas Flegler 17. Keenan Palasia 

Reserves: 18. Delouise Hoeter 19. Jordan Pereira 20. TC Robati 21. Brenko Lee 22. Ezra Mam 23. Ethan Quai-Ward 24. Logan Bayliss-Brow

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Tesi Niu, Delouise Hoeter, Jake Turpin, Ryan James, TC Robati out
Payne Haas, Te Maire Martin, Tyson Gamble, Thomas Flegler, Herbie Farnworth in

Winner: Kotoni Staggs ($509k / 102 pts / BE -46) has officially been unleashed. Back-to-back 100+ games for the man is rubbing salt into the wounds of those who traded him out prior to round 5, although they’d be salty enough.

Loser: Things were looking up for Tesi Niu ($468k / 48 pts / BE 44) only for the man to be cruelly cut down by a torn hamstring. Tough break kid.

SuperCoach Talk: Jeebus H. Give me a minute to gather my thoughts here and the run through all the activity. OK, here goes.

Joining Tesi Niu on the outs are:

  • Jake Turpin ($352k / 32 pts / BE 50) – shoulder
  • Delouise Hoeter ($189k / 35 pts) – dropped
  • Ryan James ($299k / 27 pts / BE 36) – dropped
  • TC Robati ($274k / 36 pts / BE 45) – dropped

And the ins:

  • Payne Haas ($652k / BE 53) – suspension
  • Te Maire Martin ($205k)
  • Thomas Flegler ($379k) – suspension
  • Tyson Gamble ($420k)
  • Herbie Farnworth ($480k / BE 111) – leg cork

The SuperCoach world breathes a collective sigh of relief as Haas is back after serving his one game suspension. I know I personally had to field double-kings, which was ok, but plenty wouldn’t have even been able to do that. It will be nice to have old reliable back.

Elsewise, with Niu out, TMM has been training at, and named in, the fullback position as replacement. It’s the second cheapie fullback we’ve been granted in as many weeks thanks to long-term injuries to the clubs incumbent option. However, unlike Master Taaffe, Martin doesn’t have the goal-kicking nor the same appealing draw. TMM’s best average was 49 PPG back in 2017, his second season. But his average in ten games at fullback is 30.2.

Simon Cowell No GIFs | Tenor

An interesting move is the promotion of Cory Paix ($205k / 20 pts / BE 33) to starter. Turpin is out through injury to a shoulder, but I’m not sure for how long. He was extremely lacklustre (invisible?) against Penrith so was on the chopping block anyway. This could be Paix’s chance to reclaim the #9 that he seemed to have a hold of in preseason.


Bulldogs: 1. Matt Dufty 2. Brent Naden 3. Aaron Schoupp 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. Joe Stimson 16. Max King 17. Ava Seumanufagai 

Reserves: 19. Bailey Biondi-Odo 20. Jackson Topine 21. Reece Hoffman 22. Jayden Okunbor 23. Corey Allan 24. Josh Cook 25. Tuipulotu Katoa

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Braidon Burns, Chris Patolo out
Aaron Schoupp, Corey Waddell in

Winner: Max King ($348k / 51 pts / BE 9) is not the hero we deserve, but the one we needed. With Haas on hiatus, King featured in many FRF rotations and his 51 points in just 36 minutes was sorely needed.

Loser: A victim of his own talent, Matt Burton ($463k / 31 pts / BE 63) was the man shifted out into the centers after the injury to Burns. He’s been named in the #6 again but it’s something to be aware of as the season progresses.

SuperCoach Talk: Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, Braidon Burns ($387k / 14 pts / BE 91) has been injured again. He’s out with a strained hamstring, and his replacement is Aaron Schoupp ($386k / BE 84) but that doesn’t move the needle much.

The only other real SuperCoach player of interest is Tevita Pangai Jnr ($565k / 40 pts / BE 80) who played 80 minutes at a 0.5 PPM. He’s the most prolific off-loader in the NRL, but his scoring is too erratic in a position with far safer alternatives.

Nth QUEENSLAND COWBOYS v GOLD COAST TITANS

Saturday, 5.30pm, Saturday, 7.35pm, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville

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. Heilum Luki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Jason Taumalolo 

Bench: 14. Jake Granville 15. Tom Gilbert 16. Reuben Cotter 17. Griffin Neame 

Reserves: 18. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 19. Brendan Elliot 20. Riley Price 21. Jordan Lipp 22. Emry Pere 23. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 24. Tomas Chester

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Connelly Lemuelu out
Griffin Neame in

Winner: Heilum Luki ($348k / 90 pts / BE -12) was one of the Cowboys best as they came back from a double-digit deficit, scoring a try along with a linebreak and 39 tackles. He’s a solid downgrade or mid-priced option if that’s a route you’re looking to take.

Loser: Reuben Cotter ($459k / 51 pts / BE 26) is just bouncing between winning and losing in this piece each week. Yes, he was still promoted to starter, but why Cotter gets benched for a half hour though…. I don’t get it. Also, he’s been named on the bench again but will more than likely switch with McLean on game day.

SuperCoach Talk: The Cowboys have just one bench change to the 17 that got the job done against the Raiders. However, Payton usually pulls some late changes closer to kick off.

Heading into kick off last Thursday night, Luki and Cotter were promoted to the starting side with Jason Taumalolo ($567k / 86 pts / BE 34) shifting to prop. All of this was very favourable for SuperCoach on paper, except the Cotter nonsense.

Lolo ended up playing 71 minutes through the middle. I’ve been saying for weeks how I can see his fitness returning, and that has just about stamped it in my mind. He’ll be a luxury at the FRF position this year, alongside Haas and Ice.

Scott Drinkwater ($475k / 43 pts / BE 16) gets another shot in the fullback role before Hammer is back, unless he’s promoted from the extended squad. And Valentine Holmes ($593k / 92 pts / BE 24) continues his run of good form adding a 92 to his previous games of 75, 31 and 106. It’s been a good month for the Origin star.


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. Sam McIntyre 21. Tanah Boyd 22. Sosefo Fifita 23. Corey Thompson 24. Jayden Campbell

Lakey’s Take

Changes: No changes

Winner: While it’s only on the extended, the fact that Jayden Campbell ($472k / BE 76) has been named at all suggests to me that he’ll be included in the run on side.

Loser: With Campbell listed on the extended interchange, I’m not sure who’s the biggest loser from this team list: Jamayne Isaako ($420k / 62 pts / BE 54) who will be replaced, or David Fifita ($730k / 120 pts / BE 8) who Campbell doesn’t like passing to for some reason.

SuperCoach Talk: It’s the same 17 for the Titans in the QLD derby for the time being. As mentioned, Jayden Campbell is lurking so expect some late shenanigans for the Gold Coasters. They really need to do something about their slow starts. They almost stole the game against Manly, but after getting into an 18-nil, and then a 24-4 hole, they just couldn’t drag themselves out.

Outside of Fifita, the biggest player of interest is Beau Fermor ($499k / 39 pts / BE 80). He’s had a rough couple of weeks. First it was COVID, then he was relegated to a decoy runner and Fifita spectator. Fermor still looks great when he gets the ball in hand and the attacking stats will come. Stay firm.

WESTS TIGERS v SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

Saturday, 7.35pm, CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Tigers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. David Nofoaluma 3. James Roberts 4. Starford To’a 5. Ken Maumalo 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. Luke Garner 

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

Lakey’s Take

Changes: No changes

Winner: Do you believe in miracles? Jackson Hastings ($383k / 70 pts / BE 2) does. Cometh the hour; cometh the man. You’ll be drinking for free in the Western suburbs the rest of this year at least.

Loser: No one. Just let these guys bask in the glory a little while longer.

SuperCoach Talk: No changes for the club after their first win of the year, and what a win it was. How many of us had the Eels 13+? Admit it. I did. But I was OK to lose that one.

He’s been heavily scrutinised and then moved out of the main role, Luke Brooks ($k / pts / BE ) had some redemption on Monday. He’d had two try assists through the opening five weeks. He gets moved to the #6 and has two try assists in the first 20 minutes. Madge is a genius.

It’s a tale of two sides of the same coin for Luciano Leilua ($540k / 76 pts / BE 41) and Kelma Tuilagi ($298k / 47 pts / BE 11). Both played 80 but Lucy scored a try and 76 points. Kelma was cheaper and more popular, but gets less involved and only score 47. He’s clearly talented but I’m losing patience with him.

Jake Simpkin ($322k / 33 pts / BE 49) copped a nasty looking ankle injury but has been named for now. That’ll have to be closely monitored closer to the game.


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. Hame Sele 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Cameron Murray 

Bench: 14. Thomas Burgess 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: Isaiah Tass out
Davvy Moale in

Winner: Just two weeks ago I said to consider upgrading Randall or Starling to Damien Cook ($669k / 121 pts / BE 10). I hope you listened, because I didn’t. The man is running again and looks in sensational form. The Bunnies would have had a much tougher night against the Dogs if it weren’t for Cookie.

Loser: It was a nice debut for Isaiah Tass ($175k / 42 pts) but unfortunately for him and any SuperCoaches hoping we’d get another cheapie delivered to us, he’s been cut.

SuperCoach Talk: Just one change to the team that whooped the Bulldogs with Davvy Moale ($205k / BE 12) onto the bench. I guess you could technically say that he’s “on the bubble”, but with 27 PPG in 19.5 MPG, it’s hardly worthwhile.

While not listed in the loser section, both Lachlan Ilias ($298k / 25 pts / BE 32) and particularly Cody Walker ($483k / 44 pts / BE 102) have every right to be. They’re both under-performing for what we expect and were hoping for. Last years best 5/8 by a mile, Walker had a try assist, two last touches and a line break assist against the Dogs (28 points there). He scored 44 in total. Ilias scored 55 against Penrith, and everyone was frothing. He’s failed to top 40 points in any other contest. And suddenly, the Tigers matchup isn’t as mouth watering as it was two days ago.

Alex Johnston ($556k / 94 pts / BE 62) though finally broke out, scoring a double and nearly tonning up. He almost had a third too.

Finally, Blake Taaffe ($210k / 62 pts / BE -33) scored far better than I was expecting him to last week. A try assist and six goals will do that though. I still can’t say I’m overly convinced but he’lll definitely earn some cash. So if you want him, grab him now as he’s officially on the bubble.

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS v PARRAMATTA EELS

Sunday, 2.00pm, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle

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. Hymel Hunt 22. Jack Johns 23. Dylan Lucas 24. Jaron Purcell

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Simi Sasagi out
Adam Clune in

Winner: Kalyn Ponga ($532k / 122 pts / BE 6) fought hard despite the rumours of the Knights pulling his contract extension offer conveniently coming to the surface during the game on Sunday (rumours I might add that both Andrew Johns and Barry Toohey have rubbished). Anyway, Ponga put up his best game of the year and will be needed to repeat that against a wounded Eels.

Loser: Not a loser per-se, but Leo Thompson ($269k / 31 pts / BE 26) has just about topped out. He won’t go up or down fast, but can be moved on when the time is right.

SuperCoach Talk: Easter Sunday was a rough watch for us Knights fans. I don’t really want to talk about it, but now with a 2-4 record and staring down the barrel of games against the Eels and Storm, it’s just about nighty Knights.

Adam Clune ($354k / BE 58) comes back in to help steer the ship a bit. He’s nothing special but still an upgrade on what they rolled out previously. Gross. We need to invest in some better halves.

David Klemmer ($488k / 94 pts / BE 19) returned from injury for his first game since round one. He knocked out an incredible 94 in 50 minutes. It was the Klem of old, including a post-match confrontation that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Also with big games were Bradman Best ($467k / 74 pts / BE 30) and Dane Gagai ($594k / 89 pts / BE 67), plus Tyson Frizell ($547k / 77 pts / BE 51) who puts up decent numbers regardless of his injury worries.

Brodie Jones ($305k / 50 pts / BE 1) wasn’t anything special but 50 points gets the price moving.

And Chris Randall ($379k / 67 pts / BE 10) had another solid weekend. It was his second 60+ game in three weeks which keeps his breakeven low and his cash generation moving in the right direction.

In other news, Mitch Barnett ($488k / BE 119) has signed on with the Warriors from 2023. Whether we see him in Knights colours again is anyone’s guess.


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

Bench: 14. Makahesi Makatoa 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Jakob Arthur

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

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Marata Niukore, Mitch Rein out
Junior Paulo, Jakob Arthur in

Winner: I know I’ve got a man-crush on Dylan Brown ($709k / 70 pts / BE 108) but the kid is having a true breakout season. Many punters were on Mitchell Moses ($725k / 72 pts / BE 72) as a captain for the Tigers game, as I would have been and said as much, but Dylbagz scored only two points less even without goal-kicking. The end-goal in the 5/8 spot is Munster and Brown.

Loser: Marata Niukore ($360k / 55 pts) scored a try to keep the scores close late in the game, but has only lasted the week. He’s strained a hamstring in the loss and will now be sidelined a while longer. It’s horrible luck for the big man.

SuperCoach Talk: That was a crazy game on Monday to close out round six. The Eels played well, but were somehow outclassed by the Wests Tigers. Seriously. As a Knights fan, what a week to get the Eels.

Niukore is out along with Mitch Rein ($399k / 10 pts / BE 109). Coming back in from suspension is Junior Paulo ($475k / BE 68) while Jakob Arthur ($299k) gets his first game since his having his appendix removed.

Will Penisini ($397k / 68 pts / BE 20) had a big score to jump start his price rises once more. He keeps putting in solid floors and any attacking stat added to it pushes him into gun territory.

Isaiah Papali’i ($730k / 85 pts / BE 70) showed why he’s a premier FRF pick. He was doing next to nothing but then suddenly broke through for a try to push his score right up. On the other hand, Ryan Matterson ($574k / 60 pts / BE 39) is scoring OK from the bench, but is a no-go until starting on an edge again.

PENRITH PANTHERS v CANBERRA RAIDERS

Sunday, 4.05pm, 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: Damn you, Nathan Cleary ($902k / 151 pts / BE 83). Literally a week ago, I said that we had one more week to watch the Panthers play to make sure Cleary was back while he dropped a bunch of cash. Well, I think he proved one part while ruining the other. Now I’m looking at my team like…

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Loser: The game was well and truly in the bag, so it’s not all that surprising that Matt Eisenhuth ($383k / 37 pts / BE 25) only saw 25 minutes. It does hurt though if you took a chance there. I’ll put my hand up. I was wrong on this one.

SuperCoach Talk: How about Dylan Edwards ($546k / 32 pts / BE 83) getting 10 mins in the bin for a slap fight with Keenan Palasia? That gave me a chuckle.

The Viliami Kikau ($534k / 37 pts / BE 95) slide has continued. This is the problem with chasing points on guys like Kikau. His highs are great, but his lows are incredibly frustrating, especially since you’ve likely jumped on after he’s already had the highs. 2,500+ have pulled the plug on Kiks, so I’m almost expecting a ton this week. I’ll throw a sneak anytime try scorer bet on it.

Speaking of trade outs, almost 200 people have traded out Izack Tago ($509k / 53 pts / BE 65). Really? I can only imagine people are trying to find the cash to get Cleary, but surely there are better options. This guy is averaging 65 PPG.

Special shout out to Scott Sorenson ($398k / 104 pts / BE -17). He had an enormous game, only bettered by his try celebration. I love it.


Raiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Semi Valemei 5. Xavier Savage 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. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 15. Harry Rushton 16. Adam Elliott 17. Corey Horsburgh

Reserves: 18. Hudson Young 19. Matt Frawley 20. Jarrod Croker 21. Emre Guler 22. Trey Mooney 23. James Schiller 24. Peter Hola

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Emre Guler out
Harry Rushton in

Winner: I can’t tell what I’m more surprised at here. Jordan Rapana ($504k / 65 pts / BE 75) at fullback, or Xavier Savage ($286k / 10 pts) on the wing. Both are winners.

Loser: I really don’t want to get rid of Brad Schneider ($372k / 53 pts / BE 2) this early, especially with a low BE. But for Nathan Cleary….. see ya never, rook.

SuperCoach Talk: After the explosive Ricky Stuart post-game press conference, there’s ultimately been just one line up change: Emre Guler ($293k / 13 pts / BE 55) is out and Harry Rushton ($175k) comes in for his NRL debut. For those who don’t know anything about Rushton:

Mega Guide write up

Now, there’s only been one team change, but I’ll be damned if Ricky hasn’t shaken it up. Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad ($406k / 21 pts / BE 36) has been dumped to the bench, in the same role that Savage played last week. Savage takes a starting wing spot and if that keeps up, he could earn DPP status in round 12. In saying that, his price will likely be too high by then.

Rapana at fullback is the eye-catcher. He averaged 74.3 PPG in the #1 jersey last year. I know, I know. That was PVL ball, but it was still the Raiders. Rapana is on the watchlist for sure.

ST GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS v SYDNEY ROOSTERS

Monday, 4.00pm, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

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. Cody Ramsey 23. Tyrell Fuimaono 24. Jayden Sullivan

Lakey’s Take

Changes: No changes

Winner: I remember looking at the SuperCoach scores and seeing Ben Hunt ($564k / 79 pts / BE 94) on a negative score well into the second half. The joke was on me though because he torched the end of the game to finish on 79 points. It was a hectic half hour.

Loser: Zac Lomax ($535k / 53 pts / BE 57), you sir are a muppet. I’m a bitter Knights fan so I’ll just leave it at that.

SuperCoach Talk: The Dragons stole a win (OK that’s the last one) on Sunday and have stuck with the same team.

Mathew Feagai ($496k / 92 pts / BE -8) had a monster game, while Lomax was just OK on the other side. 53 with the goal-kicking isn’t anything to write home about but you’d take that on a down week.

Moses Suli ($444k / 79 pts / BE 33) went beast mode on the Knights as well. What is it with left centers against Newcastle? First it was Tago (94), then there was Talakai (108), and now Suli. Hold on a tic while I go back up and check who’s lining up there for Parra.


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

Bench: 14. Drew Hutchison 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Nat Butcher 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho

Reserves: 18. Lachlan Lam 19. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 20. Kevin Naiqama 21. Naufahu Whyte 22. Adam Keighran 23. Renouf Atoni 24. Ben Marschke

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Kevin Naiqama, Daniel Suluka-Fifita out
Paul Momirovski, SioSiua Taukeiaho in

Winner: On this weeks Angus Crichton ($524k / 49 pts / BE 59) watch, he’s finally been named to start, so we can start taking him seriously as a SuperCoach option again. At a $130k discount now is the time to be getting on board. He did play 80 on the weekend just gone for a 49, so there’s that.

Loser: Connor Watson ($489k / BE 77) is out for an extended period after fracturing cartilage in his throat. A serious injury that will need weeks / months to recover from.

SuperCoach Talk: With Watson out, which happened prior to round six, the hooking pair of choice is Sam Verrills ($372k / 26 pts) and Drew Hutchison ($259k / 17 pts / BE 49).

I took another punt on James Tedesco ($649k / 57 pts / BE 124) as captain this weekend, on the premise that he was due a big game. His scoring this year had been (from round 1) 23, 84, 64, 88 then 28. So by that trend, he was going high-80’s again. But no. He doesn’t look quite as explosive as we’re used to seeing from Teddy and decisions need to be made weighing up his upcoming draw and premium history against his and the Roosters form. So far, over 5,300 Coaches have traded Teddy out, mostly to Taaffe.

Sam Walker ($527k / 81 pts / BE 2) has turned his year around. It wasn’t that long ago that people were calling for his head, and now folks are telling me how they want to get him in. We’re a fickle bunch us SuperCoaches.

But good news, Joseph Suaalii ($260k / 26 pts / BE 28) gets his second game of the year and doesn’t look like getting moved out of there anytime soon. You can wait one more week to be absolutely certain, but I’m not overly concerned about his job security.

MELBOURNE STORM v THE WARRIORS

Monday, 7.00pm, 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. Marion Seve 20. Alec MacDonald 21. Jordan Grant 22. Jack Howarth 23. Bronson Garlick

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Alec MacDonald, Chris Lewis out
Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich in

Winner: Cameron Munster ($679k / 96 pts / BE 39) take a bow. He put on a pure masterclass in the win against the Sharks. It’s almost like he’s playing for a contract or something.

Loser: The Bromwich boys are back so the Cheese Brandon Smith ($474k / 30 pts / BE 64) is back to the bench. He’s not an option this year but will be super cheap next season at the Chooks.

SuperCoach Talk: Very little of SuperCoach relevance in the team drops. As I said, Jesse ($342k / BE 55) and Kenny Bromwich ($475k / BE 49) are both back with bench forwards dropping out.

Ryan Papenhuyzen ($876k / 67 pts / BE 176) has been named even after picking up a pretty bad looking ankle injury. Physio mentioned on Twitter that the sort of injury he suffered often looks worse than it actually is, but there a concern there for him anyway.

I mentioned Cook earlier, but Harry Grant ($705k / 86 pts / BE 62) is still the premier hooker in the game. He’s a must for all at some point.

Meanwhile, Josh King ($462k / 31 pts / BE 49) has almost topped out too. His low score last week means his break even has jumped up close to his average. He’s still starting though and in closer games, King should see far more work. He’s unlikely to be your biggest issue.


Warriors: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Jesse Arthars 4. Adam Pompey 5. Edward Kosi 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. Jazz Tevaga 21. Viliami Vailea 22. Rocco Berry 23. Valingi Kepu 24. Junior Ratuva 25. Garrett Smith

Lakey’s Take

Changes: Taniela Otukolo out
Matt Lodge in

Winner: It was a captains knock from Addin Fonua-Blake ($515k / 73 pts / BE 40) against the Roosters on Saturday afternoon. I was in on the big Tongan to start the year and he’s really starting to show that faith was warranted.

Loser: I was unconvinced by Jesse Arthars ($458k / 14 pts / BE 54) recent good form and it appears rightly so. Without a try this week, he scored 14 points in 80 minutes.

SuperCoach Talk: Not much of note in the Warriors team changes. Matt Lodge ($457k / BE 65) has come back in to the side with Otukolo the man to drop out. It was an odd choice to have a specialist hooker on the bench alongside Kodi Nikorima ($344k / 14 pts / BE 48), but I’m not the man making the decisions.

Jazz Tevaga ($420k / BE 19) has also served his his suspension but has only been named as far as the extended bench. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him promoted on game day but his SuperCoach stocks are non-existent until we’ve seen a fantasy friendly role and minutes.

Josh Curran ($597k / 59pts / BE 41) sticks at lock for now, although previously shifted wide to accommodate Jazz. It’s something I’ll be keeping a close watch on.

Euan Aitken ($546k / 50 pts / BE 32) has hit a rough patch too. He’s not putting up the sort of forwards scores expected of him, but while still starting and available in the CTW, I think he’s a hold.

As sad as it is to say, I think Shaun Johnson‘s ($420k / 15 pts / BE 86) days as a SuperCoach commodity are behind us. An 80 minute game with just 15 points? RIP mate.


Just a quiet reminder, that with Postman Stilesy sipping maple syrup for the next few weeks I’ll be taking over late mail duties. So you’ll be seeing me around these parts a lot more often than usual. Sorry about that.

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The Pretender

Great write up mate, very comprehensive !

The Duke

Thanks for the write up, Semi. With the rumours going around of Papi’s injury, my decision to trade him out (with a Hynes move) to Cleary (I have 100k in the bank) has solidified.

The Duke

It’s a conscious decision I’ve had to make. I want Cleary, I already have the more constant Munster, so I’m going to trade Papi.

Massive attack

Awesome as always
Thanks Semi !

Kazza

Thank you for the great write up. Always a pleasure to read and very informative.

Boris the Blade

Hi Semi,

Really enjoyed reading your write up over breakfast. I have been holding Jaxson Paulo, hoping he’d return. Any hope he’ll come from the reserves, in your opinion?

Boris the Blade

Or is he out for Cleary and Brodie Jones or Sualli or Xavier Savage?

ausmojo

Great writeup as per usual. Few questions coming out of it

worth noting that Gus has tweeted this morning about the Dogs getting hit with COVID. Something to keep an eye on at least

BT

Awesome write up as usual, Semi! Dam I wish Mulitalo didn’t jump by $110k last week!

langers legends

Lakey I’m not sure if you’ve watched much footy or understand the game but the reason Cotter had reduced mins is because he was completely dominated in both attack and defence. He was like a boy against men. Yes he tried hard but he is not big enough to be a middle forward.
Your articles are very misleading are you trying to help people make wrong decisions to improve your overall position?

DeanPayGreatMan

jog on champ, don’t be a prick

The Pretender

LL, you have missed the mark here. Not cool mate, Lakey does good work for us every single week. Whether he is right or wrong about this particular comment is in the eyes of the beholder – the week before, Cotter was nearly the cows best on ground.

I can assure you he isn’t trying to convince the masses to improve his position, as he is writing an article on a free online forum, that is to be used as a guide only.

Not on.

uncledami

You are a flog

langers legends

Lakey you commented that you didn’t know why Cotter was subbed for so long which bemused me because if you watched the game and if you knew anything about footy you would have worked out as coach Payton did that the raiders were destroying Cotter in the middle in defence and attack. When he took Cotter off the cowboys were able to win the middle which put them on the front foot and in turn they won the game. SIMPLE

DCE2011

Appreciate all your efforts, Semi.

Temple Guard

Thxs DCE I can’t and won’t vote on above,,, I leave that to all the other coaches to judge
Advise is give free of charge but never guaranteed

DCE2011

The forum works best when mutual respect and common courtesy is applied. 😉

langers legends

No one asked you TP as your judge on footy is about as good as lakey’s. Jing being a good player PLEASE. Just shut it TP

The Pretender

No problems mate, sorry I was unable to get through to you. Goodluck with the rest of your season.

Rich

He made me make my first comment on the weekend, and here’s my 2nd – How much of a tool does someone have to be to get blocked from the site? Or is there no way to do it? Love reading this site – the insights & the banter – but LL makes it hard work. How do you end up with an attitude like that?!

Rich

Thanks for the heads up on this. You’ve clearly got experience of these types, and so we’ll trust your call. Hopefully he’ll pull his head in and exercise some basic respect. People appreciate the work and time you guys put in – does it mean you get it all right and we accept it all without using any personal discernment, of course not. But you don’t trash & troll the people that are doing the work and putting their opinions on the line for the benefit of others. And I think it means even more when someone is having a… Read more »

Trade-a-holic

TP is leading SC overall so I would back his judgement on footy as being vastly superior to yours. Where is your team placed LL? Time for you to find another forum for your hatred.

BT

Oh wow, is he? Well deserved, Pre!

pullingyaleg

Fantastic write-up as always, Lakey! Thanks for all your hard work.
Not sure about the SJ comment though, I remember even prime SJ being regarded a real rollercoaster with a 100+ score one week and a sub-20 score the next haha!

Last edited 1 year ago by pullingyaleg
Temple Guard

Relax Semi…. You got the whole SC Talk Legend behind You…. and thanks for all them hours you put in for us to get a brilliant report weekly….
I Salute Your Efforts 🙂

tanous

respectfully disagree with nikora replacing BHU. the right 2rf is his to lose.
tolman is the like for like frf replacement.
unless there is a long term out in the backrow i think mcinnes stays a bench utility/backrow rotation due to his versatility to also fill in at hooker.
also the frf rotation is already covered with rudolf tolman hunt williams

Last edited 1 year ago by tanous