Wenin’s Teams Analysis – Round 7

What about the carnage this today!

It’s been a heavy couple of week’s and just as owners may be looking to try and save a few trades, there are some massive outs that we need to take care of this week.

As I’m also covering Buy, Sell, Hold this week the Teams Analysis will be a little bit lighter than usual.

Anyway, let’s get stuck into it.

PANTHERS V KNIGHTS

Thurs 22 Apr, BlueBet Stadium, Penrith, 7:50pm

PANTHERS

1. Stephen Crichton 2. Charlie Staines 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Matt Burton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Isaah Yeo

Bench: 14. Tyrone May 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Matthew Eisenhuth 17. Liam Martin

Reserves: 18. Scott Sorensen 19. Robert Jennings 20. Api Koroisau 21. Dylan Edwards

Analysis: Nathan Cleary continues to sizzle with a season average of 99PPG. He looms as a sneaky straight captain again this week.

Injuries:

• Dylan Edwards (hand, round 7-8)
• Api Koroisau (wrist, round 7-8)

Teams Analysis

Paul Momirovski was found guilty at the tribunal tonight and will miss the next three weeks. He will likely be replaced by either Tyrone May or Robert Jennings. Api Koroisau and Dylan Edwards have both been named in the reserves and could be late inclusions.

Charlie Staines’s only saving graces right now is that he still has an achievable BE (29), and a couple of half decent match-ups over the coming month. Without that, he’d be a definite trade out given his current price tag, general underperformance and the fact you can’t really play him in your starting 17.

KNIGHTS

1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Starford To’a 3. Enari Tuala 4. Bradman Best 5. Brayden Musgrove 6. Kurt Mann 7. Blake Green 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Connor Watson

Bench: 14. Sauaso Sue 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Josh King 17. Brodie Jones

Reserves: 18. Simi Sasagi 19. Pasami Saulo 20. Gehamat Shibasaki 21. Phoenix Crossland

Injuries:

• Phoenix Crossland (knee, round 8)
• Tex Hoy (hamstring, round 8)
• Edrick Lee (foot, round 8)
• Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder, round 8)
• Hymel Hunt (hamstring, round 8-9)
• Bailey Hodgson (knee, round 9)
• Mitchell Pearce (pectoral, round 14-16)
• Dom Young (knee, indefinite)
• Jirah Momoisea (Achilles, indefinite)
• Chris Randall (wrist, indefinite)

Teams Analysis

Hymel Hunt is out with a hamstring injury and has been replaced on the wing by Starford To’a. Brodie Jones shifts from the centres to the bench and is therefore hard to get too excited about and he is only available at 2RF.

Kalyn Ponga has returned with a bang and is definitely an option but has a hard series of match-ups ahead compared with the other fullback options.

Brayden Musgrave is one to watch for next week.

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TITANS V RABBITOHS

Fri 23 Apr, Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast, 6pm

TITANS

1. AJ Brimson 2. Anthony Don 3. Brian Kelly 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Corey Thompson 6. Ash Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Mitch Rein 10. Moeaki Fotuaika 11. Kevin Proctor 12. David Fifita 13. Tyrone Peachey

Bench: 14. Erin Clark 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. Sam Lisone 17. Sam McIntyre

Reserves: 18. Beau Fermor 19. Herman Ese’ese 20. Jonas Pearson 21. Phillip Sami

Injuries:

• Phillip Sami (head knock, round 7)
• Anthony Don (hip, round 7)
• Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (suspension, round 9)

Teams Analysis

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will miss the next two weeks through suspension as has been replaced at prop by Moeaki Fotuaika, while Sam McIntyre joins the bench. Anthony Don has been named to return from injury on the wing and Jonus Pearson drops to the reserves.

Fa’asuamaleaui is a trade out for me now with the two-week absence compounding some pretty ugly scores of late and a high BE. I don’t think that he is a keeper in either position.

I would hold off on buying Brian Kelly this week, but he could be a great buy next round with matches against the Broncos and Tigers back to back and a current BE of 70.

RABBITOHS

 1. Alex Johnston 2. Dane Gagai 3. Steven Marsters 4. Campbell Graham 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Damien Cook 10. Tevita Tatola 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Cameron Murray

Bench: 14. Benji Marshall 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Liam Knight 17. Jai Arrow

Reserves: 18. Jacob Host 19. Patrick Mago 20 Dean Hawkins 21. Hame Sele

Injuries:

• Taane Milne (knee, round 6)
• Blake Taaffe (ankle, round 8)
• Braidon Burns (knee, round 8-9)
• Josh Mansour (hamstring, round 11)
• Jed Cartwright (back, mid-season)
• Brock Gardner (Achilles, indefinite)

Teams Analysis

Latrell Mitchell will be missing for four weeks after being found guilty tonight at the tribunal. Alex Johnston will move to fullback and Jaxson Paulo comes on to the wing to cover Mitchell’s absence. Dane Gagai will shift from the centres to the wing to replace Josh Mansour, who is out with a hamstring injury and Steven Marsters will start at centre. Jacob Host has been relegated to the reserves for Keaon Koloamatang.

Mitchell is a sell, while Dane Gagai’s SuperCoach output could take a hit with his base likely to suffer on the wing.

EELS V BRONCOS

Fri 23 Apr, TIO Stadium, Darwin, 7:55pm

EELS

1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Tom Opacic 4. Marata Niukore 5. Blake Ferguson 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. Oregon Kaufusi 15. Will Penisini 16. Wiremu Greig 17. Bryce Cartwright

Reserves: 18. Haze Dunster 19. Jordan Rankin 20. Keegan Hipgrave 21. Ryan Matterson

Injuries:

• Ryan Matterson (concussion, round 7)
• Dylan Brown (suspension, round 7)
• Waqa Blake (calf, round 8)
• Ray Stone (shoulder, round 9-10)
• Michael Jennings (stood down, indefinite)

Teams Analysis

Dylan Brown returns from suspension, with Will Smith dropping to the bench and Keegan Hipgrave to the reserves. Ryan Matterson has been named in the reserves rather than in the #12 jersey as the Eels continue to play a patient game with him.

Isaiah Papali’I has increased in value by over $200k, but he’s underpriced based on how well he has been going. Since playing big minutes on the edge, he has averaged 57 base points per game (BPPG) and is scoring tries for fun (four in the past three weeks). With games against the Broncos, Bulldogs and Manly ahead there’s no real reason to think that this attacking statistic bonanza won’t continue. The fact that he is dual position too is extremely important this week with a couple popular props possibly unavailable. There is the Ryan Matterson risk, but with a BE of -7, it’s still worth jumping on and hopefully he will cover the the Round 13 bye for you.

I love the Gutherson acquisition this week and may be doing it myself. Refer to their fixture above – he could go bonkers over this period and a downgrade from Pappy could really set you up for a big few weeks.

BRONCOS

1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Xavier Coates 3. Herbie Farnworth 4. David Mead 5. Corey Oates 6. Brodie Croft 7. Tom Dearden 8. Matt Lodge 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Alex Glenn 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. Pat Carrigan

Bench: 14. Danny Levi 15. Thomas Flegler 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Jordan Riki

Reserves: 18. Rhys Kennedy 19. Tyson Gamble 20. John Asiata 21. Jesse Arthurs

Injuries:

• Jesse Arthars (illness, round 7)
• Herbie Farnworth (shoulder, round 7)
• Kotoni Staggs (knee, round 10-12)
• Ben Te’o (biceps, round 18)

Teams Analysis

Herbie Farnworth returns from a shoulder injury, while new recruit, Danny Levi comes straight into the side on the interchange bench in the #14 jersey. Richard Kennar and John Asiata drop out.

The inclusion of Levi on the bench is potentially great news for both Matt Lodge and Payne Haas, with Thomas Flegler the only true middle forward on the bench, while Ethan Bullemor will likely play through there as well. Lodge is a value buy right now, while Haas likely has one or two price drops to come with a high BE.

Tevita Pangai played 80 minutes on the edge with Jordan Riki replacing Alex Glenn instead. However, his BPPM dropped from circa 1 to almost 0.5 and that has me concerned.

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SHARKS V BULLDOGS

Sat 24 Apr, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney, 5:30pm

SHARKS

Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Mawene Hiroti 3. Josh Dugan 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Connor Tracey 6. Matt Moylan 7. Chad Townsend 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Toby Rudolf

Bench: 14. Billy Magoulias 15. Shaun Johnson 16. Jack Williams 17. Siosifa Talakai

Reserves: 18. Braydon Trindall 19. Will Chambers 20. Franklin Pele 21. Jenson Taumoepeau

Injuries:

• Josh Dugan (concussion, round 7)
• Aiden Tolman (suspension, round 8)
• Wade Graham (concussion, round 8)
• Royce Hunt (knee, round 8)
• Andrew Fifita (suspension, round 9)
• Ronaldo Mulitalo (knee, round 9-10)
• Sione Katoa (knee, round 8-10)
• Jackson Ferris (foot, round 10)

Teams Analysis

Shaun Johnson returns from injury and will start from the bench. Josh Dugan returns in the centres, seeing Teig Wilton go back to the second row and Jack Williams to the bench. Aiden Tolman will miss the match after taking an early guilty plea on a crusher tackle charge.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Johnson fits into this side now. Will Kennedy is in great form, while it’s hard to see Charge Townsend dropped and so that may mean that Matt Moylan is the one to make way.

Siosifa Talakai is an interesting option and as soon as he makes his way back into the starting side then it might be time to pounce given he is a dual CTW/2RF.

BULLDOGS

1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Nick Cotric 3. Will Hopoate 4. Corey Allan 5. Tuipulotu Katoa 6. Jake Averillo 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Dylan Napa 9. Sione Katoa 10. Luke Thompson 11. Adam Elliott 12. Chris Smith 13. Corey Waddell

Bench: 14. Brad Deitz 15. Renouf Atoni 16. Ava Seumanufagai 17. Matt Doorey

Reserves: 19. Lachlan Lewis 21. Joe Stimson 22. Nick Meaney 23. Ofahiki Ogden

Injuries:

• Lachlan Lewis (head knock, round 7)
• Jackson Topine (knee, round 9)
• Jeremy Marshall-King (foot, round 10-12)
• Josh Jackson (calf, round 10-12)
• Jack Hetherington (suspension, round 12)
• Raymond Faitala-Mariner (foot, round 18-22)
• Jayden Okunbor (knee, round 20)
• Nick Meaney (broken ribs, indefinite)
• Christian Crichton (knee, season)

Teams Analysis

Dylan Napa and Luke Thompson start at prop with Jack Hetherington out suspended. Renouf Atoni has been named on the bench after starting last week in the front row. Chris Smith has been promoted from the bench to the second row. Jackson Topine is out with bone bruising and could miss the next two weeks. Ofahiki Ogden has been left out and the three new faces on the bench are Brad Deitz, Ava Seumanufagai and Matt Doorey.

I was interesting in Luke Thompson, but given he has been named in the front row, I am not so sure anymore.

COWBOYS V RAIDERS

Sat 24 Apr, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, 7:35pm

COWBOYS

1. Valentine Holmes 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Justin O’Neill 4. Connelly Lemuelu 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Scott Drinkwater 7. Ben Hampton 8. Coen Hess 9. Reece Robson 10. Jordan McLean 11. Shane Wright 12. Ben Condon 13. Lachlan Burr

Bench: 14. Jake Granville 15. Mitchell Dunn 16. Francis Molo 17. Corey Jensen

Reserves: 18. Esan Marsters 19. Peter Hola 20. Jake Clifford 21. Tom Gilbert

Injuries:

• Jason Taumalolo (broken hand, round 8-10)
• Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (leg, round 10)
• Reuben Cotter (foot, round 10-12)

Teams Analysis

No changes to the 17. What is going on here?

Ben Condon played 70 minutes on the edge last weekend and with a BE of -39, he remains a buy despite missing the initial price rise.

Valentine Holmes has averaged 70 PPG since Round 2, with the addition of goal kicking and other attacking statistics helping his cause. However, he will miss Round 13.

RAIDERS

1. Caleb Aekins 2. Sebastian Kris 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Curtis Scott 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. George Williams 8. Ryan James 9. Tom Starling 10. Emre Guler 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Ryan Sutton

Bench: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Corey Harawira-Naera 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Josh Papalii

Reserves: 18. Matt Timoko 19. Sia Soliola 20. Matt Frawley 21. Joe Tapine

Injuries:

• Bailey Simonsson (head knock, round 8)
• Sam Williams (ribs, round 8-9)
• Semi Valemei (hamstring, round 8-9)
• Josh Hodgson (calf, round 9-10)
• Albert Hopoate (shoulder, round 11-13)
• Harley Smith-Shields (biceps, round 20)
• Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (neck, indefinite)

Teams Analysis

Ricky Stewart has taken a stand and dropped Josh Papali’i and Joseph Tapine the bench and the reserves respectively. Ryan James returns prop after missing a week, while Ryan Sutton shifts to lock and Emre Guler has been promoted from the bench to prop. Josh Hodgson is out this week with a calf injury, replaced by Tom Starling at hooker. Corey Harawira-Naera and Corey Horsburgh come on to the bench with Sia Soliola dropping from the interchange to the reserves and Sebastian Kris comes on to the wing as a replacement for Bailey Simonsson who failed a HIA last weekend.

Plenty going on here. If you’re a Hodgson owner then it’s time to sell, while Simonsson can probably sit on our pines given that he is worth basically nothing.

TIGERS V SEA EAGLES

Sun 25 Apr, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney, 1:45pm

TIGERS

1. Daine Laurie 2. David Nofoaluma 3. James Roberts 4. Michael Chee Kam 5. Tommy Talau 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Luke Brooks 8. James Tamou 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Stefano Utoikamanu 11. Joe Ofahengaue 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Alex Twal

Bench: 14. Moses Mbye 15. Luke Garner 16. Alex Seyfarth 17. Zane Musgrove

Reserves: 18. Jacob Liddle 19. Thomas Mikaele 20. Tom Amone 21. Joey Leilua

Injuries:

• Joey Leilua (head knock, round 7)
• Shawn Blore (wrist, round 8)
• Russell Packer (knee, round 10)
• Asu Kepaoa (knee, season)

Teams Analysis

Michael Chee Kam starts in the centres with Asu Kepaoa due to an ACL injury. Alex Seyfarth moves from the reserves to the bench in a swap with Thomas Mikaele.

Jake Simpkin retains his spot in the starting side with Jacob Liddle in the reserves and will be a very popular purchase next week.

If you want to wait a week on trading Fa’asuamaleaui out then you could do worse than to plug Stefano Utoikamanu into your 17.

David Nofoaluma is my number one target this week as I look desperately in need of some SuperCoach scoring in my CTW. He has possibly bottomed out in price and West’s have a tidy run ahead.

SEA EAGLES

1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Josh Schuster 13. Jake Trbojevic

Bench: 14. Cade Cust 15. Josh Aloiai 16. Sean Keppie 17. Toafofoa Sipley

Reserves: 18. Zac Saddler 19. Tevita Funa 20. Christian Tuipulotu 21. Ben Trbojevic

Injuries:

• Curtis Sironen (knee, round 8)
• Moses Suli (back, round 9)
• Dylan Walker (hamstring, round 10-12)
• Karl Lawton (Achilles, round 11-12)
• Jack Gosiewski (foot, round 17)
• Andrew Davey (knee, season)
• Morgan Boyle (shoulder, indefinite)
• Manase Fainu (stood down, indefinite)

Teams Analysis

No changes.

Tommy Turbo is back! Just a casual 116 on return and now you’ve got an afternoon game at Bankwest. He’s sure to be a popular trade in target this week.

Josh Schuster can comfortably be plugged into your 17 with an average base of 44 and plenty of attacking statistics at his disposal.

ROOSTERS V DRAGONS

Sun 25 Apr, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 4:05pm

ROOSTERS

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Josh Morris 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Drew Hutchinson 7. Sam Walker 8. Isaac Liu 9. Sam Verrills 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Angus Crichton 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley

Bench: 14. Ben Marschke 15. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 16. Nat Butcher 17. Lindsay Collins

Reserves: 18. Fletcher Baker 19. Matt Ikuvalu 20. Egan Butcher 21. Tuku Hau Tapuha

Injuries:

• Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (shoulder, round 7)
• Siosiua Taukeiaho (ribs, round 7)
• Brett Morris (calf, round 7)
• Sam Verrills (knee, round 7)
• Lachlan Lam (knee, round 9)
• Freddy Lussick (arm, round 11-13)
• Billy Smith (shoulder, mid-season)
• Boyd Cordner (concussion, indefinite)
• Luke Keary (knee, season)

Teams Analysis

Brett Morris has been named to return with Matt Ikuvalu making way. Sam Verrills returns at hooker, seeing Ben Marschke to the bench and Adam Keighran dropping out of the squad. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Siosiua Taukeiaho have both been named despite suffering injuries last week that prevented them from finishing the game.

The inclusion of Taukeiaho is massive with plenty of other fires for us to put out this week. Hopefully he plays.

James Tedesco is in a slump but hopefully, the return of Morris helps, as may the inclusion of Verrills. There is also the possibility that he takes on some of the goal kicking duties with Keighran out. I think that he is a hold with a nice run of games ahead and a 4pm date with the SCG.

Sitili Tupouniua has bottomed out in price following a poor run of scores including a four in Round 4. An option may be to trade one of your crappy CTW’s to him and shift Capewell into your CTW. However, he will not cover you in Round 13 and is unlikely to be a keeper.

DRAGONS

1. Matthew Dufty 2. Cody Ramsey 3. Jack Bird 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Adam Clune 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Kerr 12. Tariq Sims 13. Tyrell Fuimaono

Bench: 14. Kaide Ellis 15. Josh McGuire 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Brayden Wiliame

Reserves: 18. Billy Burns 19. Poasa Faamausili 20. Jordan Pereira 21. Ben Hunt

Injuries:

• Corey Norman (shoulder, round 7)
• Blake Lawrie (cork, round 7)
• Ben Hunt (leg, round 7-8)
• Cameron McInnes (knee, season)
• Jack de Belin (stood down)

Teams Analysis

Blake Lawrie returns, seeing Trent Merrin dropping out. Corey Norman has been named despite a shoulder injury. Ben Hunt has been named in the reserves.

Zac Lomax is edging towards being ripe for picking and will likely cover the Round 13 bye. It’s worth remembering that both Josh Curran and Simpkin will be on the bubble next week so any trade for Lomax might need to wait a couple of weeks.

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STORM V WARRIORS

Sun 25 Apr, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 6:15pm

STORM

1. Nicho Hynes 2. George Jennings 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Brandon Smith 10. Christian Welch 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Bench: 14. Harry Grant 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Dale Finucane

Reserves: 18. Dean Ieremia 19. Ryley Jacks 20. Trent Loiero 21. Aaron Pene

Injuries:

• Ryan Papenhuyzen (shoulder, round 8-9)
• Max King (Achilles, round 8-10)
• Brenko Lee (calf, round 10-12)
• Darryn Schonig (knee, round 15-17)

Teams Analysis

Ryan Papenhuyzen is out with a shoulder injury and could miss Round 8 too. He has been replaced by Nicho Hynes. Dale Finucane returns from injury and this could have an impact on Christian Welch’s recent great output. Breko Lee re-injured himself in the QCup last weekend and will miss the next month.

Pappy’s injury is massive and at close to $900k I am seriously considering cashing in on him this week with a view of picking him up a bit cheaper post the byes. It could really backfire on me, but I need to chase points and you can’t have a $900k fullback sitting on the pine for a couple of weeks with Origin coming up.

Cameron Munster should kick goals with Pappy, while Harry Grant is an absolute gun but I will liekly be waiting until after the Origin period is over before acquiring him.

WARRIORS

1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. David Fusitu’a 3. Marcelo Montoya 4. Jack Murchie 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Sean O’Sullivan 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 9. Wayde Egan 10. Kane Evans 11. Josh Curran 12. Ben Murdoch-Masila 13. Tohu Harris

Bench: 14. Jazz Tevaga 15. Bunty Afoa 16. Leeson Ah Mau 17. Bayley Sironen

Reserves: 18. Rocco Berry 20. Tom Ale 21. Reece Walsh 22. Taniela Otukolo

Injuries:

• Bayley Sironen (shoulder, round 7)
• Euan Aitken (ankle, round 9-11)
• Peta Hiku (dislocated shoulder, round 10-11)
• Chanel Harris-Tavita (foot, round 13-14)
• Addin Fonua-Blake (knee, round 19-20)
• Adam Pompey (ankle, TBA)

Teams Analysis

Peta Hiku and Adam Pompey are both out injured seeing David Fusitu’a return and Marcelo Montoya shifts into the centres where he will be joined by Jack Murchie. Bayley Sironen returns on the bench from a shoulder injury, while Paul Turner drops out also injured.

Josh Curran will be a popular option this week at just over $200k given his 77 points in 80 minutes (68 of which coming from base). However, with Sironen named on the bench, I would not be going a week early. It’s worth watching from the sidelines to see how this one pans out.