TCT SuperCoach: Your Weekly Guide to Surviving the Season

(League Code: 704791)

Round 9 brought plenty of chaos with injuries and major role changes hitting some key SuperCoach players. It’s now the time to seriously factor Origin schedules into trade plans – taking into consideration byes, Origin likelihood, and whether Origin players are expected to back up. With the first major bye round arriving in Round 12, planning ahead is crucial. Just remember, only your top 13 scorers count during each major bye round. If anything though, the mini bye rounds that follow often create even more chaos, with full squads still required despite three teams on the bye and Origin players frequently being rested in these rounds.

A big congratulations to Mark’s side, The Real dEEL, which topped the TCT league this week with an impressive 1,615 points.

At the top of the standings, we’ve got a shake-up. Chris’ team, Senior Paulo, has surged into first place, ending THUNDERMACHINE’s five-week hold on top spot. After weeks of stability, the race for top spot is well and truly heating up.

My Team

I scored 1,567 points this week, which I’m stoked with. This has pushed me up into the top 2% overall.

A big part of that success has been nailing a few key buys at the right time. Players like Alex Twal, Simi Sasagi, Jackson Ford, Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary, and Nicho Hynes have been unreal. They’re consistently producing scores around 100+, and at this point, I’ve almost come to expect it from these players.

Trade-wise, I brought in Saxon Pryke for Noah Martin, which allowed me to upgrade Daniel Atkinson to Sam Walker. Pryke is purely a cash play and likely won’t ever feature in my 18, but I’m very happy with the move to Sam Walker. He posted a solid score of 82 against the Broncos and has a great run coming up. With that draw, his price should continue to climb, which will make it tricky for others to buy him in, especially with a lot of coaches prioritising Nicho Hynes before even considering Sam Walker.

One that got away this week was the captaincy. As mentioned in last weeks’ article, I was planning on captaining Latrell Mitchell. Unfortunately, I talked myself out of it simply because I was worried about Dane Gagai defensively shutting out Latrell. That didn’t age well, with Latrell going huge for a 141. I ended up captaining Nathan Cleary instead. 98 is still a great captaincy score, and I probably got away with one given how quiet he looked for most of the game against Manly. It’s hard to think about what could’ve been if I trusted my gut.

There are a few concerns bubbling away though. Heilum Luki and Casey McLean were both underwhelming with a 45 and 41 respectively, Arama Hau was hooked early for a score of 28 in 51 minutes and has since been pushed to the bench, and Sialetili Faeamani has picked up an MCL injury. I certainly have plenty to think about heading into this round.

Round 9 Review

Let’s break down the key SuperCoach takeaways from Round 9:

Premium Guns

Latrell Mitchell (CTW – $1.061m – 140 points):

I’ll keep this one brief. Latrell is officially the first $1m SuperCoach player this season, averaging a ridiculous 131.6 points across his last five games. For the 43% of owners who don’t own him, it’s rough viewing, but the boat has more than sailed now, especially with a lot of owners likely to sell come Round 12. Latrell is set to miss at least five games between Rounds 12 and 18 due to byes and Origin.

Kayal Iro (CTW – $727.3k – 132 points):

Back-to-back hat-tricks for Kayal Iro. The Sharks are finally shifting their attack to the left, and this is paying off massively for owners. If you want him in your side, now is the time. Sitting at $727.3k with a breakeven of -18, another big score will quickly push him out of reach.

Simi Sasagi (2RF/CTW – $789.8k – 109 points):

There was some concern for owners when Simi returned at second row rather than centre, but it clearly didn’t matter. Sasagi crossed for two tries to keep his ridiculous run going. No matter where he lines up, he’s producing elite scores. With five straight games of 95+, he’s cementing himself as one of the most reliable and important SuperCoach players in the game right now.

Simi Sasagi – a SuperCoach gun this season!

Jackson Ford (FRF – $835.2k – 119 points):

Jackson Ford is producing outrageous numbers at the moment, basically punching out 100+ in base and power alone every week. Last round, he also showed his attacking upside by crashing over for his fourth try of the season. Nine games played and six scores of 100+ is simply absurd. Non-owners get a brief reprieve with the Warriors on the bye this week, but he’s a tricky buy for non-owners anyway. He’s set to miss three games through byes between now and Round 18, and with his current form making it almost impossible to leave him out of the NSW Origin side, he’ll likely miss additional matches through Origin duties.

Nicho Hynes (HFB – $862.6k – 131 points):

This is exactly why I bought Nicho Hynes. Before the intercept try, it honestly felt like he hadn’t done much, yet he was already pushing 100 points. He just accumulates SuperCoach points like no other. Like a few others on this list, he’s quickly becoming a player that non-owners may simply get priced out of if they don’t jump on soon.

Mid-Range Movers

Reed Mahoney (HOK – $374.1k – 97 points):

If you held onto Reed through his rollercoaster of scores this season, credit to you. With two try assists and the full 80 minutes last round, Mahoney produced his highest score of the year by a long way. A breakeven of -28 means there’s some decent cash generation to come, but despite the big score, he’s still not a buy for me.

Greg Marzhew (CTW – $562.7k – 131 points):

Nearly 7,000 SuperCoachers have already traded in Greg Marzhew this week. Call me crazy, but I don’t see it. Yes, he scored a hat-trick in a game where Newcastle piled on 42 points, but there are a few things worth noting. The Knights heavily attacked down the left edge all game, and with Dane Gagai and Dom Young on the right side, that’s not something I’d expect every week. More importantly, this isn’t quite the Greg Marzhew of old. What made him such a great SuperCoach asset in the past was his ability to pump out 60+ scores without any attacking stats. This season, we’ve already seen scores of 32, 41, and 43, which suggests that his reliable floor isn’t really there anymore. The appeal that I will acknowledge is his favourable draw, with upcoming games against the Dragons, Titans, Eels, Storm and Dragons again. However, it’s worth noting that, during this five-game stretch, Newcastle have two byes.

Don’t be fooled – Greg Marzhew is not the SuperCoach gun he once was

Trey Mooney (FRF/2RF – $575.2k – 123 points):

Trey Mooney was a popular starting pick this season due to his elite PPM for the Raiders. Unfortunately, averaging just 47 minutes this year left plenty of owners disappointed. To his credit, he’s found a way to maintain relevance through attacking stats, crossing for five tries already this season. Two tries against the Bunnies last round led to a monster 123-point performance – a painful viewing for the 8,030 of SuperCoaches who sold him last week alone. This score should spark a couple decent price rises, giving patient owners a nice opportunity to cash out or upgrade to a forward with more secure minutes.

Players of Concern

Jaxon Purdue (CTW/5/8 – $535k – 33 points):

Purdue’s price has fallen off a cliff, dropping from over $700k to just $535k in a short period of time. There’s no sugarcoating it – his last five scores have been very poor. That said, if you’ve held this whole time, I’d probably stick solid for now, despite the breakeven of 112. The matchup against Parra is a favourable one, and there also aren’t many obvious replacements at 5/8. If you’re carrying him in CTW though, I’d be much more open to selling and upgrading to a stronger option in that position. It really depends on where you’re playing him.

Tom Jenkins (CTW – $727.3k – 38 points):

It was inevitable that Jenkins’ ridiculous try-scoring run would slow down eventually. With a breakeven of 162, the cash bleed is set to continue. For owners, it’s frustrating watching Penrith start to attack more down their right, which is a concern for owners of Jenkins and Casey McLean. However, if I was an owner, I’d be holding firm for now.

To owners, you bought Jenkins for a reason…

Arama Hau (FRF/2RF – $574.4k – 28 points):

The cheapie run of Arama Hau looks to be over, making $338.8k along the way. For a while, he was an easy play weekly thanks to his reliable floor of 50 and occasional attacking upside. Unfortunately, Hau was hooked after 51 minutes for just 28 points. Owners may have been prepared to give him one more chance, but team lists confirmed the worst-case scenario, with Hau shifted to the bench. He’s an easy sell for me.

Team List Watch

• Jeremy Marshall-King returns via the bench for the Dolphins.
• Plenty of changes for the Titans. Sialetili Faeamani drops out with an MCL injury (3-4 weeks), opening the door for bottom-dollar cheapie, Jensen Taumoepeau, to debut. Zane Harrison is also set for his debut at halfback, which shifts Jayden Campbell to five-eighth. Arama Hau has been pushed to the bench, while Cooper Bai starts at lock.
• Bottom-dollar cheapie, Cody Ramsey, comes straight onto the wing after Mark Nawaqanitawase suffered a syndesmosis injury (6–8 weeks).
• Ryley Smith is out with a sternum injury, which could see Tallyn Da Silva play the full 80 minutes at hooker.
• Clint Gutherson returns at fullback, while Dylan Egan has been named in his return from an ACL injury.
• A number of changes for the Rabbitohs. Jye Gray returns, pushing Matt Dufty to the bench and likely limiting him to just one meaningful price rise for now. Jack Wighton is out with a forearm fracture (6–8 weeks), shifting Campbell Graham back to the centres and bringing Edward Kosi onto the wing.
• Jamal Fogarty returns for Manly, pushing Joey Walsh back to the bench.
• Tom Duffy comes into the Broncos side for Adam Reynolds and is set for a major price rise after this week with a breakeven of -65. Jesse Arthars shifts into the centres for Kotoni Staggs (2-week suspension), while bottom-dollar cheapie, Antonio Verhoeven, moves onto the wing for the injured Deine Mariner.
• Jahrome Hughes returns from concussion protocols for the Storm.
• Adam Doueihi is sidelined with a shoulder dislocation (4–6 weeks), bringing Jock Madden back into the halves. Kai Pearce-Paul returns from concussion protocols, Heath Mason slots in at fullback, and Patrick Herbert returns in the centres. Samuela Fainu is also out with a foot fracture (12 weeks).
• Ethan Strange returns from injury for the Raiders, while Hudson Young is back from suspension.

My Trades

Here’s where I’m at this week:

• Sialetili Faeamani >>> Briton Nikora
• Arama Hau >>> Toby Couchman

Simi Sasagi’s dual positioning (2RF/CTW) continues to be a huge asset. I’ve used it again here to move Faeamani on, shift Simi into CTW, and bring in Briton Nikora. Nikora is almost bottom dollar ($342.8k) due to multiple games from the bench this season, and we know what he’s capable of from a SuperCoach perspective. He looks to have hopefully secured his spot back on the right edge outside of Nicho Hynes. I am jumping on slightly early, mainly to free up some cash for the second trade. However, at his price, it’s not overly risky. For now, I’m happy to sit back and watch before selecting him in my 18, but the upside is definitely there.

Before I found out that Arama Hau had been dropped, I was happy to give him another week and not spend any trades. However, with him dropped to the bench, I feel obligated to make trades. So, with the extra money from the above trade, I’m bringing in my second Couchman – Toby this time. He’s been really impressive with solid minutes, strong base and importantly, he shapes as great coverage through the Origin period. For the sake of my SuperCoach side, I want him nowhere near the NSW Origin squad, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s in or around it.

Captaincy

VC – James Tedesco vs Titans (H)

Pretty straightforward here. Tedesco at home against the Titans has serious upside written all over it. This could be a massive score.

Captaincy – Latrell Mitchell vs Sharks (H)

I’m backing in the form player of the competition. Latrell is on an absolute tear right now, producing big scores week in, week out. No need to overthink this one.

Other options

It might feel repetitive listing these names again, but they’re consistently delivering elite scores, so they also have to be in the conversation:

• Scott Drinkwater vs Parra (H)
• Nicho Hynes vs Bunnies (A)
• Nathan Cleary vs Raiders (A)

I’m keen to hear your thoughts, trades, and captaincy calls – drop them below! Let’s see who nails Round 10. See you next week!

SC Adrian

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