TCT SuperCoach: Your Weekly Guide to Surviving the Season

Round 12 brought the first major bye round of the year. With only 13 players counting during the bye period, lower scores were expected. NSW took out Origin I last night, and it was obviously never in doubt (thank you Ponga). With Origin disruptions and uncertainty surrounding which players will back up for their clubs this week, the carnage looks set to continue.

Congratulations to Wayne’s side, Eels got the JAC, which topped the round with a strong 1,153 points. Meanwhile, Chris’ side, Senior Paulo, reclaims first place in the overall TCT standings.

My Team

I finished Round 12 with a brilliant score of 1,124 points, the second-highest score in the TCT league this week. I was extremely happy with that result, particularly given I only had 13 players available. With no spare scores to fall back on, I was fortunate that everyone performed and not a single player let me down.

This score pushed me into the top 1% overall, which I’m very pleased with, while also moving me into second place overall in the TCT league.

My round could have been even stronger had I stuck with all of my original trade plans. I ultimately decided against bringing in Te Maire Martin. While I felt he was set up for a big game against the Dragons, I didn’t want to burn a trade given the uncertainty around whether Luke Metcalf could reclaim his spot.

I did, however, bring in Joseph Tapine for Simi Sasagi, Oliver Pascoe for Brandon Smith, and Scott Drinkwater for James Tedesco. Tapine produced his highest score of the season, continuing his annual trend of thriving during the Origin period. Pascoe performed solidly despite suffering a Category 1 HIA, which isn’t too bad given the Titans have the bye this week anyway. However, of my trades last week, Drinkwater was the standout, exploding for 119 points – the highest score of the round and fortunately my captain of the week.

I’m ecstatic with where my side sits right now, both in overall rank and in terms of squad composition. That said, I do need to ease up on the trades. I’m sitting on 21 trades remaining before this week’s moves. With plenty of football still ahead, I really need to slow down. Realistically though, I’ll probably boost this week anyway, so maybe the self-control can start next round.

Round 12 Review

Let’s break down the key SuperCoach takeaways from Round 12:

Premium Guns

Scott Drinkwater (FLB – $707.8k – 119 points):

Scott Drinkwater is one of the silkiest ball-playing fullbacks in the game, and he showcased that perfectly against the Rabbitohs. Drinky produced three try assists and four linebreak assists on his way to another brilliant 100+ score. The short-term draw isn’t bad with matchups against the Raiders and Dolphins coming up. However, things get much tougher after that with a bye, Warriors, Panthers, another bye, and Manly. It’s a difficult run that prospective buyers this week will need to be wary of.

Drinky – all class

Toby Couchman (2RF/FRF – $704.1k – 94 points):

That’s now back-to-back scores of 94 for Toby Couchman, entirely through base and power, with this week’s effort coming from just 61 minutes. He continues to prove himself as an absolute workhorse and is shaping as one of the more sought-after targets for non-owners.

Mid-Range Movers

Clayton Faulalo (CTW – $643.5k – 100 points):

Since shifting to fullback following Tommy Turbo’s injury, Clayton Faulalo has looked brilliant, with scores of 126 and 100 in his last two games. If you already own him, congratulations, you’ve nailed the move. For non-owners though, I wouldn’t be chasing. Manly face the Sharks and Rabbitohs next, but with Tommy Turbo expected back shortly after, you’d assume Faulalo returns to the centres or on the wing.

Alofiana Khan-Pereira (CTW – $587.3k – 92 points):

Lofi is a really fun SuperCoach player to own. His scoring is heavily reliant on tries, but that’s simply what he does. He’s already established himself as one of the competition’s most prolific finishers, with 61 tries in his 60 career games, while this season alone he’s crossed for 8 tries in 6 games. Producing 89+ in 4 of 6 games is outstanding. The concern, however, is his extremely low floor. When things don’t go his way, Lofi can produce some of the lowest scores in SuperCoach, which was perfectly shown two weeks ago when he somehow managed a score of -1 in 70 minutes (minutes reduced by a sin bin).

Jacob Kiraz (CTW – $612.7k – 109 points):

Returning from injury at fullback last week, Jacob Kiraz produced his first 100+ score of the season. The biggest takeaway wasn’t necessarily the score itself, but rather his workrate, which looked back to its usual elite level – something we haven’t seen from Kiraz this season due to niggling injuries. If that workload continues this week, I’ll be seriously looking at him as a buy next round. While Connor Tracey looms in the reserves this week, whether he lines up at fullback or on the wing doesn’t concern me too much.

Last week, Kiraz produced 82 points in base and power alone

Sitili Tupouniua (2RF/FRF – $541.8k – 89 points):

It appears Sitili has now secured an 80-minute edge role for the Bulldogs, playing the full game in three consecutive matches. This should be even more secure after the injury to Jacob Preston last week. His previous scores of 60 and 61 in almost all base were already solid enough, but his powerful running and attacking upside was shown last week, with a try helping him post a very strong 89 points. Owned by just 4% of teams, Sitili shapes as a very handy dual-position POD.

My Trades

At this stage, I’ll be boosting this week:

• Sialetili Faeamani >>> Reece Walsh
• Cody Walker >>> Fletcher Sharpe
• Jonah Pezet >>> Te Maire Martin

I’m really happy with these trades overall, except for the Te Maire Martin move.

Ideally, I’d prefer to find a way to fade TMM, because I’m not convinced he’s the slam-dunk purchase many are making him out to be. Last week, he scored two of the softest tries you’ll ever see against the Dragons and still couldn’t crack 100 points. With a matchup against the Panthers this week, followed by a bye, as well as the looming threat of Luke Metcalf replacing him at any time, there’s certainly a case to pass on him. The issue is that I currently need the trade to help facilitate the moves to Walsh and Sharpe. It’s not a move I’m entirely comfortable with, and if I can find a way to complete those trades without bringing TMM in, I’ll seriously consider it.

As discussed in my last article, Reece Walsh’s recent performances have been nothing short of concerning. Despite that, seeing Walsh sit at $603.7k with upcoming games against the Dragons and Titans at Suncorp is incredibly difficult to ignore. It’s exactly the type of high-upside gamble that makes SuperCoach so enjoyable in the first place.

As for Fletcher Sharpe, I thought he looked great in his last outing and I’m hopeful he’s moved past the injury concerns that have interrupted his season. I’ll be slotting Sharpe straight into my side at a heavily discounted price of $512.7k. He’s been named in the centres again this week, although that didn’t hurt his scoring last round, and he gets a favourable matchup against Parra this week. If Ponga doesn’t back up from Origin, there’s also a chance Sharpe shifts to fullback, although that would likely depend on how Newcastle decide to use Fletcher Hunt.

Captaincy

VC – Reece Walsh vs Dragons (H)

I don’t really care about Walsh’s poor form over the last couple of weeks, I’m backing him to bounce back in a big way, and I’d be nervous not having at least the VC on him. In fact, captaining players against the Dragons has probably been a big reason for my success so far this season.

Captaincy – Jackson Ford vs Panthers (A)

If Walsh doesn’t deliver a score worthy of looping, I’m backing Jackson Ford to do what he’s been consistently doing this season – pump out a 100+ score through base and power alone. With Mitch Barnett not named, I’m hoping Ford can take on a big minute role again and produce another strong output against the Panthers.

It’s shaping up to be a tricky week with most Origin players named to back up, but with no certainty around whether they’ll actually play until an hour before kick-off.

Despite all the uncertainty, we’re all in the same boat, so it should be another exciting round. Best of luck everyone, and drop your thoughts, trades, and captaincy calls below!

SC Adrian

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