TCT SuperCoach: Your Weekly Guide to Surviving the Season

Round 21 has come and gone, and it certainly wasn’t short of injuries.

Apologies for my one-week hiatus to those who are regular readers. I’ve been dealing with a wrist injury, but I’m back on board. For the week I missed, congratulations to Connor’s team, Moses Supposes, who topped the league with a nice 1,383 points in what was quite a low-scoring round.

As for last round, a big congratulations to Mark’s team, Blue and Gold Army, for an outrageous score of 1,713, which not only topped the TCT league for the week but also placed 100^th in the world.

At the top of the overall TCT league, Chris’ side, Senior Paulo, continues its dominance in first place.

My Team

I scored 1,402 points this week. While that’s usually quite a good score, it wasn’t enough this round. Unfortunately, I dropped a couple of hundred ranks, stalling my push back into the top 1%.

I traded James Tedesco in for Casey McLean (via flex), and Reece Walsh in for Tom Trbojevic.

After a poor stretch of games followed by a two-week hiatus due to concussion protocols, Teddy looked like a steal at $576.8k. He’s a player who always seems to finish the season strongly, and fortunately, the trade paid dividends after a hat-trick resulted in 110 points.

Unfortunately, I’ve fallen into the Reece Walsh trap once again, as have many others who are terrified of missing another end-of-season purple patch like he produced last year. He scored 61 points, and with Brisbane’s finals hopes now over, I’m hopeful that it leads to Walsh playing with a bit more freedom, which seems to suit him best.

I placed the VC on Nathan Cleary against Parra, who delivered 116 points. With no terrible AE options available, I opted to take the loop and lock in a solid captaincy score.

This week, I’ll need to assess my trades following Harry Grant’s injury, while also deciding what to do with a few underperforming players such as Marky Mark, Zac Hosking and Te Maire Martin.

Round 21 Review

Let’s break down the key SuperCoach takeaways from Round 21.

Premium Guns

Nicho Hynes (HFB – $1.02M – 185 points):

I urged non-owners to buy Nicho after his 196-point score against the Dolphins. While he followed that up with a somewhat underwhelming 61, he’s now produced two scores of 185+ in the past three weeks. He’s involved in absolutely everything in attack, while his perfect goal-kicking only adds to his scoring. Incredible stuff, and it sees Hynes become SuperCoach’s second million-dollar man. If you don’t own him by now, he’s probably unattainable without ripping your team to shreds, so all you can really do is hide behind the lounge and hope Prince Nicho cools off.

Jayden Campbell (5/8/HFB – $685.8k – 140 points):

Last round, JC tore the Dragons apart with a try, three try assists, two linebreaks, a linebreak assist and 7/8 goal-kicking. With the likes of Te Maire Martin and Fletcher Sharpe underperforming at 5/8, Campbell is shaping up as an outstanding pickup if you have the trades available.

JC is one of the most traded-in players this week.

James Tedesco (FLB – $621.2k – 110 points):

The couple of weeks off seemed to do Teddy the world of good, as he returned with a hat-trick against Newcastle to produce his first 100+ score since Round 10. With five of the Roosters’ final six regular-season games being played in Sydney, Tedesco shapes as a brilliant option at a price we rarely ever see him at. If you’re looking for a fullback, I’d highly recommend picking Teddy up for the run home, as he’s a premium SuperCoach player despite what his price suggests.

Mid-Range Movers

Tyran Wishart (5/8/HFB – $445.3k – 96 points):

Tyran Wishart reminded everyone why he’s such a sought-after option whenever one of Melbourne’s halves goes down. Replacing Cameron Munster, who is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, Wishart scored a try, made a linebreak and has now taken over the goal-kicking duties (although not particularly convincingly). The biggest takeaway for me, however, was his 55 points in base, something we simply don’t see from halfbacks. If you have the trades available, he could prove to be a very handy pickup at 5/8, especially with several premium options underperforming and if you don’t quite have the cash for the likes of Jayden Campbell.

Jack Williams (2RF/FRF – $649.4k – 123 points):

After shifting to the right edge, Parra repeatedly targeted Penrith’s shaky left-edge defence, with Williams crossing for two tries. That’s now back-to-back 100+ scores, while also playing 80 minutes in consecutive weeks. If Williams continues playing outside Mitch Moses and maintains those minutes, he’s an outstanding option who combines elite base with attacking upside. At just 4% ownership, and with handy dual-position flexibility, Jack Williams is a genuine POD this week against a vulnerable Tigers defence.

IF Jack Williams shifts to the right edge again before kick-off, he could be an outstanding pickup this week

Ethan Sanders (HFB – $634.7k – 154 points):

Ethan Sanders produced a phenomenal performance against the Tigers, grabbing a try, four try assists, two linebreaks, two linebreak assists and kicking 8/10 goals. Unfortunately, with most teams already carrying Nathan Cleary and Nicho Hynes in the HFB positions, there’s simply not much room for Sanders, despite the outstanding football he’s currently producing.

Players of Concern

Mark Nawaqanitawase (CTW – $547.6k – 21 points):

A four-round average of just 40 points is beyond concerning for what many considered a premium CTW for the run home. To make matters worse, the Roosters face a difficult upcoming schedule against the Cowboys, an improving Bulldogs side, and Penrith. While his value has fallen significantly, I can certainly see the appeal of trading him to another CTW such as Jacob Kiraz or Simi Sasagi. That said, it’s important to remember that Marky Mark is capable of exploding at any moment and making non-owners pay. He’s an incredibly unpredictable player.

What has happened to Marky Mark?

My Trades

At this stage, I’m planning on making just the one trade:

• Harry Grant >>> Blayke Brailey

Following Harry Grant’s hamstring injury, I’m likely to bring in Blayke Brailey. I don’t have any hooker cover, so I don’t want to leave the position empty while Grant recovers, even if it does appear to be only a minor injury.

Brailey is playing well, Cronulla are arguably the form team of the competition, and they have one of the best runs home.

I’d also love to upgrade Zac Hosking to one of the in-form 2RFs, trade Marky Mark to someone like Simi Sasagi, or even move one of my 5/8s to Jayden Campbell. However, with just five trades remaining after the Brailey trade, I think the smarter play is to hold my nerve and make only the one move.

Captaincy

VC – Reece Walsh vs Knights (H)

Across their last five games, Newcastle have conceded almost 80 SuperCoach points per game to opposing fullbacks, including James Tedesco’s hat-trick and 110-point performance just last week. With Brisbane’s finals hopes now gone, I’m hoping Walsh plays with a bit more freedom against an injury-hit Knights side and delivers one of his monster scores.

Captaincy – Nicho Hynes vs Souths (H)

Nicho has the hot hand, and the Sharks are arguably the form team of the competition. Playing at home, this feels like the straightforward captaincy choice, and I’m expecting another massive score.

Although I won’t be going this way, I can definitely see the appeal of captaining:

• Herbie Farnworth vs Dragons (A)
• James Tedesco vs Cowboys (A)
• Nathan Cleary vs Raiders (H*)

Best of luck this week! Let me know your trades, captaincy calls and thoughts below.

SC Adrian

If you liked this article, you might consider supporting The Cumberland Throw.