NRL Supercoach Draft

It won't be anything too extravagant as I cbf doing anything in-depth for 12 teams but it'll do.

 

Was going to do it in draft order. Prob won't be up until tomorrow as I wanted to include a predicted ladder finish (top 4, top 8, miss the finals).

Fight me.

 

And we'll make that tomorrow again. Instead of doing this I've spent the past couple of hours changing my normal Supercoach side 89743128742 times.

 

Third time's the charm. Will post them all tomorrow morning.

 

Gemmell's team:

What they've done right: Nothing

What could go wrong: Everything

Gun: No one

X-Factor: No one

Prediction: Dead last. Coach is a cunt.

 

Don't imagine anyone will be online to care so I'll just post them all together.

 

THE TOP 4:

In no particular order;


NOT MY SUPERCOACH - Morgie

HK: McCullough
FR: Vaughan, Kasiano
SR: Papalii, Watmough, Thaiday
HB: Johnson
FE: Mullen
CW: Richards, Wighton, Dugan, Nofoaluma
FB: Moylan

RES: Pauli, Houston, Keary, McManus



What they got right:
The backrow. All should be seeing decent minutes, especially Watmough and Papalii. Both will likely churn out decent scores on a consistent basis. Vaughan is an ever consistent scorer for Canberra. Moylan looks to be set for a big year with the NSW fullback gig on the line.

Where it could go wrong:
Up front with the minutes. The Bulldogs will be carrying a lot of big boppers this season so Kasiano may not get the game time needed to post decent scores. Notorious Supercoach killer Wayne Bennett appears to be against McCullough not playing 80 minutes. This would knock atleast 10 points off any potential McCullough score.

The Gun: Shaun Johnson. Clearly the second best half in Supercoach. The kid is only young and by all reports is in for a big year. With the potential of Thurston being rested for the Cowboys one wouldn't be surprised if Johnson is sitting there at the end of the season with the most points for a half.

The X-Factor: Jack Wighton. Wighton was a consistent performer last year, nothing special but did the job. This was until he was given the #1 jersey for the final 3 games. Wighton averaged over 60 in those 3 games churning out runs, tackle breaks and linebreaks like they were nothing. Could be set for a big year if the Canberra pack can get a roll on.




RIVERS - Julian

HK: Smith
FR: Tolman, Shillington
SR: Hoffman, Finucane, Harris
HB: Cherry-Evans
FE: Soward
CW: Ferguson, Soliola, Hodges, O'Neill
FB: Gidley

RES: Hodgson, Nuuasala, Hodgson, JHoffman



What they got right:
The pack. Smith, Tolman, Shillington should all churn out decent scores year round. Finucane's move to Melbourne and getting the #13 jersey will see an improvement on last year. Tohu Harris will also likely see bigger minutes with Hoffman off to the Warriors. The halves are also both capable of going big.


Where it could go wrong:
Centre/Wing. Ferguson should be a good scorer for the team but there's a question mark on the other 3. Hodges, if he spends some time at fullback will likely prosper for good scores. If not? Who knows. Soliola's minutes will be a mystery and O'Neill will be relying heavily on getting the "Ash Graham role" (more commonly known as falling over the try line after a gun ball from Thurston)


The Gun: Cameron Smith. The best hooker in Supercoach history. Was set to miss the start of the year but is named for round 1. Makes a million tackles, kicks goals and puts blokes through holes.

The X-Factor: Kurt Gidley. Might be slightly controversial but Kurt is all set for a switch back to his preferred fullback role and hasn't copped an injury in a while (cue the jinx). Kurt has the potential to average 60 back there if he gets the kicking duties.




FUNGUS ALLSTARS - Fungus

HK: Rein
FR: Moa, Tamou
SR: Gillett, Mannering, Frizell
HB: Pearce
FE: Thurston
CW: Radradra, Linnett, Tupou, Uate
FB: Milford

RES: Paulo, Hinchy, Runciman, Fisiiahi



What they got right:
The spine. Rein has 80 minutes, Pearce is a great half at club level, Milford is a freak and JT is JT. These 4 on their game and you're laughing. JT and Milf also have the ability to churn out 100+ scores.


Where it could go wrong:
Centre/Wing. While they can post a half decent score they'll be pretty reliant on getting over the chalk. Although when they do, they're all capable of doubling or tripling up (see Radradra last night).


The Gun: Johnathan Thurston. JT is JT. JT is the best half in Supercoach. With him in your side you know you're going to score big more often than not.

The X-Factor: Anthony Milford. A breakout season in Canberra last year, Milford moves to a side where he's got class big poppers rolling off the assembly line. This should create plenty of space for him to do his thing. Although if Thursday night is anything to go by it could go belly up.




HUNTERS COLLECTORS - Hunter

HK: Luke
FR: Fifita, Lawrence
SR: Cooper, Sironen, Cartwright
HB: Maloney
FE: Barba
CW: Walker, Jennings, Idris, Thompson
FB: Tomkins

RES: Lichaa, James, Wallace, Morris



What they got right:
The backline. All of these guys are consistent Supercoach performers. Walker and Jennings have the capability of going large while Idris and Thompson should see consistent 50s on the board. Tomkins looks set for a big year after finding his feet in the NRL.


Where it could go wrong:
The backrow. If all 3 men get 80 minutes they could all produce decent scores while picking up a decent amount of attacking stats. That's a big IF though. If they don't get the 80, then we could see some average scores here.


The Gun: Andrew Fifita. The best PPM player in Supercoach. Seemingly a steal going 8th overall. If he can stay fit and get 60 minutes a game then it wouldn't be a surprise if he's averaging 80.

The X-Factor: Ben Barba. After a dismal year at Brisbane he moves to Cronulla. If Barba can recapture his form from the Dogs he could be in for a big season, If not, he'll be averaging 35 and likely riding the bench.

 

FIGHTING FOR THE 8:

In no particular order. 6 teams, 4 spots;


GET NICKED - Fan09

HK: N Friend
FR: Snowden, McLean
SR: Scott, Gallen, Sutton
HB: Reynolds
FE: Widdop
CW: Matai, Croker, Mata'utia, Takarangi
FB: Gordon

RES: Gutherson, De Bellin, Henry, Copley



What they got right:
The halves. Both should improve on last year. Both kick goals. They've also got Gordon and Croker in the side with the kicking duties. Those extra points always come in handy.


Where it could go wrong:
Hooker. Nathan Friend hasn't got the starting gig and there's no other hooker in the side.


The Gun: Paul Gallen. Hands down the best Supercoach player (when healthy). Gal churns out 90+ scores on a consistent basis and with a full offseason under his belt he could be in for a big year. If he gets injured though, this side could be an also ran.

The X-Factor: Michael Gordon. Flash could be in for a big one if Cronulla keep their pack on the park. With the addition of Barba we could see Gordon getting more room which will translate into Supercoach points.




TARTS TITANS - Tartmaster

HK: Peats
FR: Woods, Turgess
SR: Parker, Myles, ETaylor
HB: Cronk
FE: Foran
CW: Mansour, Roberts, Watene-Zelezniak, Koroibete
FB: Johnston

RES: Mortimer, Mason, MCooper, Mead



What they got right:
The backrow. All should play big minutes in the middle third. Big workloads = big points. Also a solid halves pairing.


Where it could go wrong:
Bennett being a cunt and ruining god (Corey Parker). The presence of De Gois in the Parramatta side making Peats average. The backline not having anyone with a decent workload.


The Gun: Corey Parker. CP13. God. In the past the most reliable captain choice in Supercoach. If he gets 80 minutes at lock you know the score is going to be big, consistent and year round.

The X-Factor: Tom Burgess. With big brother Sam and other forwards leaving the club this gives Turgess the opportunity to do what George in 2013. Given the minutes Tom could see his average score going up and up.




THE BURY - Magic

HK: Farah
FR: Waerea-Hargreaves, Creagh
SR: Moeroa, Taumalolo, Guerra
HB: Marshall
FE: Morgan
CW: Naiqama, Kenny-Dowall, Perrett, Whare
FB: Tuivasa-Sheck

RES: Grant, Liu, Tupou, Simona



What they got right:
The backrow. All are 80 minute players, all look set to improve on last year. if they do so then the scoreboard will keep ticking over.


Where it could go wrong:
Centre/Wing. Very reliant on getting over the chalk. Can see them all putting up some stinker scores throughout the season.


The Gun: Robbie Farah. Along with Smith, Farah is one of the elites and a clear top 2 hooker. Doesn't have the GK Smith does but makes up for it with attacking flair. You'd better hope you doing play The Bury early on as Farah always seems to start the season with a bang (averaged 100 over the first 5 rounds last year iirc)

The X-Factor: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Mini has retired and Roger has the #1 jersey. More ball should mean more points. He may start slow but when the combination gets going with the halves and his footwork warms up RTS could pull of some big scores.




GRANNY SMASHERS - Boobidy

HK: Austin
FR: McGuire, Gurgess
SR: Blair, Fensom, Eastwood
HB: Sezer
FE: TWilliams
CW: Reed, Lyon, Gagai, Borris
FB: Stewart

RES: FBrown, Napa, Vidot, Moga



What they got right:
The front row. On paper the second best in the comp, daylight is third. Both are 60 minute players, both get through a lot of work.


Where it could go wrong:
Backrow (not including Fensom). Blair has moved to a club where his minutes will go down and Eastwood has never really been Supercoach relevant. Both could produce some stinkers.


The Gun: Shaun Fensom. The definition of workhorse. Fensom will play 80. Fensom will make 50 tackles. Fensom will make 10+ runs.

The X-Factor: Tony Williams. While most of the time he appears to be a useless cunt, when he actually tries he piles on the Supercoach points. If he can actually give it a go this year he'll be a steal in the FE position.




MOUNTAIN MEN - BMT

HK: Segeyaro
FR: Taupau, Douglas
SR: Glenn, Cordner, Stewart
HB: Hunt
FE: Reynolds
CW: Leilua, Aubusson, Lafai, Chambers
FB: Coote

RES: Moseley, JunPaulo, Heighington, Mann



What they got right:
Centre/Wing. Leilua, Lafai and Chambers all averaged around the 60 mark last year. Would imagine that Lafai and Chambers will definitely do so again.


Where it could go wrong:
Game time. Blokes like Taupau, Heighington, Aubusson and Coote. How much time will they spend on the paddock? If they don't get much then it could be a long season.


The Gun: James Segeyaro. Koroisau appears to have missed the 17 at Penrith which is great news for Chicko. When he gets the full 80 he's up there on par with the likes of Smith and Farah.

The X-Factor: Ben Hunt. Bunt came out of no where last year and pulled off an amazing Supercoach season. Can he double it up though?




POETRY IN MOTION - Farhat

HK: JFriend
FR: Graham, Bromwich
SR: Buhrer, Matulino, Proctor
HB: Hodkinson
FE: Lui
CW: Nightingale, Hiku, Holmes, Waqa
FB: Hopoate

RES: KSims, Peachey, Nabuli, Boyd



What they got right:
Up front. 80 minute hooker? Check. Two starting props that'll play 60 minutes? Check. Absolutely massive trio. Last year you'd have been salivating over it. This year with Graham having the captaincy and Bromwich a year older it can only get better.


Where it could go wrong:
The backline. Nightingale will post consistent scores but will the rest do much? Hiku, Waqa and Holmes will rely heavily on tries and there's a still a question mark on how young Hoppa will do at the back.


The Gun: Jesse Bromwich. A stellar year last year is set to continue in 2015. Look for Jesse to join the big boys club of Gallen, Parker and Fifita.

The X-Factor: Tyrone Peachey. If Tyrone can stay healthy and get a starting spot back at Penrith (which he should. Sika Manu is a shit cunt, Lewis Brown is quality off the bench) then we could see some big scores from Peach.

 

THE ALSO RANS:


INGLIS GOONSAX II - Benny

HK: Ballin
FR: Mannah, Scott
SR: Mateo, TSims, Rochow
HB: Sandow
FE: WGraham
CW: Turner, Jackson, Brown, Lewis
FB: Inglis

RES: Ennis, Lillyman, Hannant, JSmith



What they got right:
Front rowers. There's 4 of them. They're all good players. Why is there four though? Fuck knows. Josh Jackson in the backline is also a shining light.


Where it could go wrong:
Possibly the backline? The area where there's actually only 1 proper back there? Add that in with Turner, Lewis and Tariq not playing and you've got 11 scoring players (will get an AE). Did anyone think to tell Benny we're playing Supercoach and not NNRL?


The Gun: Greg Inglis. He's a freakish talent and with the (c) next to his name his game should go to another level.

The X-Factor: Chris Sandow. Very much a rocks or diamonds player. Is capable of hitting a ton but also can put out a score of ten. If Parramatta do well, Sandow will benefit.




JAZZMASTAZ - Jazzman

HK: Buttriss
FR: Ah Mau, Prior
SR: Lowe, Merrin, Ma'u
HB: Roberts
FE: Townsend
CW: Vatuvei, BThompson, Hurrell, Winterstein
FB: Tedesco

RES: Taylor, Bird, Slater, Latimore



What they got right:
He registered his team in time for the draft.



Where it could go wrong:
Was AWOL for the draft.


The Gun: Billy Slater. After his first proper offseason in years Billy the Kid is set for a big one. Only issue is he's currently riding the pine.

The X-Factor: James Tedesco. When he's fit he's a Supercoach star. When he's not (which is 90% of the time) he's a waste of space in any side.