Although the Rugby League Nines have come to an end, the NRL pre-season powers on. A huge part of that pre-season is the compiling of Supercoach sides.
Due to the success of last year’s leagues, and by success I mean the great amount of players joining up and not how well my side went, Zero Tackle has set up five private leagues for this year’s NRL season.
To join, simply head to this link and select Create/Join League and enter one of the below codes in.
- League One: 376697 (20 Teams, head to head games start in round four)
- League Two: 455123 (20 Teams, head to head games start in round four)
- League Three: 801778 (20 Teams, head to head games start in round four)
- League Four: 121931 (12 Teams, head to head games start in round one)
- League Five: 437404 (12 Teams, head to head games start in round one)
From there, set your team up and be sure to select four reserves and your captain, as you’re going to need all the help you can get to beat the mighty “For Peats Sake”.
As with last season, if we reach full capacity, I will create further leagues.
If there is enough interest I will also set up draft leagues across Supercoach, Ultimate League and NRLCEO.com as with last season.
Below are the side, as of now, that I expect to take me to Supercoach glory, the prize money, the power and the women.
A few of the selections may seem extremely left field, but I have adopted an "I'm probably not going to finish top 100,000 so lets have some fun" attitude.
I have picked (a majority of) players I believe are underpriced and will, therefore, increase in value. As they peak I will use their value to upgrade to genuine Supercoach superstars and clean sweep all five leagues.
This is a very early selection and will likely change 30 times before kick off. I have picked players I expect to play in round one on the bench without giving too much thought to rookies. That will all happen as the season draws closer.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($324,000) - Fullback
Criminally underpriced, RTS will, and should be, owned by almost all super coach players. He will run 200+ metres a game, make tackle breaks for fun, and if he can stay fit, will score plenty of tries and set just as many up. Tedesco is a Supercoach god but RTS is $142,300 cheaper and playing in a side likely to win more games. Automatic selection, stick and pick. Will increase massively in value but can stay in your side all season, unless injured.
Tohu Harris ($448,100) – Wing/Centre
Being able to pick Tohu Harris is almost cheating, and is a loophole everyone needs to exploit. He will score big, even huge, numbers every week. An 80 minute workhorse with attacking ability. His value is unlikely to rise too much but he’s not in the side to earn money, he’s there to score big points in a position that few others can consistently match.
Valentine Holmes ($329,300) – Wing/Centre
This selection will depend on his injury status come round one, but if fully fit, Valentine Holmes is an absolute steal at under $330,000. With a fulltime move to fullback on the cards Holmes will become far more involved, and like RTS will score a stack of attacking stats and will have a hand in plenty of tries. He’ll rise in value and score big numbers all season.
Konrad Hurrell ($315,300) – Wing/Centre
Hurrell is set for a massive 2017 and I plan to be on board for the ride. He became an attacking weapon following his move from the Warriors, and with a slim downed figure and a full pre-season under his belt, nothing can stop the Hurrell-kane. If you’re going to pick him, pick him early as his value will rise. Elgey, Taylor, Peats and Hayne will create plenty of opportunities and Hurrell is the best attacking weapon out wide.
Akuila Uate ($172,500) – Wing/Centre
I’m not completely sold on this selection just yet but if Uate can return to his pre-2016 form on the wing, he will double in value very quickly. He will make plenty of metres and break tackles on kick returns and just looks too cheap to not take a gamble on. If he brings his 2016 handling errors with him, trade him out before round three for a rookie winger, no harm done.
Jarryd Hayne ($244,700) – Five-Eighth
Hayne is another picked on past performance. He will likely start slow as he continues his return to the game, but at full form Hayne is one of the best Supercoach players of all time and could end up valued at $400,000+. He will become the focal point of the Titans attack and will have ample opportunities to score big. An absolute must have.
Daly Cherry-Evans ($358,500) – Halfback
Cherry had a shocker of a 2016 by his own lofty standards, but I’m picking him due to the belief he will return to form. Joined by a genuine five-eighth in Green, DCE will be a far better player in 2017 and will go big often. Will earn big money and can be upgraded to the likes of Thurston after the Origin period.
Jason Taumalolo ($433,100) – Second Row
The best forward in the game is set to become the next Supercoach megastar. Expect a stack of offloads, line breaks and tackle breaks as well as metres and tackles. Although the likes of Gallen and co offer far more consistency, Taumalolo is the most exciting running forward in the game and belongs in any side in the world, on or off the park.
Tyson Frizell ($364,800) – Second Row
There are probably 30 forwards more consistent than Frizell point scoring wise but I went Friz due to the juicy price tag. For mine he is a $400,000+ player and will cause plenty of carnage both out wide and up the middle for the Red V. I am chasing money here and Friz looks a player you can easily upgrade to Gallen or Burgess in the middle rounds.
Bryce Cartwright ($497,200) – Second Row
Cartwright just may be the must have player of the season. Straight up, don’t pick him if you’re chasing value increases, at almost $500,000 there’s not too far to go. What he will provide is a base of around 40 points through work, then his offloads, line breaks, assists and tries could see him score anything. There won’t be many sides in SC without him.
Ryan James ($487,400) – Front Row
As the season draws closer I may look to swap out James for Merrin, Burgess or someone due to an overreliance on Titans, but James was the star prop last season. He is becoming one of the best in the business and has cut out the ill-discipline, to a point. Another who will score big consistently, with the capability of going massive.
Andrew Fifita ($481,900) – Front Row
My captain and an absolute must have. Last season Fifita scored a mountain of points despite a horror season off-field. Now that he is focused, and confident, there is no stopping him. He’s a 70+ every week player without the highlights, which would see him break 90 or 100 with ease. For mine he has overtaken Gallen as the Sharks supercoach gun.
Nathan Peats ($364,800) – Hooker
Every man and his dog will have Cam Smith at hooker, and for good reason. You simply can’t win Supercoach without him. My plan is to rely on Peats, and Ballin (or Cameron King) to soak up the value, before a jump to Cam Smith. Peats is capable of anything, and surely becomes an 80 minute player in 2017. Plus his name is hilarious and key to the name of my side.
George Burgess ($241,800) – Front Row
My new favourite NRL drinking game is taking a shot every time a Burgess drops the ball at the play the ball, and George is likely to have many of us buzzed by half time in round one, but he is also capable of going well above the $350,000 price range. He had a quiet 2016 and his price reflects this. Another I am picking based on past efforts and another who can be switched out by round three if he doesn’t live up to the hype.
James Maloney ($335,100) – Five-Eighth
With Ben Barba gone and Val Holmes starting over in the number one, James Maloney will become even more important to the Sharks attack. He will rack up plenty of stats and I’m picking him to go close to individual honours in 2017. Probably a little over priced but capable of anything, especially given another pre-season with his new side under his belt.
Dean Whare ($143,600) – Centre/Wing
If Whare is picked for round one, he must be in your Supercoach side. Another who is criminally under-valued. A tackle-breaking machine, Whare will rocket in price where you can upgrade him after ten rounds. If he’s not in the round one side, look at one of the rookies and chase value.
Matt Ballin ($143,600) – Hooker
Depending on whether he is named or not in round one, this could become Cameron King, but Ballin is a former Supercoach star and at $143,600 and has $150,000+ in value rises in him. Cameron King, if named as the only number nine for the Eels, is another who can double in value.
Let’s see your Supercoach sides below.
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