Cᴏᴜɴsᴇʟ.

🗞️ Roosters vs Knights GF Prediction - First of all, absolutely love the Knights. What they’ve done this season has been remarkable & thrilling to watch. But think the bubble is about to burst, unfortunately. The Roosters performance last week was impeccable rugby league & they’ll be riding a massive wave of confidence. Definitely put it together at the right time. Maybe their best performance of the last couple of seasons with their discipline on show. The less whistle, the better for them. Can’t see any obvious weakness to target in the Roosters’ side, maybe McEwen 1 on 1 with Walker close to the line or perhaps Manu/Lucas in & around Wong. Toia has been covering everyone’s ass like a man possessed on that right side however. I’d say there will be a dependence on attacking through Ponga, Young & Co from poor field position but think Roosters defence matches up nicely if they play disciplined. Roosters can beat themselves though, so that’s far from a certainty. On the other hand, as well as they’ve been playing, incredibly resilient, but there are matchup concerns for the Knights across the park. Expecting DCE/Toia/Mark to really exploit Marzhew’s wing. He should be preparing for an absolute barrage of up and unders with Roosters looking for an advantage through Mark or general errors/indecisiveness from Greg. Expecting the Roosters’ pack led by Whyte & Radley will also be too strong. The yardage game should be largely in their favour which will allow the class of Walker & Tedesco to take advantage of forwards under fatigue & plenty of red zone ball. Hoping for a nail-biter, haven’t been this hype for a GF in quite a while, but I fear Knights will need a lot to go their way for that to happen. Teddy is my top pick for CC medal, this may be his last opportunity, so the script is in his favour. Radley & Whyte are great Smokeys along with Nawaqanitawase. IF the Knights were to win I think Sharpe would be my pick, without stating the obvious about Ponga’s chances as favourite. All the best to both teams & no matter what happens, the buzz around this week, this finals series & this Knights revival has been enthralling. Bring on Sunday. #NRLGrandFinal #NRLRoostersKnights

Now let’s talk about the psychology behind👇 ⚔️ Kalyn Ponga. The simple truth is this - when he’s fully invested, and I don’t say this lightly, he’s the best player in the game. So with that as the starting point, the question becomes: why will he be more invested now than he was last season? First, he’s been asking for help for years, and now the club has delivered with the arrival of Dylan Brown. That alone changes the dynamic around him. No more excuses. Secondly, it looked quite clear at times that he wasn’t enjoying playing under Adam O’Brien. That era has now ended. Despite opportunities to push his way out, he stayed, and whether fair or not, last season reflected poorly on him from a leadership perspective. As toxic as it might sound, I think he’ll view this year as a chance to prove that last season wasn’t on him. Because after everything that happened - the scrutiny, the perception of unrest, and questions around leadership - if things don’t improve now, with O’Brien gone and Brown’s arrival, that reflects back on him as captain. That’s a powerful motivator. They’re also coming off one of the worst attacking outputs we’ve seen in the modern game. They simply had to address it in the off-season. With a new coach in place, and Ponga as captain, you’d expect he’s had a significant say in how that attack is rebuilt and what the structure/shapes moving forward. There’s also the Brailey situation at hooker, where at times it felt like calls were ignored and structure broke down, with the ball not consistently finding Ponga when it needed to. With him gone, that dynamic change alone could have a major impact on involvement and job satisfaction. Lastly, if he was thinking of pushing his way out - well, his value on the NRL market (and Rugby) is currently lower than it could be. So there will be a reason to put his best foot forward. So this selection isn’t about last year’s numbers - it’s about engagement. If Ponga is switched on, healthy, and wants to prove a point, which I think he will, history tells us what happens next. He becomes one of the most dangerous players in SuperCoach history. That’s the bet. Let’s see how it plays out. #NRLKnightsCowboys #NRLSuperCoach

What a warrior Dane Gagai is. 320 NRL games. 23 origins. 7 Tests. Wally Lewis Medal. Tough defensive assignments week after week and incredible longevity. 35 year old centre and still out competes anyone on the field. Doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Outstanding career.

Think we might see this version of Sasagi this week. If you have trades to burn I’d strongly consider. #NRLRaidersTigers

🦴 Jacob Kiraz | CTW | $612,700 27 runs, 7 offloads, 6 tackle busts in his return from injury vs Storm 🔥 🔥 🔥 Forget the junk try, this is an insane floor for a CTW at EOFY run-out sale price. Could the month off with the medial be exactly what he needed to freshen up the rest of his aching bones? If so, he could be the highest upside CTW option this week and a POD captain option. No this is not your most “logical” trade given he misses the next two major byes & a chance of an origin jumper leading to durability issues. But with the lack of attractive outside back options that cover byes, I’m targeting upside rather than multiple sub-par numbers during this bye period. As it stands, 12 solid numbers for RD15 is acceptable in my opinion. It’s about finding a balance between having great bye numbers and trading in players you actually want in your side for the run home. If Ronnie performs this week he can come in as a rational trade vs Dragons next round. A moist Friday night vs Manly without Nicho is not the entry point for me. I’m certainly not trading in a DWZ or AKP on Penrith matchup. Kiraz it is for me. Look for that signature huge base output with the added potential for attack vs a spluttering Tigers side. $612k is too good to pass up for mine. #NRLSuperCoach #SuperCoachNRL #SuperCoachCounsel #NRLTigersBulldogs

📈 Most Traded In 🏰 Kalyn Ponga This one is a no-brainer. He looks healthy, engaged and when that’s the case he’s the best player in the game. The fullback role isn’t PERFECT this year for SuperCoach scoring, as they often create overlaps but don’t necessarily throw the last pass, so the ceiling isn’t s high as it could be. But even with that factored in at $655k, a goal-kicking fullback in a red hot backline with an elite run of matchups is 🔥 I think he’s likely to land a bench role for Queensland, which should mean he’s fresh backing up for Newcastle. That’s a big plus. Newcastle have 19/24 day games this year. NUTS! Verdict: Buy Buy Rank: #1 - Eye test, value, matchups 🏰 Greg Marzhew Very interested in him. At $560k, he feels under value. The lean patch came when Newcastle were busted with injuries, but now that the band is back together he’s ready to explode. You know he’s going to get ball and the opportunities will be there on that left side. The tackle busts haven’t quite been there lately, but with these matchups coming up, you’d expect that to turn. If it does, he could go on a serious run. Dragons twice, Titans, Eels and Storm over the next stretch. For me, one of the best buys of the week. Verdict: Buy Buy Rank: #2 - Matchups, value 🐬 Jack Bostock Thought he looked excellent in his return. Huge base and power for a CTW and playing in an always attack-oriented Dolphins side. We know for sure the opportunity is there after Jake Averillo quietly averaged 80 and reached $720k in the same role prior to injury 🤯 The BYE coverage is the big one. Plays all three big byes and misses just the one mini. Massive. Ideally he can wait a week , but if your budget this week is sub $550k, he’s a very strong option. Verdict: Buy Buy Rank: #3 - Outstanding BYE cover, B+P 🐯 Alex Twal His base and power is ridiculous. He is a must-have. Surely a chance of an origin berth with the state of NSW’s middle cattle, which wouldn’t be ideal? but even with that hes a must have. He’s going to flatten out around that $800k mark, so if you don’t get him this week it’s not the end of the world. But the sooner the better. Verdict: Buy Buy Rank: #4 - Endgame FRF ⚔️ Dylan Lucas One game back and looked outstanding. Base has dipped a little the last couple, but he looks like he’s returned healthy and the matchup run is enormous. Worth noting the Dragons have handled 2RF fairly well this year, but that’s nowhere near enough to turn me off. Newcastle’s attack is heavily left side dominant and that puts Lucas in great spots. Very hard to argue against. Verdict: Buy Buy Rank: #5 - Incredible run of matchups, try scorer 🦈 KL Iro Two hat-tricks in a row and a BE of -18, so naturally there’s urgency around him. Can’t argue with buying him, but I just don’t think it’s as urgent as it feels. He misses the first big bye, and with that inflated rolling average, his break-even is going to jump quickly after this week. There’s every chance he’s a buy at $780k in a few weeks. Still a very good buy. Just not desperate. Verdict: Buy Buy Rank: #6 - Low BE, found form, misses first big bye 🦈 Nicho Hynes If you’ve got this far without him, I think it may be best to wait a few. If it’s a straight Doueihi swap and your side is otherwise finished, I’m on board. But any other scenario it’s probably Round 13 for me. Missing that first big bye isn’t ideal. Still endgame. Still elite. Verdict: Buy (if it fits) Buy Rank: #7 - Endgame half, Doueihi replacement but misses first big bye 🏰 Fletcher Sharpe Potential-wise, one of the better 5/8 options. The knee still doesn’t look right though. Speed is improving, but the lateral movement still looks restricted and it’s affecting his game. The draw should help cover that and he’ll still find attacking stats. Solid option in a weak position. Verdict: Buy (with tempered expectations) Buy Rank: #8 - Solid option in a weak position

Would he make origin if fit?

🐉 Luciano Leilua | 2RF | $475.9k I’ll be honest, after hearing about Luc’s 12-15kg weight loss over the off season, I was intrigued yet skeptical about his prospects coming into 2026. A near 30year old suddenly dropping weight and becoming SuperCoach relevant felt a bit optimistic. I had to see it first. A month on, the fact is the work rate we’re seeing now is far superior to what it was last season. The base power is up to 63ppg and he’s smashing out an effective 66 minutes. Looks good, more involved and only 3% owned. Dragons have just come through quite a tough schedule to start the season, playing the Las Vegas fixture and facing a couple of the competition heavyweights. The matchup this week is a big one. He’ll be attacking the Titans right edge of Hau, Jojo Fifita (no knock) and Faeamani. There are points there. We know Luciano isn’t just a power runner - he’s got skill, he can pass, he can offload and when the Dragons are on the front foot he tends to find attack. Looking at the upcoming run - Titans, Cowboys, Sea Eagles, Rabbits, Roosters. There’s honestly not a game there where I’d be scared to play him. The Dragons are far from an elite attacking side, but they also shouldn’t be getting blown off the park in most of those games and as long as they’re competitive, Luciano should get his base and gives himself every chance of some attacking stats. With everything going on at 2RF currently - Tino underperforming, Lisate injury, Couchman suspension, Mooney suspension, not everyone can jump to the 600k-700k guns. Luciano at 475k with a BE of 1 is a very handy bridge option while we wait for things to settle down over the next 4-5 weeks. He also covers major byes RD12/18 so holding until conclusion of Origin is also an option. The other factor here is minutes. With Couchman out, I’d expect Luciano to be pushed to his minute ceiling on that edge. Hamish Stewart spelled him last week and I expect that to continue, but with his improved fitness I wouldn’t be surprised to see him push 70mins at some point. Success would be an average of 65+ over the next 6 weeks and then reevaluating in the lead up to Origin. #NRLSuperCoach #SuperCoachNRL #SuperCoachCounsel #NRLTitansDragons

Hudson Young | 2RF | $750,900 🛡️Raiders marquee player ⁉️ 9% ownership 🎯 Focal point in attack 📈 Accumulates in multiple ways 🐗 Ball hog ✅ White line fever 🗣️ “Get behind me, lads” operator 🔒 Top 3 2RF 💤 Simple choice Hudson Young is Ricky’s golden child. Loves him more than Jed and almost as much as Shane loves Kyle. This means he is free to call his own number anytime he wants. Hudson needs no invite. It’s glory ball city this season, which means he is accumulating points in many ways. He’s setting up tries through kicks, forcing dropouts, offloading and just roaming around looking for opportunities in attack. How is he only 9% owned? That’s crazy. he’s pretty well a lock for top 3 2RF and he could easily finish at number one. We saw last year what he can do, and he has one of the highest ceilings across all forwards. If you’re sick of making trades and just want to lock something in, the sooner you get Hudson Young the better. Hold him through Origin and finish strong. With the right matchup he’s a genuine captaincy option as well. Don’t overthink it. #NRLSuperCoach #SuperCoachCounsel #NRLRaidersSharks