NRL SuperCoach Round 18 players to watch, match centres, weather and tips
Round 18 is proving tougher than expected for NRL SuperCoach - here's five players who could give you the edge.
Friday, July 3
Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, CommBank Stadium, 8pm AEST
Parramatta weather - game time: Mostly fine. Very low chance of rain.
Player of interest: Is Keaon Koloamatangi back to his best after an early season PCL injury? The Rabbitohs FRF has been in full beast mode playing no less than 76 minutes in the past two weeks, going at 1PPM. At 571k and with all his byes out of the way, Koloamatangi is a well-priced option as an FRF3 or 4 who is playable each week. This week, he's got a projection of 60 if he reverts to 60 minutes, but clearly Wayne Bennett has an appetite to load him up and will only be incentivised with Cameron Murray on Origin duties.
Saturday, July 4
St George-Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers, Kogarah Oval, 5.30pm AEST
Sydney weather - game time: Clear
Player of interest: Is this the game we finally see the preseason form of Heamasi Makasini? Some SuperCoaches have spent all year waiting for something to happen; he flashed his upside back in Round 13 with a try assist for 39 in 28 minutes against the Bulldogs before he was injured, but has since been destroyed defensively, denting his confidence. SuperCoaches need him to step up this week.
Brisbane Broncos vs Cronulla Sharks, Suncorp Stadium, 7.35pm AEST
Brisbane weather - game time: Clear. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: The most popular VC/C option this weekend will no doubt be Nicho Hynes against the seriously depleted Broncos. If he's in a running mood, he could find plenty of space around the ruck and have a field day isolating Gehamat Shibasaki. Hynes is a must for some sort of armband and despite having the fourth highest projection, he easily has the biggest ceiling, with the Ballr model giving him a 31% chance of scoring 100+.
Sunday, July 5
Parramatta Eels vs Manly Sea Eagles, CommBank Stadium, 2pm AEST
Parramatta weather - game time: Shower or two. 50-75% chance of rain (1mm approx)
Player of interest: Joey Walsh is the next big thing, playing on the form team in the NRL and 294k with a breakeven of -4. The Ballr projections have him set for 67 points. Sounds like a slam dunk... except in Round 18. Take caution before jumping in, as he takes up a valuable HFB only spot that should be filled with premiums at this time of year. Most SuperCoaches will be happy to see him smash it, as long as he feeds his skipper Tom Trbojevic.
Newcastle Knights vs Dolphins, McDonald Jones Stadium, 4.05pm AEST
Newcastle weather - game time: Showers. 50-75% chance of rain (at least 2mm)
Player of interest: SuperCoaches who jumped into Dylan Lucas are breathing a sigh of relief after he too was brutally dropped from the Blues team. He didn’t appear scarred based on his follow up performances and he now has a three-game average of 105. Despite his 788k price tag, he is in the top five most popular trade-ins this week. If you're overall focused, just check your Knights numbers as they miss Round 27.
Make your last-minute sit-start or captaincy decisions painless with the Rankings tool, which uses Ballr NRL SuperCoach Projections to rank the best players by position and tell you the chances of your player going big.