NRL SuperCoach Round 26 players to watch, match centres, weather and tips
It's the final countdown for NRL SuperCoach and everything is on the table for those contesting head-to-head Grand Finals. Here's some of the players who should be on your radar if you want to win your matchup.
Thursday, August 27
Brisbane Broncos vs Melbourne Storm, Suncorp Stadium, 7.50pm AEST
Brisbane weather - game day: Partly cloudy. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: Nick Meaney shares no similarity to Simi Sasagi other than the position they play, but that’s good enough matching up with the Broncos left edge 'defence' of Jaiyden Hunt-Ezra Mam-Deine Mariner this week. Meaney looked to be in good touch in the loss to the Panthers and the Storm have their best side on the park for some time. Add the goalkicking and he could be a surprise winning play, though it remains to be seen how the new kickoff rule trial affects upside players.
Friday, August 28
Manly Sea Eagles vs St George-Illawarra Dragons, 4 Pines Park, 6pm AEST
Sydney weather - game day: Mostly clear. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: It would be considered a case of chasing last week's points but Mathew Feagai could be in a good position to repeat his two-try dose coming up against a Sea Eagles side which going into Round 25 conceded the second most points to right wingers. It's only improved with a change of personnel in Josh Feledy partnered with Lehi Hopoate.
Penrith Panthers vs Canterbury Bulldogs, CommBank Stadium, 8pm AEST
Parramatta weather - game day: Mostly clear. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: There’s no man for the big moments quite like Big Bad Brian ‘Bizza’ To’o. And they’re huge moments for the Panthers now in the fight for the top two. All our preseason hopes for To’o came true last week in a whopping score full of classic hit-ups, tackle breaks and confidence. Do you think he can repeat it?
Saturday, August 29
Gold Coast Titans vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cbus Super Stadium, 3pm AEST
Gold Coast weather - game day: Partly cloudy. 10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: Who else but the record breaker Alex Johnston to get you a match winning score when it matters? AJ is on fire whether it’s Tallis Duncan or Latrell Mitchell alongside him and both could play that role at stages in a Saturday afternoon game against the Titans. Expect a double at minimum from the equal leading try scorer.
Sydney Roosters vs Dolphins, Allianz Stadium, 5.30pm AEST
Sydney weather - game day: Partly cloudy. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: The Phins have a weakness at left second row and Salesi Foketi has looked a gun in the making since winning the starting role for the Roosters. He has averaged 65 since starting and had a 52 base+power average - despite missing minutes to undergo a HIA last week. Foketi has had plenty of looks at the line and the Roosters appear to prefer going left at the moment, giving him a decent chance of his first ton.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, 7.35pm AEST
Townsville weather - game day: Mostly clear. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: Everyone is getting on his teammate Scott Drinkwater, but if you want to stack him with another Cowboy, Braidon Burns is your man. He has a base+power of 49 on the season and nudging the season long top 10 for CTW averages. If the Cows run hot in Townsville, his ceiling is 130+. Burns has a mega Ballr projection of 83.
Sunday, August 30
Warriors vs Newcastle Knights, Go Media Stadium, 2pm AEST (4pm local time)
Auckland weather - game day: Partly cloudy. 0-15% chance of rain.
Player of interest: Warriors fullback Taine Tuaupiki is in a great spot to step up for grand final coaches. Last week Tuaupiki scored 86 including a sole line break... and 32 points in goals. There’s no reason the goals can’t continue after the Knights conceded 44 last week and the Wahs hunting to secure the minor premiership.
Parramatta Eels vs Cronulla Sharks, CommBank Stadium, 4.05pm AEST
Parramatta weather - game day: Partly cloudy. 0-10% chance of rain.
Player of interest: Take your pick of Sharks winger. Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa are both capable of 3+ try hauls and the Eels are struggling to cover their extremities. Both of them outscored Nicho Hynes last week - so they could be your captain pivots if you need a Hail Mary.
Make sure you enjoy every moment of Round 26 thanks to the fantastic in-game experience of the updated Ballr NRL Match Centre, including the My Team feature to follow your scores, key team stats and a match timeline so you don't miss a thing!