SuperCoach study guide: Broncos

[Super Freak]

NRL SuperCoach study guide 2018: Brisbane Broncos

January 17, 2018

THE Broncos finished 2017 ranked second in attack behind eventual premiers the Storm. They also ranked fifth for tackles made and also third for total kicks (meaning they generally completed sets or they forced enough repeat sets to be able to make multiple kicks).

That is, broadly speaking, a really good combination for SuperCoach purposes as it offers plenty of SuperCoach-relevant stats which results in plenty of SuperCoach points.

It’s no surprise then that there are some legitimate SuperCoach options in this team that you need to consider for your Round 1 team.

BEST 17

1. Darius Boyd 2. Jamayne Isaako (pending any further signings) 3. Jack Bird (Tom Opacic for Round 1) 4. James Roberts 5. Jordan Kahu 6. Anthony Milford 7. Kodi Nikorima 8. Korbin Sims 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Matt Lodge 11. Alex Glenn/Corey Oates 12. Matt Gillett 13. Josh McGuire 14. Corey Oates/Alex Glenn 15. Sam Thaiday 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Tevita Pangai Jnr

Who’s left: Troy Dargan, George Fai, Salesi Funaki, Patrick Mago, Todd Murphy, Shaun Nona, Mosese Pangai, Jonus Pearson, Andre Savelio, Sam Scarlett, Marion Seve, Gehamat Shibasaki, Jaydn Su’A, Sam Tagataese, Jake Turpin

PLAYER MOVEMENTS

In: Jack Bird (Cronulla Sharks, 2021), Troy Dargan (Parramatta Eels, 2018), Matthew Lodge (2018), Patrick Mago (North Queensland Cowboys, 2018), Shaun Nona (St George Illawarra Dragons, 2018), Andre Savelio (Warrington Wolves, 2019), Sam Tagataese (Cronulla Sharks, 2018), Jake Turpin (Melbourne Storm, 2018)

Out: Jai Arrow (Gold Coast Titans), Adam Blair (New Zealand Warriors), Herman Ese’ese (Newcastle Knights), Keegan Hipgrave (Gold Coast Titans), Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons), Matiu Love-Henry (New Zealand Warriors), Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers), David Mead (Catalan Dragons), Tautau Moga (Newcastle Knights), Francis Molo (North Queensland Cowboys)

BYE

Round 13

GUNS

Anthony Milford (5/8, $622,100)

Although Origin selection, and then injury, ended Milford’s chances of a fourth consecutive season where he played the full 24 available club games, the Milf had his most successful SuperCoach season ever in 2017. In fact, he has steadily improved since his breakout season in 2013 with averages starting at 59.2 and increasing each year (64.6, 64.7, 66.5) until 2017’s impressive average of 70.1 points per game. Now in 2018, with Ben Hunt departing for greener pastures (or, should I say, more red and white pastures), he has well and truly been handed the keys to the Ferrari that is the Broncos team. Milford will have to step up as the dominant playmaker, and all eyes will be on him to spark the Brisbane to another top eight, if not top four, finish. Finally (albeit it’s a small sample size), from the five games that the likely first-choice Broncos spine for 2018 (McCullough, Nikorima, Milford and Boyd) played together last year, Milford averaged a tidy 78.2 points.

Matt Gillett (2RF, $583,700)

Let me remind you all about my sneaky little call of Matt Gillett as a POD in last year’s Broncos’ preseason study guide. I pointed out that his attack had dried up in 2016, scoring only three tries and setting up one. Well, in 2017 Gillett crossed the white stripe seven times himself and set up another four tries for his teammates. His improved average (from 57.4 to 65.8) also includes one score of 19 (when he got concussed) and two other scores of 36 and 35 when he was given early showers due to the comfortable scoreline in the Broncos’ favour (wins over the Tigers in Round 11 and the Titans in Round 22). As far as PODs go, he started at a season-low 4.7 per cent and only found his way into a season-high 7.4 per cent in the final round of the regular season — very good POD ownership for the eighth-ranked 2RF for the year.

Humblebrag aside, Gillett had a great year, averaging 55.2 points per game across his 22 games (even including his concussion-effected score) purely from tackles, hit-ups, tackle busts and offloads. As one of the senior members in the team, there appears little reason to expect that will change as he is such a crucial part of the Broncos defence, especially now that he will have the smaller frame of Nikorima beside him. On the flip side, Gillett scored three tries and set up another two in the eight games where Nikorima played half beside him in 2017.

PODS

Andrew McCullough (HOK, $538,900)

Suggesting the second highest-averaging hooker (60.7) as a POD seems like a bit of a cop-out, but ‘Macca’ was a legitimate POD at the start of 2017, selected by only 3.4 per cent of teams. A blisteringly hot start saw him averaging over 70 points per game after the first month-and-a-half of the season, ahead of the far more popular and expensive choice that was Cameron Smith. Now Macca is coming off a serious knee injury but all signs point to him being ready for Round 1 at this stage. No one at the club works harder than him, and he is regularly one of the fittest players at the club. Of particular interest is that with Ben Hunt (aka the Broncos’ primary kicking option) now gone, Macca looks to be one of the frontrunners to take on more kicking responsibility. He has always had the ability to kick the odd 40/20 out of dummy half but he showed glimpses of his ability to put up a towering bomb for potential try assists.

Kodi Nikorima (HFB, $435,400)

Certainly a left-field proposition, Kodi looks set to start the season with the No.7 on his back. His game is one which lends itself to good SuperCoach scores, with a tendency to run first and pass second coupled with natural elusiveness and speed off the mark. Of particular interest is that while Nikorima averaged 49.1 overall, in the nine full games that he played at halfback beside Milford last year he scored 57.3 points per game. From the five games he played with the 2018 first-choice spine he averaged 59.2. Give him a full preseason training with the team and we could see even better scores this year. The only question is whether or not he can actually fulfil a proper halfback role for the team, as he does have several bright prospects (e.g. Dargan, Nona, Scarlett) breathing down his neck at the first sign of trouble.

CHEAPIES

Matt Lodge (FRF, $208,900)

Mentioning Matt Lodge’s name inevitably stirs up controversy, for reasons which have already been well-publicised. Putting aside any emotions attached to this decision, from a SuperCoach perspective plenty have already spruiked Lodge’s appeal as basically a “must-have” from Round 1. Lodge has always shown plenty of talent and potential, but it has been his off-field indiscretions that have held him back. He has seemingly been promised the starting front row position vacated by Adam Blair and, although he may not see the entirety of the 50 minutes Blair averaged for the Broncos last year, Lodge will see significantly more than the approximately 30 minutes or so that he has been given as a bench forward in the past.

Jamayne Isaako (CTW, $192,800)

Speaking of limited sample sizes, we only saw Isaako on the field (in first grade) for 80 minutes playing fullback in Round 19 against the Knights. Although he didn’t get much opportunity in attack, he demonstrated a high work rate with 15 runs for his 27 points — 12 of those runs being over 8m. With the recent news that Oates will be given a shot to prove himself as a backrower in the trials/start of the season (whether starting or off the bench) this potentially opens up a permanent spot on the left flank, presumably outside the talent that is Jack Bird for most of the season. As it stands currently, rookie CTW options are lacking so it would be hard to say no to Isaako if he does get named for Round 1.

NO-GO ZONE

Jack Bird (2RF-5/8, $422,700)

You have to be a special talent for someone like Wayne Bennett to be willing to outlay some significant cash to bring you on board, and Bird has already demonstrated his SuperCoach ability when given an important role to play. After bursting on to the scene as a rookie in 2015, playing off the bench and then at five-eighth for the rest of the year, Bird has spent the past two seasons at centre which has seen his involvement, and specifically his attacking stats, decline. Injury has seen Bird with a limited pre-season already and he is rumoured to have struggled with maintaining his weight and fitness during recovery. Speaking of recovery, Bird is unlikely to be fit for Round 1 and may actually miss the whole first month. Throw in the fact that he will most likely play left centre when he returns, and that he is also only available at the congested 2RF position as well as the hotly-contested five-eighth position in SuperCoach, and he is definitely a prime candidate to be avoided at the start of this year.

Darius Boyd (FLB, $405,000)

An echo from the preseason guide of last year, but hopefully you heeded the call to avoid Darius in your team. Despite the allure of also inheriting some kicking stats from Ben Hunt’s departure, the fact that he is another year older and showed some worrying signs of chronic hamstring issues at the back end of last year means that he is again to be avoided. Keep in mind that even though he could be the most important player to the Broncos, he is definitely not SuperCoach relevant.

Source: DailyTelegraph.com.au