NRLSCTALK 2017 MEGA GUIDE Produced by the team at NRLSuperCoachTalk.com Twitter @NRLSCTalk @Moneyballcomau CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 ABBREVIATIONS 2 REFERENCES 2 A RATED PLAYERS 3 BRISBANE BRONCOS 6 CANTERBURY BULLDOGS 19 CANBERRA RAIDERS 32 CRONULLA SHARKS 44 GOLD COAST TITANS 55 MANLY SEA EAGLES 67 MELBOURNE STORM 79 NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 93 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 108 NORTH QLD COWBOYS 121 PARRAMATTA EELS 133 PENRITH PANTHERS 148 SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 163 ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 176 SYDNEY ROOSTERS 191 WESTS TIGERS 204 NRL MEGA GUIDE | 2017 Twitter @NRLSCTalk @Moneyballcomau INTRODUCTION Welcome to SuperCoach 2017 and another addition of the NRLSCTalk Mega Guide. Thank you for purchasing this guide and continuing to support the site. We are excited to be back for another year and looking forward to bringing you more quality SuperCoach information. An overview of this years guide is provided below: Stats, commentary and SuperCoach ratings for EVERY contracted NRL player (as at 25 Jan 2017) § These ratings are all written from a SuperCoach perspective. - Dean Whare is rated a B, whilst James Tedesco is also rated a B. So even though Tedesco is largely considered a better player than Whare, Whare has the same SuperCoach rating this year as he is expected to be one of the better cash cows. § These ratings are our round 1 ratings for each player. - For example, someone who we expect to be an early season cash cow will have a much higher rating than someone who we expect could be a mid or late season cash cow. The early season cash cow is more valuable as they will generate cash much earlier in the season. 2017 Team by team analysis including Predictions, NRL Squads, Summer Training Squads, Depth Charts, off-season Gains and Losses and our Predicted round 1 lineups Bye Schedule and Analysis for every team Team by team Player Categorisation for every player. The categories are: § Gun – out and out SuperCoach Gun at their position § Worth Considering – someone who we expect to score more or at a consistent level from their 2016 average § So So – someone that we expect has no real upside § Regression Chance – players who we think will average 5-10 PPG less this year than they did in 2016 § Possible Early Season Cash Cow – cheaper players who should increase in price, possibly within the first 6-8 weeks of the season § Possible Mid/Late Season Cash Cow – cheaper players, who may become relevant around Origin time, or over the last 2 months of the season § Irrelevant (rookie or other) – either rookies who are unlikely to play enough minutes this year, or mid-priced players who won’t score enough to be a SuperCoach factor this year Review of the best Under 20’s prospects from each team Gun, Sleeper, Bust and Rookie for each team Off-season injuries and/or surgeries for all teams Key round 1 Injury Concerns by team Contract status by Player NRL MEGA GUIDE | 2017 | 1 Twitter @NRLSCTalk @Moneyballcomau ABBREVIATIONS Throughout this document you will find a small number of abbreviations. The meaning of these are: “MPG” – minutes per game “NYC” – National Youth Competition, Under 20’s Competition “PPG” - points per game “PPM” – points per minute “FG”- First Grade “HU”- Hit up “SC” - SuperCoach REFERENCES In completing this document, we utilised a variety of research resources, including Internet-based research, discussions with other SuperCoach players, discussions with club members, stats that we have kept from prior seasons, and our own knowledge of the game. Particular Internet sites that were utilised and need to be acknowledged are: http://www.zerotackle.com – this site was used as a basis for all 2017 Team Squads, current contract information, and off-season player movements http://www.nrlSuperCoachstats.com – this site was used for statistical analysis for prior years, utilising many of the stats that are available via this site http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org – this site was used as a basis for all historical game logs, including number of games played and positions played, but excluding game statistics and minutes played NRL MEGA GUIDE | 2017 | 2 Twitter @NRLSCTalk @Moneyballcomau A RATED PLAYERS Throughout this guide, you will see that we have given each NRL player a rating, from A to E, based on their expected SuperCoach value for the 2017 season. Below is a list of all player who received an A rating (in no particular order): Jesse Bromwich Sam Burgess Bryce Cartwright Andrew Fifita Paul Gallen James Graham Jarryd Hayne Shaun Johnson Cameron Smith Johnathan Thurston Bodene Thompson Jake Trbojevic Tom Trbojevic Roger Tuivasa-Sheck NRL MEGA GUIDE | 2017 | 3 AUSTRALIAS FIRST DAILY FANTASY SPORTS SITE OVER 7 MILLION DOLLARS PAID OUT Real cash prizes Entries starting from $2 Play your mates and other fans Contests for 2 to 1000’s of players No season long commitment Create your own contests with mates JOIN NOW AT MONEYBALL.COM.AU Australia’s first daily and weekly fantasy sports platform, with live scoring, player statistics and live chat. Our take on fantasy sports is special, our contests last just one day, meaning there is no season long commitment! HOW IT WORKS FIND A CONTEST Choose a contest from the lobby by sport, day of game, entry fee and contest size. Filter by sport, size, entry fee or contest name. If no existing games suit you, then create your own contest for you and your mates! CHOOSE YOUR TEAM All players for the games in question are listed for selection. Each has a salary defined by their season long and recent form. Users can view stats and weekly news on each player in helping with their selection. Once a player is selected, they are added to their lineup for the contest. GAME UNDERWAY Watch the games unfold in real time, see how the players you selected perform and accumulate points. Trash talk with your mates or other fans in the live chat while the game is on. PLAY ON THE GO Enjoy the Moneyball experience on the go with our fully responsive website designed to help you create and manage your own NRL team on the run. www.moneyball.com.au facebook.com/moneyballcomau DAILY FANTASY SPORTS @moneyballcomau FOR REAL CASH Twitter @NRLSCTalk @Moneyballcomau BRISBANE BRONCOS Corey Parker has long been the first player selected for the Broncos but his retirement leaves a massive hole to be filled. Jarrod Wallace, while not leaving anywhere near as deep a divet, is still a big loss. The Broncos will be looking to some of their young guns to step up this season to fill the void, such names as Jai Arrow, Jo Ofahengaue, Tevita Pangai Jnr and Jaydn Su’A will be asked to play a bigger role. They will also of course need their more experienced first graders to have a consistent season. With spots available in the forward pack the biggest opportunity for SuperCoach is at lock with Josh McGuire, Jai Arrow, Alex Glenn and Matt Gillett all pushing to replace the former captain. Whoever gets first crack at the position will be close to a must own. Their 2016 season fell away after a brilliant start to the season and with a very tough opening set of fixtures in 2017, including matches against the top four finishing sides from last year over the first month, a successful start largely hinges on the performance of their star halves combination. Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt were firing in the first half of last season, but fell away over the last 10 rounds. They will both need to be up and going early once again if the Broncos are going to be any chance this season. The Brisbane based side have not acquired any stars in the offseason which is very un-Broncos like, adding depth to their squad in the likes of Benji Marshall, Mitchell Dodds and David Mead. With the losses of Parker, Wallace and Jack Reed they may struggle to finish in the top four in 2017. Predicted Finish: 5th 2017 NRL SQUAD Jai Arrow, Alex Barr, Adam Blair, Joe Boyce, Darius Boyd, Mitch Cronin, Mitchell Dodds, Herman Ese’ese, George Fai, Salesi Funaki, Matt Gillett, Alex Glenn, Ben Hunt, Jamayne Isaako, Jordan Kahu, Sam Lavea, Benji Marshall, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire, David Mead, Anthony Milford, Tautau Moga, Francis Molo, Todd Murphy, Kodi Nikorima, Corey Oates, Jo Ofahengaue, Tom Opacic, Moses Pangai, Tevita Pangai Jnr, Jonus Pearson, James Roberts, Aaron Rockley, Sam Scarlett, Marion Seve, Korbin Sims, Nikau Terupe, Sam Thaiday, Travis Waddell SUMMER TRAINING SQUAD Corey Allan (20’s), Jai Arrow, Alex Barr, Adam Blair, Joe Boyce, Darius Boyd, Patrick Carrigan (20’s), Mitch Cronin, Mitchell Dodds, Herman Ese’ese, George Fai, Salesi Funaki, Matt Gillett, Alex Glenn, Payne Hess (20’s), Keegan Hipgrave (20’s), Ben Hunt, Jamayne Isaako, Jordan Kahu, Sam Lavea, Matiu Love-Henry, Benji Marshall, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire, David Mead, Anthony Milford, Tautau Moga, Francis Molo, Todd Murphy, Kodi Nikorima, Corey Oates, Jo Ofahengaue, Tom Opacic, Moses Pangai, Tevita Pangai Jnr, Jonus Pearson, James Roberts, Aaron Rockley, Sam Scarlett, Marion Seve, Gehamat Shibasaki (20’s), Jaydn Su’A (20’s), Nikau Terupe, Sam Thaiday, Travis Waddell BYE SCHEDULE The Broncos have rounds 15 and 18 off, but play in the first big bye round being week 12. This means that their Origin players will miss a maximum of three games, which is the best possible outcome. If you’re keen on any of the Broncos players this season then this bye schedule should not put you off them. NRL MEGA GUIDE | 2017 BRISBANE BRONCOS | 6 Twitter @NRLSCTalk @Moneyballcomau OUR PREDICTED ROUND 1 SIDE 1. Boyd Interchange: 2.