🚨 Round 11 ShortCuts

Heads up: ShortCuts is off the grid this week, so most of this edition was written during the weekend, before team news etc. Don’t come at us. 

The greatest game of all showed its true colours this weekend, punctuated by the Storm going nuclear against the Tigers. Beware, Craig Bellamy’s men on a sunny afternoon after a loss. We hope you slapped the armband on Papi otherwise, you could be licking some wounds.

🍔 What’s on the menu?

• Bye Planning

• Player Spotlight

• Key Stats

• Watchlist

• Captain Obvious

• Commissioner’s Team

🧠 What you need to know

• No Thursday games this week. Friday 6pm lockout

• Greg Marzhew - knee - 4-6 weeks TBC

• Matty Nicholson - syndesmosis and fibula fracture - 6-10 weeks TBC

• Couchman - ligament/labral damage and is a “ticking time bomb”. Out till Round 14

• All injury news from NRL Physio - join his instagram channel here for regular updates https://www.instagram.com/channel/Aba7o8zKgLHttYaS/?igsh=bWpia29tOHNoZ2c2

• Roger Tuivasa-Sheck may return this week

📆 Fixtures

🔎 Spotlight - Bye Planning

ShortCut: Look into Fletcher Sharpe, Dylan Lucas, Greg Marzhew (pending injury), Scott Drinkwater post Round 12, and hold Purdue, for now

Starting next week, Round 12, there will be fewer games per week as teams receive byes due to the State of Origin. This makes for an interesting time for SuperCoach, one where casuals often fade away into SuperCoach purgatory. Not here.

As mentioned last week, you should be targeting Knights and Cowboys players. However, beware the Cowboys’ bye in Round 12. If you haven’t got Scott Drinkwater yet, you’re chasing three 100+ scores with a bye incoming - niggly. He will be out of reach shortly. They play a shit load of games between now and the end of the season and a shit load are in Queensland.

Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas should be targeted. If you’ve held Jaxon Purdue this far, keep doing what you’re doing.

ShortCut - During major bye weeks (Rounds 12, 15, 18) only the top 13 scores in your squad count, not 17 as usual.

 🔎 Spotlight - Erin Clark

ShortCut: We love Erin Clark’s game

The Commissioner is cock-a-hoop, having landed Clark in his Round 1 team and says he ain’t going anywhere anytime soon. With Mitch Barnett likely heading to Origin, this will have to help Clark even further His dual position status is the SuperCoach cherry on top.

📊 Key stat

👀 The Watchlist

ShortCut: Hosking, Egan, Kiraz, Farnworth, Metcalf

• Zac Hosking (2RF) played through the middle while Corey Horsburgh sat on the sideline, continuing to drink beers after a concussion. Hosking could be a suitable replacement with Horsburgh potentially away with Queensland and Matty Nicholson injured

• Jacob Kiraz and Herbie Farnworth - Greg Marzhew replacement. Both are everything you want from a CTW. Huge base, offloading, tackle busts, and tries sprinkled in. Set and forget.

• Luke Metcalf - Cameron Munster replacement. We all jumped on then promptly jumped off Metcalf at the start of the season. But now he has his running game back, he’s on the radar

• Dylan Egan - same boat as Hosking

• Euan Aitken - great base and will get dual soon

• Jahrome Hughes - Cleary only plays 4 out of the next 9 games, with two of those the week after origin games. Hughes plays 7 of 9.

• Joseph Tapine - you may need a FRF replacement over the bye period

👨🏼‍✈️ Captain Obvious

Payne Haas and Terrell May present safe captain options who play late in the round. May still managed 70 despite losing 64-0.

Scott Drinkwater shapes up against Manly in Townsville

Fletcher Sharpe opens the round on Thursday and presents a nice VC option.

All options play at home

🤵🏻‍♂️ The Commissioner

A sound 1706 points this week has him moving up to 4162

Commish faded Ponga late last week and turned to Sharpe for an instant points and cash boost

Early thoughts…

On the block: Nicholson and Marzhew (pending injury updates), Tamale, Cleary

Potential ins: Check the aforementioned Watchlist 👀

🎬 Final Play

• Ben Hunt is out of Origin I

• The first four games of the round resulted in the underdogs coming from behind to win

• Ryan Papenhuyzen equalled the most points scored in the NRL era (36)

• Origin teams announced Sunday

We hope you followed the Commissioner advice last week re Papi, otherwise, we understand if you throw in the towel on the ‘25 season. If you happen to stick around, we’ll see you Wednesday next week

✂️ SCSC

Enjoying the ShortCut? Flick it to a mate who didn’t captain Papenhuyzen at home, against the Tigers, on a warm, sunny, Sunday afternoon, after a loss, and a Bellamy spray