🏃🏻 Round 20 ShortCuts

Welcome.

A testing week, given Origin back-ups, kept us glued to our phones for updates.

We hope you adjusted accordingly and didn’t do anything too rash.

Remember, a held trade, plus an extra week of information, can be a valuable thing, even this late.

The heavily criticised Hynes showed us why he is a SuperCoach must-have, plus Eli Katoa and Herbie continued to kill it.

If you don’t have these two, ignore the rest of this newsletter and find a new hobby.

Anyway, enough with last week.

Let’s cut.

🍔 What’s on the Menu?

🤕 Injuries and Team News

📆 Fixtures

📈 Stats

🤔 Captain Obvious

🤵🏻‍♂️ Commissioner’s Corner

🧠 Team List News

📆 Fixtures

📊 Key Stats - Most Traded In and Out

👨🏼‍✈️ Captain Obvious

Really tough week for Captains this round with no clear and obvious match up, besides the first game of the round, which is usually a no-go.

We like Herbie as a VC option; however, to lock in a loop, we’d be looking for 120+, considering you will most likely have to drop a gun out of your squad to activate it.

Captains, we like one of Tedesco/Hughes/Edwards/May (boring), whoever tickles ya fancy.

🤵🏻‍♂️ Commissioner’s Corner

The Commissioner ended up ripping his two trades:

Sandon Smith ➡️ Connor Watson

Zac Hosking ➡️ Tino

Both of these will remain on his team for the rest of the season.

The Commissioner is in all sorts this week.

Dylan Lucas

An easy trade-out with the season-ending injury.

Hudson Young is an option, but he doesn’t quite have the cash for the swap.

Add to this, injury concern, a deep Raiders forward pack, and the Commissioner is happy to look elsewhere, for now.

Ryan Papenhuyzen

He has doubts about the “calf tightness” lingering for three weeks, but also believes the Storm may be using it as a cover to give Papi a rest before the finals.

After this, via NRL Physio’s Instagram channel, he is leaning towards the sell.

As of Wednesday night, the Melbourne fullback sits in 44% of teams, and with that sure to decrease further, he is turning into a little POD.

DCE

Won’t be getting played in his team anytime soon, and with the lack of obvious captaincy options this week, plus Cleary’s resting and uncertainty on goalkicking, Commish is tempted by Hughes coming in and taking the armband straight away.

Jamayne Isaako

Will be a sell next week, to a gun CTW, or a nuff next week due to the Dolphins bye.

Corey Horsburgh 

Is just fine, for now, but far more exciting options out there, and it’s the logical downgrade/nuff option to Miles Martin to free up cash.

It also means one less sit vs start headache going forward.

Ryley Smith

With Talyn De Silva’s arrival, Joey Lussick lingering, and Dylan Brown getting minutes, the opportunity and output will not be there, despite starting.

A downgrade to dual nuff Kalani Going looks to be a play, and with trades up the sleeve, if anything were to happen to Connor Watson, Harry Grant would come in.

However, he is starting, and it is not an issue, so it may very well wait.

Jayden Campbell

The Titans’ lynchpin is surplus to requirements with strength in other spots.

He is bottoming out shortly, so a sell will reap minimal value, but a downgrade to Galvin or Boyd could be the play.

As you can tell, as it stands, the Commissioner has no idea, but he has some penciled in options below…

Trade thoughts as they stand:

Lucas ➡️ Lomax via duals

Papenhuyzen ➡️ Edwards

Campbell ➡️ Boyd

Options next week:

Isaako and DCE out

💬 Final Play

I know we, and particularly the Commissioner, bang on about having trades up the sleeve, but boy, he is happy that he does now.

Note that down in ya little blackbook for next season, if you haven’t already.

Righto.

Eight weeks remain; let’s cut.

✂️ SCSC

Enjoying the ShortCut? Flick it to a mate who is too far behind to threaten you, but one you want to keep close enough to talk smack to all off-season.