It’s finally arrived! Round 12 kicks off this weekend and it’s time to see our bye planning in action.

I’ve had a rollercoaster of a season so far. I managed to drop 2500 ranks in two weeks and have only just climbed back to 835th overall. My round 12 side is ready to go despite Milford getting the nod for Origin. Luckily I’ll still be able to field 17 players without having to tear my team apart.

To kick things off we’ll take a look at the State of Origin teams. Most of the usual suspects have been named which is always a relief for SuperCoaches. Dylan Napa replaces the injured Matt Scott and there’s no sign of Billy Slater for game one. 8% of coaches will be relieved that Valentine Holmes has missed out on selection while 21% of us cringed at the news that Milford will replace the injured Johnathan Thurston in the halves. There’s speculation that Thurston will take the field next Wednesday but it’s thrown a spanner in the works nonetheless.

The New South Wales’ team didn’t come with too many surprises either. Jack De Belin, Nathan Peats and Jarryd Hayne weren’t 100% confirmed but neither of these players would’ve been available for round 12 anyway.

State Of Origin Teams

Queensland

1. Darius Boyd
2. Corey Oates
3. Will Chambers
4. Justin O’Neill
5. Dane Gagai
6. Anthony Milford
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Dylan Napa
9. Cameron Smith
10. Nate Myles
11. Josh Papalii
12. Matt Gillett
13. Josh McGuire

Extended Bench:

Michael Morgan

Sam Thaiday

Aidan Guerra

Jacob Lillyman

Johnathan Thurston

New South Wales

1. James Tedesco
2. Blake Ferguson
3. Josh Dugan
4. Jarryd Hayne
5. Brett Morris
6. James Maloney
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Aaron Woods
9. Nathan Peats
10. Andrew Fifita
11. Josh Jackson
12. Boyd Cordner (c)
13. Tyson Frizell

Extended bench:

Jack Bird

Wade Graham

David Klemmer

Jack Trbojevic

Jordan McLean

Matt Moylan

Jack de Belin

Candidates For General Bye Coverage

It’s always fun to go POD shopping before the bye period begins but let’s not get too carried away. Most candidates will cost you two trades as they won’t appear in your run home side. Additionally, a few of them will tie up some of your funds and you’ll have to work around them if they’re not strong enough for your seventeen. Just make sure you’re not using two trades on a player you’ll be using on three or four occasions.  

• Adam Reynolds ($317k HFB 3.1%) wasn’t a front runner for Origin selection but a few of us needed confirmation before considering him for our team. He may not be a popular halfback choice but he’s definitely seen his fair share of decent scores.

Unfortunately Reynolds comes with a number of negative factors. Obviously you’ll be using him for the three big bye rounds but his other fixtures through the bye period are quite difficult. The Rabbitohs will face the Cowboys, Broncos and Roosters outside the three big bye rounds which may be bad news for Reynolds owners. He’s already scored in the twenties against tough defensive sides this season (Cowboys, Sea Eagles and Storm). Proceed with caution!  

• Semi Radradra ($290.8k CTW 12.2%) is an absolute steal at $290k. He may have had his fair share of poor scores but there’s more to Semi’s appeal than meets the eye.

There’s no point focusing on the negatives when Semi is available at such a cheap price. His pros easily outweigh the cons at this stage. Not only is he available for all three big bye rounds but the Eels’ fixtures outside these games are quite favourable. In fact, their run home isn’t too bad either so you could give him a punt in your run home side if you’re feeling ballsy. We’ve been given an appealing candidate on a platter!

• Tyrell Fuimaono ($122.6k 2RF/CTW) will be one of the more popular trade-ins this week. He’s a bottom dollar cheapie playing his third game but is he really worth the hype?

Fuimaono has entered the trade radar in the past couple of weeks. He usually plays 30 minutes (give or take) from the bench and is projected to make around $90k through the bye period. His appeal lies in his perfect bye coverage and samurai-like hair cut but unfortunately that’s where it ends. Adding Fuimaono to your side brings another AE nightmare to the table. It’ll also cost you another trade as you won’t want him in your run home side. Is it really worth the hassle for an extra 20 to 30 points each big bye round? He’s going to be very hard to ignore this week as he’s an easy downgrade option who’ll provide you with money to improve your round 12 numbers. By all means consider him but don’t assume he’s a ‘must have’ for the bye period.

• Cody Walker ($391.5k FE/FB) and Shaun Johnson ($368.1k FE/HB) are both attractive pick-ups for round 12. Walker will play all three bye rounds and is looking good playing at fullback. Don’t worry too much about his 27 point game last weekend. The Bunnies we up against the always impressive Storm in a rain-affected match. He should be good for 60+ points against the Eels this week.

Johnson has been a little disappointing recently but he typically steps up his game through the bye period. It’s hard to ignore SJ when he’s priced this low and he’ll be a nice addition to your round 12 side. Don’t be scared off by his 82 break even; he could easily score that this week at home against the depleted Broncos.

In Short

• James Graham ($344.7k FRF) is an absolute steal at $344k. He’ll play rounds 12 and 18 and will provide your team with base consistency. His price has come down due to two injury affected performances so don’t let his recent scores discourage you.
• Manu Ma’u ($332.4k 2RF/CTW) will also be a useful addition through the bye period. He has perfect bye coverage and the very handy 2RF/CTW DPP status. He’ll cost you just $332k and is usually good for 50+ points.
• Jordan Rapana ($390.3k CTW) is now over $200k cheaper than his round eight price. He’s been very underwhelming in recent weeks but many coaches are getting him in prior to his round 12 match. Keep in mind that he isn’t available for rounds 15 and 18 but he’s a solid choice nonetheless. He’s also a suitable candidate for your run home team.
• Paul Gallen ($514.5k 2RF/FRF) needs to be considered this week if you don’t own him already. He’s been cleared of any surprise Origin call-up and is available for the first two big bye rounds. He’s averaging 76.6 PPG this season and you’d be a fool to ignore him.
• Corey Norman ($377.3k FE/HFB) is expected to return from injury in round 17 so I’d recommend using the money to improve your bye coverage. Luckily there are a couple of suitable candidates ripe for the picking.

Top 5 Break Evens

(Must have played 2 games and expected to be named round 11 or 12)

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad ($169.8k): -35

Kyle Feldt ($241.3k): -33

Daniel Tupou ($329.9k): -27

Brock Lamb ($260.6k): -21

Tyrell Fuimaono ($122.6k): -15

Bottom 5 Break Evens

(Must have played 2 games and expected to be named round 11 or 12)

Dylan Walker ($450.4k): 127

Clint Gutherson ($405.6k): 119

Ben Hunt ($348.2k): 119

Johnathan Thurston ($448.9k): 115

Josh Addo-Carr ($334.9k): 114

Team List Tuesday

Nathan Brown has been named at lock despite injuring his ribs last weekend

Andrew McCullough is out injured

Kodi Nikorima has been named on the bench

Ben Hunt returns to the Broncos’ halves

James Roberts has been named in the centres despite suffering an ankle injury at training

Simon Mannering returns at lock

State of Origin players won’t be playing this week

Predictions

Semi Radradra will average 65+ through the Origin period

Tyrell Fuimaono will average fewer than 30 through the Origin period

Shaun Johnson will average 70+ through the Origin period

That’s it for this week,  feel free to leave your comments below, or

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