Ando 2024

@Cap'n Ranta yeah it paid off mate although getting JC would have been the better play, I think I'm happy to leave him. He is an absolute fantasy gun but he will have limited attacking opportunities playing for this current Titans team, his score also had some pretty dubious TO's and TS's which gave it a boost.

Good points regarding Gray, I was just going off his NSW cup stats where he is averaging 55 but hoping TLT gives me a better option. Whoever the cow is I'm trading in will more than likely be sat in my EMG at #21. There has been so much carnage that surely a good cow is going to pop up this week.

With the amount of outs the Bulldogs have at the moment I think SHughes as a good amount on coin to make and he might be able to hit a 30 which I will play in the 17 until Piakura and Galvin are back.

Hoping Chan can grab a bench spot to earn a little bit more cash but he will be a definite trade out soon.

I don't see Cook as a sell as he is the 3rd highest averaging HOK, and will Brailey see 80mins after the emergence of Crossland last year. Lussick will cover Cook's bye.

I agree about Rapana and he will need to go by the time of the Raiders bye (as will Levi) as I plan on holding Fog, Smithies and Strange. However I don't think this is the week to trade him when he plays the Titans. Injuries may change that but will hold if he's playing.

All of this will likely change tomorrow when the carnage hits but I would definitely feel safer having Hynes captain this week. Wouldn't want to miss his tonne!

Thanks for the comments, you always add a good alternative perspective.

TLT Carnage...

6 Red Dots before trades: Cook, Teddy, Rapana, Chan, Galvin and Piakura.

In hindsight I should have held Brbo over Chan but it is what it is... Cook and Chan both 18th man so will just have to hope one of them sneaks onto the bench come gameday.

As mentioned in the main thread with Rapana out for 6-8 weeks he is going to become Hynes, Hutcho gets a reprieve.

Second trade is going to be either Teddy or Cook > Iro or Chevy to generate the funds.

I am currently leaning towards Teddy out as I think a new coach at the Bunnies will see Cook as their best #9 plus he is a chance of sneaking onto the bench this week.

Then between Iro or Chevy in I will probably go Iro this week with the lower BE and then Chevy next week for Chan if he looks good.

This will leave approx. 200k for a Levi/Hutcho upgrade but I really really really need to start holding some trades.

Hopefully the carnage lets up soon because the start of this season has been brutal.

#fuckthisseason

Ando wrote:TLT Carnage...

6 Red Dots before trades: Cook, Teddy, Rapana, Chan, Galvin and Piakura.

In hindsight I should have held Brbo over Chan but it is what it is... Cook and Chan both 18th man so will just have to hope one of them sneaks onto the bench come gameday.

As mentioned in the main thread with Rapana out for 6-8 weeks he is going to become Hynes, Hutcho gets a reprieve.

Second trade is going to be either Teddy or Cook > Iro or Chevy to generate the funds.

I am currently leaning towards Teddy out as I think a new coach at the Bunnies will see Cook as their best #9 plus he is a chance of sneaking onto the bench this week.

Then between Iro or Chevy in I will probably go Iro this week with the lower BE and then Chevy next week for Chan if he looks good.

This will leave approx. 200k for a Levi/Hutcho upgrade but I really really really need to start holding some trades.

Hopefully the carnage lets up soon because the start of this season has been brutal.  

You’re doing well though mate much better than me I’m at 39k rank

I have the same dilemma stewing over Iro or Chevy as you know.

I also think it’s probs worth holding Cook over Teddy. But then again I think Cook 80mins games are over might be more a 55mins guy. Then again might be better to flick Cook.

@Rabbits21 I think I will get Chevy this week actually just because I trust his job security a little more. And Iro almost blocks a potential Nikora trade once he bottoms out.

I am going to hold Cook to see if a new coach favours him.

So trades likely to be:

Rapana > Chevy
Teddy > Hynes (c)

Have a look at Chester/Iro another week and hopefully I can finally flick Hutcho next week.

Round 6

Round Score: 910
Overall Rank: 1,265th

Trades: Teddy > Hynes & Rapana > Chevy
ITB: 168k

Starting 17

Lussick (52) - Could of been an even bigger score with the disallowed try but 52 with a try is pretty average
Carrigan (74) - Really happy with the trade in a few weeks back, may drop off once Haas is back
Smithies (61) - The Alpha of the Raiders pack, doesn't need a rest, could end up being a keeper
Terrell May (71) - Back to business as usual for this beast
KPP (66) - Looked brilliant yet again, another potential keeper locked in
Crichton (61) - Great to see him play 80 again, has looked great in real life so should keep the role
Hynes (c) (106) - Very underwhelming first game sharing the KM with Tricky, will this be his new role moving forward?
Fogarty (82) - This years SJ, keeper territory
Strange (50) - Looks better and better in real life every game, will be holding for the foreseeable
Kiraz (55) - Huge RM's, if he starts scoring some tries he should have some huge scores, playing outside Hutch not helping
Stewart (26) - Probably wasn't the right call to pick him over Iro, will just stash him in EMG
Gutho (47) - Happy enough with the score
Papenhuysen (48) - Unfortunate with the sin bin
Levi (18) - He's done his job but time for him to leave the team
Salmon (42) - Wouldn't mind him keeping that role for the next few weeks
SHughes (32) - Sin bin killed his score but he's looking playable for the next few weeks
Hutchinson (19) - Really glad to be trading him out this week, I think the Dogs need to give Sexton a run

EMG

Cook (DNP) - With news JD is keeping his job I think it's time to jump off him, looking at Grant/Egan
Chan (DNP) - Will he ever play again?
Piakura (DNP) - Hopefully back soon
Galvin (DNP) - Glad he is back on deck this week!

Summary

Good to have a bit of a bounce back this week, however still sat outside of the top 1000 which is not where I want to be!

I only had 17 green dots so at least I was able to field a full team but Levi, Hutcho and new recruit Chevy letting me down preventing me from getting the monster score!

After watching Chevy I'm happy enough that he will make cash moving forward, however I don't trust playing his scores in the 17 so I will be looking at bringing in a gun WFB: Ponga, Trbo or CNK

Also the whole Cook debacle is so frustrating, he is currently the highest scoring HOK however if JD is keeping the Bunnies job I don't see how he goes back to 80mins, therefore looking at Grant/Egan.

Really liked the look of Iro, solid defender and looked strong carrying the ball out of yardage, I couldn't afford to risk a late out last week only having 17 green dots so will likely grab him this week unless I go for Chester and the DPP. There is 59k difference between the two.

Before trades I am looking at the following:

Lussick
Carrigan Smithies May
Angus KPP
Hynes (c) Fogarty
Kiraz Strange
Papy Gutho Chevy
Salmon SHughes Piakura Galvin
Cook Hutcho Levi Chan

Although I have maxed traded so far due to all of the carnage (forced trades of Haas, Cleary and Teddy) I think using all 3 this week leaves me with a pretty well balanced squad. The 3 I am pretty set on trading are Cook, Hutcho & Levi and I have 168k in the bank:

Cook > Grant/Egan - Currently think Egan, it saves me 136k and if he can stay fit I think he matches Grant's scoring whilst missing Origin. The big question is if he can stay fit...
Levi > Iro/Chester - Again Iro gives an extra 59k and think he scores more points, the big question is job security
Hutcho >Trbo/Ponga/CNK - Thoughts on each below:

Ponga has looked brilliant the last few weeks, kicks goals which helps his base and probably misses Origin with Walsh as the incumbent
Trbo has been averaging a bit less than the other big names however I feel he has been pretty close to some huge plays, plays Origin and as always is an injury concern
CNK has started the season great, no Origin however I have my doubts that his scoring is sustainable

Thanks for reading, all ideas regarding the WFB dilemma will as always be greatly appreciated!

Teddy and Walsh could be another couple of options but better to wait a couple of weeks for them. They are going to drop in cash and be good value

Honey Badger wrote:Teddy and Walsh could be another couple of options but better to wait a couple of weeks for them. They are going to drop in cash and be good value

@Honey Badger The 2 Origin incumbents which is putting me off, pretty set on Ponga at the moment, captain material with the Dogs next... Pre TLT I'm looking at this team:

Egan
Smithies Carrigan Terrell
Angus KPP
Hynes (c) Fog
Kiraz Iro
Ponga Gutho Papy
Lussick SHughes Salmon Galvin
Piakura Strange Chevy Chan

Will be rearranged slightly for looping shenanigans but really like the make up bar Chan.

This leaves me 14 players for RD13 if Hynes/Carrigan are playing Origin. Salmon the current 14th man to cover MID/EDG so feel I can definitely hold some trades the next few weeks.

Still have 4 Raiders for RD10 which is less than ideal (should have done Chester in last week instead of Chevy) but that's still a few weeks away.

Garrick next week below 600k?

@camo123 Think he is a wait and see mate, CTR such a dud position. I learnt the lesson the hard way trading Taylan in RD2 and then back out, especially when Strange is doing a job and Iro looks like as long as he plays he's going to score well. Garrick 80min average at CTR is 46 and that includes a 104 hat trick game outlier.

Famous last words but as long as I can avoid injuries this next week I should be able to hold trades next week, as also getting Chan back in the 17. If he can AVG 30 the next few weeks he should be able to make 100k.

Going to post in your tracker now.

Meant for your WFB conundrum with his DPP, in a similar boat myself

@camo123 Think it's a waste of a spot playing a CTR at WFB. I am pretty set on Ponga tbh, he will be a great pick if he avoids Origin which I'm banking on.

I think Ponga is the pick of the three. His base and upside just puts him above the other options and that's reflected in the price.

I think having Strange on your NPRs rather than CTR and May on the bench is a waste so I'd likely invest elsewhere and pick up a fallen WFB n the weeks to come at value.

Points wise I think someone like Tohu makes more sense.

Kiraz (43) + Strange (35) + Tohu (56) = 134

Kiraz (43) + Ponga (56) + Salmon (32) = 131

@Cap'n Ranta As always thanks for the input. After this week I have Kiraz, Gutho, Strange/Chevy byes coming up, that was the main reason for getting the gun WFB. I am pretty stacked at MID/EDG. I wanted depth across all positions so I can really pull the handbrake on trades.

In isolation I agree with your thoughts, I always prefer the consistency of a MID/EDG over a WFB. However when looking at the up and coming Byes as well as RD13 I'm pretty set on my decision. My current squad has the following for each round before any trades:

RD8: 18
RD9: 19
RD10: 17
RD11: 21
RD12: 19
RD13: 15
RD14: 15

I burn trades every year trying to get a full squad in the big Bye rounds, whereas this year I feel I am now set up a lot better. Injuries/Suspensions etc will obviously have an impact but I look forward to seeing how it all pans out.

Mate I don’t like getting Egan with his history of head knocks and injuries not for me.

I like Ponga the best.

Be aware with Iro about the job security.

@rabbits21 Hmmm I quite like the look of Egan, injury history a concern but a risk I am willing to take... No hooker on the bench for the Warriors.

Don't worry I'm well aware of the Iro security, but with me deciding to leave Nikora I am happy to have a punt.

Round 7

Round Score: 791
Overall Rank: 970th

Trades

Cook > Egan
Hutchinson > Ponga
Levi > Iro
ITB: 45k

Starting 17

Egan (49) - Was a poor Warriors performance so happy enough with the score, just glad he played 80mins
Carrigan (69) - Another week of Carrigan dominating!
Smithies (33) - Feel he played low minutes due to the game being lost by Half Time, not too worrid
Terrell May (32) - More concerned with his minutes but he is a wait and see
KPP (56) - Keeps grinding out the good scores
Crichton (46) - Another 80 minutes, just need to hope he keeps the spot
Hynes (c) (178) - And that is why he's the perma-captain
Fogarty (20) - Jinxed him in last weeks post, glad he's made plenty of cash but disappointing having to trade
Iro (37) - Was impressed with his first half performance but again just hoping he keeps the spot
Kiraz (48) - Thought he was going to go a little bit bigger once he scored the try
Ponga (21) - This sucks... Will be trading straight out
Gutho (22) - Another disappointing performance but not sure who I can trade him to
Papenhuysen (31) - Basically needs tries to score big, didn't score big
Lussick (28) - Not sure he keeps his 80min role moving foward which will mean he's a trade
Salmon (40) - Another decent showing at back row, made enough cash now
SHughes (46) - Luckily held him all this time and cash finally flowing. Doubt he will maintain these scores without tries
Galvin (35) - Decent score all in base, hard to get attacking stats against the Panthers

EMG

Strange (35) - With Fog out I will be even more confident playing him moving forward
Chan (30) - Will make more cash if he plays that role every week, not good enough to play in the 17 though
Stewart (10) - Rough night for the kid, hopefully be bounces back
Piakura (DNP) - Please please please be back this week


Summary

Really weird week, it felt really underwhelming but I had a move up the rankings and slid just inside the top 1000.

The Ponga trade in was a bit of a kick in the nuts as I will be forced to trade him straight out, fairly set on a straight swap to Drinkwater.

The other kick in the nuts was the Fogarty who I felt was going to be a mainstay in my side but he will be another forced trade.

Glad I was wise enough to move Chevvy down to the EMG, will be interesting to see if Ricky sticks with him as the Sharkies could kick him to death.

I then have my two Eels who just look terrible. Gutho looks injured and Lussick is a plodder.

Early trade thoughts are the following:

Ponga > Drinkwater is near enough locked in as a straight swap
Fog > Plath is good for bye cover and means I can cover HLF and MID from my bench which I will need with Hynes & Galvin starting

This leaves me 233k and a banked trade unless TLT throws up some chaos. Team will be:

Egan
Carrigan Smithies Terrell
Angus KPP
Hynes Galvin
Strange Iro
Drinwater Papy Kiraz (Loop)
Lussick Plath Piakura Salmon (Loop)
Chan SHughes Gutho Chevvy

A double loop set up for Chan Gutho and Chevvy but also another trade up my sleeve in case I need to move on Lussick, Gutho or one of my Bulldogs.

Thanks for reading!

Excellent write up. The worst trade outs are easily the ones like Ponga, I think I got hit with a couple of them last year.

Interested in the love for Plath. His strange DPP might be the selling point for me this week, even if he doesn’t elevate scoring wise and stays around that 45 average he covers the spots where my team is lacking due to the injury to Fog and my less than stellar MIDs.

I also have the Lussick/Gutho combo but no ability to loop any of them effectively. Thinking it might be best to move one of them on if a decent option presents itself. Drinkwater is the one guy I wish I had owned last year just never got on and it was hard seeing him rack the points up even in big defeats. Just not sure what is going on with this Cowboys team and wondering if his ceiling is capped this year

@Liverpool_Bulldog Cheers mate, yes the Ponga thing is so frustrating but it is what it is. I still moved up the rankings it's just another burnt trade...

I love my big minute 13's for the MID positions ala Carrigan and Smithies so he falls under that bracket if he keeps starting. Would likely have hit a 50 in the game he got sin binned too. I do have the cash in the bank for Tohu but quite like the idea of taking a punt and then saving a bit of a warchest to upgrade my other shitto's further down the line. The fact he plays all 3 major bye rounds is also a massive bonus.

I was thinking Lussick > Brailey but as others mentioned in the main thread that is as sideways as it gets. If Lussick remains at #9 with a Handless bench I will hold. Maybe he was gassed in the Darwin heat at weekend?

I do have a feeling I will be using my 3rd trade tomorrow as I can't see everything going my way with Lussick, Gutho, Piakura, Chan, Chevvy all being named but we shall see.

Finally regarding Drinkwater he gets a good amount of KM despite playing full back so this combined with his RM gives a good base. So when he gets the attacking stats on top of this he tends to go big.

Would have been nice picking him up last week instead of Ponga but he wasn't really a consideration and I don't know why!

Ando wrote:@Liverpool_Bulldog Cheers mate, yes the Ponga thing is so frustrating but it is what it is. I still moved up the rankings it's just another burnt trade...

I love my big minute 13's for the MID positions ala Carrigan and Smithies so he falls under that bracket if he keeps starting. Would likely have hit a 50 in the game he got sin binned too. I do have the cash in the bank for Tohu but quite like the idea of taking a punt and then saving a bit of a warchest to upgrade my other shitto's further down the line. The fact he plays all 3 major bye rounds is also a massive bonus.

I was thinking Lussick > Brailey but as others mentioned in the main thread that is as sideways as it gets. If Lussick remains at #9 with a Handless bench I will hold. Maybe he was gassed in the Darwin heat at weekend?

I do have a feeling I will be using my 3rd trade tomorrow as I can't see everything going my way with Lussick, Gutho, Piakura, Chan, Chevvy all being named but we shall see.

Finally regarding Drinkwater he gets a good amount of KM despite playing full back so this combined with his RM gives a good base. So when he gets the attacking stats on top of this he tends to go big.

Would have been nice picking him up last week instead of Ponga but he wasn't really a consideration and I don't know why!

I guess you’re hoping that’s what he is then. Why were his minutes so low before that, was he just getting used to the new role or had something changed? I agree if he remains a 70+ minute guy he should go well as he’s pretty busy. Big plus around the bye period and covers some trouble spots.

I was all for Lussick to Brailey last week but have cooled my jets as long as Hands isn’t on the bench. However I’m sure BA has to do something after that thrashing. Hands starting or on the bench I’d say is quite likely. Opens up quite a few options but I’m thinking of grabbing a keeper there.

After another shitty week I’m not overly motivated to post my team at the moment but think if I get Plath I need to find a way to get another keeper or two, trades are dwindling