NRL Round 23: Live SuperCoach NRL trade talk and tips, latest team news
A couple of weeks ago I recommended Hamole Olakau'atu as a buy - he promptly dislocated his shoulder.
Last week I recommended Isaah Yeo as a buy - he also injured his shoulder - and while we're waiting on news it looks like he'll miss at least one week and possibly longer.
So let's see who I can put the kiss of death on this week!
The biggest issue facing SuperCoaches is 'who should replace Herbie Farnworth,' and I'll devote my word count to that topic. For all other questions be they be trade, line-up or captaincy related please hit me up via the comments section below.
Farnworth, who was on track to score around 200 points against the Warriors last week before his hamstring popped, is out for 'four to six weeks' - but let's just call it the remainder of the season.
The silver lining (such as it is) is that Farnworth is priced at $840K and so those selling can afford pretty much anyone they want.
Let's look at the options:
Zac Lomax/Jacob Kiraz: Lomax is currently in 85.4% of teams in the top 10% of overall rankings, Kiraz is in 95.5%. If you don't own either than just snap them up. Lomax had his worst game of the season last week with the Storm holding him to 41 points. But he has the leaky Cowboys this week and the denuded Rabbitohs the week after. Get on. Kiraz, switched to between centre and fullback against the Tigers on the weekend and despite the horrendous conditions he still barged over for a try and a respectable 66 points. The Bulldogs draw is pretty tough, but Kiraz is a must own, and play, no matter who the opposition is.
Dane Gagai: The most popular pick of the round and it's easy to see why. The veteran Knight has had three stages to his 2025 season. Stage one covered rounds 1-11 plus where Gagai was playing centre. In those ten games, Gagai averaged 56.8PPG. The second stage was rounds 12-17 (incl) where Gagai played centre AND kicked goals. In those six games Gagai averaged 65.5PPG with 9PPG (net) of that coming off the tee. that leaves Gagai's third period - rounds 19-21 in which he has been playing fullback (note Gagai is recorded as playing centre in round 19 but in reality he played at fullback and Fletcher Hunt played centre). In those three games - against top-four teams the Storm, Warriors and raiders - Gagai scored 104, 93 and 92 points. The Knights attack is awful - they are the only team yet to score 300+ points - yet Gagai has managed to deliver big SuperCoach totals with a high workrate, efficiency in attack and terrific tackle bust numbers. The remaining draw (Panthers/Cowboys/Broncos/Sharks/Eels) is not particularly good nor bad so that's not a deciding factor. On the whole I think Gagai is a BUY.
AJ Brimson: Another player who has played different roles in 2025, Brimson started the season at five-eighth for the Titans before moving to his preferred fullback position in round 11. At number six, Brimson averaged 54.2PPG from nine games. At fullback Brimson is averaging 71.2PPG from nine games. The Titans are favourites to win the wooden spoon, but that has much more to do with their woeful defence (ranked 16th) than their mediocre attack (ranked 13th). And then there's the draw. The Titans play the Rabbitohs/Sharks/Warriors/Dolphins and Wests Tigers in their remaining games. Souths are a great matchup right now and the Wests Tigers leak plenty of points too. I feel Gagai is potentially the safer play, but could be talked into Brimson as an aggressive POD BUY.
Bradman Best: Another Knight, big Bradman is due back this week from a knee injury. A base stat powerhouse, Best is currently in just 5.2% of teams and while I prefer Gagai if you were looking for a POD that has the potential to go large then Best could be your guy (provided he's back from injury of course!). UBER POD BUY.
Matt Timoko: The tackle busting centre has bagged two tries in each of his past two games and scored triple figures in each. The Raiders have the most productive attack in the competition this year and have ridden that hot hand to the top of the table. Canberra do have a bye still to serve (Round 24) which is concerning and of their four remaining match-ups - Manly, Penrith, Tigers, Dolphins - three of those are top-eight defences. PASS.
Ronaldo Mulitalo: After a bit of a drought, Mulitalo found his groove over the past fortnight with scores of 91 and 98. A word or warning - those scores came against the woeful Rabbitohs and Cowboys defences. Another word of warning - the Sharks are on the bye in round 25. the bye and the mixed draw has me looking elsewhere. PASS.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck: Roger the dodger rarely goes really big and is yet to score 100+ this season, but his phenomenal workrate (he has scored 40+ in runs ALONE over the past four games) means he very rarely has a quiet game. The Warriors have a top-four finish to defend and a mixed draw ahead with some decent match-ups in rounds 24-26 (Dragons, Titans, Eels) bookended by tougher matches against the Dogs (@Accor Rd 23) and Manly (@Brookvale Rd 27). A BUY - but I think others on the list are preferable. PASS
Beau Fermor: The edge forward is available at CTW and his base workrate (averaging 50BPPG) makes him the safest pick of any on this list. A good line runner and more than capable of scoring 100+ when he does barge over, Fermor may not have the sexy upside of a Gagai or Brimson, but if you just want to lock in a safe 60 each week with upside then he's your guy to BUY.
Casey McLean: The left edge of the Panthers is humming and McLean has been in superb form over the past four rounds scoring 70, 109, 77 and 81 points with four tries over that span. Penrith's soft draw is about to stiffen up considerably which is a concern and I think McLean will struggle to maintain his recent scoring. PASS.
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Sydney Morning Herald
a few seconds ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture
And quite often, it is for fun. Like when you beat your brother 4-3 with a 90th-minute winner in a game of FIFA after he spent the whole match talking up how good he is. You give him a khawd. When Bulldogs fans gather for a photo and don't want to stand there posing awkwardly – as highlighted on social media over the past few days – they give the camera a khawd. When the Tigers wrap up a sweet victory over the Bulldogs with Lachlan Galvin at halfback after his messy mid-season walk-out, you definitely give a khawd. The Arab community has been bemused during the past 48 hours as the rugby league news cycle discovers a gesture that has now skyrocketed in popularity, despite some horrific pronunciations by my friends in the media. It's not 'quad'. It's not 'cord'. Or khouf, as our Mediterranean brother Braith Anasta pronounced it on NRL360 on Monday night, an attempt that sounded more like a Greek island than an Arabic sledge. The 'khhh' needs to sound like you're clearing your throat, finished off with an 'awd' that is said with the kind of passion the Tigers finally played with on Sunday. The Bulldogs complained to the NRL on behalf of some of their fans who took offence to the Tigers' gesture. But did those fans take offence to the gesture, or because they were on the receiving end of it? And what does the NRL do now? Punish players for a gesture that has connotations that are as difficult to understand as the word is to pronounce for the non-Arabic-speaking community? The NRL is concerned that by doing nothing it will create a rod for its back the next time a player goes down the more traditional route of flipping the bird at the crowd. They've previously handed out breaches to players for doing so, hitting Matt Lodge with a $5000 fine when he raised his middle finger to the Gold Coast Titans crowd while playing for the Warriors in 2021. Brent Naden would've become familiar with the khawd during his tenure at Belmore. He was one of three players, along with Samuela Fainu and Latu Fainu, to use the gesture towards to the crowd on Sunday. He followed it up after the game with a video of giving the khawd and saying 'f—ing dogs'. It was meant to be a private message, but ended up being shared on social media. Loading Naden will probably be fined by the NRL for doubling down. But Sunday's events should be seen as an illustration of the unmatched tribalism, rough edges and all, that sets rugby league apart from other competitions – like the potentially forthcoming Rugby 360. The Tigers have been bashed for more than a decade. I've pulled on the gloves and dispensed an uppercut or three. But Sunday afternoon was as good as it gets for their long-suffering fans, who were entitled to enjoy the moment. They beat the team whose coach rejected them. The team whose halfback walked out on them for. And did it in front of a rival supporter base who continues to take great pleasure in their misery. If ever a situation called for a khawd, Sunday was it. Play on.
The Age
a few seconds ago
- The Age
I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture
And quite often, it is for fun. Like when you beat your brother 4-3 with a 90th-minute winner in a game of FIFA after he spent the whole match talking up how good he is. You give him a khawd. When Bulldogs fans gather for a photo and don't want to stand there posing awkwardly – as highlighted on social media over the past few days – they give the camera a khawd. When the Tigers wrap up a sweet victory over the Bulldogs with Lachlan Galvin at halfback after his messy mid-season walk-out, you definitely give a khawd. The Arabic community has been bemused during the past 48 hours as the rugby league news cycle discovers a gesture that has now skyrocketed in popularity, despite some horrific pronunciations by my friends in the media. It's not 'quad'. It's not 'cord'. Or khouf, as our Mediterranean brother Braith Anasta pronounced it on NRL360 on Monday night, an attempt that sounded more like a Greek island than an Arabic sledge. The 'khhh' needs to sound like you're clearing your throat, finished off with an 'awd' that is said with the kind of passion the Tigers finally played with on Sunday. The Bulldogs complained to the NRL on behalf of some of their fans who took offence to the Tigers' gesture. But did those fans take offence to the gesture, or because they were on the receiving end of it? And what does the NRL do now? Punish players for a gesture that has connotations that are as difficult to understand as the word is to pronounce for the non-Arabic speaking community? The NRL is concerned that by doing nothing it will create a rod for its back the next time a player goes down the more traditional route of flipping the bird at the crowd. They've previously handed out breaches to players for doing so, hitting Matt Lodge with a $5000 fine when he raised his middle finger to the Gold Coast Titans crowd while playing for the Warriors in 2021. Brent Naden would've become familiar with the khawd during his tenure at Belmore. He was one of three players, along with Samuela Fainu and Latu Fainu, to use the gesture towards to the crowd on Sunday. He followed it up after the game with a video of giving the khawd and saying 'f—ing dogs'. It was meant to be a private message, but ended up being shared on social media. Loading Naden will probably be fined by the NRL for doubling down. But Sunday's events should be seen as an illustration of the unmatched tribalism, rough edges and all, that sets rugby league apart from other competitions – like the potentially forthcoming Rugby 360. The Tigers have been bashed for more than a decade. I've pulled on the gloves and dispensed an uppercut or three. But Sunday afternoon was as good as it gets for their long-suffering fans, who were entitled to enjoy the moment. They beat the team whose coach rejected them. The team whose halfback walked out on them for. And did it in front of a rival supporter base who continues to take great pleasure in their misery. If ever a situation called for a khawd, Sunday was it. Play on.
News.com.au
26 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Favourite to win it': Connor Watson has a crack at the NRL over controversial rule change concerning teammate Mark Nawaqanitawase
Roosters star Connor Watson says the decision to make teammate Mark Nawaqanitawase ineligible for the Dally M Rookie of the Year Award should have been made at the start of 2025 and not with only a few rounds left in the season. Nawaqanitawase was one of the favourites to win the award this year along with Leka Halasima, Isaiah Iongi and Roosters teammate Robert Toia, only for the ARL Commission to change the rule because of his rugby accolades. The cross-code sensation excelled for the Wallabies and represented Australia in sevens at the 2024 Olympics before he switched to rugby league last year and played one NRL game for the Roosters. He has emerged as a genuine star on the right edge in 2025 and has already wrapped up try-of-the-year honours for his solo effort against the Bulldogs. But NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo confirmed on Tuesday that the State of Origin bolter wasn't eligible to join Harry Grant, Sam Walker and Jack Bostock as winners of the award. MARK NAWAQANITAWASE IS OUT OF THIS WORLD! 🤯 #NRLBulldogsRoosters — NRL (@NRL) May 16, 2025 'The commission had made a policy change decision around the eligibility for rookie of the year, and I think it's contemporary and hasn't been looked at for a while,' he said. 'The decision was really simple. It (the award) is meant for genuine rookies, so players that are coming through pathways systems, and not for players that have got significant experience, even if it's in other sports.' Halasima played four games for the Warriors last year but still qualifies because he didn't reach the five-match threshold, while Canberra's Savelio Tamale would have been in the mix had he not been injured. Individual awards don't define a player's legacy, but it's a shame that Nawaqanitawase won't be recognised given he's scored 13 tries this season and has been a shining light with the ball. 'Mark would probably be the favourite to win it, so I feel like it's hard to make that call halfway through the year when he's played so well,' Watson said. 'If you're going to make a decision like that, you probably do it at the start of the year. 'It's pretty cool that Mark's had a rule named for him. It just shows the impact that he's had. 'Regardless of how he plays, Mark as a person has brought so much to the team. That's probably been the best part of having him in the team other than everything else he does. 'His energy every day and the positivity that he has around the group is good because sometimes when your season is inconsistent as it has been this year, everyone can get a bit down in the dumps. But Mark comes in with a smile on his face every day and lifts the boys up.'
