NRL SuperCoach R22 preview & top trades

Round 22 of the NRL Premiership kicks off on Thursday with SuperCoach players building towards the finals as well as looking towards overall ranking success for the season. Coaches need to be diligent in how they use their remaining trades with several finals-bound teams and star players set for a bye over the following month.

WAIT/HOLD

Shaun Johnson (HFB) is the third-most traded-out player in SuperCoach this week, which could prove to be an enormous mistake for those making this move. Despite the round 22 bye, Johnson is a proven SuperCoach star having scored 100+ points in four of his last seven games. The Warriors have a soft draw to finish the season, including three of five matches in New Zealand. Holding Johnson could prove the difference between big wins in leagues and big moves up the overall rankings for the end of the year.

Nicho Hynes (HFB) is the second-most traded-out player in SuperCoach this week and, like Johnson, that move could be an enormous mistake. Hynes has been arguably the best SuperCoach player for the last two years. Despite the Sharks’ defensive issues this season, Hynes has a five-round scoring average of better than 110 points per game. Expect Hynes to step up towards the end of the season to lead the Sharks on the field and gain big scores along the way.

TRADE IN

Latrell Mitchell (FLB) did not make his return to the NRL last weekend against the Broncos, which may be a blessing in disguise for SuperCoaches looking to bring him in. The star Rabbitohs fullback has been confirmed to make his return this weekend against the Tigers in Tamworth. The Tigers are facing enormous struggles to finish this season and Mitchell will only need a handful of good possessions to pile on the points.

Cameron Murray (2RF) is owned by almost 20% of SuperCoaches and looks to be a brilliant buy for the run home. Despite averaging below 60 points per game for the season, the Rabbitohs captain has averaged more than 70 over the last three games alone. This number could improve sharply with the club’s soft draw to finish the season.

Dan Russell (2RF/CTW) looks like a smart downgrade choice for multiple reasons. Not only could the trade free up a large amount of salary cap space, but his dual-position status would allow easy reconfiguration of sides. Now a starter in the Dragons’ back-row, he could prove to be a valuable SuperCoach reserve in the coming weeks.

Cameron Munster (5/8) could be a strong point-of-difference trade to close out the season. The Queensland and Australia half currently sits eighth on the ‘most traded-in’ list. The Storm have a tough run to finish the season, which will draw the best form out of Munster – and that could mean some big SuperCoach scores.

TRADE OUT

Stefano Utoikamanu (FRF) and John Bateman (2RF) are the two most-owned players for the Tigers at 13% and 12% respectively. SuperCoaches should look to move the pair on immediately, either as upgrade options or to free up salary cap space. Coming up against sides like the Rabbitohs, Warriors and Roosters, these two will likely have very limited opportunities to score attacking points in the remaining weeks of the season.

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