NRL SuperCoach Round 5 preview, best trades & bargain buys

Four rounds of the 2023 NRL Premiership season are in the books, and with that, SuperCoaches should be continuing to build their squad value to give them a strong 25-man roster for the added byes for each team during the season.

The fourth round of the competition has also seen dual-position added to the below players:

• Connelly Lemuelu – 2RF, CTW
• Sebastian Kris – CTW, FLB
• Fa’amanu Brown – HOK, 2RF

Below is a list of possible trade targets that are about to increase in value, with the likelihood of at least short-term job security in their respective sides.

Jonah Pezet (HFB)

Jonah Pezet had has an incredible start to his NRL career, making a huge return on his performance for the NSW Blues U19 side in 2022. Pezet has shown he has the attacking upside to make up for the few tackles he does miss, breaking defensive lines and offloading the football among other positive impacts. Jahrome Hughes is set to return in round six for the Storm; however, Pezet should increase sharply in value at the end of this round with the possibility of securing a bench utility role for the Storm.

Toby Couchman (2RF)

Toby Couchman could be an option for SuperCoaches, depending on the decision coach Anthony Griffin makes around returning middle forward Jack De Belin. Zane Musgrove or Josh Kerr could easily make way to accommodate Couchman on the bench, and should he keep his spot this week, it would support his long-term job security for the Dragons. This will be one to watch for late on Saturday, but could be worth the wait.

Naufahu Whyte (2RF)

Naufahu Whyte has had a rocky start to his NRL career, but as a young Roosters forward, improvement can definitely be expected. Playing roughly 40mins per game in a side where fellow forwards are very injury prone makes him an interesting prospect. Whyte can also break tackles and carry the ball strongly for post contact metres. Should his minutes hold steady or increase, he could become a very good rookie SuperCoach scorer and a valuable player for coaches looking to make upgrades in their forwards.

Josh Schuster (5/8, 2RF)

Josh Schuster has begun to deliver on his glimpses of talent for the Sea Eagles at five-eighth this season. A big, strong ball runner with incredible footwork and jaw-dropping no look passes, Schuster’s performance against the Eels a fortnight ago should be expected again in the coming weeks. The option to have him in either the 5/8 or 2RF gives coaches plenty of options on where to pick him in the side, and if he continues to improve, should become very valuable in a fortnight’s time.

Matt Croker (FRF)

Matt Croker showed Knights fans on Sunday he has great upside for a struggling Newcastle forward pack. His offloading and tackle breaking creates the exact type of second-phase play that someone like Lachlan Miller can take advantage of as well as Kalyn Ponga upon his return. Adam Elliott is yet to return to this side, but should have little impact on Croker’s minutes up front. Should that be the case, Croker could be very handy in building team value.

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