SuperCoach NRL trade tips and advice, round 13 team lists

News.com.au

27-05-2025

Hopefully you survived, if not thrived, through the first major bye round of the season - now it's time to cross your fingers and toes that the Origin representatives in your team get through Wednesday's game unscathed.
All trades made prior to Origin I have to be considered pencilled in as the inevitable injuries and suspensions from the big game will cause us to hit ye olde 'reverse trades' button.
But at least one buy looks like it can be made with indelible ink and there's also the little matter of Tom Trbojevic to discuss too.
Without further ado let's get into the Buy/Sell analysis (please note that Tom is taking some leave this week and with Origin I tomorrow there's a fair bit of other production work to do so while I will strive to answer all your questions there may be some delays today - apologies in advance).
BUY/SELL
Keaon Koloamatangi -The most popular buy of the round and it's easy to see why. Koloamatangi was a gun when playing through the middle wearing 13 last year averaging 75.8PPG (of which 58.5PPG came in base). Back on an edge to start 2025, KK had been good but not great averaging 57PPG (38.7PPG in base). But in his last two games, the Rabbitohs shifted Koloamatangi to prop and boy was it a success. In round 10 the hulking Rabbitoh punched out 72 points in base (23 runs!) in 73 minutes. In round 11 he played the entire game and delivered a stonking 96 points in base including 27 runs - 22 of which were 8m plus. The Rabbitohs won those two games (having lost the four preceding them) and while Koloamatangi has been upfront about his preference to play edge, his future is in the middle with South Sydney and SuperCoaches set to reap the rewards of that. Great bye round cover (provided he avoids Origin call up) with Souths playing each of the next six games. STRONG BUY.
Euan Aitken - Partnering Koloamatangi in the front row has been regular second rower Jai Arrow and as a result edge spots have opened up at the Bunnies. Euan Aitken has been a major beneficiary of that, playing 80 minutes on an edge in the past two games racking up 60 points in base each game along with a try against the Tigers in round 11. With handy DPP (2RF/CTW) status and the aforementioned bye coverage Aitken is an interesting case. He doesn't scream 'BUY' but provided he can keep playing 80 on an edge he looks like a useful CTW piece that you can play with confidence in each of the next six weeks who should make a little money before being converted to a keeper who you have avoided due to Origin commitments (think Zac Lomax, Val Holmes or Brian To'o). BUY
Tom Trbojevic - Confession time. I went out Friday afternoon for some beers with an old mate. Got home about 10 minutes prior to the Manly vs. Eels game and saw Turbo warming up without his knee brace. A quick look at Manly's bye schedule (play rounds 15 and 18) versus Isaiah Iongi (misses rounds 15 and 18) and I convinced myself the trade made sense. Tom did seem to move much better than he had the week before, and he had some nice touches in attack finishing with 72 points (and dropped $36K in value). Iongi looked better and finished with 90 points (and jumped $32K in value) In summary, the trade cost me 18 points and $64K. So it wasn't my best. But it also wasn't my worst. I think Turbo is a decent buy and by going a week early I have given myself more options with trades this week - or at least that's the story I am telling myself to soothe the burn that I felt after Iongi torched the Sea Eagles. BUY
Dylan Lucas - I originally had Lucas down as a sell last week as a result of the belief that the Knights would deploy him at centre for up to a month. When named in the second row I changed my tune and boy am I glad I did. Lucas crossed for three tries (and 147 points) against the Penrith reserves and as a result he's the third most purchased player of the round. No round 18 coverage but does play the next five rounds. BUY
Fletcher Sharpe - It's not often you can score 131 points and be overshadowed but that's exactly what happened to Lucas's Knights teammate Sharpe last week. Kalyn Ponga's absence due to Origin duties saw Sharpe switch to fullback and he revelled in the freedom running for 242 metres, busting 17 tackles and making four linebreaks. the Knights do not have the easiest of draws coming up (Dragons, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Dolphins, Raiders) but they do play five of their next seven at home which will help. BUY
Ezra Mam - The controversial Broncos star had a field day in his round 11 return from a lengthy suspension for off-field issues scoring one try, setting up three more and just generally carving the Dragons up for 128 points. A popular buy, but one I am not totally on board with. Defence appeared optional in that game (the Dragons won it 30 - 26) with a combined 59 missed and 37 ineffective tackles. And in Mam's breakout year (2023 in which he was a key part of the Broncos surge to the grand final and was named the Dally M five-eighth of the year) he averaged just 52PPG. Mam can have the odd good game (in SuperCoach terms) but he's yet to have a season in which he scores more than 60 points more than 40% of the time. PASS
Hugo Savala - Young playmakers can be a bit of a rollercoaster as Savala showed when he followed his consecutive 60s in rounds eight/nine with a middling 25 points in round 11. Those that bought in were rewarded though when the Roosters stunned Cronulla in round 12 and Savala was in the middle of everything scoring a try, assisting three more and delivering valuable bye round points for his owners. His DPP (2RF/HFB) is handy and the Roosters cover both the round 15 and 18 major byes, but priced at $395K I fear there's little profit to be made here and with the youngster just as capable of scoring in the 20s as he is of scoring 60+ I'd look elsewhere. PASS
Lehi Hopoate - The Manly energiser bunny is averaging 23 runs per game over his past three matches in no small part as he takes some of the kick return workload off Tom Trbojevic. The left edge of the Sea Eagles is also proving to be highly productive with Hopoate recording nine linebreaks and four tries from 11 games. As mentioned above, Manly provide good coverage of the major byes and they also have a great four game run from round 14-18 with games against the Knights, Titans, Tigers and Rabbitohs. POD BUY
KL Iro/Herbie Farnworth - Both are carving it up and look like quality keepers from here to home. However, both are on the bye this week and I've been burned before with players picking up injuries when on the bye so neither is a BUY for me this week. PASS/WAIT
Corey Horsburgh - Having scrapped and clawed his way to a 60 point average and $170K price rise, Big Red then delivered his worst score of the season in the round 12 bye - the game many of us had held him for. No help in the round 15 bye and cherry ripe for a suspension soon. SELL
Connor Tracey - A boom buy after scoring 118 in round nine and 87 the round after, Tracey then scored a combined 45 points from his next two matches. On the outer at the Dogs, and with a realistic chance of being dropped altogether if and when Lachlan Galvin completes a mid-season transfer from the Tigers, Tracey needs to go. SELL
Jaxon Purdue - Was killing it at centre for the Cowboys but a move into the halves - which ironically is his preferred position - has put an end to his SuperCoach utility. Cash in now. SELL
Payne Haas - Said to be carrying a bit of an injury into the Origin camp and many are worried whether the big man will backup post-Origin. I don't care. Haas has scored 80+ in 10 of his 11 games so far this year. He's a must in your team and any trade now will have to be reversed at some point. HOLD
Kalyn Ponga - the Knights fullback is averaging 20PPG less in 2025 than he did in 2024. But his 2025 run numbers (12.9 per game) are not far off his 2024 output (13.5 per game) His linebreak assist and try assist averages are the same. the big drop offs are tries (Ponga has none in 2025 and averaged 3.4PPG in this area in 2024), goals (Ponga averaged 11.7 in this area in 2024 and is averaging 7.2 in 2025) and linebreaks/tackle breaks (Ponga average 23.7 in the combined stats in 2024, but just 12.4 in 2025). There's something fundamentally wrong here. SELL