Welcome back to the NRL SuperCoach Draft show on Such Is Fantasy NRL. Busy day — review show just wrapped, so let's rip straight into the Round 6 Waiver Wire. It's a rough injury week, there's low-hanging fruit still sitting on waivers, and there are a couple of must-add pickups you cannot afford to miss. Position by position, here we go.
Injuries — The Weekend Carnage
It was a brutal weekend, particularly out of the Parramatta game. Bailey Simonsson — dislocated ankle. Jonah Pezzet — hamstring. Sean Russell failed to finish the clash as well (unsure if it was an HIA).
And then the big three: Reece Walsh has a facial fracture — could be four to six weeks. Ben Hunt will be in doubt for probably three to four weeks. Adam Reynolds has done his groin, so he'll be out for a couple of weeks. Those were the big ones out of the weekend.
Watch Harry Grant — bit of bone bruising, maybe a PCL (zero qualifications to say that, by the way). Generally with knee bone bruising it's about how quickly he recovers. I think Harry Grant will probably be fine for his match-up, shouldn't be too much of a problem.
More to track: Luke Metcalf did his hamstring. Nicho Hynes was unable to complete the match with a bump on his leg. Bradman Best has done his groin — looking at four to six, really frustrating. Xavier Savage left the field with probably a syndesmosis; if it needs surgery, that could be six to eight weeks, but we won't know for a little while. Stephen Crichton — high grade one AC joint, so probably gone somewhere between three and six.
You're going to have to take an L at the fullback position. In any negotiation — real NRL, business — sometimes you have to be prepared to walk away with the L. It's just about how big that L is. If Walsh is out six weeks, you need a fullback. You might have to offer two players. I wouldn't give away anything hefty — Walsh is coming back — but don't go into these negotiations thinking you're the one coming out the winner. That won't be the case.
Hooker — Slim Pickings
Hooker is horrible. Available in 40% of leagues or more: Jeremy Marshall-King — although they said on the coverage the other night that he's going to miss another four weeks, so park that one.
Add Phoenix Crossland is probably the pick of the remaining hookers. I don't like any of the others. Watch Brendan Smith will be back at some point — could even be named tonight. I would add Brendan Smith, but not necessarily play him. Quite clearly, Phoenix Crossland is the best of the bunch available at more than 40% not owned.
Front Row Forward — Saifiti Is The Pick
A few options emerging here. Available in more than 60% of leagues: Tom Gilbert, who scored 42 on the weekend. Jesse Colquhoun, only in 40%, but I think he went off for an HIA. Junior Paulo — 70 with a try. Don't believe any of that.
Watch Josh King and Taniela Paseka — look, he's going to score somewhere between 50 and 65 each week. So if that's what you're after, sure. I think there's possibly better options. Add Xavier Willison — I don't mind him, hopefully you guys held onto him.
Second Row Forward — Tallis Duncan Is Number One
Add Haumole Olakau'atu is still available in more than 40% of leagues, so just check he's not there. He's going to knock out a solid 50 to 65 points each week for you. Add Luciano Leilua — I really like that one too, available in more than 42% of leagues.
Watch Kurt Capewell — I don't really like Capewell. Trent Loiero 100% should not be on waivers as his minutes and role increase. Tyson Frizell — is he the new Brad Clyde? Joking, Knights fan of course. Has been playing really good, but I don't think he's got the upside you're looking for, so I'd stay away.
Add Hamish Stuart is still available in more than 60% of leagues. What are you guys doing? Get onto that as soon as possible. I thought we rectified that last week. Come on — there's so much low-hanging fruit sitting here. And Xavier Willison we've already spoken about in the front row.
Halfback — Scraps Only
If you need a halfback, someone's got him in flex — you're not getting them on the waiver wire. Just having a quick look at what scraps are available: you're probably looking to get off Ethan Sanders. You'll have to trade within your league because no one is going to trade for him, so you'll have to give up a couple of assets to find something.
Watch Daniel Atkinson that might get dropped. Jamie Humphreys — sure, but he's never been super relevant in SuperCoach. Jock Madden, if he continues to get some time with Jerome Luai out, you could bring him in. But for me, I just wouldn't be prioritising that. I'm taking auto-emergency every week.
Five-Eighth — Equally Bleak
Scraps on the waiver wire. There aren't many, there aren't many. But look — Add Jake Clifford is still sitting there and he's scoring really well. Why not take a flyer on Jake Clifford? Probably if you had Jonah Pezzet, that's what you're looking at.
Watch Kodi Nikorima is still widely available on waiver wires. And I'll note that Jerome Luai is available on 35% of waiver wires — I'm guessing people dropped him because he's injured. He's due back in the next two or three weeks, so you might want to stash him for the coming weeks.
Outside of that, you're not bringing in Luke Brooks. You're not bringing in Hugo Savala. You're not bringing in Cauldflower again. That's it for the five-eighth position — outside of Jyaiah Papali'i. Sorry, Jyaiah Papali'i — he's playing fullback and he's available at five-eighth. So take a sneaky peek, he's still available on 97% of leagues. He could be a saviour if you don't manage to land Jake Clifford or Kodi Nikorima.
Centre/Wing — The Most Exciting Position
Available at 40% or more of leagues: Leka Halasima, Dane Gagai. Top of my list for centre/wings this week. Fletcher Hunt, Braydon Burns (obviously potentially has an injury, check that one). Moses Leota should be back this week. Campbell Graham, Taine Tuaupiki and Philip Sami — I really, really like those.
Tommy Chester is still available in more than 60% of leagues. DWZ is still available in more than 70% of leagues. Great options there.
Fullback — Take The L, Make The Trade
For your Reece Walsh owners — I've already told you, you need to go to your league to trade in this scenario. That's just the reality of it.
Available in 50% of leagues or more: Add Nicho Hynes or Taine Tuaupiki. Maybe you can pick him up, have a look there — I think he'll score really well most of the time. Will Kennedy is obviously highly available as well. Tommy Chester is still available in 60% of leagues and available at fullback. So you've got some options.
Go take the L, go talk to coaches in your league, let them know you're looking for a fullback, find out what they need and make it happen before the weekend. You can't go without a solid fullback for six weeks waiting for Reece Walsh to come back.
Waiver Wire Priority List
That's the waiver wire show for this week. Get your claims in, get your trades locked, and if you own Walsh — go make the call inside your league now, not the night before lockout. I'll see you for Teamless Tuesday. Ciao.
This Draft Waiver Wire recap is from the Such Is Fantasy NRL SuperCoach & Fantasy Podcast. Catch every episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and follow Stephen on TikTok.