Super Saturday kicks off with the Gold Coast Titans hosting the Canberra Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium. The Titans are losers of 8-straight, and are coming up against a Raiders side that seems to be gathering momentum towards the back end of the season.

Next up, the Sharks host the Rabbitohs in the match of the day. The Bunnies have been on fire since the return of Latrell Mitchell a month ago, and an upset win here over the Sharks will surely catapult the Rabbitohs into the Premiership contender status. The Sharks will look to continue their solid form, with their 5-match win streak snapped last weekend in a highly competitive encounter with the Panthers. Should be a cracking contest.

Finally, the unlucky Tigers head north to take on the Broncos in a match-up that looks decidedly one-sided. Will the Tigers be fired up after being railroaded by Ashley Klein last week, or will the playing group struggle to backup from what was a great display against the Cowboys last week.

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Team News

The Titans welcome Brian Kelly back into the squad at centre, shifting Patrick Herbert to the wing and Corey Thompson out. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui shifts to prop, with Erin Clark promoted to start at lock and Isaac Liu benched.

The Raiders have made no changes to their 17 after last week’s victory over the Warriors.

The Sharks also made no changes to their 17, however with Dale Finucane being found guilty after his tackle on Stephen Crichton last week, a forced change will need to be made. It’s likely Cameron McInnes will start at lock, with a utility likely named on the bench.

The Rabbitohs have made one change, after veteran prop Mark Nicholls was ruled out. Mid-season recruit Daniel Suluka-Fifita takes his place at starting prop.

The Broncos have made several changes, with Jordan Pereira out, replaced by Delouise Hoeter. Brenko Lee is also out, replaced at centre by debutant Deine Mariner. Jake Turpin has been dropped, with the return of Billy Walters at hooker shifting Turpin to the reserves.

Finally, the Tigers have made one change, with Luke Garner out, promoting Alex Seyfarth to start on an edge, and Austin Dias named on the bench. In late news, Luke Brooks looks set to miss the season, with Jock Madden set to replace him at five eighth.


Betting Odds

Titans $3.10 vs Raiders $1.37

Sharks $1.71 vs Rabbitohs $2.15

Broncos $1.15 vs Tigers $5.50

Bet now at Ladbrokes!
 

Overview

The Raiders have a lot more to play for in this game, and with Justin Holbrook’s comments mid-week about the lack of experience in his side, it seems as though the Titans have accepted their fate to finish the season at the bottom of the ladder. Look for points in this one and could be worth one or two spots in your squad.

The Sharks and Rabbitohs clash looks set to be tight. Both forward packs are exceptional and both sides have points in them, however given the stakes of the clash I lean towards a lower scoring encounter. Could be the game to look for forwards in your squad, with metres and tackles likely to be high for both teams.

Finally, the Broncos should be far too good for the Tigers at Suncorp, however several Tigers players have proved to be handy pick ups in fantasy. As such, have an open mind for both squads and what they can offer your team.
 

Love It – Alex Johnston - $13,630

We picked up AJ last week in this column, and I see no reason to stop there. The Sharks right side defence has been leaky this season, and the way that Rabbitohs left edge is playing right now makes it nigh on impossible to stop Johnston from scoring tries. 13 tries in his past 6 matches and still priced lower than several OBs in this game, Johnston is a handy pickup with a high upside.

 

Love It – Nicho Hynes - $22,670

Mr Consistent, even in a tough, wet tussle last week with the best team in the league, Hynes still managed to punch out 76.7 points without any attacking stats. Hynes is so good at doing the work most halves don’t, whilst also being the teams chief kicking option, Hynes is able to get that high base that isn’t usually seen in halves. If Hynes can manage some attacking stats this week, which is possible against an average Souths’ defence, we could be looking at a game winning score.

 

Love It – Erin Clark - $12,820

Rightfully looked at for most of the season as the worst starting hooker in the NRL, Clark’s shift to lock has coincided with a huge uptick in form, not only for fantasy but also in his overall production. So much so that he has been promoted to start this week, shifting club captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to prop. Clark is running the ball far more at lock, and appears to be able to break a tackle every run he makes. Has that awkward running style that sets him up well to push away from the first contact, pencil Clark in for 55+ without attacking stats, for a great price.

 

Hate It – Kurt Capewell - $14,430

Capewell is one of those players who does all the little one percenters, lifts everyone around him and is loved by all, however his performances don’t correlate to fantasy. With only 3 scores above 50 all season, and a highest score of 59, he just doesn’t have the upside required of an edge back rower. Always a chance at a try, however even when he does score a try, he won’t score you that 65+ you would expect of a backrower who scores.

 

Hate It – Patrick Carrigan - $19,900

This is more based on the level of other forwards at this price range, as Carrigan has proved to be a tremendously consistent player this season. Gets through work like not many others do, Carrigan has a solid base, and he will not let you down. The problem is the upside of players around this price point in the forwards, including Haas, Tapine, Murray, Fifita, Elliott and Hastings all have far higher upside than Carrigan and are more worthy of your high-end capital in my opinion.

 

Who Knows – Payne Haas - $22,400

I originally had Luke Brooks pencilled into this position, however with his late withdrawal we will continue with our run of Broncos’ forwards. Haas came back with a bang last week, scoring a try on his way to scoring 90.5, his first score above 70 since round 4. If the big man is fully recovered from his various injuries, he is every chance at playing big minutes and getting through a mountain of work. The concern are those injuries, and if one flares up his minutes and effectiveness will drop. Tread with caution for now.


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