Team Talk with Marcho: Rd 13
Welcome to team talk round 13. This time of the year always brings huge uncertainty with Origin stars being rested or given reduced minutes back at club level. A few more players have joined the casualty ward for the rest of the season, plus I’m starting to see more fantasy guns showing their age and joining the spud pool, the likes of Nate Myles, Jamie Lyon and Sam Thaiday.
Canberra v Manly
A host of changed for the Raiders here. Edrick Lee has picked up a hamstring injury which always take a few weeks to fully recover from and Brenko Lee will take his place on the wing. Shaun Fenson has been scheduled to be rested, but if Josh Papalii doesn’t back up he should come back into the side. Luke Bateman should already be picked up in all comps, if not get him in quick. He was great on this week’s Tantasy Podcast too! Joe Tapine starts at prop after a barnstorming performance against the Dogs.
Dylan Walker should back up after just nine minutes of action in Origin, but it’s safe to say he will never play from the bench again at that level. Nate Myles should play after little time on the pitch in Origin too but is no certainty. Brett Stewart and Steve Matai have been named but one or the other are always under an injury cloud which means Matt Wright drops out. Jamie Lyon needs one more game, after this week at five-eighth for a positional update. Jorge Taufua is still a few weeks away from returning.
New Zealand v Brisbane
The Warriors were totally unaffected by Origin in game one. Jono Wright has been dropped with “The Beast” Manu Vatuvei returning. With the departure of Konrad Hurrell, Blake Ayshford will be playing centre for the rest of the year. If the Warriors can bash the Broncos forwards then they might have a chance of winning this game, but you never quite know with this mob.
The Broncos have given Matt Gillett and Corey Oates a rest meaning Lachlan Maranta keeps his spot this week and could do so for the entire Origin period. Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday and Josh McGuire have all been named but Wayne Bennett is taking over two extra players as cover. Travis Waddell is out with Kodi Nikorima starting at hooker and Herman Ese’ese coming onto bench.
North Queensland v Newcastle
I can already see the blood in the water here but Michael Morgan’s head knock could see him miss a week and rumour has it only one of the co-captains will play. That being said it is at home for the Cowboys and the forward pack should be good enough to get the job done. None of the origin players are guaranteed to back up in this clash.
Aku Uate has finally been dropped to NSW Cup after failing to be able to read defence for the past seven years. Dane Gagai should be right to back up at fullback but Jaeleen Feeney has been ruled out, meaning Tyler Randell will play in the halves and David Bhana will come onto the bench. Dani Levi should get a workhorse this week if that is the case. Korbin Sims has been suspended but Jeremy Smith returns. Pauli Pauli looks like he could be a handy pick up if he sticks to the big minutes in the backrow.
Melbourne v Penrith
The Storm didn’t name Cam Smith or Cooper Cronk. Smith will play, but Cronk is less likely with a bit of an ankle injury. The merry-go-round of outside backs is proving to be a nightmare with Bellamy keeping us on our toes right up until kick-off. A nightmare for those with Cam Smith as their kicker – you just have to hope you have Tohu Harris or a backup kicker playing on Sunday or Monday.
The Panthers Origin duo should play this weekend, with a few Cronk bombs headed Matt Moylan’s way for sure. Bryce Cartwright will play despite a thumb injury ruling him out of Origin. James Segeyaro has been dropped and could have played his last game for the Panthers with his contract expiring at the end of the year. Interesting to see how Trent Merrin plays after being left out of Origin. Leilani Latu could be a good pick up while Isaah Yeo looks like he will play in the centres for the rest of the year following that horrific leg injury to Peter Hiku.
Sydney City v Balmain-Wests
Dale Copley is making an early return from injury and will slot straight back into the centres. Boyd Cordner, Aidan Guerra and Blake Ferguson should all back up. I’m not sure who will partner Mitch Pearce in the halves with Ryan Matterson and Jackson Hastings both a chance. JHW will start his first game of the year and hopefully that means a workhorse – fingers crossed.
Some positive news for the Tigers after two consecutive wins, with Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses resigning with the club this week. James Tedesco is back this week and Josh Addo-Carr retains his spot on the wing over Jordan Rankin. Will have to watch out for late mail as a reshuffle in the outside backs is a possibility.
South Sydney v Gold Coast
George Burgess has decided to get surgery so time to punt him from your team. That means more minutes for Nathan Brown and Jason Clark. GI pulled up fine and will again play at five-eighth. Cody Walker will play fullback after resigning with the club mid-week. Aaron Gray is still another week away and should replace Dane Nielsen. Damien Cook is stuck in NSW Cup.
Konrad Hurrell is unlikely to play this week. It appears Nathan Davis would be the man to eventually make way. Greg Bird will take his place. Should be a good game over in Perth. The Titans have made some very handy mid-season signings after hanging onto a bit of money instead of going out and buying whoever was available, instead they decided to wait and Nathan Peats and Konrad Hurrell are both match winners, as well as being fantasy guns.
Canterbury v Cronulla
Will Hopoate returns for the Dogs at fullback, Sam Perrett goes back to the wing and Tyrone Phillips drops out. Greg Eastwood is injured and Sam Kasiano is in doubt for this game but both are of little fantasy relevance. David Klemmer will be getting a positional update soon if he stays in the backrow. Raymond Faitala–Mariner could be worth a pick up as Des likes to give his edge forwards plenty of minutes, plus with Tony Williams moving on RFM could be playing on that edge long term.
The Sharks Origin trio should all be right to play. Joseph Paulo comes onto the bench. The top of the table sharks are travelling pretty well on the injury front with only Matt Prior injury and David Fifita on leave unavailable at the moment. No surprise as the top three teams only have about five injuries between them.
Just finally, how boring was Origin?!? Let’s hope game two has a big more excitement about it. Make sure you keep a look out for any more late mail across the weekend. Good luck to all those coaches out there, unless of course you’re playing me.
Will Marchinton
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