NRL Supercoach 2026: POD hunting, low-ownership gems to propel finals charge

0:00In a world where AI is changing every role and every industry, knowing who actually has deep expertise matters more than ever. Upwork connects you with the highly skilled freelance professionals with proven track records, so you can hire with confidence. Upwork gives your business fast access to highly skilled specialists with deep expertise, so you can fill critical skill gaps, launch projects faster, and scale support up or down without committing to full-time headcount. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1% of talent on Upwork. AI-powered shortlisting delivers a curated shortlist of top freelancers match to your goals, in under 6 hours. No endless searching required. Thousands of growing businesses already trust Upwork to hire highly skilled freelance professionals for everything from one-off projects to ongoing support. It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's UPWORK.com. Upwork.com.

1:00Is there anything better than your team bringing home a W? How about a personal W for your health? If you're 45 or older at an average risk, it's time to screen for colon cancer. Now the number one cancer killer of people under 50 in the U.S. It's easy to put off when screening feels like a hassle, but cologuard plus makes it simple. That's not invasive. Requires no prep can be completed at home in about 15 minutes and is 95% effective. Talk to your healthcare provider or request cologuard plus online RxOnly. Get out of your eyes open to the SC Playbook. Point of different podcasts. For NRELs Subcote Finals a week one, I'm your host Tim Willings. What we're going to do this week is try to find an edge in the hunt to win a hole. Highlux, a $79,000 highlux. Lots of very popular players, unsurprisingly, herbie farm worth. Nathan Cleary, all the big dogs who start during the Supergrat season. But to win the highlux and the 79K, I think we need to have a few little pods.

2:06So for those who are a little bit new to Supercoach and I don't know the reference there. Pod. POD, a point of difference player. Low ownership player to set your team apart from rivals. An anti-polyde is going against a highly owned play in Supercoach, such as Herbie Farm Worth or Nathan Cleary. Now we're going through a bunch of the point of difference to the low ownership options. It's all a sub 15% ownership. We're going to start with the fullbacks very, very shortly. But guys, today is supported by and brought to you by Smart Play. We've been on board with them. They've supported us for a while now. Daily Fancy Sport. If you do want to have a bit of a crack at it during the NRL finals during the World Cup, they've got it for cricket, soccer, basketball, AFL, all different sorts of sports. It starts at the first two-duck finishes at the full time. We'll depend on what the sport is in what mode of time keepers that they do use. But yeah, so get in and check that out. It's good for him. He can play against myself, NUSC, public community.

3:07He can use the coupon code SCplaybook to get free coins, put India account to win some real money. Go and check that out. The link to that is in the podcast description on Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Alrighty. Today's show. Before we get into the pod plays, I'm going to discuss my approach to how I'm structuring my team for the season M. Firstly, this, it's not technically probably not daily Fancy Sport in terms of the Super Coach finals. It's more short film. So rather than across an entire season, it's big for one weekend of games and then you'll have your overall rank, which you'll obviously try and get to number one, four finals. So we've sort of had the origin in the last couple of years. We have Super Coach finals last year. So it's still getting ahead around the best way to attack it. There's no like Super Coach long for. I'm Super Coach Classic that runs over 27 rounds. There's no right or wrong way to do it. You can win it with, there's more one made skinny cat, as they say. But all I can tell you is how I'm going to approach it this season.

4:08I did touch on it on the playbook podcast on Tuesday night, briefly, but I just think you can go balls to the wall and just go a team full of pods, all sub-temps and own players. And if the big dogs hit the skids and your pods take off, you can then like play conservatively for the rest of the campaign because you're going to probably be sitting top 10, top 100, whatever it might be. Should things really go well? I do think we've had approach the way I'm sort of looking at it. That could go wrong very quickly. Cleary pops off, Herbie pops off, the troll pops off, all these high land players. They all go 100 plus. People have Cleary Triple Captain for his 150, which turns into 450. Meanwhile, you've got tomorrow and mind at half, back who scores 20 or something is your Triple Captain. You're done for the rest of the finals. It's as simple as that. Now, you could do that if you brave, certainly brave than I am. The flip side you can go safety first. You can pick all the guns. Chances are that you're going to have a pretty good overall rank. You're not going to be the top top end because you've played it safe.

5:09You're going to be really congested top end of the rankings. The top 5, 10,000 because a lot of people will probably do that approach and go, I'm just going to pick the best players in super coaches that obvious. It's safe, but I think that's a really difficult way to try and win it. As the spy mentioned around that approach on Tuesday night, if you do go down that line of thinking, maybe you're going to be able to do that. Maybe you just go with some road captains and that becomes your point in difference. Maybe you just have one or two point in place, whatever it might be. The way I'm going about it is a balanced approach, especially for week one. I'm looking to not just consolidate, but get myself up there and in a perfect world, if I can have a good week and be top one, two, even top five K after week one, depending on how many people do enter. We'll find out in a few days' time, I suppose. Just a few pods who will be the ones I need to pop off. If that happens, I can be top two, top five K, whatever it is. It's kind of like laying the foundation and then the following three weeks of finals look

6:10at a few differentials, some anti-pods and going a little bit harder there and assessing where things are at. As I said, guys, that's just how I'm going to attack it with a balanced approach of highly owned, very obvious, the best plays in the game. I'm going to anti-pod a couple of the real big dogs and then just throwing a cut with a couple of super pods, a really low one sheet that we'll touch on on today's show. Yeah, go from there. Can hear your approaches. If you think it's a little bit different, let us know in the comments section and another one to let us know in the comments on YouTube about the Spotify, wherever you are. If you have any pods in your team, sub 10, sub 15, send us, whatever it might be, let us know who you think the best for the one who you are locking and loading on for Super Vetch finals week one. Find out a lot longer than maybe touch on it in the show next week. All right, I'm going to start with a bit of a general look at the fullback position because it is pretty well wide open in that regard. You've got kale and pomerat 28%, you've got James Desk got 30%, then you have gals

7:12are dill and the Edwards at 15%, you've got a drink water at 13%. There are numerous options you can go here and it's certainly one of the more open months to lead into the weekend. I'm like, whichever way you go, I'm not entirely like, I'm going to look at these guys in the Super Pod sort of the pros and cons of each ones. I'm doing it on the fly in terms of scrolling through the live players and I'm going to down the kale and pomerat, I know it was the pod show, but very obvious antipod to kale and pomerat and going against him is that he finished the season, he scored 38 and 34. He had a 5-0 average to finish the season of just 53 points. So 63 points, pretty ordinary. We'll see who wins, depends what if you're back in the bunnies, if you're back in the night. There's always injury concern with Kalimponger, James Desk got the other highly owned one in the fullback ranks who has played one game in 5 or 6 weeks or something, plays the Penra Panthers. I think there is a multitude of reasons why you could go against the most owned, flying

8:14fullbacks in the fullback position. In terms of options they're dill and able to 15%, I like it, I really do. I just think I don't love the match up against the Rooster Show, really good and towered them up last time out, but everyone's one of the best in the game. He sees an average of 75 points in recent years, 80, 86. He's up there with the best and you might see the endgame maybe the ceiling is not there that other fullbacks in the position have, but we need to remember it's final. For ceiling top he's never anyone like. There might be the on-blowout score line where you see a 150, but they're pretty few in 5 or 20, I know Paul, I'm on-blowout last year in finals. He went ballistic, had about a 180 or 170 odd in the second week of finals and he went nuts. I can't knock it anyone wanting to do dill and able to 15%, and then Scott Drinkwater, he's less owned than I thought, Drinky at 12%. Now, two really good weeks to finish the season, Drinky scores of the both of the 90s. I think he has a, I think he also tries to minorcyst on weekend for his 95 years of the

9:17Rades, which is disappointing as an owner, but the 95 and 91 weeks for that 56, 80, Drinky, you know, he can go big, he can go low. The uncertainty around this is matchup. The sharks are their best win this game. They're defensively sound and Drinky can go low, right? He had a lot of scores this year, he's already had a 29, a 21, the 20 obviously against the Knights in Vegas, where he had that ribcage, it's something that might have any issue. The upside is scores of 127, 121, 19 and we know Drinky can go a lot deeper than that. What are the sharks going to throw up? If the sharks bring their form from the last month of the season into finals, hello, Drinky, if they do turn a corner, having rested players last week as well, then, you know, it could be a 30 or a 40 for Drinky. If I was to pot up, it's really hard, don't be strong feelings, but what I will say is there is ample opportunity to go away from Teddy or Teddy or Caitlyn Pong of this week.

10:18Around the hooking position, I did tell us going down to the list statistically by the ownership, which I am, but talking generally about hooking position, I've got a my full team reveal article going up on the website any minute now, and I know it's available to subscribers and I just don't think it's worth going against Blake Braille. We can have a look at, if you do want to go against him for the sake of the show here, I don't know, just firstly, I just, there aren't many plays in the game who can find an injury like Wade Ian Kennin. Thankfully, it's not necessarily always long term ones with Wade Ian, but just always cops head knocks or like, just comes reeling out of tackles, holding something and he often has shorts in on the saw line, comes back, he's about a 60-odd minute player, so look, maybe he has to 80 for finals, but I wouldn't imagine so, I just don't love it. If I was going to pot up hooking, I think it'd be Jeremy Marshall Kim. He, like he finished the season, a five round average of 58 points, but like in his last

11:20ten or so game, just called one try and had one or two triceps. He's a really creative, like crafty number nine, Jeremy Marshall Kim. He'll play anywhere from probably 65 to 80 minutes with a short spell, so the minutes are going to be there. You know, he came back from injury early in the year and after we seen the first sort of third of the season, so if I was going to pot up, I'd be Jeremy Marshall Kim. That being said, I don't love Ian, it's the Warriors who are pretty solid defensively, especially through the middle third of the field. If I was potting, it'd be Jeremy Marshall Kim, who only shit-wise is, is it three percent? I don't mind that at all. Especially if you're in the camp of thinking the dolphin's gonna win and put a few points on, I'm not. I think the Warriors will win in a racking game of 40. I'm not confident about it, but I like them. If you need dolphins, it will be too good. Then, can I join him, Marshall Kim? Alrighty, let's scroll down the list and Mitch Bainett is one that I do quite like at 12%. So, if you want to anti-pot and go against Keon, Collar, and Matangi, I know the forward

12:21path of the wise is absolutely stacked, but a 62 point season average. But back into the season, Ed Scores of 42 in round 27. That was in just 43 minutes as well, below his season average game time of 48 minutes, because I think finally game of the year, whatever. Prior to that, he's minutes were 52, 53, 60, 52. He had scores in that time of 54, 87, 73, 64. His base starts in those games, 56, 66, 63, 64. Some really good base and power. We know that he can find some attack. He's a good little interchange of passing and ball playing around the rough there as Warriors middles have been for a few years now. So he can finally try, he's to can finally try, not the abaking on that and the beauty of his base and power in minutes and all that is, if he doesn't find attack, he can knock you out, 70 to 80, just in work rate. So, how Jackson Ford just returned will impact this? I'm not sure, but Ford hasn't played for a long time. So we'll sort of see what those minutes look like.

13:21But yeah, I think if you're going against Keon McCloy or Matangi, I think there's a serious play in Michi Bart Net. Okie, Adam Fnoll makes a no on at 9% where Cowboys middles defensively, not the best. Every chance of crashing over for an AFB, I don't mind that at all. Next on the list, Dave Perfete in the tour of AF position at 8%, tremendous pick. Fifi was outstanding in the back end of the year. I really think he had a good year. I think he just, he built towards things really well. Started the season a little bit slowly, but when he came out from that injury, he was outstanding. He finished with a 5 round average of 83 points. A tonnanced the roosters albeit, the roosters regis in around 27. But to finish scores of 102, 76, 70, 85, 83, he's just an adornous, he looks great. They're doing a lot of this because they're so left side dominant at the rabbit oes. It's that classic lay your right edge back row, running that short heart line, which

14:22means the back row on the right gets a lot of ball. Not necessarily like tremendous attacking ball as such. That probably goes to the left edge back row, which in this case we tell us done. Because you've got these bodies in motion all over the place and they're attacking, they're looking to go, they can face border with trail, they can play out the back to duffy, they can, Cody walking through the big cut along overhead ball to the winger and AJ or you can play short to the back row and it's just gaps opening up everywhere. But he gets a lot of the hard yards being the right edge back row spot. And the football that he's playing, Dave Feetar, at that ownership, I think is a really good play. I've potted up hard in the back row. We got to that shortly but he'd probably be my pick otherwise. It does make it tricky is players that I've left out this week, talk of super pods, but Alex Johnson I was keen on. I was keen on, who was the other one? Maybe it might have been a match by net, but I've got my allotment of maximum two players that you know from each team sorted for the bunnies and wastes.

15:23So yeah, Ken Murray, 6%, I really like him, he'll play massive men, it's massive work rate. We know he can find attack, finish the season with a bang without monster time and then a nine year in the final round. Hammer, 5% of fullback I didn't even mention. Now this is one where I just think, I did see as well need to verify this, but she had to Anton Posse, one of the great men and was fanatics to say the least on Twitter. He mentioned I think pretty ordinary conditions for Auckland, for the game there, for the final, windy potentially a bit wet, not the best. So that could turn into a little bit of a grindy affair. I think the Warriors will probably try, turns into a scrap through the middle and back their powerhouse forward path. For those reasons, I don't like Hammer. If you're in the camp of Dolphin to Tacky's Red Hot, they'll have too much firepower and strike out wide through Hammer and Herbie and these sorts of blocks. For the Warriors, Hammer's a great pick. Not one that I'm keen on though, because you can also score a try and set up a try

16:26for like 50 points. I would want, if it was against a Cowboys or even a Bunnies or someone, I'd entertain it, but yeah, not for me. Cody Walker, 5% tremendous pick up. I'm keen on their to my own Martin player, I have been all week, but the Knights is resilient as they've been, their defences solid. They just, they've so many out there, it might be they lure who's not a confirmed start yet, but has been named. Man, they've been tough this year against all odds from injuries, from expectations from last season. And regardless, just so many players out. And Cody Walker, a season average of 65, he had a 500 average of 81 to 20 year. Yeah, he can go low, but so can any 5, 8 option in Supercodes realistically. So between him, tomorrow, Martin, I'm sorry, the other popular 5, 8s this week, but like, they're not goalkeeping options anyway. So I think, yeah, I love the Cody player, another one where whilst I'm going with tomorrow,

17:28Martin, if I wasn't, I think Cody at 5% are crazy, but if the Bunnies do just light up and their forward packs, their whole team is really, really good this week, but if they say they do put 40 to 44 points or something on the ninth end, I don't think they will. I think it might be like, I think this could be that you're sort of 34 or 32, 28 sort of scoreline, and there are plenty of points in there, I think it would be a tight game. But if the Bunnies just light up against a somewhat decimated a night outfit, Cody's going to be in the thick of everything. So yeah, I really like the pit. I CT Dub, Selvin Cobb, Odomain, Asak, I looked out standing this year, the Dolphins attack is red hot, not for me for the reason I mentioned before, around backing the wires to win the game and potentially grim conditions, but you know, I think the Dolphins put points on, you can't knock them in their upside. Cobb always won, potentially anyone fading herbie farm worth and not going with him. If you want to put Cobb when instead, there's a big ceiling there, maybe there's a few

18:29catawa cut balls or something like that that cuts out herbie and look, if herbie does go big, there's every chance Cobb always scores pretty well too, so it offsets it a little bit. Not that you'd ever wish to support anyone, but it's just the reality of this style, super-craterally, short, sharp, fast, all that sort of stuff. And you've got eight plays in your team, one for exhibition, if one player goes down injured in your loser style, I could herb your regardless. Obviously, if it comes into play, but just, you know, you're in all sorts of trouble, put it that way, so. Yeah, Selvin Cobb, Odomain, Asak, Tommy Jenkins though, a tremendous play. Again, Rooster's Pan, there should be a cracking game, how it's going to play out, I'm not sure, I think Penrith, Win, my guess would be like a 20 to 10 style game. They want to piece this season, I think both relatively convincing games as well from either side that won them. The game against the Roosters, back in round 24, he scored 41 points, but the one makes probably get you off and about. The one back in round three, just quite 134 points with four tries.

19:31Coming up against the weak defensive edge of the Roosters, Mark Mungay to Waze, statistically, the other edge is better. Granted, there have been a few changes over their due to injuries, but Tommy Jenkins, people top trisco in the NRL, 83 point average, Penrith website, strong side at that ownership, pro serious play. On the topic of Pod's 3% Isaiah Papa Leigh, who is the Nord VPN security player of the weak security, talking basic power, stat beast, they don't need to find attacking stats to score you a strong score each week. 85 points on the weekend, 3 tackle breaks, 13 runs, 36 tackle, 65 in base power total, absolute beast, subcredits finals wise, it is a shame that they've moved into 2RF, right this time, I like it. We thought early in the evening, Mike shift to the middle, and the duel was very much warranted, we played edge back row all year, and it's a shame subcredits because lots of

20:31locking decay on us, sort of the obvious pick there. If Isaiah Papa Leigh was there, I'd probably, no, I'd make it tough, but probably this way I'd think a lot harder about fading key on for Isaiah Papa Leigh, but he's available on the 2RF, but for that reason that is why he's at 3% ownership, so if you want to take a fly, I've had to be standing this year, and if you are after security, online look no further than Nord VPN, remembering the enormous benefits of protecting your data online, you can also be other benefits of watching NRL finals or any sport where you do have your own accounts, overseas watching via Nord VPN account, you won't miss a minute, premium sub security for the price of a cup of coffee per month, to get the best discount off you're an order VPN plan, go to nordvpn.com, forward slash SCP, I have that link also give me four extra months on the two year plan, there's no risk of Nord's 30-day money back guarantee, the link to that one is in the podcast, episode description box. Alright, let's find a couple more superpods, where you get into, I'd play, super-duper

21:32pod range at this stage, like a Hallecima 4% warrior's left edge, a dynamo, you know, another fantastic pictorial CT dub, probably not CT dub, if I was going to get him at a B2RF, Braiden Trindle at 5.8, 4% ownership, average to early to mid 60s this year, my only concern with Trindle is just first name of Affemindry, if we knew that if you'd played even one game, we'd seen him sweet, but they're being an elimination final, a must win for them, are they rushing him back for it, there's every chance they are, so that'll be the concern there, but on his days right at the earth the best certainly 5.8 options in the game, he'll look at 3% his ridiculous dumb bloke that I and in Super-Eats classic or year, average to 70 points per game, he'll be running at that injured man in, sorry, I shouldn't say injured, player returning from injury, Braiden Trindle, Tommy Dindles back, they have a wonderful combination, Sharts form going to finals for the last 4 or 5 weeks

22:34was terrible, I think he's a terrific pick. Now, let's get on to my man, Jacob Laban at 3% selection, it has risen from 2% over the last 24 hours, I love him as a Super-Pod this week, he's just finished the season with a bang, a 5 round average of 83 points there, a 3 round average of 88 points, the minute to there he's a, he played 80 minutes every game to end the season, the last sort of 5 or 6 weeks there, and then look, there's a well-wear with certainly Ford back and so many Ford's in the rotation there that it does become a 60 to 65 minute roll, but I think he's showing there to Webby that he's made him a minute man and Webby wants him doing that, so I think that's a tremendous pick up to finish the season, scores of 76, 126, 61, 91, 63, 110, he's got the ceiling that are after, he's running off tomorrow in the evening, which I think is exceptional, I've spoken at tomorrow

23:34or week on different podcasts about how high I am on him and that combination, so base and power, we've go down a little bit last 3 weeks, maybe that was the back end of the season, he can top 4 locked in, 36, 46 and 40 in base alone, the 3 weeks prior to that though, a base of 62, 61 and 60, so Jacob Leibhane, yeah, I'm really keen on the big fellow on the right edge and at 3% ownership, he's one that's, I'm hoping can be my big differential for the week, all right, let's scroll down to a couple more, I mentioned Jeremy Marshall King as well, if I was going to go against Leibhane, it would probably be him, Cleek Affey Finney, Fruity Arche, Tube San ownership, Rock Solid or E, Abbridge Van that 70 point mark, we bugger all the tattooes names, spoke about him plenty, but again a terrific, terrific pick up, Sammy Walker's in Tube Santer teams, what's going on there? Anyway, it has dropped from 4% or 5% since Tuesday night, so that's something, I don't love Bowstock at Santa against the Warriors, he's a genuine option but just not for me,

24:35Tommy did and probably his opposite of the half back only at 2% even at 5.8. Not saying it should be but I'd entertain it more. Tain tall picking at 2% ownership, finished the season with. He was pretty close to the highest score of the round. I'd just do that tall pick. He was outstanding against Manly in that one. Marked one and either wise, a is at 2% ownership. Look, a winger he had to pan-rather. That's a pass from me. But again, we know it is capable of. We know it's the rooster's a capable of in a red hope taking out here. A table-cow scored against a penalty this year. I'm going to say not great. 50 back in round three. And then when they beat them well, still only 61. Teddy backs huge for basically the entire rooster side, but especially their outside backs attacking wise, especially a sounding walk out, really, really big having him back on deck. Bradman best 2%. Awesome pick. Left side, he'll be going at Jack Wyden really strong defensively, but funnily enough, it has been their weaker defensive edge this year. The bunnies granted both he and camp grain.

25:36I've had stints out at different times, but Bradman best. We know KPM the nights will all of going left. We're investors on deck. So serious play there. He's safe. He's got the base and power to get him to a pretty safe 40 50 60. Yeah, the attack on top of that. And we could be looking at 100 plus at just 2% ownership. Jackson perju at 5.8. If you are in the camp of Cowboys, winning that game, being the sharks down there, he's at 1% ownership. And I'm going to finish on one at 1% ownership. I'm looking down the list. There's no one I'm overly interested in. Alex Johnston at 1% ownership is ridiculous. He like top try score in the end of all this season, or get his numbers up for the year, but he averaged 80 points per game. I don't have the exact numbs in front of me, but that's substantially higher with the trail Mitchell available. I know he didn't score in two games this season, Alex Johnston. Only two games mental, let's roll in plain either of those two games. So if it stays with the five round average of 94 points,

26:39scores of 95, 67, 125, 53, 132, I think the bunnies left edge will be dominant. 1% ownership. I want him in my team and I want to link him in the trail. I just I've got Keon and I've got which mean because I've got him in the trail, I can only have two bunnies. So if I did, I'd have to sacrifice Keon, which I'm okay with. I don't love it, but it then mean I don't have age over Nathan Cleary. So I'm like, you're ripping your side apart, especially when there's only eight players a little bit to get in a blocum. If the Knights to Fenthal's are and they do somehow manage to keep that edge at bay a little bit, which I don't think they will, but they might. He's a blocum can get 20 or 30. So I just don't think I have an in me to do it. Put it this way if we were sitting here and this was week three of finals or grand final week, whatever it might be, obviously there'd be less team. So the only shit would go higher, but you'd get my gist. I would be I'd go that end to pop players well up for sure, but just only two bunnies players.

27:41So 1% ownership Alex Johnston, that's silly. So very, very, very, very interested in that one, but can I make it work? Probably not. All right, you guys, that was all for the point of difference podcast for this week for SC playbook. Good luck in the hunt for a high lux and have a great weekend. Enjoy your finals for you. Cheers. Holon cancer is on the rise. It's the second deadliest cancer and the number one cancer killer of people under 50 in the US. Yet it remains one of the most preventable cancers. If you're 45 or older and at average risk, it's time to talk about screening. Colorguard Plus is a non invasive at home collection kit that requires no prep can be completed in about 15 minutes and is 95% effective. If you've been putting it off, you're not alone, but timely screening matters. Let's talk about what isn't talked about. Talk to your provider or request Colorguard Plus online are ex only. I'm Nick co-host of the best one yet. You optimize your workouts, your portfolios and that rando startup idea that hit in the middle of the shower,

28:45but if you're not hydrated, you're already playing catch up. So we keep a stash of liquid IV in our studio. One stick mixed into 16 ounces of water is clinically demonstrated to hydrate faster than water alone with three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink plus eight vitamins and nutrients. Whether you're traveling, exercising or podcasting the best business news ever, liquid IV makes it easy to stay hydrated wherever life takes you. So shop now at liquid IV dot com liquid IV hydration that goes wherever life takes you.