The Round 24–26 finals format is a little easier than Rounds 25-27, as there shouldn’t be any restings, which is good for us SuperCoach players.
I’ll run you through who has a good finals schedule and who has a poor one for this format, as well as the tactics I’ll be using, as my league is a round 26 final.
Teams with the best draw
Broncos = Dolphins, Knights, Cowboys
Dolphins = Broncos, Manly, Titans
Manly = Tigers, Dolphins, Dragons
Cowboys = Knights, Tigers, Broncos
Warriors = Dragons, Titans, Eels
Sharks = Titans, Bye, Knights (as long as you have coverage for the bye because I hate the prelim bye)
Players from these sides to target:
Obvious targets
Rueben Garrick
Payne Haas
Reece Walsh
Herbie Farnworth
Latrell Mitchell
Keaon Koloamatangi
Scott Drinkwater
Nicho Hynes
Tom Trbojevic (if he moves back to fullback)
More realistic targets:
Lehi Hopoate
Daly Cherry-Evans
Murray Taulagi
Jeremiah Nanai
Isaiya Katoa
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Erin Clark
Adam Reynolds
Briton Nikora
Ronaldo Mulitalo
Broncos, Manly, and the Warriors are the common theme in these finals. Get as many of these guys as possible! Drinky and Herbie owners can rejoice because I love their match-ups as well. The Cowboys have to make a run at some stage, don’t they? I like the idea of having a few Cowboys players, but specifically those on the left edge. Dearden, Nanai, Purdue, and Taulagi have been a formidable attacking threat when they have been on their game, and they could win your league for you if they are humming in this period. The round 25 bye is infuriating for owners of Sharks players, so make sure you don’t have a plethora of them, but the Sharks could have a field day in rounds 24 and 26. Get Sharks players with upside, but work on getting depth to cover them in round 25.
The one side I didn’t mention was the Rabbitohs, as they have a bye in round 26. I’m going to sound like a walking contradiction, but I’m all for Bunnies players in this finals system. I am of the opinion that the prelim is more important than the final. You have to get to the final first before it becomes an issue. Latrell and Koloamatangi are huge plays for this finals series against the Eels and Dragons, leading into the final. If you own them, don’t trade them, and I like the play of trading for them as well. Use the fact they miss the final to the unknowing owners in your league – it’s a great play in my opinion. If you own Latrell, finding a backup fullback for the final is ideal – did someone say Keano Kini?
Teams with the worst draw
Bulldogs = Roosters, Melbourne, Panthers
Raiders = Bye, Panthers, Tigers
Storm = Panthers, Bulldogs, Roosters
Panthers = Storm, Raiders, Bulldogs
Roosters = Bulldogs, Eels, Storm
Similar to the round 27 final system, it’s quite annoying that the best sides with the best players have the worst draws. However, it’s slightly different here as they shouldn’t be rested in round 26, which throws a spanner into the works.
I feel the likes of James Tedesco, Nathan Cleary, Jacob Kiraz, Eli Katoa, and Ryan Papenhuyzen shouldn’t be traded because they’re just too good. And as long as they’re playing, you back them to get the job done.
However, the lesser players in these teams should be at the top of your sell/trade list, and you should be hitting your mates’ DMs and seeing who’s keen to own these blokes. Workhorse forwards who rely on base stats don’t need to be traded, as they accumulate points regardless of how the game is going. The players who rely on attacking output are the ones you need to consider trading for someone with a great draw, who could find themselves scoring or assisting a few meat pies.
Players I’d look to trade from these sides
Matt Burton
Connor Tracey
Dylan Edwards
Cameron Munster
Harry Grant
Xavier Coates
Sam Walker (depending on how he looks on his return)
Daniel Tupou
Jamal Fogarty
Kaeo Weekes
These guys will all be worth plenty across your leagues, and if you can replace them with some good options in the teams with a great strength of schedule, it could be a masterstroke.
