Top 10 Waiver Pick Ups
I have made a list of my top 10 waiver wire pick-ups for Round 2. These players are available in more than 30% of draft comps, so there’s a good chance some of these guys are there for the picking in your league.
Jeral Skelton
This bloke gave me Marzhew 2.0 vibes on the weekend. He loves a hit-up, can break a tackle, and I think he’ll only find the line more and more as the Tigers improve throughout the season. 42 in base power is not elite, but it’s a handy floor for a young guy who’s only going to get better.
Kai Pearce-Paul
I am very keen on this bloke. He continues to pass the eye test as he did for most of last year, but with another NRL pre-season under his belt, I think this can be a breakout year for him. His 58 points in base power is very good. We just need him to get on the back of some Ponga magic, and he could start to be a very relevant Supercoach player.
Zac Hosking
Hosking has shown, in his albeit small sample size of 80-minute games, that he is an elite Supercoach 2RF. The only thing getting in the way is his own body. If Hosking can stay injury-free and prove to Ricky Stuart he can handle the 80 minutes consistently, I truly believe he can average 65-70. If he’s floating around in your waiver wire, take the punt.
PS: Can you tell I own Hosking in all 3 of my draft comps?
Isaiah Iongi
Iongi was one of the few positives from Parramatta on the weekend, perhaps the only positive. 69 points against Melbourne in Melbourne is ultra-impressive, especially given it felt like Parramatta didn’t touch the ball. A great option to sit on your bench and use as trade bait or plug a hole if your gun fullback is injured or on the bye.
Jason Saab
Now please proceed with caution on this one and don’t hate me when he comes out and scores 7 in 80 minutes this week, but you just need to own some of that right edge of Manly because, boy oh boy, that is the crème de la crème of Supercoach real estate this year. If you weren’t lucky enough to draft Turbo, DCE, Garrick, or Olakau’atu, and Saab is sitting there in your waiver wire, grab him and play him when the match-up suits. You’ll be cheering more times than not.
Jye Gray
Gray is only a short-term play, given Latrell Mitchell’s return in Round 5-6; however, he could be very handy for your side until then if you need a fullback.
As I said last week, if you own Latrell Mitchell and you haven’t already, grab Jye Gray and handcuff the two of them so you have the Souths fullback regardless of what’s happening with Latrell.
Jamie Humphreys
Sticking with Souths, I was very impressed with how Jamie Humphreys looked on the weekend… played alright too! In all seriousness, with how much the halfback position is lacking, you could do much worse than a goal-kicking halfback like Humphreys. He will obviously lose the goal-kicking once Latrell returns; however, I feel that will be evened out by the attacking opportunities that will increase with Latrell just being on the field.
John Bateman
Scored 63 points on the weekend in a team that was blown off the park, including 55 points in pure base. While I think his best footy is behind him, he has always had a very good game for Supercoach. Can a change of scenery up in Townsville get him back to his Supercoach glory days? Worth a punt, in my opinion.
Tom Gilbert
A year out and didn’t miss a beat. 64 points in 56 minutes. Wouldn’t expect anything too crazy here, but what you’ll get is consistent points every week as this bloke just leaves it all out there every game. Being named captain can’t hurt either. A great 2nd/3rd 2RF option for your side.
Toby Couchman
Couchman is ticking a lot of boxes to start the 2025 season. Dual, big motor, passing the eye test, and most importantly, he bumped out a very nice 69 in 70 minutes.
I don’t expect him to play 70 minutes every week, as he had to play inflated minutes due to a few forwards going down for the Dragons. There is also the rumour that won’t go away about David Klemmer joining the side in the near future, which throws a spanner into the works. Worth a punt if you own someone like Junior Paulo, Stefano, or Lindsay Collins busting out 30’s.
