KFC SuperCoach Plus article round 24: Sneaky POD moves to win you a head-to-head premiership

The KFC SuperCoach head-to-head finals are sudden death, so get ready to get down and dirty. We lay out the underhanded strategies your team can use to win.

Tom Sangster gives the crucial numbers for Round 24 of KFC SuperCoach.

Everything you could want is here, from novel PODs to out-of-the-blue skipper selections to unparalleled reliability.

Buy Dane Gagai as a crazy POD?

Actually, it's not so far-fetched after all. Despite having only 3.6% ownership, Gagai has the third best average among CTWs playing this week (71.6%). Only 189 SuperCoaches have bought Gagai so far this week, and I doubt the number will grow substantially.

Under Kalyn Ponga's leadership, the Knights have beaten the Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Sharks, and Dragons in their last four home games and have one of the best home runs of any side. Gagai is a viable alternative for the unavailable Valentine Holmes or Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

And now for an even crazier POD...

This week, with AJ Brimson on the bench again, Jayden Campbell will start at fullback because of his reputation as a SuperCoach powerhouse in that position. The son of Preston has averaged 62 points per game while wearing jersey No. 1, and 81 points per game while wearing that shirt over the last three games. However, his $459,200 price tag is easily manageable because of his bench role this season.

Hynes as a sneaky VC or C?

Hynes averages 8.4 points per game, more than any other player in SuperCoach 2023, in case you'd forgotten. Even if his recent form hasn't been fantastic, Hynes has averaged 109 in his last six games if you exclude his 22 versus the Panthers, who have the strongest defense in the competition. Even though he faces a weak Titans team, only 7% of SuperCoaches have given him the VC this week. Areas of severe POD.

Do we dare NOT be Captain Ponga?

Over the past five weeks, Ponga has averaged 30 points more than any other player in SuperCoach, making him the best player by a wide margin. With 73% of the vote, he has the greatest support of any captain this week, a percentage not seen since Hynes's midseason cutup. It's tough to envision picking anyone else as captain, given the round's projected score of 125 and a great matchup versus the Bulldogs in the final game.

Jamayne Isaako is a picture of consistency

The winger for the Dolphins is having a career year, currently leading the NRL in points and placing second in tries with 19. His aggressive style has gotten him plenty of attention, but his consistency as a coach has been even more astounding. In a position as uncertain as Isaako's at CTW, his season-low 35 rating represents an exceptionally high floor. This week, he has been the third most sought after player.

Is Latrell’s involvement REALLY up?

Latrell's increased output since coming back from a calf injury two weeks ago has been much discussed. How much more active has Latrell been, exactly? As it turns out, not very much at all. The South Sydney superstar's run production has increased to 13.5 runs per game from 10.9 runs per game in the previous fortnight.

This is Shaun Johnson’s best season ever

For a long time, SJ was a SuperCoach all-star. However, in the past two years, he has largely disappeared from the spotlight. Now that he's back to his old self, he's guiding the Warriors to the playoffs, where they should finish in the top four. How does the SJ of 2023 stack up against the SJ of his heyday? This year, Johnson has averaged 80.3 points in SuperCoach, which is significantly higher than his previous best season average of 72.2 points in 2017.