Put some thought into bargain buys

SUPERCOACH THE NRL season is fast approaching and now is the time for SuperCoaches to do some serious thinking.

Picking the right cheapies is the single biggest key to SuperCoach success.

There are plenty of bargains to be had for the shrewd investor, including Mahe Fonua, Sione Katoa, Kyle Flanagan and James Fisher-Harris.

The make-up of the Tigers’ backline is anyone’s guess given their huge turnover of players, but Fonua’s claims have definitely risen following young gun Moses Suli’s defection to the Bulldogs.

He’s returned from Super League, where he was a tacklebusting and offloading machine with a high work rate.

He’s awkwardly priced at $264,800 but worth noting.

Sharks young gun Katoa made the Holden Cup team of the year on the wing in 2017 after topping the tryscoring list. He also topped the competition for tackle busts (239) and line breaks (36), suggesting he’ll be a cheapie of the highest order as soon as he earns a first-grade spot.

Also at the Sharks, Flanagan enjoyed the greatest pointscoring season in Under 20s history last season, cranking out a record 344 points in 24 matches courtesy of 19 tries and 134 goals.

What’s more, father and coach Shane Flanagan expects him to debut in 2018.

Finally, Fisher-Harris could be the big winner of forward uncertainty at the Panthers.

The Kiwi junior was one of the cheapies of 2016 but starts in the borderline cheapie range this year after an injury-interrupted 2017.