Kenny to miss opener
Premiership-winning hooker Mitch Kenny will miss Penrith’s start to the season after being suspended for his “couple Boxing Day lines” social media post.
Kenny was allowed to play in Penrith’s World Club Challenge loss to Wigan last Sunday, however the NRL have imposed a one-game ban and a $10,000 fine for the postChristmas remark. It means Kenny will miss Penrith’s first match of the season against the Storm next Friday.
Half of his $10,000 fine is suspended for 12 months. The Panthers successfully asked the NRL to impose the ban during the season instead of the dummy half missing the WCC game in England.
Kenny was hit with a breach notice this month after the NRL’s integrity unit investigated his post.
“Couple Boxing Day lines have got me in trouble,” the post read on Kenny’s Instagram account along with a selfie. Kenny had tried to distance himself from the post.
“Happy New Year guys. Enjoy and ignore trolls who grabbed my phone,” he later wrote on his page.
Luke Sommerton and Soni Luke spent time at dummyhalf last year in Kenny’s absence. Kenny will be right to play for Penrith in its round 2 game against Parramatta.
Round one of SuperCoach is just a couple of sleeps away and with the NRL squads locked and loaded, now is a great time to ensure you pick up these Queensland bargains.
Across four Queensland clubs there are 11 certain starters, and for the price will help you have the extra money for the big time players when they return.
But don’t sell these players short, just because the price is low does not mean they won’t give you every opportunity to win come the end of the round.
TITANS AJ Brimson ($587,100, FLB):
but he starts at a discounted rate. At $467k it’s certainly tempting if he looks up to scratch in the trials. Another concern is the rise of David Fifita last season which will command plenty of ball. If Fermor plays on the right edge he might not see a lot of quality footy as Fifita is the go-to guy in attack. If Fermor switches back to his preferred left edge outside Kieran Foran, he will look far more appealing. He averaged 65 points in 2022, but that included a whopping 11 tries for the season.
Klese Haas ($356,000, 2RF): are also crosses. Job security is bordering on horrible given Campbell is due back after just one price rise. He is also only available at fullback for SuperCoach, which is a position to stack guns and not cheapies.
COWBOYS
Jeremiah Nanai ($583,500, 2RF): For punters who believe Nanai can rediscover his breakout 2022 form, the towering young gun is a steal at just under $600k. Nanai is all-but-guaranteed a starting jersey for the season after Luciano Leilua’s departure. After a stunning 17 tries in 23 games in rotation including Jason Taumalolo, Jordan McLean, Coen Hess, Griffin Neame, Sam McIntyre and Thomas Mikaele, while Jamayne TaunoaBrown will miss the first half of the season after suffering an Achilles injury. Cotter is expected to wear the No.13 jersey in round 1 and could see big minutes with McIntyre the most likely backup lock, and Taumalolo also a possibility to cover the position during the in-game rotation. Priced at 53.2PPG after an injury interrupted 2023, SuperCoach reporter Ian Maybanks believes he is about 10 points under what he should deliver as the Cowboys new captain.
BRONCOS
game of the regular season for the Broncos in 2023 and could force his way into calculations.
Brendan Piakura ($426,800 2RF):