Every year in NRL Supercoach there is a position that not only under delivers, but that you are so disgusted in you don't want to waste a single trade there almost out of principal.
In 2024, it was Front Row Forward. In 2025, it’s undoubtedly Hooker, with most coaches starting the season with Sandon Smith—who now needs to be sold—or a cheapie like Corey Paix, who now resembles that mate who’s still hanging around the party six hours after everyone else has gone home.
With most teams now working with limited trades and looking to cement final squads for the crucial run home, the big question becomes: who are the real contenders to lock down your Hooker slot? There are a few key factors to weigh up.
MORE: NRL Supercoach POD players to fire up your season
The Guns
Connor Watson – $613,800 | 67.3 PPG | 19.6% Ownership
Connor Watson has emerged as the number one Hooker option in 2025—and it’s not even close, averaging over 67 points per game, he’s become Mr. Reliable.
Digging into his numbers, if you remove his injury-affected Round 3, his true average jumps to 71. Even more impressively, only three of his games this season (excluding that injury-affected one) have scored under 60 points.
In the three games where he’s scored a try, he’s pumped out 103, 86, and 86 points.
Put simply: he’s the most reliable option, and there’s a reason he’s the most popular SuperCoach Hooker this season.
If there’s any risk, it’s possible reduced minutes on the run home with the Roosters returning to full strength. And obviously, owning the most popular player makes it harder to chase rank or win head-to-head matchups.
Blayke Brailey – $618,200 | 59.9 PPG | 7.8% Ownership
Brailey has come into contention thanks to some red-hot recent form—averaging 82.3 points over his last three games and 68.8 across his last five.
The Sharks’ draw opens up from here, with five of their next seven games at Shark Park, so there's a good chance his run could continue.
The biggest concern with Brailey is the number of sub-60 scores, despite being an 80-minute hooker. In fact, 56% of his games this season have been under 60 points, which is in line with his career output as a starting rake.
If you’re bringing him in now, you’re banking on continued attacking involvement to push his average higher and the fact he should remain in or close to POD territory, unlike the other gun options.
Harry Grant – $594,600 | 59.1 PPG | 11.6% Ownership
Grant has long been the gold standard at Hooker in SuperCoach, averaging 70+ points for four straight years and the best option easily—but 2025 has seen him slump to just 59.1 points per game.
There are two ways to view this trade: either he returns to his dominant best on the run home, or this is simply a down year and we will not see him return to his best form prior seasons.
He’s currently tracking for a career-worst base of 37 and a PPM of just 0.77 but with Origin out of the way, there’s hope he could lift, but coaches need to be confident before pulling the trigger because he is not worth it at his current output.
His ownership is likely to rise sharply, so you need to account for him possibly being as high as 25% owned on the run home as well.
Having said that, the numbers are in his favour with a reversion closer to his career Storm output more likely than the current average he is at.
The Draw
Wayde Egan – $456,700 | 58.1 PPG | 9.6% Ownership
Egan arguably has the best upcoming draw of any Hooker. The Warriors have five of their final nine games at home, and half their matchups are against current bottom-five sides—including two games against the leaky Titans, who’ve become a weekly target for Supercoaches.
Egan has a solid raw base of 46 and has shown in the past that he can find attacking upside for a run—like in 2023 when he scored tries in four straight games.
He also happens to be the cheapest on this list, offering great value for budget-conscious coaches looking for a low-ownership POD.
There is risk in him not finding attack but the bigger risk is his injury history—not just games missed, but matches where he plays reduced minutes.
If he can stay healthy, he might represent the best value and upside per dollar at hooker.
Tom Starling – $529,600 | 58.9 PPG | 19.9% Ownership
Starling has always had SuperCoach potential thanks to his speed and running game. In 2025, he’s finally getting minutes he needs to excel as an option—averaging a career-high 65 minutes per game.
That’s where his value lies, but also the main risk, with Ricky Stuart always a wildcard when it comes to rotations and minutes.
Perhaps the biggest upside to owning Starling now is the Raiders’ soft draw. They only face two current top-eight teams the rest of the way and get three games against bottom-five opposition.
For a Hooker who relies on attacking contributions to deliver elite Supercoach scores, that’s the perfect scenario to perform.
The POD
Kurt Donoghoe – $535,500 | 46.2 PPG | 2.6% Ownership
Kurt Donoghoe has burst onto the radar following Max Plath’s season-ending injury. As a result, he’s the biggest point-of-difference hooker here, with just 2.6% ownership.
Over his last five games, Donoghoe has averaged 72 minutes per game and 69 SuperCoach points—the best recent form of any Hooker listed though also including three trys equating to a strike rate he may not be able to maintain.
Those matches have seen a mix of him playing Hooker and Lock, however the latter should be his position on the run home barring injury and there is a lot of value in being able to start a Lock in your Hooker spot in Supercoach.
If he can maintain that level of involvement in the Dolphins attack, there’s no reason he can’t finish the year as close to the top-scoring Hooker over the run home, but there is the obvious risk the other Hookers leave him behind as well.
Hooker is a very tough position in 2025, and for some coaches, it may even be the better move to simply save your trade and stick with who you have.
For those needing to trade, you'll likely be deciding between proven pedigree and consistency versus the upside and risk-reward that a POD could deliver.
One thing is for sure — you don’t want to be wasting multiple valuable trades there, so whoever you decide on, strap in for the long run.