If you have been looking into fantasy rugby league, you have probably come across both NRL SuperCoach and NRL Fantasy. They are two separate games, run by different companies, and while they share the same basic concept - pick a team of NRL players and score points based on their real performances - they are different enough that it is worth knowing what sets them apart.
NRL Fantasy
NRL Fantasy is the official fantasy game run by the NRL itself. It has its own scoring system, its own pricing structure, and its own set of rules around trades and team building. Many coaches play both games simultaneously across the season, and there is a healthy community around NRL Fantasy in its own right. In fact in 2026 NRL Fantasy has the larger player base of the two games, boasting around 100,000 more coaches than SuperCoach. Numbers do not always tell the whole story though - and if you are reading this, you have already made your choice.
NRL SuperCoach
NRL SuperCoach is run by News Corp and published through The Daily Telegraph. It has been around for a long time and has built an enormous community of coaches across Australia. The scoring system, the pricing model, and the trade structure all have their own logic that we will break down in the chapters ahead.
Which One Should You Play?
Honestly, there is no wrong answer. Many experienced coaches play both. But if you are starting out, picking one and learning it properly will serve you better than trying to juggle both at once. This guide is focused on NRL SuperCoach, so if you are reading this, you are already pointed in the right direction.
A Taste of the Differences
The two games reward players differently, and that matters when you are deciding which one suits your style. A few quick examples - a try is worth 17 points in SuperCoach but only 8 in NRL Fantasy. A sin bin costs you 8 points in SuperCoach but only 5 in NRL Fantasy. SuperCoach rewards big runs of eight metres or more with 2 points each, while NRL Fantasy calculates running metres as a total divided by 10. Kick metres are also handled differently - NRL Fantasy calculates kicking metres as a total divided by 30, meaning halves and kicking fullbacks can rack up significant points through the boot, while SuperCoach does not have a direct kick metres stat but instead rewards specific kicking actions like 40/20s and forced drop outs. These differences might seem small on paper, but across a full season they shape which players are valuable in each game and why the same player can be a must-have in one game and an afterthought in the other. We will break it all down properly in Chapter 4.
A note from SC Mattrix
Where I consistently fuck up playing both games is selecting SuperCoach cheapies in Fantasy - wingers and fullbacks mostly. The players I love in SuperCoach are high upside, explosive, boom or bust types. Fantasy rewards plodders. Consistent, high volume, reliable plodders. And those who follow me know how I feel about plodders. I don't sit down to pee.
I chase high upside players in SuperCoach and I love every second of it. Fantasy might actually be the more balanced game - but there is nothing better than watching Reece Walsh put up 160 in SuperCoach. And there is nothing more demoralising than switching tabs to Fantasy and seeing he scored 76. Two completely different games wearing the same jersey. Know which one you are playing and play it accordingly.