Whilst Round 12 was the most challenging Round of the season, Round 13 was certainly no walk in the park.

With question marks over the availability of a number of popular players throughout the weekend and reduced minutes to some big names backing up after origin – posting a big score proved a challenge for a number of coaches.

Read on as we dissect a peculiar Round that seen Adam Blair outscore Damien Cook. And no, that’s not a typo!

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Rabbitohs (12) v. Knights (20)

ANZ Stadium | Friday, 7 June 2019

Rabbitohs

The Rabbitohs succumbed to the impressive Knights just two days after an epic Game I Origin contest.

Corey Allan improved with 29 points (from base stats) in his second highest score this season, while Roberts scored in his first game back at the club and managed solid 40 points.

Unfortunately for Allan owners, whilst he has been extremely underwhelming – there isn’t a lot of money to be made by cashing him out and there is an argument as to whether it’s worth the trade at this point.

Connor Tracey’s impressive performance last weekend, combined with the news of Reynold’s injury resulted in plenty of coaches trading him in. Unfortunately, he had a night to forget – playing less than 60 minutes and scoring 6 points. But this didn’t stop his halves partner, Doueihi who excelled on his way to scoring 50 points.

Cook (29) and Murray (32) scored their lowest scores of the season which was a little surprising considering they both still got decent minutes.

Coaches who risked trading in Brittain (16) would have been bitterly disappointed with 13 minutes of game-time, while Liam Knight continues to impress from the interchange with 49 points in 49 minutes.

Knights

Now well and truly entrenched in the top 8 with 16 competition points, the Knights would’ve been particularly pleased with their effort in this one given they got the job done without the fire power of Ponga and Klemmer.

In their absence, there were a number of of solid performances on the field – but none more pleasing than their new fill-in Hooker, Connor Watson.

In what came as a surprise to a lot of coaches, Watson was called upon for 75 minutes of action in the middle. Given his history of playing in the halves or off the bench in a utility role – this was a big test for the young livewire that he passed with flying colours.

His score of 83 was boosted by a try, but there were plenty of base stats involved – including 43 tackles and just 1 missed. He’s now scored a try in his last three games and looks more than capable of filling in until Levi returns to the team in 6 weeks.

Combine this with a break even of 4 and Round 16 availability, Watson looks like a great pick-up this week for $518,000.

Pearce (35) steered the Knights around perfectly and played a solid game in his own right, but unfortunately his work didn’t translate into NRL Fantasy points in this one. Despite this, the re-surging HLF remains close to a must-have ahead of Round 16 – provided he isn’t recalled into the Blues team.

Jesse Ramien (37) looked dangerous, but was again starved of possession and had limited opportunities to post attacking stats and show us more of his Fantasy friendly play. Dean Pay, if you’re reading this, get him over to the Dogs and make sure he gets the ball – early and often!

Tigers (0) v. Raiders (28)

Bankwest Stadium | Friday, 7 June 2019

Tigers

The Tigers were mauled by the Raiders at Bankwest Stadium.

Ryan Matterson (71) has now well and truly elevated himself to a premium 2RF option this season. Matterson has a season average of 54.3, and a 5 game average of 62. Surprisingly, he is only owned by 6.2% of coaches, whereas Sam Burgess is still owned by 22.3%. Work that one out!

In a comprehensively beaten team, it was really positive to see Brooks hit 51 points from base stats. With Reynolds out, and Brooks’ round 16 availability, we could see his ownership significantly increase over the next fortnight.

Farah showed no signs of jet-lag by playing a solid 66 minutes. This would of been a relief to owners after playing just 40 minutes the week before. Hopefully he can maintain at least 60-65 minutes for coaches to stick strong with the veteran.

Lastly, it was great to see Chris Lawrence (26) return and play 69 minutes from the interchange after his gruesome preseason injury.

Raiders

Welcome back to the John Bateman (63) show.

Reaching 60+ for Bateman is all in an ordinary days work as he continues to punish those coaches holding off and hoping to pick him up at a discount.

Bateman’s injury affected score of 20 in Round 8 will now come out of his rolling average and it’s unlikely he will get any cheaper for the remainder of the season. If you plan to bring him in despite his upcoming Bye in Round 16 – this is the week to do it.

Not too far behind Bateman in this game was his fellow countryman, Sutton who managed his highest score of the season off the back of a busy defensive effort with 46 tackles.

Where things get disappointing for NRL Fantasy coaches is when we look at the stat sheet of the heavily owned WFB, Nicoll Klokstad (22). Despite a try assist and over 150 run metres, CNK failed to crack the 30 this week after failing to break a single tackle in this game. Whilst this score is out of character when you consider his outstanding season to date, you can understand coaches looking to move him on before Round 16 for the likes of a heavily discounted Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – who is a proven keeper despite his recent form.

Warriors (10) v. Storm (32)

Mt Smart Stadium | Saturday, 8 June 2019

Warriors

Getting out to an early lead and then being well-beaten by the final whistle after a lacklustre second half has become a familiar narrative for the Warriors.

The Warriors play in the next major Round, but there is probably just the one or two (at a stretch) players that should be coming into consideration of serious NRL Fantasy coaches.

We’ll start with the Warriors’ out-and-out Fantasy gun, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (26).

If this is your first year, you might be questioning the ‘Fantasy gun’ tag – but he has been inside the top three for the WFB positions for consecutive years and his early form this year should be enough evidence to show you what he can do.

If you’re a non-owner, I’d be getting ready to pounce and if you do own him and have been riding these low scores – I get the feeling you’ll be rewarded for showing some patience throughout the remainder of the year.

At $597,000 and with a break even of 72, RTS will be representing excellent value on the week of the next major Bye Round.

The only other player that I have as a potential option at the moment is Tohu Harris and this is on pedigree alone. He has been there or thereabouts as a keeper in previous years, but his scores suggest that his combination with SJ was a big contributor to his NRL Fantasy success. Without Johnson inside him, he’s only been able to muster a mid-forties average.

If you’re looking for a POD and think he can get back to the scoring we’re used to seeing – he’s also available at around $150,000 less than his starting price.

Storm

The Storm scored an unanswered 32 points which was spawned after Croft failed his HIA test in the 28th minute. As a result, Hughes was moved to the halves to pair with Munster and Papenhuyzen was shifted from the interchange into the fullback role.

Hughes (67) ran the show in the halves scoring two tries while smashing out 7 tackle breaks and 2 line breaks, whereas Munster (40) had a quieter post-Origin game.

After a week rest, Cameron Smith looked fresh and provided 2 try assists, 2 tackle breaks and 32 tackles – which led to a impressive 76 point haul. With no Origin duties and Round 16 availability, he will be on the radar for all non-owners this week.

The 6.5% of coaches who own Seve (47) would be satisfied with a 5-game average of 36.6. He has been a respectable slow burning cash cow with a $183,000 profit this season and a solid emergency option.

Sharks (42) v. Eels (22)

PointsBet Stadium | Saturday, 8 June 2019

Sharks

This was a really important game for NRL Fantasy coaches, and not because many of us were looking to the likes of Fifita or Xerri to save our round – but because this game was where we were to find out who was going to make way for Wade Graham.

Fortunately, we got the result we were after.

Kurt Capewell left the field in place of Graham and Nikora remains a long-term keeper in the CTR position as a result. The new-found job security and impending return of Shaun Johnson are both huge wins for the mobile backrower – not to mention the 50.06% of coaches that own him!

As someone who opted to forgo the opportunity to bring Bateman back into their side in the last two weeks, and play Xerri his place – I took great pleasure in witnessing the work of the electric centre on the left edge. What’s even more exciting for Bronson Xerri (72) owners is the new combination with Graham that looks set to be mutually beneficial for both players in terms of their NRL Fantasy output. Let’s hope Morris keeps Xerri on the left-side!

Andrew Fifita had one of the most dominant front row forward stints we have seen this year as he racked up 64 points in just over 30 minutes. Fifita was not required to play his normal minutes in this one due to the scoreline, but he did return in the final 15 minutes of the game and pushed his score to 75 points.

Morris was afforded the opportunity to keep Fifita on ice through the work of some of their young forwards from the bench. Both Uele (34) and Williams (40) went about a point a minute in a strong showing.

Uele has been a sleeper in the cash cow rankings this year with some $250k in price rises and he currently boasts a three-game average of 44.6 from the interchange. There hasn’t been a lot of discussion around the barnstorming FRF, but perhaps there should’ve been.

Speaking of price rises, we have to also acknowledge Kyle Flanagan who has been amazing in his time filling the shoes of Shaun Johnson. He has now well surpassed the $200k mark in price rises and he also had his highest score to date in this one with 54 points. Owners would be very pleased with what he’s served up in his six appearances and would be very thankful that Morris decided to give Johnson one more week on the pine.

Eels

Sivo scored a double, but still only managed 37 points – which was below his 43 break even. This is a perfect example of a player who had reached his peak a fortnight ago. His value is now trending down and with a break even this weekend of 45 – he again looms as a definite sell option this week.

Another trade-out option is Reed Mahoney (35). He has been one of the best value pick-ups this season, however with a price of $645,000 and a break even of 55 – he looks to have peaked and it’s an opportune time to move him on if you don’t see him in your final 17-19.

Moses (55) continues to be a reliable halfback option for any NRL Fantasy team, while Lane (56) had his best Fantasy game since Round 6.

It was great to see Nathan Brown return with his first game back since Round 1. He had an impressive PPM display from the interchange with 52 points from 45 minutes, however his recent injury record should still concern potential buyers.

Cowboys (20) v. Sea Eagles (22)

1300SMILES Stadium | Saturday, 8 June 2019

Cowboys

Unfortunately for Green and the Cowboys, not only were they unable to close out the game – but they also failed to make it through the 80 minutes with 13 players on the field.

With 15 minutes to go, the Cowboys had exhausted their available interchanges and were unable to replace Jordan McLean when he left the field with a serious hamstring injury. They looked the better team for the majority of this game and would’ve come away feeling pretty unlucky to not come away with the two-points.

Despite this bizarre ending and the Cowboys failing to secure the win at home, this certainly didn’t stop Jason Taumalolo.

We’ve spoken about him for the past three weeks, but he was a popular captain option again in Round 13 and his stats were once again so far off the charts that it would be rude not to go over them.

• 29 runs
• 311 run metres
• 112 post contact metres
• 28 tackles &;
• 4 tackle busts for a total of 71 NRL Fantasy points.

With an average of 82 across his last four games, you could do far, far worse than locking Lolo in as your season-long captain.

The concerning thing for Cowboys fans is the next highest score came from Granville (45) and no other Cowboy managed to crack the 50 mark.

With Jordan McLean now injured, Taumalolo is the only player from the current squad that should be in your NRL Fantasy team.

Sea Eagles

The returning Tom Trbojevic (28) was very underwhelming – even with two try assists. Turbo is a premium player in the WFB position, however he has struggled with recurrent hamstring issues and should only be considered (with caution) once he has strung a few games together.

DCE returned to the Sea Eagles with a respectable 45 points. Daly should be considered by all coaches after the Origin period, as we saw his class before he succumbed to his injury lay-off.

Cust (43) continued to impress alongside DCE by scoring a try and providing a try assist – which boosted his 5 game average to 43. Owners who picked him up expecting a shelf-life of 4-6 weeks (at most!) look to have received an early Christmas present after he has now been named to start ahead of Elgey.

If there was ever going to be a forward to back-up from Origin and have a blinder, it’s Jurbo. He is as safe as they come, and he didn’t disappoint with a very impressive 71 points.

Fonua-Blake (51) has caught the eye of many coaches over recent weeks and showed why again with an impressive PPM display in 52 minutes. AFB now has a 3 game average of 56.3 and a break even of 33 this weekend.

Broncos (18) v. Titans (26)

Suncorp Stadium | Sunday, 9 June 2019

Broncos

There’s nothing worse than losing to your little brother – but unfortunately for the Broncos, the Titans simply had too many points in them on a fast track out there at Suncorp Stadium.

We’ll start with the bad news. The heavily owned cash cow prospect, Tom Dearden (0) went down in the 6th minute with a high ankle sprain. NRL Physio has today reported the worst possible news in that he will require surgery and could miss up to 10 weeks. Given he is certain to miss Round 16 – he is unfortunately a sell this week and one less number that week for the 1 in 4 coaches that own him.

In better news for Fantasy coaches, Milford continues to go from strength to strength with a five-round average of 60 and further firms as a great pickup in the next couple of weeks. With Dearden out, you would expect that Milford’s scores will only be boosted as he looks set to regain all the general play kicking.

Our listeners will remember that we floated Kotoni Staggs (well, at least Byron did) as a cash out option this week given he covers the bye. Whilst many may have thought this was reaching – he did show some potential with a fast-finish landing him 38 NRL Fantasy points.

Haas continued to show signs that he in fact isn’t human with 65 points in 48 minutes backing up from Origin and McCullough (62) impressed in his return game after playing more minutes than expected due to the Dearden injury. If you’re looking at the likes of McInnes and Smith ahead of 16, McCullough may be worth a look as well given he is available for over $100k less.

However, given he is named on the bench again this week – I’d be looking to get confirmation on his minutes moving forward before pulling the trigger.

Lastly, if you jumped on Turpin – haven’t things swung in your favour over the past couple of Rounds. The trade looked pretty suspect after Seggy was signed just days after his first game of 2019. But, with some key injuries and some disciplinary issues from his teammates – he has been called upon for big minutes ever since and has become a great little cash cow.

He has made $167,000 to date and with a break even of (-1) and Round 12 coverage – it’s looking like a masterstroke!

Titans

Tyrone Roberts has been in scintillating form over recent weeks with a 3 game average of 66.3. Now with Taylor out of the starting line-up, Roberts is relishing the role as the dominant play-maker and all the attacking direction is coming through him. A perfect attacking statistic to reflect this is the 440 kick metres Roberts accumulated in this game.

Peats (39) returned in place of Rein who has been a dependable servant in the hooker position over the past couple of months. As a result, Rein (26) is now a definite sell with a solid profit of $190,000 to date.

Fotuaika (47) continues his recent strong form with a three game average of 51.3, while Arrow (44) scored relatively well in a short 41 minutes. Arrow is a premium forward option, but shouldn’t be considered by non-owners until after Origin.

Panthers (19) v. Roosters (10)

Panthers Stadium | Sunday, 9 June 2019

Panthers

The fans at the foot of the mountain will have an extra spring in their step around town this week after their team made it 3 wins on the trot against the defending premiers.

Cleary (43) looked to take a back seat in this one and let Maloney (56) pull the reigns in what was his best performance of the year. Maloney will be hoping that his kicking masterclass will have got the attention of Brad Fittler ahead of Origin Game II.

Outside of Maloney, the biggest improvers in this Panthers side come from their new look back-three. After really struggling early on and losing some $300k between them, Edwards (48) and Mansour (60) both look much more motivated to inject themselves into the game and get their sets off to a great start. For head to head players looking for a cut-price option in the back three, you could do a lot worse than these guys – particularly now DWZ has officially signed with the Bulldogs.

In terms of the cheapies, To’o (39), Kenny (32) and Martin (47) all made in excess of $40k and look set for plenty more price rises to come. With DWZ outside of the top squad, Kenny has now upgraded his contract as a top 30 player and this will come as pleasing news to those that went early on him.

Whilst Liam Martin is widely known as an “Outta Their League” favourite, the 7 missed tackles and 2 errors are of some concern. But as long as he keeps on the coaches good side and knocks out 80 minutes per game – he looks set for plenty of 40+ performances – despite the deductions.

Lastly, Viliame Kikau was finally unlocked and showed us the kind of form we were hoping for prior to Round 12. A double and 10 tackle busts for the damaging ball-runner amounted to a staggering 92 NRL Fantasy points.

Is big Billy back?

Roosters

Tedesco (56) backed-up from Origin with a solid display including 10 tackle busts, while Ryan Hall impressed scoring 48 points from base stats alone. Keep an eye on Hall as he could be a potential value pick-up if he can get a regular start in the back-line with a price-tag of $439,000. Or perhaps one for your draft team?

Cordner played the full 80 minutes (which was a little surprising) for a disappointing 23 points, whereas Taukeiaho hit the 50 mark again.

With Keary expected to be out for six weeks, Drew Hutchison took his opportunity with a modest 25 points. Hutchison was once labelled the next ‘big thing’, however since sustaining an ACL rupture at the Dragons – he hasn’t reached those expected heights.

Nat Butcher’s (49) recent form has been solid with a 5 game average 49.6. The few coaches who own him can boast about their under the radar pick-up who has gained $213,000 this season.

Bulldogs (12) v. Dragons (36)

ANZ Stadium | Sunday, 9 June 2019

Bulldogs

We are running out of adjectives to describe the Bulldogs season, so we will keep it simple – woeful. This time they succumbed to the Dragons who snapped a 5 game losing streak.

The surprise stand-outs for the Bulldogs were Foran (77) and Marshall-King (72) with a pair of 70s and the return of Faitala-Mariner was heralded after a 60 point display in 65 minutes. Mariner has only played four times this season and still holds a high-end price tag of $638,000.

The form of Tolman (34) would be concerning with a 3 game average of 41.3. With a break even of 62 and no round 16 availability, he becomes a trade-out option this week for coaches that haven’t ran into too many other issues.

Dragons

After getting a shaky start out of the way, the Dragons got right to work and there were a number of huge scores to show for it.

Ravalawa (67) and Lomax (66) had their best games of the year as they combined for three tries, and Norman showed no signs of rust with a try of his own and 55 NRL Fantasy points.

But it was Ben Hunt (70) who has clearly benefited from a confidence boosting Origin display that did the most damage. With a try, a try assist, three tackle busts and nearly 300 kick metres – it was a complete halfback performance.

He could be a left-field pickup after Origin as we know what he can do when he backs himself and plays with confidence. Despite being criticised of late regarding his club form – he has still maintained an impressive five game average of 56.2.

McInnes was a popular buy this week – and he showed why. Whilst he wasn’t required to do his normal defensive work as a result of the Dragons controlling possession throughout this game – the classy dummy half still managed 54 points. McInnes is now the third most expensive player in NRL Fantasy behind Damien Cook and Jason Taumalolo – but he looks to be worth every penny ahead of Round 16.

McInnes would be the only player I’d be looking to purchase at this stage of the season – but he will likely be one of the best options in the upcoming limited Round.

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