ByronFrom injuries to popular players to potential suspensions, Round 14 had a little bit of everything and proved one of the tougher weeks in NRL Fantasy so far this season.
Read on for an in-depth analysis of all the action through the eyes of two NRL Fantasy tragics, Byron and Liam from Outta Their League.
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Raiders (22) v. Sharks (20)
GIO Stadium | Thursday, 13 June 2019
Raiders
The Raiders played host to the in-form Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium to kick-off Round 14.
The Raiders got the blocks fast with tries to Sezer (33), Simonsson (30) and Croker (45), and the green-machine found themselves up by 20 points in about as many minutes. But the Sharks fought back late in the second half to get the game within two-points and have the Canberra faithful biting their nails.
In unfortunate news for those who held onto CNK for one extra week – the popular WFB option failed to capitalise on the mountain of possession the Raiders had in the first half and secure any attacking stats.
Klokstad (12) had his lowest score of the season by some distance and dropped $42,000 as a result.
Bateman’s price also took a hit after failing to reach his break even after a modest 39 points and in big news for the Raiders and New South Wales – Nick Cotric (17) went down late in the game with a minor syndesmosis injury that looks set to keep him sidelined for 1 -4 weeks.
From this week onward, Bateman becomes the only ‘top 17’ worthy acquisition from this side and Klokstad is now an urgent sell. With reports that Hodgson is a strong chance of making an early return, Havili (38) won’t be too far off from joining Klokstad in the ‘sell’ column.
Sharks
Shaun Johnson’s (21) return failed to steer the Sharks to a win and two points. With Johnson and Townsend sharing both attacking and base stats, I would be reluctant to pick-up Johnson at the moment.
Nikora’s (39) scores didn’t see an immediate uptick with the inclusion of his edge partner Johnson – but we expect this combination to rebuild and mutually benefit both players and their NRL Fantasy output.
Xerri (5) failed his HIA which seemingly created a domino affect – with many others falling who also have round 16 availability.
Fifita (65) had a great score in just 49 minutes, however he only ran for 89 metres due to the weight of possession from the Raiders. Further, Fifita’s minutes have dropped since his injury return and he hasn’t played more than 53 minutes since Round 7. Luckily, he remains a PPM beast and one of the top NRL Fantasy players as a result.
Fifita was put on report in this game and has chosen to fight it. If he is found guilty, the bullocking prop will be sorely missed in Round 16.
Hamlin-Uele continues his impressive form off the bench with 54 points in 34 minutes which included a try, 5 tackle breaks and 115 running metres. Hamlin-Uele possesses a 5 game average of 47.8, and looks to be one of the best performing interchange players at the moment.
Titans (20) v. Warriors (24)
Cbus Super Stadium | Friday, 14 June 2019
Titans
The Titans failed to back up their win against the Broncos last weekend as they went down to a spirited Warriors outfit.
The big news in this one comes from the ankle injury suffered by Jai Arrow just 28 minutes into this game which comes as a huge blow to the Titans and Kevvy Walter’s QLD side.
Arrow (30) is now a certain sell with early reports suggesting that the severe ligament damage suffered will require a recovery period of anywhere between 6 to 12 weeks.
The Titans were already missing both Proctor and Hipgrave coming into this game, so the injury to Arrow opened up the doors for an 80-minute performance by Mo Fotuaika (51) who made the most of his chances.
The young FRF is available at $571,000 and boasts a five-game average of 48.8. If he can continue to play in excess of 65 minutes a game, he’d be one to watch for our for readers playing head-to-head.
Bryce Cartwright (61) proved there is still a little life left in the ‘Carty Party’ after getting through 80-minutes of football and scoring his highest score of the year and popular cheapie, Jesse Arthars did enough to see his value rise another $43,000.
Arthars owners will be waiting with anticipation for news as to where Kallum Watkins will slot into this team in the weeks to come. Given his class, Watkins will surely become a regular first-grader and someone will need to make way.
Finally, with no official word on Ash Taylor’s expected return date – Tyrone Roberts (54) continues to excel as the primary playmaker. His last four scores of 87, 46, 63 and 54 make for impressive reading and it’s easy to see why he has already risen $257,000 this season.
For mine, Roberts looks the most attractive prospect from the Titans side now that Arrow is set to miss a good amount of footy over the next few months.
Warriors
It was good to see RTS silence the doubters with a 70 point display which included a try, try assist, 6 tackle breaks and 222 running metres. Perfect timing for a form turnaround and discounted price leading into Round 16.
Herbert returned after a week out to score a disappointing 20 points. Owners would be concerned after back-to-back low scores and he looms as a trade-out option after Round 16 if scores don’t improve.
The 9.5% of coaches who still own Burr were gifted with a solid 47 points from the interchange, which was his best return since Round 6. He has been a sell option over the past 4-5 weeks, however with Round 16 just around the corner – you might as well hold on for a potential number on the field in the limited Round.
Cowboys (26) v. Tigers (27)
1300SMILES Stadium | Friday, 14 June 2019
Cowboys
The Cowboys were denied a win in front of their home crowd by a Marshall field goal in golden point.
Michael Morgan (64) continues his recent form and he now has a 3-game average of 52. With this new-found current form, he is no longer a priority trade-out option for those who kept the faith.
Kahu scored a very disappointing 9 points, however what is even more concerning is that he is still owned by 18.6% of coaches!
Finally, Taumalolo had his lowest score since Round 9 with 53 points in what was a reminder to coaches that he won’t play the full 80 minutes every week as he is managed throughout the year.
Tigers
Benji Marshall (41) goes alright against the Cowboys, doesn’t he?
The veteran play-maker was instrumental in this game and continues to reaffirm his position as a true leader at the Tigers.
Unfortunately, we can now conclude with great confidence that Robbie Farah (44) is no longer a keeper in NRL Fantasy as long as Liddle (26) remains on the bench.
Given the result in this game and the fact that Liddle (26) made an immediate impact upon taking the field – we can’t see this rotation changing any time soon. After round 16, Farah becomes a certain sell.
One player who we can class as a keeper is booming 2RF option, Ryan Matterson (60). Matterson is undoubtedly one of the most improved players in NRL Fantasy this year and has scored the 10th most points in the game to date.
As Freddy has decided to leave him out of the Blues side in Game II, he will likely be one of the best buys available over the next fortnight.
Thompson (34) and Nofoaluma (49) both loom as potential replacement for CNK ahead of round 16, and Luke Brooks (45) has become one of the most reliable HLF options this year hovering around 50 points a game.
Storm (34) v. Knights (4)
AAMI Park | Saturday, 15 June 2019
Storm
There’s levels to this competition and despite the Knights having come off 6-straight, the Storm served them a friendly reminder of this in front of their home crowd.
The usual suspects in Smith (52) and Munster (62) both impressed – but it’s their electric WFB, Hughes (54) who has hit a purple patch. And with Round 16 availability – there is plenty to like.
Available at $532,000, Hughes is coming off scores of 67 and 54 in his last two starts with in excess of 20 points in these games from tackle busts alone. With plenty of coaches still looking to offload CNK, Hughes looms as a slightly cheaper option if you haven’t got the funds to go to RTS.
Despite the form of this Melbourne side, there is one player that has performed a long way under NRL Fantasy coaches expectations – Brodie Croft (23).
Unfortunately for Croft, the kick metres have been fairly evenly shared with Munster and Smith to date and as a result – the base stats just aren’t there to make him a viable option. He’s only managed a mid-thirties average to date and as we seen in this game – he isn’t making the most of his opportunities to rack up those line breaks, line break assists and try assists that we’d like to see.
As a Bulldogs supporter, it was good to see Stimson hit a 41 in just 23 minutes with two tries. Hopefully he can run some of those lines for the blue and white next year.
Knights
Ponga (39) and Pearce (16) both had disappointing games against a strong Storm outfit. That is now back-to-back sub-par games for Pearce, where he has a combined score of 51 points.
Connor Watson was the talk in NRL Fantasy circles last week and he didn’t disappoint with 67 points. In two weeks he has made $128,000, and now with a break even of 3 – he looks set to add even cash over the coming weeks.
Unfortunately for non-owners, you might be one or two weeks too late on the Watson trade now that news has arisen that suggests Levi will be back into the team within a couple of weeks. History suggests Watson isn’t Fantasy relevant if he isn’t starting at HOK.
Fitzgibbon (22) remains one of the most disappointing players for us this season after a promising 2018. It is hard to believe that Fitzgibbon has only scored more than 48 points once this season and his price has seen a staggering $223,000 downturn as a result.
Rabbitohs (18) v. Panthers (19)
ANZ Stadium | Saturday, 15 June 2019
Rabbitohs
The Bunnies really felt the effects of missing some of their key strike power in in this one with the Burgess boys and their little general, Adam Reynolds all unavailable for the red and green.
We seen another low score for Damien Cook (48) in a rare game where he only ran for a total of 30 metres. It’s clear that the quick play the balls off the back of damaging charges from Tom and George Burgess are a crucial component of Cook’s game.
Cody Walker (37) was another that failed to get into this game and he failed to register any attacking stats as a result.
The shining lights for the Bunnies come from a dynamic duo of Roberts (58) and Gagai (51) who both looked dangerous on the edge, and Liam Knight continued to flex his PPM prowess with 52 points in 50 minutes from his first start in the run on side.
Given the bunnies have the bye next start and their out-and-out Fantasy guns are in the middle of representative duties, there don’t look to be too many players that will be tempting Fantasy coaches at the moment.
Panthers
James Maloney had enough experience and game management skills to steer the panthers home against the Bunnies and continue their impressive turn of form.
To’o continues to impress with 49 points. To’o has made $163,000 in 5 games and looks to continue this trajectory with a break even of -4 for Round 15.
Cleary (64) had another impressive pre-Origin performance, and should be one to monitor once the Origin period has concluded.
Kikau caught the eye of many coaches last week with his epic 92 point haul, however it was a different story against the Rabbitohs with an underwhelming 40 points. Kikau isn’t showing enough consistency at the moment to be a high priority trade target after Round 16.
OTL’s favourite son, Liam Martin (44) continues to get the minutes and points we need from him to remain a definite hold. If Martin could curb his mistakes (6 missed tackles and 3 errors) – he could easily be a 50+ point forward.
Eels (38) v. Broncos (10)
Bankwest Stadium | Saturday, 15 June 2019
Eels
A big win against the Broncos at Bankwest Stadium sees the Eels etched inside the top 8 ahead of the week off and it was their primary player-maker, Mitchell Moses (71) who was pulling the strings.
Incredibly, Moses now boasts a three-round average 68.7 and there’s a reason the guy currently leading NRL Fantasy has him starting in the halves.
If you picked him up earlier in the year for Round 12 coverage, he is now looking every bit the keeper right through to the end.
Outside of Moses, we had Reed Mahoney who bounced back with a try to hit 54 points and Salmon also surpassed 50 with 2 try assists.
There were a number of coaches pretty excited about Brown’s output from the bench last week, but after starting this game he managed just 44 points in 58 minutes. I’d be looking for Brown to get back up to 65-70 minutes of game time before he becomes a serious trade-in target.
Broncos
Where now for the Broncos? Considering the hype pre-season, it has been a disastrous season for the club.
Milford’s score of 50 points is a perfect example of his NRL Fantasy consistency, whereas in past seasons this performance would of warranted a score less than 35 points. Milford has really elevated his Fantasy game and silenced the doubters to clearly be one of the premium half options alongside DCE, Cleary and Pearce.
Staggs had a respectable score with 26 points, but I wouldn’t be too worried as the Broncos were well beaten. Whereas Payne Haas (62) continues to be one of the most reliable forward options in NRL Fantasy.
Lastly, David Fifita took full advantage of his elevation to the starting line-up with 59 points in 54 minutes. Fifita hasn’t been as Fantasy relevant as we had hoped after seeing his performance in the AllStars pre-season game, however we will continue to keep tabs on the young forward.
Sea Eagles (34) v. Dragons (14)
Lottoland | Sunday, 16 June 2019
Sea Eagles
Tommy Turbo couldn’t of timed this performance any better.
A cheeky 100-point effort on the eve of Origin selections seen Turbo catapulted into the side for Game II and into the trade plans for all serious NRL Fantasy coaches.
He did looks a little rusty in his return game where he managed just 28 points, but a try, a try assist and nearly 350 run metres against the Dragons is evidence enough that he’s back to his damaging best.
Cherry-Evans (36) and Jurbo (43) both had quieter games, but this will come as pleasing news for those looking to jump on DCE post-Origin. With a break even of 88, his price looks set to come in nicely for a Round 17 or 18 pickup.
In contrast, his halves partner in Cade Cust (49) has his price heading in the opposite direction and in a hurry! He’s secured $235,000 in rises already and this will continue for some time to come on current form. Well done to those who took the risk and jumped on before his job security was a known commodity.
In more pleasing news, Taupau played just shy of 60 minutes and managed his highest score of the season with 72 points. Of all starting players in NRL Fantasy, Taupau has the best PPM statistic and despite the doubts early in the season – he’s every bit a final 17 player.
Dragons
One win in seven games isn’t great reading for Dragon’s fans.
There were plenty of coaches who drafted in McInnes over the past fortnight to possess the holy trinity of Cook, Smith & McInnes. Unfortunately, McInnes came off after 22 minutes with a failed HIA in a cruel blow to new owners.
Robson (46) continues to impress off the interchange with a season average of 40. He looks like he could be on a similar NRL Fantasy path as his fellow teammate, Lawrie with a juicy break even of (-2) for Round 15.
Vaughan (58) was a player I expected to be knocking down the door of the premium FRF tier this season – but it hasn’t quite eventuated. With a season average of 48.6, Vaughan looks to remain that next tier down below the likes of Taupau, Haas and Fifita.
Lawrie and Host are both holds for the moment with Round 16 just around the corner, combined with Origin duties and a number of injuries in the Dragons pack.
Roosters (38) v. Bulldogs (12)
Sydney Cricket Ground | Sunday, 16 June 2019
Roosters
The Roosters won convincingly against the Bulldogs without their main-man, Tedesco – but it wouldn’t of come as too much of a surprise to NRL fans given the Bulldogs form to date.
Manu was a more than capable replacement for Tedesco with a monster 98 points which included 2 tries, 1 try assist, 10 tackle breaks and 299 running metres.
Latrell scored a double and silenced the coaches who thought he was a sell, while Ryan Hall scored a respectable 31 points from base stats.
Nat Butcher was elevated to the starting line-up, and he took his opportunities and more with 71 points. With a 5 game average of 52.2, he is surprisingly only owned by 0.8% of coaches!
Bulldogs
Unfortunately, there really isn’t a whole lot to report here from an NRL Fantasy perspective apart from a purple patch of form that Marshall-King (63) has found himself in off the back of his new found running game.
Whilst this season is over for the Bulldogs already, the form of this young prospect is one of few positives for seasons ahead.
Marshall-King now boasts a three-game average above 60 and is absolutely worth a look for our draft players in search of coverage in the hooker position.
If you’ve held onto CHN since being dropped, you would’ve had a glimmer of hope restored after seeing him start the game in place of Elliott. However, due to the limited opportunities he had in attack – the hard-running backrower was only able to produce mid-thirties.
Finally, another sub-50 score sees Tolman firm as a sell before Round 16. His break even of 60 is further evidence to support this case.
Until next time, happy trading!
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