OTL take a look back at three NRL Fantasy legends as we count down until the resumption of the NRL season.

At number 1, we’ve got the player that NRL Fantasy coaches affectionately nicknamed GOD – Corey Parker.

What set Parker apart from the pack and made him a Fantasy goldmine wasn’t just the usual high workrate and offloading prowess we often see in the top forwards, but the added benefit of the goal kicking duties -which is a rarity in NRL Fantasy.

Parker’s conversion rate was also solid at 72% throughout his career – peaking in 2007 at 83%.

In the season before he retired, Parker was firing on all cylinders with 32 tackles, 2 offloads and just under 3 goals per game – resulting in regular 60+ performances which cemented him as a genuine captain option week in and week out. This wasn’t unusual, however, as the Broncos legend managed 57 points per game across his entire career.

It’s also hard to believe Parker started the 2016 season at a premium price of $559k – proving even NRL Fantasy isn’t immune to inflation! The Broncos legend retired in 2016 but rivalled Cameron Smith for most of the decade as NRL Fantasy’s best player.

In summary, Parker pretty much did everything other than drive the team bus to the stadiums – and like a fine whisky, he became better with age throughout his 16 year career.

We were lucky enough to see him don the Broncos jersey again earlier this year for the 9’s, and since being retired he has been employed by Fox Sports as a pundit and commentator.

Next, we cast our eyes to a close number 2 on our list, and a Warriors legend in Simon Mannering. Mannering did his Fantasy scoring almost purely through defence – whether it was 80mins on an edge or a mountain of tackles through the middle; you could depend on him delivering you those base stats.

Mannering had his best Fantasy output during the 2015 to 2017 period – producing an average of 57 points for three consecutive seasons.

Remember when coaches were spoilt for choice last season with back rowers Bateman and Nikora as CTR options? Well, it was exactly this that set Mannering apart with his dual position status – and it wasn’t just for one season!

Mannering retired in 2018 at the age of 31, becoming the first Warrior to join the “300 club”. When attempting to rank Mannering in this list, the only thing keeping him from number 1 was the fact that an injury in the outside backs often meant Mannering shifted one wider to plug that hole – and this did take him a little further away from the action from time to time.

Whilst his playing days are over, the legendary Warrior is now back at Mt Smart Stadium taking up a part-time coaching and mentoring role with his beloved club.

Lastly, we’re rounding out our top 3 with Sharks and Blues favourite, Paul Gallen or as he was coined in NRL Fantasy & Supercoach circles, Gal-bot.

Gallen retired last season as the oldest active player in the NRL 38 years of age. Even though his average minutes dropped to sub-50 during the 2019 season, his Fantasy output remained consistent with an average of 40 points and a strong PPM of 0.82.

What made Gallen a Fantasy immortal was his prolific offload, incredible appetite for hit-ups (whether that was out of his own end or 10 out from the try line), as well as his overall run metres. It’s hard to believe that at the age of 35 he was still churning out a running average of over 180m!

Whilst he was often criticised for being a ball-hog by trying to do “too much”, this only added to his appeal for us Fantasy coaches. Gallen produced a Fantasy average of 60 points across 4 consecutive seasons between 2014 and 2017, becoming one of the few must-haves in any Fantasy team.

If there was any drawback for Gallen as an NRL Fantasy option, it was his captaincy of the Blues – and the fact you could count on him missing a period through the middle of the season every year. Also, if he happened to be carrying any niggling injuries in and around that rep period – he often had his minutes managed or sat out games altogether to get his body right for those big games.

Since retirement, Gallen has excelled in the boxing ring, as well as worked for Channel 9 as a pundit and commentator.