NRL $2,000+ Sharks v Storm Line-Up

The second Grand Final rematch of the season also happens to be a top of the table clash between league leaders Melbourne and the defending premiers from the Shire. When these two teams met in round six, the Sharks came out victors 11-2. These two quality teams always produce quality football, which will make for an enthralling Thursday night contest.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $2,000+ Sharks v Storm competition

Front Row Forward

Dale Finucane ($13,600)

Finucane has been consistently good once again this season, providing the Storm with toughness and grit in what has often been a weakened pack. His leadership has been impressive, with his ability to make repeat efforts on defence particularly standing out. Last week he played the full 80 minutes in a performance that yielded 174 running metres and 28 tackles, however, with the Storm’s full array of forwards available this week he will likely go back to his usual workload which is in the high sixties. Against Cronulla in round six, Finucane made 46 out of 47 tackles and ran 117 metres in attack for his second highest Draftstars score of the year. He will once again be relied upon to stop the likes of Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen dominating the middle.

Matt Prior ($10,200)

Whilst it would be nice to be able to include his partner in the front-row and the most in-form player in the competition, Andrew Fifita, he is simply too expensive considering the lack of value options in this contest. As such, the reliable Prior is a reasonable option at his price given his consistency in scoring. Obviously he doesn’t have the upside of some of the other options in the front-row, but his ability to churn out consistent metres and tackling numbers combined with Melbourne’s propensity to constantly build sets through the middle should give Prior a solid score.

Hooker

Jayden Brailey ($13,000)

Brailey has been a massive find for the Sharks this year, almost seamlessly stepping up to replace Premiership star Michael Ennis. His ability to play big minutes out of dummy-half has been impressive and has resulted in some big tackling numbers, including three performances of 50+ tackles. His attacking game leaves a bit to be desired and he has almost no self-creation out of dummy-half, but given his consistently big minutes and his massive work rate on defence it’s worth picking him and saving nearly $6k on Cam Smith.

Second Row Forward

Wade Graham ($13,400)

After a solid performance off of the bench for New South Wales, Graham returns to the Sharks line up for another massive game against the Storm. His creativity and dangerous running on the edge has caused issues for the Storm in recent times and this was especially prevalent in round six as Graham ran 175 metres, broke four tackles and had one-line break in an outstanding performance. His ability to act as an extra facilitator in attack has been crucial for the Sharks and will once again be leaned upon as they attempt to expose Melbourne on the edge.

Felise Kaufusi ($11,450)

After a lean couple of weeks, Kaufusi was back to his running best against the Knights last week, making 161 metres, two line breaks and scoring a try in a dominant performance. The inclusion of Tohu Harris in recent weeks has seen Kaufusi’s workload slightly reduced, however his reliable defence and damaging ball running will undoubtedly be used against the Sharks. His defence was immaculate when the two teams met in round six, as he made 50 tackles for not a single missed tackle as the Sharks attempted to attack from the edge. Considering his recent good form in attack, it is clear Kaufusi is a good option at a reasonable price.

Centre

Jack Bird ($10,700)

With all four named centres separated by just $450 in this contest, it is tough to separate them. All the signs point to a rested Jack Bird – coming off an impressive performance in limited minutes in Origin and a week off – having a massive impact in this game. Cronulla have relied heavily on his ball running in recent weeks, with Bird clocking 149 metres (19 runs) and 162 metres (17 runs) in his last two matches respectively. Considering the Sharks will likely be wanting to attack the edge against Melbourne, don’t be surprised if Bird is heavily involved in attack once again.

Half

James Maloney ($9,600)

Another big performance in Origin has Maloney primed for this matchup against his first club. His ability to both set up and score tries makes him one of the most dangerous creators in the competition, whilst his pinpoint kicking game rounds his attacking arsenal out nicely. Unfortunately, his 68 missed tackles are the most in the league and see him lose 12.4 Draftstars points per game on average. However, his ability to fill up the attacking stats makes him a good option in a contest where cheap options are few and far between.

Wing/Fullback

Suliasi Vunivalu ($9,800)

Vunivalu has been understandably inconsistent this season given he’s a winger, but with just two scores under 24 and five scores over 43, it is clear he has more good days than bad ones. Unfortunately one of his worst games this year was against the Sharks, when he made three errors and was rarely sighted in a meek performance. However, the Sharks have had trouble defending powerful wingers when they’re in full flight and Vunivalu is one of the best. The best bit about the Fijian flyer is that when he scores one try, he generally isn’t done. In the seven games in which Vunivalu has scored, he has doubled it up a whopping four times.

Sosaia Feki ($7,650)

Similarly to Vunivalu, Feki has been ragingly inconsistent with his scoring this year thanks to his role on the wing. However, in a contest with a dearth of value, the best bet to do well is to load up on consistent forwards and take flyers on cheap outside backs who could find the try line. In games in which Feki has scored this season, he has averaged 34.3 Draftstars points compared to just 12.8 in games in which he doesn’t score. Although Melbourne have one of the tightest defences in the comp, it may just be Feki that ends up on the end of an overlap and capitalises with a try. At under $8k, it’s worth the risk.

The Line Up

FR-F: Dale Finucane ($13,600)

FR-F: Matt Prior ($10,200)

HOOK: Jayden Brailey ($13,000)

2R-F: Wade Graham ($13,400)

2R-F: Felise Kaufusi ($11,450)

C: Jack Bird ($10,700)

HALF: James Maloney ($9,600)

W/FB: Suliasi Vunivalu ($9,800)

W/FB: Sosaia Feki ($7,650)

Salary Remaining: $600