NRL $2,000+ Saturday Line-Up
It’s the best Saturday line up of the year this round, with three blockbuster games. The day kicks off with the Warriors venturing to their second home on the Gold Coast before Penrith and Canberra attempt to keep their finals hopes alive in a massive afternoon game. Finally, the Eels head to Townsville to play the Cowboys in what will be an attacking showcase. All of this adds up to a cracking Draftstars contest.
Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $2,000+ Saturday competition
Front Row Forward
Junior Paulo ($13,200)
Paulo has been a running beast this season, proving to be one of the most dominant forwards in the competition after a slightly slow start. Since round four, Paulo has averaged 179 running metres per game, which is simply phenomenal from a 188cm, 118kg wrecking ball. He sits 6th among all forwards in metres gained for the season and will only be used more heavily with his usual front-row partner Shannon Boyd out with a knee injury. Don’t be surprised if Paulo steps up and has his best game of the season in this crucial encounter.
Nathan Brown ($11,800)
Aside from an injury affected performance against the Raiders in round 11, Brown has averaged 56.6 Draftstars points per game in his seven starts at lock this season. He returned from the rib injury last round against the Warriors and showed no signs of weakness as he made a massive 178 metres from 20 runs whilst backing up for 39 tackles in defence. This sort of production has been commonplace for the Eels workhorse who has proven himself to be a critical part of a pack that has outperformed their reputation this season.
Hooker
Kaysa Pritchard ($9,200)
Speaking of outperforming their reputation, Pritchard has been simply phenomenal this season. Considering he was used as an impact player of the bench last season, his ability to make big defensive efforts consistently in a heavy minute load has been phenomenal. He suffered a heavy concussion early in the Eels victory over the Warriors last week, which restricted him to just nine minutes, but as long as he is named in their final team this week he is great value thanks to his significant discount.
Second Row Forward
Josh Papalii ($14,950)
Papalii struggled to back up from a bruising Origin contest as he turned in one of his worst performances of the season last week. He was used in just ten runs and made just 88 metres from those runs, both season-low numbers. However, with an extra week to recover, Papalii should be back to his rampaging running on the edge which usually sees him make upwards of 150 metres with multiple tackle breaks. He’s slightly cheaper than the other premium back-row options, but scores just as well which makes him a perfect option.
Luke Bateman ($8,100)
Shannon Boyd getting injured has opened up a spot for Luke Bateman to step into the starting line up at lock as Iosia Soliola moves to the front-row. Bateman’s scoring potential is unquestionable, it’s simply a matter of how many minutes he plays as to how well he scores. He’s played over half a game in four of his five starts and he averages 39.85 Draftstars points in those games. A concussion in round 10 meant that he only scored 3.60 Draftstars points which has led to a significant discount for Bateman, making him an excellent option.
Centre
Joseph Leilua ($11,450)
Joey Leilua is simply unstoppable at full flight and after a couple of down weeks against the Bulldogs and Knights, it seems he’s getting back to his best. Last week he made 122 metres with four tackle breaks, two-line break assists and a try assist in a nice attacking performance. It’s his try scoring ability that leads to his massive scores though, and with just one try in the last six weeks he certainly is due for a try or two this week against a mediocre Panthers edge defence.
Half
Kieran Foran ($12,400)
The Warriors always play well on the Gold Coast and Foran should be able to take full advantage of a high scoring game. In the four games that he has won with the Warriors this season, Foran is averaging 49.1 Draftstars points per game thanks to his ability to fill the attacking stats in a variety of ways. Whether it’s breaking tackles or his immaculate passing game, Foran has the ability to create any attack and fill up the stat sheet as a result. His tackling is also better than most halves as well; he averages 20.3 tackles and just 1.9 missed tackles per game.
Wing/Fullback
Jarryd Hayne ($9,600)
Hayne is finally back at his favoured fullback position, where he started the year for the Titans. In his two full games at the back, Hayne managed solid Draftstars scores of 31.55 and 31.90 in two mediocre performances. This should encourage Draftstars owners, as he is due for a dominant performance in what should be a high scoring game against the Warriors. The Hayne Plane at full flight against a shaky Warriors defence is a scary proposition, don’t miss out.
Ken Maumalo ($9,250)
Maumalo has been a solid ball runner all season for the Warriors and currently sits twelfth amongst all backs for metres gained. His massive frame allows him to play as an extra back-rower early in sets and gives him the strength to bust tackles regularly. The last two weeks have seen his hard work rewarded with tries, however he has proven he doesn’t need to find the line to score well as his 31.7 Draftstars points against the Dragons was built on metres, tackle breaks and not missing tackles. His high floor and high ceiling makes him a handy option at a cheap price.
The Line Up
FR-F: Junior Paulo ($13,200)
FR-F: Nathan Brown ($11,800)
HOOK: Kaysa Pritchard ($9,200)
2R-F: Josh Papalii ($14,950)
2R-F: Luke Bateman ($8,100)
C: Joseph Leilua ($11,450)
HALF: Kieran Foran ($12,400)
W/FB: Jarryd Hayne ($9,600)
W/FB: Ken Maumalo ($9,250)
Salary Remaining: $1,200
NRL SCORING SYSTEM
Try Scored = 8 points
Goal = 2 points
Field Goal = 5 points
Try Assist = 5 points
Line Break = 4 points
Line Break Assist = 2 points
Tackle = 1 point
Tackle Break = 3 points
Missed Tackles = -2 points
Offload = 2 points
Run Metres Gained = 0.1 points
Kick Metres Gained = 0.05 points
Error = -2 points
NRL