NRL Monday – $1,000+ Bulldogs v Dragons Line-Up

NRL Monday – A massive five-day round ends on Monday afternoon as the Dragons face off against the Bulldogs. Currently sitting in third, the Dragons may be the biggest surprise of the year after many experts predicted them to finish in the bottom three in the pre-season. This should make for a cracking game as the Bulldogs are floundering in fourteenth after widely being predicted to make the eight in the pre-season and desperately need a win.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $1,000+ Bulldogs v Dragons competition

Front Row Forward

Paul Vaughan ($15,900)

Vaughan has been phenomenal this season, going from fringe player at the Raiders to one of the most dominant props in the competition at the Dragons. His running game is incredible and he currently has made the fifth most metres of any forward in the competition – including three massive 200+ metre performances. Not only does he gain huge metres, but his runs often result in tackle breaks, offloads or line breaks which all help him build massive scores. His reliability on defence has been taken for granted, but he rarely misses a tackle which ensures he doesn’t lose Draftstars points.

James Graham ($13,250)

Graham was in scintillating form for the first eight rounds, averaging 56.5 Draftstars points thanks to massive running and tackling numbers. Then against the Raiders in round nine, he found himself concussed which saw his night end after just fourteen minutes. Two rounds later against the Roosters, Graham injured his neck and played reduced minutes before aggravating the same injury in round 12. This led to him taking a week off last week to get his body right, which should be music to Draftstars owner’s ears as he is available at a highly discounted price thanks to these niggling injuries.

Hooker

Cameron McInnes ($16,150)

McInnes has been exceptional for the Dragons this season, providing them with hard-nosed defence and quick service out of dummy-half whilst removing some of the bad habits he had at Souths. In the last few weeks he’s begun to get more involved in attack, providing two try assists, two line break assists and a try in the past four rounds. Combine this with his 45.1 tackles per game and it is clear that McInnes is worth every cent. With Matt Frawley going back to the bench for the Bulldogs this week, Michael Lichaa will have to split his minutes which will result in lower scores for both guys. This ensures that McInnes will comfortably be the highest scoring hooker in this contest.

Second Row Forward

Adam Elliot ($11,100)

Elliot struggled last week against the Panthers, but when your team loses 38-0, it’s fair to say that no one was at their best. Prior to that, however, Elliot was flourishing in his new role as an 80-minute back-rower as he provided the Dogs with another running option on the edge and usually solid defence. After missing nine tackles against the Panthers, there is no doubt Elliot will be out with a vengeance against the Dragons which should result in a return to his usual scoring.

Leeson Ah Mau ($9,950)

Ah Mau has been a reliable performer all season for the Dragons and has provided them with a boost from the bench when their front-rowers need a rest. He’s not the flashiest of players by a long shot, but you know what you’re going to get from him and it’s always a solid Draftstars score. He consistently makes over 100 metres and makes over 20 tackles whilst rarely missing a tackle on defence. His ability to break occasional tackles and or get an offload or two is a bonus at his price.

Centre

Chase Stanley ($5,300)

Stanley will make his long awaited return to senior footy after playing his last match in round five last year. Stanley has been around for a decade after bursting onto the scene as a 17-year old, yet has only played 100 games due to continuous bad luck with injuries. His lack of football in the past couple of years means that he is available at just $5,300 which for a player of his quality is an absolute steal. If he manages to score anything over 25, he will have done his job as the money you save will lead to more points in other positions.

Half

Josh Reynolds ($11,200)

Reynolds returns from his hamstring injury this round and will be looking to recapture the form that had helped the Bulldogs to eighth place when he went down. Since then, they have lost four straight games and have clearly missed Reynolds toughness in both attack and defence. His ability to stay involved in the game at all times makes him valuable and results in him being able to fill a variety of attacking stats. While he may not be at his best in his return game, his scoring will be enough to justify his very reasonable price tag.

Wing/Fullback

Brett Morris ($9,950)

BMoz has been solid but unspectacular all season, often putting in decent attacking performances but never breaking games open. He had an excellent game for New South Wales in his last hit out, having an excellent run down the left wing and making nearly 150 metres for the Blues. He hasn’t scored a try since round three, which is unheard of for a try-scorer of his calibre. The Dragons are more vulnerable on the edge than they are in the middle which could see Morris breaking tackles, making metres and hopefully scoring his first try in nearly three months.

Marcelo Montoya ($6,950)

With a lack of cheap options, it’s worth taking a risk on a guy like Montoya who has the ability to score well in certain games. Similarly to Morris, he should be utilised more heavily as the Dogs attack the Dragons out wide and this should see an uptick in his metres. He has the ability to break the defensive line and find the try line and if he can score, he will justify his minuscule price tag.

The Line Up

FR-F: Paul Vaughan ($15,900)

FR-F: James Graham ($13,250)

HOOK: Cameron McInnes ($16,150)

2R-F: Adam Elliot ($11,100)

2R-F: Leeson Ah Mau ($9,950)

C: Chase Stanley ($5,300)

HALF: Josh Reynolds ($11,200)

W/FB: Brett Morris ($9,950)

W/FB: Marcelo Montoya ($6,950)

Salary Remaining: $250