NRL $1,000+ Tigers v Eels Line-Up

Round 20 draws to a close on Sunday with the Tigers taking on the Eels at ANZ Stadium. When these two teams met in round seven, both had just two wins to their name and were sitting near the bottom of the table. The Eels won that game by four points and it kick-started their season, going on to win seven of their next ten. The Tigers, however, have won just two matches since then and will be desperate for a victory.

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

Front Row Forward

Nathan Brown ($14,650)

Brown has transformed himself from a player who was widely criticised for dirty play to one of the most in-form forwards in the league. Since returning from injury in round 13, Brown has played the full game in four of his five appearances and is averaging 206.3 metres and 40.8 tackles per game. Not only does Brown eat metres, he also creates repeat sets thanks to his ability to get his arms free and get off an offload. Coming up against a struggling Tigers’ pack, Brown will be primed to put in a massive performance again this week.

Siosaia Vave ($7,750)

Vave worked his way into the starting line-up for the game against Melbourne last week and he didn’t disappoint. In 46 minutes Vave had 16 runs and made 168 metres with two tackle breaks in a performance that helped the Eels to dominate the Storm through the middle. Defensively Vave is solid as well, making 178 tackles and missing just six for the season. He has been named to start for the second week in a row and he will be looking to put in a similarly dominant running performance.

Hooker

Matt McIlwrick ($7,650)

After Jacob Liddle went down with a shoulder injury just four minutes into the Tigers clash with the Sea Eagles last week, McIlwrick found himself playing 76 minutes at hooker. This week he reclaims his starting spot and given there is no obvious second option at dummy-half on the Tigers bench, he should play significant minutes once again. He put in a massive defensive effort last week, making 51/56 tackles which resulted in 42.5 Draftstars points. His lack of competition for minutes makes him a slightly more enticing option than Cameron King, who is yet to see more than 59 minutes in any game this season.

Second Row Forward

Manu Ma’u ($13,150)

Ma’u played just eleven minutes against the Bulldogs in round 17 due to a leg injury that also caused him to miss the following match against the Storm. Thanks to the bye, Ma’u has now had three weeks off to heal which should have him fit and firing for this clash. Prior to his injury, Ma’u was providing terrific aggression and toughness for the Eels and had been having some of his best running performances of the year. Ma’u has the ability to offload the ball, break tackles and make plenty of metres and this has resulted in some excellent Draftstars scores. The Tigers will have trouble containing his powerful running on the edge which means there is every chance that Ma’u picks up right where he left off prior to his injury.

Kenny Edwards ($13,050)

Edwards finally looks to be back to his best after missing the start of the season due to off field indiscretions. Last week he played the full 80 minutes and ended up with 148 metres, five tackle busts and 31 tackles in a well-rounded performance that saw him rely on his running game more than his ball playing. When he keeps it simple, Edwards is one of the stronger back-rowers in the competition and it appears that he has found the right balance in recent weeks.

Centre

Brad Takairangi ($6,850)

In what is an uninspiring group of centres, Takairangi presents value simply by being the cheapest of the starters. Last game was one of his better performances, as he made a line breaking run before setting up a try. His massive frame will be tough to stop and given the Eels should win comfortably, there is every chance that Takairangi has some more score involvements this week. None of the options are likely to take the contest from you with a massive score, so picking Takairangi will free up cash to use in other areas.

Half

Corey Norman ($12,250)

All four halves in this contest have been in some great fantasy form, but Norman’s upside gets him over the line in this team. Norman’s Draftstars scoring has been solid in his four games since returning from injury, with all four of his scores falling between 41 and 47. He has done this without having a massive impact on the contest, which means that there is plenty of room for him to improve his scoring when he does get directly involved in some Parramatta tries. If the Eels have a big victory, it is likely that this will be the week that Norman is directly responsible for some tries.

Wing/Fullback

James Tedesco ($14,900)

Tedesco is undoubtedly a phenomenal player and his dominance on the field certainly translates to Draftstars. Teddy is averaging 49.2 Draftstars points per game this season thanks to his incredible tackle breaking prowess which has seen him break 8.1 tackles per game – the most per game in the competition. The other great thing about Tedesco is that he doesn’t rely on try scoring to generate points. After scoring 31 tries in 41 games in 2015 and 2016, he has scored just two tries in fourteen NRL games this season but is still averaging nearly 50 Draftstars points per game.

Bevan French ($9,700)

After struggling in his first game on the wing, French has settled in brilliantly in the last couple of weeks. Last round he was close to his best, making three line breaks, scoring a try and assisting on another one in an utterly dominant attacking performance from the speedster. He is one of the best finishers in the league thanks to his burst of speed and he will be tough to stop once again this week.

The Line Up

FR-F: Nathan Brown ($14,650)

FR-F: Siosaia Vave ($7,750)

HOOK: Matt McIlwrick ($7,650)

2R-F: Manu Ma’u ($13,150)

2R-F: Kenny Edwards ($13,050)

C: Brad Takairangi ($6,850)

HALF: Corey Norman ($12,250)

W/FB: James Tedesco ($14,900)

W/FB: Bevan French ($9,700)

Salary Remaining: $50