NRL $10,000+ Broncos v Eels Line-Up

This Thursday night could produce the match of the round as two of the most in form teams in the competition go head-to-head. The Broncos have won five of their past six matches, with their only loss coming against their opponents this Thursday, the Eels. With wins in seven of their last eight games, the Eels are just about the form team of the competition and will back themselves to get the job done in Brisbane.

PLAY NOW

Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $10,000+ Broncos v Eels competition

Front Row Forward

Nathan Brown ($14,500)

Brown’s emergence as a quality front rower has been a crucial aspect of Parramatta’s return to form. He’s the workhorse of their pack who plays 80 minutes each week and does all of the dirty work that allows his halves space to create. He leads the Eels in tackles, metres gained and offloads, so it isn’t hard to tell why his Draftstars scores are consistently good. He had 223 metres gained and 43 tackles the last time these two teams met and will be looking to produce a similar performance on Thursday night.

Daniel Alvaro ($13,550)

The round 21 contest between these two clubs was the beginning of Alvaro’s strong Draftstars form, as he made 40/41 tackles in a massive defensive effort. Since then he has pushed on, scoring two tries in the past three games and averaging 67.6 Draftstars points in those games. While his try scoring may not continue against the Broncos’ watertight defence, his tackling numbers will remain consistent and so will his metres and tackle breaking.

Hooker

Cameron King ($9,400)

King was solid against the Titans last week, ending the game with a try assist and 50/55 tackles made. Playing the full 80 minutes in recent weeks, King has been racking up massive tackling numbers, with 49, 57 and 50 tackles made in the last three rounds. His try assist last week was his first attacking contribution of the season, but his massive defensive numbers make him great value at his price. Kaysa Pritchard has been named on an extended bench and is $800 cheaper than King, so if he is named, a straight swap is on the cards.

Second Row Forward

Kenny Edwards ($11,550)

With Manu Ma’u suspended, Edwards gets another chance in the starting line-up. He has started in four games this season and has averaged 55.1 Draftstars points in those games. He will likely play the full 80 minutes this week so he will have plenty of opportunities to make tackles, which is the key to his scoring. Edwards almost always does well in the running stats, but when he plays more minutes he gets the chance to boost those tackling numbers and end up with a better score.

David Gower ($8,550)

The journeyman forward has been in and out of the Eels line-up this season, but gets another chance to stake his claim for a finals birth this week. At 31, Gower knows his game well and rarely makes an error, but does lack the damaging foot speed and burst that some of his counterparts possess in attack. Given his price, though, he should provide good value if he can push 30 Draftstars points and some of the more expensive options don’t perform.

Centre

Kirisome Auva’a ($8,400)

Injuries to Clint Gutherson and now Bevan French have allowed for Auva’a to return to first-grade as a winger in the last four weeks. In his return against the Broncos, he scored two tries in a confident performance – albeit against a different defensive combination out wide to the one he will face this week. In the last two weeks, he’s been a running machine, eating metres and making three line breaks. With spots in this backline tough to come by, Auva’a needs to keep producing the goods to cement his spot.

Half

Anthony Milford ($15,600)

Milford was electric last Friday night as he put on an exhibition against the Dragons. His footwork close to the line is phenomenal and he managed to bamboozle three Dragons’ defenders before crossing over for a great try. He assisted on two others, made six tackle breaks and ended up with 180 running metres in a dominant attacking performance. With Ben Hunt moving to nine and Kodi Nikorima at seven, the Broncos have plenty of attacking flair, but arguably none are as important as an in-form Milford. If he gets his kicking radar right, he will only be more damaging this week.

Wing/Fullback

Jordan Kahu ($9,450)

Kahu’s running game was strong against the Dragons, as he racked up season best totals in metres and tackle breaks. With so many creative players on the field, the Broncos will be putting up points every week, which should mean more strong performances from Kahu on the wing. Last week he strolled in for a try after catching a perfectly placed drop punt from Ben Hunt and this sort of action should continue as finals beckon.

Will Smith ($8,800)

With Gutherson and French injured, Smith gets a chance to start at fullback for just the second time this season. Last week he came off the bench and played 44 minutes at the back in which he was a net positive. While his defensive reading of the game was expectedly below average, his attack game was great. He scored two tries including one where he received a great assist from his halfback to burst through the defensive line to score. The Broncos are in a different league defensively to the Titans, but Smith has shown that he has it in him to stand up and play well from the back.

The Line Up

FR-F: Nathan Brown ($14,500)

FR-F: Daniel Alvaro ($13,550)

HOOK: Cameron King ($9,400)

2R-F: Kenny Edwards ($11,550)

2R-F: David Gower ($8,550)

C: Kirisome Auva’a ($8,400)

HALF: Anthony Milford ($15,600)

W/FB: Jordan Kahu ($9,450)

W/FB: Will Smith ($8,800)

Salary Remaining: $200