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

Thursday night is a clash of the NRL heavyweights, with the Storm hosting the Broncos at AAMI Park. Melbourne welcome back favourite son Billy Slater for his first game in over a year. Does he make it into our Draftstars line-up?

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

Front Row Forward

Josh McGuire ($14,550)

Having McGuire available to us in the front-row is a gift too good to refuse. With Korbin Sims being the next highest averaging prop, McGuire should score 20-30 points more than everyone else. Since moving to lock, McGuire has seen 66 and 71 minutes in the first two rounds respectively, making over 150 metres and laying over 30 tackles in both games. He does come at a cost, but given his quality and the dearth of options, McGuire is a must-have.

Kenneath Bromwich ($10,100)

With older brother Jesse missing this clash due to a broken thumb, Kenny Bromwich presents great value for fantasy teams. The younger sibling has seen his minute-load increase this year which has led to an uptick in his scoring and this should remain the case, especially with young Joe Stimson being the Storm’s best bench back-rower. With Brisbane’s propensity to attack the edges, Kenny should get more tackles playing in the second-row than usual and considering he’s available as a front-rower, this means he’s a lock for Thursday’s matchup.

Hooker

Andrew McCullough ($14,000)

This is the most important selection of the round, as McCullough gets the nod over Cam Smith. Smith has been one of the best fantasy options for us in the last decade, but in the daily format, anything can happen, and the $5k price difference is enough to convince me that McCullough’s deficiencies in kicking will be lessened by huge tackle numbers. A key will be if McCullough can find any metres gained as he did against the Cowboys. The Cowboys have a huge pack (Taumalolo, Scott, Kaufusi) that can sometimes struggle to get off the line, which gave McCullough plenty of holes to attack. In Round 1, he struggled to do so against the more nimble Sharks pack, which included the smaller Matt Prior and Luke Lewis.

Second Row Forward

Dale Finucane ($13,900)

Finucane has turned himself into one of the most consistent fantasy scorers in the game. Craig Bellamy has complete faith in his lock and has rewarded him with 66 minutes a game in the first two outings. Finucane has shown this season that he can score prominently by dominating the metreage or by laying a ton of tackles. Either way, he’s Mr. Consistent.

Felise Kaufusi ($7,300)

Kaufusi is excellent value in the Thursday encounter, with Jesse Bromwich almost certain to miss the game with his hand injury. Kaufusi will be handed the start, which comes with starters’ minutes and more points. At just over $7k, he will be extremely popular but should still find a place in your team as the value is too good to refuse.

Centre

James Roberts ($12,500)

The options in the centres this week boil down to Roberts, Blair, Chambers and Kahu. Chambers simply doesn’t have enough upside and the same goes for Kahu, who won’t get cheap points from conversions in what should be a low-scoring game. This leaves Blair and Roberts and while it’s a close call, Roberts gets the nod. Blair has had his scoring inflated by two tries in the first two rounds, which likely won’t continue in this game, whereas Roberts is a tackle busting machine. It’s a close call, but if you need $2k, Blair is still a decent option.

Half

Cooper Cronk ($13,900)

Cronk is easily the best option in the halves this week as he has the biggest upside whilst also being the cheapest option. With Billy Slater returning to the Storm backline, Cam Munster will be shifted to the halves to partner Cronk which leaves Ryley Jacks relegated to the bench. This will mean that Cronk will be left as the only kicking option in the halves, leading to an increase in kicking metres. If it’s a low scoring game, Cronk’s solid kicking metres will see him produce another good score.

Wing/Fullback

Billy Slater ($5,650)

In his return to first grade, Slater is too cheap to refuse. Whilst it may take him some time to get back into the pace and rhythm of the game, picking him will save you a ton of money that you can use elsewhere. The adrenaline will be pumping for the mercurial fullback, so don’t be surprised if he chips in with a try or two to make up for the lack of metres he will run in his return.

Tautau Moga ($5,600)

Huge questions were asked of Moga in the media prior to Round 1, and was excellent against the Sharks, racking up five all important tackle breaks on his way to 41.90 Draftstars points. Against the Cowboys last round, he struggled to impact the game in the same way, scoring just 25.40 points in the extra time thriller. Despite this, he is simply too good to refuse at a tick under $6k and if he can eke out a score of 30+, he’ll have done his job.

The Line Up

FR-F: Josh McGuire ($14,550)

FR-F: Kenneath Bromwich ($10,100)

HOOK: Andrew McCullough ($14,000)

2R-F: Dale Finucane ($13,900)

2R-F: Felise Kaufusi ($7,300)

C: James Roberts ($12,500)

HALF: Cooper Cronk ($11,550)

W/FB: Billy Slater ($5,650)

W/FB: Tautau Moga ($5,600)

Salary Remaining: $2,500