NRL $1,500+ Sharks v Bulldogs Line-Up

With both teams missing a bunch of their best talent due to State of Origin, depth will be tested in this blockbuster Saturday night clash. However, with new talent comes some bargain buys, which makes for a fascinating Draftstars contest.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $1,500+ Sharks v Bulldogs competition

Front Row Forward

Aiden Tolman ($15,250)

Tolman has been consistently good once again this season, with the undersized prop providing excellent effort for the dominant Doggies’ pack. His ability to produce run after run on offence and seemingly never tire makes him a favourite of his coaches. Considering he also averages 39.2 tackles on defence and only misses two tackles per game on average, his consistency is elite and this makes him the perfect option in a game with plenty of turmoil.

James Graham ($14,000)

Is there anyone better to partner one strawberry-blonde Bulldogs prop than another strawberry-blonde Bulldogs prop? After getting concussed three weeks ago, Graham hasn’t been his normal self in the last two games, struggling to reach his usually massive tackling numbers. However, having had a couple of weeks to recover and with the Sharks sporting a smaller pack than usual, there is every chance Graham dominates this contest with massive running and tackling numbers. With a slight discount thanks to his recent form, he’s too good to refuse.

Hooker

Jayden Brailey ($12,650)

Brailey has been enormous in his rookie season, showing a work-ethic, class and poise that is usually reserved for those far more experienced. Last week his work-ethic was on full display as he made a career-high 56 tackles in a standout 80 minute defensive performance against the Cowboys. With James Maloney out, Brailey may be asked to handle a little more of the attacking workload which will only result in more points.

Second Row Forward

Adam Elliot ($12,000)

Elliot has been released into the starting line up in the last three weeks and has been used as an 80-minute back-rower. In this time, he’s averaged 50.8 Draftstars points thanks to some excellent tackling and running numbers. With Josh Jackson missing due to Origin and David Klemmer out too, the Dogs forward stocks have been severely hampered, which means Elliot will play the full game once again and will likely be asked to carry a heavier workload. He’s the standout choice in the second-row.

Matt Prior ($10,350)

Prior has been solid but unspectacular all season as he’s continued to do the blue collar work that makes him so valuable to the Sharks. With Andrew Fifita missing this game and the Sharks front-row stocks looking heavily depleted, there is no doubt that Prior will be leant on to provide some forward thrust in attack, which will lead to extra metres. Although his ceiling isn’t massive, ideally he will approximate the scoring of a guy like Paul Gallen whilst saving you over $8k.

Centre

Kurt Capewell ($7,150)

Don’t read too much into Capewell’s scoring so far this season as he’s mostly been used in the backline, whether it be at centre or on the wing. With the amount of players the Sharks are missing this week, Capewell has been named to start in the back row, where he will hopefully play most of his minutes. His running game on the edge is impressive and his tackling numbers will get a boost by playing in the second-row, which should result in an uptick in his scoring.

Half

Fa’amanu Brown ($6,050)

The choice in the halves is tough, with all four options having legitimate claims to the position. Ultimately though, Brown’s price tag was too cheap to ignore, which gave him the slightest of advantages over Matt Frawley in particular. Frawley’s scoring has been inflated by try scoring which means that his average is slightly inflated. Brown on the other hand, hasn’t seen any game time since round one when he played a lowly 21 minutes off the bench. In the past two years, Brown has averaged 32.55 points per 80 minutes in the five games he’s played and considering he should play the full match, if he can continue this trend he will provide great value.

Wing/Fullback

Valentine Holmes ($11,150)

Possibly the biggest snub of the Queensland Origin team, Holmes will be raring to go on Saturday night to prove to Kevin Walters that he has made the wrong call. Holmes form has been simply irresistible in the past month or so, as he’s continually made damaging, tackle breaking runs and kick returns whilst also breaking through the defensive line and assisting on tries. Basically, he’s done everything he can in attack, and against a weakened Bulldogs’ defence he should be in for a massive game this week. Add to this added attacking responsibility without James Maloney and Jack Bird and it all points to a huge score for Holmes.

Brenko Lee ($10,750)

Brenko has been consistently good this year and is certainly proving doubters wrong after plenty of people questioned his signing at the end of last season. He’s averaged 14.3 runs per game and has made 125.9 metres from these runs this season, which gives him a solid base for his scoring. His upside comes not only from his try scoring and tackle breaking, but also from his ability to throw the final pass out to the wing which has led to five try assists in the last six weeks. With Jack Bird out, Lee will be tough to defend.

The Line Up

FR-F: Aiden Tolman ($15,250)

FR-F: James Graham ($14,000)

HOOK: Jayden Brailey ($12,650)

2R-F: Adam Elliot ($12,000)

2R-F: Matt Prior ($10,350)

C: Kurt Capewell ($7,150)

HALF: Fa’amanu Brown ($6,050)

W/FB: Valentine Holmes ($11,150)

W/FB: Brenko Lee ($10,750)

Salary Remaining: $650