NRL $500+ Broncos v Storm Line-Up
It’s first against third on Friday night as the Storm head to Suncorp Stadium to play the Broncos. Brisbane haven’t lost at home since round two and will be looking to cement their place as a Premiership contender, while the Storm are welcoming their Origin players back and will be out to reconcile their golden point loss to the Roosters last week. This should make for a cracking Draftstars contest, with so many superstars to choose from.
Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $500+ Broncos v Storm competition
Front Row Forward
Jesse Bromwich ($12,300)
Bromwich looks to be back to his former self after a tough start to the season, which included a lengthy suspension. In the last two weeks he’s been a workhorse on the defensive end, laying 41 tackles in each game. This is great news for Storm fans considering Bromwich has been one of the most dominant ball-running props in the league in the last couple of years. His ability to keep the possession going by dishing out the offload has been especially valuable, with 52 offloads in 2014 and 50 in 2016. This season he has just nine, so if he can find a way to recapture that aspect of his game, he will present even more value on top of his solid tackling and running numbers.
Tim Glasby ($10,450)
Glasby has enjoyed an unimaginable change of fortunes in the last couple of years, going from a journeyman 24-year old debutant in 2013 to an Origin player in 2017. He returns to the starting line-up this week after coming off the bench last round and there is an undoubted uptick in his numbers when he starts. His ability to make an impact in a variety of statistical categories is handy for a front-rower; he has assisted two tries this year, made four line breaks and scored a try as well. In addition, he is solid defensively and has been used as more of a metre-eater in recent times due to the absences of Christian Welch and Jordan McLean.
Hooker
Cameron Smith ($19,650)
He comes at a premium, but Smith is worth the extra coin in this contest given the concerns around the other options. Griffin won’t see enough minutes, Nikorima has similar concerns given Ben Hunt and Benji Marhsall’s form, whilst McCullough isn’t cheap enough to justify picking over Smith. When given the option to pick one of the greatest players of all time, sometimes you have to take it and Smith has been in cracking form recently. His dominance out of dummy-half is unparalleled and he rarely makes a bad decision. He racks up plenty of tackles and he always finds a way to impact the game in attack. He’s worth the coin
Second Row Forward
Felise Kaufusi ($12,000)
Kaufusi is back to playing 80 minutes and given his recent form, it’s certainly justified. He’s probably the most in-form second-rower in the competition at the moment and is basically unstoppable when he’s running the ball. His positioning is perfect and his combinations with the Storm’s playmakers is improving to the point where Kaufusi is hitting defensive holes every week. He averages nearly 35 tackles on defence as well, which shows just how hard he works for Melbourne.
Tevita Pangai Junior ($7,150)
Pangai Junior returned early from a knee and finger injury sustained in round seven and has only just started to look like he is back to full fitness. After a week off for the bye, Pangai Junior looked refreshed last week as he made eleven runs for 122 metres, 16 tackles and an offload in a solid performance. His ability to create second phase action by getting off the offload is impressive and he manages to get off the offload in plenty of his runs. Because of this, he is always extremely influential for the Broncos despite not playing huge minutes and will be a key player against a Storm pack that rarely gets beaten.
Centre
Will Chambers ($9,750)
This man is quickly becoming a superstar and is certainly in contention for the mantle of best centre in the NRL. He always finds a way to impact the contest, whether it’s carrying the ball for big metres, making tackle breaking runs or finding himself on the end of a try. Coming up against Tautau Moga and Corey Oates won’t be the easiest night for Chambers, but he is a quality footballer and will undoubtedly find a way to influence the contest.
Half
Benji Marshall ($8,750)
Benji was incredible last week as he combined with Ben Hunt to win the Broncos the game against the Raiders. His magical footwork was brilliant to watch and his two try assists were vintage Marshall, faking outside and throwing it to the inside man. After a game like that, there is no doubt that he’ll see big minutes once again, and against a Storm team that will be looking to beat the Broncos at the basics, a little magic from Benji might be game changing. His running game is on song and he looks a threat to create a chance whenever he has the ball, so there is every chance he ends up with another big Draftstars score.
Wing/Fullback
Josh Addo-Carr ($10,500)
Addo-Carr has been a brilliant pick up for the Storm this year, with the speedy winger providing them with a great attacking option out wide. Coming up against the James Roberts and David Mead defensive combination should be good news for Addo-Carr who will be looking to use his speed and power to break through the often shaky edge defence. He currently leads the Storm in tackle breaks, line breaks and metres and is second in tries. His value is undisputed and he’ll have to have a massive game if the Storm are to knock off the Broncos at Suncorp.
Corey Oates ($9,300)
After being ousted from the Origin arena Oates has been excellent in his response to the dropping. In the last five rounds, he’s scored five tries, made a line break each week, made sixteen tackle breaks and has run an average of 172.6 metres. Those are some phenomenal numbers and show just how in-form he is at the moment. Even when he doesn’t score a try, he always clocks up massive metre totals thanks to his ability to act as an extra second-rower and take the hit ups early in sets.
The Line Up
FR-F: Jesse Bromwich ($12,300)
FR-F: Tim Glasby ($10,450)
HOOK: Cameron Smith ($19,650)
2R-F: Felise Kaufusi ($12,000)
2R-F: Tevita Pangai Junior ($7,150)
C: Will Chambers ($9,750)
HALF: Benji Marshall ($8,750)
W/FB: Josh Addo-Carr ($10,500)
W/FB: Corey Oates ($9,300)
Salary Remaining: $150
NRL SCORING SYSTEM
Try Scored = 8 points
Goal = 2 points
Field Goal = 5 points
Try Assist = 5 points
Line Break = 4 points
Line Break Assist = 2 points
Tackle = 1 point
Tackle Break = 3 points
Missed Tackles = -2 points
Offload = 2 points
Run Metres Gained = 0.1 points
Kick Metres Gained = 0.05 points
Error = -2 points
NRL