NRL $500+ Rabbitohs v Panthers Line-Up

The round comes to a close with the Panthers travelling to ANZ Stadium to face the Rabbitohs. Both teams are in good form, with the Panthers winning four of their last five games and the Bunnies coming off a victory in their last start as well. Penrith have plenty at stake as they try to keep their finals hopes alive, but the Bunnies beat them when the two teams met in round six and will be looking to repeat that result.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $500+ Rabbitohs v Panthers competition

Front Row Forward

Reagan Campbell-Gillard ($10,950)

Campbell-Gillard has had an incredible recovery from a horrific back injury that saw him fracture two vertebrae last season. He’s slotted straight back into the Panthers starting line-up this season, playing every game this season alongside James Tamou and Trent Merrin through the middle. Against the Bunnies, Campbell-Gillard will be relied upon to make plenty of metres in order to give his star-studded backline plenty of opportunities close to the line. When the two teams met in round seven, he ended up with 112 metres from ten runs and he will be looking to improve on that performance in their second matchup.

Tim Browne ($7,650)

After spending his entire career at the Bulldogs, the unheralded front-rower has provided valuable contributions from the bench in his first season for the Panthers. His no-frills game goes unnoticed by many, but his ability to make handy metres combined with him seemingly never missing a tackle would make him a favourite of his coaches. He’s been getting more involved defensively in the last couple of weeks and has increased his tackling numbers while also managing to keep up his attacking production.

Hooker

Jason Clark ($8,750)

The options at hooker make for a tough decision in this contest, as there is always a cloud of uncertainty hanging over Robbie Farah’s and Damien Cook’s minutes, while Mitch Rein is too expensive given his production. That leaves Jason Clark, who has been used mainly at prop and lock this season, but is available at hooker nonetheless. While his upside is limited, Clark is cheap thanks to an ankle injury that forced him from the field in his 8th minute in round ten, and is a safe option that plays consistent minutes and almost always scores in the 30s for Draftstars. Lock him in and spend the money you save elsewhere.

Second Row Forward

Angus Crichton ($18,850)

Crichton has been incredible recently and is certainly one of the most in-form players in the competition. He single-handedly beat the Titans last week, scoring a hat trick of tries, running 200 metres, making four line breaks and breaking twelve tackles in a performance that saw him end up with a whopping 121 Draftstars points. His ability to bust tackles is so good that he leads all forwards in the league for tackle breaks despite playing just 13 games. Defensively he’s solid as well and he hasn’t missed more than two tackles in a game since round five which makes it clear why he is being spoken about as one of the brightest young talents in the game.

Tyrell Fuimaono ($11,500)

Fuimaono has been thrust into the starting back-row in recent weeks as John Sutton has moved to five-eighth and he has certainly made the most of his time there. Last week, he showcased his damaging running game by breaking seven tackles en route to 116 metres. He played the full 80 minutes and showed no signs of lapsing on the defensive end either, making 30/31 tackles in a solid performance that was overshadowed by that of his fellow back-rower, Angus Crichton. The Bunnies will be looking for a similar performance by Fuimaono if they’re to beat the red-hot Panthers.

Centre

Waqa Blake ($8,050)

Blake has been a passenger in the last couple of weeks after a nice purple patch of form in the middle of the season. Coming up against the Bunnies will be the perfect chance for Blake to recapture his form given their struggles defending out wide. At his best, Blake is a tackle breaking machine that manages to cause damage through his powerful running game, whether it be hit ups or breaking the line. He will be tough for the Bunnies to contain and he will certainly be looking to assert himself on this contest after a lean few weeks.

Half

Matt Moylan ($12,450)

Given his quality, Moylan is great value as the cheapest half available in this contest. He is so crucial to Penrith’s attack and has a say in almost all of their scoring action thanks to his ability to time his passes to perfection and read the game well. In addition to this, his running game seems to have been reinvigorated with his move to the halves and he has recorded seven line breaks in the last six games after failing to break the defensive line even once in the first eight rounds. Moylan averages 45.1 Draftstars points when the Panthers win this season and against the twelfth-placed Rabbitohs, he’s in line for another standout performance.

Wing/Fullback

Josh Mansour ($13,400)

Mansour has picked up from where he left off before he underwent a knee reconstruction and has had three great performances for the Panthers in his three games since his return. After finishing with the third most line breaks and tackle breaks in the competition last season and the second most total metres run, Mansour has already broken 24 tackles in three games and is averaging a tick under 200 metres per game. He will be basically unstoppable against the Bunnies and is worth every cent.

Aaron Gray ($7,550)

Gray will get the chance to line up at his favoured centre position for the first time this season with Hymel Hunt missing due to a thumb injury. Gray finished last season in the centres for the Bunnies and was excellent as he consistently racked up over 100 metres, scored four tries in nine games and rarely missed a tackle on defence. Given he is off-contract at the end of the season, Gray will be keen to show potential suitors that he is still a quality centre at NRL level.

The Line Up

FR-F: Reagan Campbell-Gillard ($10,950)

FR-F: Tim Browne ($7,650)

HOOK: Jason Clark ($8,750)

2R-F: Angus Crichton ($18,850)

2R-F: Tyrell Fuimaono ($11,500)

C: Waqa Blake ($8,050)

HALF: Matt Moylan ($12,450)

W/FB: Josh Mansour ($13,400)

W/FB: Aaron Gray ($7,550)

Salary Remaining: $850