NRL $500+ Saturday Line-Up
Saturday kicks off with first verses last as the Storm take on the Knights. However, Newcastle are running hot after winning their last three games and will be looking to spring an upset at home. Then, the Roosters take on the Tigers in a must win clash for the tri colours if they want to finish top two. Lastly is the match of the day, with the Cowboys and Sharks both trying to get back into form before the finals kick off.
Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $500+ Saturday competition
Front Row Forward
Nelson Asofa-Solomona ($8,950)
Asofa-Solomona has started in each of the last four weeks despite being named on the bench each week. He’s been named on the bench once again this week, but in all likelihood will actually see even more game time with Tim Glasby out. Last week he ended up with 34 tackles and 84 metres for 46.4 Draftstars points, but it’s usually his running game that allows him to rack up the stats. Given his massive frame, it’s not surprising that he’s tough to bring to ground and this allows him to break tackles, get off an offload and eat plenty of metres. Expect another good score this week.
Josh King ($8,300)
King will be going head-to-head with Asofa-Solomona this week and will undoubtedly relish the task. The young prop has shown plenty of promise this season, with his ball skills complimenting his running game and giving a glimpse of the skilled props that will be commonplace in the game soon. He’s consistently scoring over 30 Draftstars points and he has plenty of upside thanks to his ability to rack up plenty of tackling and running numbers. The Storm love to push the ball through the middle of the park, so King will have a massive workout defensively which should result in plenty of tackles.
Hooker
Jake Granville ($11,550)
Granville has had to step up in the absence of Johnathan Thurston and will have to do even more with Gavin Cooper and now Justin O’Neill out too. Last week he made 37 tackles in a solid defensive performance, but it’s in attack where he has stood up recently. His ability to know when to pass, run and kick out of dummy-half is as good as any, and it has seen him score and assist multiple tries in recent weeks. In a must-win clash against the Sharks, Granville stepping up and providing strong leadership will be crucial to North Queensland’s chances.
Second Row Forward
Lachlan Fitzgibbon ($12,500)
Fitzgibbon has returned to the starting line up in the last fortnight and has turned himself into one of the most sought after free agents on the market. The Knights are desperate to keep him and it’s easy to see why. He constantly is energising his team and he has the ability to break open games with his barnstorming running game. He has made twelve tackle breaks in the last two weeks and has scored a try in both games as well. He’s in red-hot form, so jump on and enjoy the ride.
Coen Hess ($11,400)
Speaking of boom back-rowers, Coen Hess could be the best of the lot. He’ll be in the starting line up again this week and is due for a bounce back performance after missing twelve tackles last week. In attack, Hess is one of the most damaging forwards in the league already, as his twelve tries this season can attest. Not only is he a nightmare close to the line, he also has the ability to eat plenty of metres and consistently break tackles. Cronulla’s edge defence was atrocious last week and Hess is the perfect man to capitalise on their shortcomings.
Centre
Will Chambers ($10,600)
Chambers is almost universally recognised as the best centre in the game at the moment and rightfully so. He’s averaging 45.6 Draftstars points in his last three outings thanks to plenty of tackle breaks, running metres and two tries. He’s as good as any at exploiting an overlap – whether he’s running the ball himself or handing it off to Suliasi Vunivalu – and there should be plenty of chances to do this against the Knights on Saturday.
Half
Luke Brooks ($10,950)
Brooks has really taken control of his side in recent weeks, showcasing the promise that has had him spoken about as one of the best young talents in the league in the last couple of years. His kicking game is solid, but his long kicking results in plenty of metres and plenty of Draftstars points. The Tigers are starting to play better football and Brooks will be keen to keep the momentum going as they look to rebuild without three members of their former ‘big four’ next season.
Wing/Fullback
Dane Gagai ($13,450)
Gagai was absolutely outstanding last week in his return to fullback, assisting on three tries, breaking eleven tackles and running 224 metres. His positioning was superb and he was almost always in the right position to support his forwards, a trait that will be crucial against one of the best defences in the competition this week. Unlike other outside backs, he can pile on a massive Draftstars score without scoring multiple tries and this will be key against a Storm team that is airtight defensively.
Josh Addo-Carr ($11,750)
Unlike Gagai, Addo-Carr is an outside back that relies on his try scoring to build his Draftstars scores. Luckily he comes up against the Knights this week, which should mean plenty of chances for the speedy flyer to add to his tally. Addo-Carr is a try scoring machine, with sixteen already this season, with almost all of those coming from a line break. At full flight he is unstoppable due to his sheer pace and there is no doubt that he will be a handful for the Knights to stop. He’s scored over 50 Draftstars points on multiple occasions this season and could add to that tally this week if the Storm win comfortably, as expected.
The Line Up
FR-F: Nelson Asofa-Solomona ($8,950)
FR-F: Josh King ($8,300)
HOOK: Jake Granville ($11,550)
2R-F: Lachlan Fitzgibbon ($12,500)
2R-F: Coen Hess ($11,400)
C: Will Chambers ($10,600)
HALF: Luke Brooks ($10,950)
W/FB: Dane Gagai ($13,450)
W/FB: Josh Addo-Carr ($11,750)
Salary Remaining: $550
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