NRL $5,000+ BULLDOGS V BRONCOS Line-Up

It’s the eighth-placed Broncos against the 13th-placed Bulldogs in this Thursday’s blockbuster. With Moses Mbye out for the Broncos will be heavy favourites, but this Bulldogs outfit will be out to spring an upset in front of their home crowd.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $5,000+ Bulldogs v Broncos competition

Front Row Forward

Josh McGuire ($14,300)

The unflappable Broncos lock continued his huge start to the season against the Raiders last week, adding two offloads to his usual diet of 38 tackles and 133 metres. Since moving to lock full-time at the beginning of the season, McGuire has seen an uptick in his tackling numbers (39 per game, up from 33 last season), while also seeing extra time on the park. Considering he’s still available in the front-row, he’s too good to refuse.

Herman Ese’ese ($5,000)

Normally picking guys named on the bench is a bad idea and normally picking guys who average 35 minutes a game is a bad idea, but Ese’ese is anything other than normal. One of the most in-form impact players in the competition, Ese’ese has managed to average 37.40 Draftstars points in his last three games on the back of some huge tackling and metre numbers. His per minute stats are through the room and as long as he gets some solid time on ground, he will be an absolute bargain in what is a fairly weak selection of front-rowers.

Hooker

Andrew McCullough ($14,300)

Is it time to consider that Andrew McCullough may be an alien sent from space to lay tackles in NRL matches? After laying 49, 53, 62 and 61 tackles in his first four games, it’s starting to seem likely. Add to this a decent kicking game and the potential to gain some metres out of dummy-half and you have a no-brainer at hooker. Considering that Michael Lichaa is just $300 cheaper and is averaging nearly 25 points less, McCullough is definitely the way to go.

Second Row Forward

Matt Gillett ($13,700)

Gillett has been excellent to start this season, playing the full 80 in the three games that he’s been fully healthy and averaging 50.80 points in these games. Similarly to McGuire, he’s largely building these scores from tackles, laying 41 and 51 in the last two weeks. Gillett is yet to score or gain a line break this season after occasionally doing so last year and has also been down on offloads after basically getting one a game last year. If he can round out his offensive game, he will be a huge scorer this week.

Josh Jackson ($12,950)

Jackson is similar to Gillett in that he’s had three great weeks and one down week. Don’t be too worried about his score in Round 2 against the Roosters though, as he was moved to the centres and even onto a wing to cover injuries which reduced his scoring. Since moving back to the second-row he’s been his usual self, racking up huge tackle numbers whilst getting the occasional offload or tackle break. As long as he doesn’t get sin binned like he did last week, he should score around the 50 mark.

Centre

James Roberts ($12,000)

Last week against Canberra could not have been a worse match up for Roberts, due to the low-scoring nature of a game that was generally played through the middle. Against the Bulldogs, who went down 36-0 last week, the Broncos are favoured heavily to win, which will mean plenty of opportunities for Roberts to fill up the attacking stats. Don’t be surprised to see him rack up a big score against a Bulldogs defence that will have trouble containing his pace.

Half

Josh Reynolds ($12,900)

Reynolds has looked a shell of his former self at times this season, but Moses Mbye missing this week may be the shake-up he needs to get himself going. So far this season, Reynolds’ scores have reflected his kicking metres, with good scores in rounds one and three when he had 230 and 362 metres respectively. With Mbye out, he will be tasked with more playmaking responsibility alongside debutant Matt Frawley, which will mean more kicking metres and hopefully some tackle breaks. As such, he should be the highest scoring half this round.

Wing/Fullback

Brenko Lee ($9,450)

Lee will be matched up head-to-head with Roberts, which should make for a fascinating contest. Lee has been instrumental in creating opportunities for the Bulldogs this year and will once again be called upon to create chances if his team are going to hit the scoreboard. His ability to hit all areas of the stat sheet will come in handy in a game that is lacking decent options in the outside backs.

Tautau Moga ($5,250)

Similarly to Roberts, the game against Canberra certainly didn’t play into Moga’s hands, ending up with just 15.10 Draftstars points. Despite this, Moga still looks to be a good option this week in what should be a more open game. If he can avoid missing too many tackles and can go back to his electrifying, tackle-busting form of the earlier rounds, he will be a bargain pick up. His ability to score well in the Draftstars format without scoring tries sets him apart from other cheap options Brad Abbey and Marcelo Montoya who rely too heavily on tries to build a decent score.

The Line Up

FR-F: Josh McGuire ($14,300)

FR-F: Herman Ese’ese ($5,000)

HOOK: Andrew McCullough ($14,300)

2R-F: Matt Gillett ($13,700)

2R-F: Josh Jackson ($12,950)

C: James Roberts ($12,000)

HALF: Josh Reynolds ($12,900)

W/FB: Brenko Lee ($9,450)

W/FB: Tautau Moga ($5,250)

Salary Remaining: $150