NRL Fantasy player watch: Dane Gagai
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NRL Fantasy 2018
Dane Gagai, CTR/WFB, $631,000
Queensland's 2017 player of the series and Kangaroos World Cup star Dane Gagai lands at the Rabbitohs under new coach Athony Seibold and with the club in something of a rebuilding phase. While Gagai is a destructive winger or competent fullback he looks likely to start the season in the centres, a position from which he was Newcastle's best player in plenty of games last season.
Scoring potential: 4/5
Gagai produced two scores in the 80s and another two in the 50s from centre in 2017, though his season-high 92 came at fullback. He finished the year with a 43 average; his 143 busts at just over six per game made him one of the best tackle-busters in the competition, to go with his 134 metres per game plus 10 line breaks. There is plenty of room for improvement in the tries column, with just two four-pointers last year.
Reliability: 4/5
Gagai will be an automatic selection in Seibold's side when available though he does have Origin duties mid-season. His versatility enables Seibold to use Gagai at wing or fullback though his running game and work rate mean he can score well from all three positions. Gagai had just three scores under 30 with a worst of 24 in 2017 – consistent numbers for an attacking player in a wooden spoon side.
Value: 2/5
Aside from the likelihood of scoring a few more tries than last year there's no obvious upside in terms of Gagai's scoring. He'd need to average better than 43 to make any money and – the return of Greg Inglis aside – there's no obvious reason why Souths should be a significantly better attacking team than in 2017. Still, there's not a single player in Fantasy available at centre who averaged better than Gagai's 43 in 2017 and that fact alone should see him into plenty of teams.
