One of the success stories of 2019, Manly's team is built around a core group of stars who are proven performers in NRL Fantasy.
As we count down to the start of the 2020 Fantasy season, we reveal the starting player prices and preview the key players from all 16 NRL clubs.
Tom Trbojevic
Winger/fullback, $687,000
He's an NRL superstar and an established Fantasy gun, but there's plenty of improvement left in Tom Turbo when it comes to consistent scores. Last season Trbojevic's 12 games included two injury-affected scores (including a -1 in nine minutes) plus three other scores below 30. Trim those out and his 2019 average jumps from 46 to 65.
The difference between Trbojevic and James Tedesco (who averaged 60 last season) isn't their ceiling – Trbojevic's season-high of 100 beat any individual score that Tedesco made – it's that Tedesco has fewer quiet games. If Manly's No.1 can up his involvement and stay fit there's no reason why he can't average 50 or better for the first time in Fantasy.
Daly Cherry-Evans
Half, $823,000
He's had his critics over the years but it's finally clear that DCE is the best halfback in the game (I'm talking both the NRL and Fantasy here). He was the only half to finish with an average above 55 in 2019, even if he couldn't maintain the pace that earned him four 70+ scores in the first six rounds last year while he had the goal-kicking duties. Cherry-Evans remains Manly's key playmaker and general play kicker, and he's probably the safest bet amongst Fantasy halves to hold a 50+ average by the end of the 2020 season.
Five key match-ups of the Sea Eagles' 2020 draw
Addin Fonua-Blake
Front-rower, $738,000
Manly are blessed with some high-quality, big-minute forwards – led by established Fantasy guns Jake Trbojevic and Martin Taupau – but Fonua-Blake joined them last year with his first season as a 50-point player.
Promisingly, AFB has shown massive improvement to his Fantasy scoring each year, with season averages of 26, 30, 41 and then 52. Also promisingly, he started well out of the blocks last year with scores of 54, 53 and 57 in the opening three rounds – easily passing 150 run metres in all three games. If he can improve once more in 2020 he'll be among the elite Fantasy front-rowers not named Haas.
Sea Eagles starting prices in 2020
| Daly Cherry-Evans | $823,000 | HLF |
| Jake Trbojevic | $800,000 | 2RF |
| Martin Taupau | $788,000 | FRF |
| Addin Fonua-Blake | $738,000 | FRF |
| Tom Trbojevic | $687,000 | WFB |
| Curtis Sironen | $639,000 | 2RF |
| Joel Thompson | $576,000 | 2RF |
| Cade Cust | $543,000 | HLF |
| Danny Levi | $518,000 | HOK |
| Reuben Garrick | $500,000 | WFB |
| Corey Waddell | $447,000 | 2RF |
| Dylan Walker | $446,000 | HLF, CTR |
| Brendan Elliot | $424,000 | WFB |
| Moses Suli | $388,000 | CTR |
| Taniela Paseka | $374,000 | FRF |
| Brad Parker | $345,000 | CTR |
| Jorge Taufua | $338,000 | WFB |
| Jack Gosiewski | $334,000 | 2RF |
| Toafofoa Sipley | $291,000 | FRF |
| Abbas Miski | $276,000 | WFB |
| Morgan Boyle | $246,000 | FRF |
| Lachlan Croker | $246,000 | HLF |
| Sean Keppie | $246,000 | FRF |
| Haumole Olakau'atu | $246,000 | 2RF |
| Brayden Musgrove | $228,000 | CTR |
| Sam Smith | $228,000 | CTR |
| Jade Anderson | $228,000 | WFB |
| Semisi Kioa | $228,000 | CTR |
| Albert Hopoate | $228,000 | WFB |
| Tevita Funa | $228,000 | WFB |
