The NRL is back for 2026 is back and so is the NRL's Fantasy guru Lone Scout.
I’ll be answering questions sent in by all of you each Thursday, so if you need some advice email me at thelonescout@nrl.com.au
Q: “Ponga or Kini?"
A: I have Keano Kini slightly ahead. Both players have a $600k price tag and explosive running games. Kini did out average Kalyn Ponga last season (when both played 80 minutes), however Ponga may be sharing the kicking duties with Sandon Smith when he takes the field this season. Ponga will likely score higher points some weeks, but then less in others, whereas Kini will give you a more consistent average.
Kini's got some skills
Q: “Will KP have much upside come Rd 1?”
A: Kalyn Ponga started strongly last year with 62 and 82 points in the first two rounds in 2025, however we saw a massive dip in involvement after that. Ponga will have upside having Fletcher Sharpe back and the fact Sandon Smith isn’t starting which means Ponga is all but assured of gaining the goalkicking duties. While it is great having your player play first up in Round 1, with some new rules this year in the NRL it may be better to hold back on too many Vegas players so everyone gets a gauge on how the games may be played in 2026.
Q: “Who do you think would be a better cheap bench option - Kurtis Morrin ($250K) or Cooper Bai ($250K)?”
A: Cooper Bai only made his debut at the end of last season and is a young player on the rise. Compare him to Kurtis Morrin who has significantly more outings recorded we can review on and the choice seems clear cut. Bai’s one game from the interchange in Round 27 earnt him 24 points in 29 minutes while Morrin averaged 22 points last year in roughly the same amount of minutes. Considering the upside of Bai and his strong showings in last year’s Pacific Championships it seems like Coaches will get more upside from selecting Bai than Morrin.
Q: “Who are you going to captain?”
A: Keeping Captaincy simple with the split Round 1 and going with Payne Haas. Though it is smarter to usually select a player playing in Las Vegas as your Vice Captain, the keepers are slim pickings for the opening two matches this year so I advise sticking with the other safest option there in Nathan Cleary.
Q: “I’ve got Grant starting Hooker, but I need someone as a backup, who’s a good cheapie or mid-range DPP?”
A: With the only cheapie options now injured or not counting on huge output my option would be to looking at Chris Randall who was lucky to retain the HOK/MID Dual Positioning and is a good chance to be lining up in the Lock position for the Titans or the new Cowboy Reed Mahoney who has just the straight Hooker.
Ride with the Cowboys
Q: “Hi Lone Scout you talk about looping, how is this possible when both captain and vice-captain are locked in at the start of each round?”
A: The simple method is to put a non-playing player (On bye week, injured/suspended or not selected to play) in your 4th bench position (INT 4), and the player you want to loop in the 5th bench spot (EMG #1). If they score well you can leave the arrangement as is, otherwise you can swap in a different player you have that is still yet to play from your emergency bench (EMG 2-4) into the INT 4 slot to get their scores instead.
NRL Fantasy Podcast - Episode 1
Q: “Hi Lone Scout you talk about looping, how is this possible when both captain and vice-captain are locked in at the start of each round?”
A: Looping is still an option for all regular chosen players, however NRL Fantasy does not allow “Captaincy Looping” as both are locked in once reaching the first game of the round’s scheduled kick-off and for this reason be super careful with both of your captaincy options going into Sunday.
