NRL Fantasy: Lone Scout's Winners and Losers Round 8

A fantastic round of footy and massive fantasy scores made for entertaining viewing in one of the most important weeks on the rugby league calendar. 

Let’s see how it all broke down with some big time winners and some unlucky losers.

Lone Scout's Winners and Losers

Winners

The round opener set the stage for the always incredible Anzac weekend with both Adam Doueihi (93) and Alex Twal (93) going large. Twal is back to captain or vice-captain relevant after a quieter week last week. Terrell May (65) is running the ball harder than ever and may even be an Origin shout, he is one to target after the Wests Tigers Round 12 bye if he misses out for NSW. Brother Taylan May (52) is also one for the watchlist after a good display.

The end of a winning streak sees a low scoring affair for the club from the nation's capital. Joseph Tapine (54) skates by his break-even but only just and will see his price rises halt next week. While Zac Hosking (60) reminds us why we all owned him the last few years now that he has earnt back a starting spot.

Tom Dearden (75) led the way for the Cowboys after a high scoring win against the Sharks. Season top cash cows Tom Chester (62) and Heilum Luki (69) maintain their unbelievable results as they not only see further cash rises but are realistically keepers at this point. Scott Drinkwater (64) hits back after a low output last round and continues to a be a great POD WFB for his owners. Tom Mikaele (56) rewarded coaches who have been eyeing off his minutes rise this year with another above 50 game.

Blayke Brailey (71) again demonstrates why he needs to be in Fantasy squads long-term as he holds the top spot for the otherwise unreliable HOK position. Another making the most of a temporary placement is Siosifa Talakai (70), taking us back to 2023 centre form. Nicho Hynes (63) stays in the conversation as an option to cover the tricky bye rounds and KL Iro (68) records his first signs of last year after his massive price drops and should see interest if able to repeat the feat next week.

Top trade in target and dual MID/EDG player Xavier Willison (79) looks after owners with a big game for the injury-ravaged Broncos. Willison’s try at the death was the icing on the cake of a strong performance. Fellow fill-in forwards Ben Talty (57) and Jack Gosiewski (58) also stepped up but with Pat Carrigan returning next week neither should be traded in. 

The youngster Lachlan Galvin (56) is the sole entry today on the green arrow side of this report as the Bulldogs were unable to chase down a determined Broncos outfit.

A double sin bin afternoon set a heavy task for the still winless Dragons after the departure of coach Shane Flanagan during the week. Dual position prop Toby Couchman (61) held his own during the clash as did the ever solid interchange injection of Hamish Stewart (54). 

The Roosters get the chocolates on Anzac Day again headed by James Tedesco (70) rewarding owners with a dynamic display. Despite so many well performing edges, Siua Wong (67) is separating from the pack and won’t be able to be ignored for too much longer. Sam Walker (81) seems to love playing on Anzac Day and he carved up the Dragons middle all day long. Reece Robson (58) and Robert Toia (54) did their Origin chances no harm and while no longer buys, owners can continue to hold right up to Round 12.

With a re-occurring injury to Mitch Barnett, Jackson Ford (87) preserves his career best form taking us back to his rookie year and poses a must own if left out of Origin camp for the bye rounds. Meanwhile Erin Clark (66) again tempts a recall to squads after a fantastic result. Taine Tuaupiki (64) has another great game when picked, if he gets selection clarity he is one to consider.

Starting off red hot, Herbie Farnworth (56) managed most of his points early with his try only 10 minutes into the piece but was quiet for the remainder of the match. Max Plath (56) is teasing coaches with another big game, however with Jeremy Marshall-King expected to return this week and his strong efforts putting him into the Origin frame he might be a draft only selection. The explosive edge pairing of Connolly Lemuelu (63) and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (49) again make an impact though the Dolphins miss the competition points again in their fourth consecutive game.

Another week resulting in further concerns for the juggernaut Melbournians, the Storm outfit struggle to mesh and see another loss and further the undesired club record. Stefano Utoikamanu (61) and Harry Grant (56) are the only two to note during the loss as coach Craig Bellamy may have to make changes seeing his side is now second last on the ladder.  

A handy hat-trick sees owners and non owners alike take notice of Tallis Duncan (91) and his tackle-busting running game. Fellow edge Euan Aitken (53) is also one to watch with David Fifita still missing for another month. The risk has paid off for selectors who brought in the resurgent Matthew Dufty (66) who may still face retuning to NSW Cup with Jye Gray noted for a return in the next couple of weeks. The top centre still gets it done after the opposition was unable to find any answer to Latrell Mitchell (87) who is no doubt making the Blues camp this year.

  Though taking the loss in front of a home crowd the returned, Kiwi superstar Dylan Brown (96) may force hands of some Fantasy coaches this week after a personal 90+ high score will see an incredibly low break-even heading into Round 9. 

In a response to Teddy’s epic highlights last week, Dylan Edwards (92) hits back to fight for his fullback Origin spot this week. Captaincy favourite Nathan Cleary (85) furthers the “set and forget” standards that has become Fantasy law. Brian To’o (90) finally had the big game that we all now he can muster. Paul Alamoti (65) also went large as the Panthers went more right than left for one of the only times so far this year. The ever consistent Isaah Yeo (65) rewards holders again as the Panthers cement their standings at the top of the ladder. 

The revived back row pairing in Ben Trbojevic (70) and Haumole Olakau'atu (70) mirror their efforts as the two have stamped their impressions within Manly’s four game winning run. Lehi Hopoate (62) deserves a mention as the main recipient of the home side’s big second half. Brandon Wakeham (60) showed signs of life with a huge base stat performance including 45 tackles in his 69 minutes of play. Jamal Fogarty (78) also starred and is a tempting option with the Sea Eagles scheduled to play in Round 12 and Round 15 during the Origin period. 

Luca Moretti (67) has put back-to-back big scores in as starting prop and while his output was increased by a try is still a great cut-priced option if named again this week. Brian Kelly (65) wound back the clock against his old side but this was likely an outlier effort. With his top score so far this season, Joash Papalii (41) will finally see his price rises bump up for owners still holding the second-string fullback. Skipper Mitchell Moses (55) never gave up and his score was saved with a late try in the piece.

Losers

The POD HOK option of Apisai Koroisau (34) has failed to land after a sin-binning and now likely suspension cruelling his otherwise big effort performance. Patrick Herbert (1) pained owners even more than last week after being a replacement for Jahreem Bula (22) late in the game. Injuries really hurt the normally high flying back rowers Kai Pearce-Paul (30) and Noah Martin (23), Martin is a sell regardless of the injury designation as he has hit his peak in price.

Jaxon Purdue (28) posts his lowest result for this season during a high scoring match at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. For Cronulla, the return of skipper Cam McInnes (20) didn’t see the impact as expected seeing he only played 24 minutes off the bench. However game script also hurt Jesse Colquhoun (35) and he will need to be moved on with McInnes one to watch as he extends his game time over the next few rounds.

Lessons for coaches trying to plump on Brendan Piakura (19) as an injury curtailed his day early. Bailey Hayward (22) was benched for this one and is now an urgent sell.

The perfect example of always wait a week, young playmaker Kade Reed (6) was highly involved but also suffered a number of missed tackling demerits which was reflected in his fantasy score. Reed did have a try disallowed so don’t abandon him during the Dragons bye but just pop him in your emergencies for a few weeks as a slow burn option. Ryan Couchman (42) had a hard time defending next to Reed which also affected his score but he still got a tidy price rise due to his negative break even heading into the Anzac Day game. The return of Victor Radley (25) has taken its toll on Naufahu Whyte (25) with the two sharing the minutes. Connor Watson (20) hasn’t panned out as Reece Robson is getting all the game time, both Whyte and Watson require a trade as soon as possible.

Up and down utility Leka Halasima (23) is causing concerns for owners and is one to give up on for now. Tanah Boyd (42) finally had a quieter game but is still a firm hold. Ali Leiataua (31) looked good in patches but an injury meant he had to leave the match early. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (32) was a potential trade-in target after two 50 plus games in the centres but he couldn’t re-produce despite an early try assist. Isaiya Katoa (34) couldn’t back up last week’s solid outing and remains as a second-tier option for the bye period.

Those who held Joe Chan (32) can now definitely get off the train as he may not even survive team list Tuesday. Cameron Munster (36) is getting extremely cheap and could be one to target post Origin. Jahrome Hughes (37) had a multitude of injuries and will now miss next week due to a Category 1 HIA. Owners chasing his epic outing last round will face a headache with Brandon Smith (12) reaggravating his past calf issues 13 minutes into the game and will be another must trade option this week. Cameron Murray (35) was surprisingly quiet in the big win and his high salary might finally dip into purchasing territory.

The fantasy fortunes of Trey Mooney (26) have mirrored his side as the Knights slumped to their third straight loss at home. Those who plumped for Dane Gagai (17) as a POD centre will now need to jump off as the former Origin player couldn’t contain the high-powered Panthers backline. Fletcher Hunt (8) had a day to forget and hopefully owners only had him in their emergencies. Tom Jenkins (31) finally had a quiet day as the Panthers didn’t look to his side of the field as much as normal. This also affected Isaiah Papali’i (39) who couldn’t backup last week’s heroics. Freddy Lussick (33) was an intriguing cut-price option this week but considering his output included a try, he is firmly in the hold but not buy category.

Everyone going for Tolatau Koula (37) due to the positive match-up were correct except for one thing, Koula was unable to cash in on the big Manly win. He is still a strong hold with high upside over the next two months. Kobe Hetherington (30) has had some strong fantasy performances this year but not so in this one with his inconsistency prohibiting ownership. Jack Williams (36) and Charlie Guymer (26) didn’t get the game script to aid their fantasy days but should bounce back next week at home.

Round 8 NRL Fantasy Team of the Week 

1. Dylan Edwards (WFB) – 92 points
2. James Tedesco (WFB) – 70 points
3. Paul Alamoti (CTR/WFB) – 75 points
4. Latrell Mitchell (CTR/WFB) – 87 points
5. Brian To’o (WFB) – 81 points
6. Adam Doueihi (HLF) – 93 points
7. Dylan Brown (HLF) – 96 points
8. Xavier Willison (MID/EDG) – 79 points
9. Blayke Brailey (HOK) – 71 points
10. Jackson Ford (MID) – 87 points
11. Tallis Duncan (EDG) – 91 points
12. Haumole Olakau'atu (EDG) – 70 points
13. Alex Twal (MID) – 93 points
14. Nathan Cleary (HLF) – 85 points
15. Sam Walker (HLF) – 81 points 
16. Jamal Fogarty (HLF) – 78 points
17. Tom Dearden (HLF) – 75 points

We will see plenty of tough decisions to make this week with player either missing or returning to the fold so get those questions through to thelonescout@nrl.com.au as we take on the team lists come Tuesday. Also stay tuned to the best source of truth for your fantasy news and updates that is NRL.com.