NRL Fantasy: Lone Scout's Winners and Losers Round 22

A record-breaking opener, more carnage with late outs and Fantasy elites heading into the casualty ward but despite all that there were some bumper scorelines by coaches in the know. 

With the season pushing towards its climax, there is more scramble than ever before. Here are the game notes of each match held across another huge weekend of football. 

Lone Scout's Winners and Losers

Winners 

A cracking start to the weekend of football started with a record for the NRL era and the third highest score in history. The Tricolours were relentless from the opening whistle until shaking hands at the close, with the Cowboys never able to get a foothold. With such a one-sided scoreboard and possession statistic, it’s no surprise that the Fantasy scores for the Cowboys were on the lower end right across the board. Mainstay Heilum Luki (57) was the only one managing a descent score due to a forced turnover and a respectable tackle count.  

The Roosters put up 82 points even with three disallowed tries, it will be a tough feat to beat for a long time. Sam Walker (106) was the instigator for nearly everything, he topped the game and the round and is the first from the Chooks to pass the three digits this year. Mark Nawaqanitawase (80) hit back after a string of quiet games and he will be invaluable for those who can afford to bring him in over the final month. The late switch to a starting role fitted Salesi Foketi (58) nicely as he scored his second career four-pointer. Foketi played left edge which left Nat Butcher (47) in the middle and as a result becomes a sell next week. Robert Toia (60) and Tommy Talau (57) got their fair share of opportunities as did the impressive Cody Ramsey (50) who only played half a game. Still making an entry despite being taken off at half-time, James Tedesco (51) was on track for a big one, and as a total, the Roosters fullbacks hit the century mark combined.  

Yet another close encounter for the Dragons as they went down to the Dolphins only due to a late try. This week it wasn’t just their forward pack earning the Fantasy favour with both Valentine Holmes (69) and Clint Gutherson (60) winding back the clock to put together some of their best performances this season. Ryan Couchman (97) was unluckily a touch short of hitting the century when he posted his finest outing yet, supported ably by Hamish Stewart (50). 

The Dolphins didn’t have it all their own way but did pinch the win late. Two to bounce back to their best was centre pairing Herbie Farworth (82) and Jack Bostock (50). Edge back-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (63) yet again clears plenty of points also just in base, he is an excellent option at edge for those suffering injuries at the position. Finally Selwyn Cobbo (55) cracks the 50 thanks to reaching the in-goal twice over. 

Another close loss spells the likely end of Melbourne’s season after being unable to capitalise on a strong start to the game. Though on the wrong end of the result, Sualauvi Fa’alogo (72) showed plenty of fight and was involved in everything. He remains an every week start for the rest of the year. The temporary playmaker and cash cow Tyran Wishart (55) had no ill-effects of a late switch to hooker, you can play him with confidence as long as he is starting somewhere. Trent Loiero (62) pumped out a big score and isn’t the worst option for those desperate for MIDs entering Round 23. 

The Bulldogs are now hitting a handy purple patch at the right time of year. Continuing his return to top form, top trade-in target Jacob Preston (74) got through plenty of groundwork in Friday’s closing match. Scoring a double as well as four goals off the tee, Stephen Crichton (67) is loving the move into the halves, and his ownership is rising as Crichton is a great cover for the difficult to fill centre slot. Also crossing over twice was dual MID/EDG Jaeman Salmon (71) who is revelling in the recent switch to lock. Meanwhile the Bulldogs' big dogs Leo Thompson (50) and Villiame Kikau (51) also put in plenty of yards leading to taking out the win and getting one step closer to finals football. 

Shaking off a recent string of losses, the Warriors returned to their early 2026 framework with a convincing win in the Gold Coast. In an odd turn of events no Titan was able to reach the half-century with only Beau Fermor (49) and Keano Kini (48) worth mentioning for getting close to the feature mark. 

For the Warriors it was the complete opposite with plenty hitting above par in the convincing win. Te Maire Martin (75) defied those who moved on from him this week with a showcase performance, he more than made up for the past couple of outings, scoring back-to-back tries late in the piece. His partner in the halves Chanel Harris-Tavita (63) was arguably even more involved, especially when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (55) came chiming into the backline. Jacob Laban (75) gets a special mention as he has won the starting role at edge and is having some bumper games over the past couple of months. Another edge player who can also deputise in the middle is interchange forward Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (83). He dominated the stat line and will be one to look out for in 2027 if he wins a starting role. Another to mention is Erin Clark (53) who many coaches still own while centre Ali Leiataua (59) and winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira (53) also cashed in on the big Warriors win. 

The Panthers were back in the zone in Mudgee with a conclusive 42 points put an end to the resurging Canberra’s four-game winning streak. Captaincy favourite and Fantasy darling Nathan Cleary (90) was perfect with the boot after setting up plenty of try assisting and line break assists throughout the match. Two more tries for Tom Jenkins (56) as he continues his fantastic season. Isaah Yeo (80) also featured heavily, gaining his highest marks in some time and could be a smoky POD for the run home. Meanwhile back-row partners Isaiah Papali’i (69) and Liam Martin (52) also earnt plenty of praise from their Fantasy owners. Finally Liam Henry (56) was plenty handy off the pine posting his second highest career score from the interchange in just 41 minutes on the park, he will be one to watch at the Bears in 2027. 

Canberra couldn’t repeat their fantastic month of July as they went down to the Panthers and are now running the gauntlet in their hope to make the finals this year. Fantasy owners were thanking the return of Owen Pattie (55) who put his selectors at ease, especially those who had lost Harry Grant last week. Corey Horsburgh (70) was excellent up-front and he has been outscoring fellow big man Joe Tapine (49) of late. Ethan Strange (63) seems to love Mudgee as he again hit the heights though this time his side couldn’t get the win. Others worth mentioning are Zac Hosking (52), Kaeo Weekes (58) and Matt TImoko (60) but none can be recommended at their price points. 

The Broncos couldn’t find a way to get a win despite other results heading in their favour and they are now done for 2026. Two sin bins didn’t help matters with just Payne Haas (60) and Patick Carrigan (52) holding their Fantasy line in a season to forget for Brisbane. 

A welcome sight to Knights fans with not only a big away victory but also key WFB Kalyn Ponga (60) earning his stripes after missing last round. With two tries each, Fletcher Sharpe (70) and Greg Marzhew (70) cleared more than their fair share of earnings in Round 22. Sharpe looks like a great one to own with Dylan Brown out for the year. Fellow half Sandon Smith (57) is making the most of his recall to starting playmaker though things could’ve been better if not for a disastrous night on the kicking tee. Furthering his breakout season, Francis Manuleleua (54) the young EDG will likely attract some Fantasy coaches' attention due to his low price and break even with a few forwards missing this week and beyond. 

Though initially on the back foot and down a man, Cronulla fought their way back to cement their position in the top four against South Sydney, who drop back to seventh.  The first to claim a back-to-back 100, the must have Nicho Hynes (105) will again rocket up in price and may become unaffordable to some. Also influential was Blayke Brailey (68), who topped the hookers this week while also being the most traded in player due to the injury to Harry Grant. Cam McInnes (57) and his retainers were thankful for the extra minutes, however it didn’t hurt the stocks of Addin Fonua-Blake (57) who put up a big score despite starting from the bench. Ronaldo Mulitalo (64) and Braydon Trindall (51) continue to be decent PODs as Cronulla made it five in a row. 

Not many Rabbitohs hit their heights as they continue to struggle to put back-to-back wins together. It was a tricky day for Fantasy coaches with a number of key Souths players missing. Campbell Graham (58) was one to shine on the wing, while Matt Dufty (50) has gone well since coming into the team at fullback. The only other to earn his stripes was Keaon Koloamatangi (51) - he started on the edge but later moved into the middle and was the clear standout forward for the injury-stricken side. 

Wests Tigers had a strong second-half comeback but it wasn’t enough to nab their first win since the middle of June. Adam Doueihi (92) ruined those astute coaches who were just trying to hold off until after the joint venture’s Round 23 bye, he will skyrocket in price after his huge day. Fantasy mainstays Terrell May (63) and Alex Twal (60) were joined by fellow mid Fonua Pole (60) who managed a try in this one. May and Twal will be tough holds through this week but it would be impossible to sell either of them despite the Wests Tigers season being all but over. 

Parramatta had some good moments but also let the home side back into the contest with some poor handling errors which marred the second half. Jack Williams (50) scraped through to his usual statline but he didn’t receive much support as the Eels Fantasy options remain limited. 

Losers 

The scoreline predictably proved disastrous for the home side, causing most of the top Fantasy echelon Cowboys to take a dive. Scott Drinkwater (32) was unable to get much going throughout the night and put up one of his lower end scores. 2026 darlings Braidon Burns (29) and Tom Chester (20) gave their selectors little to celebrate either, but that can clearly be put down to the scoreboard. Interestingly, with little need for his game-defining grunt work, Siua Wong (38) was scarcely called on with the Roosters having spent so much awaiting conversions. 

The Dragons not only fell short but they also lost key middle forward Toby Couchman (21) who failed a Cat 2 after being of the top trade-in targets this week. Owners wait with baited breath to see if Couchman and the club decide to apply for independent assessment to gain clearance to front the Sharks next week. Hopefully those who used Jeremy Marshall-King (37) as a nice Origin cover have well and truly moved on, he is losing too many minutes to Max Plath (49) at dummy half to be Fantasy relevant anymore. 

The Storm copped the loss at home and also had a few underwhelming on the fantasy stat sheet. Those who jumped back on Moses Leo (29) won’t be too happy with the showing presented as he crossed twice but had too many demerits to end up with a shining score. Cooper Clarke (35) was also less productive in his time on the field. The zippy CTR/WFB Jacob Kiraz (28) still nailed five tackle breaks, however his results were let down by errors and missed tackles. Another with a lower than we have come to expect result was Lachlan Galvin (46), and his owners again feel the sting of Stephen Crichton taking the reins and the majority of last-tackle kick options. 

Hit heavily on both the scoreboard and in Fantasy scores, the Titans had quite a few of their top-shelf performers put up some underwhelming results in their big loss to the Warriors. Oliver Pascoe (36) recorded his lowest 80-minute performance to date, he did play the last few minutes at halfback after Zane Harrison (29) suffered a painful injury which required him assistance to leave the field. Though not terrible, Jayden Campbell (45) was similarly quieter than his usual self, considering the near 100 points scored against the Dragons last week and other halfback’s bumper results in Round 22. 

Despite the big Panthers win over the Raiders, Fantasy was unkind to Casey McLean (26) and Brian To’o (19) with Penrith sharing things around at Mudgee. Ethan Sanders (43) was the other to slip back after some big showings of late but that can always be expected from halfbacks when the scoreboard is well against your team. 

Two sin bins for Brisbane certainly hurt their Fantasy chances, with Reece Walsh (44) being one of the offenders which cruelled his owners' chances of a bigger result. Walsh did redeem himself somewhat by scoring the Broncos' sole try in the midpoint of the second half. Another of the home side’s mainstays, Xavier Willison (3), had his coaches flummoxed after he disappeared down the tunnel very early on with a laceration on his knee. Owners will be fretting on Willison’s ability to avoid infection and they may not be certain of the outcome due to the type of injury it is. Just one minute later, skipper Adam Reynolds (-2) came off second best in a heavy collision and failed his Category 1 HIA checks in just the sixth minute. For Newcastle, Jermaine McEwen (19) was hit heavy with negatives thanks to being their sole player sin-binned in conjunction with a slew of errors all through the match. 

Cronulla got the win but Fantasy favourite KL Iro (10) became another to join the growing casualty ward after failing his HIA and is now set to miss the upcoming clash against the Dragons. Brandon Smith (13) was again shown to be a Fantasy liability having so little to show for his 57 minutes of game time. Though opening the scoring, Latrell Siegwalt (30) was held fairly quiet during this one and may not survive team list Tuesday with coach Wayne Bennett expecting a few back. Speaking of which, the late out of Euan Aitken was perhaps the most troubling result for Fantasy coaches who weren’t expecting it after Aitken picked up an illness during the week. It highlights the need to set up your bench and emergencies appropriately every single round just in case the unexpected happens. 

Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels played out the lowest scoring game of the round and it showed with some of the Fantasy outputs. Samuela Fainu (36) had some big efforts earlier in the year but couldn’t replicate that on Sunday. Dummy half and captain Apisai Koroisau (34) was another to under-perform having attracted too much ire from the officials and simple errors to gain enough beneficial stats. Mitch Moses (36) also achieved little for his Fantasy outcome in a surprising result as he usually performs well against his old club. Despite scoring the match-winner, it proved not enough for Isaiah Iongi (33) who can now easily be sold if you have the trades to do it. 

Round 22 NRL Fantasy Team of the Week 

1. Fletcher Sharpe (HLF/WFB) – 80 points 
2. Greg Marzhew (WFB) – 70 points 
3. Herbie Farnworth (CTR) – 82 points 
4. Valentine Holmes (CTR) – 69 points 
5. Mark Nawaqanitawase (WFB) – 80 points 
6. Nicholas Hynes (HLF) – 105 points 
7. Sam Walker (HLF) – 106 points 
8. Jaeman Salmon (MID/EDG) – 71 points 
9. Blayke Brailey (HOK) – 68 points 
10. Isaah Yeo (MID) – 80 points 
11. Jacob Laban (EDG) – 75 points 
12. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (EDG) – 83 points 
13. Ryan Couchman (MID/EDG) – 97 points 
14. Adam Doueihi (HLF) – 92 points 
15. Nathan Cleary (HLF) – 90 points  
16. Te Maire Martin (HLF) – 75 points 
17. Jacob Preston (EDG) – 74 points  

 

Stay tuned to NRL.com for Team List Tuesday and get your questions in to thelonescout@nrl.com.au to feature in this Thursday Q&A article.