NRL Fantasy: Lone Scout's Winners and Losers Round 23

It was an action-packed weekend of footy with more than one contest going down to the wire. 

There were comeback stories a plenty and a few more hit the unavailability list so let’s take a look at who stood out, who underwhelmed and who is on the trading block for this week.  

Lone Scout's Winners and Losers

Winners

Forget last weeks worst scoreline in the NRL era, North Queensland came bursting out of the gates with Titans seemingly ambushed and unable to mount much of a counter. For just the third game this year, a big 70+ minutes for Titans big man Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (68). Another clocking plenty of time on the pitch was off-season hopeful Josh Patston (57) who finally got an opportunity to start on the edge and played the full 80, showing off his Fantasy prospects at the wrong end of the season. The only tryscorer for Gold Coast, Phillip Sami (64) was the only one able to find fault in the Cowboys' defensive line scoring yet another double for his illustrious career. 

The Cowboys were determined for redemption in this one and never really looked like getting headed. Heilum Luki (73) switched gears and claimed his own pair of four-pointers while Jaxon Purdue (58) finally put in the type of performance in the No.7 jersey that coach Todd Payten has been looking for. It was a stunning performance from the bench with Thomas Mikaele (59) earning 1.28 points per minute in the important victory. 

Getting the jump straight through the middle no less, the Warriors hit the Panthers fast and hard and then backed up with a perfect set holding the visitors at bay. The man of the hour was last season’s breakout performer in Luke Metcalf (75). He was a late replacement for the injured Te Maire Martin and showed all the class and quality we saw in 2025 and will give coach Andrew Webster a few headaches working out what he does when Martin returns. Back to fullback and back to his best footy, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (50) clocked in plenty of tackle breaks against Penrith’s normally pristine defence. Another breaking tackles for fun was Leka Halasima (58), who reminded us all just how devastating he cn be as he broke through an incredible 11 tackles. Meanwhile the back-row bolters Kurt Capewell (51) and Jacob Laban (58) had plenty to show for their efforts during the win along with frontman and former Panther James Fisher-Harris (50).

The Panthers have definitely come back to the field as we edge closer to finals time. Fantasy coaches who captained Nathan Cleary (71) were no doubt worried until he came home with a wet sail, scoring a try to save his day. No tries to add to his record-breaking season but Tom Jenkins (59) didn’t let that stop him scoring a motzer with 242 running metres claimed by the star winger. Even in the losing squad their forwards Liam Henry (55), Isaiah Papali’I (51), Lindsay Smith (58) and Freddy Lussick (52) all claimed their fair share of points. Henry is the most intriguing of the bunch here for those with trades in their pockets. 

The Roosters had the lead, lost it, but then got it back to win with the final argument. Billy Smith (67) might not love playing on the wing but it is doing his Fantasy numbers no harm, claiming first in run metres for the contest. The new second-row pairing in Salesi Foketi (51) and Siua Wong (51) matched each other’s efforts with both even crashing over the white stripe. Special shout-out to Naufahu Whyte (55) who was close to best on field and it showed with his Fantasy score and hit-up stats. 

Thanks to a fine try and some individual brilliance in the second half, Lachlan Galvin (63) was in line for a top score and probably ended a little short of where he could’ve been at one point during the second half. Top trade-in target Jacob Preston (59) continues his rise back to the top since his return from injury, he belied the tough match-up to poll well for his trusting owners. Leo Thompson (58) and Jacob Kiraz (49) are also worth mentioning as the main protagonists for the blue and white. 

The Storm saved their best and worst performances for 2026 in the same game but luckily for them the second half was the good part and they ran out easy winners in Perth. Our 2026 Mr Reliable Sualauvi Fa’alogo (60) featured heavily in the comeback and is making a case for 2027 first WFB picked with his constant high scoring. In just his second run at top-grade footy, Hayden Watson (61) had his break-out performance and claimed a four-pointer to boot. Making the most of his mid-season transfer down south, Oryn Keeley (65) hits plenty of green numbers while not far behind were the two top Melbourne forwards for 2026 in Stefano Utoikamanu (53) and Cooper Clarke (49) even though Clarke came off the bench and played some middle rotation before moving wider later in the match. 

The term “a tale of two halves” has never been better demonstrated as Manly blew a big lead and may have blown their shot at finals. Ambushed in the second stanza, Fantasy showed how unkind it can be to the Sea Eagles as only Haumole Olakau'atu (59) made the cut due to the once-sided back half of the contest.  

The Dolphins gave their arch-rival a huge start, however one lengthy breakaway try was all it took for the Phins to turn the tables and eventually run away with it. It was Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (50) who got the ball rolling and crossed a second time further on in the piece. Connelly Lemuelu (58) additionally took home a double, his fourth in his career. Max Plath (59) is getting plenty of work from the pine and outscoring many of the usual subjects in the pack as a result. The recenty returned from injury Isaiya Katoa (52) had all the top touches and a hand in the tries and is well back on track from his broken hand. Herbie Farnworth (52) just scraped into this side of the column this week, he looked to suffer a knock in the first half that may have hampered his usual high standard of play. 

The momentum swings showed incredibly with the Broncos set for a decisive victory against the new kids on the block but it wasn’t to be by the end of the 80 minutes in a microcosm of the premiers’ year. Reece Walsh (62) showed why he jumped on him all those weeks back, seemingly from nowhere he can manage to put an epic score together. Not many can claim the feat even once but for the second time in his short career, headlining half Ezra Mam (66) took out a hat-trick whilst taking charge in the absence of injured Adam Reynolds. The front-row enforcers Payne Haas (56) and  Xavier Willison (56) ended up matching each other in results with the former however, on the low end of his points floor. Billy Walters (60) had a 40/20 early and a try and clearly lifted the visitors although not enough to end up with the two competition points. 

The Rabbitohs started on fire and then held off a fast-finishing Parramatta in a thrilling contest to end the Saturday’s games. Another Hat-trick to NRL’s leading all time try scorer Alex Johnson (78) who had a first half that won’t be forgotten and furthering his numbers in the record books. The late switch to the wing gave the recalled Jye Gray (68) a platform to show why the zippy back cannot be left on the interchange with a stunning performance of his own. Though denied a try himself Cody Walker (55) was rewarded for his contributions to many others in the first half. David Fifita (64) made his presence known to remind us just how big his motor and output can be when he is up for a massive game - when he is on, he is on. Finally, Cam Murray (50) and Keaon Koloamatangi (59) rolled up the sleeves and did the job required of them, any given week they could go even higher than this as Souths push hard for a top-eight spot. 

A sin bin in the opening minute no doubt contributed to the Eels returning to the lockers scoreless and facing a red-hot Rabbitohs outfit with 28 points to chase. However, it was a different Parramatta that ran back on to close out the game and had their hopes dashed by falling just short with 24 unanswered points. Leading the way as always is their measuring stick, Mitch Moses (57) who was heavily involved in the second-half revival and cleared 544 kick metres during the comeback. As we have come to know this year nothing will stop Jack Williams (63) from reaching past 50 despite starting on the edge this week, he even claimed a try assist during his night out.  

The Raiders scored enough points but couldn’t defend them enough as they crashed out of the finals race in dramatic fashion. It was a great day for Simi Sasagi (68) against his old club, he scored twice and was a handful all day long. Owners will be thrilled with the score here but now Canberra are officially out of contention, it does give cause for concern in future weeks, especially as the Raiders still have a bye upcoming. Zac Hosking (58) bounced back to his best after two quieter performances, he still seems to be less involved on the left as opposed to the right or middle third. Kaeo Weekes (51) and Jed Stuart (49) were the others of note, Stuart needing a long-range intercept try to get there. 

Newcastle were outstanding and it was on the back of the new left side combination of Fletcher Sharpe (55) and Francis Manuleleua (72) that got them over the line and confirming a finals spot under new coach Justin Holbrook. Sharpe is a must start now Dylan Brown is unavailable while Manuleleua looks like the most important trade-in target for the rest of the year. Dominic Young (85) got a lot of draft teams over the line with a performance well above average but not one we can rely on for classic versions of Fantasy. 

The Dragons nabbed just their third win of the year in arguably their most impressive performance of 2026 against regular rival Cronulla at home. Ryan Couchman (84) stood up in the absence of his brother, playing 80 minutes and marking himself as a potential Kangaroos bolter at the end of the year. Another doing himself no harm in front of Australian coach Kevvie Walters is Hamish Stewart (64) who even earned a rep shout-out from his coach during the press conference. Edge partner Dylan Egan (63) and prop Loko Pasifiki Tonga (52) relished the extra workload with only two bench forwards used throughout. Jacob Liddle (69) also got the extra attention as Damien Cook remained on the pine in this one while Valentine Holmes (54) and Clint Gutherson (52) were excellent leading their young troops to an unlikely victory. 

Cronulla have been playing at a high standard for a while but finally met their match in an unlikely encounter against cellar dwelling St George Illawarra. Teig Wilton (55) led the way for the visitors in a day that didn’t go to script. Billy Burns (50) and Mawene Hiroti (50) the only other two to pass the half-century mark. 

Losers 

In line with the scoreboard of the Cowboys win over the Titans, the normally dynamic playmaker Jayden Campbell (32) had a sluggish night out. Similarly Keano Kini (29) was forced into many last resort defensive position hitting his score heavily. Furthering the woes of Fantasy coaches, Oliver Pascoe (28) was benched in the lead up, still played 51 minutes but recorded his lowest result in many a round, and could be a trade out or at least one to keep in the emergencies. 

 

The Warriors and Panthers game was worthy of a semi-final come early but a couple of key injuries emerged with Te Maire Martin set to miss up to four weeks due to a calf strain while Isaah Yeo (21) is set for a lengthy watch from the sidelines with a torn pectoral muscle and will likely miss the remainder of the season. The up and down throws of Paul Alamoti (17) continue with his lowest showing yet, though been scoring quite handily in recent rounds. A reminder for those new to Fantasy, Liam Martin (30) dipped back into his average territory after some big matches post-Origin and proves he is one of those rare players who performs better in real life than on the Fantasy stat sheet. 

 

Failing to overcome the ankle strain, James Tedesco wasn’t able to take part on Friday night. On the back of his first career century in Round 22, Sam Walker (32) demonstrated how topsy turvy Fantasy results can be week to week with a lowish output. Another hitting top marks last round Mark Nawaqanitawase (19) showed little resemblance to last week’s 80-point scorer impacted due to the heavy favour shown to on the opposite wing. It was a disappointing first half for Stephen Crichton (36) who went second fiddle in the second stanza which resulted in his poorest 80 minute game since jumping into the halves.  

 

Melbourne piled on the second-half points in a high scoring affair but it didn’t help Tyran Wishart (37) owners much who is definitely copping a dip in Fantasy output since moving to dummy half last week. Anyone who thought Cameron Munster (28) was a potential answer upon his return from injury had another thing coming despite the fact the Storm came away with the big win before their bye. 

 

The Dolphins won the Battle of Brisbane in the most dramatic and entertaining of fashions. Jack Bostock (33) was the real letdown here despite doing some good things, he is not putting up the scores of his contemporaries in the centres. Kotoni Staggs (8) wasn’t able to replicate some of his prior performances against the Dolphins, with a very rare single digit output. 

 

Souths held on to beat the Eels despite a huge Parramatta comeback. Matt Dufty (36) was a surprise non-performer considering all the points scored by his teammates. Isaiah Iongi (13) had an unfortunate injury that makes him an urgent sell if you’ve held a trade or two to make it. Josh Addo-Carr (20) was switched to fullback as a result of the injury but despite being heavily involved, 'The Foxx' was unable to transition it to a Fantasy score of note. 

 

The Raiders were set to draw level before a Corey Horsburgh (37) brain snap swung momentum against the home side and earned him an old-fashioned razzing from his coach post-game. Owen Pattie (25) was the second young hooker benched last minute that had some Fantasy coaches pulling their hair out in a round already difficult to cover 17 fit players. Kalyn Ponga (41) isn’t playing up to his price tag at the moment and now is a nervous watch for his owners as he only has three games remaining before the Knights last-round bye. Cody Hopwood (31) won the starting prop role but it didn’t help him on the Fantasy scoresheet and can’t be trusted except in dire emergencies. 

 

A fabulous win for the Dragons and done with just 16 players as coach Dean Young didn’t delve too deep into his reserves. As a result their scoring was solid and not fit for this side of the column. The same can’t be said of the Sharks however as Nicho Hynes (38) was a popular choice as captain but it didn’t pan out on the day. Perhaps a bad omen early was when Hynes missed the opening conversion attempt thus cruelling his efforts to surpass Hazem El Masri for the greatest streak of kicked goals. Jesse Colquhoun (25) and Cam McInnes (40) couldn’t hit their usual numbers either in a day to forget for the visitors. 

 

Round 23 NRL Fantasy Team of the Week 

1. Jye Gray (WFB) – 68 points 
2. Alex Johnson (WFB) – 78 points 
3. Simi Sasagi (EDG/CTR) – 68 points 
4. Billy Smith (CTR) – 67 points 
5. Dominic Young (WFB) – 85 points 
6. Nathan Cleary (HLF) – 71 points 
7. Luke Metcalf (HLF) – 75 points 
8. Hamish Stewart (MID/EDG) – 64 points 
9. Jacob Liddle (HOK) – 69 points 
10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (MID) – 68 points 
11. Heilum Luki (EDG) – 73 points 
12. Francis Manuleleua (EDG) – 72 points 
13. Ryan Couchman (MID/EDG) – 84 points 
14. Ezra Mam (HLF) – 66 points 
15. Oryn Keeley (HLF) – 65 points  
16. David Fifita (EDG) – 64 points 
17. Phillip Sami (WFB) – 60 points  

Feel free to send those questions through to thelonescout@nrl.com.au for Thursday’s Q&A column and be sure to keep an eye on NRL.com for all your Fantasy advice, news and updates.