We’re glad to report the footy season’s return is in full swing. Round one of the NRL was enthralling. From a Fantasy perspective, points were hard to come by
And like me, thousands of NRL Fantasy players are bracing for what is sure to be an enthralling season.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into round two of the NRL Fantasy season.
NRL Fantasy Round 2 preview
When does Round 2 kick off?
Thursday 14 March, 8:00 pm AEDT
Two of the four sides who opened the season in Las Vegas, the Brisbane Broncos and the Rabbitohs, face off at Suncorp to kick the second round of the season off.
South Sydney showed promising sides in their opening match. Latrell Mitchell (747k I 12.9%) was exceptional for large portions of it, as was the ever-reliable Damien Cook (773k I 7.7%). They will be looking to bounce back up in the Queensland capital.
Their hosts, the Broncos, were met by a dominant Roosters forward pack and undone by a piece of Joey Manu (639k I 10.7%) magic. They will hope Brendan Piakura (366k I 43.0%) will be right to go after suffering an HIA inside the opening four minutes of their round one loss.
Team list Tuesday highlights
Broncos v Rabbitohs, Thursday 8:00 pm AEDT
No real surprises from Brisbane. Brendan Piakura (366k I 43.0%) is named despite a round one HIA and will be hoping to properly kick his season off. After an impressive Las Vegas showing, Corey Jensen (488k I 1.8%) joins the starting side.
For Souths, Tallis Duncan (413k I 2.2%) will start in the back row in place of the injured Jai Arrow, while Shaq Mitchell takes up a spot on the bench, replacing Jacob Host.
Sharks v Bulldogs, Friday 6:00 pm AEDT
Craig Fitzgibbon names a largely unchanged line up. Toby Rudolf is elevated to the starting side with Royce Hunt coming from the bench. Apart from that, it’s all systems go for Cronulla.
No Josh Addo-Carr opens the door for Conor Tracey (558k I 0.2%) to make his first start for the Bulldogs on the wing, against his former side no less. Canterbury were disappointing offensively in their round one loss to Parramatta but will hope their fortunes change in the Shire on Friday.
Panthers v Eels, Friday 8:00 pm AEDT
Good news Panthers fans. Mitch Kenny (483k I 1.7%) and Scott Sorensen (683k I 1.7%) return to the starting 13, with Luke Sommerton dropping from the side and Luke Garner moving to the bench. Soni Luke will wear the 14 after a strong round one cameo in Melbourne.
Parramatta named an unchanged side, with Wiremu Greig in the reserves as he looks to return from injury. Crucially, Mitch Moses (764k I 6.2%) is named to play despite a groin injury. How involved he is in general play kicking and goal kicking should be monitored for future weeks.
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Raiders v Wests Tigers, Saturday 3:00 pm AEDT
Seb Kris’ return forces Albert Hopoate to the wing and Nick Cotric out of the side. Despite injury, Danny Levi has been named to start after an impressive opening round of the season.
Benji Marshall’s first line up of the season has thrown a few surprises. None bigger than rookie Lachlan Galvin (230k I 5.7%) getting the nod at five-eighth, with Jayden Sullivan at halfback and Aidan Sezer on the bench. It will be interesting to see Marshall’s plans for Sezer’s use off the bench and whether this impacts Galvin or Api Koroisau (608k I 6.4%).
Alex Seyfarth (359k I 1.3%) locks the scrum and, depending on performances could be a real worthwhile NRL Fantasy asset. Solomona Faataape will make his debut in place of the injured Justin Olam.
Cowboys v Knights, Saturday 5:30 pm AEDT
The Cowboys remain unchanged from their comprehensive round one win over the Dolphins. Centre Zac Laybutt (536k I 1.3%) has another chance to impressive following his exceptional outing to kick the season off.
Adam O’Brien has dropped back rower Dylan Lucas (554k I 3.1%), with English recruit Kai Pearce-Paul (517k I 0.2%) getting the nod at left back row. Lucas is out of the squad entirely, with a head knock sustained in round one seen as the likely cause of his absence.
Storm v Warriors, Saturday 7:35 pm AEDT
Cheapie Joe Chan (270k I 22.3%) retains his back row spot despite an underwhelming debut, a sign of Craig Bellamy’s faith in the forward. There is no Cameron Munster (754k I 2.8%) in the squad at all. That’s a fair indication of the severity of his groin injury.
Andrew Webster names an unchanged lineup. Wayde Egan (566k I 5.3%) will play despite an elbow injury in round one. Can the Warriors collect their first two points of the season down in Melbourne?
Sea Eagles v Roosters, Sunday 4:05 pm AEDT
No Jason Saab means Tommy Talau will make his club debut on the wing. Crucially, this is a sign that the Reuben Garrick (665k I 6.1%) at centre experiment is here to stay. If Garrick, and Manly, continue performing at a high level, he will seriously become an NRL Fantasy must.
Trent Robinson will have to do without Spencer Leniu (393k I 19.8%) for the next eight weeks following his suspension. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves comes into the starting side, though it will be interesting to see how Terrell May (523k I 5.6%) is utilised off the bench, considering his large round one stint.
Angus Crichton, Egan Butcher and Conor Watson remain out of the 17. Nat Butcher (720k I 5.8%) remains on the bench.
Dolphins v Dragons, Sunday 6:15 pm AEDT
Jake Averillo will make his Dolphins debut in the centres after a poor showing from Tesi Niu in round one. Sean O’Sullivan also misses the 17, with Isaiya Katoa set to wear the number seven. Euan Aitken (549k I 1.3%) gets the nod at back row with Connelly Lemuelu out with a knee issue. Aitken’s dual position makes him a tempting prospect. Max Plath will lock the scrum with Ray Stone out with a concussion.
Luciano Leilua will play his first game of the season from the bench for Shane Flanagan’s side, though last week showed the Dragons coach isn’t opposed to late changes to his side. Zac Lomax remains on the wing and Tyrell Sloan continues at fullback.
Round 2 preview notes
Did anyone score well this week?
Throughout the Fantasy world, it felt as if no one was happy with how their side went. Injuries and round one sloppiness meant good scores were hard to come by. Don’t be disheartened by your side’s mediocre performances. There were plenty in the same boat.
Fogarty kicks Canberra to victory
Not too many people gave Canberra a chance of beating Newcastle, in Newcastle, to kick 2024 off. But, Ricky’s Raiders did what Ricky’s Raiders do, grinded their way through to a result.
Their forward pack was superb, led by the ever-reliable Joseph Tapine (737k I 4.0%). Zac Hosking (584k I 2.6%) and Morgan Smithies (520k I 3.9%) also stood out, as did their bench forwards.
However, at the heart of it all was Jamal Fogarty (637k I 9.5%). When the game entered into a grind, Fogarty’s boot, which kicked for 800 metres, ensured Canberra remained in the fight.
For Newcastle, it was a night to forget. Owners of Dylan Lucas (558k I 3.2%) can be disappointed with a poor score, though the back rower’s shift into the centres for much of the game explains it. What is concerning was Kai Pearce-Paul’s (520k I 0.2%) stint, which has many believing Lucas’s mortgage over the Knights’ left back row role is expiring sooner rather than later.
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Resilient Sharks overcome rampaging Wahs
After 20 minutes, this game looked like it would end with the most comfortable Warriors win. At home, in front of a jubilant crowd, Shaun Johnson’s (872k I 12.7%) side were simply outdoing the Sharks, with the halfback’s kicking game proving exceptional.
But, this is kind of gutsy victory over a top side Cronulla needed. Even with Cameron McInnes’ (704k I 4.0%) reduced minutes, Cronulla was capable of matching a dominant Warriors forward pack, led by Tohu Harris (736k I 2.7%), who ran for 237 metres and made 37 tackles without missing one.
Whoever won this won was always doing so through grit and guts, it just so happened that, on this occasion, Cronulla collected the points.
Storm’s scramble smothered Penrith’s flow
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Penrith weren’t great in their round one clash against Melbourne. Credit where credit’s due, Melbourne never allowed them to be great.
Their defence was tough, it was robust and it was unrelenting. Their scramble defence stifled any Penrith half-chances. It was, dare we say, vintage Melbourne.
All the usual suspects. performed well. As did Christian Welch (615k I 0.9%), coming off the bench, was enormous, particularly with the footy, with his offloading offering Melbourne an additional attacking element.
With Cameron Munster’s (754k I 3.2%) return date unknown, Jonah Pezet (452k I 0.2%) impressed, while it was nice to see Ryan Papenhuyzen (495k I 43.1%) make it through 80 minutes unscathed. Eliesa Katoa (639k I 1.4%) also looks on for a massive year.
Anyone doubting a potential Penrith title push is kidding themselves. They’ve not won three consecutive Premierships by peaking early, they’ll come good. From an NRL Fantasy perspective, Nathan Cleary (1m I 53.0%), Isaah Yeo (870k I 5.8%) and Taylan May (660k I 1.6%) scored 56, 70 and 66 points respectively, despite their side being held scoreless. May in particular was a destructive handful all night, scary considering his lengthy absence from the game.
Cartwright delights against resilient Bulldogs outfit
It was certainly Bryce Cartwright’s (667k I 1.3%) day against the Bulldogs. He was wonderful, picking up where he left off last season as he crossed for two tries, ran for 114 metres and broke four tackles against a resilient Bulldogs side.
In a game where Mitch Moses (792k I 6.4%) was rendered useless after an early groin injury, Parramatta’s forwards stepped up. Both Junior Paulo (642k I 1.0%) and Ryan Matterson (701k I 0.2%) excelled from the bench, providing much-needed thrust and punch through the middle. While it wasn’t a world-beating victory, it’s a confidence boost for Parramatta moving into their round two clash, especially if Moses is fit and firing, which he is expected to be.
For Canterbury, this shouldn’t be too disheartening. They defended exceptionally and when they got themselves into good attacking positions they looked threatening. Josh Curran (501k I 19.2%) was brilliant from the bench, as was Kurt Mann (435k I 0.5), who both made 35 or more tackles.
Josh Addo-Carr (444k I 4.5%) has been cleared of serious injury but will miss a few games from round two. This could open the door for Bronson Xerri’s (450k I 6.2%) return to the NRL.
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Dragons dominate Titans
On paper, the Titans pack should absolutely dominate the Dragons. It didn’t and they were pumped because of it. In a cluster of standout players, Tyrell Sloan’s (465k I 1.3%) hat trick places him as the game’s greatest performer.
Recruits Kyle Flanagan (349k I 20.4%) and Raymond Faitala-Mariner (426k I 1.0%) had their hands in a fair share of points. Despite being isolated on the wing, Zac Lomax (591k I 1.5%) was influential, running for 266 metres and proving a nightmare all night. He would be a huge loss for St George if he does decide to leave.
Klese Haas (415k I 1.7%) and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (793k I 4.9%) scored 54 and 49 points each and were the Titans’ standout performers from an NRL Fantasy perspective.
Peta Hik-who?
It didn’t take long for Cowboys fans to forget Peta Hiku’s existence. Boom rookie, Zac Laybutt (509k I 0.8%), impressed as soon as he had chance to, bamboozling Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (564k I 20.7%) with a wonderful dummy to score after two minutes.
For the rest of the game, the Dolphins hardly looked up to it as the Cowboys ran rampant. Their forward pack was impressive, particularly Jeremiah Nanai (549k I 5.0%), who showcased every inch of talent he possesses to score once and create another try.
On their day, few sides can stop the Cowboys. In 2024, they’ll need to make everyday their day if they are to challenge at the top of the table. Pleasingly for the Cowboys, they amassed 43 points even with Scott Drinkwater (715k I 4.1%) having a quiet game by his standards.
A special shoutout goes to Heilum Luki (498k I 15.1%) who, despite going off with a HIA, managed to cross for a try and influence this game.
Ones to watch
Corey Jensen (488k I 1.8%) – MID
Tallis Duncan (413k I 2.2%) – MID
Mitch Moses (764k I 6.2%) – HLF
Lachlan Galvin (230k I 5.7%) – HLF
Alex Seyfarth (359k I 1.3%)- MID
Kai Pearce-Paul (517k I 0.2%) – EDG
Terrell May (523k I 5.6%) – MID
