Round three of the NRL season might’ve been the most exciting round of 2024 to date, leaving us with much to discuss from a Fantasy perspective.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into round four of the NRL Fantasy season.
NRL Fantasy Round 4 preview
When does Round 4 kick off?
Thursday 28 March, 8:00 pm AEDT
First plays fourth to kick round four off when the Roosters host the Panthers. Both sides have shown their worth in the opening rounds of the season, dismantling their round three opponents in style.
Trent Robinson’s Roosters demolished their old rivals, the Rabbitohs. It was a vintage James Tedesco (745k I 6.3%) performance. The Roosters’ inspirational captain ran for 170 metres, scored twice and broke eight tackles as he led his side to a resounding victory.
But it was the Roosters pack that stood out. Victor Radley’s fine start to the season continued, as did Terrell May’s (619k I 21.1%), while Jared Waera-Hargreaves wound the clock back a decade in his 300th NRL game.
They will need to lay a similar platform against an impressive Penrith outfit. Without James Fisher-Harris, young prop Liam Henry (378k I 2.7%) stood up, pairing 105 running metres without 38 tackles and no misses. Lindsay Smith also performed impressively.
Nathan Cleary (940k I 54.9%) was exceptional, exemplified by his silky ball playing to set Sunia Turuva and Izack Tago (734k I 2.4%) up in the first half.
Best buys
Jacob Kiraz (579k I 3.6%) WFB I CTW
Tristan Sailor (550k I 0.1%) WFB
Api Koroisau (676k I 7.9%) HOK
Jamal Fogarty (707k I 14.2%) HLF
James Tedesco (745k I 9.1%) WFB
Best sells
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (749k I 4.4%) MID
Reece Walsh (659k I 30.4%) WFB
Keano Kini (274k I 22.3%) WFB
Tanah Boyd (612k I 2.3%) HLF I HOK
Mitch Moses (733k I 4.9%) HLF
Bryce Cartwright (717k I 2.3%) EDG
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Team list Tuesday highlights
Roosters v Penrith, Thursday 8:00 pm AEDT
No Nathan Cleary (940k I 48.1%), who’s expected to miss up to four weeks with a hamstring injury, means Brad Schneider will wear the seven for Penrith. James Fisher-Harris remains out, while Scott Sorensen will also miss this match, meaning Lindsay Smith and Luke Garner start in their place. Notable fantasy cheapie, Mavrik Geyer, will make his NRL debut.’
Sam Walker has been cleared to play for the Roosters. He will partner the returning Luke Keary in the halves. Lindsay Collins is out injured, meaning NRL Fantasy favourite, Terrell May (619k I 22.4%), will start. How his output differs will be one to watch this week.
Bulldogs v Rabbitohs, Friday 4:05 pm AEDT
Cameron Ciraldo has named an unchanged Bulldogs side.
Jason Demetriou too has largely resisted the temptation to make any mass changes. Although reports that Cameron Murray (799k I 16.4%) suffered an injury at training could yet see the Bunnies skipper ruled out of this Good Friday clash, further compounding the injury woes of NRL Fantasy players across the country.
Broncos v Cowboys, Friday 8:00 pm AEDT
In a week littered with halfback injuries, Adam Reynolds is set to return for Brisbane, providing Kevin Walters with a much-needed boost. However, Brendan Piakura (361k I 44.4%) and Payne Haas (897k I 29.9%) are both out, with Jaiyden Hunt replacing the former in the back row. Xavier Willison (283k I 32.7%) also makes the bench for the second consecutive week.
Despite reports of an injury, Reuben Cotter (633k I 29.5%) has been named at lock by Todd Payten. Zac Laybutt returns to the centres but the Cowboys lineup is otherwise unchanged.
Dragons v Sea Eagles, Saturday 5:30 pm AEDT
Francis Molo, Jaydn Su’a and Jacob Liddle all return for the Dragons, with Jack de Belin, Jesse Marschke and Raymond Faitala-Mariner reverting to the bench.
The Manly Sea Eagles have named an unchanged 17.
Titans v Dolphins, Saturday 7:35 pm AEDT
No Tino Fa’asuamaleaui means Keenan Palasia will start in the front row for Des Hasler. Jayden Campbell (459k I 3.1%) returns from injury, with Keano Kini dropping out of the side altogether. David Fifita (843k I 0.6%) is among the reserves and likely to return, providing the Titans a much-needed boost following their Belmore embarrassment.
Ray Stone comes onto the bench for Jarrod Wallace. Aside from that, Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins are unchanged. Isaiya Katoa remains the halfback, and Max Plath has another shot at lock.
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Warriors v Knights, Sunday 4:05 pm AEDT
In major news, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (613k I 15.9%) has been named at fullback for the Warriors. Of course, this is only due to Taine Tuaupiki and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad both being out injured and shouldn’t be looked into too much from an NRL Fantasy perspective. Still, it’ll be exciting to see how RTS performs.
Kai Pearce-Paul remains Adam O’Brien’s preference on the Newcastle left edge, while Jack Cogger remains at halfback despite Jackon Hastings’ impressive NSW Cup performance at the weekend. Leo Thompson is suspended for one game.
Sharks v Raiders, Sunday 6:15 pm AEDT
In a move no one saw coming, Sifa Talakai has been named to start in the back row in place of the suspended Briton Nikora, with Kayal Iro coming into the centres. Craig Fitzgibbon’s forwards are severely injury-hit, with Dale Finucane, Royce Hunt, Toby Rudolf and Braden Hamlin-Uele all missing this match.
Arguably the NRL’s best back rower to start the season, Zac Hosking (752k I 5.6%), is once again named on the Canberra bench. Fantasy players can also breathe a sigh of relief that Morgan Smithies (568k I 6.4%) remains in the starting side, especially with Corey Horsburgh named among the reserves and potentially coming in to resume his post at lock. Otherwise, it’s as expected for Canberra.
Parramatta v Wests Tigers, Monday 4:00 pm AEDT
Rookie Blaize Talagi will move from the centres, where he impressed on debut last week, in five-eighth, with Dylan Brown moving to halfback to replace the injured Mitch Moses. Bryce Cartwright has been named to start despite a reported long-term injury, with Kelma Tuilagi likely to start should he miss out.
Freddy Lussick (534k I 13.6%) remains the only hooker named in Brad Arthur’s 17, a good sign for Fantasy players who own the Eels hooker.
Benji Marshall’s single change to the Tigers team that downed the Sharks is one brought about by concussion, with Alex Twal dropping from the side and Asu Kepaoa coming onto the bench.
Round 4 preview notes
Everyone’s Api at the Wests Tigers
Benji Marshall’s first win of 2024 couldn’t have come against better opposition. At their spiritual home, Leichhardt Oval, the Tigers surprised everyone, beating Cronulla 32-6. At the heart of the result was Api Koroisau (676k I 7.9%), who was seemingly everywhere and anywhere.
The performances of Jahream Bula (550k I 2.0%) and Stefano Utoikamanu should also be noted. The former grabbed a brace while the latter ran for more metres than any other Tiger (178) and broke seven tackles. Whether this is a sign of things to come for Benji remains to be seen. What we know is this is a wonderful platform to build the rest of their season on.
Bad day for Tanah as Dogs hold Titans to nil
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Tanah Boyd put in one of the worst halfback performances in NRL history. Unfortunately for Tanah Boyd and the Gold Coast Titans, he put in one of the worst performances in NRL history as his side was kept scoreless at Belmore.
Viliame Kikau bullied him multiple times on last tackle, resulting in a first half charged down try. Arguably, the Fijian wasn’t Canterbury’s standout performer. That honour goes to Jacob Kiraz (579k I 3.6%), who broke an insane 11 tackles while making 18 tackles, the second most he’s made in an NRL match.
Among others, Reed Mahoney, Josh Curran (572k I 22.8%) and Kurt Mann performed exceptionally for the Dogs, with the hooker arguably having his best game in the blue and white. A Tino Fa’asuamaleaui ACL injury compounded the Titans’ woes at Belmore, meaning Des Hasler will spend the remainder of 2024 without his forward pack enforcer.
Penrith win Grand Final rematch
It took four minutes for Reece Walsh (659k I 30.4%) to be struck from this Thursday night clash, unable to recover from a fractured cheekbone. From there, Brisbane were behind the eight ball, especially considering the absences of Payne Haas (897k I 33.8%) and Adam Reynolds.
With the Broncos missing their three most important players, Penrith went to work, ending this one before the halftime whistle was blown. Nathan Cleary (940k I 54.9%) was great. So too was Izack Tago (734k I 2.4%). In fact, no Panthers performed poorly.
Dylan Edwards clocked over 300 running metres and Brian To’o wasn’t far behind, while their forward pack stood up both with and without the ball.
Not much to be read into this loss from a Brisbane perspective. Any side missing the players they missed would’ve struggled. From a Fantasy perspective, Reece Walsh’s (659k I 30.4%) injury opens the door for Tristan Sailor, a potential NRL Fantasy money-making point of difference, to return to first grade.
Roosters cap a bad week for the Rabbitohs with crushing defeat
A Rabbitohs week from hell was capped by an embarrassing performance, and result, against their oldest enemies, the Sydney Roosters. From the get-go, this looked like nothing but a Roosters win. Their forward pack, led by Jared Waera-Hargreaves and Terrell May (619k I 21.1%) dominated South’s, especially on kick pressure.
A long, long list of standout performers for the Roosters is topped by James Tedesco (745k I 6.3%), who had a hand in just about everything, and Brandon Smith (569k I 24.4%), who put in one of his best performances for the tri-colours.
Keaon Koloamatangi and Cameron Murray (799k I 16.1%) were very faint bright sparks for the Rabbitohs, who looked as unmotivated as ever, especially in small effort areas such as competing for kicks. Can Jason Demetriou fix their plethora of issues before their Good Friday clash with the Bulldogs?
Parramatta down Manly in shootout
Well, it wouldn’t be a weekend of NRL action without controversial refereeing. Whether or not you feel Luca Moretti was obstructed in the lead up to Tolu Koula’s disallowed matters little now. It was chalked off, and Manly were beaten.
But, let’s give Parramatta credit where credit’s due. Mitchell Moses (733k I 5.9%) had a blinder, as did Junior Paulo off the bench. In 31 minutes, Paulo ran for 126 metres and offloaded four times, one of which brilliantly set Moses up for a 25th minute try. Talk about maximised output in minimised minutes.
Special shoutout to debutant Blaze Talagi, who looked strong each time he carried the ball, particularly when barging through Tom Trbojevic’s chest to cross for his first NRL try. For Manly, Luke Brooks and Reuben Garrick impressed, with the former looking reborn and lively at his new club.
Both sides play exciting, expansive, though slightly different, brands of footy. Manly back their skill and pace to swing the ball from coast-to-coast and strip sides on the edges, while Parramatta looks to gain momentum through second-phase play, especially through Paulo and Hopgood, two of the NRL’s best offloaders.
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Comeback Cowboys bury Dragons
After 20 minutes, the Dragons led 18-4. At full time, they were down 46-24. Such is the duality of Shane Flanagan’s side. Valentine Holmes (723k I 5.8%) had a night to remember; scoring once, kicking seven goals, breaking seven tackles and running 247 metres, 107 of those coming after contact.
In a league with very few high-performing NRL Fantasy centres, Holmes may just be the position’s standout, particularly if he can repeat his performance against the Dragons weekly.
Reuben Cotter looks likely to miss a few weeks through injury, which is tough news for owners of the Cowboys lock. Reduced minutes for Jason Taumololo opened the door for Griffin Neame to play 44 minutes and score 42 points.
For the Dragons, Zac Lomax continued his life on the wing with another brace of tries and 142 running metres, but it was another unremarkable performance.
