With all the trials out of the way, it’s time to make those last-minute changes to your NRL Fantasy squads.
If you’ve paid attention to the preseason, speculation from Lone Scout and comment from coaches so far, then you’ll be aware of some of the possible bolters for Vodafone Warriors’ NRL side come round one.
If you haven’t, here’s a summary of some of the bargains that could be worth picking up to give you the edge in your league.
SOLOMONE KATA
Now we know the young Tongan centre has had big wraps on him since ripping up the NYC finals series last year and working hard through the offseason, so we’re pretty much just here to tell you to start believing the hype. With an injury to Ngani Laumape pushing him out of contention for left centre and a suspension ruling out Jonathan Wright, Kata is looking likely to get a crack come round one. He’s hard to handle with ball in hand, possessing the ability to beat players with footwork and pace or he can just run straight over them. His tackle bust points could see his fantasy value increase if he gets his hands on the ball and at 128k he will leave room for big guns like Captain Mannering and SJ.
SAM LISONE
Up until recently, the NYC championship winning co-captain hadn’t been added to the list of Fantasy props. Don’t worry though, we sent a message to get him added. We don’t want any of our knowledgeable fans missing out if he does make his debut this year. Lisone is another player at the base rate of fantasy value, but he has some handy skills that could see it go up. Against the Panthers he put on a piece of footwork that left his marker stranded, the play finishing with a try to Shaun Johnson. He is a smart front rower with a high work rate. If he adjusts to the pace of NRL quickly he might become a regular feature of the prop rotation.
RYAN HOFFMAN
At 295k, Hoffman could be good value to your team. Over the years at the Storm he proved he could play big minutes and his work rate puts him among the game’s best second rowers. Perhaps the only uncertainty is whether he will be an 80-minute player or not. If he does, his tackle count and metre stats in the early rounds will give Fantasy coaches a clear idea of how he might score throughout the year. And if he plays Origin then you might lose him for a few games too, so keep that in mind.
It’s fairly well documented that as a fanbase we have the strongest Fantasy players in the comp. Keep it up team! Watch out for the team lists for round one and make sure you make those final adjustments. We encourage you to share your Fantasy thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.
GO THE MIGHTY VODAFONE WARRIORS!
