KinGs Trade Talk - Round 24

Potential Trades

Ins

Anthony Tupou
- Absolute Beast
- Great value considering his season average
- Expect him to get is average points at a minimum
- Only 12.04% DT’ers own him
- Value $262,700
- 3 Game Average 48
- Season Average 67.33

The Verdict
- I have been saying for the last few weeks that I will talk about Anthony Tupou well now is the time. Anthony Tupou is a brilliant player, despite that fact that he hasn’t averaged as many tackle breaks as he did last season. His value has super low considering his season average, he gave 48 points from the interchange last week, imagine the numbers when he plays the full game this week. His 3 game average is rubbish for a player of his stature but that’s merely due to him getting injured. The good news about Tupou is that most Dt’ers have sold him off with only 12.04% of the DT’ers holding on to him. I think he will make a big difference for those of us who have games remaining.

Kurt Gidley
- New Coach New form
- Cheapest he has been all season (except for last week)
- Consistent performer, despite team performance
- Value $294,300
- 3 Game Average 71.33

The Verdict
- Kurt Gidley has been in great form recently, and will need to play well if the Knights are to remain in the top 8, interesting few rounds for them. Normally I don’t like to invest in my backline a lot but I think Gidley would make a great addition, his has a very solid 3 game average and his value is great considering the average.

Outs
Kevin Locke
- Warriers are in some poor form
- His 3 game average is considerably lower than his season average
- Just not scoring enough tries or kicking goals
- Value $158,100
- Last 3 game average 35.67

The Verdict
- Kevin Locke was a cap space booster and probably that’s the best he could be this season. The warriors are in disgraceful form right now, so the young winger won’t be getting any tries, I still rate him as a player but unfortunately the team is just not good enough to support him. Sell him and use the $70.6k that he made you wisely

Cap Space Booster

Carefully look at your opponents team this week and be aware of the fact that he can only make 2 trades, so if be wise when cashing in on your Cap Space Booster, now is about the right time to start selling, but do so wisely cos you will need those trades for the journey ahead.

That’s a wrap for this weeks trade talk, tune in next Friday morning at 1.am
Until then peace out !One.

Don’t forget to post your comments or any trade related questions!

Nick's Captains - round 24

Well firstly, yes the rumours are true. I have been knocked out of the finals in the first week. Even on the back of my biggest score of the season, I was unable to overcome the cheating and low tactics used by the OL's and went down by about 30-odd points. I suppose the question here is what is more important - league glory or overall ranking? Whilst some people in our league have put league glory first, this just shows me that they don't have any player management skills, and are unable to guide a side through the difficult orgin period. These type of people prefer to tell you things like "oh, who cares if my overall ranking is 11,000, at least I won my league game this week" or "I might be ranked 10,800 places below you, but I beat you in one league game so therefore I'm better than you". I find it hard to fathom how a team ranked 10,800 places lower than mine can all of a sudden be termed "better than mine".

Anyways, how good were our boys last week!!!!!!
Hayne - 118 - I told you so!! I hope you got on like I did!
Farah - 103 - massive. I forgot abour Benji though! Sorry
Gallen - 69 (grub)
Hindmarsh - 80
Stagg - 79

For those of you who are still competing this week, here is the top 5 for this week

1 - Martin Lang - had 40 hit-ups in the Q-league in Macedonia last week, and only got knocked out 10 times. Slightly down on his average for the year so far (65 hit ups, 15 knock-outs) but he will have a big one when he turns out for the Sharkies this week. Straight off the plane
2 - Brett Dallas - the ranga is back!! Has been biding his time in the Newcastle 25th division side, but with the expected injury to Gidley this week he has been called up to start at fullback. I am expecting big things from this fella this week
3 - Tommy Radounikis - looks in geat form. I watched him last week, smoking and making tackles at the same time - he had 70 in the one game (smokes that is). There is a rule change in fantasy this week - punches are worth 10 points each - make him captain and you won't regret it
4 - Geoff Toovey - I have heard that he is coming back for one week only - get on him. He only costs $87k so slot him straight into JT's spot and make him skip
5 - Alfie Langer - with the Broncos needing to win on Friday night, Henjak has sent an SOS to Alfie, and rumour has it he dropped utensils in the coffee shop and walked all the way from Calundra to Broncos training just for some extra fitness. Will score 100+ for sure

(yeah so what if I'm bitter!! This comp has consumed the past 6 months of my life and now it's just over like that....bs)

PS: if I was still in the comp this week, I would be going Hayne, Hindmarsh, Bronson (vs NZ), Stagg and Gallen - in that order.

Tom's Teams Wrap Up - Round 24

8 Games again this week. Week Two of the finals in the Dream Team. Looking out for a Nathan Merritt one-man show, as well as the Tigers to upset the Eels and keep the bookies smiling. Without further ado, I present the teams for round 24.

St George V Brisbane
Dragons
In - Scott, Cooper, Prior, Nightingale
Out - Stanley, Emmett

Broncos - No Changes

The Dragons get back centre pairing Beau Scott and Matt Cooper, meanwhile the Broncos remain unchanged for the must win clash after their big display of form against the Panthers last week. Big showing from Bennett’s boys this week, the Broncos can kiss the finals goodbye.

Wests V Parramatta
Wests
In - Schirnack
Out – Skandalis

Eels
In - Cayless
Out – Wright

The Tigers lose big boy veteran John Skandalis, while the Eels see Cayless back in the team after missing one week’s action. The Eels are hot favourites for this ‘match of the round’ blockbuster clash, with the Tiger’s worth a punt in my mind.

Newcastle V Nth Queensland
Knights
In - Wicks, Simpson
Out – Tovo

Cowboys
In - Burns, Kaufusi, Harris
Out – Tamou

Fresh off a big form reversal, the Knights confidence will be further boosted with the return of Danny Wicks and Steve Simpson. The man that would turn me onto thighs if he was a Nandos Chicken, Sione Tovo, has been dropped. The Cows name an extended bench with Travis Burns and Kaufusi in a must win game for them. Expect the Knights to continue their good form.

Penrith V South Sydney
Panthers
In - Sammut, Woolnough

Rabbitohs
In - Vatuvei, McQueen, Fallon, Lowe
Out - Talanoa, Wing, Champion, Crocker

Jarod Sammut is back after a nasty flu last week, and Tia-Kifili has reportedly been training the house down in Penrith. The Rabbitohs lose four big names to injury which is sure to demoralise them, and hinder their top 8 aspirations. They are going to need to heroics from the likes of Sandow, Sutton and Merritt to keep their chances alive.

New Zealand V Canberra
Warriors
In – Price

Raiders
In - Monaghan
Out – Logan

Flip a coin with this battle of two unpredictable form sides. The Raiders come off a massive upset, while the Warriors just keep getting worse. Steve Price back this week for the home side, should be enough to see them over the line.

Gold Coast V Cronulla
Titans
In - Henderson, O'Dwyer
Out – Berdie

Sharks
In - Ferguson, Weyman
Out – Taulapapa

Cronulla, who are playing for the Jersey, are to upset the top 4 Titans.

Melbourne V Manly
Storm
In - Tandy
Out – Cross

Sea Eagles
In – Hall

The Storm lose Cross to injury. Expect them to bounce back hard after an embarrassing effort last week. Slater to star with a double.

Canterbury V Sydney City
Bulldogs
In - Patten
Out – Millard

Roosters
In - Myles
Out – Paea

Bulldogs by 50.

That’s it for another round of Tom’s Teams Wrap up. Look out for Nick’s Captains this week, it’s going to be epic. Peace.

Full team lists at http://www.nrlteamlists.com.au/

p.s. good luck to the Yung Legends this week, they are going to need it! Paintrain for PREMS!!!

Late Mail

THE Bulldogs have suffered a significant blow before tonight's clash with North Queensland with fullback Luke Patten ruled out with an ankle injury. Patten will be replaced at the back by Hazem El Masri. (WOAH!!!! BIG WEEK FOR EL MAGIC?)

Daryl Millard is expected to take El Masri's wing spot.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, have players coming back. Winger Michael Bani is a chance of playing tonight after training yesterday morning, while Luke O'Donnell and Ashley Graham are both expected to play.

Gold Coast are expected to be as named.

Souths coach Jason Taylor said the Rabbitohs would be ''1-17''.

Manly forward Glenn Hall is still in the frame to play against the Roosters at the SFS tomorrow night despite being named at the tail of a five-man bench. The Roosters are expected to be 1-17.

Eels coach Daniel Anderson maintained Feleti Mateo, Weller Hauraki and Kris Keating would not play against the Warriors tomorrow night. The Warriors are expected to be as named.

Canberra centre Joel Monaghan is in doubt to face the Dragons tomorrow night with bone bruising to his leg. If he is ruled out, Joel Thompson is expected to switch to the centres, with Trevor Thurling promoted to the squad.

Dragons remain undecided about who will replace suspended centre Beau Scott, although Chase Stanley would be the most likely man to do so, with Jason Nightingale also named on an extended bench. Nick Emmett has been added to the squad.

Cronulla have lost fullback Bronx Goodwin for the season with a broken shoulder. He will be replaced against Wests Tigers on Sunday by Nathan Stapleton. Interchange hooker Terence Seu Seu has also been ruled out with a hamstring injury, with Lancen Joudo set to debut off the bench. There is some possibility, though, that Anthony Tupou (Yeah Mayne!!) will return from a hamstring injury.

Wests Tigers centre Chris Lawrence remains in doubt with a hamstring problem. Dean Collis ready to replace him if needed.

Brisbane halfback Peter Wallace (hamstring) and prop Nick Kenny (knee) are still mysteries for their clash with Penrith. Adam Woolnough has been lopped off the extended Penrith bench, with Tim Grant 18th man.

Newcastle second-rower Steve Simpson is in doubt to face Melbourne on Monday night after suffering headaches this week, the after-effects of a concussion. Danny Wicks also has a sternum injury. If either is ruled out, Cory Paterson is expected to play.

The Storm are expected to be as named.

Best of luck!

Bring on Crunching Tackle!!!

Player of the Week: Round 22

Ok ok, dragging the chain with the post this week, distracted by sunny Cairns and the friendly female backpackers floating around... Another lull week in DT without the explosions of scores we saw last week, nonetheless entertaining viewing as always.

I think this week it's only noteworthy to put the spotlight on one great player of the game and everyones favourite DT player. I'd like to welcome to his inaugural Player of the Week on nrldttalk....

1. Paul Gallen
Yes you read that right. This DT'er has been carrying Gallen on the bench through his latest injury and he came back with a bang last week but blew up even more this week showing me just why I have kept him around (albeit unfortunately not quite enough to get me the win)...

Consistently putting out massive DT scores, Gallen although expensive is without a doubt one of the best captain options around, I'll be deploying him in the opening qualifier so "Nicks Boyz for Prems" is a bit of a defunct statement, he doesnt stand a chance against Gallen...
Try Assists - 1
Tackles - 41
Offloads - 4
Line Break Assists - 2
Runs - 17
Total Points - 110

Short and sweet this week, good luck in Round 1 everyone, expect to see Gallen featuring in Players of the Week again next week after dropping 100+ on Nicks Boyz, Leotards for Prems!

Nick's Captains - Round 23

Sorry for the lateness of Nick's Captains this week - with work and my burgeoning DIY career DT has taken a bit of a backseat this week. This doesn't mean I dont have a BLOCKBUSTER or 2 up my sleeve for the first round of finals this week though!

Ok last week our boys did well:
Watmough - 77
Gallen - 110
Hindmarsh - 65
Fitzgibbon - 74
Hannant - 59 (injured)

Also note Hayne with an 80!!!

This week the captains are just based on hunches - no time for research sorry. Top 5 + roughies for this week are:

1 - Hayne - playing the Warriors he will carve them up - 100+ game lock it in!
2 - Farah - playing the Sharks - he will put on tries (note the new #7 for the Tigers, thus Farah will take control more often) - big game
3 - Gallen - nuff' said
4 - Hindmarsh - also, nuff' said
5 - Stagg - 97 last week and look for him to have a big one this week also

Expect big scores from Zeb Taia, Tronc, Laffranchi and co. this week. Also look out for Heighington - he's back in the run-on this week and should score well. I think it will be a high scoring week - there will be some 1200+ scores this week!!

No poll this week either - just comment on who you're making your captain and why!!

Cheers
PS: NICKS BOYS FOR PREMS!!!

Potential Trades

Ins

Shane Tronc

- Perfect replacement for Ben Hannant

- Great value considering his averages
- Has scored at least 70 points since round 15, with the exception of round 21 – 68 points
- Consistent performer expect to get around 70 points per game
- Only 6.69% DT’ers own him

- Value $306,200

- 3 Game Average 70.67

The Verdict

- Shane Tronc has had a mid-season surge and has had a great run, his average since round 15 is in excess of 70 points per game, need I say more? With the injury to Ben Hannant, Shane Tronc would make for an ideal replacement, arguably a better replacement given his current form. Additionally only a small 6.69% of DT’ers own him, so he would be a great boost to your squad since your opponent in the first round of the finals most probably wont have him.

Jarryd Hayne

- Arguably the most inform player in the league

- No matter what the situation is, his performance is never compromised
- In his last 6 games he has averaged more than 2 linebreaks and of 18 all runs
- Consistent performer

- Value $311,300

- 3 Game Average 81

The Verdict

- Jarryd Hayne’s stats do all the talking , need I say more? In his last 6 games he has averaged more than 2 linebreaks and 18 all runs. That equates to 52 points on its own. He is an absolute gun, it would be a grave mistake not having him in your team now that we are in the business side of things.

Outs

Greg Inglis

- Is the best Centre in the game

- His 3 game average has been considerably lower than his season average (10 point variance)
- Beat up his Girl

- Value $240,500

- Last 3 game average 46.67

The Verdict

- So why are we selling the best centre in the game? Well the answer is simple because he will no longer be wearing the Storm stripes for the remainder of the season. His was a busy boy during the weekend which included assaulting his gal, consequently he has been suspended by the club. Controversial well to come to think of it probably not, these incidents are no longer a surprise, it is what us rugby league loving fans have come to expect. Unfortunately for 42% of DTers who own Greg Inglis it is now time to sell. Refer to INS for a potential replacement

Ben Hannant

- Has just recently come back from injury

- Unfortunately has re-injured himself
- Out for the next 4 weeks
- Value $324,100

- Last 3 game average 65

The Verdict

- With the recent decline in his value of $40k even I was thinking of making a blockbuster trade for Ben Hannant, was about to sell my Cap Space Booster to buy him. Unfortunately he will no longer be taking a part in NRL DT anymore as he will miss the remaining DT season. Good news is if you have him in your team you will still get a $324k boost in your salary cap and can buy any FRF you want, refer to INS

Cap Space Booster

So you after a Cap Space Booster ay? Well to bad, no more Cap Space Boosters its finals time man ! Now is the time to sell your cap space boosters and make your blockbuster trades. So if you are genuinely after a boost in your cap space, too bad cos you about to be booted out !

That’s a wrap for this weeks trade talk, tune in next Friday morning at 1.am
Until then peace out !One.

PS: Babe of the week is super hot. Her Booty got Swag

Don’t forget to post your comments or any trade related questions!

Tom's Teams Wrap Up - Round 23

Canterbury V North Queensland
Bulldogs
In – Morrin
Out – Hannant

Cowboys
In – Burns, Graham, O’Donnell
Out – Malone

Some big name ins for the Cowboys this week. Added to the fact that the bulldogs have lost Ben Hannant for at least one week, the Cowboys may be in with a chance up at Dairy Farmers. Expect the Nth Qld forward pack to dominate. DT’ers look for Bulldogs forwards Ryan, Hodgson and Hickey to lift their workload in the absence of Hannant.




South Sydney V Gold Coast
Rabbitohs
In – Simpson, Tyrell
Out – Asotasi, McQueen

Titans
In – Henderson
Out – Cannings

Can the Bunnies continue to charge to the finals without skipper Roy Asotasi? Stand in skipper Luke Stuart believes so… Expect him to lead from the front with relentless hitups and some big tackles. Meanwhile, the Titans strengthen their pack with the addition of Henderson. Is that enough to see the GC’s pick up 2 road wins on the trot? I think not.

Manly V Sydney City
Roosters – No Changes

Sea-Eagles
In – Forran, Hall
Out – T. Williams

For the first time this season, the Roosters have found some continuity in their 17 and go into the match with an unchanged line-up.
The Eagles have omitted big Tony Williams, who makes room for Forran to push into 5/8 and move Jamie Lyon back into the Centres. Prop Glen Hall comes onto an extended bench.
The Roosters have found some form in recent weeks; however this will be no match for the hungry Eagles who must win this one to stay in the top 8.

Canberra V St George
Dragons
In – Nightingale, Green, Stanley
Out – Prior, Scott*
*Beau Scott suspended today for one match for a dangerous throw on Penrith’s Shane Elford, and Prior with the early guilty plea will miss this one also.

Raiders
In - Learoyd-Lahrs, Picker
Out – Turner

The Green Machine came close against the 2nd ranked Bulldogs last week, and I’m expecting another spirited effort from them again this week. Tommy Learoyd-Lahrs is back to add some much needed muscle. Forced changes for the Dragons this week thanks to suspensions; if they were to lose a game in these glory bound rounds it could well be at Canberra Stadium. I would tell a punter would have a flutter on this matchup.

Parramatta V New Zealand
Eels
In – Latimore
Out – Cayless

Warriors
In – Ropati, McKinnon
Out – Ah Van, Matulino

The Eels continue their charge to the finals. Just 2 weeks ago they were $121 to win the premiership. They sit at $15 to 1 odds now, maybe just still worth it, especially with their run home, and if they get up this week. DT favourite Jeremy Latimore makes a well deserved comeback thanks to an injury to the old Nathan Cayless. Some names return for the Warriors, but given their recent lack of spirit on the park, away from home and at the cauldron, one expects another Parramatta victory.

Cronulla V Wests
Sharks – No Changes
Tigers
In – Moltzen, Lawrence
Out – Gallant

No changes to the Cronulla lineup, although sources tell me Anthony Tupou is nearing a much anticipated return. Injured Tigers fullback Shannon Gallant is out, to be replaced by Tim Moltzen at the back. Chris Lawrence is set to squeeze into the centres also. Expect the Tigers to win this one comfortably.

Brisbane
Broncos – No Changes
Panthers
In – Tia Kifili, Woolnough, Grant
Out – Elford

Another important fixture for both clubs trying to make it to September action. The Broncos have regained some confidence after beating a disappointing Sharks outfit, but will have to go one step further if they are to beat the Panthers.

Newcastle V Melbourne
Knights
In – Lulia
Out – McDonnell

Storm
In – Neilson, Tandy
Out – Inglis, Lima

A must win game for both clubs really. Newcastle need to turn around their rubbish form of the last month, while the Storm need to bounce back from the Greg Inglis controversy during the week. The Knights have a good record at home over the Storm, but I can’t see them winning this one. Jeff Lima is rested this week, with Tandy replacing him.


Be sure to check out the late mail for any updates to the teams for this week.


Team lists can be found at http://www.nrlteamlists.com.au/


Remember to post any comments or suggestions to me at the bottom of this page.


Happy Dt'ing!

Chk Chk Boom - It's Wenin's Report From The Cross

It's a Bird............................NO....It's a Wayne.......oh no.....It's Supermayne!!!

Yet again, another high profile footballer has found himself in hot water. Although, innocent until proven guilty, it appears Queensland and Melbourne Storm sensation Greg Inglis has dug another spear in side of NRL’s brittle public image.

The Storm star was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and subsequently suspended by the club indefinitely on Monday.. Inglis, a poster boy for the NRL and arguably the worlds best player, if found guilty, could prove to be the most damning event for the NRL in an already forgetable 2009.

Inglis joins the long list of NRL stars who have been caught in the spot light this year for the wrong reasons.

Greg Bird
Jake Friend
Sander Earl
Nate Myles
Anthony Watmough
Brett Stewart

Inglis is the 5th player in 12 months to be charged with such an offence. The Melbourne Storm appear to be taking a very strong stance here, one which the NRL as a whole should have a taken a long time ago. Enough is enough, these A - Graders need to be held accountable for the their own actions and this kind of behaviour cannot be seen to be encouraged.

Further information will come to light in future days. Let's just hope the reports are not as bad as it currently seems. Inglis is one of the most well liked players in the world and it would be a shame to have such an bright image tainted....

Not to mention the fact that this is socially unacceptable, it also has a massive effect on supercoach for the remainder of the season. What will you do if you have no trades yet and Inglis in your side? Who will you trade him for if you are lucky enough to have some remaining?

I'm sure KinG will discuss this further in Trade Talk on Friday.

Highs and Lows of the Weekend.

Storm vs NQ
Highs
Billy Slater - 85
Brett Finch - 71
Willie Tonga - 88
Shane Tronc -74

Lows
Inglis - noooooo
Matt Bowen - 26
Cameron Smith - 47

Panthers 6 vs Dragons 26
Highs
Trent Waterhouse - 72
Luke Lewis - 71
Jeremy Smith -90
Ben Creagh - 73

Lows
Brett Morris - 29
Luke Walsh - 7
Michael Jennings - 34

Manly 22 vs Souths 36
Highs
Anothony Watmough - 77
Nathan Merritt - 76

Lows
Jamie Lyon - 28
David Williams - 6
Asotasi - 44 and injured

Dogs 23 vs Raiders
Highs
Brett Kimmorley - 100
David Stagg - 97
Bryson Goodwin - 70
Bronson Harrison - 75

Lows
Hasim El Magic - 20
Josh Morris - 38
Jamal Idris - 28
Joel Monaghan - 7 and injured

NZ 10 vs Titans 30
Highs
Manu Vatuvei - 67
Nathan Friend - 89
Anthony Laffranchi - 80
Matt Rogers - 80

Lows
Kevin Locke - 37
Preston Campbell - 12

Sydney 10 vs Tigers 17
Highs
Craig Fitzgibbon - 74
Gareth Ellis - 70
Robbie Farah - 68

Lows
Shannon Gallant - 8
Benji Marshall - 36
Mitchell Pierce - 22

Eels 40 vs Knights 8
Highs
Luke Burt - 84
Jarryd Hayne - 80
Zeb Taia - 87

Lows
Nathan Cayless - 18
Chris Houston - 22

Broncos 30 vs Sharks 10
Highs
Special K - 74
Dave Taylor - 71
Paul Gallen - 110
Kade Snowden - 74

Lows
Luke Douglas - 42
Terrence Seu Seu - 7

That's all for this week.

Sleeping is giving in.

Wenin

Wenin's Late Mail

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's the late mail!

In what could have ramifications on Dreat Team this weekend Wayne Bennett IS considering resting five-eighth Jamie Soward for tonight's clash with Penrith.
Soward has been nursing a shin injury suffered against Melbourne last Friday night, and only took part in light training yesterday.
Jon Green has dropped off the extended Dragons bench.

Penrith are almost certain to have both Luke Lewis and Frank Pritchard available for the game after both trained well this week.

North Queensland have lost winger Michael Bani before their clash with Melbourne at Olympic Park tonight after suffering back spasms at training on Wednesday. The nephew of former Bronco great Steve Renouf', Donald Malone, is expected to make his debut.

Melbourne are expected to be as named, with second-rower Ryan Hoffman training all week after his hamstring troubles.

Jamie Simpson is in doubt for South Sydney with a hip injury.

Manly are expected to be as named.

Canberra officials maintain Tom Learoyd-Lahrs is still not ready to return from a knee injury,

Gold Coast's Chris Walker will have a final fitness test today. If he is ruled fit, he will travel to Auckland for Sunday's clash with the Warriors. Coach John Cartwright confirmed Mat Rogers would play in the centres.

The Warriors are expected to be as named.

Nick Kouparitsas is likely to drop off the Sydney Roosters' bench for their clash with Wests Tigers.

There are some concerns over Tigers centre Chris Lawrence, who was unable to train yesterday due to a quad strain. Dean Collis is on stand-by, but club officials believe Lawrence will play.

Feleti Mateo and Kris Keating remain slight chances of making their returns for Parramatta after being cleared by the medical staff to do so.

Newcastle could welcome back winger Cooper Vuna for just his second NRL match of the year. He has been recovering from a shoulder injury.

Peter Wallace, Sam Thaiday and Nick Kenny (knee) are all expected to play for Brisbane against Cronulla on Monday night.

Sharks back-rower Anthony Tupou completed a rehab session yesterday in an attempt to prove his fitness after a hamstring injury, but it is likely to be in vain.

Wenin over and out.

KinGs Trade Talk Round 22

Potential Trades

Ins

Zeb Taia

- Yes only a few weeks ago my verdict was to sell him

- I said to sell him when his value was $340k
- His value has bottomed out, and will not fall any further
- Consistent performer expect to get anywhere between 65-75 points a game
- Expect him to put in some big numbers as the Knights attempt to remain in the top 8

- Value $299,000

- Season average 70.67

The Verdict

- Zeb Taia has been solid all season long, sure he isn’t one of the big big name players but his performances warrants him a place in your 17 to say the least. His value has gone down as far as it possibly could and now is the probably the cheapest you could buy him for. Use whatever Cap space you have and buy him, would make a great addition to your team, additionally only a small minority of DT’ers have him on their team so he could help make the difference.

Outs

Dave Taylor

- Dave Taylor has loads of potential

- Great value for his current average
- A lot of the Brisbane regulars are coming back so his playing time could potentially decline
- Value unlikely to rise much further although this week it could slightly increase

- Value $249,100

- Last 3 game average 66.33

The Verdict

- So why are we selling someone who was supposed to be a Cap Space Booster, well the answer is simple to boost your cap space. In the two weeks that I had him his gone up by just over $50k, now you can use that smartly earned $50k and buy yourself the players mentioned above in or if you really want you could keep him for another week at most, refer Ins.

Cap Space Booster

Joel Moon

- Last week Joel Moon dropped 113 points on me !
- Yes I was a victim of him scoring more tries in one game (4) than all season long (2)
- His last 5 games includes two 60 point performances and of course last week’s 113 points
- Value $217,300

- Last 3 game average 71.67

The Verdict

- Thinking of making a blockbuster trade? Few thousand dollars short? Well look no further, jump on the Joel Moon ship, his 3 game average is awesome and it includes a 39 point performance which will get rolled off this week, so if he scores anywhere close to his rolling 3 game average, expect his value to jump by approximately $20k - $30k. So feel free to cash in on him, however make sure you do sell him soon, regardless of whether he scores another 100+ point game this week.

NOTE

I know I said we will talk about Anthony Tupou last week, but we will actually talk about him next week as he appears to still be suffering from his hamstring injury.

That’s a wrap for this weeks trade talk, tune in next Friday morning at 1.am
Next Weeks Preview – We talk Anthony Tupou!
Until then peace out! One.

Don’t forget to post your comments or any trade related questions!

Nick's Captains - Round 22

Top 5 from last week scored as follows:
1 - Hindmarsh (81)
2 - Waterhouse (83)
3 - Hannant (78)
4 - Jarryd Hayne (111)
5 - Michael Jennings (82)
Now you can't complain about having any of those blokes as captain. Solid scoring also from Bronson (82), Gallen (83), Watmough (150), Fitzgibbon (112) and Zeb Taia (80). The other big scores for the week belonged to non DT stars (e.g. Joel Moon (113), Phil Graham (109) etc...). Therefore I am deeming last week to be the most successful week of Nick's Captains so far - personally I was stoked to have Hayne as my captain!!

Analysis is back to normal this week (example):
Jerry Seu Seu(site rank based on avg) - (avg last 3)(score last time they met)

Storm v NQ
There is nothing much from a DT perspective here. This should be a tight game, which would limit the output of JT and Bowen. Tronc has been scoring alright lately. No captains.

Panthers v Dragons
Waterhouse(9) - (79)(n/a)
Soward(17) - (79)(77)
Waterhouse missed this game last time due to State of Origin. The Panthers have been known to give up a point or 40 in recent times, so I would expect Soward to score well. Waterhouse to be solid again.

Manly v Souths
Watmough(16) - (88)(61)
Sutton(23) - (78)(25)
Anthony "Best Forward in the World" Watmough is a beast - 150 last week, and playing Souths this week, at Brookvale, he will score well again. The Sutton bubble has offically burst - 32 last week. Trade him ASAP and use the funds to buy a gun forward! Farah/Stagg are underpriced atm

Dawgs v Raiders
Stagg(7) - (60)(83)
Hannant(8) - (70)(106)
Bronson(10) - (68)(75)
Stagg has been named and for god's sake I hope he plays. Hannant had a massive 106 last time they played, and should score highly again. I think Bronson's output might be down a little this week - against the Dawgs, with Stagg going low and Ryan going high, his ability to offload will be muted. Don't make him captain this week.

Warriors v GC
Laffranchi(5) - (66)(79)
He seems to be down a bit lately, with scores of 63,72 and 63 his last 3. It's an afternoon game in NZ, so he might score alright - you never know. Look out in 2 or 3 weeks time because his price would have bottomed out by then - perfect upgrade for semi-finals!

Roosters v Wests Tigers
Fitzgibbon(6) - (103)(78)
Farah(4) - (64)(89)
Fitzgibbon is a DT beast, and if the Roosters are to win this one it will be on the back of him. Wests are in form though, and may be able to limit his DT output. I am $2,500 off being able to afford Farah this week - so angry!!! He will score well.

Eels v Knights
Hindmarsh(3) - (81)(59)
Hayne(25) - (70)(54)
Gidley(15) - (62)(73)
Hindmarsh is a machine - just like the Albert Pujols ad's on ESPN .....anyone??? Three 81's in a row the past 3 weeks. He has to be a contender again this week. Hayne at home on Sunday arfo, against the struggling Knights - he will score big again. Could be an outsider. Don't make Gidley your captain - he scored 2 tries on the weekend and could still only manage 72 points.

Broncos v Sharks
Gallen(1) - (86)(n/a)
Gallen comes back for his first game in months, and just busts out a quiet 83 points. The man is a DT freak!! And with Tupou still out (KinG - I told you he would miss last week - don't question me ever again!!!) he will notch up a big score again this week!!

Therfore, the top 5 captain choices for this week are as follows:
1 - Watmough (making his debut appearance in Nick's Captains - don't let me down big fella)
2 - Gallen
3 - Hindmarsh
4 - Fitzgibbon
5 - Hannant
Roughies of the week - Hayne & Soward

Post your comments on anyone who you think I may have missed, or how you have been going with your captain's choices recently!

Player of the Week: Round 21

Geez, what a weekend! Good viewing for the fans out there, some nail biters, some massive scores and of course, some MASSIVE DT scores with Watmough taking out what I think may be the highest DT score this season (unless anyone can think of any higher?)!

1. Anthony Watmough
Manly were dragging the chain on Monday night as the Tigers pulled ahead with a solid lead of 18-0 at half time. I dont know what Des Hasler had to say to the boys in the locker room but a different team stepped out. Tony Williams got the ball rolling and then Watmough did everything he could to get Manly back in the game crossing the line twice and knocking up a ridiculous stat sheet along the way. Unfortunately there's only so much one man can do and a sneaky field goal by Robbie Farah in the 63rd minute kept the Tigers ahead..

Tries - 2
Line Breaks - 4
Tackles - 27
Offloads - 7!!
Runs - 23 for 269m!!

Total points - 150!

2. Craig Fitzgibbon
Another solid performance sees the mighty Roosters captain back only a few short rounds after busting out his 129! Getting the ball rolling against the Knights in the 9th minute, he took a backseat after that, content to boot through 5 from 5 of his teammates tries and enjoy watching the tantalisingly sweet taste of victory slip away from Gidley and the rest of the Newcastle side..

Tries - 1
Goals - 5
Tackles - 28
Offloads - 1
Line Breaks - 1
Runs - 20

Total points - 112




3. Terry Campese
Welcome Campo! As a fan of the Green Machine welcoming Campo on his debut to players of the week is some small comfort considering we wont be making the finals this year! In his first 100+ point performance since Round 1, Campo came storming back in the Raiders thrashing of the Broncos (did I hear their biggest defeat ever?!) on Saturday night. Largely spurred on by the huge scoreline Campo punched through 8/10 goals, loving it!

Try Assists - 3
Goals - 8
Tackles - 30
Offloads - 2
Line Break Assists - 2
Runs - 5

Total points - 110


Last week of league games, few crunch games out there for everyone I'm sure, good luck in the final week and hopefully you get to see more of the finals than the Raiders! (Unlike Yung Legends who are sure to get knocked out this week)

Until next week..
Fish

Chk Chk BOOM – Wenins’ Reports From the Cross.

Here comes the story of the hurricane,

The man the authorities came to blame

For somethin that he never done.

Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been

the champion of the world.

Well well well, it was only last weekend when this blogger factored the Broncos into his short list of lows for the week. Who would have thought that things could possibli.. I mean possibly get any worse. Not only did the broncos score their largest ever defeat on the weekend but one of their stars is now caught in an Andrew Johns like scenario. Who is this pill popper? A few names have been bandied around, but I will leave the name dropping to the rumour monger's. For now, I’ll just listen to Bob some more.

Weekend Wrap.

Well boys and girls (clutching at straws) what a weekend of upsets. Who would have thought this time last week that the Roosters, Raiders, Tigers and the Cowboys would have had the victories which they did? When it rains it pours! Upsets this year have come in their two’s, three’s and most commonly fours. Shit for tipping and a punt but it’s good to see the ego’s bruised.

Anyway who were us DTers happy with on the weekend and who do we want discarded to reserve grade?

Friday Night

St George 26 Melbourne 12

Highs
Jamie Soward continued his ball breaking season with a solid 86 points.
Big Del continued to show that being over thirty is the new black (see pic) with a solid 83 point game.
Dallas Johnson finally came back into some form with 80, which is amazing considering ¾ of his points are scored through tackles.

Lows
Weymen – 33 – Come on dude! The week I trade you in is the week you fail! Big week coming big boy.

Titans 18 – Cowboys 34
Highs
Matty Bowen stole the show against the Titans with a two try show stopping performance for 84 points.
Steve Rapira chimed in with 81.
Mark Minichello performed well for the Titans with 73.

Lows

Brett Delaney and David Mead 22, 23...Come on boys you are better than that!

Saturday games

Raiders 56 – Broncos 0

Highs
Campese, bloody Campese, about time he stepped up…massive 110 points. I'm just pissed that he is in the Yung Legends lineup.
Jarrad Croker, Phil Graham and Joel Monaghan all had large games with points over 100.

Lows
The Broncos - needless to say

Newcastle 18 – Roosters 30
Highs
My best upgrade of the year Skipper Fitzgibbon had another great weekend with 112. What a DT gun!
Steroid Macdougall pumped out a solid 105
Zeb Taia and Gidley both scored well with scores of 80 and 72 respectfully.

Lows

The Roosters won.

Penrith 32 – Warriors 32
Highs
Joel Moon pulled something out his complete backside with a whopping 113.
Gavin Cooper, Sam Rapira and Trent Waterhouse scored 88, 86 and 83 a piece.

Lows
Junior Tia Kilifi, are you in or are you out?

Sunday Games

Cronulla 0 – Eels 30

Highs
Jarryd Hayne you little ripper! 111.. If you don’t have this guy in your backline by now I don’t know what you have been doing all year! GUN!
Same can be said about Nathan Hindmarsh, just doesn’t stop running all game..81 points.
Joel Reddy also chipped in with a very respectful 86.

Gallen, Snowden and Douglas all had big games for the Sharks with 83, 77 and 74.

Lows
Tupou – I mean WTF? Either he is in or he is out Ricky!!!!
Mortimer -23 - you are meant to love DT son!

Souths 18 – Bulldogs 26
Highs
Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa aaaaalogo….destroyed the game with a handy score of 90
Ben Hannant, welcome back big spender – 78 points.

Lows
Stagg….sob sob sob…..but seriously, 3 sets of 6 for 28 points….what a freak!

Monday Night Footbaaaaaaaaalll

Tigers 19 – Manly 20
Highs

One word – WATMOUGH! – Seriously? Wtf? Who scores 150? Animal (again see pic) -->

That is all.

Lows
Shannon Gallant – 24!!!! I chose you over Locke you bastard!

Well that's all from this week.

I will look forward to your comments.

Remember, sleeping is giving in!

Be Awesome, Wenin xo

LATE MAIL

Well TGIF! Yet another weekend of DT is upon us and boy are there some big ins and outs this week.

Here is the late mail to date, I will continue to update this section throughout the afternoon when more news becomes apparent.

St George vs Melbourne

Wayne Bennett has dropped Luke Priddis and Nick Emmett off his interchange.

The only possible change for the Storm is Ryan Hoffman, who is battling a hamstring injury, Hep Cahill on standby .

Gold Coast vs Cowboys

Gold Coast’s injured duo Mark Minichiello (knee) and Nathan Friend (ankle) trained yesterday, and coach John Cartwright expected both to line up

Cowboys big men Antonio Kaufusi and Matt Scott had come through their medial ligament troubles and will play.

Broncos vs Raiders

AFL Karmichael is expected to shift to halfback for tomorrow’s clash with Canberra.
Josh Hoffman expected to be elevated from the bench to fullback.
Winger Antonio Winterstein did not train yesterday but is not believed to be in doubt, despite a corked thigh. Prop Joel Clinton (groin) will be assessed today.

Canberra are expected to be unchanged.

Penrith Warriors

Penrith forward Frank Pritchard, named on an extended bench, is rated less than a ‘‘50-50’’ prospect of returning from a broken hand.

Warriors are expected to be unchanged.

Knights vs Roosters

Newcastle coach Brian Smith has made significant changes for tomorrow night’s encounter, switching fullback Kurt Gidley into the halves alongside Jarrod Mullen, who has been passed fit after an ankle injury. Shannon McDonnell will play at fullback, with Ben Rogers demoted to the bench.
Steve Simpson requires a clearance to play after a neck injury, with Cory Paterson in line to start if the second-rower is ruled out.

The Roosters are expected to be as named.

Sharks vs The Eels

Cronulla forward Paul "Nut Grabber" Gallen is likely to return from his shoulder injury after completing a full training session yesterday. He will come in at the expense of Tupou who is going to miss again this weekend. Johnny Mannah (rib) is in doubt, with Luke Douglas expected to replace him in the front row and Gallen to slot into the back row. Ian Donnelly trained with the squad yesterday.

The Eels are expected to be as named.

Bulldogs vs Souths

Both the Bulldogs and Souths are expected to be as named for their clash on Sunday.

Wests vs Manly

Keith Galloway (knee) and Chris Heighington (leg) are ‘‘50-50’’ chances of returning for Wests Tigers.

The Sea Eagles are expected to be as named.

Wenins Tips

St George

Titans

Broncos

Penrith

Knights

Eels

Dogs

Manly

All the very best this weekend

Wenin, out!

KinGs Trade Talk Round 21

Potential Trades

Ins

Trent Waterhouse

- Aiight its time to get real serious this week, as we approach the finals most of u chumps are struggling to make it to the top 8 so here is your chance.

- Only a tiny 4.59% of DT’ers have him in their teams, so he would make for a great blockbuster trade. Imagine the look of your opponent with TW in your team
- His value has fallen by $17k over the last few 3 games, don’t expect it fall much further
- Consistent performer don’t expect his value to fall anymore unless he gets injured
- His workload has increased with the injury to the Big Petero, thus the numbers are awesome

- Value $334,000

- Season average 72.73

The Verdict

- Trent Waterhouse is a DT beast, he racks up a tonne of tackles and hitups every week, even the occasional try assist (don’t tell me you didn’t see his try assisting kick out in the wings last week), if you real serious about making the top 8 my advice would be to get him OR even if you just want to send a message to the rest of your league it’s time to get Trent Waterhouse !

Outs

Steve Price

- Steve Price is one of the best Front Row Forwards in the game

- Tireless worker, who consistently racks up 70 odd points a game
- Great value for his current average
- Missed a lot of games this season for various reasons, injury/origin,etc

- Value $309,200

- Last 3 game average 76.33

The Verdict

- No I’m not being a smartass and no I aint taking shots at a Legend – that’s not how I do. I’m simply saying that’s its about to be DreamTeam finals, and you want someone who you know is going to play every game for the remainder of the season cos lets face it most of us DT’ers don’t have many trades left and don’t want to be in a situation where we have to use an auto emergency sub for the finals. Trust me if someone could assure me that Steve Price will play every single game still seasons end then I would be talking about him right now in my Ins section.

Cap Space Booster

Scott Prince

- Last week Scott Prince had a massive game and hit the century point with 110 points
- His 3 game rolling average includes a 26 and 39 point performances
- Generally tends to give more points against week opposition.
- Value $223,400

- Last 3 game average 58.33

The Verdict

- Have trades up your sleeve? Need a cap boost right now? – The answer is Scott Prince, his value should increase by 20-30k over the next couple of weeks, as mentioned above his rolling average has two very poor scores. Throughout the season Scott Prince has scored greater points against weaker opposition, so this week we can expect a few try assists as the Titans battle the Cowboys This week the Titans are playing NQ so we can expect a higher scoring game and a few try assists from Scott Prince.

That’s a wrap for this weeks trade talk, tune in next Friday morning at 1.am
Next Weeks Preview – We talk Anthony Tupou !
Until then peace out !

One.

Don’t forget to post your comments or any trade related questions!

Nick's Captains - Round 21

Top 5 from last week:
1 - Farah (69)
2 - Hindmarsh (81)
3 - Harrison (63)
4 - Laffranchi (63)
5 - Sutton (79)

Nick's Captains is going to be a bit different this week. Every week it seems to be the same blokes that I'm banging on about. So this week's report is going to be split into 2 sections.
Section 1 - Captain's for Pussies; Section 2 - Captain's for Men with balls.

Section 1 - Captain's for Pussies
The analysis will still be as follows:
Mike Litoris(comp rank based on avg) - (3 week avg)(score last time these teams met)

You know these blokes by now. Stats are:
Hindmarsh(3) - (86)(42)
Farah(4) - (80)(40)
Stagg(5) - (77)(74)
Laffaranchi(6) - (66)(69) **suspended**
Hannant(7) - (74)(83)
Waterhouse(8) - (77)(n/a)
Bronson(9) - (63)(n/a)
Fitzgibbon(10) - (93)(45)

Section 2 - Captain's for Men with balls

Scottie Prince - had a massive 110 last week, however this was on the back of a 26 the week before. Against NQ at home - might go big again.
Michael Jennings - on fiar lately, with scores of 84, 33, 105 and 96 in his last 4. Against NZ at home - loves scoring tries in Penrith, and should score well again this week.
John Sutton - can he go big again this week against the Bulldogs??? I don't think so
Kurt Gidley - back this week, playing against the Roosters at home. If there was ever a time to bust out of his DT form slump then this would be the week.
Jarryd Hayne - against the Sharkies this week, Hayne should carve up and score well. He is in a rich vane of form.
Benji - against Manly this week. Don't think he will score so well. This applies for Farah as well (I hope he plays rubbish and drops in value then I can pick him up!!)
Jamie Soward - A Friday night game against Melbourne might not be the best stage for Soward to go large. But if you have the balls, then maybe....

Nick's Captains top 5 for the week

1 - Hindmarsh (can't go past him sorry)
2 - Waterhouse
3 - Hannant
4 - Jarryd Hayne
5 - Michael Jennings (do you have the balls to do it????)

45 votes last week - might crack the 50 this week!!

Player of the Week: Round 20

Sorry about the late post everyone, I blame Splendour recovery for my DT disorganisation, but better late than never so here goes...

As the NRL season creeps ever closer to finals and the inevitable end of the season, DT'ers are putting in place the last minute plans for the pointy end of their season as they jostle for a top 8 league finish to make finals for bragging rights amongst their buddies or newly met random league mates. For all those of us struggling for trades it will be a push right to the finish.

This DT'er is one that has been feeling the pain, having cruised into the top 8 and being afforded the luxury of carrying Paul 'Scrotum Grabber' Gallen for weeks on the bench, it's make or break time to push through a few last blockbuster trades to get the team firing for finals. Hefty competition in the league will accept nothing less.
We've been seeing some massive performances from some centres and backs that are flat out refusing to bow out without a fight and although lacking the absolutely massive performances of the last 2 weeks, this week is impressive nonetheless.

1. Scott Prince
Giving everyone a preview of what they have to look forward to come finals time, the struggling Broncos were delivered defeat at the hands of Prince who has stepped up massively after a few low key games. Coming off the back of 26 & 39 point performances in the last 2 weeks he absolutely exploded this week setting up his teammates 4 times and even running one in himself, finishing up with 14 points, the Broncos never stood a chance.

And the stat tally goes like this..

Tries - 1
Try Assists - 4
Conversions - 5
Tackles - 16
Line Break Assists - 3
Runs - 5

Total points: 110

2. Chase Stanley
The kid can play the game.
At only 20 years old, Chase 'Smokin' Stanley lit up the field on Sunday night against the Warriors, playing in only his 5th first grade game this season he showed everyone what he is capable of and no doubt getting the Storm excited for next season when he switches clubs.

Coming off the back of his last two games, giving an 82 point performance in Round 18 and a 76 point performance in Round 12 the big 100kg centre has dropped a massive 96 points, loves DT!

Tries - 1
Try Assists - 1
Tackles - 25
Offloads - 3
Line Breaks - 2
Runs – 11

Total Points - 95

3. Richard Fa'aoso

This big Tongan native has been a consistent performer over the season for the 1.8% of DT'ers who have him in
their team averaging around 53 points. He obviously decided it might be a good time to poke his head into NRL DT Talk's players of the week and exploded against the Sea Eagles this week dropping 94!


Tries - 1
Try assists - 1
Tackles - 18
Offloads - 3
Line Breaks - 1
Line Break Assists - 1
Runs - 15

Total points - 94


And that's a wrap, good luck in the second last league game of the year!

Tom's Teams Wrap Up - Round 21

Ok time to get a little controversial. I put this to you David Gallop, why would you enforce all teams to announce their teams for the upcoming rounds play on a Tuesday afternoon? I mean come on, now with the addition of Monday Night Football, after travel/downtime and recovery, some teams will not have a chance to even hold one full training session before team selection panels wheel the axe. The issue I have here is that teams are announcing ever enlarged extended benches, players are dropped after one bad game with no chance to prove themselves during the week, players are coasting through training with confidence, there is more time for injury etc. With this, DT’ers around the country are frequently frustrated! When they turn on the TV or head down to the ground to watch a game and see a totally different team line up, how do you think that makes them feel? They think about all the points lost and rue those potential trades that were held off until next week. With this, I implore you Mr Gallop, change Team Lists day to Thursday!!!

Anyway, with that behind us, welcome to Tom’s Team’s for this week, where the ins and outs for this week’s action are posted and discussed. Some of the DT favourites are down on form atm, might be time to look for a replacement. Enjoy.

Melbourne V St George
Two of the league’s best go at it on Friday night in what should be a close one. Melbourne has won 11 of their last 12 Friday night matches. St George has won just one of their last 10 matches against Melbourne, having never beaten the Storm at WIN Jubilee Oval. St George essentially has two days less to prepare for this one, coming back from New Zealand on Monday. Even with their great form, I can sense an upset. This should be a defensive battle, with both lines to be peppered all night.

Melbourne
In – Turner, Inglis, Johnson, Hoffman
Out – Blair, Anderson, Neilson, Cahill

St George
In – Prior, Priddis

Gold Coast V North Queensland
Will Gold Coast finally lose at home this week? One would think not given the Cows terrible road record. As I expected Scotty Prince ran rampard over the Broncos last week, don’t be surprised if he takes the cake against JT this week too. In saying that, JT is a good buy this week, because he has bottomed out price wise, and will look to improve personally for a finals charge to help his team. The Coasties lose Lafranchi this week to suspension, terrible news for DT’ers!!! Serious doubt for all 2nd rowers for GCT, hopefully the young guns will step up and score big. David Meyers would still be my best bet for a mid-range replacement 2RF. Doubts over Minnichello for this one, maybe Daniel Conn to be a late replacement.

Gold Coast
In – Matthews, Graham
Out – Harrison, Laffranchi

North Queensland
In – Watts, Manukafoa


Canberra V Brisbane
Flip a coin with this one. As much as the Broncos need a win, I do not see two home losses in a row on the cards for the Raiders.

Brisbane
In – Carroll, Hunt, Lockyer, Halu
Out – Gorrell, Mcguire, Williams

Canberra
In – Mccrone,Waddell
Out – Buttress, Herbert

Penrith V New Zealand
Penrith will be looking for another strong performance to solidify their top 8 spot. They are good players to have coming into DT finals.

New Zealand
In – Ropati, Tuimavave, Brown
Out – Price, Royal, Ah Van

Penrith
In – Elford, Pritchard

Newcastle V Sydney City
Surely if the Knights are to contend this year they will show some pride in themselves and bounce back this week against the featherless Roosters outfit. Some names come back into the team for Sydney (Fitzgibbon), but it doesn’t matter when your goal line defence is as bad as theirs. Add to the fact that half the team is not switched on, and your result is a Newcastle flogging. Gidley back this week, I promise, points may be up and down as he may play some minutes in the halves.
Newcastle:
In – Gidley, Mullen

Sydney
In – Fitzgibbon, Brown, Hauraki
Out – Kenny-Dowell, Ahern, Symonds

Cronulla V Parramatta
The Eels won last week with a big upset against the Bulldogs, and with half Daniel Mortimer in such good form and Trent Barrett done for the year, expect another Gold and Blue victory.

Cronulla
In – Green, Tupou
Out – Barrett, Norre

Parramatta
No Changes

South Sydney V Canterbury
Another big week for the Rabbits. Need to come out strong and show the league that they are the real deal. Wins against soft opposition has lifted team morale and led by John Sutton, another big game is needed this week. The Bulldogs too need to show some form after last week. This should be a cracker. Big name DT’ers Hickey and Stagg back in the team.

Souths
In – Crocker

Bulldogs
In – Stagg, Hickey
Out – Morrin, Holdsworth

Wests V Manly
How is the form of the mighty Tigers? At home against the Eagles, a chance to show the fans the brand of footy that is propelling them towards the top 8. A crucial game for both teams. Expect big things from inspired leaders Farrah and Marshall.

Wests
In – Collis

Manly
In – Matai, L’estrange

For a full list of teams for the rounds action visit:
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/teamlists

Thats all for this week, peace.

Chk Chk Boom! Wenins report from the Cross – The high’s and the lows of the DT weekend.

Howdy DTers, not much to report on this weekend, the boys were well behaved and I was in another world at Splendour. The only controversy involved some sleeping pills and energy drinks.....Boring!!

So let us just get on with the highs and the lows of a rather disappointing week of dream team.

Highs

Jamie Simpson

With the news of the passing of a close friend in the back of his head, this steal of the weekend ($156,800) racked up a hat trick of tries, to score a fantastic return of 77 points in Souths win over the hapless Roosters.

Scott Prince and the Titans.

Finally the Titans look set for a finals birth in 2009. Despite a horrid run of injuries again this year Gold Coast continue to make skill stadium a house of pain for opposition teams. Who has been nearly a forgotten man this year, Scott Prince ($223,400) demonstrated why he is one of the elite half backs of the completion on the weekend. He amassed an incredible 110 points for a half, which is not easy to do. Prince had a hand in every single one of the Titans tries and he collected 1 try himself, 16 tackles, 4 try assists, 3 line break assists and 5 hitups throughout.
In order to free up some bank for some upcoming finals blockbuster trades I had to choose between him and Mortimer ($227,300) for a downgrading. I chose to trade Prince out!! Hopefully my choice doesn’t backfire on me in coming weekends..…

The Titans will be tested again this weekend, especially in the forwards, with the loss of a DT favourite Laffranchi ($339,100) to suspension and Ashley Harrison ($273,400) has been ruled out.

Parramatta Eels.

The Eels scored one of the biggest upsets of the year over the weekend, defeating the nearly unstoppable Bulldogs 27-8. Daniel Anderson stated that this victory was the best under his leadership.

My two new DT heroes Daniel Mortimer ($227,300) and Nathan Hindmarsh ($361,300) had large scores again with 70 and 81. The only disappointment for this game was the absence of David Stagg ($321,200) who was a late withdrawal. The Eels were amazing in defence and hold a usually bullish dogs attack to only 8 points. Jamal Idris ($202,400) showed just how good he is at DT, scoring 57 despite the low dogs score. Very happy I brought him in last week, he is a gun!
If the Eels can continue their form over the last two weeks, who knows how far they can go!

Lows of the weekend

The Broncos and their injury problems.

The Broncos have caused some serious DT headaches this year through both Origin commitments and injuries. Already this season we have seen Hodges and Folou miss large chunks of the season. This week was no exception, the Broncos were without Lockyer, Wallace, Carrol and Thaiday. Sam Thaiday is a massive out for DTers as at his great price of $228,900 he was just starting to hit some form. If he can get himself back on the paddock he will be a great pickup come finals time.

Current casualty ward

http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiership/casualtyward/tabid/10247/default.aspx

I know these updates are a bit useless, but I am struggling to find anything better on the net. If I do, you will be the first to know..

Results from the weekend

Manly 44 - Newcastle 20

Gold Coast 34 - Broncos 18

Bulldogs 8 - Parra 27

NQ 20 - Panthers 28

Melbourne 30 - Sharks 10

Raiders 4 - Tigers 25

NZ 4 - Dragons 29

Souths 40 - Roosters 20

Until next weekend, happy DTing.

Wenin out!