Late Mail

Hello fello DTers, ready for a massive weekend? Well unfortunately I am not going to be able watch any games this weekend as I will be splendouring it up at Byron Bay. However, this doesn't prevent me from fullfilling my friday duties....So here goes.

Titans vs Broncos

The Broncos are already without Darren Lockyer, Israel Folau, Nick Kenny, Sam Thaiday and Tonie Carroll because of injury, and yesterday fullback Karmichael Hunt (corked thigh) and halfback Peter Wallace (hamstring) were ruled out as well.

Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak has been forced to dig deep and bring a couple more youngsters in to fill the holes, with Ben Hunt playing halfback and Josh Hoffman fullback. Another youngster, Dale Copley, has been promoted to the wing, with Alex Glenn dropping back to the bench.

Gold Coast hooker Nathan Friend has an ankle injury and is regarded as a 50-50 chance. The Titans, who lost 23-16 to the Bulldogs last Friday night, have delayed a decision on him until today. Update Friend has been confirmed as a starter for tonights match.

Knights vs Manly

Manly coach Des Hasler said Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who was named in jersey 18, would miss out for tonight's game against the Knights at Bluetongue Stadium. Newcastle, who are already missing a few players injured, have further concerns going into the match.

Fullback Kurt Gidley is considered highly unlikely to play because of a rib injury, while halfback Scott Dureau (hip) and bench forward Cory Paterson (quad) are in some doubt after being hurt at training yesterday. Update Gidley is out!!!!!!!!

Bulldogs vs the Eels

Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore cannot pick a stronger team than the one named for tomorrow night's game against the Eels at ANZ Stadium and he said none of the 17 were in doubt. Parramatta coach Daniel Anderson said his side was intact as well after beating Melbourne 18-16 on Monday night.

Cowboys vs Penrith

North Queensland forwards Matt Scott and Antonio Kaufusi are expected to overcome knee injuries in time to play against the Panthers at Dairy Farmers Stadium tomorrow night. Penrith have no injury concerns among their 17.

Storm vs Cronulla

Melbourne have a string of worries leading into tomorrow night's game against Cronulla at Olympic Park. Winger Steve Turner (foot) is not expected to play, while centre Greg Inglis (knee) and lock Dallas Johnson (neck) are rated 50-50 at best.

The short turnaround from playing on Monday night has put the Storm under the pump when it comes to players trying to overcome injuries. Five-eighth Brett Finch is set to play after missing the Parramatta game with a chest complaint and hooker Cameron Smith (shoulder) is considered a good chance after also missing that game.

Cronulla second-rower Anthony Tupou is in doubt with a hamstring injury.
Canberra players Josh Dugan, Joel Monaghan, Terry Campese and Joel Thompson are all battling the flu leading into Sunday's game against Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium. They all missed training yesterday and with today being a day off they will be checked tomorrow.
Officials are optimistic they will all play. Wests Tigers are intact.

Warriors vs Dragons

St George Illawarra have pruned a seven-man bench to five for their trip to Auckland to play the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday. Luke Priddis and Matt Prior drop off. Star forward Jeremy Smith will definitely make his long-awaited comeback from injury. The Warriors are as named.

Souths vs Roosters

South Sydney bench forward Michael Crocker remains in doubt for Monday night's game against Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium because of a corked leg. The Roosters, who lost 30-24 to the Warriors last Sunday, are intact.

source: http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews/broncos-lose-more-stars/2009/07/23/1247942008700.html

KinGs Trade Talk - Round 20

Potential Trades

Ins

Kevin Locke

- Most DreamTeamers spotted Kevin Locke a few weeks back and what dividends has he paid, however he has put most people in a dilemma – Do I sell him and cash in on the $70k+ that I made or do I keep him on my interchange

- So why is he a “In” in KinG’s trade talk, well just simply look at his value and 3 game average below

- Value $166,700

- Season average 51.67

The Verdict

- Kevin Locke is a great player, his not afraid to go for a run and that’s what results in him scoring 4 tries in 6 games, not to mention an average of a line break a game. Now that’s solid. His price to avrage ratio is one of the best, (sure Brett Stewarts is better but I don’t see him doing much on the field now do I?

Outs

Michael Ennis

- He is an irritating player, whenever I watch the doggies play, I always catch Ennis up to his dirty tactics

- Well he has had way too many low scoring games over his past few games, his 5 game average is infact lower than his 3 game rolling average
- I personally don’t think his value can fall any further, as his value has taken a massive $101k hit over his last 7 league games

- Value $159,600

- Last 3 game average 31.67 points

The Verdict

- Yeah sure he helped NSW win the state of origin but that’s cos we Queenslanders got a bit tired of winnig to many one sided games so it was time to let NSW win a game so that QLD will be back with a bang next year ! Believe that

Cap Space Booster

Dave Taylor

- Now that he has been starting games for the Broncos, his true potential is being exhibited to the world, Souths must be loving this the most.
-Given the performance of his last two games and the fact that the Broncos are struggling, expect big performances from the beast of man.
-Value $197,800

-Last 3 game average 63.33

The Verdict

- He has a 25 point performance in his rolling 3 game average, given the fact that the bring forwards will be under more pressure due to the current injury crisis for the Broncos, who else is more capable then Dave Taylor, I’m anticipating another solid performance from him which will make his 25 point game a distant memory. Expecting his value to go up by 30-50k over then next two weeks, so if you a cap boost for your finals blockbusters than Dave is your man !

That’s a wrap for this weeks trade talk, tune in next Friday morning at 1.am
Yeah I know this week’s post is smaller than last weeks but I promise you this, next weeks will be awesome as we gear up for the finals. Here is a small preview we talk Trent Waterhouse!

Until then peace out !

One.

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

Nick's Captains - Round 20

Well what a week of DT - some very rubbish scores produced this week. My man John Sutton, whom I said wouldn't do anything, blasted the Broncos for a lazy 118 points, and Benji bamboozled the Cowboys for a cool 135. The DT regulars struggled a little, with send-offs and injuries causing points to be much lower than normal.

The top 5 from last week scored as follows:
1 - Farah (61) - 10 in the bin didn't help his score
2 - Hindmarsh (81) - maybe he should be #1 every week
3 - Stagg (67)
4 - Fitzgibbon (69)
5 - Tupou (37) - Hammy goooooone

Analysis this week is as follows:
Steve (comp rank based on avg) - (3 week avg)(score last time these teams met)

Manly v Knights
Manly - no-one in the top 20 still. Glenn Stewart is on the fringe at 23. No captain material.
Gidley(15) - (62)(91) - this 91 was back when Manly were struggling. Although he has been named, I wouldn't be surprised to see him miss this week.
Taia(17) - (68)(78) - consistent.

GC v Broncos
Laffranchi(6) - (89)(n/a) - Another solid performance on the weekend (72) and with the Broncos in their poor current form he could be set for another big one this week.

Parker(18) - (54)(n/a) - soft.

Dawgs v Eels (massive DT game right here)
Stagg(5) - (77)(n/a) - Stagg has been putting up big numbers lately, and should score well here again. Very reliable captain. Loves DT!!
Hannant(7) - (89)(81) - the big Polar Bear is back!!!!!!!!! Has been a DT star in the games he has played so far this year, so will be interesting to see how he goes this week. I think he will work his way back into it.
Hindmarsh(4) - (84)(n/a) - I know this is getting a bit repetitive, but big Hindy kills it in DT. His value is up to $360k and he loves nothing more than scoring DT points!

NQ v Panthers
JT(22) - (49)(n/a) - not at the same lofty heights as earlier in the season. DT value diminishes with every week
Waterhouse(9) - (73)(n/a) - another solid 69'er last week for Trent "I like to be 3rd man in when 2 men are already going at it" Waterhouse. Good at DT though.

Storm v Sharks
Storm - nothing again. Big Sika Manu had a good score this week though. Smith may play this week you would think.
Tupou(16) - (59)(n/a) - a hammy injury and a 37 forced him to drop 3 places in the player rankings last week. Will he play this week (he has been named)? If so stay away, but get on next week or the week after when he should drop to about $260k or so.

Raiders v Wests
Bronson(8) - (69)(101) - big time 101 score last time they met, although this was in Round 1. Should be a free flowing game in Canberra so he might go big again.
Farah(3) - (75)(53) - will be looking to atone for last week. Getting sin-binned for 10 minutes does not help in DT. Will put on try assists and score big this week.

NZ v Dragons
Price(10) - (73)(63) - hopefully he will be back this week, but not as captain against the Dragons. Soward(20) - (97)(61) - has been on fiar recently. I think he will score averagely well this week, but not captain material.

Rabbits v Roosters
Sutton(19) - (99)(71) - massive last couple of games, getting back to the form that had him touted as an Origin star in days gone by. You would expect him to go big again against the Roosters this week.
Fitzgibbon(10) - (93)(50) - OUT!!!!!!!

Based on the above, the top 5 for this week is:
1 - Farah
2 - Hindmarsh
3 - Harrison
4 - Laffranchi
5 - Sutton

I umm'd and ahhh'd about Stagg, and he was very unlucky to miss out. Sorry for the lack of poll last week - but it's back this week! 26 votes last time - let's go for 40 this week

Tom's Teams Wrap Up - Round 20

Welcome back to another week of Tom’s Teams Wrap up! First of all, to my loyal fans, I must apologise for the unexplained hiatus from this blog. I have been in WA without my laptop for a while and I sort of forgot about NRL for a few weeks. Also, the eating of the world’s hottest burger at the Off the Wall diner has played a part, mainly because it nearly killed me! But not to worry, I’ve been brewing for a while now and am ready to unleash some pain on this blog. Let’s do it.

Plenty of great DT players to be running around in the NRL this week due to the wave of injuries that have struck some of the big name players in the league. Good news for DT’ers as that means plenty of bargains to be had for all (if you have trades left). Time to see the ins and outs for round 20!

Manly V Newcastle

Manly are back to near best at Brookvale, with Newcastle up and down on the road. However, fresh off the bye round and with inspirational skipper Kurt Gidley a certain starter, the Knights may upset the Eagles this week.

Manly:
In – Bailey, Rodney
Out – Mauro

Newcastle:
In – Gidley, Patterson, Dureau
Out – Houston, Mullen, McDonnell
Gold Coast V Brisbane

This all Queensland affair will not be close. Broncos are way off their game these days, and the Titans seem unstoppable at Skilled Park. Look for Scotty Prince to bounce back into form this week.

Gold Coast
In – Harrison, Cannings, Lawdon, Lacey
Out – Conn, Matthews

Brisbane
In – Simms, Sweeny
Out - Carroll

Canterbury V Parramatta

The Eels lifted last week against an underdone Storm outfit; however the ever reliable Bulldogs are a class above anyone on their day – they will be way too good for the Eels at home. I say every week to jump on any Canterbury forward you can afford, and this week is no exception. DO IT!

Canterbury
In – Goodwin, Hannant, Eastwood
Out – Utai, Hickey

Parramatta
No Changes


North Queensland V Penrith

Fresh off an Origin defeat the big boys from up north were off their game and looked flustered last week. Expect a big win for the Cows this week, complemented by a big score from JT and Matty Bowen.

North Queensland
In – Scott, Weston
Out – Watts

Penrith
In – Elford

Melbourne V Cronulla

As much as I would love to see it, an upset is never on the cards for the Sharks down in Victoria. Even with injuries, the Storm will get home this week. Btw how good was Billy the Kid in the halves? Why can’t we see that every week!

Melbourne
In – Smith, Hinchcliff, Finch
Out – Kelly

Cronulla
No changes

Canberra V Wests
I cannot look past a Tigers outfit that played with such passion in the previous round. Look for them to knock off the heavily fancied Raiders on the road in a high scoring affair. Playmakers will score big in this one…

Canberra
In – Thurling, Picker
Out – Leyroyd-Lahrs

Wests
In – Collis

New Zealand V St George

The warriors charging home to the finals! Sounds good right Kirkup? Too bad they have the full strength Dragons fresh from a bye coming to town this week to spoil the party. Expect a close one, I’m tipping the upset. Will we see the Dell go head to head with the beast that is Manu Vatuvei? Two DT heavyweights back in the lineup for NZ.

New Zealand
In – Locke, Price


St George
In – Boyd, Poore, Weyman, Creagh, Costigan, Prior, Smith
Out – Emmett, Lett, Nightingale, Merrin

South Sydney V Sydney

In the final game of the round, Monday night sees the Rabbits and the Roosters go at it. The Rabbitohs looked good at Suncorp last Friday, and with an extended break, they will choke the Chooks at home. Get on John Sutton as he is doing everything to lift these Rabbits into the finals. Minechello is back for the Roosters, likely to play on the wing so is probably not worth the gamble.

Souths
In – Crocker

Sydney
In – Minechello, Soliola, Ahern
Out – Fitzgibbon, Cherrington, Earl

That’s it for this week. May this week be full of growth and playing time for your beloved 17!
Tg

Player of the Week: Round 19

Greetings from sunny Cairns! Sorry about the AWOL post last week, I was off somewhere celebrating the reclaiming of a little Origin pride with the win at Suncorp on Wednesday night by the Blues. Yes yes, I realise that we still lost the series, yes yes I've heard the myriad of normal QLD'er excuses, the refs were biased, we only won because of the players they had out injured, dirty NSW players, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction etc etc etc. Was good to see a physical game, some massive hits, and even a bit of biff resurfacing with hardman Steve Price KO'd by Mr White. In all fairness I was pretty impressed with the way Pricey took it post game, unlike Hodges shooting his mouth off at White while he was behind a team of players acting tough like he wouldnt have been laid out next to Price on Medivac #2 if he tried to take White one on one, he couldnt punch his way out of a wet paper bag...

Anyway, on to the important stuff, it was a bit of an up and down week this one with some decidedly average performances from some of the big guns. Origin also took it's toll with a few big names out with injuries and the like. But celebrating a big return to form and an absolutely massive week:

1. Benji Marshall

I've had Benji in my team from Day 1 and he has generally been a solid performer, but of late he has been dragging the chain a bit and I've often found my mouse hovering over the trade button but in the spirit of trying to save trades for later in the season he's lived on, boy am I glad..
Benji dropped a proverbial atom bomb on the Cowboys this week:
Tries - 1
Try Assists - 3
Goals - 5
Tackles - 12
Offloads - 1
Line Breaks - 4
Line Break Assists - 3
Runs - 9
Total points: 135

Take that.


2. John Sutton
It's probably no surprise the names fleshing out the rest of the top 3 are decked in red and green after the Rabbitohs drubbing of the Bronc's, an underpowered Bronco's side were destroyed at home by the rampant Rabbitoh's attack, spearheaded by Sutton. A homage to his epic performance last week of 134..
Try assists - 4
Tackles - 16
Offloads - 3
Line Break Assists - 5
Runs - 12
Total Points: 118

3. Beau Champion
Helped out massively by the big man in the Number 2 spot, Champion lived up to his name and posted his biggest fantasy score of the season getting the job done and crossing the line time and time again for the Bunnies:

Tries - 3
Tackles - 9
Offloads - 2
Line Breaks - 3
Runs - 13
Total points: 106



Special mention : Junior Tia-Kilifi - 79 points
This Panthers rookie has been creating ripples ever since he got on team in Round 16, currently averaging 58.67 over his 3 rounds, expect big things from him in the future!

Konichiwa bitches.

Nicks Captains - Round 19

Welcome to another week of Nick's captains. First off, thank f**k that Jamie Soward isn't playing this week. I'm sure people who have him won't be saying that, but he has killed me the last 2 weeks. Last week I had him in the top 5 and he didn't disappoint, notching up a lazy 125 points. Stagg and Hindmarsh were also in the top 6 highest scorers in the entire comp , so the Nick's Captains top 5 did alright last week, as set out below:
1 - Laffranchi (63)
2 - Stagg (88)
3 - Hindmarsh (95)
4 - Bronson (66)
5 - Soward (125)

The Knights and Dragons have byes this week. Here's the analysis of this weekend's games:

Broncos v Souths
Parker(19) - (70)(n/a) - kicking duties seem to have been taken off Corey, which could limit his DT output against a lowly team like Souths. Not captain material.
Souths - John Sutton had a massive 134 last week, but I wouldn't expect him to do anything like that again this week.

Dawgs v GC
Stagg(5) - (76)(99) - had a day out on the GC last time these 2 teams met, with a massive 99 points. Top 5 (again).
Laffranchi(6) - (91)(58) - the big fella let me down a little last week. With a 58 last time he played the Dawgs, he doesn't have history on his side. But he has the ability to go big.

Panthers v Canberra
Panthers - Waterhouse is in, but after his grubby act in State of Origin I'm not even going to put his stats up. He's a cat. But honestly - get on Paul Aiton. I am one of only 2,371 people who have him, and he is a gun. Dropped 90 last week. I'm not confident enough to make him captain, but he is a solid addition to any team.
Bronson(8) - (83)(71) - big Bronson seems to be a bit up and down these days. Either goes massive (100+) or average (60's) - there is nothing in between. He won't be in the top 5 this week

Sharks v Manly
Tupou(13) - (75)(n/a) - Tupou would want to have a massive game this week. With Gallen still out you would think Tupou would get through a bit more work. I am predicting a 75 from him.
Manly - don't seem to be that good at DT. No-one from Manly is in the top 20 averages.
Roosters v Warriors
Fitzgibbon(10) - (89)(76) - the Warriors are gone, and thus is an afternoon game in Sydney. Fitzgibbon should have a big game.
Warriors - with Price expected to be out, maybe Russell Packer would step up. But with the way they have been going, I wouldn't be making any Warriors my captain this week.

Wests v NQ
Farah(3) - (74)(86) - with Gallen and Brett Stewart still injured, Farah has the higest average of people actually playing this week. Good score last time against NQ, Sunday arfo game. Should score well.
JT(17) - (55)(38) - who knows? Normally plays quite well after Origin, so he might go big, 38 against Wests last time worries me though.

Eels v Storm
Hindmarsh(4) - (95)(n/a) - performed well as my skipper last week, and I would expect another good score this week. Solid.
Also, what about Jarrod Hayne. I love this bloke - I told Michael Hagan at Origin on Weds night that he should make Hayne club captain - he said he'd think about it. Always a doubt about Origin players playing the next week, so if you plan on taking a punt and going with him as skipper, make sure you have a good VC locked in.
Storm - nothing.

Based on the above, the top 5 for this week is:
1 - Farah
2 - Hindmarsh
3 - Stagg
4 - Fitzgibbon
5 - Tupou

I've left Laffranchi out, and no doubt he will carve up now just to show me.