2016 NRLCEO Dream Team
For our NRLCEO Dream Team we only count the 26 Rounds of the regular season. So looking back at the past seven months, here are the top scoring players eligible for each position.
1. Ben Barba (149)
The Sharks #1 had his best ever NRLCEO season this year. Unbelievable considering we’ve spent the last two years saying that he would never recapture his form. His 149 points beats his 2012 total of 134 but you have to remember that we didn’t have metre eaters back then. He was just as consistent in setting up his team mates (19 try assists) as he was scoring them (15 tries).
2. Tom Trbojevic (138)
This versatile giant of a man finished the year with three NRLCEO positions (fullback, winger and centre) making him ultra valuable. He was selected on the wing for this team as the second best winger but he was also the second best fullback and top ranking centre. His score was consistent across the park with 10 tries, 11 try assists, 19 line breaks, 9 line break assists and a massive 24 metre eaters!
3. Jarrod Croker (130)
If you include goals then he blitzed the field by far! With 338 NRLCEO points coming from 17 tries, 7 try assists, 14 line breaks, 6 line break assists, 14 metre eaters and a HUGE 104 goals. The next best was JT with 88 goals. There is plenty of speculation that Jarrod Croker has moved from a decent mid draft pick to a potential first round draft pick next year! Such is the progress and standing of the Raiders captain.
4. Joseph Leilua (137)
I can’t say that many people saw this coming! Sure, in the past BJ has shown glimpses of talent but it has always contained many weeks of rotten games in between. From an NRLCEO perspective he finished with 11 tries, 9 try assists, 8 line breaks, 19 line break assists and 20 metre eaters. From an non scoring statistic his 124 tackle breaks was the most of any centre in 2016. Shout out to the Trade Doctor Ryan Lynn for the last time – I hope he drafts him next year.
5. Jordan Rapana (149)
Another massive surprise packet. In fact he was voted as the biggest surprise packet of all in our fan survey and wasn’t even predicted to make the starting 17 for the Raiders behind Edrick Lee and Sisa Waqa. 20 tries, 23 line breaks, 8 try assists, 2 line break assist and 14 metre eaters later and he was the star winger of 2016. He also had the third most tackle breaks of all players with 128.
6. Anthony Milford (153)
For the second year running, Anthony Milford is the five-eighth of the year. He is the only player who has backed up his selection last year into this year’s Dream Team. That’s a pretty incredible effort on reflection and leads to the safety of picking a non-kicking half early in the draft next year. The 150+ score came from 13 tries, 18 try assists, 14 line breaks, 19 line break assists, 14 metre eaters and 4 field goals made him the fourth highest scoring player in all positions.
7. Cooper Cronk (127)
This guy is ultra consistent and he has always been a quality halfback choice on NRLCEO, but this was his best season yet. It was his all time best performance in all categories including 11 tries, 25 try assists, 7 line breaks, 22 line break assists, 3 field goals and a forty-twenty.
8. James Graham (176)
Bravo to the Englishman. Not only did he score the most NRLCEO points for a prop, but he was also the highest scoring player of the year – making him the NRLCEO MVP for 2016. Beating Semi Radradra’s 138 points from last year he has set the new mark for props, but still behind the 212 Sam Burgess would have scored with workhorses in 2014.
9. Cam Smith (141)
Surely this season marks his status as a fantasy NRLCEO god. He has now scored 100 points or more for the past seven seasons. 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Every. Single Year since we went public. In a lot of ways this was his best season yet. With 22 workhorses he was one short of his best season (23 in 2013 and 2014). It was easily his best season of try assists with 15 and also his best season with the boot kicking 83 goals and four 40/20s.
10. Aiden Tolman (140)
Poor old Tolman will forever be in the shadows. He was in the shadows in Melbourne and he’ll forever be in James Graham’s shadow too – not that there’s any shame in that. For the last three years Tolman has only dealth in even numbers. Only two line breaks and two line break assists in the last years, but that’s now why you draft Aiden Tolman. It’s all about his workrate. He scored 29 workhorses in 2016 including seven double workhorses. He only missed a workhorse once. That’s why you draft Aiden Tolman.
11. Sam Burgess (166)
Sure, 166 points is a very good season. But those who drafted him would still consider it to not be enough. The man scored 212 points in 2014. Double century. That’s unheard of. He only scored half as many tries (5) this year but racked up the majority of his points in workhorses (26) and metre eaters (17). After a slow start, he was well worth drafting, but expect more next year.
12. Ryan James (170)
What a season from the former long haired lout. After unfulfilled promise in 2013 (50), 2014 (5) and 2015 (77) he went ballistic this year scoring 177 points! 100 points more than his best ever season. That will happen when a front rower (dual position on NRLCEO) scores 11 tries in a season, which equals the most ever in a season. To top that off he scored 24 workhorses and 7 metre eaters. He needs to pick up his running metres and he can challenge James Graham for NRLCEO MVP in 2017.
13. Trent Merrin (134)
Merrin was a star signing at the foot of the mountain in 2016 but from an NRLCEO perspective he’s ended up exceeding expectations. He has always been a tackling machine, but his best ever season of 134 was on the back of 20 workhorses, 14 metre eaters and five meat pies. It exceeded his best workhorse seasons of 18 2013 and 19 in 2014. With the Panthers now looking at a top four finish in 2017 he could be worth a shout in round one at drafting time next year.
JB
Latest posts by JB (see all)
- 2022 NRLCEO Position Updates - August 24, 2022
- NRLCEO HQ – No Pride in Manly (Ep #273) - July 27, 2022
- NRLCEO T-Shirt Competition - May 10, 2022
