Team Talk with Marcho: Round 3
Week 3 is upon us and I couldn’t be happier, having a couple of solid wins sees me sitting near the top of the ladder early on and I plan to stay there.
But enough about me – let’s get into the team lists for this week and what it means for your NRLCEO teams.
Dogs v Sea Eagles
Manly defied the odds for the hundredth time and ground out a tough win over Melbourne. Jamie Buhrer slotted back in nicely to the second row. Feleti Mateo reminded us all what he is capable of and again lines up at five eighth. Luke Burgess came close to a WH and is be worth a punt for the coming weeks.
The Bulldogs rolled an injury plagued Eels and are looking good out wide with Brett Morris, Rona and Perrett scoring well so far. Lloyd Perrett joins the bench this week, but is not NRLCEO relevant with his stats. Aiden Tolman missed out on a WH, which is rare, but I expect him to be back in the workhorses this week.
Broncos v Cowboys
North Queensland have had the wood over the Broncos recently. Anthony Milford at five eighth has negatively impacted Ben Hunt’s attacking game, it could take another month or two for it to click and it could be too late by then. Same team as last week for Brisbane – Thaiday is still warming the pine.
The Cowboys have finally put Lachlan Coote in at fullback and moved Micheal Morgan to five eighth which means Robert Lui is the man to miss out. Antonio Winterstein comes back in on the wing for Kyle Feldt. Ethan Lowe killed it last week with a DWH and a meat pie. Thurston should score a few more points this weekend but could be monstered again, as it worked last week for the Knights.
Eels v Warriors
The poor Eels have lost Semi Radradra for around two months and Beau Champion for the season. Chris Sandow is racing the clock to be fit, but Anthony Watmough knows how to play injured and I expect him to play his usual 60+ mins. For the injured trio mentioned above, Ryan Morgan is playing at centre and Vai Toutai on the wing. If you need a winger Toutai should be available.
Warriors are still missing a host of outside backs, Hurrell, Fusitua, Fisiiahi and Laumape. Surely when one is fit the will take the place of Jono Wright, he is nowhere near as good as those young hulking backs! The back row is where it’s at for the Warriors. Simon Mannering is shaping up as a gun, Bodene Thompson is getting good minutes, which will result in WH after WH. The ever green Ryan Hoffman hasn’t slowed down since leaving the storm. They have named the same team which beat Canberra last week.
Raiders v Dragons
Both teams could end up throwing the ball around, or at least I hope so! Canberra have lost their most attacking player, Jack Wighton, for a month due to a facial injury, which has seen a reshuffle in the backline. Edrick Lee moves back to the wing, Jarrod Kennedy to centre and Jordan Rapana to fullback. Josh Papalii continues to disappoint NRLCEO players everywhere, as he just needed to be named at prop for one more week to play front row and back row!
Well the Dragons have only scored eight points so far and that simply doesn’t win you games. On the flip side Trent Merrin, Jack De Belin, Tyson Frizell, Joel Thompson and Mike Cooper easily passed 40 involvements. Mitch Rein was a letdown, spending too much time on the bench against the Tigers. I hope that isn’t a sign of things to come.
Storm v Sharks
The Storm won’t be without Dale Finucane as he escaped his dangerous contact charge, he will either be free to play or miss 2 weeks if he is unsuccessful. Otherwise they will remain unchanged for round 3. Plenty of WH’s so far this year when teams have played the Sharks.
The Sharks have named Luke Lewis as 18th man and Sam Tagataese returning straight to the starting line up at prop. If Lewis comes back I’m predicting he will take minutes away from both Jayson Bukuya and Wade Graham. Like the Broncos, the Sharks attack is still coming together so keep those forwards in your starting side.
Rabbitohs v Tigers
I think the tigers will attack the Bunnies forward pack just like last year and could even get the victory. George Burgess was outstanding last week (150m) against the Roosters and will keep scoring tries if given the ball five metres out! The backline is one of the best going around. The power of GI combined with the speed of Alex Johnston and Dylan Walker is hard for any team to contain and I expect average players like Joel Reddy and Bryson Goodwin to benefit NRLCEO fantasy points wise. John Sutton is out for up to six weeks with a broken jaw. Tim Grant or Ben Lowe could take his minutes.
I love the go forward from Aaron Woods (265m) who had 54 involvements in Round 2 and it’s a matter of time before the double WH’s start flowing for him. Keith Galloway (179m) and Marty Taupau (132m, 39 involvement) are also working hard. Add an in form James Tedesco and anything could happen, I do worry that once these three come off, the bench really lacks the same punch in attack and defence.
Knights v Titans
Newcastle showed teams that if you bash JT, not only can you get away with it but that is the blueprint to beating the Cowboys. Joey Leilua bagged a double and will terrorise the Titans out wide this week. Slap the “C” on him! Kade Snowden also looks good so far this year. Robbie Rochow needs to pick up his tackle count!
Titans have rushed Greg Bird, Dave Taylor and Beau Falloon back into the starting side with Matt Srama, Lachlan Burr and Mark Ioane dropping out of the side. This will not affect many teams as these guys all play big minutes, but rarely score try’s or WH’s. The Titans will be fired up this week looking for their first win of the season.
Roosters v Panthers
It’s rare the game of the round is on Monday night, but Roosters will be out for revenge after last week’s narrow loss. Martin Kennedy might have played his last game for the season after being charged with using illegal substances with old Willie Manu coming into an extended bench.
Penrith fans listen up, don’t go chasing last week’s points. Yess Jamal Idris, carved up the Titans but the Roosters are a completely different proposition and Jamie Soward is out for six weeks. Matty Moylan will take over the kicking duties, but don’t expect an avalanche of points.
Best of luck to all NRLCEO coaches this weekend unless you are playing me of course! Hopefully Dugan is back soon, for the good of the whole NRL competition and so the Dragons might score so points.
Will Marchinton
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