NRL Fantasy 2020 Part 89 - Finals Fantasy 2020 End of Days

I am liking the boom player strategy! Hope they can all fire. I am picking Storm left edge to put up some big numbers….obviously! I reckon Hughes will put up a Clive Churchill Medallists type game.

Api – Will get through a mountain of work in the middle and might get some sneaky metres around our big forwards. If he can stay out for the 80 then he will rack up the points.
Tino – Will be up for the fight! This is probably the best Boom/Bust player in the forward stocks. If he can get 45+ minutes (avg of 62.3 when playing over 45 minutes off the bench) and hope he crosses the line he could see a decent score of 55+.
Finucane – Hoping he can find his way onto the starting team before kick-off as he is a tackle bot. Probably the cheapest option who can go 50+. If he is on the bench I am tempted to take a stab at Fleece crossing the line.
Kikau – Boom/Bust player for sure! Lee and Suli on the left edge could find themselves in a bit of trouble with Kikau running at them. Just have to hope he can get through enough work in 50-60 minutes.
Munster – Speaks for itself. Panthers will have troubles down that left edge all night.
Crichton – Similar to Kikau, if he can see some early ball Lee and Suli will have their hands full all night.
Hughes (capt.) – Will be in control all game. I think Munster, Smith and Pappy will have targets on their heads all game, leaving Hughes to free roam and do whatever he wants. Clive Churchill medallist and my captain.
Edwards – We love kicking early so Edwards could see a lot of ball at the back. We aren’t the greatest with our kick chases at times so I think TB’s on offer here.

Just one last thought on the Dally-M awards.
I find it a little ironic that they are named after Dally Messenger (a Centre by trade) given that Centre is one of those positions that will NEVER win a Dally-M award - Nor Wingers, Props, unlikely for a 2nd Rower, and aside from Vaai Taumalolo sharing an award in 2016, there's unlikely to be many, if any, Locks to ever win it.

I'd suggest it might be more appropriate to call it the Spine awards, given that those are the positions where you have a reasonable role based opportunity to earn points, OR maybe a Dally-M award inspired 2-aside competition with each team comprising of a halfback and fullback (the positions that have won 16/22 awards in the modern NRL era) as in one sense the supreme award devalues the role of those less glamourous, but important positions.

I wonder what the great players who don't play the glamour positions make of the top award?
Personally, I find the Dally-M's about as meaningful as any random Social Media post of the 13 or best player of the year (actually, maybe not as meaningful as that).

With the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting up to 15mm of rain and 35 km/hr winds for Sunday's grand final apparently both teams are expected to make some changes for the wet weather.

Nicho Hynes has been named on their interchange but big men Tom Eisenhuth and Tui Kamikamica, pending fitness, are both under consideration for a call-up into the 17 with a call to be made closer to game day.



SIDE NITE: I love this from the players - Five-eighth Jarome Luai left the ground in only shorts and socks after gifting everything else he was wearing to young fans.

Bethany_B wrote:
Basically this strategy is dependent on a guess of mine - that Hughes and Vunivalu will target Mansour in the air a lot, while Olam is there in case the right side gets nothing.

Yeo and JFH are there because even if the Storm win, they'll likely get through a lot of work, and Kikau is there as a hedge in case it all goes pear shaped (since if we lose, odds are it's because he's trampling Brenko Lee)

I'd just like to say that hedging your team in a one-off game like this isn't a great idea.

If you work on the premise that a good score for Kikau is a bad score for Brenko - then having both in your team just means you are unlikely to get top score for the round.

You should make your team as internally consistent as possible. Don't pick 3 players that will only score well in a Panthers victory and 2 players that will only score well in a Storm victory. Obviously there are some players that can score well in either case (eg guys like Yeo and JFH you mentioned earlier), and sometimes the salary cap forces you to make compromises, but try and pick a team that complements each other

For those who want to reward consistency rather than stringing a few man-of-the-matches together. Rugby League Week used to award their player of the year by rating everyone out of 10 every week and see who came out on top (You only counted your best X scores, to cater for injury/suspension)

All their winners are here
https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/awards/rlw-player-of-the-year

I think it shares a lot of problems with the Dally M. Each game is rated by 1 judge who could make strange decisions, although losing a rating point here or ether not as impactful as missing out on Dally M votes.
Also its pretty hard to rate all 34 players accurately every game, there would be a lot of more well known players getting better ratings just because of who they are and general impressions rather than a detailed thought process about each game.

Milchcow wrote:

I'd just like to say that hedging your team in a one-off game like this isn't a great idea.

If you work on the premise that a good score for Kikau is a bad score for Brenko - then having both in your team just means you are unlikely to get top score for the round.

You should make your team as internally consistent as possible. Don't pick 3 players that will only score well in a Panthers victory and 2 players that will only score well in a Storm victory. Obviously there are some players that can score well in either case (eg guys like Yeo and JFH you mentioned earlier), and sometimes the salary cap forces you to make compromises, but try and pick a team that complements each other

Yeah fair.

I've swapped Kikau out for KBrom, since that way, my only Panthers players are Yeo and JFH, whom I think will score pretty well win or lose.

(C)S9
JFH
Yeo, KBrom
Hughes
Olam
Papy, Vuni

Apparently Cowboys have signed Lachlan Burr... Not bad.

Just read Cameron Smith has never won a Clive Churchill Medal... surely it already has his name on it.

StormTrooper96 wrote:Apparently Cowboys have signed Lachlan Burr... Not bad.

Sad to see him go I always liked his run hard & tackle hard approach....had a great 1st year then injuries got in the way

White Lightning wrote:

Sad to see him go I always liked his run hard & tackle hard approach....had a great 1st year then injuries got in the way

Good signing and probably pretty cheap, sticking with his current coach too so Payten obviously likes him.
Definitely one of the teams to watch next year.

Looking forward to seeing where Benji ends up too. Be surprised if he moves away from Sydney.

Hey guys,

Seeing as a number of you are most likely older than me I was after some advice/wisdom.

My partner is 22 and works for the government where most of her colleagues are 30+. She is earning some pretty decent coin for 22 and one piece of advice from one of her colleagues (30+) was that if he was her age earning the money she is earning, he would definitely go and see a financial advisor.

I was just wondering if anyone here has ever engaged with a financial advisor and whether or not you think they are beneficial or possibly just a waste of time.

Cheers!!

filthridden wrote:

Good signing and probably pretty cheap, sticking with his current coach too so Payten obviously likes him.
Definitely one of the teams to watch next year.

Looking forward to seeing where Benji ends up too. Be surprised if he moves away from Sydney.

Same as Flanagan. I can't see him going too far from home. Bulldogs seem to have a war chest still. I hope Storm can find a suitable trade option for Fox.

I think Cows with a healthy Val, Lolo, McLean, Morgo, Robson and then if Marsters, McGuire, others can find some form with some other additions into the list they could be a tough side next year... Of the teams who finished out of the 8 this year I think Cows, Titans and Manly will be knocking around in the top 8 next year. Not sure who they replace thouse... (sharks?)... I am picking Dragons for wooden spoon next year.

StormTrooper96 wrote:Hey guys,

Seeing as a number of you are most likely older than me I was after some advice/wisdom.

My partner is 22 and works for the government where most of her colleagues are 30+. She is earning some pretty decent coin for 22 and one piece of advice from one of her colleagues (30+) was that if he was her age earning the money she is earning, he would definitely go and see a financial advisor.

I was just wondering if anyone here has ever engaged with a financial advisor and whether or not you think they are beneficial or possibly just a waste of time.

Cheers!!

I have never been to a financial advisor but you can't lose investing in property because real estate will never lose value. Once you have your first property & have built up enough equity you can then start investing in more properties. Interest rates are so low it's money for jam.
You also have to play the long game e.g. have a 10 year plan with consistent returns because patience will reap rewards rather than going for the get rich quick schemes which always fail.

StormTrooper96 wrote:Hey guys,

Seeing as a number of you are most likely older than me I was after some advice/wisdom.

My partner is 22 and works for the government where most of her colleagues are 30+. She is earning some pretty decent coin for 22 and one piece of advice from one of her colleagues (30+) was that if he was her age earning the money she is earning, he would definitely go and see a financial advisor.

I was just wondering if anyone here has ever engaged with a financial advisor and whether or not you think they are beneficial or possibly just a waste of time.

Cheers!!

Hey mate, I'm in my late 20s and so is my partner. If by financial advisor you mean someone thatd cost 5 or 10k (or more) id advise against it.

When we started doing reasonably well financially a couple of years ago, I had a free consultation with a couple of accountants and got some good advice off them.

Main thing I'd recommend is buy "the barefoot investor" and make sure you and your partner both read it. Cleaning up your finances feels amazing and can really help set you up!

Dttragic2016 wrote:

Hey mate, I'm in my late 20s and so is my partner. If by financial advisor you mean someone thatd cost 5 or 10k (or more) id advise against it.

When we started doing reasonably well financially a couple of years ago, I had a free consultation with a couple of accountants and got some good advice off them.

Main thing I'd recommend is buy "the barefoot investor" and make sure you and your partner both read it. Cleaning up your finances feels amazing and can really help set you up!

My partners mum has the book and has told us to read it about 100 times. I am not a reader... I think the only book I have read is Captain Underpants.

I know a financial advisor and he charges $200 for an initial consult and that includes him looking over everything and providing a financial plan, investments etc. Maybe ill give the barefoot investor a go first.

Eels sign Tom Opacic(has been known for a while now),Joey Lussick and Isaiah Papalii. Excited to see Pap outside of the Warriors

StormTrooper96 wrote:

My partners mum has the book and has told us to read it about 100 times. I am not a reader... I think the only book I have read is Captain Underpants.

I know a financial advisor and he charges $200 for an initial consult and that includes him looking over everything and providing a financial plan, investments etc. Maybe ill give the barefoot investor a go first.

For $200 definately do it. Being that you're only starting off you need the advice similar to what DT mentioned. Once you start building a share portfolio and have property and made a dent in it, then may be go for one that charges a bit more. You get what you pay for. My 2 cents are
1. Super / super / super. Pay your minimum employee % no matter what
2. Ensure you balance your portfolio between property and cash (shares). I ended up asset rich (plenty of equity in property) and cash poor (not enough liquid assets eg. shares) which made it hard to get a loan to build my property portfolio

No Worries wrote:

For $200 definately do it. Being that you're only starting off you need the advice similar to what DT mentioned. Once you start building a share portfolio and have property and made a dent in it, then may be go for one that charges a bit more. You get what you pay for. My 2 cents are
1. Super / super / super. Pay your minimum employee % no matter what
2. Ensure you balance your portfolio between property and cash (shares). I ended up asset rich (plenty of equity in property) and cash poor (not enough  liquid assets eg. shares) which made it hard to get a loan to build my property portfolio

Consider the option of debt recycling - https://youtu.be/n9PUpl51w1I to turn some equity into tax deductible investments

StormTrooper96 wrote:Hey guys,

Seeing as a number of you are most likely older than me I was after some advice/wisdom.

My partner is 22 and works for the government where most of her colleagues are 30+. She is earning some pretty decent coin for 22 and one piece of advice from one of her colleagues (30+) was that if he was her age earning the money she is earning, he would definitely go and see a financial advisor.

I was just wondering if anyone here has ever engaged with a financial advisor and whether or not you think they are beneficial or possibly just a waste of time.

Cheers!!

If you are going to engage a financial advisor, make sure they are fee for service (up front fee) rather than on going fee (percentage of investments). The later tends to push you towards products where they have a vested interest, normally making a commission from the business on top of your fee

One thing to consider is that most superannuation funds will cover the cost of one session with a financial advisor, which is enough to get your ducks in a row generally.

If you want some more generalised advice I'm happy to discuss most things of a general nature free of charge

It largely depends on your goals, but generally some pretty sound advice is as follows:

- Build an emergency funds of 6-12 months expenses. Keep this in a savings account for a rainy day, if in a not secure job (doesn't sound like it with government work) you probably want to be closer to 12 months
- Pay off high interest debts in order of interest rate. Get those credit cards, personal loans, car loans etc down to zero as close as possible, as they severely impact your next step
- Superannuation is an important step to wealth building, regardless of if you want to retire at a traditional age (65+) or earlier. Make sure your Super fund has low fees and good returns. Canstar provides some independent reviews (https://www.canstar.com.au/superannuation/) that are pretty solid
- Depending on tax bracket there are a number of Superannuation options available. It may be worth maxing out concession contributions, obtaining government co-contributions or even making spousal contributions. It's generally not worth making non-concessional contributions until you are closer to retirement, but depends on your circumstances
- Decide on long term goals, like if you want to buy a property to live in, or you are happy renting in the medium-long term. Property is one of the greatest builders of wealth in this country and allows you to do some funky things with equity for future investments (see video in comment about to No Worries)
- Choose an investment strategy - Most popular options are shares or investment property. I personally lean towards shares but both options have merit. This website is a good beginners guide to share investing (https://passiveinvestingaustralia.com/)

Happy to answer any questions you have

NOTE: General advice only etc.

multiple.scoregasms wrote:

If you are going to engage a financial advisor, make sure they are fee for service (up front fee) rather than on going fee (percentage of investments). The later tends to push you towards products where they have a vested interest, normally making a commission from the business on top of your fee

One thing to consider is that most superannuation funds will cover the cost of one session with a financial advisor, which is enough to get your ducks in a row generally.

If you want some more generalised advice I'm happy to discuss most things of a general nature free of charge

It largely depends on your goals, but generally some pretty sound advice is as follows:

- Build an emergency funds of 6-12 months expenses. Keep this in a savings account for a rainy day, if in a not secure job (doesn't sound like it with government work) you probably want to be closer to 12 months
- Pay off high interest debts in order of interest rate. Get those credit cards, personal loans, car loans etc down to zero as close as possible, as they severely impact your next step
- Superannuation is an important step to wealth building, regardless of if you want to retire at a traditional age (65+) or earlier. Make sure your Super fund has low fees and good returns. Canstar provides some independent reviews (https://www.canstar.com.au/superannuation/) that are pretty solid
- Depending on tax bracket there are a number of Superannuation options available. It may be worth maxing out concession contributions, obtaining government co-contributions or even making spousal contributions. It's generally not worth making non-concessional contributions until you are closer to retirement, but depends on your circumstances
- Decide on long term goals, like if you want to buy a property to live in, or you are happy renting in the medium-long term. Property is one of the greatest builders of wealth in this country and allows you to do some funky things with equity for future investments (see video in comment about to No Worries)
- Choose an investment strategy - Most popular options are shares or investment property. I personally lean towards shares but both options have merit. This website is a good beginners guide to share investing (https://passiveinvestingaustralia.com/)

Happy to answer any questions you have

NOTE: General advice only etc.

Would it be worth combining all debts into 1 low interest loan with no restriction on how fast you can pay it off ?
only paying 1 fee.
If the minimum payment for example is $50 a month, pay $200 or more and the balance will reduce very fast !